Chapter 8 Clumsy Partner

• Tyler
• "What happened to your hand?"
• "I cut myself, I'm very clumsy."
• "You should rest your hand, tell Kayleigh to assist you today."
• Jessica looked pissed at me, but that bandage looked big for a wound caused by clumsiness. Looking at her, I seemed to want her to be placed inside a bubble just to make sure that she'd be safe.
• These protective feel made me uneasy with myself, I just saw her yesterday, we kissed. The kiss itself was too awkward as if it was her first, and the knowledge kept me up last night. But when morning comes, all I want to was to see her and I wanted nothing more but to kiss her again.
• "Sir, your ten o'clock is here."
• "Thank you. Oh, Elsie, I will need you to contact Kayleigh, Ms. Robinson's PA to work here for the next couple of days, and set her working space."
• Jessica looked annoyed, and I smirked knowing that I had irritated her. I shouldn't do that, but I can't help myself and now Elsie was glaring at me.
• "I'll see you later, Jess." I addressed her as such, knowing it'll aggravate her even more, and I was right when she gets up and closes the door as she left my office.
• "What are you trying to steer here, Ty?" the voluptuous PA demanded.
• "Elsie, not now." I cut her words, walking past her, and go straight into the meeting room where I spent the rest of the morning deep in meetings.
• And by lunchtime my mood was getting worse when I saw Jessica was working alone from her office, typing with her injured hand.
• "Elsie, where's her PA?"
• "Jessica said she's to assist Larry in her office,"
• "It's Ms. Robinson, you will address her properly. She's not your colleague, she's one of your superiors." I harshly put my files from the meeting on her desk, telling her to sort them out and put them on my desk.
• I walked straight to Jess's office and looked at her before knocking on her already opened door.
• "Come with me," I said leaning my side to her door frame.
• "I still need to type this out,"
• "Come with me, or I'll have security escort you back to your apartment and waited on you while you rest your hand."
• The beautiful pale woman looked at me as if she was trying to hurt me with her gaze, and her attitude just made me smile, widely.
• Very strange.
• I was having a bad morning with the mess that my PR team created. But her simple reaction just made me warm on the inside. It was weird, and I was having mixed feelings about it.
• Jessica finally followed me back to my office where I closed the door after her, but not before I told Elsie to call her PA again and have her come and see me.
• I was satisfied when I see that Jessica looked furious, while she decided to sit down in the chair to my front as I rest my back to my large black intimidating office desk.
• Yet, she didn't look pressured as she sits there looking nowhere near calm.
• "Why am I doing here?"
• "You will wait until Kayleigh arrived, then you can go back to your office and work. Until then rest your hand, have you had your breakfast?"
• "I'm not hungry," she replied quickly making me want to spank her as if she has an attitude with authority.
• I moved away and decided to look out the window trying to appear like I was calming myself down, while in actuality I was trying to hold my smile.
• "Tyler, why are you being so annoying?"
• "I talked to Kayleigh and I know."
• Her face just turned a paler shade, didn't think it was possible but it did.
• "Oh yeah? what did she say?"
• "She got your back, but the point is we find the info without Kayleigh's help. Actually, Larry did, I just need her to say why."
• Jessica cleared her throat and keeping herself quiet, I have to give her points for keeping her composure. I was certain that she was trying hard not to walk out of my office.
• "I'm finding small little things about you and I'm not liking it," I was to her side and put my hand on her shoulder, she was tensed but relaxes when I move away from her and sit down in my chair.
• "Okay, you did acquire my company and I think you're entitled to getting the best of me."
• I tugged my lips when she uses those exact words.
• "I mean..."
• "No take-backs, I like how you put it."
• Once again, she looked annoyed, but I was seeing sparks in her eyes.
• "You're too considerate," I started.
• "Excuse me?"
• "I said you're too considerate, you need to get rid of that trait. You don't have to prove yourself here, no cutbacks on your salary."
• She actually blushed and with her pale complexion it makes her look even more beautiful and I couldn't take my eyes off of her.
• "Mr. Richardson, I need to confirm your one o'clock with the head of finance."
• Elsie knocked before she entered and remind me about my next schedule.
• "Push it back to three, I'm taking Ms. Robinson for a lunch meeting. Call my driver tell him to meet us at the lobby."
• "Come on, might as well eat while waiting for Kayleigh. Oh and Elsie, don't forget about her working space she'll be here soon."
• I held out my hand and she took it knowing someone is looking at us and it'll look unprofessional of her if she ignored my polite gesture which suggests nothing but a simple invitation for a business lunch between two superiors.
• "Let me get my purse," she took my hand, but sneakily let me go knowing I had to because of her lame excuse about getting her stuff.
• Elsie was to my front the moment Jessica was out of our sight.
• "Tyler, what do you think..."
• "Not now,"
• "Okay, how about tonight?" she flirted and I cursed on the inside.
• "I'll call you."
• "But..."
• "I said I'll call you," I strictly said my words and she finally retreated.
• I was to Jessica's and offered her my arm, and she smiles politely as she was to my side with her purse in her other hand.
• "You know, you can be more polite to her." She said when we reached my car.
• "Who, Elsie?"
• "It's obvious she wants you."
• I didn't answer her and let her statement hangs while we take the short drive to Barney's.
• "You think I'm having an affair with my assistant?" I opened the subject after the waiter was done taking our order and we were waiting for our lunch to arrive.
• "I think it's obvious."
• "You're not upset that I also kissed you?"
• Her words actually make me mad, how she easily thinks that I would even think to go back to Elsie after kissing her.
• "Why do you think less of yourself?"
• She shrugged and didn't answer my questions.
• "Jess,"
• "Tyler, she's more attractive than me. You kissed me, it was a mistake. I get it."
• "It's not," I said firmly, putting my hand on hers.
• "Don't, I'm not the one for you." She took her hand away from me and started scrolling on her phone.
• There was something in her voice when she said it, it was like she's telling me that she was not good enough for me.
• "What are you insinuating?"
• She didn't say anything and looked glad when the waiter arrived with our food. We eat in silence, then she looked like she was in pain when she was using her knife to cut her steak.
• "Let me,"
• "Thanks,"
• "When are you going to tell me what really happened with your hand?"
• I pushed her plate back after cutting the steak to bite-size pieces.
• "I couldn't sleep, decided to drink then the glass slipped. I was cleaning my mess when I cut myself, called my doctor friend and she stitched me up."
• "You got stitches?" I asked in between my bites.
• She nodded and drink her water before she was back to chewing the juicy meat.
• "You have very high pain tolerance."
• Jessica looked at me nodded again. My mind was busy thinking about why she was drinking in the first place, I didn't want to ask her too many questions and probed her personal life. So I decided to let it go and finish eating my lunch.
• We were having coffee when my phone buzzed with an incoming call. I excused myself and took the call telling her that it was from a client.
• "Bro! why didn't you tell me you're having lunch here, I could've joined you guys."
• Larry greeted me once I arrived back at our table, Kayleigh was there too and was having what looked like a serious discussion with Jessica.
• "I was wanting their famous triple chocolate cake, Kayleigh here hasn't tried it so here we are." He patted the chair next to him. Our two-seater table had just become a four-seater and my private lunch with Jessica was suddenly interrupted.
• I was not liking the change of the situation but I was not going to voice my feelings and decided to join in on their conversation.
• "...I'm okay Kayleigh,"
• "I know you are, but you should've told me about this earlier. God, I hate that you always do this."
• "Kay, please..."
• Her assistant seemed to just remembered that they weren't alone and she shut her mouth abruptly.
• Larry and I looked at each other, silently thinking that Kayleigh's concern for her boss has been happening repeatedly before.
• I hate not knowing about something, and I hate people who are hiding things for me. But I know for sure that I was going to make her tell me about it in her own words and I didn't care how long it'll take.