The Assistant (14 page)

Not that type of relationship
, I reminded myself.

“I told Susan we were fucking,” I
confessed.  “I’m sorry.”

“That explains why she was so angry,” he
said.

“I shouldn’t have told her and I’m really
sorry,” I said again.

“You don’t have to apologize.  In fact, it
might make my life a little easier,” Aiden said.  “Not that I’m exactly proud
of making you do my dirty work for me but the situation with Susan was starting
to get out of control.”

I glanced at him and he gave me a small
smile of embarrassment.  “Joe’s my best friend and I was worried about
offending him by rejecting his daughter.”

“It’s only a temporary solution,” I said.  “Susan
knows we’re not dating, only fucking, so as soon as you’re here alone, I
imagine she’ll be all over you again.  You really need to man up and tell her
you’ll never be interested – preferably before she goes back to London.”

He nodded.  “You’re right.”

I stared suspiciously at him.  “Why are you
being so agreeable to everything I say?”

“Maybe because I finally realized you’re
always right?”

That made me laugh and Aiden smiled happily
at me as I said, “I’m going to assume that attitude will carry over to the work
place?”

He just shrugged and I rolled my eyes
before petting King’s head.  “I had my hopes up for a moment there.”

He laughed quietly and I grinned at him as
he slid across the couch and rested his hand on my thigh.  King licked at his
hand and he gently petted the big dog.  “Are you going to go out with Parker?”

“What?”  I blinked at the sudden change in
topic.

“Are you going to start dating Parker after
the holidays?”  He asked.  “He wants you, Lina.  You know he does.”

“I don’t know,” I said.  “I hadn’t really
thought about it.”

“He’s a player,” Aiden said.  His hand
tightened on my thigh for a moment.  “You should stay away from him.”

“You don’t know he’s a player,” I replied. 
“You know nothing about him outside of work.”

“I know men like him,” Aiden said.  “He’ll
say and do all the right things to get you into bed and once he’s bored, he’ll
move on.  It’s nothing but sex to him.”

I laughed and Aiden flushed brightly.  “I’m
not like him, Lina.  I’m always honest with a woman about what I want and what
I can give them before I sleep with them.  The only time I’ve fucked that up
was that night I was stranded here with you.  I should have been clear with you
about what I wanted before I slept with you and I wasn’t.  But, in my defense,
I had wanted you for three years and to finally have you in my bed…”

He trailed off and gave me a rueful look. 
“I temporarily lost my damn mind.”

I smiled faintly.  “Resulting in an
extremely awkward next morning.  I bet you’ll never do that again.”

“I’m sorry, Lina.  I shouldn’t have – “

“It’s fine,” I interrupted.  “You don’t
need to keep apologizing for it.”

“Lina, I – “

“Why don’t you do relationships?”  I asked.

He didn’t reply and I grimaced.  “Sorry,
I’m being nosy.”

He stared into the fire and I twitched with
surprise when he said, “When I was fifteen, my father cheated on my mother.”

I patted his leg gingerly.  “I’m sorry. 
You don’t have to tell me this.”

To my surprise, he continued.  “My mother
was, understandably, devastated and they separated for over a year.  It was
awful to watch her go through the pain of what he had done.  My father was
remorseful and begged for her forgiveness.  I guess they were going through a
rough patch and he made a stupid mistake.”

He smiled bitterly at me.  “One stupid
mistake that destroyed my mother.  They did counselling separately and together
and eventually my mother forgave him and my dad moved back in.  As far as I
know, he’s never cheated again but…”

He stopped and stared at King’s head.  “My
mom was never the same after that.  Either was my dad.  They love each other, at
least I think they do, but she doesn’t trust him and I don’t think she ever will. 
And my dad is still being eaten alive by his guilt.  To others they seem to
have the perfect relationship but I actually think they would have been better
off to go their separate ways.”

He sighed and glanced quickly at me.  “To
see their relationship go from one that was damn near perfect to how it is
now?  I don’t want to ever go through that.”

“Just because your father made a mistake
and cheated on your mother, doesn’t mean you will,” I said cautiously.  “You
shouldn’t deny yourself the chance at happiness, at love, on the assumption
that you’ll make the same mistakes.  You’re not your father.”

“Maybe not,” he replied.  “But how many
couples do you know who are truly happy?”

“Joe and Steph are happy,” I said.  “My
parents are happy.”

“You don’t know that for certain,” he said.

“No, I suppose I don’t.  But no
relationship is perfect.  They have their ups and downs and they require
commitment and effort once the novelty wears off.  People make mistakes,
Aiden.  It’s just human nature.”

“My parents have been secretly miserable
for years and just refuse to admit it,” Aiden said.

“They’ve chosen to be that way.  You can
choose something different,” I said.

“I have,” he replied quietly.

“But does that make you happy?”

“Yes,” he said.  “It does.”

“Then I guess that’s all that matters,” I
replied. 

We sat in silence for a few moments.  I
kept a neutral look on my face but inwardly my heart was breaking for Aiden. 

Just Aiden?  Or do you feel sorry for
you, as well?

Yes, I decided, I felt sorry for me too.  I
had agreed to a casual fling over the holidays with Aiden, hell, I had pushed
him for it, but there had been a small part of me that hoped he wanted more. 
Aiden’s confession and his quick affirmation that he was happy without the
entanglement of a relationship had killed that small, hopeful part of me and I
mourned its loss.

Get over it, girl.  You wanted this,
remember?

“Do you want me to walk you back over to
Joe’s place?”  Aiden asked suddenly.

I shook my head no before pushing King’s
head from my lap and straddling Aiden’s.  I pressed my mouth against his neck
and rubbed his broad shoulders.  “Of course not.  Unless you don’t want me
here.”

“You know I do,” he said.

“Then it’s all good,” I said.

“Is it?”  He cupped the back of my neck and
tugged my face up.

“Yes.”

“Are you sure you’re happy with this,” he
paused, “arrangement?”

“I am,” I said.

“Lina – “

“Aiden, stop,” I said.  “I’m good, okay? 
We only have two more days of holidays left.  Let’s just enjoy it.”

“I do want you, Lina.  Very much,” he said.

“Good,” I replied.  “Now stop talking and
show me.”

* * *

“Let me get this straight.”  Tracy swept
aside the crinkled Christmas paper and folded her hands on top of the table. 
“You spent the holidays having a sex-filled fling with your hottie of a boss
who you hate.”

I laughed and nodded.  “Yes.  I love this
necklace, by the way.  Thank you.”

“Who cares about Christmas presents,” Tracy
said.  “You’re fucking your boss!”

“I was fucking my boss,” I corrected.  “Now
I’m not.”

“Lina,” Tracy gave me an earnest look,
“what’s happening to you?  I was gone to Panama for six weeks and I come back
to find you hooking up with a guy you find hot but absolutely hate.”

“I don’t hate him,” I said.  “And I always
lusted after him – you know that.”

“Yeah, I know but you said he didn’t want
you.”

“I was wrong,” I said.  “Pleasantly so.”

“Then why aren’t you dating?”

“I told you – he doesn’t do relationships.”

“And now suddenly you don’t either?”  Tracy
gave me a skeptical look.

I shrugged nonchalantly.  “I wanted to try
an experiment and I did.”

“An experiment,” Tracy said.  “You’re
telling me that you wanted to find out if you’re the type of person who can
just sleep with someone without it meaning anything.”

“Yes.”

Tracy took my hand and squeezed it. 
“Honey, you didn’t need an experiment for that.  You and I both know you’re
not.”

I pulled my hand free with a scowl.  “We
didn’t know that.  And besides, I actually think I am.”

“Honey, you’re not,” Tracy said gently.

“If I wasn’t, would I be considering asking
him if he wanted to keep going?”

Tracy’s eyes widened.  “Lina, you aren’t.”

“I am,” I said with feigned disinterest. 
“The sex was amazing and I miss it.”

Missing sex with Aiden was the
understatement of the year.  It had been two days since we had left the cabin
and I had thought of nothing but sex with Aiden.  I was going back to work
tomorrow and I was already wondering how I would make it through the day
without throwing myself at him.  Last night, lying sleepless in my bed, the
answer had hit me.  I would ask Aiden if he wanted to keep having sex.  There
was no harm in it.  We both knew what it was and once I had gotten this need
out of my system, I would end it.

And if he already has?  If he says
‘thanks but no thanks’, then what?

Then I would be a goddamn adult and accept
it.

“Lina, you’re playing a dangerous game,”
Tracy said.  “Sex without feelings, without commitment, isn’t your thing.”

“Why can’t it be?”  I asked her.  “I was in
a relationship for four years and I got nothing from it but a broken heart and
a belief that I suck in bed.  Aiden makes me feel good, Tracy.  He makes me
feel sexy and beautiful and – “

“You can find that with someone else,”
Tracy interrupted.  “Someone who isn’t your boss and who wants more than a roll
in the hay.  Someone who isn’t going to break your heart.”

“My heart is perfectly fine,” I said
briskly.  “Stop worrying, Tracy.”

“Someone has to,” she said.  “You’ve gone
off the deep end.”

I laughed.  “No, I haven’t.  I’m just
having some fun for the first time in my life.  Let me live a little, will
you?”

“This is going to end so badly,” Tracy said
morosely.

“It won’t,” I assured her.  “I know what
I’m doing.”

* * *

Late Monday morning I knocked on Aiden’s
office door.  At his gruff ‘come in’, I stepped into the room and shut the door
firmly behind me.  My heart was racing from nervousness but I was determined to
talk to Aiden about continuing our fling.  I wanted him badly and I didn’t care
what Tracy said – I could have a casual hook-up, no problem.

“Good morning, Aiden.  How was your
weekend?”  I asked.

“Fine, Ms. Jones.  How was yours?”  He
replied without looking up from his computer.

My resolve faltered at the coldness of his
tone and I cleared my throat nervously.  “It was good, thank you.”

He continued to stare silently at his
computer screen as I weighed my options.  Maybe he was having a bad morning and
it had nothing to do with me.  He had been holed up in his office since I
arrived and I knew he was busy. 

“What can I help you with, Ms. Jones?”  He
finally asked.

“Uh, I emailed you the Robins document,” I
said.

“I received it, thank you.”

I continued to hesitate in his doorway and
he finally glanced at me.  “Is there something else?”

I gathered my courage.  “Yes.  Aiden, I
wondered if you wanted to – “

His cell phone buzzed and he held up his
hand toward me.  “I need to take this.”

I nodded and he raised one eyebrow before
glancing at the door.

“Right, I’ll, um, just go.  Sorry,” I
stammered before slipping out of his office.

Well, fuck.  Aiden was finished with me.  I
sat down in my chair and stared blankly at the computer screen. 

No big deal, Lina
, I told myself fiercely. 
You knew asking him to keep going was
a long shot, hell, it was more than a long shot.  It would have been a damn
miracle if he had wanted to keep fucking you.  You fucked like bunnies over the
holidays and just because it wasn’t enough for you, doesn’t mean it was the same
for him.
 

I pulled a file toward me and took a deep
breath.  I could do this.  I was the queen of the casual fling.  Aiden’s
rejection didn’t bother me – not in the least.

“Hello, gorgeous.  How were your
holidays?”  Jamie dropped into the seat next to me.  “Mind if I share your
table?  It’s busy in here today.”

I looked around the crowded café.  “I think
everyone’s waiting until after New Years’ to start their healthy eating
habits.”

He laughed.  “I think you’re right.  So,
how was your Christmas?”

“It was good.  How was yours?”  I asked
before biting into my sandwich.

“Quiet.  Good though.  Better than your
boss’ anyway.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

Jamie laughed.  “You can’t tell me that you
haven’t noticed the horrible mood he’s been in this morning.  You’re his
assistant, for God’s sake.”

I made myself smile at him.  “He does seem
pretty grumpy.  I think he’s just really busy.  We have a bunch of work to
finish before the end of the year.  I have a feeling I’ll be earning some
overtime this week.”

“Lucky you,” Jamie said with a grin.  “I
don’t suppose you could find some time to have dinner with me this week?”

“Jamie, I don’t think – “

“Mind if I join you?”

I blinked in surprise when Aiden sat down
next to me.  He had a bowl of soup and a water and he crumbled some crackers
into his soup as Jamie frowned at him.  “What are you doing here?”

“Good to see you too, Parker,” Aiden said
mildly.  “And I’m having lunch.  Enjoy your holidays?”

“Yes, thanks,” Jamie said before glancing
at me.

I took another bite of my sandwich.  The
café table was small and I could feel Aiden’s thigh brushing against mine.  I
cleared my throat and reached for my unopened bottle of water.  The cap was
stupidly tight and after watching me fumble uselessly at it for a few seconds,
Aiden took the bottle of water and twisted off the cap.

“Thank you, Mr. Wright.”

“You’re welcome, Ms. Jones,” he said
politely.  I gave Jamie a nervous smile as Aiden ate silently.

“So are you busy tonight, Lina?”  Jamie
asked.  Apparently he had decided ignoring Aiden’s presence was the best
option.  “Do you want to have dinner?”

“I need Ms. Jones to work late tonight,”
Aiden said immediately.

“How late?”  I asked.  “I have plans.”

“What plans?”  Aiden frowned at me and
Jamie snorted.

“That’s not really any of your business,
Aiden.”

“What are you doing tonight?”  Aiden
ignored him completely.

“I’m going to the animal shelter to look at
dogs,” I said.

Aiden relaxed in his chair as Jamie smiled
at me.  “You like dogs?”

“I do,” I said.  “My dog passed away before
the holidays and my house is too empty without a dog.”

“I’m really sorry for your loss,” Jamie
picked up my hand and squeezed it tightly before brushing his thumb across my
knuckles. I jumped when Aiden’s spoon clattered to the table and gave him a
quick glance.  He was glaring daggers at Jamie and the CFO was staring coolly
at him.

“Something wrong, Aiden?”

Aiden continued to glare at him and I
kicked his shin under the table.  His gaze snapped to me and his nostrils
flared angrily before he shoved his half-eaten bowl of soup away and snatched
up his water bottle.

“Lina?  Why don’t I take you for dinner
first and then go with you to the shelter?  I can help you pick out the perfect
dog,” Jamie said.

“I still need you to work late,” Aiden reminded
me. 

“Jesus, Aiden.  Have a heart for once.  Her
dog just died.”

“I’m well aware of that, Parker,” Aiden
snapped.  “But I still need her to do her job.”

“Seriously?  You can’t even – “

“It’s fine,” I interrupted.  “I can go to
the shelter another night.”

“Lina,” Jamie said, “you shouldn’t have to
– “

“It’s fine,” I repeated before pulling my
hand free of Jamie’s grip and glancing at my watch.  “If you’ll excuse me, I’m
going to head back to the office.”

“I’ll walk with you,” Jamie said.  He stood
and offered me his arm and, forcing myself not to glance at Aiden, I hooked my
hand around Jamie’s arm and followed him out of the café.

* * *

“Trying to make me jealous isn’t going to
work, Ms. Jones.”

I glanced up from the photocopier.  Aiden
was leaning in the doorway of the copy room and I smiled briefly at him before
feeding more paper into the top tray.

“Good to know.”

“I mean it,” he said.  “I’m not the jealous
type and even if I were, a casual hook-up with someone doesn’t warrant jealousy.”

“Thanks for clearing that up,” I said
before punching the copier buttons a little harder than necessary.

“It’s a waste of time trying to make me
jealous,” he said.

“I heard you the first time,” I said.

“As long as we’re perfectly clear that
there’s no point in using Parker to try and – “

“I’m not using Jamie Parker to do
anything,” I interrupted.  “And while we’re on the subject of Jamie – making me
stay late and work on bogus files to keep me away from him isn’t going to work
either.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,”
Aiden said stiffly.

“I’m sure you don’t,” I said.  I picked up
the stack of copied papers and handed them to him.  “Here’s the last of what
you needed.  I’m going to head home unless you have another file that just has
to be finished for tomorrow?”

He didn’t reply and I smiled sweetly at
him.  “Have a good evening, Mr. Wright.”

* * *

“So, dinner tonight and then the animal
shelter?”  Jamie leaned against my desk and smiled at me.

It was the next afternoon and while I
wasn’t deliberately avoiding Jamie, I hadn’t been actively seeking him out
either.  I sighed inwardly and glanced at Aiden’s door.  He was out for a
meeting for at least another half hour and I made a sudden decision.

“Jamie, will you walk to Starbucks with
me?  I need a coffee break.”

He nodded.  “Sure.  Lead the way,
gorgeous.”

Ten minutes later, we were sitting in the
Starbucks and I took a sip of coffee as Jamie said, “You asked me to coffee to
tell me you’re not the least bit interested in me, didn’t you, Lina?”

I smiled faintly at him.  “I’m sorry,
Jamie.”

He shrugged.  “I can’t say I’m not
disappointed.”

“I wish I was, truly.  You’re a great guy
and – “

He laughed and held up his hand.  “You
don’t have to say that, Lina.”

“It’s true,” I insisted.

“Just out of curiosity, are you not
interested in me because of Aiden Wright or because I’m not your type?”

I hesitated and Jamie sighed.  “He’s a
player, Lina.  He’s attracted to you – that’s obvious – but it will never be
anything more than sex.”

“He says the same thing about you.”

“He doesn’t even know me.”

“And you don’t know him,” I said gently.

“So I’m wrong then?”  Jamie asked.  “He
wants more from you than just sex?”

“No,” I said.  “You’re not wrong.”

He frowned at me and I fiddled with the lid
of my coffee cup.  “Is he wrong about you?”

“Well, I’m not going to deny that I really
want to see you naked, but I don’t know if that’s all I want or not.  I’m open
to dating and seeing where it leads which is more than you’re going to get from
Aiden Wright.”

I laughed.  “Gee, that’s so romantic,
Jamie.”

“If you’re looking for romance, Aiden
Wright is the wrong direction to look in.”

“I know,” I said.  “But it doesn’t feel
right to date you when I want him.”

“Okay then,” Jamie said.  “I’ll stop
bugging you to go out with me.”

“I really am sorry, Jamie,” I said. 

“Don’t worry about it.  It’s always better
to be honest, don’t you think?”  He said.

“Yes.”

“Good.  Hey, what do you think my chances
are with Amanda?”

“She has a girlfriend and they’ve been
together for nearly seven years so I’d say zero.”

“Damn,” he muttered.  “A guy can’t catch a
break.  Oh well, there’s always online dating.”

I laughed and he grinned at me.  “Listen,
if you want someone to go with you to the shelter, my offer still stands. 
Strictly as friends, of course.”

“That’s nice of you but I’m fine to go
alone,” I said before glancing at my watch.  “I’d better get back.  It’s busy
and I need to finish a few files this afternoon if I don’t want to stay late
again.”

When we were back in the office, Jamie
lingered at my desk for a moment.  “Thanks for the coffee and honesty, Lina.”

“Thanks for understanding,” I replied.

“If you ever change your mind, you know
where to – “

“Ms. Jones!”

I twitched, spilling coffee on my hand, and
turned to Aiden’s office.  He was standing in the doorway, glaring at Jamie and
me and I smiled cheerfully at him.

“Yes, Mr. Wright?”

My office.  Now.”  He turned on his heel
and stalked into his office as I rolled my eyes at Jamie.

“Need me to stay and defend your honour?” 
Jamie asked.

I grinned.  “No.  I’m more than capable of
handling Aiden Wright.  Thanks again, Jamie.”

As he walked away I set my coffee down and,
preparing myself for battle, walked into Aiden’s office.

“Shut the door,” he barked.

I shut the door and stood where I was as
Aiden sat on the edge of his desk and scowled at me.

“What can I do for you, Mr. Wright?”

“You can be at your desk when I need you,”
he snapped, “instead of disappearing with Parker.  I’m not paying you to fuck
him.”

My mouth dropped open.  “I am not fucking
Jamie.”

“Where did the two of you go?”

“None of your business,” I said.

“You will tell me, Ms. Jones, or – “

“Or what?  You’ll spank me?”  I stomped
toward him.  “That’s over, remember?”

“I remember,” he said tightly.  “But I pay
you to work for me, not disappear with the CFO to do God knows what.”

“You know, Mr. Wright, for someone who says
he doesn’t get jealous, you’re sounding awfully jealous.”

“I am not jealous,” he ground out.

“Please,” I rolled my eyes, “you’re
practically green.”

“Just tell me what you were doing with Parker,”
he said.

“Coffee,” I said.  “We went for coffee.  I
have coffee breath - did you want me to blow you so you have proof?”

A weird look crossed his face and my eyes
widened as I realized exactly what I had just said.

“Blow ON you, I meant,” I said quickly. 
“So you can smell the coffee.  On my breath.”

He didn’t reply but there was a smug little
grin on his face that made me want to punch him.

“Forget it,” I muttered.  I turned to walk
away and Aiden grabbed my arm.  He yanked me between his legs, one hand cupping
my ass and pressing me against his growing erection and the other tangling in
my hair.

“Aiden,” I said unsteadily, “what are you
doing?”

“Do you think I’m going to just let you
walk away after you offer to blow me?”  He said.

“That was an accident,” I said.  “A slip of
the tongue only.”

“Just thinking about your tongue on my dick
makes me so fucking hard,” he replied.

Heat rushed through me and, God help me, a
gush of wetness that practically rendered my panties unwearable.  I squirmed
against him as he squeezed my ass again before unzipping the back of my skirt.

“The door is unlocked,” I hissed at him as
he slipped his hand inside my skirt.  His eyes widened as he touched my naked
ass cheeks and then the straps of my garter belt.

“Are you wearing a thong and garters?”

I stared at the wall over his shoulder.  It
had been ridiculous but yesterday and today I had dressed in the sexy lingerie
I bought over the weekend.  Since I was considering asking Aiden to continue on
with our fling, it had seemed like a good idea to pick up a few pairs of sexy
panties and matching garters.  Of course, yesterday he had made it perfectly
clear we were finished but it hadn’t been enough to stop me from wearing them
this morning.

The lust on his face was unmistakeable and
I trembled as more liquid dripped from my pussy. 

“Did you wear them for me or for Parker?” 
He asked hoarsely.

I didn’t reply and his hard fingers bit
into my ass.  “Answer me, Ms. Jones.”

“You,” I whispered.

I squeaked in surprise when he suddenly
pushed me away and slid off the desk.  He crossed the room and locked the door
before giving me a predatory grin that made me hotter than fucking fire.