Mr. Lawson's Assistant

Chapter 6

"You're not leaving this apartment!" David crossed his arms over his broad chest, blocking my bedroom doorway for the fifth time tonight.
"David! I don't have anything else to wear!" I yelled, and my brother pursed his lips.
I was beginning to think he enjoyed tantalizing me like this.
"If I let you go out in that what kind of a brother am I?" He huffed in annoyance. His brown eyes scanned over the tight-fitted, sleeveless, and strapless cocktail dress that I was wearing, and they hardened. "When hell freezes over," He muttered, and I let out an exasperated breath.
"I'm twenty years old-"
"I know how old you are! You aren't leaving this apartment in that." He lifted his hands and shoulders, as if he had no other choice. Grunting in annoyance, I pushed past him and towards Soma's room again, heading to her closet. Grabbing the only other dress she had left, I frowned at David before stepping into her bathroom to change. I thought I heard him chuckle as I closed the door, but when I jerked it open, he had a serious expression plastered on his face.
He was messing with me.
Unzipping the black dress, I pulled on the new, navy blue one, and adjusted the single strap. It wasn't low enough to show cleavage, which was what I wanted, and it was form fitted, but not too tight for me to take regular steps. It came just above my knees, which met my personal requirements, but the only problem was that it was slightly tight in my hips, and slightly big in my chest. It was all I had left, and now I was determined to go to this party.
Amy had said it would be a good way to meet some people from the company.
I stepped out of the bathroom and glared at my older brother.
"Better?" I muttered, and he raised his eyebrows faintly. Mumbling something under his breath, he glanced up at the ceiling, then back down to me.
"I'm not keeping you here am I?" He asked, and I clenched my jaw. "If anyone so much as-" he started, but I cut him off with a sigh.
"Thanks, I'll make sure they know better." I reached down and pulled on my black heels. They were open-toe, with about a three inch heel on them. Because I just received my pay check yesterday, I had bought them today for the party. It was a blessing they actually matched the dress.
David groaned as I stood to my full height, and fixed half of my hair back behind my head, ignoring him.
"If Mom were here to see you..." He sighed, and I turned to him, softening my expression. The saddness in his eyes was evident, and I immediately felt bad for yelling at him earlier on.
"David, I promise, I'll be fine," I gave him a small smile, and he puffed out a breath.
"Don't forget those pressure points I taught you."
"How could I? I have bruises to remind me." I glowered, bringing a smirk to his face.
"Alright fine, let's go."
*
I stared up at the huge, white mansion before me, and turned back to David.
"Have fun-" he paused, "legal fun," He corrected, and I nodded.
I couldn't have been more serious. I was only here so that I could make more friends at the company, and I'd told him that.
I figured that I should know the people whom I work with, even if I don't see them everyday.
Walking up the double staircase, I fixed my hair one last time, before I knocked, and took a step back. The door opened, and I came face to face with a certian, brown-haired secretary. Her smile immediately faded when she saw me, and I thought she might slam the door in my face, but she stepped aside barely and gestured to me.
"Come in," Her voice sounded more like a cough than a welcome, but I smiled all the same.
"Your home is amazing," I told her truthfully, gazing at the marble floors, and taking a peek into the kitchen behind her. A shadow of a smile crossed her face, before she was back to her usual scowl. Knowing I had overstayed my time around her, I headed into the entertainment room. It shocked me to see how many people had come.
Did Mr. Lawson really have this many people working for him?
As I glanced over the crowd, I found Mr. Lawson himself standing beside Amy, and chatting to a man I recognized from the first floor. That, however, was not what made me advert my eyes. My eyes had met with a a man in the corner with black-hair and dressed in an equally black suit. His tie, however, was a golden color, contrasting his burning emerald eyes.
What is he doing here?
I wondered, looking in the opposite direction, and finding the snack table. Well, the dignified snack table.
It was covered in white silk, and I was sure the punch was in a pure crystal bowl- but either way it had snacks. Pouring myself a glass of punch, I turned to face the crowded room, wondering what I was supposed to do.
"You should try the hors d'oeuvres." Someone said beside me, and I glanced over to see Mr. Damon beside me.
"I'm not one for shrimp," I glanced at him, as he poured himself a glass of champagne.
"I understand," He smiled, standing to his full height, and meeting my eyes. There was a moment of silence between us, as I glanced away to sip my punch, but still feeling his eyes on me, I looked back at him. "So, Miss Oana, tell me about yourself," He smiled, and my eyes widened a little.
"There's not much to tell... " I said quickly.
"I'm sure there's something interesting about you." He raised an eyebrow, and I tried to think of something to say. It'd been a while since I had done anything social like this, and for whatever reason, he made me particularly nervous.
"I'm really not that interesting," I laughed quietly, shaking my head slightly, and glancing down to my cup. When I said this, his eyes darkened a shade, but he smirked and looked down a me for a moment, as if contemplating something.
"Do you like to read?" He asked suddenly, and I raised my eyebrows at the unusual question.
"Yes, I do actually," I nodded slowly, and he bobbed his head. "What about you?"
"I don't hate it," He raised a shoulder, as he sipped his glass of champagne. I had finished my glass of punch, and set it down with the dirty ones, which he immediately took notice of. "Champagne?" He asked, reaching for a new glass, but I shook my head.
"Not legal," I shook my head.
"I was right then." He smirked more to himself than to me, and I frowned.
"Right about what?"
"Your age," He told me, and his eyes scanned over my features. Not in the perverted, awkward way, it was more as if he was impressed. "You don't look like it though," He winked, and I felt myself beginning to flush red at the attention, "How old are you?" He asked, and this time I smiled back at him, feeling some of my confidence return, at being asked a question I could actually answer.
"How old are you?" I retorted, and he chuckled.
His eyes lit up a little. "Older than you," He said, and his face fell serious for a moment, as he glanced over my shoulder.
"Oana, I'm so glad you came!" Amy rushed up beside me, apparently unaware that I was mid-conversation with Mr. Damon.
"Hey, Amy," I smiled, and she pulled me into a small hug.
"Have you tried the shrimp hors d'oeuvres? They're amazing!" She smiled, popping one dantily into her mouth. I laughed, and met Damon's eyes over her shoulder. He was smirking, and he mouthed something to me. Seeing my confused expression, he moved around Amy and brushed past me, not looking me in the eyes, but as he did so, he reached out and tucked something into my palm.
"Excuse me," He said, turning and moving past me. I hesitated momentarily, but as he walked away, I felt curiosity burning into me, resonating from my hand. I continued smiling at Amy, until she turned away and I glanced down at the napkin in my hand.
'I'll be at the large windows when you're finished.'
Frowning and tucking the napkin inside of the single pocket on the dress, I turned back to listen to Amy. She was chatting about some cute couple from floor 3 that she had introduced, and she lifted her finger and pointed discreetly to me.
"There they are, aren't they adorable!" She squealed, and I grinned. I had no idea this part of her even existed. She was so bubbly, and...immature.
I hummed in agreement, but she continued talking, so I politely excused myself to use the restroom. As it turned out, it was near the opposite side of the room, and as I approached it, I saw Damon standing there, speaking with a beautiful blonde woman. She was wearing a dark green mermaid dress, that fit snugly to her very womanly figure. Her hair was tied into a faultless updo behind her head, and as she talked, her earrings dangled around her jawline. Damon saw me coming from over her shoulder, and he offered me a small half-smile, as I hesitated before the bathroom door. Dropping my eyes, I ducked into the bathroom, not wanting to interrupt. Once I used the restroom, I stepped in front of the mirror and began adjusting my hair, and checking my makeup, before I went back outside.
"Are you alright?"
I turned to my right quickly, holding in a gasp of surprise, as I came face to face with Damon. He smiled slightly at my expression, and stood, from leaning against the wall beside the door.
"I'm fine-" I began hastily, and he cut me off before I could start rambling.
"Her name is Sara, she owned two percent of Lawson's company, before my mother bought her out a few years ago." He told me nodding towards the beautiful woman who was moving across the room, as he walked forward. By default, I fell in step with him, and he smiled faintly. He was at least a head taller than me, so his stride was a little longer, but he seemed to note that I was struggling to stay up beside him, and his stride slowed.
Frowning to myself, I glanced up at him to see him already looking down at me, before I spoke.
"I didn't want to interrupt," I told him, and he smirked.
"How did you manage to get away from Amy?" He asked suddenly, and I frowned again.
"I told her I needed to use the restroom," I paused, "is she normally that talkative?" I asked him with raised eyebrows. His eyes danced in amusement.
"Only when she's slightly intoxicated."
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed beside me, and the window nearest to Damon and I, shattered.
I screamed, and Damon grabbed my shoulders, pulling me to the ground.
"Stay down!" He shouted, and I covered my head, laying flat on the floor, as bullets whizzed in through the window. I squeezed my eyes shut for a minute, and the bullets paused. Peeling my eyes open, I saw people scrambling from the room, tables turned, glasses shattered, and window shards trampled under foot. Damon let go of my shoulders, and shouted at me to stay on the floor, before he dissappeared in the confusion.
That's when I saw Amy.
She was laying underneath the broken window in front of me, blood rushing down her neck and arms.
"Amy!" I screamed, crawling towards her. The moment I moved, the shooting started again.
I felt glass from another window shatter behind me, and a few stray pieces bounced off my back as I moved towards Amy. Her eyes were closed, but as I neared her as fast as I could, I saw that she was still breathing. "Oh my gosh..." I breathed, and my stomach churned at the sight of the blood that dripped down her neck.