The Assistant(48)
Author: Elle Brace

That moment, however, looked like a nicely decorated cupcake in my mind – in comparison to the newly formed awkward memory of sitting next to Adrian on the plane all the way back to New York, and during the drive to my apartment. My mind was still trying to process the fact that he had kissed me, and I enjoyed it. No, not only did I enjoy it; I kissed back. My boss. The guy I thought I had loathed due to his arrogance and sleazy way with women – and I had kissed him back.

Once I was in the safety of my bedroom, I finally exhaled the breath I must have been holding since we flew back into New York. I willed myself to relax, and looked at my plain purple bed sheets, absent-minded. Adrian had texted me once I was at my door and told me to take the rest of the day off. It was a brief text, with none of his usual wink faces stringing at the end of the sentence, and I exited the message before my mind could linger on it any longer.

I put my suitcase down near my wardrobe before deciding to have a shower, in an attempt to wash off the shakiness that my skin currently inhabited. I texted Amy and told her to come over as soon as she could, silently praying that she had taken the Monday off work like she usually did.

Once I finished getting dressed, I exited the bathroom and almost screamed when Amy jumped out in front of me, engulfing me into a bone-crushing hug. “Don’t ever leave me alone on a weekend ever again!” she exclaimed, pretending to sob into my shoulder before pulling away and giving me a toothy grin.

Once she saw my grim expression though, her smile instantly dropped and her eyes grew wide with concern. “What’s wrong?” she asked, studying my expression thoroughly.

“I…” I trailed off, not quite knowing what to say. I thought about how Amy would react once I informed her about the kiss. “Let’s sit down first,” I suggested, giving her a weak smile.

She grabbed my wrist before I could finish my sentence, and pulled me to my living room with a force I didn’t even know she had in her, before throwing me onto the sofa and glaring. “WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!” she asked with frantic eyes. I opened my mouth to tell her but she cut me off. “What did he do? I swear to God, Emily, if he hurt you in any way, I will throw his body into a wall. I don’t care how hot he is.” Her nose flared in premature anger, but her expression softened – very slightly – at the sight of my amused expression.

“Thank you Amy,” I told her, “your threat is… comforting.” It actually was. I missed her. Amy and I had never been separated longer than a day, so this was taking an emotional toll on the both of us.

“What happened?” she asked again, more calmly now, her concerned expression returning. I sighed and looked down at my lap while biting my bottom lip.

The lip he kissed…

“I… Adrian and I kissed,” I finally managed to get out. Saying it out loud finally made the words seep into the realisation part of my brain, and I let out a shaky sigh.

Amy, on the other hand, didn’t need long to process my confession. “WHAT?!” she screeched, falling off the sofa in shock. The corners of my lip tugged up slightly in an amused smile as she stumbled off the ground and took her original position across me on the comfy sofa. “You- You- Are you messing with me, Emily Hannah Johnson?” Amy asked, giving me a suspicious look.

I shook my head, suddenly feeling a lot less nervous at the news due to Amy’s amusing reaction. “He kissed me, and I… I kissed him back.” I frowned as I recalled the kiss, biting my bottom lip again.

“Oh my god,” Amy murmured, looking away from me with a disbelieving look. I mentally counted down from 3 in my head, before she jumped off the sofa with a squeal that had enough pitch to crack glass. “YOU KISSED! OH MY GOD! YOU AND MR. SEXY PANTS KISSED!” she screamed, jumping around my living room in excitement.

This time, my face wore the look of disbelief. “Amy! This isn’t something to be celebrating!” I exclaimed, blushing slightly. She stopped jumping around and smirked in my direction, waggling her eyebrows.

“Am I missing something?” she asked excitedly, making my blush instantly begin to fade. “Did he get the chance to see the sexy lingerie I packed?”

“Funny you bring that up…” I trailed off, slowly rising from the sofa with a glare. Amy’s face paled and she began to back away from me. “I’M SORRY!” she squeaked once her back collided with my wall.

“Do you know how humiliating that was?!” I exclaimed, blushing as a flashback of Adrian’s expression once he saw the lace undergarments on my body appeared in my mind, and I shook it out of my head before snapping my glare back on Amy’s fearful expression. “And you didn’t pack a single pair of pajamas! And don’t even get me started on the fact you didn’t pack my swim shorts! I’m never letting you pack my bag for a trip ever again!” I exclaimed, giving her an incredulous look.

To my surprise, she began to laugh. I took a step back in astonishment, as she continuously heaved a fresh breath of air, before erupting with laughter once again. I huffed angrily and went to sit back down on the sofa, waiting for her laughing fit to die down. Once she stopped, she came and sat back down with me, still stifling a few giggles.

“I’m glad I’m a source of amusement,” I grumbled, glaring at her.

“I just want to know one thing,” she began, still trying to stifle a laugh. My eyebrows rose as a signal for her to continue, and she broke out into an amused grin. “What was his reaction to the lace nighty that I packed?” she asked, bursting into a fit of giggles.

I glared at her again. “I didn’t wear it!” I snapped, blushing furiously.

Her laughing stopped instantly. “What? Why not?! You’re such a party pooper!” She whined, pouting.

My eyes grew wide in disbelief. “Are you kidding me? Amy! He’s my boss! Not my husband who’s taking me on a romantic weekend where we’d spend most of our time in the bedroom!” I snapped, blushing. My mind went back to the couple we had met – and guiltily lied to – on the beach, and I wondered if that’s what they spent their time doing.

“Ugh! You need to loosen up more,” Amy grumbled, making me glare in her direction again.

“He’s my boss, Amy,” I argued.

“So? You guys have slept in the same bed,” she pointed out. “He’s practically seen you naked, and now you guys have kissed!”

The kiss pushed me off the edge. “I’m not another one of those whores who parade into his office every day!” I exclaimed angrily. “The kiss was a mistake.” I sighed. “It’s so awkward between us now, Ames. What do I do at work tomorrow? Do I act normal? Who has to break the silence, him or me? Oh my god, why did he have to kiss me.” I groaned, pushing my face into the soft pillow that was in my grasp.