Adrian Assistant, jewel crotan [best novels for beginners .TXT] 📗

the bed dip, and his arms were around my waist faster than I was able to blink.



“I’ve missed this,” he said, sneaking a small peck on my cheek. “For the record, my bed is way more comfortable than yours.”



The mention of my previous bed instantly spiked up the anger within me, and I glared at him. “For the record, I liked my bed – you know; the one you forced me to move away from?”



Adrian let out an exasperated sigh before glaring back at me. “Get over it. I saved you from moving back with your parents. It’s not like that little shitty apartment meant anything to you anymore than-”



“It didn’t mean anything to me?!” I snapped, enraged now. “I had to work three jobs throughout my entire senior year and college life just to save up for that ‘shitty little apartment’ that you were so adamant on ‘saving’ me from. Then, whatever money I had left over from all my hard work was put into my ‘uncomfortable’ bed and tiny sofa. So excuse me if those things are worthless to you because you had everything handed over to you wrapped in a pretty bow; but they were my hard work. They meant a lot to me; and you took me away from that.”



I was shaking, feeling my anger take over again. Suddenly, I didn’t feel guilty anymore. I turned away from his shirtless figure in disgust, shifting all the way to the other end of the bed as a tense silence filled the room.



I felt Adrian shift slightly before a small light illuminated the dark room – I didn’t have to look over to know that it was his phone.



I closed my eyes in an attempt to sleep away my anger and get some rest before work tomorrow, but my phone vibrated on the small nightstand beside me. I picked it up to find a text from Adrian:



Hi :)



I ignored the text and locked my phone before placing it back onto the nightstand loudly to convey my anger.



My phone buzzed again:



I have a strong feeling that you’re ignoring my text.



I ignored it again just as another buzz erupted through the quiet room before I even had a chance to lock my phone again:



I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was that important to you.

I’d offer the apartment back, but… I don’t want you to move out, so that’s not an option. What can I do to prove how sorry I am? Not talking to you today was hard enough. I can tell you another thing that’s pretty hard right now as well…



I let out a surprised choke at the end of the message, making Adrian explode in laughter beside me. I put my phone back down onto the table before turning around to glare at him.



“Say it to my face,” I demanded once his laughter died down.



“Say what to your face? That I have a hard-on for you? Well, you’re really sexy when you’re angry so I couldn’t really control-”

 “Not that!” I exclaimed furiously. “Your apology. Apologise to my face, not through text. Then you’ll be forgiven for good.”



Adrian looked uncomfortable, and I smiled smugly at the fact that our roles were reversed.



“I’ve apologised to you already,” he mumbled.



My eyebrows shot up. “Oh really? And when was this?” I asked, feigning curiosity.



“You know… before… When you were on my lap in the living room and I told you I’d do whatever you want-”



“You didn’t apologise. You only explained that you don’t regret making me move in and offered me something I took advantage of. I want a full-fledged apology – no texts, no re-worded sentences – a proper apology.” I crossed my arms in an attempt to look serious, but ended up looking awkward due to my position lying down.



I watched as Adrian opened and shut his mouth multiple times before giving up and turning back to the other side of the bed so that my back was facing him. I wasn’t going to crack at his inability to apologise until he found the courage to own up to his actions.



I don’t know how many minutes passed as I began to find myself slowly drifting off to sleep. Just before the blackness fully consumed me, I felt Adrian’s familiar arms wrap around my waist and pull me into him again.



“I’m not good with these kinds of things… and this is the third time I’ve ever done it in my lifetime… so, I’m sorry for… I’m sorry for…” Adrian trailed off, and I watched as a deep frown of thought consumed his features in the dimly lit room. “I’m sorry for taking you away from something you worked so hard for, and I hope that you will find a place in your heart to forgive me.”



I stared back at him in shock for a moment before blinking rapidly and nodding in response while processing his words. He sounded genuinely sorry, and I accepted them quietly. “Okay,” I mumbled, smiling a little.



“There you go with the flirting again. This is getting out of hand, Shortcake, if you want me, all you have to do is ask.” Adrian smirked, making me roll my eyes in response once again while trying to hold back a smile. And just like that, Adrian was back.



“Let’s go to sleep for real this time,” I suggested while yawning.



“Okay,” he agreed, “after I get my kiss.”



“You’re an idiot,” I grumbled before placing a soft kiss on his cheek.



“No, no. Not there. I want it on my lips.”



I gave him a flat look in order to cover up my flaming cheeks. “Goodnight, Adrian.”



He chuckled before pulling me into the crook of his neck. “’Night, Shortcake.”



***



“How are we even best friends?!” Amy cried in disbelief, her voice loud over the phone, “I can’t believe you still haven’t slept with him!”



“Amy, shut up! ‘She’ and I are sometimes in the same room and I can’t talk about that around ‘her.’” I tried to cover up subtly, briefly glancing over to Adrian to see if he heard Amy’s loud voice from his desk.



Amy laughed before responding. “All the more reason to jump him while you can, Em! Honestly Hun, you’re growing old, and sometimes, the muscles in between your legs need to-”



“THANK YOU FOR YOUR CALL, I WILL SPEAK WITH YOU LATER. GOOD BYE!” I ended the call abruptly while blushing deeply from her words. My eyes widened as I looked at the phone in horror before I looked up to meet Adrian’s amused gaze.



“Are you okay there, Shortcake?” he asked with a smile, obviously enjoying my flushed state.



“Yep, yep. I’m good. Just… you know… business-ing it out and all…” I let out a nervous laugh before growing redder at the realisation of how stupid my words sounded.



Adrian chuckled and got out of his seat, making his way towards my desk. “What did she say? Clearly, it involved me, because you’re refusing to make eye contact with me right now.”



“You? Why would we talk about you? Amy was just telling me about her encounter with an ex-boyfr-”



“No, she wasn’t. You tried to cover up the fact that she was talking about me by saying ‘she’ instead of ‘he’ and looked at me once you finished the sentence and thought I wasn’t looking. I was.” He smirked before lifting me out of my seat and pressing me into his torso.



“I- What? N- No I wasn’t.” I stuttered as I felt my blush increase in colour.



“You’re a really bad liar, Shortcake.” He smirked down at me, and I watched as his eyes briefly flickered to my lips.

I didn’t respond as my own eyes moved down to his lips unconsciously, and I licked my own lips which were suddenly feeling dry.



Adrian let out a throaty growl before I felt his arm push close the space in between us even more than before as he looked down at my lips again.



A knock sounded at the door, breaking the haze Adrian and I were in, and I pushed him away gently, blushing again.



Adrian took a step back and cleared his throat before speaking up. “Come in,” he called out in a raspy voice. My eyes widened in shock when I looked down to his crotch area and found a bulge sticking out of his navy coloured pants.



I rushed and stood in front of him to cover the obvious body part that was sticking out just as Suzie entered the office. My hand accidentally brushed against his area and Adrian let out another groan, making my eyes widen even further.



“I’m not going to be able to do this much longer, Shortcake,” Adrian murmured into my ear before directing his attention back to Suzie. “What is it?”



“Good morning, Mr. Kingston, Emily.” She nodded and smiled in our direction and I smiled and waved in response. Adrian ignored her greeting completely. “Your father suggested that we host a charity gala dinner in order to raise money for our cancer foundation this Saturday. I have already begun the preparations and just need your approval…” She trailed off as she looked at Adrian, then myself, then back at Adrian again. “I’m so sorry if I’ve interrupted anything…”



“No, no!” I reassured her quickly, scrambling for a lie. “You haven’t interrupted anything, Suzie! Adrian and I were just discussing the final marketing plan developed for the hotels in the Australian region.”



Adrian cleared his throat. “Just place the papers on the table in front of you and I will send them back to your office later. Emily, you’re going to be my +1 for the Gala. Mrs. Brown, please make sure everybody knows that, and seat her in between Allen and myself. Is there anything else?”



Suzie looked back and forth between Adrian and me again with uncertainty on her features before clearing her throat. “Did you want the dinner to be themed in any way?”



“No. Just make sure everyone is dressed to a high standard. If that is all, you can leave now.”



“Adrian!” I exclaimed, turning around to him with a frown. “Stop being so rude,” I mumbled, looking up at him with a stern look. He ignored my glare completely, and focused his gaze on my lips again, making me blush.



“Okay, thank you sir,” Suzie called out softly, before we heard the door shut once again.



My blush deepened as I looked away from his intense gaze. “Why am I your +1 this time? Do I even have a choice in the matter?” I asked in an attempt to change the tension in the air.



“No, and because I want you to be,” Adrian snapped. “Anyway, you can’t complain. I’m putting Allen next to you. Having said that, I don’t want anything unnecessary happening between you two.”



I rolled my eyes at his sudden mood swing. “Okay Mr. Bi-Polar.”



“I mean it. And get your weird friend to pick out your dress this time. Rita will do your hair again and I don’t want you wearing a lot of makeup. You already attract too much attention as it is.”



“Yes, Boss,” I said sarcastically, mock-saluting him. “Is there anything else, Boss?”



“Don’t call me boss, Shortcake,” Adrian warned in a low voice, even as a mischievous light glinted in his eye, “or I will not hesitate to kiss you this time.”



I looked up at him with wide eyes and my cheeks began to flame up again at his comment. I cleared my throat to compose myself. “S-Sorry,” I stuttered.



Another event. I did not have a good feeling about this one.

 

“Not that!” I exclaimed furiously. “Your apology. Apologise to my face, not through text. Then you’ll be forgiven for good.”



Adrian looked uncomfortable, and I smiled smugly at the fact that our roles were reversed.



“I’ve apologised to you already,” he mumbled.



My eyebrows shot up. “Oh really? And