The Billionaire's Assistant

Chapter 81

She rushed through her short shower, realizing she hadn't brought clothes into the bathroom to change into, but when she peeked her head out into the den she saw it was empty, everyone dispersed to their own daily tasks in the time it took her to get ready for the day. She pattered quickly across the floor in her towel then came out of the room dressed in her typical button up, blazer, and matching suit pants, her feet bare and her hair damp.

She'd never gotten to the office this late before, but at the same time, she'd never had sex with her boss and fallen asleep on the floor of his office before either. She realized that she'd left Jove in the lurch in a sense, that he'd woken up without her, alone. She didn't know what to say to him, how to act around him. Should she walk into his office and give him a big kiss, or go sit at her desk and wait for him to call her as usual? How had the previous night changed their dynamic?

Finally fully dressed with a to-go breakfast of a banana in tow, Kat set off for Tillibenton headquarters, still not quite sure how things had turned out this way. She pondered as she walked, chewing bites of the banana methodically.

She had given into desire when knew she shouldn't, literally sleeping with the enemy, and yet she had another chance to go see him today. She'd be able to see him all week, next week too. It didn't make sense to her that she was being rewarded for weakness this way, and a semblance of shame congealed stickily beneath her emotional surface.

Kat tossed the emptied banana peel into the nearest trash can, brushed her hands off on her pant legs, and pulled open the heavy front door she was now growing accustomed to the weight of. She breezed through security and found herself in the slowly ascending elevator as she had countless times before, rising towards an unknown situation.

The doors dinged open and Kat stepped out onto the carpeted floor, her eyes immediately finding Jove's office door and noting it was ajar. Conflicted, Kat started towards her desk, then changed her mind, turning abruptly back towards Jove's door. She approached it slowly, feeling as shy as she had the first time she'd met him, and rapped on the open door gently.

"Jove?" she called and instantly felt her heart and mind settle when she heard his familiar laugh.

"Why are you knocking?" he called back. "Just come in."

Kat giggled and pulled the door the rest of the way open, making no attempt to control the smile that overtook her face when she saw him sitting at his desk. He was grinning too, as widely as she was, and he stood as she entered the room as if greeting royalty.

"Where have you been?" he asked, crossing the distance between them quickly and enveloping her in her muscular arms. He kissed her gently, lighty at first and then deeper and deeper as the two of them became caught up in each other, in memories of the previous night's pleasure. Jove's hands began to traverse lower and lower down her body and Kat pulled back reluctantly, unwilling to let him go further as she knew she'd soon need him to go all the way.

"You were waiting for me?" she asked

Jove nodded, his eyes still focused into pinpricks of heat.

"Who needs who now," Kat teased, and the intensity of Jove's expression softened as he laughed.

"I mean, you're technically late for work," he said. "I could write you up."

"Write me up," Kat challenged.

"I might," Jove retorted. "I'll need to see how your performance is for the rest of the day."

"Yea?" Kat asked

"Yea," Jove answered coyly. "I wanna see what you can do for me."

Kat felt butterflies in her stomach at his words, at the promise that they'd be together that way again before the day was out. She looked down and smiled, suddenly shy again.

"What are we doing today?" she asked.

"What do you wanna do?" asked Jove, flipping the question back on her.

Kat looked up, thinking.

"We could go to the track?" he offered.

Kat looked at him, confused.

"There's a racetrack in the city?" she asked

"No, track and field," Jove corrected casually. "The way you ran away yesterday I figured you were working on your mile time or something."

Kat, the entire ice rink incident forgotten after a day jam packed with firsts, felt her face bloom crimson.

"Oh my god," she moaned, dropping her head into her hands for a second time that morning, a very different energy filling the space.

Jove laughed, his mirthful, full bodied laugh that meant he had no ulterior motives of seduction and was instead genuinely touched by hilarity.

"You were so fast," he marveled, Kat shaking her head in a futile denial of the situation. "So anyway, what did you want to work on today? Sprints?"

"Stop," Kat intoned, dragging out the word in a giggly amalgamation of laughter and embarrassment. "Stop."

"Ok, but genuinely," Jove went on. "It was impressive. By the time I was out the door you were gone, completely gone. I looked for you for hours, I was half worried you'd get lost."

Kat's smile fell.

"You looked for me?" she asked.

"Of course I looked for you," he responded. "First on foot then in the slow ass car you insisted we drive," he teased playfully.

"It was the cheapest one," Kat defended sheepishly.

Jove rolled his eyes.

"If all the cars are already down there," he asked her, grabbing her hand and leading her towards the plusher seating away from his desk. "Why does it matter if you use the cheapest one? They've all already been purchased."

"Well, it's not about that," Kat answered, allowing herself to be led and then pulled onto the loveseat, bigger than a single chair but not quite made for two.

They stared at each other for a moment silenced by the close proximity. Jove kissed her nose and smiled.

"What's it about then?" he asked.

Kat couldn't help but blush.

"It's about perception," she rushed, to keep the focus on the subject at hand. "When people see you driving a $1.2 million car they make certain assumptions, you know, about your ideals and beliefs and stuff."

Jove pondered that for a moment.

"But, you said the only people who actually knew how much those cars cost were already rich, remember? You said multi-millionaires making cars for billionaires to show off to other billionaires."

"Well yea, but,"

"And," Jove butted in. "The car you picked is way more distinctive than any of my million dollar cars, it's cheaper, but it's so old it draws a lot of attention, which is the opposite of what you wanted."

"Ok sure, but,"

"And," Jove went on. "The Rolls Royce is a gas guzzler. Every newer car I have is more expensive, but way more efficient."

"Ok, shut up," Kat retorted, admitting defeat. "Whatever. You have too many cars."

He smiled in return.

"You wanna drive one?" he asked

"I don't drive," Kat answered incredulously, almost offended. "I grew up here, nobody from the city drives."

"You know, everyone says that," Jove mused. "But that really doesn't explain all the traffic."

"Out of towners," she said, fixing him with a pointed look before dissolving into laughter.

"C'mon," Jove said, laughing with her then propping her to her feet and standing himself. "Let's go. I'll teach you."

"You'll teach me how to drive?" she asked suspiciously. "I don't need to know how to drive."

"It'll be fun," Jove insisted, pulling her along again towards the elevator. "C'mon, you're gonna love it."