Chapter 33
Blessed Acting Skills
[Xavier’s POV]
Daniel was still laughing hysterically as I sat up and glared at him. He began to wipe off his mouth as he had spat out my fine liquor upon hearing my confession. I grumbled about how he was wasting my best whiskey while I watched him laugh so hard until his eyes filled with tears. Just what the hell was so funny? Seeing the dark expression on my face, he instantly tried to quell his incessant noise.
He coughed in an attempt to gather himself and he said in pure disbelief, “Oh, I’m so sorry about the liquor, but that was a brilliant joke, Xavier! Ha, that made my day.”
This idiot thinks that I'm joking!? I just sat there and gave him a leveled look.
“I am serious, Daniel. I really just kissed a girl.”
He gaped at me like I had just said the most incredulous thing he’d ever heard. Then, as the information sunk in, his eyes grow wide with surprise. He shifted on the couch and took a few moments to gather himself. Inhaling a deep breath, he asked, “Are you serious? Who is she?”
Suddenly tired from it all, I sighed and rubbed my forehead while answering, “Her name is Iris and she’s my new secretary.” I looked over at him and he just stared at me with a vacant expression while waiting for me to elaborate. Damn, I hated that look. “It’s not like I planned for it or anything. It just happened. It was the only thing that I could think of at the time to get rid of those rats that were following me.”
A low chuckle reverberated around the room and then he exploded into laughter once more. I was going to kill him.
Clapping his hands together, he raved, “Well, my goodness! The wall is finally crumbling! I can see the emotion as you talk about her, Xavier. Tell me, how do you plan to propose her?”
I glowered at him and he instantly shut his mouth. Hastily getting off the bed, I stomped toward the liquor cabinet and grabbed the Vodka.
“Seriously, Daniel. We don't have anything between us. It was just an impulsive act and I really don't know how to face her now. What should I do?”
Smiling, he shook his head and came over to refill his glass.
“Why don't you two just make out? I heard that she is very talented, though we haven't met.”
I jerked my head around to face him and watched as he threw his hands up in surrender.
“Calm down. Okay? I was just kidding! What if you took her to dinner as an apology?”
After sipping a bit from my glass, I answered while adding some ice cubes, “Well, that actually sounds like a good idea. I’ll think about it.”
Daniel hummed in agreement and then asked, “Did you manage to get his cell phone? And, don’t you think he will throw a hissy fit in tomorrow’s meeting after everything that’s happened today?”
Taking a large gulp of the cold vodka, I reached into my pocket and took out the phone. I grinned victoriously as I tossed it to him. “As it happens, I was right about him. He was the mole. When are you going to believe that I actually have a discerning eye about people, hm?”
He chuckled as he unlocked the screen. Daniel scrolled through the messages and I saw his jaw clench and his eyes flash with rage. He slammed his fist down on the bar and let out a growl of frustration.
“What a bastard! He was leaking our personal information to media for his own gains? Just who the hell does he think he is?”
I shrugged. “It doesn't much matter. I was able to attain certain… leverage to shut him up for the time being.”
Daniel’s eyes snapped up to look at me. He was absolutely seething. With a menacing tone, he asked, “Was he fucking another young girl here too?”
I chuckled, impressed by his quick wit and said, “This is exactly the reason why I keep you around, Daniel. I couldn't believe it myself until I saw it with my own eyes. Undoubtedly, she was selling herself to gain more prestige. Seriously, that behavior is insulting to the rest of the female population. She could have just worked hard and eventually achieve her goal. Still, she wasn't as pretty as Iri—” Stopping myself from finishing, I glanced over at Daniel before downing the rest of my drink.
Daniel just sat there grinning at me like a fool.
“Wow, Xavier! You’re already seduced by her? Hmmm, what’s her room number again? I should at least go and meet my sister-in-law.”
Glaring down at him, I picked up the Vodka and poured me another drink. Just what exactly was happening to me? Why am I comparing her to other women?
[Iris’s POV]
I continued to splash my face with cold water until I was sure the color on my cheeks had faded. Looking at my reflection, the kiss replayed again in my mind and I felt the heat creeping back into my face.
“Fuck!”
Groaning in frustration, I grabbed a towel and began to roughly scrub my lips for the third time. But, it wasn’t working. I could still feel the heat of his lips on mine. His scent still lingered on my clothes. This was not good. I went back to scrubbing my mouth. As I closed my eyes to dry my face, the memory of his large hand palming my breast made my breathing turn shallow. I turned the cold water back on and ran it over my wrists until I started to shiver.
“It never happened. It never happened.”
I continued to repeat that to myself over and over while I waited for my breathing to return to normal. Finally, I took a deep breath and dried my hands.
Hearing my phone ring, I turned off the light in the bathroom and walked over to my bed. For the first time in my life, I didn't feel excited at seeing his number on the screen. On the contrary, I felt extremely irritated over his poor timing. Angrily clutching the phone, I accepted the call. But before his stupid voice could command me as usual, I shouted, “You should pass around your damned schedule so I can anticipate your calls. It’s midnight. Jesus! Just fucking let me sleep, you damned man!”
I abruptly ended the call and turned off my phone. Crawling into bed, it dawned on me that I just yelled at him. I swallowed hard.
“Oops,” I mumbled as I covered my head with the heavy quilt. I just wanted this day to end.
…
The next morning, I woke up to loud noises coming from outside the hallway. Yawning, I grabbed my robe and tied it snuggly around my waist before stumbling towards the door. Peeping out into the hallway, I saw a line of people standing just outside of the president’s room. Every single one of them wore an anxious expression and I couldn’t help but feel uneasy as I thought about yesterday’s events. Quickly, I closed my door and rushed to throw on a comfortable top and my skinny jeans. Locking my door securely behind me, I walked towards the crowd of people.
I found him standing in the middle of his room, swarmed with politicians who were informing him of what happened to Mr. Brighton. Expressing their concern for how poorly the hotel was guarded, he nodded his head as if he was hearing all of this for the first time.
“Shit, he should be awarded an Oscar for his acting skills,” I thought wryly.
I didn’t proceed any further into the room. Instead, I found a nice spot towards the back where I could just listen and observe. The president was wearing the same charming face that was constantly fooling people into believing that he actually cared. Suddenly, I saw him shift his gaze over to me and my breath caught in my throat. In that moment, I could have sworn my heart stopped. My hands started to sweat and I inwardly cursed myself for getting so frazzled for no reason. Shoving my hands into my pockets, I decided it would be best to leave him to his devices. That would also give me some time to collect myself. Still feeling his steely gaze on me, I moved to leave the room. But before I could reach the door, I heard an unfamiliar voice call out to me.
“Oh, Miss Young! Could you come over here, please?”
Curious, I turned around and saw a man around the president’s age gesturing for me to come over. His smile revealed two perfectly white rows of teeth and his brown eyes seemed to smile at me as well. Glancing over to the president, I saw him glare at the man. Taking a few careful steps towards them, he walked towards me with remarkable speed.
“We’ve never met, but I have heard a lot about you. My name is Daniel Collins, Xavier's friend and business partner. Did you hear about the dangerous incident from yesterday? Someone broke into Mr. Brighton's room and stole his cell phone!”
Not having any time to respond to Daniel, I saw that Mr. Brighton was making his way towards us.
“Here’s Miss Young. Her room is next to mine. Miss Young, did you hear any noise from last night? Or did you happen to see an intruder who was wearing black?”
I shifted uncomfortably in my shoes. Everyone was looking at me while waiting for my response. I stole a quick glance at Xavier and saw that he was usual calm self. Moving my attention back to the people in the room, I smiled awkwardly.
“I’m so sorry to hear about what happened, sir. However, I didn’t hear or see anything as I had gone to bed early.”
Mr. Brighton’s eyes flooded with disappointment and I saw another man step forward, who clearly just wanted this meeting to end.
“Oh come on, Brighton. It was just an unfortunate stroke of bad luck. It happens every once in awhile. In any case, it’s just a cell phone. The president already told you that he would handle the security glitches and reimburse you for the phone. Why don’t we all go down to the beach and relax?”
All of the people nodded in agreement and were finally able to convince Mr. Brighton to leave the room. I watched as the room and hallway quickly emptied. The only people who were left were me, Daniel and the president. When I turned back around to face them, I saw that Daniel was grinning at me. Why was it suddenly getting hot in here?
Looking at me and then to the president, he said with a dramatic sigh, “The both of you could destroy the whole of USK with your acting abilities. Oh, Miss Young! Would you care to join us at the beach?”
Returning his smile, I said, “I believe I will. I don’t have any work to do right now anyway.”
“Yes!” Daniel exclaimed with joy while he moved to my side and draped his arm in a familiar fashion over my shoulder. “There’s no work for three whole days! Vacation is the best.”
His careless behavior set me at ease and I smiled up at him. Although, I didn’t miss the displeasure on my employer’s face as he zoned in on Daniel’s arm.
“Come on, Daniel. The staff will clear away breakfast if we wait much longer.”
With a smirk, Daniel removed his arm and sauntered towards the door leaving me and the president alone. Turning quickly to follow Daniel out, I heard the president say, “Will I see you at breakfast?”
Looking back at him, I saw that he hadn’t moved but his eyes were fixated on me. Clearing my throat while attempting to remain professional, I turned the door knob to open the door.
“Yes, sir. I just needed to go grab my phone from my room first. Did you need anything?” I asked as if nothing had changed.
He parted his lips to say something but instead he just shook his head and offered me a weak smile. After giving him a curt nod, I hastily left the room. I needed to pull myself together. It was just a kiss for heaven’s sake!