Skylar Jones was adopted into an old Italian aristocratic family when he was ten. His life goes under the strict control of his stepfather, Count Massimiliano De Angelis. Sky is a good boy and obeys the rules. One thing only he keeps to himself, his...
Breathe, Skylar! Breathe! You are not going to faint in front of your father, and even worse, have Jason witness such humiliation. You cannot be that pathetic. There is no way he remembers you. Just hold on a few more minutes. He does not want an assistant. It will be a quick death. They will come in, dismiss you, and you can go home to lick your wounds with a bottle of wine and an extra-large bowl of Cioccolato Fondente Gelato (dark chocolate ice cream).
Oh, God! My dearest God! I will not survive this.
The door flings open. I make a pitiful attempt to stand up. My legs feel like jelly. I grip the edge of the table to steady myself and try to contort my mouth into something like a smile. Every desperate effort fails miserably. My face is numb with shock. My lips refuse to move. I probably look like a pale statue of frozen horror and mortification.
The two men are walking around the table to face me. Each step makes my heart skip a beat. I am not even sure if I have a pulse anymore. It should be there, though, to explain the throbbing in my temples. I break out in a cold sweat. This is not happening. It is unreal. Maybe, I am in a crazy, twisted dream. If that is the case, I need to wake up... NOW.
"Sky? Is that you?" Jason is staring at me in utter bewilderment. "Oh, wow! You look good, man. Great to see you again."
I am staring back. He is damn handsome. Is it possible for someone to become twice as sexy in just two years? The bastard could do me a favor and get at least a tiny bit less attractive, but no. Me and my terrible luck. I can still recognize the boy I remember, but he has turned into an elegant businessman now, wearing an expensive suit and gorgeous, black, browline glasses. His thick, dark hair is styled in a textured brush up, subtly hinting at his wild side, which is not on display, but can never be fully tamed. My crush in all his glory.
I am aware that my lips are parting. I know they are moving. It looks like I am returning the greeting, but there is absolutely no sound coming out. I see Jason hold out his hand. However, I have no control over mine, so my fingers keep clinging to the edge of the table.
"Mr. Jones?" Dad raises his eyebrows questioningly. His judgmental glare is burning a hole somewhere between my glossy eyes. I am still at a loss of words. And who the hell is Mr. Jones? There is no one else in the room but the three of us. My heartless parent starts losing patience. "Skylar!"
Ohhh... It is meee... I am Mr. Jones... Oops, I totally forgot about my father's game of undercover. The realization sobers me up and I finally put my shaking, sweaty palm in Jason's hand.
"I... Nice to meet you... No! Ugh... I mean, it is nice, but... I knew you from before, so... I am glad we meet... again." The effort leaves me gasping for air.
For heaven's sake! My face is burning. This is a real disaster. Is it going to be too weird if I just run out the door and never come back? A Caribbean island seems like a great place to spend the rest of my life. I have no idea what else to say, so I try to pull out my hand. Jason instantly tightens his grip, making escape impossible. I gape at him in surprise. He smirks at me.
"Well, now that it became clear you two knew each other, I see no need to stay any longer," father states. I immediately use the opportunity to pull my hand away and push both deep in my pockets. I can not let Jason touch me again. My poor heart will not take it. Dad turns to him. "Signor Marchetti, I think we have already established that I am not the type of employer to impose opinions, especially on the members of my high management. All I have to say is this. Mr. Jones has excellent credentials and is very qualified. I had to put in a lot of effort to have him in our company. My advice for you is to have a good talk with him. If you still insist you don't need his help after the interview, I have a number of other responsibilities I'd be happy to assign to him."
There is a knock at the door. Giulia comes in, carrying a tray of beverages, sandwiches and fruit. I sit back and grab a bottle of water. An interview? With Jason? What the hell? My nerves are on edge. Stuffing a sandwich in my mouth will surely ease the tension, but it would be highly inappropriate as well. I settle for only slowly drinking the water.
One sits for an interview if they want the job. I definitely do not, so I am waiting patiently for dad and Giuls to leave and give me the opportunity to inform my unwilling future boss that he is relieved of the obligation to hire me. Jason's expressive, dark eyes are fixed on mine, but I am too distressed to read his intentions. One thing is certain, though. He was very surprised to see me. Contrary to my expectations, he also seems quite pleased with this turn of events. I can not imagine why.
"Phew, the Big A is a little overwhelming, isn't he?" Jason grins the second my father and Giulia are gone and grabs a sandwich and a cup of steaming coffee. "Dig in. I get so hungry every time I have to spend time with him. Emotional eating, I guess. But it helps. You look pretty nervous yourself. Come on... Mmm, so good... Try the Tramezzino (triangular sandwich) with prosciutto and cheese."
"The Big A?" I mutter.
"The CEO, Signor De Angelis," he barely hums as his mouth if full to the brim. "But don't tell him we call him this way. Did you know he was a count? The guy is used to bossing people around, but once you get to know him, he's actually pretty cool."
"Huh?" I hesitantly drag a cup of coffee across the table, but dare not take a sip. "Listen, if you do not want an assistant, it is fine to..."
"No, no, no," he interrupts me, waving the sandwich in front of my face. "I desperately need an assistant. But I had no idea who was appointed, so I had to put up a bit of a fight. Just wanted to choose the person myself."
"Umm..." I run my fingers through my hair. It is probably not a good idea as it is constantly disheveled anyway. "It doesn't have to be me..."
"Of course it will be you," he stops me mid-sentence again. "Things couldn't have turned out any better."
"Really?" I cannot hide my confusion. "How can you be so sure?"
"Because I know you." He shrugs and grabs another sandwich. "Aren't you going to eat? If you wait a little longer, there will be nothing left."
"But I thought you didn't even know my name," I mumble.
"I have always known your name, Sky," Jason says and gives me a meaningful wink.
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A/N
Hello, at the end of Chapter 4.
Thank you for reading and all the support!
What are your first impressions of Jason?
Do you think he and Sky will get along well?
What about Jason's last statement? What do you think he meant? 😏
Did he really need an assistant, or seeing Sky made him change his mind?
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