71. Lorelei

71

LORELEI

K ian was right. There wasn't anything I needed from my apartment to spend the night with him. He'd already organized everything.

I had clothes, lingerie, toiletries, and of course, more bottles of my beloved hair products. There were even sanitary napkins and tampons in the bathroom cabinet. If I wasn't already falling hard, then looking around his home and finding hints of myself everywhere really would have done it.

But as incredible as spending the night and then waking up with him was, I'm still nervous as hell as we step out of the car outside the Callahan Enterprises building the next morning.

I've no doubt that a huge percentage of the people who reside inside this building on a daily basis would have seen the footage of Kian and me on the beach, and worse, the slander that was attached to it.

Kian was keen to embrace our relationship in the office as well as outside, but I wasn't as eager. I wanted to remain professional at work and just focus on being his assistant. Kian was insistent that he wanted everyone to know that I'm much more important than that.

We walk side by side, our shoulders almost touching, our hands grazing each other. He wants to grab mine—I can sense it without looking at him. He also wants to whisper assurances in my ear that no one is looking at me.

I keep my eyes on the elevator ahead of us, refusing to look at any of the people loitering at the entrance, but I know they're looking. Looking and judging. I shouldn't care; I know I shouldn't. But suddenly, I'm not just worrying about me. I've got Kian to think about now. I know I'm punching above my weight; I don't need anyone to tell me that, and I'm terrified of showing him up.

I'm just a girl from a bad town in California. I'm not worthy of his life, this job, but for some reason, he's chosen me, and I'm too exhausted to keep fighting it because…I want him too.

I love being with him. I love the way he makes me feel. I love the expression on his face when he looks at me.

I love…him.

The second we step into the elevators alone, he turns to me.

"No one here cares, Lorelei," he assures me, staring down into my eyes.

"They do. They care more than you can understand. They're just also scared of you and King, so they won't do or say anything."

He smirks. "That's good enough for me. If anyone dares say a single thing to you, they'll be unemployed faster than they thought possible."

I shake my head, both loving and hating his words.

"Can we please just do our jobs?" I beg.

With him gone all last week, and both of us absent yesterday, our to-do lists are piling up fast. We don't have time to get into an argument about him being an overbearing asshole. Not right now, at least.

"Does that mean I can't molest my assistant whenever the need strikes?"

Heat rushes through me and memories of our time on his desk Friday night flash through my mind.

"During working hours, we're boss and assistant," I confirm.

Disappointment covers his face before he lifts his arm and checks his watch.

His smile grows once more, and before I know what's happening, his lips are on mine and he's giving me a knee-weakening kiss.

He releases me quickly, leaving me gasping for breath when he looks at his watch again.

"We had another minute. Had to make the most of it."

The elevator dings, the doors part, and Kian walks out, shouting, "I require a coffee on my desk in no more than ten minutes."

A laugh tumbles out of me as he disappears around the corner. I did ask for business as usual.

I jump out of the elevator as the doors threaten to close on me and emerge into the front office to a smiling Melissa.

"Good morning, Lorelei," she says with a knowing glint in her eye.

Safe to say that she's seen the photographs of us, then.

"Good morning. Would you like a coffee?"

She shakes her head. "I'm fine, thank you."

Needing to dive into action instead of allowing myself to think about what everyone in Callahan Enterprises now knows about me, I abandon my things at my desk and make a beeline for our kitchen.

No sooner have I stepped inside than I set the coffee machine to work and reach for two mugs.

"You don't need to hide."

"Holy shit," I gasp, almost dropping the mug in my hand.

"Crap, I'm sorry," Melissa says softly as she steps farther into the room with me.

"It's okay," I whisper before turning back to the coffee machine.

"No one here will judge you, Lorelei. You know that, right?" she says, going in for the kill.

"Of course they will. I'm not like them," I mumble, refusing to look back at her.

"I know that Kian has had a privileged life, and there are a few others here that have too. But trust me when I say that they're the exception. Most people under this roof are here because they're good at their jobs and they work damn hard at them.

"This office contains people from all walks of life. It's not just the wealthy. There are many more people like you." She takes a step closer. "People like us," she says with a new layer of understanding in her voice.

"This isn't how I grew up, Lorelei. I got my first job when I was twelve to help my mother pay for food for my little brothers and sisters. I didn't even graduate high school," she confesses, raising her brows to drive the point home.

I take a step back, surprised by her words.

"Life isn't about the past, Lorelei. It doesn't matter where you came from. The only thing that's important from here on out is your future. And you get to choose what to do with that."

She grabs a bottle of water from the refrigerator and then spins around and leaves me with those words.

Resting my ass back against the counter, I can't help but believe them.

Why should I be ashamed of where I've come from when Kian isn't? He has never made me feel any less than him, even now he knows. He's happy to embrace that it's a part of me. So why shouldn't I?

And Melissa is right—it's in my past. As soon as Wilder and Hendrix graduate, it'll be in all of our pasts. Mom…hell, we don't even know where she is…she made her choice years ago. She probably won't even notice that they've left. It's a sad but true fact. One that all three of us will have to learn to live with. I just hope that it's made us all stronger.

With two mugs of coffee in hand, I make my way to Kian's office.

Melissa is on the phone as I pass, but she gives me a soft smile and I happily return it, hoping she can read the gratitude in my eyes.

I knock once before letting myself in, and then kick the door behind me.

"Eight minutes. Not bad," Kian teases.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," I mutter, lowering our mugs to his desk and taking a seat. "So, what have we got this week then, Boss?"

He watches me closely before reaching for his office drawer.

"You forgot your notebook," he points out before passing something to me.

My eyes drop from his and I swear, they almost bug out of my head.

"List of coworkers who don't think you're sleeping with the boss."

"Kian," I gasp as I take it from him.

"Open it and see the list," he encourages.

Without thinking, I follow orders and find nothing but empty pages staring back at me.

A laugh rumbles in Kian's throat and when I look up, I can't help but join in.

"You're an idiot."

"Maybe, but at least I'm a funny one. I got you a pen, too."

"Oh Christ," I mumble as he passes it over.

"Wake up happy. Sleep with your boss."

"Fucking hell."

Kian shrugs. "True though, right?"

"Maybe," I say, popping the top and flipping the notepad open.

I scribble today's date on the page and then sit back to listen to him discuss what's happening and list out my epic to-do list.

Sure, we could have done this at home—I mean, at his place—but we need to figure out how to keep work and play separate, at least until we figure all this relationship stuff out.

It takes a bit of convincing, but eventually, Kian manages to pull his boss mask back on and set to it. Although, it doesn't stop him trying to add "fuck your boss in his private bathroom" to the list every now and then.

We're just finishing up so he can log in to his first meeting of the day when a knock sounds out on his door.

"Come in," Kian calls, his voice all deep and commanding. I'd be lying if I said it didn't send chills skating down my spine. From the look he gives me, he knows it too.

The door opens, and a familiar face appears before me.

"Aubrey?" I whisper, my previous desire giving way to unease.

She looks between the two of us. "Is now a good time?"

"It is, as long as you're giving us good news," Kian states, gesturing for her to come in and shut the door behind her.

"Some of it is good."

I close my eyes as dread slowly drips through my veins.

Oh my god.

I'm not sure I can cope with another attack.

"Fucking hell," Kian groans, scrubbing his hand down his face. "Start with the bad."

Aubrey smirks and pops a hip. I instantly relax. Maybe this isn't going to be as bad as I first thought.

"Your security team needs better training. It took me less than an hour to find that motherfucker's location."

"Not everyone can be as good as you, Kendrick," Kian teases, making her smirk grow.

"Well," she says, flipping her hair back. "You said it."

"Have you found him?" I ask, ignoring the two of them.

"Yep, and he squealed like a pig. Fucking pussy."

Her words make me sink back into my chair.

Deep down, I knew. But assuming and knowing for a fact are two very different things.

Hurt and disbelief wrap around me as both Kian and Aubrey watch me closely.

I put so much trust and hope in that man, and all he ever did was cast it—me—aside.

It was never about us, about our future. It was all about him. I was just the fool along for the ride.

"He did it all?"

Aubrey nods. "Yes, but not personally. He's too weak to get his hands dirty, but we also have the man he paid. He was just as easy to find."

"What are you going to do with them?"

She tilts her head to the side. "Do you want to know?"

Acid swirls in my stomach. Despite appearances, Aubrey is lethal. She just covers it with a sweet smile and a banging body.

"Do whatever with the man he paid. I don't know him, nor do I care to. But…" I glance at Kian, scared that he's not going to approve of my next request, but when I find his eyes, all I see is understanding.

He nods, encouraging me to continue.

"Hurt Matt as much as you like, just…let him go after."

Aubrey agrees, although she doesn't look overly thrilled by the idea as Kian pushes from his seat and walks toward me.

Taking my hand, he pulls me to my feet and wraps me in his arms.

"You sure?" he asks.

"Very. No matter how bad his past is, everyone deserves some kind of a future."

He drops his lips to my ear, and I shudder the second his breath rushes over my skin.

"You're incredible."

My entire body sags with happiness and relief, and he happily holds me up.

"I should probably go," Aubrey says, slinking toward the door. "Call me if you need me."

Before I can thank her, she's slipped through the door, leaving us alone again.

"It's over?" I whisper, blinking up at Kian.

"No, babe. It's just starting."