About halfway through the movie, Adrian spoke up again. “I need you to do something important for me when we get back to the office tomorrow,” He stated, making me turn over to him with a curious frown.
“Of course,” I said, laughing a little, “I’m your assistant, that’s my job.”
“No, no…” He trailed off frowning as he clenched his jaw. “I need this to happen. I don’t want it to.” He specified, glaring slightly.
“Adrian…” I trailed off, not liking the sound of it, or his expression towards the favour. “What is it?” I finally asked.
“I’ve been talking with… someone… who I’ve managed to negotiate one of the best business deals I’ve ever heard of. It’ll be great for the hotels, and my father’s real estate company combined,” he explained, looking over at me.
“Well, that’s great!” I grinned. “Who’s it with? And what’s my role in all of this?” I asked, not seeing the negative aspect of his favour yet.
“Well… the only way they’re going to be convinced is if you talk to them,” he stated, not looking me in the eye. My curious frown returned as I glared at him slightly.
“Who’s ‘them?’”
“Walter Inc.,” I barely heard Adrian mumble, making me freeze in my position beside him.
“As in…” I trailed off.
“David Walter’s business,” Adrian confirmed my thoughts, making me feel queasy. “He said the only way he’d agree to the deal is if you and spoke with him in a room alone for a while.”
“No fucking way!” I snapped, jumping out of the bed and glaring at Adrian. “Being ‘alone in a room’ with that pig is practically signing me up for sexual assault!” I exclaimed angrily, fuming at the fact that Adrian was even considering this offer.
He glared up at me before replying. “He won’t do anything. The room you two will talk in will have surveillance cameras and I’ll be right outside the door if anything happens,” he explained in a snippy tone, trying to end the topic.
I wasn’t having that. “No way! David Walter is not coming near me, whether it was in a room filled with thousands of people or whether it was him and me alone. It’s not happening.” I crossed my arms over my chest before my anger dried up in my mouth. “Is this…” I trailed off, my eyes widening. “Is this why you brought me to California? To convince me by trying to spoil me?”
“What? No!” Adrian growled, getting out of the bed to walk over to me. “And you have no say in the matter. I am your boss!” he professed, raising his voice slightly.
“What boss sets up their assistant for sexual assault?!” I snapped back, scowling. Adrian let out a frustrated growl before stepping closer towards me, making me take a step back in response as my back collided with the cold, glass window.
“Do not test me, Emily,” he warned in a low voice, closing the small space in between us completely by pressing his tall figure against mine.
“I’m not testing you,” I declatred firmly, glaring up at him. “I’m telling you. It’s not happening.”
He loomed over me, and I realised then just how close we were to each other. The realisation seemed to settle into Adrian’s consciousness at the same time, and his eyes slowly left mine and trailed down to my lips. I licked them out of habit, and let my own eyes drift to Adrian’s plump lips, duplicating his movement. My chest began to rise and fall rapidly as the thought of his lips pressed against my own flashed through my mind, and my eyes snapped back up to meet his.
He looked down at me with a furious frown before his eyes briefly went back to my lips. He let out a low growl and slammed his palms against the glass windows beside my head, making my eyes widen in shock as the glass vibrated beneath my body from the force.
“Fuck it,” he muttered, before I felt one arm circle around my waist and pull me closer and another tangle itself within my blonde waves. He crashed his lips onto mine with a strong force, sending shock waves throughout my entire body.
I gasped and stood frozen in shock for a moment before my lips began to move against his, hungrily. My fingers wrapped around the back of his neck and gripped his soft hair, making him groan at the gesture. My breathing became heavier as his tongue licked my bottom lip, before he forced my mouth open impatiently.
My whole body was on fire as the arm around my waist hoisted my body up against the glass window, making me instinctively wrap my legs around his waist for support. Some tiny part of me at the back off my mind was telling me this was a very bad idea – but I ignored the small, irritating voice as the kiss deepened –before a gunshot sounded from the television screen; washing over me like a bucket of ice cold water. I pulled back abruptly, untangled my fingers from his hair and jumped off – and away – from him.
“I- I-” I stuttered in my flustered state, looking at him with wide eyes as my mind replayed the kiss. “Oh my god,” I whispered to myself, running a hand through my hair as the reality of the situation settled into the rational side of my brain.
“Emily…” Adrian trailed off, making my shocked eyes look back up at him. “That-”
“Never happened,” I stated as firmly as I could, taking him by surprise.
“What?” he asked, frowning.
“I- It- It was a mistake, Adrian. A stupid, stupid mistake.” I tried to get ahold of myself, and hide the shakiness and excitement that still tingled throughout my entire body. “I apologise for acting so inappropriately,” I said in the smoothest voice I could muster.
“Emily-” Adrian began again, frowning angrily at me. I shook my head, cutting him off, before slowly making my way to the door of the bedroom.
“I need some air,” I mumbled, grabbing my phone on the way out of the room before making my way downstairs to the back porch that led to the beach.
The freezing air slashed against my face and bare legs like a sharp blade, and I wrapped my arms around my chest to protect myself from the harsh winds. I looked out into the dark ocean, replaying the events of 5 minutes ago, over and over again in my mind.
I had just kissed Adrian Kingston.
Chapter Thirteen
I used to think the most awkward encounter I’d ever experience in my life was when I ran into my crush in senior year, looking like a fire truck had just run me over from the cold I had been sporting all day, and I sneezed – boogers and all – into his face. This was embarrassing enough except, by fate’s cruel intensions, things did not quite end there. I was paired up with him for biology class and he sat as far away as he could, often looking over at me like I was about to pass on the plague.