The Billionaire's Assistant

Chapter 29

"So," he finally said after two quiet blocks. "How do you like it there?"

"It's ok," Kat responded with a shrug. "It's weird."

Jack nods.

"You know how I was telling you guys about the garage?" she prompts. "Well, the car he took me home in, he said it was 1.7 million dollars."

"Jesus," Jack breathed.

"Can you believe it? Just one of them, there must have been 40."

"I can't believe people like that even walk around," Jack muttered. "All the suffering, all the turmoil, and they have 40 million dollars in cars."

Kat stopped herself from correcting him, the urge to clarify that only a few of Jove's cars were worth $1 million nonsensical to her. Why would Jack care? Why does she care?

"Yea," she agreed instead. "Its," she paused, searching for the words. "It's a lot."

"What's he actually like?" Asked Jack. Does he just snap at everybody and point at things and yell at a cell phone? Or is he one of those nepotism hire, irresponsible assholes who's rich because of his father and parties all day?"

Jack had provided the options as if they were a foregone conclusion, as if only one or the other could possibly describe Jove, but Kat faltered.

What was Jove like? Was he either of those things? She'd never seen him yell, he didn't snap at her. He was nice to her. He'd gotten her a job, he'd driven her home. In a car worth double most people's homes, she reminded herself. But he did work apparently, worked hard, and worried about his company, and made her laugh. Jove was the bad guy, but he wasn't dumb. He wasn't cruel. He was just in the wrong, and he was going to have to pay for it.

"Both," Kat confirmed after a beat, deciding that Jack wouldn't understand how Jove could be both wrong and right, bad and good all wrapped up in one.

Jack nodded. "Were you scared talking to him today?"

Kat's mind flashes back to the feeling of every nerve ending on her body singing to life when Jove placed his hand on her back.

"A little," she conceded sheepishly.

Jack nodded again.

"He shouldn't be back though," she said, more to herself than to Jack. "I think it was just a fluke. He was just trying to get out of there and he didn't want me telling anyone where he went."

"But still," said Jack after a contemplative pause. "It could help."

"What could?"

"Getting close to him. Getting some dirt on him, personal stuff. It could help."

Kat felt a sudden chill and, disquieted, picked up her pace. "Yea, she agreed lightly, changing the subject as nonchalantly as she could. "What did everybody say they wanted again? Emma wants artichoke, ew, but did Andy say mushrooms and olives or mushrooms and onions?"

"Olives," said Jack lightly, Kat's fluster unnoticed. "Same as always."

"Right," Kat responded, and the two of them fell into a silence that slowly grew comfortable.

They stopped by the den, collected their environmentally conscious to-go glassware, and made the trek to Veggie-Edgy, the only vegan place any member of FES had found that used oat milk cheese.

"It makes all the difference," Andy always insisted, and the extra 24 minute walk was no hindrance. They made the journey in the same easy silence, and as the lights of the veggie-edgy sign popped into view, Jack stopped her, grabbing her arm.

"Hey," he said, in a strange voice, and she turned to him, her brow furrowed in worry.

"Wha-," she began, but before she could finish her thought Jack leaned down and was kissing her gently, his hand still gripping her upper arm.

Kat froze in shock, her eyes open, and felt Jack pull her closer as he kissed her more deeply, his soft lips on her slack ones. She couldn't kiss him back, couldn't pull away, couldn't even move, the kiss so unexpected that she almost felt unsure it was really happening. Jack pulled his face back from hers and smiled at her, his face showing no sign he sensed her confusion or uncertainty.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered quietly, still close to her face, and she forced herself to smile at him, realizing in her haze that he could see every expression she made. Unsure of how to proceed, wanting to somehow reciprocate the gesture but unwilling and unable to kiss him back, she grabbed his hand.

He smiled wider and they walked into the brightly lit shop hand and hand, whatever unspoken conversation they'd had outside left on the sidewalk to bunch like leaves and blow away in the night air.