by Mia Carson
For several beats, an awkward silence filled the room as the two of us faced each other across the desk. I forced myself to keep my eyes on her face and not even glance anywhere lower than her neck like my instincts wanted to. Lexi’s hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, a few dark strands framing her soft cheeks, which were beautifully pale. A flush of pink around the cheekbones added to her ethereal beauty.
Her eyes flitted from me to the window, then down to her hands and back up, sparkling with nervousness and anticipation. Though I’d only had a few short encounters with Lexi, one thing I knew—and loved—was that her expressions were refreshingly open.
She was definitely physically striking as well, with a toned hourglass figure, those big green eyes framed by thick lashes, and a luminescent complexion which contrasted with her black hair, not to mention her plump pink lips. While that was absolutely a part of what attracted me to Lexi, it was also the obvious passion, intelligence, and sweet naivety in her personality that captivated me.
I cleared my throat and finally broke the silence. “Well… first, I’m glad you decided to take the position in spite of your personal reservations. Thank you for being open about that. I really think you’ll be a great asset to all of us at Huntington Productions.” I smiled a warm, non-flirty smile, which she returned.
“Thank you,” Lexi responded. “I’m really excited to work here and learn the ins and outs of the industry. I… uh, don’t have a lot of experience in film production, though I did some screenwriting in college.”
I nodded, having seen what she’d written as her career objective on her resume. “No worries about being inexperienced,” I started, then cleared my throat and realized she might take that phrase the wrong way. “What I mean is, I’m sure you’ll catch on to the wide world of the film production process quickly. And I’d love to see your screenplays sometime soon.” Her face lit up eagerly, and her eyes glittered with excitement.
I handed her a sheet that briefly detailed all of our departments and listed the names and numbers of the heads of each one. “Here’s kind of a cheat sheet to help you learn the different parts of our company, what they do, and who’s in charge. Why don’t we get started on a tour and you can ask questions as we go? Let’s start with your office, okay?”
I stood and Lexi followed me to the door, looking overwhelmed as she glanced from the sheet to me. “Right, okay. That sounds good, thanks.”
With a polite smile, I gestured for her to go first out of my office door and again forced my gaze away from her hips and butt. I led her to the right, down the hall just one door over, opened it, and motioned for her to go in.
“Oh,” Lexi said as she surveyed the huge office, complete with a wall-length window, a desk with leather chairs, a mini-fridge, coffee-maker, sink with cabinets, and several potted tropical plants. “It’s gorgeous.” She looked at me with narrow eyes and a tilt of her head. “Do all personal assistants get such a plush office? Right next to yours?”
I nodded and walked over to a side door as I felt my cheeks heat. “Actually, it connects to my office from here, just in case we need to communicate quickly.” I tried to sound reassuring and above-board, though I felt slightly sheepish about having her office directly connected to mine. But it made sense if you thought about it—she was going to be my right-hand woman, after all.
Lexi’s eyes widened as she looked at the connecting door. She cleared her throat. “Well, it’s a beautiful office, thanks. I’d like to go on that tour now, if that’s okay?” She hurried to the door, clearly flustered by being alone with me in her new office. A tension filled the room, one that made my entire body heat up and my pulse quicken.
“Of course, afterwards, you can have some time to get settled in your new office. I have a meeting with our post-production graphic designer, and later, we have a meeting with all the department heads to discuss progress on our latest project.” She blinked at me, overwhelmed yet again as we walked down the hall towards the elevators. I gave her a sympathetic smile, pushed the down button, and said, “Don’t worry. I know it’s a lot at first, but by this time next week, you’ll be used to everything.”
Lexi released a sigh. “Thanks. I know, Mr. Huntington,” she smiled.
Arching an eyebrow, I responded, “Of course. And by the way, you don’t have to call me Mr. Huntington. Only Judith Levy does that. Everyone else just calls me Braden. Unless you prefer Mr. Huntington, of course,” I added, hoping I hadn’t sounded too flirty.
“No, Braden’s better, I think. And you can call me Lexi.” She offered a partial smile.
The elevator doors opened, and as I let her go on in front of me, I couldn’t stop my eyes from flickering down to below her waist for just a moment. Even though she wore simple, dark gray dress pants with the shirt tucked into the waist band, Lexi looked hot as hell from behind. The pants clung to her shapely hips and her toned, rounded ass very snugly.
I felt a prickle of heat shoot from my stomach to my crotch as I wondered absently what kind of exercise she did to get such a firm butt, and also how it would feel beneath the grip of my hands as I… shit. You can’t think like this when working with her, I scolded myself. For heaven’s sake, get it under control.
Once in the elevator, I made sure to stand several feet away from her, staring stone-faced at the doors as they closed. The elevator felt unbearably hot, though that might have had something to do with the fact that my veins ran with fire. I was relieved to get out on the first floor and away from the enclosed space with my beautiful new assistant.
We made quick work of the tour from the first floor all the way back up to the fourth and top floors where our offices were because we breezed through each level and department. Lexi scribbled frantically in a large notebook she’d brought, trying to keep up with everything. She looked like a really cute, really earnest student.
After we finished the tour, I left Lexi in her new office to get settled in, look over her notes, and get situated with passwords and access to our company files on the brand new Mac laptop I’d bought for her. Our IT guy would come up shortly to help with that last part. I made a beeline for Scott’s office, who’d been out while I’d given Lexi the tour.
Shutting the door to my best friend’s office behind me, I sank into a spare office chair and told Scott, “Okay, the whole not flirting and pushing down my attraction for Lexi thing is going to be a lot more challenging than I thought.”
Lexi
As soon as Braden left and the door to my new office clicked shut, I released a long sigh and dropped my head onto my desk on top of my arms. It was only eleven in the morning, and I was utterly exhausted, both physically and emotionally.
On top of the normal first-day-on-the-job jitters, as this was my first career-oriented position, I also had to deal with the stomach-twisting magnetism between Braden and me. While he’d been nothing but the perfect gentleman, as he’d promised, I could feel the sexual tension zip through the air when we were in the same room, and it wasn’t a one-way feeling—Braden positively exuded heightened testosterone around me, though he hid it well.
And that connecting door between our offices—which was logical to have since we’d be working closely together—felt secretive and suggestive. I lifted my head, and my gaze darted over to that door. I swiveled around in my leather office chair to look out the huge window at the view of Hollywood Boulevard.
My veins filled with adrenaline as I surveyed my view, which had a far-off glimpse of the ocean. Thoughts of Braden momentarily left my mind as I took a picture with my phone and sent it to Clara. I texted a message along with the picture that read: Okay, this might be totally worth it – lol☺ This is the actual view from my own private office—wtf!! I hit send and giggled.
Despite my nerves about Braden and being the company’s newbie, I was fascinated by everything I’d learned on the tour and excited by the atmosphere of creation that I’d felt in each department. Apparently, everyone was gearing up to begin shooting their
newest project in Rio, a movie called Hot on Her Heels.
I couldn’t believe I was actually going to be a part of making this new, big-budget movie, even going to Rio to help oversee the shoot in two weeks. Aside from that excitement, I was elated by all the perks of my new job—the incredible office, the huge salary with quarterly bonuses, an actual wardrobe allowance that I’d just noticed in my contract, and most importantly, the family health insurance for my dad.
I’d just swiveled back around to face my desk and to look over my notes on what all the departments were and what they did when a knock on the door caused me to jump in my seat. “Come in,” I called as I straightened up in my chair.
A tall, skinny guy with floppy hair walked in and said, “Hey, Lexi. I’m the IT guy, Ian. Let’s get you hooked in.”
***
By the time Ian had finished setting up my account access, starting my work email, and loading my desktop with shared files for each department at Huntington, it was time for the big department heads’ meeting in the conference room on the third floor. Braden had pointed out the room to me on my tour and asked me to meet him down there at 12:15. I’d take notes on everything and officially meet all the department heads.
With a fresh set of nerves coursing through my veins, I took the stairs down to the conference room, my stomach growling on the way down. I’d had a quick granola bar and coffee for breakfast and wondered whether we’d break for lunch or if there’d be food at the meeting.
When I entered the room, the only other people there were Braden and a skinny, pasty-looking guy with dark, messy hair and warm brown eyes. “Hey, Lexi.” Braden stood up and flashed me a wide smile, his eyes lighting up. I offered a shy smile and a wave as I made my way to sit on Braden’s right at the far end of the long oval table.
Braden pulled the chair out for me as I sat down, then gestured to the other man and said, “This is our very talented head of the graphic design department—which is part of post-production—Scott Levante. Scott, this is Lexi, my new assistant.”
Scott stood up and reached across the table to shake my hand with a grin and a brief, appraising look. “Welcome to the Huntington team, Lexi,” he said warmly and sat back down.
I’d brought my laptop in order to take the meeting minutes in an attempt to look tech-savvy and professional, though I had no idea if I could keep up. As more and more people trickled in and sat around the table, my pulse picked up. Everyone looked at me curiously—not unfriendly, but I felt self-conscious.
Braden leaned towards me, his forearm resting on the table mere inches from mine, which sent a different kind of jitters racing through my body. He said in a low voice, “It’s okay, Lexi, you’ll do fine. Just remember to breathe.” His tone was kind with a hint of teasing, and his eyes met mine, gleaming ice-blue.
I caught my breath quietly and responded with a simple, thankful smile. The meeting began, and after Braden introduced me to the group, I typed the notes on my laptop. I tried to keep all the names and departments straight, as well as follow progress reports and the list of what still needed to be done for the upcoming shoot in Brazil. Not only was it difficult to keep up with all the new information and details, but I had trouble deciphering which to-do tasks needed to involve Braden or me, either directly or indirectly. My mind and notes felt like a jumbled mess when we broke after an hour to grab coffee and pastries brought in by a delivery guy.
I was ravenous and exhausted as I took replenishing sips of dark roast coffee and bit into a fresh cheese Danish. Braden leaned towards me again before the meeting resumed and said, “Almost there. I’ll get us sushi for a late lunch afterwards while we go over everything. Sound good?” I nodded in agreement, my mouth too full of the Danish to answer.
***
One more confusing and equally tiring hour later, the meeting was finally over, and I sat with Braden outside on a back patio behind the building. We were under the shade of an umbrella at one of the picnic tables with a selection of spicy tuna rolls, avocado rolls, and crazy Maki rolls from a nearby takeout place.
Braden and I were alone on the patio, but I was too drained and hungry to feel as anxious about being alone with him as I had that morning. After I virtually inhaled half of the rolls, I sat back and looked sheepishly across the table at Braden. “Sorry. Guess I was hungry.”
He laughed and sipped a cup of steaming green tea that we’d ordered with the sushi. “No apology necessary. I’m sorry to make you wait so long for lunch. So, were you able to glean anything from the meeting, or are you completely lost?” Braden asked in a compassionate rather than condescending way.
I pulled out my laptop, which I’d brought with me to go over the makeshift to-do list and scanned that very long list. Some of it made sense, but I’d added a lot question marks after many of the tasks or details to denote that I wasn’t sure what it meant or whether Braden and I were supposed to take care of it or not.
I cleared my throat and looked from my laptop to Braden with a sigh. “Well,” I began, “I think there’s some useful information, but I’m definitely going to need guidance on most of this. I’m still not sure what we’re supposed to take care of and what’s left up to others. I guess as the owner, you need to know about everything going on?”
Braden took a thoughtful bite of sushi and responded after he swallowed. “Not a problem. I can go over those with you and answer any questions. It’s your first day, after all. I’m impressed by how much you’ve learned and how hard you’ve worked already.” His eyes were clear and his tone sincere.
He really had behaved like an understanding and caring boss rather than a womanizing asshole, and he’d treated me with the utmost respect thus far. Though I wasn’t completely off my guard around Braden, I felt much more at ease about working with him. If he kept this up, there’d be no problem on the respectful behavior front. Yet the powerful pull I felt towards him was still there, which I’d simply have to control. I could handle this job, which was the perfect stepping stone into my screenwriting career, as Carla had pointed out.
After we discussed my notes, and I took even more from Braden’s helpful answers and comments, I got ready to go home for the weekend.
Braden wasn’t ready to leave yet, but he walked me to the elevators. “Thank you for taking this position, Lexi. I truly do think you’re a great fit for the job. So get some rest over the weekend, and I’ll see you at eight-thirty Monday morning.” After pushing the elevator button, he asked tentatively, “Any big weekend plans?”
At first I wasn’t sure how to answer, since it was the first personal question he’d asked today, though any co-worker or boss might ask the same thing casually. I decided it was an innocent question. I shrugged and answered as the elevator doors opened. “Nothing exciting. No celebrity parties or anything.” I tilted my head towards him to suggest he’d have star-studded gatherings to attend, then stepped onto the elevator, turned to face him, and added, “I’ll probably hang with my dad and younger brother, maybe surf a little.”
Braden’s expression flashed with defensiveness at my party comment but changed to impressed at the mention of surfing. He replied just before the elevator doors started to close. “I’ve actually only surfed a few times and sucked at it. That’s impressive. And as for parties, maybe you’ll be going to a few celebrity events yourself soon… for business purposes, of course.”
He raised his eyebrows, and his eyes danced brightly as the doors closed. My eyebrows lifted at his words as I rode down to the parking garage where I now had a designated spot. Me, at a Hollywood celebrity-filled party? That was something I never thought I’d do, not in a million years. However, I worked for a big Hollywood production company now, so it would make sense to attend some of those hot-shot functions. I’d better use that wardrobe allowance soon—over the weekend, as a matter of fact.
***
I mostly rested that night, exhausted from my first day. I had a fun weekend, free from cleaning jobs. I practiced soccer drills with Sea
n, who would finish his summer league soon and gear up for the school’s varsity team.
Saturday night, I watched an old war movie with my dad and Sean, and Sunday, I shopped and then surfed with Clara. I even got to work on my new screenplay Sunday night, and by Monday, was rested and ready—with stylish new work clothes—for my first full week at Huntington Productions.
Braden
I was in a great mood all weekend after the Friday with Lexi had gone so well, though I hoped I hadn’t messed things up by being overly flirty at the end when I’d asked about her weekend plans and made that celebrity-events comment. I felt that my parting words hadn’t been too bad, though, and besides, I’d learned she could surf. We could have a potential future date with her as my surf instructor, which was hot. That must be where she got her gorgeous figure, complete with toned legs and butt. But if I wanted to get a surfing date, I had to keep my feelings checked and under control.
Both Adrianna and my mom noticed my high spirits, and while Mom didn’t know their source, my sister teased me about it all weekend after she’d heard a detailed report of the day and my behavior. “I have to meet her soon, seriously,” she’d told me on Sunday in private after our family dinner. “I’m dying to meet the young lady who’s apparently changing my big playboy brother into a relationship guy.”
To top off my good mood, I’d won the silent auction bid from the charity Wednesday for a set of three private cooking classes with Chef Henri. My first lesson was Thursday evening in my own kitchen at the Malibu house. Henri said he’d go over his specialized French-Lebanese styled dishes, a culinary revolution of his own creation.
The week passed smoothly as Lexi learned more and more every day and proved how smart and creative she truly was, which in turn made me fall for her harder. Yet our conversations were strictly respectful and above-board, and I only secretly checked out her hot-as-hell ass, legs, and boobs a few times.
