"You have good taste then," I added.
"Yes, I do."
She's lucky I'm working right now, or else I would have hit back with a remark of my own. She should know I'm aware of her not-so-subtle hints. This is when I wish he wasn't my boss and just some guy. I would eat him up, bread and all. I sighed at the thought, and Jasper cleared his throat.
"Are you coming down with something?" I asked, because of his throat-clearing, and he smiled.
"What were you just picturing that made you close your eyes?"
I'd devour him if he wasn't my boss.
"I was thinking about my cat."
"Your cat?" he raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, you remind me a lot of him."
"Are you calling me a cat?"
The more I talk, the more I put my foot in my mouth without realizing it. This is what comes from having to lie.
"No, I didn't mean that. Please forget I said anything."
"I would be interested in meeting this cat then."
If only he knew I don't even have a cat. I don't know how I came up with that.
"Just one more album to go through. Let's continue so you can get some rest," he smiled, turning back to the album.
When everything was done, we returned to the agency and said our goodbyes. At least after that awkward conversation, he didn't bring it up again.
I headed home and there was Claudia sprawled on the floor.
"All you do is loaf around, woman," I flopped onto the sofa.
"I'm tired."
"Get your rear off the ground."
"My rear is resting."
"You're such a slacker."
"I need to ask you a favor, Nico."
"What do you need?"
"I've got a date tomorrow and my friend is bringing another friend. Could you come with me?"
"Isn’t it enough going out on the prowl? It'll have to be late; I'm working late."
"That's fine. Let's see if you can find someone."
"I'm not interested in any of that, but I'll do it because you're asking."
"You're the best."
"Whenever you go into hypocrite mode, it makes me want to strangle you."
Claudia laughed.
"I'm going to take a shower."
I went upstairs and stepped into the shower.
This man will drive me insane. He's so forthright, it makes me nervous. I've never been so embarrassed in my life. Normally, I have a comeback for every provocation, but because he's my boss, I have to restrain myself. I can't let myself be tempted by such demons.
The next morning:
I went to the agency as usual. I went up to the office since Jasper wasn't in his car. I knocked on the door to let him know I had arrived, and he opened it immediately. A female employee exited, adjusting her hair. I think I had interrupted a bad moment.
"Good morning, Mr. Jasper."
"Good morning, Miss Nichole. Come in."
He let me into his office, and I stopped in front of his desk.
"This afternoon we're going to the Convention Center, but now we need to work on the speech I have to give in two days."
"A speech?"
"Yes, we have an event in two days. It will be in Los Angeles, and you need to come with me. The models will be there as well. They attend staging sessions every month. Usually, we choose different locations, but this time we decided it would be in Los Angeles since we had to go anyway."
"How long will we be there?"
"Three days."
"What?"
"Why do you look so surprised?"
"I just didn't realize it would be three days."
"Is your mom going to scold you for being out of the house?"
"Of course not."
"Or your partner?" His gaze made me realize that he was interested in the answer.
"I don't have one. It's not that it's a bad thing; it's just that it caught me by surprise."
"Take a seat, you'll need it."
Jasper left the office, and after a while, he returned with a laptop.
"We'll draft it and exchange ideas."
I thought he'd sit in his chair at the desk, but no, he sat next to me. When we got started, he became serious and focused on his writing. Occasionally, I couldn't help but look at him. I was supposed to be focused on the task, but somehow, having him so close caught my attention. I saw him smile and turn his head towards me.
"Will you deny you were looking at me now?"
Caught in the act, I grew nervous and tried to hide it.
"Yes, because I couldn't see the screen."
He reached over to my chest, and I grabbed his hand.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Just putting on your glasses so you can see better, I mean, see the screen better. Did you think I was going to do something else?" he arched an eyebrow, smirking.
"What a ruse. You shouldn't play with someone's feelings like that, Mr. Jasper. Do you do this often?"
"I don't usually, but who can resist a charm?"
"So it's like that? You're like everyone else..." I murmured and smiled. "I'm your assistant, so please treat me as such."
"Does it bother you that I treat you this way?"
"No, what bothers me is that you throw out these hints without following through and then leave me hanging."
He looked at me, surprised, and smiled.
"And if I do follow through, would you mind?"
When did I cross the line from assistant to this? The topic became serious all because I played along. Now, how do I get out of this mess?
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