The Assistant(43)
Author: Elle Brace

“Pervert!” I exclaimed, scowling as I covered my chest with my arms.

He chucked before looking over at me again. “One photo, Emily! Please?” He looked at me with puppy dog eyes and grinned, catching me completely off guard. I stared at his expression for a few long moments before sighing.

“Fine. But not one soul see’s this photo!” I pointed out, glaring.

He first pumped the air before kissing my cheek and running backwards. “I wouldn’t want them to anyway, you’re mine.” He pointedly focused his gaze on a close group of men that was looking in our – my – direction. They caught Adrian’s glare and hurriedly looked away, apparently finding an interesting grain of sand.

“Smile!” Adrian said in a sing-song voice, grinning at my glaring figure as he got the camera ready. I sent one more menacing glare in his direction before sighing and dropping my hands to my side and grinning widely. Adrian stared at me for a few moments before he shook his head and pressed the iPhone screen, indicating that he took the photo.

I ran up to him instantly and snatched the phone out of his grasp before he even had time to react, and clicked on the photo in a hurry before groaning. “I look hideous.” I pouted, observing the photo in more detail. “I’d practically blend in with the sand if it weren’t for my hair and bikini!” I exclaimed, shoving the phone back into Adrian’s hands with a pout.

Adrian chuckled and wrapped an arm around my exposed stomach, pulling me closer into his shirtless body as he looked at the photo himself. “Absolutely perfect,” he said under his breath, the sincerity in his voice taking me by surprise. He played around with his phone for a few seconds before locking the screen and unlocking it again before showing me what he had done.

I let out a gasp before looking up at him. “No! Absolutely not! I am not going to be your wallpaper!” I snapped, glaring in an attempt to hide my blush.

“You have no choice in the matter,” he replied with a smug smirk, making my glare harden. He held my gaze for a while before I looked away, huffing in defeat. “I hate you,” I muttered, looking at my toes like a child.

He chuckled before sneaking a kiss on my cheek, making me look up and glare again. “No you don’t.” He grinned. My eyes began to narrow even more before an idea popped into my mind.

“How about we take one together?” I tried, looking up at him with a hopeful expression. “You can make that your wallpaper instead of my naked body.”

He thought about it for a moment, then his eyes lit up. Before I could fully process what was happening, he had already lifted me up bridal style. I squeaked in surprise, which he ignored of course. He just held out the phone for me.

“You take the photo,” he said as he meshed his cheek onto mine. I rolled my eyes while trying to fight the smile that appeared on my lips at his playful behaviour, before turning the front camera on and snapping a picture of the both of us grinning.

“Take another one!” he exclaimed the moment I was done. I turned my face slightly to give him a confused look before pointing the camera back to our faces. Just as my thumb pressed the capture button on the screen, Adrian turned and bit my cheek, making me squeeze my eyes shut in the photo.

“What was that?!” I exclaimed as he put me back down on the sand.

He shrugged with a smirk before snatching the phone out of my hands. “Just because we took photos, doesn’t mean I’m changing my wallpaper,” he declared, smirking down at me.

“Hey! We made a deal!” I scowled, glaring. He shrugged and chuckled as he picked up our soaked towels from the day.

“Come on, let’s go have dinner. The sun’s almost completely gone.”

I looked out to the skyline where the sun was slowly descending into the water. I patted all the sand off my legs and out of my hair before following him up the stairs of the beach house, where we went our separate ways to shower.

***

“If that asshole looks at you one more time,” Adrian grumbled, glaring at the waiter’s back as he walked away from our table, “I’m going to have a nice long chat with the owner of this place.”

I rolled my eyes at his possessive nature. “Adrian, all he did was smile because I said thank you,” I pointed out with a flat expression. His eyes slowly made their way back to my face before he scowled at me.

“Haven’t I already told you not to talk to any men?”

I gave him an exasperated look before replying. “Yeah, a month ago! Jesus, calm down a little, he’s 16 years old!” I exclaimed, looking back at the poor waiter who was most likely to lose his job thanks to Adrian’s jealously issues.

“Whatever,” he grumbled, ending the topic abruptly.

I sighed before trying to think of a new topic to bring up, not wanting to eat in an awkward silence.

“So… Why are you and your mom so snippy towards each other?” I asked as I shoved a spoonful of mashed potato into my mouth, chewing on it as calmly as possible.

Adrian shrugged before also filling his mouth with mashed potato, and I glared at his lack of response. He sighed before answering. “My mother believes I should get married to a girl she knows from England. You know, good family, important in the business industry, blah, blah, blah. I’m not particularly fond of her method, and neither is my father – which is why he took a liking to you when you two met.”

I almost choked on the mashed potato I was swallowing when he mentioned being married to someone else, but covered up my reaction by sipping the cup of water I had in front of me.

“Is that why she hates me so much?” I couldn’t help but ask, stirring my peas around the plate.

Adrian shook his head and swallowed before answering. “She doesn’t hate you. She just sees you as a threat to her whole plan – you’re the only woman I’ve ever even glanced at more than once. I guess she believes that you’re going to be the wedge that finally stops her master plan once and for all.” He ended the explanation with a sip of his wine.

I looked down at my white dress and let my hair fall over my face to cover my blush. “Oh, I understand,” I mumbled, trying to calm my racing heart.

“What do you want to do when we get home?” Adrian asked, completely oblivious to my internal organs beating against my chest.

I looked up to meet his questioning gaze, and bit my lip in thought. “Let’s play a game!” I suggested excitedly, before blushing again at the loud volume of my voice.