His Secretary

Chapter 28: Zoe

I began unpacking my clothes into the closet and dressers, going back and forth across the room from my suitcase on the bed where Mathew laid, his suit jacket lying beside him, trying to watch the TV.

I crossed in front of him again and he leaned trying to keep watching, and leaned back with a sigh when I was once again in his way.

"Woman, please. You can have someone put those up for you. I'm trying to watch TV." He gestured to the flatscreen exasperatedly.

"Not now, Mr. Johnson. I've got to unpack. Where your bags? I'll unpack yours too." I grabbed one of the nicer dresses I packed for the trip and trialed across the room to the closet once again.

He pointed to the corner of the room where his luggage had been piled, and I finished with mine and started on his.

His eyes followed me now, no longer interested in the show.

I took out the expensive shirts and suit jackets, and I even pulled out a tux.

"Woah," I said examining the fabrics, "What's this for?"

"Did I forget to tell you?" He asked and his hand went to his hair.

"Tell me what?" I folded the pants and set them aside.

"We are going to be attending meetings," he said and his hand moved from his hair to his stubble.

"Yes, I know about that." I interject.

"Aswell, as parties." He finished. "Very high class, anybody-who's-anybody kind of parties, celebrity attending parties. Did I really forget to tell you?"

My mouth fell open and my heart began to beat fast. I was unprepared. I was going to look ridiculous. The best dress that I brought was a dress I'd worn to a wedding three years ago. My hand went to my face. "It seems to have slipped." I answered.

I laid down the shirts I had in my arms and sat on the edge of the bed, "I... I didn't bring anything fancy."

"Show me what all you've brought." He ordered.

I looked at him over my shoulder.

"Well, come on." He urged.

I stood up and grabbed the dresses I had hung up and held them up.

His brown eyes scrutinized them.

"Yeah... those won't do." He stood up from the bed and shrugged his jacket back on.

"Where are you going?"

"We are going shopping."

~~~~

We entered a building to find racks upon racks, endlessly filing backwards, and women in pantsuits ready to assist where needed.

"Mr. Johnson, come on, I don't need a dress. Let's go back to the hotel." I whispered and latched on to his sleeve near the wrist.

He looked at my hand. "This is nothing, Miss Stevens. Just let me buy you a dress. It's not that big of a deal."

"But, I didn't bring enough money to pay you back."

He shook his head, "I don't want you to pay me back."

"Mathew," I said and he met my eyes, "I can't let you do this."

"Fine, you want to pay me back for it? I'll think of something." He smirked.

Uh oh.

"What kind of something?" I asked nervously.

He rubbed his chin and didn't answer, his smirk widening.

I let go of his cuff and crossed my arms.

"What may I help you with?" A woman asked as she stepped into our path. Her smiled seemed about as forced as me being here, but it eased as her eyes laid on the beautiful man beside me.

"Yes, we need to see your collection of cocktail dresses, and bring us a couple gowns. I want something to show off her hips and accentuate her chest, and bring out her eyes." He tightened his tie and looked at the woman over his nose.

My cheeks flamed, and her eyes moved to me.

"That's very specific. But don't worry, it makes my job easier." She said perkily. Her eyes looked me up and down. I tensed.

"This way." She said with a turn on her heel and a finger.

We followed her.

"M-"

"Hush. Just let me do this for you. I've figured out my price." His eyes looked down to me out of their corners. "You'll have to dance with me tonight. And no one else."

I was surprised by his answer and my jaw fell. "That's it?"

It was surprisingly romantic.

"I might think of some more later, but that is my beginning price."

I walked in silence for a minute. "Alright, I'll dance with you."

"And here we are," The woman said and turned to us, her ponytail whipped around. "I'll start finding you dresses."

We stood in a changing area with red velvet curtains over the dressing rooms,  a cream colored circular couching the center of the room, and mirrors on every wall.

Mathew watched the woman walk away, his eyes on her lower half.

I smacked his chest.

"Oof," he coughed, a smile pulled his lips corners and he unbuttoned his suit jacket and put his hands in his pockets.

I walked over to the couch and sat down and he plopped down next to me.

Another woman in a pantsuit walked to us with a tray of champagne glasses. She handed them to us, "Here you go," she poured pink champagne into them.

"Thank you." I said and smiled to her.

She nodded and walked away.

I took a sip of the drink and felt it bubble down my throat, as Mathew stared at his. "What is it?" I asked pulling the glass away from my lips.

"This is such a feminine drink." His swished it under his nose and inhaled. "It's pink. All women drink such pretty drinks, but they're all so light. Like if you're at a bar and you ask a girl if you can buy them a drink they name something with a melon or fruit in the name." He took a drink and looked off in the distance like he was having war flashbacks.

I leaned back on the couch, chuckled, and crossed my legs and pulled my skirt down farther on my legs. "Well, if it will settle your soul, I drink Jack Daniels."

He smiled at me, "Ah, a woman after my own heart." His arm went out and hooked itself around my shoulders and his hand gripped my waist. My breathing caught and my pulse quickened.

Our attendant returned with a rolling clothes rack stuff with dresses. I pushed his arm off of me when she came into sight and it plopped down behind me.

"Alright, here's some of our choices. If none of these tend to your liking I can go get more of our selection." She laced her fingers in front of her, professionally.

Mathew stood up from the couch and sifted through the dresses, "Yes, I'll call for you." He said shortly.

She took his hint and left.

He turned to me on a graceful spin on his heel, "Another price is that you have to model the dresses for me and I get to pick which dress you wear tonight." He crossed his arms and smirked.

I tipped my glass up and drained the rest of my drink, "What was the point of me coming then, you could've just bought one." I stood up and walked past him to look at the dresses.

"Because, then I'd have to go by my imagination to get the perfect dress," he stepped to me and his hands went to my waist and his breath disturbed the hair by my ear, chills ran through my body, "and I don't think you would want to leave me to my imagination."