The Assistant

Chapter Nineteen

Plaisir Interdit was exactly how I remembered it; gleaming marble and hardwood floors, extraordinary art pieces, ornately sculpted wall detailing, and glittering chandeliers hanging from coffered and vaulted ceilings. It was weirdly quiet without any parties going on, though as we stood in the foyer, we could distinctly hear someone likely getting paddled based on the thwack sound, followed by moaning and muffled voices.

I smirked and bit back my laugh as Jon turned toward the sounds and looked interested. I gave him a light nudge and he smiled sheepishly at me before we headed up one of the rounded staircases to the second floor. We left our stuff in one of the rooms, I noticed he had gotten a larger bedroom this time – one with a king bed.

"I don't have to be naked right now, do I?" I asked while setting my toiletries on the bathroom vanity.

"Not if you don't want to be," he called back. "But I do have something for you to wear before we go back down."

Excitement sparked through me and my heart started beating faster, I swept my hair to the side and started finger combing it as I tried to stop myself from jumping up and down like a child in a candy store. I heard the dull thudding of Jon's shoes as he crossed the bedroom and stood behind me in the bathroom mirror. His hand came up to hold my chin as he kissed the corner of my mouth, his eyes never leaving mine in the reflection - thunderstorm gray to arctic blue.

His lips pressed to the shell of my ear as he spoke, "Close your eyes."

A shiver shot up my spine as his breath tickled my ear. I closed my eyes and focused on the quiet sound of his breathing and the scent of his smoky cologne. After a moment a cold weight hung from my neck and he swept my hair back before running both hands down my arms.

"Open."

Oh, Jon, it's beautiful. My hand went to the diamond heart pendant instinctively, stroking it with trembling fingers. "It's too much—"

"No," he said with a chuckle. "Adding you to my Centurion card was too much, I think this is just enough."

I laughed and blotted under my eyes at the rogue tears. "Do you want the credit card back?"

"Not at all," he answered quickly. "And this has a far different meaning; I was supposed to give you bracelets to contrast the ones Patrick gave you, but I wasn't sold on them at the time. I think, especially after this week, that now is the right time, and this suits you more."

I could see the slight colour difference between the two pieces of jewellery; the bracelets were a less shiny more natural shade of silvery-white, while the box chain and the heart pendant itself were gleaming pearly-white. Platinum bands and a white-gold collar. I especially loved the three small pink gems accenting the heart outline.

"I love it, thank you, Jon," I told him after a moment, struggling not to cry again. God, I was an emotional wreck.

He grinned and kissed my shoulder. "I thought the pink would match your tattoo."

I groaned and pulled away from him, dumb college decisions had a habit of turning me off. "The first thing I'm using the AMEX for is laser removal."

Jon laughed and tightened his grip to stop me from getting away. "It's adorable, and every time I see it, I'm exactly where I want to be," he said softly.

I blushed and couldn't meet his gaze in the mirror anymore. He wasn't usually romantic, or sweet even, but when he was I always got a bit flustered. We stayed there for a while longer, just letting his hands roam over me while I leaned back on his chest and enjoyed the closeness. I wish it could always be like this.