The Assistant

Chapter Eight -

Chapter Eight -

"Honey, at the rate you're shaking, I'm pretty sure I can classify that as a seizure." Rita muttered, grabbing a hold of my hands before seating me in the same chair I sat in the last time she worked on my hair. "Calm down! It won't be as bad as you're thinking it will be. Plus, I'm only putting your hair in a simple side style, so you don't attract a lot of attention! Which will still happen - because you're just beautiful; hairstyle or not. But that's not the point!" She added once she saw my expression transform to a pained one - as if someone put a dagger through my heart.

"Em, come on! Stop overthinking this. Mr Sexy pants will take care of it!" Amy barked through the phone sternly, before I heard the ruffle of a bag of chips pierce through the speaker of my phone. If there was one thing I was absolutely certain about in life - it was the fact that Amy ate like a pig on her period.

I took a deep breath. "Okay. Okay. I'm sorry. I'm overreacting. I'm just really nervous. Thank you guys." I let out a tight smile, glancing at Rita, who returned the gesture.

"That's what we're here for, bitch." Amy declared, before I heard her crunching into the speaker.

I groaned as Rita let out a short laugh. "Ames, shut up. You sound like a horse munching on carrots."

"HEY! THAT'S REALLY INSULTING! And I-" Amy's voice got cut off by a beep, and both Rita and I glanced over to my iPhone to find Adrian's name flashing at the screen. "Ames, Adrian is calling." I told her, grimacing as I waited for her reaction.

"I'm sorry, who? I only know someone named Mr Sexy pants." She said, before bursting out in laughter at her own joke. I rolled my eyes and pressed 'answer' to Adrian's call - abruptly ending Amy's howls of laughter. I was about to take the phone off speaker and put it against my earlobe before Rita slapped my wrist away, glaring. "No phones near the working area." She scolded, before spreading her fingers over my head and covering my ears to indicate the place that was forbidden.

"Sorry." I mumbled sheepishly, before looking back over to the phone. "Mr Kingston, is everything okay?" I asked nervously, biting my lip.

"How long do you need to be ready and over here? You're driving Suzie mad. All the volunteers are here but yourself. You have an hour." He declared, and I noticed he was using his business tone - implying that he was either around important people, or he was pissed off at me for some reason. I mentally raked through yesterday's lunch in my mind to look for any signs of me pissing him off, and came up with nothing - indicating that he was around other people.

"Yes sir. I'll be there as soon as I can. I apologise for the inconvenience." I responded, just as professionally. I heard Rita mutter an inaudible swear word under her breath before she roughly began to smoothen out a soft crème in my hair in a rush, and I winced slightly as she pulled on my hair a little tighter than usual. "Is there anything else?" I asked after recomposing myself.

"That's all." He mumbled, ending the call.

"ONE HOUR? THIS MAN GIVES YOU NO TIME TO PREPARE YOURSELF!" Rita exclaimed, already beginning to straighten my semi-blow-dried hair that I had done before she arrived to make her job easier.

"It's okay! Luckily, I already have most of my makeup done; and my dress is already on! Take your time." I said in a smooth tone, attempting to calm her. She looked over to my reflection in the mirror and I watched as her eyes scanned my attire briefly, before she sighed in relief.

"Okay. That's good. You're okay with the simple soft waves to the side right?" She asked, giving me a curious look as she finished straightening the last few strands of my naturally wavy hair carefully.

"Yep! Anything that will make me look like a piece of cardboard next to the others." I confirmed with a nod, and she instantly began working on pinning my hair to the side securely before beginning the waves on the side. We chatted aimlessly like last time, and I also decided to send a text message to my mother before she'd have a meltdown as to why I didn't call her today. I told her I wasn't dead or laying down in my own pool of blood in an alley somewhere, and attached a smile at the end of the message before sending it through.

It took about 20 minutes all up for Rita to curl the waves to perfection, and I found myself admiring the silky looking blonde locks once again before thanking her countless times.

"You don't have to thank me so much, it's my job!" Rita exclaimed, laughing my thanks off. I blushed and grinned, before helping her pack her products that were scattered all over the vanity in my room. "Okay sweetie. Text me and tell me who you end up going home with! Have fun, no matter what happens, okay? You look stunning, as usual!" She gushed, before pulling me into a quick hug and waving her goodbyes as she rushed out of my apartment door.

I closed the door behind her softly, and leaned against the cool wood for a moment, gathering up all my stray thoughts. A worst case scenario began forming in my head, and I bit my lip as the image of me going home with David Walter for him to take advantage of me appeared in my mind.

I shook myself out of my head. Adrian will take care of it. He promised.

I kept repeating that to myself in my mind as I applied last minute mascara and nude lipstick, before slipping on my nude Louboutins and rushing out the door while slinging my small bag over my shoulder.

A black car was waiting outside my apartment building when I came rushing down, and I recognised the driver from the previous business dinner I had attended with Adrian on my first week of work. "Hello Miss." He said as he opened the door, and I smiled and thanked him as I slid into the dark car, before he shut it softly behind me.

After I heard him get into the front seat himself, the car rumbled to life. "Mr Kingston has called me three times now in regards to our whereabouts. I apologise in advanced for the pace we will be driving at, but Mr Kingston insisted I got you to the venue in under half an hour."

"It's fine. I'm so sorry." I grimaced, mentally picturing Adrian snapping at the poor driver because of me.

"Nonsense." He laughed, before the car fell silent for the rest of the ride.

*

We arrived at the venue Suzie had arranged in 18 minutes, and I got out of the car with wobbly knees due to the speed the driver was going at the entire time. Adrian had called him during our trip, and I could hear his deep voice coming from the speaker of the phone from the backseat as he barked orders at the driver. "Thank you so much!" I gushed, smiling at the driver before giving him a small wave. He returned both gestures before driving off, leaving me to enter the back entrance of the venue alone.

I gulped as I made my way through the painted blue metal door and instantly began coughing at the copious amount of perfume filled my nostrils involuntarily, and I cringed as the girls continued to spray more of the heavy scents.

"EMILY! THANK GOD YOU'RE HERE!" Suzie gushed, suddenly turning up directly in front of my path. The girls in the room stopped chatting and all turned toward the door, where I was currently standing, rubbing my arm awkwardly as I tried to smile - but grimaced instead. "You look absolutely incredible dear!"

"Sorry I'm late, Suzie. And thank you." I smiled, before pulling her into a quick hug. "So... what do I have to do?" I asked, biting my lip curiously.

"Well, now that you're here, we can get started. Everyone is already seated. It's a big turn out! Okay, everyone get into your order, you all remember your numbers, yes?" Suzie asked, looking around the room. Everyone nodded, including myself, as the number 7 popped into my mind. "Good. Sorry Emily, you don't have time for any last minute preparations. Not that you need it anyway." She added the last part in a hushed tone, and smiled warmly at me before ushering all the girls into the line and leaving the room.

Seconds later, we heard her announcing the beginning of the event on the microphone, and that's when I felt every set of eyes in the crowded dressing room on me. I looked up to find each woman glaring at me, and I widened my eyes in surprise.

"So, Emily," A voice began, and I immediately recognised it as Anna's. "What's the deal between you and Adrian?" She asked, raising a perfectly pencilled eyebrow at me.

"Uh..." I began, swallowing nervously as the girls formed a tight circle around me. "Mr Kingston? There is no deal." I said in confusion, looking around me. What on earth were they talking about? There was no deal between Adrian and me.

Anna rolled her eyes, before she scowled. "We know you're sleeping with him. So what are you doing that's making him pay more attention to you than us?" She asked, taking a step closer.

"What on earth - I haven't slept with him, he's my boss!" I exclaimed incredulously, frowning in annoyance.

"You-" Anna was cut off as Suzie called out her name, and she threw one more venomous glare in my direction before sauntering off in the short green dress she was wearing, swaying her hips in the process.

I stared at her retreating figure in disbelief before turning back and glaring at the rest of the group around me. I wasn't going to go through this shit again. I already went through it in high school. "Did anyone else want to falsely accuse me of sleeping around while we're still in our little support group circle?" I asked sarcastically, keeping the glare on my features.

The girls gave me surprised looks, before they glared and went back to their order, and I rolled my eyes at their sudden lack of participation in picking on me as I followed them to take my own spot.

Jessica, the next girl on the list was called up before anyone took their seats, so we shuffled up one more seat before sitting. Suzie listed Jessica's 'qualities' before the bidding began, and I decided to tune out then, texting Amy to tell her what just happened. Slowly, the girls in front of me decreased in number, and I tuned back in as soon as I heard number six, a girl named Sally, being called up.

My breath hitched in my throat as I felt my heart beat against my chest rapidly, and I slowly put my phone back into my small bag, trying to distract myself from the feeling of my stomach exploding inside my body, just as the biddings on Sally began. What if Adrian didn't 'take care of it', and I had to go home with a complete stranger? What if no one bid on me at all?

People gasped as Suzie banged the wooden gravel and called out, "SOLD! FOR $38,500! Sally has had the most generous contribution so far!" People clapped and the dreading moment finally came. "I'd like to call up our 7th volunteer for the night, Ms Emily Johnson!" I froze at the mention of my name, staying glued to my position, before I received a light push from someone behind me. "Go!" They hissed, bringing me back to reality.

I stumbled out from behind the curtain and instantly began blushing as I clumsily attempted to straighten myself. Once I was standing up straight, I looked up, and my eyes widened in shock. There had to be at least 300 people here! "Emily is new to the staff list, as Mr Kingston's new assistant. I'm sure some of you may have heard of her. This girl is not only beautiful, but smart, caring, funny and feisty." Suzie teased, and I turned to her in horror, receiving a small smile. "Shall we start the bid at $10,000?" She said, glancing around the large venue.

My eyes scanned the room, and instantly found Adrian; who was staring at me with the same expression he had on when I wore the black dress, and I briefly looked around to find that most of the men in the room mirrored his expression - adding to my grief.

Someone cleared their throat, breaking the silence and the trance the room was in. "$10,000." A man spoke up, and my eyes flew over to find him with a bold patch on the top of his head, making his skin shine in the light. I tried to keep my disgust hidden as he smirked in my direction, and I went to look over at Adrian again. He was still staring. This was his definition of 'taking care of it?!'

"We have $10,000 from Mr Blackford. Can I get a $10,500?" Suzie called out, and another man instantly put up his circle shaped number. "$10,500."

"$11,000!" Another man shouted from the back, slightly jumping out of his seat when he announced it.

"$15,000." My blood turned cold as I recognised the voice, and my eyes met David Walter's smug expression. I swallowed nervously and looked down at my shoes. Adrian wasn't going to do anything, by the looks of it.

"$16,000!" The man who previously placed a bid on me from the back called out, wiping David Walter's smug expression off his face completely.

"$17,000." David stated again, frowning slightly.

"I have a bidder on the phone that couldn't make it tonight and likes the look of this one. $20,000." A new voice called out, and my eyes met a tall woman with a raven black mane surrounding her pale features. She sent a small smile in my direction, and I briefly returned it, trying to mask my tears.

"I'll put $30,000." Another familiar voice called out, and my eyes widened as my eyes met Allen's grin. He waved at me and I almost fainted from relief - until I saw Adrian's death directed to the back of Allen's head. Allen noticed me staring at Adrian, and his smile instantly slipped off his face as he turned around to meet Adrian's harsh gaze. Adrian said something that looked harsh, and he scowled at Allen, before his eyes met mine.

"$35,000!" A new voice called, and my eyes landed on yet another rich man in a suit, who was staring at my chest. I glared in his direction and covered the area with my bag.

"The feisty side is coming out. I like it. I'll put down $40,000." Another man called out, smirking in my direction.

"You're not the only one, Liam." David Walter chuckled, before his gaze landed back on me. "$50,000." He declared, smiling smugly.

"$52,000." The man - Liam - announced, glaring at David.

"$55,000." David said, the same glare crawling onto his features.

"Oh my." I heard Suzie mutter from beside me. I looked over at her shocked expression and grimaced. I was done for.

"$60,000!" Liam exclaimed, his eyes narrowing even further.

"$100,000." David announced, smiling smugly at Liam, who's eyes widened at the statement.

"150,000!" The bald man who first began the bid announced, taking everyone by surprise.

"$500,000." A collective sound of gasps echoed in the venue, and everyone turned in shock to the woman who was talking on behalf of the person on the phone. "And my client is willing to top off any other bid that may be announced after that." She declared, her eyes narrowing slightly as if she was challenging the others in the room.

My eyes widened as my lips parted in shock. Half a million dollars?

Suzie cleared her throat after a dragging silence, and stepped back up onto the microphone. "Uh..." She began, still in shock. "$500,000. Going once..." No one said anything.

"Going twice..." My eyes flickered over to David Walter, whose hand that was clenching to his bidding number flinched slightly, but he didn't continue the movement.

"SOLD TO THE BIDDER ON THE PHONE!" Suzie announced, banging the gravel three times before letting out a long breath. "Wow. Half a million dollars. Ms Emily Johnson, ladies and gentlemen! Our highest volunteer so far!" Suzie announced, and the room clapped as I got off the stage and made my way over to the lady who just slipped her phone into her pocket. "Hello Emily." She smiled once I reached her, and I smiled nervously, nodding in acknowledgement.

"If you don't mind me asking... Who am I going home to tonight?" I asked anxiously, gripping my bag like my life depended on it.

She gave me a mysterious smile before placing a slender hand on my shoulder. "It's a surprise." She announced. "You need to sit next to your boss, for the time being. I'll come collect you when the event is over." I nodded and waved at her as I slowly made my way over to the table where Adrian, Allen, two people I didn't recognise and Adrian's parents were seated. There was only one seat available on the table - and it was wedged in between Adrian and Allen. Great, two people I really didn't want to talk too.

I took my seat silently, not making eye contact with either of the men I was seated in between, and placed my bag on my lap calmly. "Hey Emma!" Allen greeted, smiling. I glanced briefly in his direction, before turning back to Suzie, who was now announcing Courtney's 'qualities'.

"Shortcake." I heard Adrian mutter into my ear, making me stiffen from the proximity. Regardless, I brushed him off by turning my shoulder so that he faced my back. It was his fault I was going home with a complete stranger who probably wants me to have sex with them to begin with - no amount of flattery in the world would change that.

"Shortcake, please listen to me for a moment." Adrian mumbled into my ear once again, and I realised he was keeping his voice low because we were surrounded by business people. I took a deep breath before turning around to face him slightly, and gave him my fiercest glare before turning back to the front of the venue.

Adrian sighed from beside me, and I saw him glace at Allen from the side of my eye.

Suddenly, someone chuckled on the table, making me avert my attention from Suzie as my eyes landed on Adrian's father, who was looking at me and chuckling, eyes twinkling in amusement. "My, my. My son is not one for rejection. I like you. If he ever fires you, let me know. I'll give you your job back in the blink of an eye." He winked, and I looked at him in confusion as he continued laughing.

Once he sobered up, he smirked at me, and I was taken back momentarily as he looked exactly like Adrian - just an older version. "Mason Kingston. Nice to meet you, Emily." He nodded, and his smirk grew. "You're very beautiful."

I began to blush as I looked down at my bag. "Uh..." I trailed off, trying to figure out Mason Kingston's cheerful behaviour. "Thank you, sir." I finally said, smiling slightly.

"I hope my slut of a son hasn't been treating you badly." My eyes widened in shock as the sentence left his mouth, and he burst into a fit of loud laughter, attracting the gazes of the surrounding tables around us.

"Mason. That's quite enough." Adrian's mother snapped, glaring at her husband before she turned the glare to me. I frowned slightly at the harshness of her look, and looked down at the empty plate in front of me to avoid her gaze.

"Katherine, relax. I'm just having a little fun. Something you should try once in a while when we're not in be-" Katherine shoved a carrot into Mason's mouth, and he chuckled as he chomped on it purposely loud.

"Adrian, honey. I would like to speak with you after this is over." Katherine said, turning over to her son and giving him the slightest ghost of a smile.

"What about, dearest mother of mine?" Adrian asked, smirking. Her eyes travelled over to me briefly, narrowing slightly before they returned to Adrian's face and smiling. "Just something." She announced vaguely.

Adrian, however, noticed the brief look his mom gave me, and he glared as he wrapped an arm around my waist. I wanted to pull away - still angry with him - but I figured he was trying to prove a point to his mother. "Sure. Emily and I are planning on going on a trip next weekend. Just thought I'd let you know."

My eyebrows shot up in surprise briefly before I tried to mask my surprise. I internally scoffed, you wish. I thought to myself as he revealed a tight smile towards his mother.

"That's... interesting." She finally said, glaring in my direction again. My blood began to boil and I gnashed my teeth together. What the hell was this lady's problem with me? We've never met!

I picked up a carrot and took a bite before unwrapping Adrian's arm from my waist just as Mason spoke up. "Emily, have you ever tried stuffing things in between your chest? I mean, they're pretty huge. I see why my son has taken particular interest to you as his assistant." He winked as I choked on the carrot I was in the middle of swallowing, and my face turned into a tomato as I felt the heat radiate in every corner of my face.

"Dad." Adrian groaned, throwing a warning look in his direction after rubbing his temple. I discreetly looked around the room, hoping no one had been paying attention to Mason's comment. I felt Adrian shuffling beside me and I turned to see him shrugging off his suite jacket and handing it over to me with a similar warning look he had just given his father. Wear it. His face read.

I took the jacket off him and slipped it on, the sleeves covered my hands by a good few centimetres and the shoulder area was way too broad - sagging on my arms. "I told you not to look hot, Shortcake." He murmured into my ear, smirking once he pulled away.

I glared in his direction before turning over to Allen, who had stayed quiet this entire time. "So, what made you bid on me?" I asked, my tone coming out bitchy.

Allen looked at me with surprise before a small grin broke out. "You're hot." He shrugged, and I glared, not believing him. "Is that all? No one told you too?" I asked, briefly turning to Adrian for a moment before turning back to Allen for my answer. "No. If you're thinking Adrian told me to bid on you, he didn't. In fact - he got really pissed off instead." Allen said the last part in a hushed tone, and I frowned in confusion.

"I'm right here you idiot. I can hear you." I turned back to Adrian to find him rolling his eyes as Allen chuckled before shoving a large piece of celery into his mouth, crunching on it loudly.

"Can I talk to you for a second." I told Adrian, not leaving any room for argument. Surprise briefly flashed through his eyes, before he nodded and got out of his seat, and I followed closely behind.

He went to a corner that was covered by thick red curtains, and then turned to face me. "What's up, Shortcake?"

"Don't you 'what's up' me." I hissed, glaring. "You said you'd take care of me not going home with a stranger tonight, Adrian! Not only am I doing that - but I don't even know how he looks! You promised!" I exclaimed angrily, pressing my index finger to his solid chest as I pointed at him.

He smirked before he stepped forward, wrapping his arms around my waist. I tried to wriggle out of his grip - but he held me in place. "I did take care of it." He simply said, still smirking.

"No you didn't, Adrian. 'Taking care of it' would've meant that I would be going home tonight, with no worries of a man that I haven't even seen yet, betting half a million dollars on me! I mean, he's only seen a photo! How the hell does he know that the photo shows every feature I have? What if he doesn't like what he sees and takes all his money back? Or, what if he likes what he sees a little too much and - and wants to have... it with me?!" I looked up at him with a desperate expression, my eyes slightly beginning to water.

"Emily..." He trailed off, placing his warm hand on my cheek. "You're worth every penny they put on you. Don't worry about it. I keep my promises. I have taken care of it, and you'll see that tonight. Just trust me on this one." He murmured, his gaze boring into my eyes.

I studied his expression for a moment before swallowing back any tears and nodding. "Okay." I breathed, letting my walls down momentarily. It then occurred to me that we were pressed up against each other behind the curtain, our faces inches apart.

"You look really sexy in my clothes. I'm going to make you wear them more often." Adrian smirked, as his gaze trailed down to his suit jacket that was barely staying put on my shoulders.

He bent down and kissed my neck before I pulled away, glaring, and he chuckled. "You'll want me soon enough." He announced with an arrogant smirk.

I raised an eyebrow and crossed my arms over my chest. "Arrogance won't get you anywhere, Adrian." I said with a smug smile. "Hey," I said, suddenly remembering the announcement he made to his mother earlier. "What was that whole 'going on a trip next weekend' all about?" I asked, frowning as I bit my lip curiously.

His eyes studied my lips intently, and I released them from my teeth, blushing. "What?" He said, turning his gaze back to mine as he cleared his throat.

My blush deepened at his reaction, and I found myself clearing my own throat. "You told your mom that you and I are going on a trip next weekend - which we're not, by the way - but why?" I asked.

Adrian's gaze suddenly darkened, and he glared slightly. "Don't worry about it. And we will be going. We have to now that I've mentioned it in front of her."

I gave him a look of disbelief but decided against arguing about it at the moment. I'll leave that for another day. "She doesn't seem to like me much. I don't understand why, I've never met her before."

"Just... don't worry about it. Don't let her get to your head." He said, before pulling me back into his torso and smirking down at me. "Now, about this dress... I think it needs to come off." He announced, and the blush returned to my cheeks as my eyes widened.

"Adrian." I hissed, trying to mask my blush with a glare. "Someone will hear you."

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "That's an improvement from 'that's never going to happen.' I think I'm making progress here. Kingston 1, Johnson 0." He joked, before sneaking another kiss on my cheek.

I gave an exasperated sigh before pulling out his grip once again, rolling my eyes. "Let's get back. They might think we're doing more than talking."

"I mean... I wouldn't mind proving them right..." He trailed off smirking, before chuckling at my expression "Okay, okay. Let's go, I need to do my thank you speech anyway."

*

By the time the event had ended, I was in tears from Adrian's father, who I realised, shared his humour gene with his son. While he made remarks that made me cry from laughter, he also threw a few suggestive comments involving Adrian and me, and sometimes even based them on himself and me. Adrian would glare at his father every time a comment not involving him came up, and I rolled my eyes at his protective nature.

Almost the entire venue was empty by the time the woman came back to me at the table, and she gave me the same secretive smile she wore when we first met; making my stomach do countless flips once again. "Are you ready to go?" She asked. I cast an uneasy glance around the room and only found Suzie, Allen and a few other men left, as well as the staff of the venue. No sign of Adrian.

I sighed before nodding. "Yeah. Let's go." I murmured, before calling out a brief goodbye to Suzie and Allen, who waved in response. I followed the woman outside to the car park, just as I realised I was still wearing Adrian's suit jacket. I was thankful, due to the chilly wind that was whipping my hair about and making my toes freeze in my heels.

"My client will meet you in the car shortly. It was nice meeting you, Emily. Have a wonderful weekend." She smiled as I climbed into the black car, and the words registered into my mind. "Wait, what? You're not coming?" I asked, growing even more nervous at the thought of her familiar face being absent with the stranger I was about to meet.

"You'll be fine." Was all she said, before she shut the door of the car. I looked around the dark vehicle nervously, my breathing becoming heavier as the silence of the car suffocated me.

It felt like forever had gone by before the door on the other side of the car opened, and my head snapped towards the tall figure who just spent half a million dollars on me. He got into the car, shut the door behind him, and told the driver in front to drive off - all while I continuously stared at him in shock.

"Come on Shortcake, I told you I'd take care of it." Adrian smirked, breaking me out of my state.

---

LOL. Hey guys.

Picture of Emma's dress for tonight on the side!

I don't even know right now. Was that too predictable? An upload two days in a row? Yep! I'm just amazing that way ;D Jokes, I could've uploaded it tomorrow but I wanted to get it out of the way. Not entirely satisfied with the chapter. But it'll do - I hope.

So what did you guys think? Sorry for any mistakes!

Vote/Comment/Fan if you deem it worthy enough!

Dedicated to Sehammooo because, well, she knows why *wink* (I hope, LOL)



Thanks for reading lovelies! xx