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  Emily smirked before biting her lip in thought, making me internally groan at the small gesture. Fucking hell, what was this girl trying to do? “Hmm. I believe that now makes the Tally board Kingston: 1, Johnson: 2 – I’m including my UNO win as a part of my score,” she stated smugly, grinning up at me.

  I shook myself out of my haze before letting out a cautious breath. “I let you win,” I finally confessed, repressing another laugh.

  Emily’s nostrils flared out in anger. “I knew it!” She shouted, jumping slightly. “You couldn’t stand the fact that you were about to be beaten by a girl, so you decided to let me win on purpose so your ego wouldn’t – Oh my god! Is that a crab?!” She suddenly exclaimed, averting her attention to the creature that was crawling across the sand.

  Her sudden change of topic caused my expression to morph into one of confusion before I followed the trail to what her hand was pointing at. In an instant, she was running over towards the sea creature.

  “Oh my god. It’s a real crab! Look! It has hands and it’s walking sideways and it looks angry and everything! A real crab!” She babbled on excitedly while smiling down at the awkward looking crab.

  It hit me right at that precise moment like a ton of bricks. I don’t know whether it was the way the bright Californian sunshine bounced off her blonde locks or whether it was the beaming smile she wore on her face as she observed an insignificant crab on the ocean floor – but I knew from that exact moment that I was almost – if not definitely – head over heels for my assistant.

  Emily sighed happily before she looked over at me with a look of caution on her face. Once I realised she caught me staring at her, I shook myself out of my mental state and blinked a few times to try and recompose myself around her.

  I could feel my cheeks starting to burn up as a blush began its descent upon them and attempted to cover it up with a smirk. “Yes, shortcake. Very good! Now how to do you spell that?” I drawled out slowly, acting like she were a toddler.

  I watched the excitement in her face falter momentarily before she ran over to me and tugged me with her towards the little creature. “Isn’t it so beautiful?” She murmured, losing herself once again through observing the crab.

  I sighed once it dawned on me just how much I had come to like her; it was more than a crush but I wasn’t sure how much more. I hadn’t realised I had been staring at her again until she spoke up. “W – What is it?” She stuttered, looking down at her feet.

  I snapped out of my gaze once again and shook my head, clenching my jaw at the foreign feelings. “Nothing. Let’s get back inside and spend the last few hours here indoors.” I got out, avoiding her gaze.

  Emily frowned and bit down on her bottom lip, but didn’t question my sudden silence on the topic as I dragged her away from the stupid crab and back to the beach house in silence.

  ***

  “I chose Law Abiding Citizen. I hope that works for your lady needs,” I spoke out once I entered our bedroom.

  Emily turned away from her suitcase with a large grin on her face, nodding enthusiastically. “I love that movie.”

  “I knew you would. It’s your type since The Shaw shank Redemption is your number one choice,” I commented slyly. “Let’s watch it in bed. That way, if we doze off, we’ll already be in bed and would’ve had a comfortable sleep before the flight tomorrow morning,” I suggested.

  Emily nodded in agreement. “Good idea.”

  I could tell she was uncomfortable and that’s when I noticed she was wearing the same outfit she tried to sleep in the first night we were here. “Just wear my shirt, shortcake. It’s not like I’m going to fondle your body at the sight of Gerard Butler.” I smirked, watching as her eyes went wide with shock as her cheeks flushed again.

  “Well, I won’t. But who am I to say that you wouldn’t want too? That’s it, isn’t it? I’ve finally figured out what makes your prized jewel click! You want me to act like a murdering psychopath? Brilliant. Who do you want me to kill first?” I asked, chuckling as she threw a pillow in my direction.

  “I told you not to ever refer to my… lady parts using that phrase ever again!” She groaned.

  “Okay, okay. I won’t do it again. But is my theory right? That’s why you don’t want to wear my shirt! Because it’ll be noticeable if you touch –”

  “Don’t you dare finish that sentence, Kingston!” She snapped, glowering at me. I chuckled again while putting my palms up in defence, before climbing into the bed and pressing the play button for the movie to start.

  Emily climbed in after me but jumped out once I frowned and hooked my thumbs into the waistband of my boxers. “What the hell are you doing?” She shrieked, covering her eyes with her hands, before slightly moving a finger to take a peek at what I was doing next.

  “Wear your normal sleepwear, or these come off,” I threatened with a smirk.

  She removed her hands from her eyes completely in a moment of disbelief before letting out a frustrated sigh. “Turn around,” she snapped, snatching my shirt off the bed. Another smug smile curled its way onto my lips as I shifted to the other side of the room so that my back was facing her.

  Once I felt her climbing into the bed again, I turned around and inched towards her so that our bodies were melded together. “Idiot.” She scowled, crossing her arms.

  “Shhh, you’ve missed the first five minutes of the movie,” I whispered into her ear, making her glare at the television screen instead.

  About half way through the movie, I decided to bring up the thing that had been bugging me the entire trip. “I need you to do something important for me when we get back to the office tomorrow,” I stated uncomfortably, making her turn over and face me with a curious frown.

  “Of course. I’m your assistant, that’s my job,” she pointed out, laughing lightly.

  “No, no…” I trailed off frowning and felt my jaw clench. “I need this to happen. I don’t want it to,” I emphasised, glaring slightly.

  “Adrian…” She trailed off, looking suspicious. “What is it?” She finally asked.

  “I’ve been talking with… someone… who I’ve managed to negotiate one of the best business deals I’ve ever heard of. It’ll be great for the hotels, and my father’s real estate company combined,” I explained, looking over at her. This wasn’t going to end well. I could feel it already.

  “Well, that’s great!” Emily grinned. “Who’s it with? And what’s my role in all of this?” She asked curiously, not seeing the negative side of the favour yet.

  “Well… the only way they’re going to be convinced is if you talk to them,” I stated, not looking her in the eye.

  Emily’s curious frown returned as she glared at me slightly. “Who’s ‘them’?”

  “Walter Inc.,” I mumbled under my breath.

  Emily stiffened beside me. “As in…” She trailed off, waiting for me to confirm her thoughts.

  “David Walter’s business.” I confirmed, “He said the only way he’d agree to the deal is if you and him spoke in a room alone for a while.”

  “No fucking way!” She snapped suddenly, jumping out of the bed and giving me an angered look of disbelief. “Being ‘alone in a room’ with that pig is practically signing me up for sexual assault!” She exclaimed angrily.

  I glared up at her before replying. “He won’t do anything. The room you two will talk in will have surveillance cameras and I’ll be right outside the door if anything happens,” I explained in a snippy tone, trying to end the topic in hopes that I hadn’t angered her too much and ruined our last few moments alone together before we returned to New York.

  Emily wasn’t having that. “No way! David Walter is not coming near me, whether it was in a room filled with thousands of people or whether it was him and me alone. It’s not happening.” She snapped again, crossing her arms over her chest. Her angered expression suddenly fell. “Is this…” She trailed off, eyes widening. “Is this why you brought me to California? To convince me by trying to
spoil me?”

  “What? No!” I growled, getting out of the bed to walk over to her. Why would she think that? “And you have no way in the matter. I am your boss!” I reminded her, raising my voice slightly.

  “What boss sets up their assistant for sexual assault?!” She threw back, scowling. I growled in frustration before stepping towards her, making her take a step back in response before her back collided with the glass window.

  “Do not test me, Emily,” I warned in a low voice, closing the small space between us completely by pressing my body against hers.

  “I’m not testing you. I’m telling you. It’s not happening,” she declared firmly, glaring up at me. The realisation of just how close to each other we were must’ve hit us both at the same time, and my gaze unconsciously trailed away from her eyes and down to her lips. Emily chose that precise moment to lick them, making all my restraint fly out the window.

  We both began breathing heavily once our eyes met again and my anger increased. This woman was going to be the death of me. I slammed my palms against the glass windows beside her head, pinning her against me completely before letting out a low growl. “Fuck it,” I muttered, losing any little control I had over my body completely.

  I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her off the glass and into my torso while the other hand tangled itself within her long blonde waves.

  Then, I kissed her.

  It was everything I hoped it would be. And then she started kissing back. Our lips meshed perfectly against each other as I felt her own hand tangle themselves in my hair and around my neck. I groaned into her mouth from the small gesture, savouring every moment. I licked her bottom lip before forcing my tongue in between her lips desperately, wanting to deepen the kiss even further.

  I held her up against the cool glass window and she wrapped her legs around my waist while the kiss deepened, much to my liking.

  Then it was over.

  Emily pulled away abruptly, looking at me with widened eyes, before she untangled her fingers and body away from me. “ I – I –” She stuttered in a flustered state, her eyes still wide from the previous event. “Oh my god.” I heard her whisper to herself while she ran her fingers through her hair.

  Oh my god indeed. That kiss was every bit incredible as she as a person was. I didn’t want it to end. I needed to tell her that. “Emily…” I trailed off, trying to be cautious in how to approach the situation.

  “That –”

  She cut me off. “Never happened.” She stated firmly. I was still able to catch the slight waver in her tone as she spoke, but didn’t point it out from my surprise and anger.

  “What?” I asked with a frown.

  “I – It – It was a mistake, Adrian. A stupid, stupid mistake. I apologise for acting so inappropriately.” She spoke as evenly as possible, trying to sound composed after the kiss that clearly affected her as much as it did me.

  “Emily –”

  She began to shake her head, cutting me off. What the hell was wrong with her?! She started making her way towards the door. “I need some air,” she mumbled, before completely disappearing from the room.

  “Holy shit,” I murmured to myself in the room, running a hand through my own hair this time. If I had a crush on Emily before, this just intensified my feelings for her beyond explanation.

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  About the Author

  Elle Brace started her writing career on wattpad, a free site for writers who just want their stories to be read. Her first book “The Assistant” got a total of over 8 million reads when it was first completed.

  Now she has over 11 million reads and she’s a young professional author currently living in Sydney Australia, where she enjoys watching movies, tv shows, and listening to music. She loves to study, especially criminology. And has hopes of exploring Europe one day.

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  Married to the Bad Boy Becoming the Good Girl’s Husband

  A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

  By: Letty Scott

  © LettyScott 2014

  Chapter 1

  She never knew I stood in the shadows watching her. The way she always looked down at the ground, making her blond hair fall around her face. The way she would never look anyone straight in the eye but would always focus on something on the ground as she walked down the hall. It never mattered if it was hot or cold; she always dressed in that baggy outdated hoodie. I never really questioned it, till I saw the reason why.

  Letting out a deep sigh, I remembered how she personally changed overnight. During our younger years in school, she was always this bright and bubbly girl. If she noticed you didn’t have anyone to sit with, she’d leave her friends and come and sit with you and try to befriend you. She just had this brightness about her that could light your day with just a simple smile.

  At the time I was a trouble child trying to understand why life always seemed to go the wrong way for me. When she tried to become my friend during a school project, I did not care about her feelings and said some ungodly things to her to make her cry. That was the first time I felt guilty, not liking how I had caused those tears. I had stayed up all night thinking how my mother would want me to apologize, so when I went to school the next day and saw her smile again, I just let it go.

  As the years went by, I took in how she made sure to stay away from me. If the teacher put us next to one another, she wouldn’t speak to me. I wanted to tell her that I was sorry for that day, but it just rolled off. No one knew about my past and the danger to those who try to get involved with me. I was so cold hearted to everyone I meet because I didn’t want people to get close to me.

  Around the time when we were in fourth grade, she missed a week of school, which was unlike her. I never knew her to miss school and I started to become curious where she could be. By the end of the week, I had overheard one of her friends say that her grandmother was dead and she was heartbroken. All I could think was, how weak could she be? A lot of people die all the time.

  The following week was eye opening because instead of the bubbly girl that I always found myself looking at, there was now this reclusive ten-year-old. She didn’t smile and sat in the back corner away from the rest of the class. When partnered up, she would not say anything but would keep her eyes down at the paper and work alone, without communicating with others around her. With the news about her grandmother, I just figured she was still upset about her passing and didn’t want to be bothered. That was till she started pushing her friends away and telling people to just leave her alone, that she wasn’t worth it.

  It was during a fun game of football during recess that I took in how alone she had become. She sat there on the side bench away from everyone else with her head down and her hands in her lap, making me wonder why she was taking her grandmother’s death so hard when it had been months ago. I walked away from the game, ignoring the calls to come back, and went over to her and sat down. It didn’t take a genius to know she was crying by the way her small shoulders shook.

  “Kami, it’s going to be okay. You’re going to have to get over your grandmother’s death,” I said, feeling awkward about sitting here next to her as our classmates looked at us, confused why I had chosen to come to her.

  “Go away, Brandon,” she let out through her tears. “I’m not worth your trouble, so just leave. Go back to your friends and forget I even exist. This is for the best.”

  How a ten-year-old girl could think that about herself was a puzzle, but I did as she asked, leaving her to go back to the boys to f
inish the game, before going back to class.

  As the years passed, I found myself even more affected by just watching her. I stood by my locker listening to whoever was next to me talking, but watched as she walked down the hall not acknowledging anyone. When someone bumped into her though, she stopped and let out a deep breath and her eyes would squint, like she was enduring the pain from the small bump. That should have been my first clue what was going on in her world, but I just raised a brow at it, thinking how odd it was.

  It all came out though in our freshman year. We had been paired up in science class and had to work on a packet together. We hadn’t really talked since the day at recess years ago, so it felt odd knowing we had to work together now. When I looked over at her though, she was hard at work on the packet, not talking to me. I reflected how I made her cry the first time she tried to work with me.

  “Kami, the teacher said we need to work on this together,” I stated, grabbing her hand to stop her from writing another answer. She didn’t say anything as her eyes landed on my hold on her wrist. I looked down and saw the hint of a dark circle along the cuff. Pulling her arm to me, I lifted the sleeve higher and saw the massive bruises along her wrist and up her arm.

  Finally seeing why she always hid her arms from others, I felt my heart rate rise, wanting nothing more than to find the person and giving them the same fate. When I raised my eyes to look back up at her, I saw the panic in her eyes. The way they glistened over with tears, I knew she wouldn’t tell me the truth, even if I asked, so I pulled her sleeve back down and turned to work on my packet alone.

  That was the same day I made a promise that I would watch out for her and make sure no harm came to her. Little did I know it was coming from somewhere where she should have found love and felt sheltered. I could imagine how it was like walking into the depths of hell for her.