Page 48 of His Private Assistant

"You’ll see, princess." He chuckled darkly, and chills ran up my spine. I couldn’t decide if I was scared or excited to find out. "Are you ready to leave your apartment?" He changed the subject smoothly, leaving my unspoken questions lingering in the back of my mind.

"Yes, sir," I replied, taking my favourite body lotion and shampoo from the shelf. I had only one suitcase with me. I wasn’t very attached to my clothes and lingerie, but I preferred my hairbrush and pyjamas. And even thought it was childish, I actually had a teddy bear which was always on my nightstand during the night, guarding me. My grandfather gave it to me when I was six years old, and my parents had had their first big crisis. I’d cried all night after their argument because I’d been afraid they would separate.

"Don't forget about your meeting at six," Mr Thorn reminded me in a stern tone. Muffled sounds were heard on the other side of the phone.

"What meeting?" I inquired, trying to recall some scheduled appointment.

"Your new fitness trainer will come to talk to you," he stated firmly. "Have you read the rules?" he asked, and I quickly took the paper out of my bag.

"Yes, sir," I answered, looking for some kind of clue. I didn’t read the whole thing because I kind of forgot about it. I found the note about the meeting on the front page, underlined. How could I miss this?

"Electra, I’ll ask again." Mr Thorn’s voice cut through my ears, making goosebumps appear on my forearms. He used that tone when he was irritated by me. "Have you or have you not read the rules?"

"Not all of them," I mumbled quickly, and he sighed heavily. "I didn't have time at work," I justified, even though I knew it was pointless. I had an hour-long lunch break, and if he wasn’t in the office, I only had to answer the phones and emails.

"It’s not a good excuse," he growled, "and I really hate it when you lie to me!"

"I'm not—" I tried to defend myself, but he cut me off with his strong, commanding voice.

"Enough, Electra!" he ordered, and I instantly shut my mouth. My lower lip quivered. I didn’t want to aggravate him. "After your meeting, you’ll sit on your ass, and you’ll write the rules down. Every sentence will be written ten times on the paper, and when finished, you will send me a picture for control. Understood!?"

"Yes, sir," I whispered, breathing hard.

"Louder," he ordered, and I inhaled sharply. He was furious with me.

"Yes, sir," I said in a trembling voice, much louder this time.

"Perfect, I have a meeting to attend. I have to go," he firmly announced, and my stomach sank.

"I’m sorry, sir," I mumbled quietly, squeezing my eyes to stop the tears from fall.

"We'll talk about it after you finish your task, princess," he rumbled without any emotion, and I sobbed. I couldn’t help myself.

"Electra, are you crying?" Mr Thorn raised his voice, clearly surprised. I almost lied to him again, saying no into the phone, but I stopped myself, muttering a quiet, "Yes, I’m sorry, sir."

"Sweetheart, why are you weeping?" he asked gently, and I felt even worse.

"I didn’t want to...anger you." I snivelled. Another wave of tears attacked me.

"Then don’t lie to me; it’s that simple," he pointed out before some man’s voice barked something incoherent on the other side. I knew Mr Thorn had to work, and I was only detaining him.

"You need to go, sir. You have an important meeting." I wiped my wet cheek with the back of my hand, hearing him grunt his disapproval.

"Don’t tell me what to do, princess. I'm not going anywhere until you calm down," he stated, and a warm feeling of happiness settled in my chest. Angry or not, he cared for me much more than anyone in my life ever did.

"I'm fine." I sighed, trying to persuade him. "I’m just hypersensitive or something."

"Are your strawberry days close?" he inquired, and for a second, I didn’t understand what he meant by it. But then it hit me, and I burst into laughter.

"Strawberry days?" I repeated, shaking my head with a wide smile on my face.

"My cousin called it this when she was a teenager. It stuck in my brain," he explained, and I could practically hear him smiling. "Are you tired? Does something hurt you?" he questioned me like a doctor during the regular check-up, and I completely forgot about my tears or sadness. All I had on my mind was his soft, caring voice, making sure I was fine.

"I’m okay, Daddy," I teased a little with newfound confidence, and only his reaction made me realise what I’d said.

"I’m a daddy now, hm?" He chuckled, and I giggled, slightly embarrassed about my choice of words. It had a completely different meaning for him than it was intended to have. "And when will you become my good, truth-telling girl?"

"I promise I won’t lie to you again, sir," I stated with every ounce of sincerity that I was capable of.

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