Million Dollar Devil

10.

I fumble as I pull out my phone, thinking of all the reasons I may not have a job tomorrow. Mr. Hayes stands in front of me, cool and collected. I unlock my phone to see four missed calls. I meet his gaze with concerned eyes, my heart dropping at my second mistake in barely two weeks of working.

"I'm sorry Mr. Hayes," I say sincerely, "I'll get the notes for you right now." I step forward, jamming my key into the front door as I un-gracefully as humanly possible, jiggling it a few times before the lock clicks open.

"Uhm," my stomach drops as I peer into my living room. I'm suddenly ashamed of all the dishes in the sink and clothes on the floor. I throw my stop-light red six inch stilettos to the side as quickly as possible, hoping that it'll somehow make him forget about them. "You can come inside, I'll be right back." He steps inside, his eyes taking in the room before him.

He scans the apartment before his gaze quickly drops to the bucket full of water below my leaking roof. Just then a large water droplet falls into the bucket. Impeccably horrible timing. Embarrassment washes over me as I quickly scurry to my room to find my purse. I scrounge through my things before pulling out the meeting notes. I take a deep breath and internally reprimand myself as I realize I should have emailed these to him.

Before I leave my room I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror, and the only words that come to mind are hot mess. Actually leave out the hot part. I am just a mess. My eyeliner smudged, glitter scattered across my cheeks, tired eyes, and unruly hair. My parka reaches just below my knees, exposing my calves. I realize how silly I must look like with bare legs in this weather. I can't help but think about where Mr. Hayes thinks I was. I shake my head, clearing my mind before stepping back out into the living room, my cheeks still red with embarrassment.

Mr. Hayes is standing in the same spot I had left him, his expression as unreadable as always.

"It's freezing in here, Lillian," his monotone voice breaks the silence as he moves towards me with confidence.

"Yes, my heater is broken," I attempt to lighten the mood with a laugh but it comes out as more of a sad chuckle. "But don't worry, I'm a pro at bundling up," I say with a half hearted smile painted across my lips. He takes a step closer, reaching for the paperwork I hold out sheepishly. His proximity is suddenly unnerving, my heart rate spiking as the scent of expensive cologne washes over me.

His green eyes meet mine, my outstretched hand still holding the papers with his hold still grasping them as well. His stare suddenly so intense my red lips momentarily part in a silent gasp. His gaze darkens before quickly dropping to my lips and shooting back up to meet my eyes once more. It all happens so quick I swear could've dreamt it. For a second I forget how to breathe.

"Goodnight Lillian," he says, slicing the tension with a sharpened knife. He take the papers and steps back nonchalantly. The way he composes himself so quickly and casually make it seem as if nothing had happened. Nothing did happen, I tell myself harshly. My cheeks burn with embarrassment once again as I think about how pathetic I must have looked, practically getting weak in the knees the minute he came within a foot of me.

He begins to walk towards the door before suddenly stopping in his tracks and his head turning towards me. I stand in the same place, my body subconsciously reacting to his stare once again. He looks at me in his peripheral, his green eyes sharp as a tac. "By the way," a barely noticeable smirk draws at the corner of his lips, "You should wear that lipstick more often."

I don't move a muscle as he steps out the door, gently closing it behind him. I hear his footsteps fade into the distance, but I stand frozen in place, my breathing momentarily hitched. The engine of his spaceship roars to life outside. I release a deep exhale as my body and mind slowly comedown from whatever that was.

I think about the smirk on his lips, the suit hugging his arms, and the way he looked standing outside of my front door. A part of me feels fired up, my stomach in knots but somehow on filled with butterflies. I swore I recognized that look in his eyes, one not too dissimilar to that of the men at Lilacs. A look of carnal craving, but maybe I was wrong. I shake my head of the thoughts, trying not to get carried away in fiction.

I run a makeup wipe over my skin, reveling my dull complexion. As I look in the mirror, I'm reminded of the mediocrity of my looks and more importantly who I am, which is a nobody. A nobody to this world and especially to Mr. Hayes. But as I wipe my lipstick off, I still cant help but think of him. I look at the red color staining the makeup wipe, a shiver runs through my body at the thought of his of gaze dropping to my lips. I sigh deeply before returning to reality. I turn out the lights and crawl into bed with blankets piled high on top of me.

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AUTHORS NOTE:
Hello!  Thank you so much for choosing to give my story a read. If you like it, it would mean the world if you click on that star button!

Your comments and votes really do make my day and encourage me to continue this story! I'm so thankful that you've continued to stick with it. Writing this story is a dream of mine, and I am so excited to share it with you all!

Long live boss-assistant love story tropes!

All my love,
Alexandra