by A. Marie
Avelina walked out of her room and headed downstairs to the kitchen, where she cooked him the breakfast Johnathan had listed. She found it devastating that Adrik ate the same things every day. It seemed too uniform and boring.
Sadly, it wasn't her job to have any sort of opinion. She was there to work.
With that thought, she continued to cook Adrik’s food.
A part of her wondered if Adrik was still sleeping. She also went as far as recalling their intense moment last night. Her thighs clamped together at the memory.
"Stop, Avelina," she whispered to herself.
Placing the cooked food on a plate, she made her way back upstairs. When she made it to Adrik’s bedroom, she saw that it was empty.
"Oh, no, not again," she groaned.
Checking her watch, she saw that she still had about five minutes to serve Adrik his food. Otherwise, he wouldn't even get close to touching it.
Rushing down the stairs, she looked in the pool area only to find it empty. She then focused on the sound of soft classical music, causing her to stop and follow the noise abruptly.
The closer she got to the sound, the louder it seemed to become. Her footsteps led her to a piano where Adrik sat behind it with his eyes shut and his head slightly tilted to the side. He looked angelic.
"Adrik, breakfast," she spoke.
He hurriedly stopped playing and opened his eyes. His gaze dropped from her face to her breast and then the food in her hand.
Biting down on her lip, she walked over to him, where she handed him the plate with a proud smile on her face. "What were you playing?"
Avelina sat down right beside him on the piano's bench.
"Ludwig van Beethoven, the German composer and pianist. You know, he was a part of the transition between the classical period to the romantically inclined period of classical music from the time of 1802 to 1827.”
Avelina smiled up at him as she nodded her head. She didn't know that, but she found it cute how he managed to withhold so much information in that brilliant brain of his.
"So, you like classical music, huh?" She asked.
He nodded his head slowly as he began to eat the food she had just cooked him.
"You may be outstanding, Mr. Adrik Zolotov. However, I'll have you know that in elementary school, they didn't call me the 'magical pianist' for nothing," she said, quirking up a brow of confidence as her fingers took their places on the piano.
Suddenly, she began to play. Her fingers pressed random keys as the music started to sound jumbled.
"You are terrible at playing the piano. The person that said you are a 'magical pianist' most certainly lied to you," he said calmly.
Avelina stopped playing and looked at him with her mouth agape. A small laugh escaped her. "That was so mean, Adrik.”
"Oh, I didn't realize it was mean. I thought I was helping you.”
She noticed the way his eyebrow twitched for a moment as he allowed confusion to dawn on his features. "Huh. You actually mean that, don't you?"
"Well, I do not lie or joke or kid," he explained.
She nodded her head slowly before turning back to the piano. Just as she was about to start playing again, he suddenly stopped her hands from pressing another key.
As his hands hovered over her own, a warmth seemed to splurge throughout her entire body. She kept recalling their moment from last night. It led to a blush taking over her entire face.
"You are supposed to play like this," he whispered with his lips only a few centimeters away from her ear.
Pressing down while using her fingers, he helped her play a small part of the song, Fur Elise.
It sounded beautiful, and she couldn't help the smile that coated her face.
Suddenly, a voice cleared.
Avelina quickly snatched her hands away and looked up at the intruder.
"Mr. Zolotov," the man from yesterday had greeted.
"Anton," Adrik repeated while never looking up at him at all.
Avelina quickly stood up and dusted off the imaginary dirt from her pants as she looked at Anton.
"Hello, Miss Avelina. You’re his caregiver because I can no longer speak for Mr. Zolotov while at work. You'll be his voice, and I must teach you what exactly to say for him and when to do it," Anton explained.
She glanced over at Adrik before returning her eyes to the muscular man in front of her. "Why doesn't Adrik just speak for himself? He's more intelligent than I will ever be.”
"He may be able to speak to you, but he doesn't speak to everyone. We've told you that Mr. Zolotov is different," the man said.
At that moment, she noticed how Adrik hadn't said a word other than Anton's name. Even while Anton spoke about him as if he were not there, he did not bother to glance up or say a thing.
"Boss, I took care of the situation," Anton told Adrik, leaving her completely confused.
Adrik didn't say a word; he just returned to playing on his piano with his eyes shut and his fingers moving. Only this time, the song was a lot sadder than the piece he had played earlier.
"Are you ready, Avelina?" Anton asked, pulling her away from the intense gaze she left for Adrik.
Nodding her head, she smiled at him as he held his arm out for her to take. "I'm ready."
Avelina followed Anton out of the room but not without sparing one last glance to Adrik, who continued to busy himself with his piano.
Anton walked her to the couch in the living room, where he sat her down right beside her. "Speaking for Mr. Zolotov is simple. Most of the office people know what to do to stay out of Mr. Zolotov's way. You will assist him when it comes to speaking in larger settings. Most people in the office know to stay out of his way, so that shouldn't be an issue. Though in private meetings, he speaks for himself. All you have to do when you talk for him is say the things that people want to hear to get the conversation to end as quickly as possible.”
Her brows knotted together in confusion as she processed his words.
"I know it may seem complicated, but once you start, you will be quick to get the hang of it," he stated.
"I didn't realize I would be going to the office with him," Avelina said as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
He smiled gently at her before nodding his head in response. "Yes, you start today. Mr. Zolotov's assistant, Zaria Kensley, will be there to help you every step of the way.”
She quickly realized that he had said a woman's name. Avelina couldn't help but wonder if Adrik was more communicative to all women in general, or if it was just Avelina that he was most comfortable around.
"I don't think I have any business attire," Avelina told him.
"Zaria already made sure to pick out some clothes for you to wear.”
She nodded her head with a tight-lipped smile. There was that name again, Zaria. "Where are the clothes?"
"They should now be in your closet. Be ready in one hour; you will be leaving with Mr. Zolotov," Anton instructed.
She headed up the stairs where she entered her bedroom. The moment she walked into her closet; she spotted the attire very quickly.
One thing she had always hated most was business-wear. It made her feel like she was trying too hard to be something she wasn't. Not to mention the fact that it always managed to be itchy.
She picked up a pearl dress that appeared elegant. There was also a plain black pencil skirt that looked a lot more appealing than the expensive pearl dress.
Placing the dress back into the closet, she was quick to put on the black pencil skirt. It had to be two sizes too small. The fabric was hugging Avelina’s body and leaving no space to breathe.
She grabbed a plain white blouse with a look of annoyance on her face. Avelina already felt uncomfortable, and she wasn't even wearing the whole outfit yet.
Avelina placed on the shirt. As she worked with the buttons, she could only hope that Adrik wouldn't call the shirt she decided to wear a 'napkin' again.
Once she finished, she found a pair of heel
s that were a decent height. She never liked to wear heels that were too high because they tended to make her tall figure appear even taller. As soon as she slid them on, she made her way to the restroom, where she fixed up her hair by leaving it down in its normal state.
Avelina then walked out of her bedroom and made her way down the stairs. The first thing she noticed was Anton. He was waiting patiently for her at the bottom of the stairs. She gave him a small smile as his eyes seemed to roam her body unintentionally. He was quick to clear his throat and look away.
"Mr. Zolotov is waiting for you in the car.”
Avelina nodded her head before following Anton out of the door. She looked on both sides of the door to see guards staring into the space straight in front of them.
She stepped out of the house and continued to follow Anton towards the all-black BMW, where he opened the door for her to enter. The second she peeked inside, she noticed Adrik was sitting there with sunglasses perched on his face. He quickly turned his attention towards her just as she sat down on the cold leather seats.
"Hi," she smiled at Adrik, who only continued to watch her.
Anton was quick to shut the door behind Avelina just before the driver pulled off down the road.
"I'm kind of nervous. I've never worked at a big office before," Avelina admitted.
He turned to glance out of the window.
Her eyes strayed down the curve of Adrik’s nose to the plumpness of his lips. "Do you have any advice?"
"Zaria will help you," the driver spoke randomly.
"Right, I believe Anton told me about her.”
“Yes, she is Mr. Zolotov's assistant. She is one of the only few people that work well with our boss," he said.
Avelina couldn't deny the way her mouth seemed to form its own frown. She had only hoped that Adrik wasn't watching her. "Very well then.”
When she turned her head, Adrik was only mere inches away from her face. Her gaze instinctively dropped to his lips before running back up towards his eyes. She could feel her heartbeat increasing as he leaned in closer.
Her eyelids instinctively shut on their own accord as he kept leaning into her. Instead of kissing her like she had anticipated, his soft lips grazed her ear.
"I noticed the way you crossed your legs when you were staring at me. I cannot help but wonder if you are still thinking about our moment in the bathtub," he whispered lightly.
As he pulled away, she hurriedly pulled her legs apart. The quickening of her heartbeat didn’t go unnoticed by neither of them.
"Adrik.”
He turned away from her.
After a few moments, they pulled into the front of a gigantic building. Avelina had to crane her neck to the farthest of its ability just to gaze at the top of it.
Adrik had gotten out of the car as soon as the vehicle was parked. He made his way over to Avelina. When he placed his arm around her waist to help her out of the car, a chill ran down her spine.
"You don't think this looks a bit unprofessional?" Avelina asked.
Adrik didn't even do so much as spare her a glance.
Flashes began to go off from all over the place. Avelina's jaw dropped due to the crowds of people that appeared out of nowhere. They were shouting all types of questions that left her completely flabbergasted.
"Mr. Zolotov, is that your girlfriend?"
"Who are you?"
"Is she your long-lost sister, Natasha?"
That caused Avelina to stop dead in her tracks. Her mind tried to grasp what he meant by long lost sister, Natasha.
Adrik was quick to grip her waist and walk her into the building. She looked behind her at the reporter who had asked the question to see his ginger hair and thick-framed glasses perched on his nose. Her eyebrows pulled together in confusion as she watched him. Slowly, she returned her gaze to in front of her as they walked into the building.
A man sat at the receptionist desk with a phone pressed to his ear. The second they walked in, he placed the phone down and greeted the two of them with a smile.
"Good morning. You must be the new caregiver, Avelina Santos. I'm Jeffery Pina, the receptionist. Zaria had mentioned that she would meet you in Mr. Zolotov's office," the man said.
She nodded her head in response with a small smile as Adrik continued to drag her towards the elevator. "Nice meeting you, Mr. Jeffery!"
Adrik pulled her into the elevator.
"Why are you in such a rush?" She questioned with a raised brow.
The elevator doors quickly came to a close.
Avelina could only watch how he fixed his suit jacket to make sure both sides were perfectly even. He seemed to make sure that every single thing about him was precise.
"Look at the time," he said in response.
She flipped over her watch to see the time. Suddenly, her shoulders fell as she quickly realized why Adrik was rushing. "We still have a minute to spare if we want to make it on time, Adrik.”
The elevator irritated gravity as they traveled past the many levels in the building. Avelina stepped toward him and brought her hands up to the edges of his glasses. Strangely, she could not help herself from gently pulling the frames off of his face so that she could peer into his eyes.
Adrik glanced at her before quickly looking away. Her eyes beamed into the beautiful silver of his orbs. She could see how his mind was racing. Anxiety tagged itself to the fact that he would arrive at his office tardily.
"It's okay," she whispered.
He peered down at her before letting out a small exhale. "It's not.”
She didn't know what compelled her to do it, but she wrapped her arms around his muscular frame. He seemed to freeze for a moment as she placed her head onto his chest.
"It's okay.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Care for Light
They made it to his office only a minute late. Avelina had expected more of a reaction out of Adrik due to his tardiness, but she was pleased to see that he was very calm.
After their little encounter in the elevator, he appeared to be more at ease. Avelina had shyly pulled away from him only to gleam into his eyes. When the elevator doors had opened, their moment abruptly came to an end.
Adrik walked out of the elevator, leaving Avelina to follow behind. The first thing she noticed was the silence that was captured by Adrik’s office. She quickly realized that Adrik always seemed to be more like himself in isolation.
"You like silence," Avelina pointed out.
He glanced over at her and then nodded his head.
"I do.”
Adrik opened a tall door. She was left to gaze into a beautiful office. It was quite dark until Adrik turned on a light allowing it to illuminate every inch of his workspace. From the big desk to the plush couch, it radiated with elegance.
"There's also no windows,” Avelina pointed out. “Let me guess, you like darkness.”
Adrik sat down on his big chair. It was perched directly behind his desk. The sound of the rich leather succumbing to the weight of his body filled the loud silence.
"I've disliked large amounts of light and sound for as long as I can remember. As doctors would say, it's all a part of my ‘issues’,”
Avelina could just hear the distaste in his voice. The way he seemed to be disgusted with himself left her to frown.
"Adri-"
A voice interrupted Avelina's words, “Mr. Zolotov.”
Avelina turned towards the door to see a gorgeous woman. She was wearing a tight nude-colored dress that hugged her curves perfectly.
Everything that the woman was, Avelina was the exact opposite. The woman had beautiful hair flowing down her back with big round eyes. Not to mention her perfect pointed nose, leaving her face to seem symmetrical.
"Zaria Kensley," Adrik returned the greeting before placing his sunglasses back on his face.
Jealousy was quick to consume Avelina as she stared at the long-legged woman.
Zaria was breathtaking, and Avelina envied her.
"You must be Avelina Santos. I am Zaria Kensley, Mr. Zolotov's favorite girl," she smirked before holding her hand out for Avelina to shake.
Her words made Avelina want to frown, but she plastered a smile on her face and shook Zaria’s hand. "It's nice to meet you. By the way, thank you for the clothes.”
Avelina's gaze seemed to drop momentarily to the outfit Zaria had picked out for her. When she looked back up, she noticed how Zaria's eyes focused on Avelina’s cleavage that poked out through her shirt.
"I was the one that had to look through your clothing for security purposes. I noticed you didn't exactly have the most fitting clothes," Zaria chuckled out.
Avelina opened her mouth to say something, but Zaria had already walked right past her and towards Adrik.
Adrik didn't look up at her once, but Zaria didn't care.
"You're so tense, boss," she laughed.
Avelina turned exit. She felt as though she should give them their privacy.
"Avelina," Adrik called out.
She turned to look at him only to see that his eyes were already on her. "If it is okay, I was going to go look around.”
He didn't say anything after that. All he did was continue to watch her as if she were some kind of puzzle he was trying to solve.
She was taking his silence as a yes.
Avelina made her way out of the office and over to the elevator. She didn't understand why she couldn't shake this nauseous-like feeling. She had only just met Adrik, but for some strange reason, there had always been this lingering feeling of a deep connection.
With an irritated groan, she pressed the down arrow beside the elevator and awaited its arrival.
She began to not understand why she needed to be with Adrik at work when it was clear he had all the help he could ever possibly need with Zaria.
"You're so tense, boss. I'm going to massage your big, big muscles, boss," Avelina mocked as she stepped into the elevator.
When she had turned around, her hear dropped down to her gut at the sight of Adrik directly behind her. "Adrik!"