The Assistant (49 page)

“Mum… Dad said not to talk about what he talks… so how do we say the okay word?” Mason whispered, before his gaze briefly flickered over to Adrian in caution.

I blinked blankly before bursting into a fit of laughter. “No, no. You’re allowed to say what he says but Mase, there are some words daddy or even sometimes Aunt Amy and Uncle Allen and Blake say that are naughty. Daddy is talking about the naughty words,” I explained.

Alana suddenly kissed Adrian on the lips, and pulled away with a smile. “Kiss.”

“Yes, that was a kiss, good girl! Give daddy another kiss.” He grinned, before puckering his lips up for her. Adrian will never admit it, but it was obvious to everyone who knew him well enough that Alana was his favourite child out of the three so far. She was an exact replica of me, whereas Mason and Theo had an uncanny resemblance to their father.

Allen spoke up. “Okay Adam’s family, how about we actually
leave
? Does that sound good to anyone or do you all prefer to stand here all morning wasting a wonderful Sunday afternoon where I could be having se – fun time! With my lady friends.”

“I agree,” Blake declared.

Adrian looked over at me. “Are you ready to go Shortcake? They can leave and I’ll wait for you if you don’t feel up to the car ride just yet.”

I smiled and shook my head. “It’s okay, we can go. Come on Theo! Hold mom’s hand and Mason you can be in the middle of mom and dad!”

“No, I want Aunt Amy today, can I go with her? Please?” Mason begged, looking up at us both with wide, desperate eyes.

I looked over at Adrian, wanting him to make the decision, and he nodded. “Of course you can, mate. I’ll see you at granddad’s house.”

Mason cheered before running up to Amy, who grinned widely at the fact that she was receiving attention from one of my children, before we all began to make our way back to the front yard.

“Alana, sit with Theo for a moment, I need to tell mummy something important, okay?” Adrian suddenly asked, placing Alana down on the sofa and picking up Theo and repeating the movement. Alana nodded in understanding and turned to her younger brother just as Adrian pulled me out of the front room and into the hallway.

“What’s wrong?” I asked in worry.

“Nothing… why, do I make you nervous?” He asked in a husky voice, pulling me closer towards him and trailing kisses down my neck. The sentence sounded way too familiar to me, and bit my lip in confusion before grabbing his face and pulling him away slightly.

“No, you don’t. Why are you-”

His brought his lips back towards my skin and moved down so that he was trailing light kisses onto my collarbone. “I don’t make you nervous. Do I turn you on?” he asked gruffly, before pulling away slightly and smirking.

A small gasp of realisation escaped my lips as the clear as day memory of the first day I had ever laid eyes on Adrian washed over me like a bucket of water, and I felt an uncontrollable tug at the corners of my lips as they merged into my own knowing smirk.

“I don’t think what you’re asking is appropriate, Mr. Kingston. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to our children,” I murmured, before pressing my lips against his and walking away.

“Tease, you didn’t help me at all,” Adrian grumbled from behind me, catching up quickly as he readjusted his pants with a scowl.

“Of course I did,” I scoffed. “I was your assistant,” I pointed out, before breaking into a content grin and making Adrian do the same.

The End

Here is a sample from another story you may enjoy:

1

Wonder and Anxiety

“The best is yet to be.”

~Robert Browning~

Lena Rose Winter

Sighing, I laid my head down on the
 
unshaven 
grass. I smiled. Stars glimmered and gleamed at me, assisting the moon's job to light up the sky at night.
 
It seemed to me that there was a snowfall sparkling in outer space and I felt privileged to witness it. Soft, soothing music blasting in my ears, I felt better than I had in a long time. Comfort was something I cherished more than anything. I could feel a slight breeze blow on my neck; it cooled the few beads of sweat that had formed earlier that night.

Mom and I had decided to do a
Welcome to the New Home
barbecue. We’d eaten until our stomachs were begging for a break. It was always a moment that embellished my relationship with her. She went to sleep about an hour ago, the wine easing the process. So I’d been lying here for what; an hour or two? In those moments, I witnessed the sun disappearing and permitting the moon to rise in the sky; it was a never ending cycle.

Except, of course, for people who lived in the North Pole.

I had come close enough once, though. A few years ago, when I was twelve, Mom’s company gave her a post somewhere in Alberta, Canada. We lived there only for about two months, but my, oh my, we had gone there in the middle of January. I still recall fearing that my toes were going to fall off because I couldn’t feel them.

Thank God that this time, we moved into a place that wasn’t too horribly cold,
hopefully.
Albany, NY seemed like a pretty cool place so far. I took a walk around yesterday and there was a gigantic park, Ridgefield, where I was sure to spend more time throughout the year. Myrtle Avenue was a considerably calm street and I was content about the small house we rented for the year. Since it was senior year, Mom promised that we could stay here long enough so I could finish my year and do all of the senior celebrations.

I was never one to fear new beginnings considering this was the seventh home I lived in. In the span of four years, I had gone to seven different schools, met different kinds of people and lived in unique types of houses. I was aware of what was waiting for me tomorrow.

Pressure. 

Questions would be asked and answers would have to be given. I’d have to walk away from the spotlight and fade away from the minds of students who loved the 
new girl. I would go back into the turtle shell I built myself.

A particular star winked at me in the sky and it got me thinking about Dad.

I often wondered why life could be so fair, yet cruel. Growing up without a father for the past seven years was hard. I saw my mother cry on his birthdays and, of course, I also carried around the memory of my fellow 4th grade ‘friends’ practically engraving the idea that I
murdered
my dad in my mind. Mom often said that I wasn't to blame, that it was his fate to die. Still, it wasn’t something anyone can just forget. 

A shooting star shot through the sky, and I closed my eyes.

I wish that this year brings me happiness,
I thought.

♥♥♥♥♥

I forced a big smile as I looked at myself in the mirror, my reflection looking ecstatic. Letting go of the strain I was feeling, my lips fell into a straight line. I gave the rest of my features a cursory look. My long, dull chestnut brown hair flowed to my waist, and not even the sunlight hitting it could make it appear any more special than it was. 

I wrapped a silver bracelet around my wrist. "Let's do this," I murmured.

"LENA! YOU'RE GOING TO BE LATE!" called Mom, disturbing the moment of peace I was having and making me jump in fright. I shook my head, chuckling absentmindedly.

You'd think that after 17 years of living with her I would've gotten used to her yelling that I was going to be late, which I never was, but I could swear that her screaming gets louder every time.  I slipped my comfy, soft jean jacket on and hopped down the stairs. 

I placed a kiss on her forehead. "Good morning," I said.

I mentally pinched my nose as I did so; I hated the smell of coffee. Mom gave me a small smile, sipping on her black, steaming drink. Her onyx black hair was in an elegant bun and she was in her business clothes, which meant that she was going to work.

 "Good morning sweetheart,” she said, checking something on her phone. She looked up at me and gave me a small smile. “You ready?”

I nodded, pouring myself a cup of apple juice.

“Oh, I just remembered,” said my mom, lifting her eyes from the magazine. “One of my co-workers’ daughter goes to this school. Look for her, Stacy Hennings. Okay?" I noticed the familiar kindness and worry in her gaze. Noticing my absence of response, she prodded: “Okay, Lena?”

I rolled my eyes. Mom always had a fear of me being friendless. But what she didn't understand was that sometimes, I wanted to be alone. I'd gladly choose re-reading
Looking for Alaska
on a Saturday night than partying with a bunch of stuck-up teenagers. I was just that kind of person.

Saluting like a soldier, I replied. "Yes, mother." She looked at me, raising an eyebrow.

"What?" I exclaimed, feeling self-conscious all of a sudden. She walked over to me and stuffed a waffle in my mouth. 

I immediately removed the oversized waffle from my mouth and glared at her, both of us extremely amused.

"I was just wondering what I've ever done to deserve a daughter like you," she winked, poking my nose.

I folded my arms over my chest and pouted. "Is that a compliment or an insult?" 

"A little bit of both," she answered, putting her now empty cup in the sink. She pointed at it and I nodded.

"Hey! And I'll do them, I know."

After a few minutes of the daily teasing and fighting, I walked out the door, blowing her a kiss. 

“Love you!" I exclaimed, taking a red apple and walking to our front door.

"Take care! Watch out for cars and don't forget to smile and be happy!" shouted Mom. I closed the door behind me and took a deep breath. I felt a smile appear on my face, making me feel just a little bit better.

Sure, it was autumn, but the weather was extraordinary. The sun was out, perfectly shining, but there was a breeze cooling the slight heat. The leaves of the trees surrounding my neighborhood were red, orange and yellow, making the view breathtaking. I wished I had my camera to capture this moment. My dream has always been to become a photographer, to save every moment of every sunrise, sunset and every scene that takes my breath away.

I began my route to my new school, Albany High School. During the summer, I had walked by the school so many times, I knew the way by heart. I plugged my earphones on and put them in my ears.
Lego House
was playing, and that was because it had been on replay for a few days. I hummed its tune softly as I walked to the high school in which I'd spend my senior year.

It was time to pick up the pieces and build a Lego house.

♥♥♥♥♥

After about 15 minutes, I arrived at my new high school. Unlike all those summer days when there was no one, it was now packed with teenagers. And seriously, it was chaos. As my eyes scanned the scene before me, all I could see were footballs being thrown around, making any path to the main entrance impossible.

Jocks these days.

There was a girl leaning her back against a giant tree, absentmindedly smiling as she gently rocked her head. I could see ear buds in her ear and I figured she was listening to music she loved.

A group of girls were gossiping about something, concentrating on that subject. I frowned upon seeing one of them dressed in underwear, or as they called them, short-shorts. It was autumn for God's sake! If you needed to get lustful gazes from guys, you should've done it during summer, instead of risking hypothermia.

I headed to the main entrance, eager to get my schedule. I muttered a few "Excuse me’s" along the way. Some students looked at me, as if analyzing me with their eyes.

Why wouldn't they?

I was the new girl. 

Out of nowhere, something hard hit the back of my head. Black spots clouded my vision and I felt my body fall to the ground as I lost consciousness. 

Well gosh diddly darn, what a great start to the new school year!

If you enjoyed this sample then look for
“
A Unique Kind of Love
”