by Hamel, B. B.
Just a job, just for money, I have to remind myself.
“Now. Go get your things.”
I nod once, get up, and head to my desk. By the time I’ve gathered everything, he’s already heading to the elevator. I have to hurry to catch up.
We ride down in silence. He barely even looks at me and I wonder if it’s because I did something wrong. But no, that’s stupid. He’s just playing his role. He’s the rich businessman and I’m his meek personal assistant. That’s all we are right now. We’re not pretending to be together, not without Cerise and Maxime around.
Once outside, we take his car out to Brooklyn. It’s a nice drive and a nice day but he’s not particularly chatty. I don’t press him since that’s not my role right now. I’m not his girlfriend.
We reach the building site not too long later. The car parks and we climb out together. It’s about half a block large, a substantial construction project that’s clearly near completion. Leon walks up to the front entrance and heads right inside. I hurry to keep up.
The inside is rougher than I expected. Drywall isn’t up yet and electrical is barely run. There are tools and materials everywhere and not a single worker in sight.
Leon stops and sighs. “Worse than I thought,” he says.
“What’s wrong?” I ask him.
“Contractors we hired to do the job are pushing for more money. Keep complaining about delays and issues with the work, but it’s bullshit. They’re trying to squeeze me for more cash. They’re supposed to be working today.”
I shake my head. “Clearly they’re not.”
“Nope.” He glances at me. “Come on.”
We walk through the empty building. It’s actually kind of spooky, but there aren’t any other people around. We pass through half-finished room after half-finished room with materials, tools, and signs of workers littering the unfinished floors: helmets, trash, radios.
“This is bad,” he says finally, stopping at the far end of the building. “We’re going to be way behind schedule.”
“What can we do?” I ask.
“I thought about giving in and paying them more, but now I’m pretty sure I have to fire them.” He growls and walks over to a pile of what looks like roofing shingles. He kicks them, scattering them all over the room.
I step toward him. “I’m sorry,” I say.
His eyes blaze at me. “Sorry? It isn’t your fault.”
“I know. I wish I could help.”
“I think you can.” He comes closer to me, his eyes burning passion and anger. “I think you can help, little Paige.”
I bite my lip, my pulse jumping.
He only calls me little Paige when…
He grabs my hair, pulling me against him. I gasp, looking up into his eyes as he kisses me, his hands rough on my body.
Yes, is the only thing I can think, ringing through my skin.
I needed this, wanted this, and here…
He kisses me deep, passion and anger.
I know what he needs.
He needs to take his frustration out on something.
He needs to fuck me until he feels better… until I feel better.
And I want to give him everything he needs.
I stumble back as he moves me toward the far wall. I press up against it, breathing hard, his lips against mine. But a noise breaks the silence.
He looks away from me. I’m panting, my hair a mess. There are footsteps coming closer. Leon turns to the doorway just as a guy wearing beat-up jeans, a paint-stained long-sleeve denim shirt, and a yellow hardhat steps inside.
The man looks as surprised to see us as we are to see him. I fix my skirt and Leon clears his throat.
“Sorry,” the guy says with a little smile on his face. “I thought the building was empty.”
“We did too,” Leon says. “Where is everyone?”
The guy just grins at him. “Good spot for it,” he says.
I blush so hard I think I might pass out.
“Excuse me?” Leon asks with real menace in his voice.
The guy shakes his head. “Ah, never mind.”
“If you think you saw something, you’re wrong.” Leon steps toward the guy.
“Hey, it’s no big deal.” He puts up his hands and takes a step back. “Really. I don’t care what you get up to. I was just being friendly.”
“Go be friendly somewhere else. And get your boss to bring your whole fucking crew here.” Leon pauses. “And we weren’t doing what you think we were. Get it?”
The guy nods, spits on the floor, then turns and leaves.
Leon stands there, rooted to the ground, radiating anger.
I stare at him and slowly, so slowly, I start to feel just as pissed.
“Motherfucker,” he says, storming away. “Fuck. What a stupid mistake.”
“Mistake?” I ask. My voice is small at first, but I say it again, louder. “Mistake?”
He whirls to me. “Mistake. You heard me.”
“You’re such an asshole.”
That seems to surprise him. “Are you joking, little Paige?”
“No, I don’t do that,” I say. “Are you ashamed of me or something?”
He rocks back like I slapped him. “Ashamed of you?”
“You just acted like getting caught kissing me was the worst thing that ever happened to you.”
“That’s not—”
“I’m not so bad, you know,” I say, letting my anger get the best of me. I know I should stop and think about this but I can’t help it. That temper is winning again. “I’m not something you should be so ashamed of. That guy was a crude dickhead but you acted like I was absolutely nothing. Screw you, Leon.”
“Paige—”
“I’ll see you back at the office.”
I storm away. I hear him yell my name but I hurry as fast as I can through the empty building. I don’t run into that guy, thankfully. I make it out onto the street and walk past Leon’s car. The driver gives me an odd look but I don’t break stride.
I just walk, seething with rage.
That asshole. He thinks I’m so embarrassing.
That random guy didn’t know us. Leon didn’t need to act like he got caught doing something terrible.
It was his move to begin with. Leon wanted it as much as I did, and then he acts like getting caught is the end of the world. I hate it, hate him for acting like that.
And I hate myself for getting upset.
This is fake, after all. This isn’t real.
I can’t get upset about something that doesn’t exist.
Or at least I shouldn’t.
I go for a long walk until I calm down. I get an Uber back to the office, but Leon doesn’t come in for the rest of the day.
I go home, anger still unresolved, trying to figure out what’s real and what’s fake.
8
Leon
I feel guilty and I don’t know why.
I guess it’s obvious. I hurt someone I care about.
Except it shouldn’t be like that. I shouldn’t be this involved with Paige. It’s only a business deal, just a cover for some stupid story I cooked up in the spur of the moment to keep my deal going. It’s not supposed to turn into something… more.
But I fucked up.
And now I have to make it right.
It’s early the next morning when I get up and go through my usual routine, but I add one crucial step. When everything’s ready, I head out and beat Paige to the office by just a few minutes.
She shows up at her usual hour, looking glum and annoyed, but I’m happy she’s here at least. I’m already in my office and I guess I surprise the hell out of her because she stands there and stares at me for a second.
“You’re early,” she says. “I usually have everything ready before you get in but you never come in this early.”
I stand up and hold up my hands. “It’s okay,” I say. “I’m actually here for you.”
She bites her lip and looks skeptical. �
��If this is about yesterday, I don’t want to hear it.”
“It’s about yesterday,” I say softly. “But I don’t have anything to say.”
That makes her narrow her eyes. “What do you mean? You’re not even going to try and apologize?”
I smile a little and come around the desk. “I’m not going to apologize,” I confirm. “The way I reacted wasn’t great, and I understand why you feel the way you feel, but words are meaningless.”
“I’m not following,” she says. “Sounds like you should just apologize.”
“Come with me.”
I step out of my office, moving past her. She hesitates but follows me reluctantly.
I lead her downstairs and out onto the street. My car is already waiting for us, idling near the curb. I help her inside and slide in next to her.
“Where are we going?” she asks. “If you’re taking me back to that building—”
“I’m not,” I say.
“So then where?”
“Just be patient.”
She glares at me but she doesn’t press. I can see a little softness behind those eyes so I suspect that she’s not as angry today as she was yesterday.
The car weaves through early morning rush hour traffic and arrives at our destination not too long later. I get out and help her onto the curb before leading her inside one of the nicest hotels in the city.
She follows me closely. The doormen smile at me and nod. I’m a known entity around these parts.
“What are we doing?” she asks me.
I grin at her. “The owner of this building is a closer personal friend of mine,” I say.
“Seriously?”
“Of course. Don’t you know all the rich people in this city hang out together?”
She laughs. “Sounds like a conspiracy theory.”
“It’s not.” I lead her through the lobby and toward the dining room. The hostess recognizes me instantly and leads us back to the best table in the house. It’s a small table, only enough space for two, but it’s in the back corner and near a window. We have privacy but we can also watch the people move down the street if we want to.
Paige sits down and I sit across from her. “Are you bribing me with breakfast?” she asks.
“Yes,” I say, grinning. “But that’s not all.”
She sighs and orders coffee and pancakes. I just ask for coffee.
“Food isn’t going to make me forget yesterday.”
“No, it isn’t.” I sit there and sip my coffee after it arrives a moment later. She does the same. “But do you know why you felt that way?”
She hesitates a second. “You made me feel worthless.”
“Right,” I say softly. “I made you feel like you’re not important.”
“Look, you don’t have to do this,” she says quickly. “I know this little arrangement is just a business thing. You’re just using me and I’m just using you. We don’t need to pretend like my feelings matter.”
That pains me for some reason. I wince slightly and look away. I hate that she thinks her feelings might not matter. I mean, even if she were just my assistant still and we weren’t embroiled in this little relationship, I like to think that her feelings would count for something.
But maybe not. I’m not an easy boss to work for, I know that. I demand a lot of my people, especially my personal assistants. There’s a reason I’ve gone through five assistants in the last three years. I push them too hard and they inevitably leave.
I keep telling myself it’s because they just can’t handle the work, but I know deep down that’s not true. I know it’s because of the way I treat them, like they’re just robots doing a job for me. I know it’s not a great way to go through life.
And I want to fix that with Paige. Even if we don’t have anything more than a business relationship going forward, I want to at least treat her like a person.
“Your feelings matter,” I say softly.
“Are you sure about that?”
“I know I’ve done things to make you think they don’t. Consider this proof that I do care.”
She sighs and the conversation stops as her pancakes arrive, perfectly golden and fluffy. I can tell she’s hungry but she still hesitates.
“Just because I’m going to eat these and probably love them, doesn’t mean we’re okay,” she states, holding her fork up in the air. “Do you hear me?”
“I hear you. Go ahead, enjoy them. You don’t even owe me anything for pancakes.”
She sighs but gives me a sly smile before digging in.
I let her eat. I sit back in my chair and sip my coffee, glancing out the window.
I wonder if she knows how tricky this breakfast is. I took her to this hotel for a reason. She thinks she’s unimportant, but the truth is, she’s starting to be very, very meaningful to me.
She finishes half and sits back, looking at me thoughtfully. “You know, it’s crowded in here,” she says.
“I know,” I answer.
“And we’re supposed to be a secret couple.”
“I know that too,” I say with a slight smile.
“So don’t you think we shouldn’t be in public together like this?”
I laugh softly and grin at her. “There you go. Now you get it.”
She groans. “You brought me here on purpose.”
“My friend owns this hotel and everyone in here knows me. This is about as public as it gets, little Paige.”
She meets my eyes when I call her that and I can tell she likes it. “So why do it?”
“Well, because I want you to know that I’m not ashamed of you, not at all.”
“But?”
“But you’re still just my assistant. There’s no reason anyone will suspect this is anything more than a boss treating his employee to a nice breakfast. We can still hold to our cover... but I’m not ashamed to be seen with you, Paige.”
She sighs a little bit and runs her fingers down the tablecloth. I can tell she’s thinking and I let her. I don’t want to push her outside of her comfort zone.
Not yet, at least. That comes soon.
“Okay,” she says finally. “So you reacted like an asshole at that job site.”
“Because I got caught kissing you,” I point out.
“Right. And that’s not good.”
“Not if we want our story to continue, no, it’s not good.” I hesitate a second. “Do you want our little relationship, whatever it is, to become public?”
She thinks about that for a second. I can tell she never really considered it. “I guess not. Since it’s not real.”
“You don’t want to have to lie to the people in your life about me.”
“Right.”
“And I don’t want to have to do the same.” I sigh and shake my head. “You see how complicated this all is?”
“I get it.”
“I won’t apologize for my reaction at the job site. But I will show you that you’re not just some girl I’m ashamed of.”
She groans. “Why do you do this?”
“What do you mean?”
“Make me want to get over it.”
I grin at her, cocking my head slightly. “You can’t help yourself.”
“I think I can.”
“No, you can’t. You’re utterly charmed by me.”
She makes a face. “Yeah, hardly. You’re the worst boss I’ve ever had, you know that, right?”
“I know,” I say, almost a whisper. “But I think you like that I’m hard on you, little Paige.”
I can’t help but look at her like I want to rip her clothes off. Truth is, that’s exactly what I want. She’s gorgeous, even this early in the morning, and I can tell she’s starting to come around to me again.
Just like I knew she would, my little Paige. My princess.
“You must not know me very well.”
I arch an eyebrow. “Oh, I think I do.”
“Yeah? I’m not so sure.”
I gesture at the waitress
as she passes nearby. She comes over and I ask for the check. Paige watches me as I put money down on the table plus a generous tip.
“Come on,” I say, standing up. “I have one more surprise for you.”
She hesitates just a fraction of a second before following me up. We head through the dining hall again, not holding hands, although she does walk close. Instead of leading her back out through the lobby, I take her back to the elevators.
We get inside together and ride up.
This part is tricky, I know. This part could easily be misconstrued….
Or accurately understood, depending.
The elevator reaches one of the highest floors in the building and we get out. I lead her down a short, carpeted hallway, our steps muffled in the calming orange light, and I stop outside of the last door. I unlock it with a key and let her step inside ahead of me.
It’s a large suite, one of the nicest in the hotel. I rent it out from time to time at cost. I have a little deal with the owner of this place, if he lets me rent this one out, I let him have one of mine. It’s very discreet.
Paige steps inside and looks around. “Really nice,” she says, sounding impressed.
“I think so.” I let the door shut behind me. We’re in the sitting room, a moderately sized space with couches, chairs, a television above a fake fireplace, a bar in the back corner. There’s another short hall that leads to two bedrooms, one master with a full bath, and one guest room. There’s a full bath at the very end.
“What are we doing here?”
“This is yours today,” I say simply.
She arches an eyebrow. “I don’t need a place to stay.”
“I know that.” I place the key down on a side table. “But here it is anyway. Room service, movies, spa treatments downstairs, whatever you want. Put it on the room’s tab.”
She laughs softly. “So breakfast wasn’t the bribe, huh?”
“Breakfast was just getting you in a good mood before the bribe.” I grin at her and she laughs again.
“Okay, maybe you do know me. Pancakes usually work.”
“I thought so.”
She walks around the room, running her hand over the fabric on the couch. “This is really nice. What’s the catch? Don’t you need me to sort endless files today?”