Discover Love

Conference Saga

I woke up at 6:30 in the morning as my alarm rang. It took me a couple of seconds to realize where I was and then yesterday's events flashed through my mind. I looked at the other bed but Mr. Grumpy was not there. I had no clue where he was, but I decided to use the bathroom and be ready before he came back.

As I got ready, I heard him walk into the room. He directly went to the bathroom. I was almost ready and deciding on my earring when I heard something behind me. I turned to see him and yesterday's event played in my mind. Only, the tables had turned.

Today, he stood in front of me, wrapped up in a white bath towel tied real low on his waist. Water dripped from his hair and body and disappeared into the towel. The hair from his chest tapered down to his abs and vanished into the towel.

'Damn Towel!'

There was a difference though. Yesterday, I was mortified as I stood in front of him in the towel whereas today, he stood in front of me brazenly, flaunting his body. He was so confident of his body, of himself that it was me who was embarrassed. I realized I was gawking at him and he was grinning at me.

"Yesterday I gave you privacy. Today, it's your chance" He laughed.

"Of course- Mr. Holden - " I hastened to move out of the room knocking down some of my jewelry and earrings but I didn't wait to collect it.

Shit! I guess this is the nth time that he caught me ogling him. I must behave. One of my earrings fell in the bedroom so I decided not to wear any earrings. I wasn't sure if I should wait for him for breakfast. Since he didn't say anything, I decided to go down to the restaurant. I love the complimentary breakfast provided by hotels and make it a point not to miss it. I placed my bag at a table and went around the buffet to load my plate. When I came back to my seat, Mr. Grumpy was already sitting there.

"You could've waited for me." He pouted exaggeratedly and I laughed.

"I'm sorry Mr. Holden but I thought you needed some space." I put the ball in his court.

"I wouldn't have cared to undress and dress in front of you though I believe you surely would have." He looked at me as he took a bite from his plate. I decided to just smile and keep my head down. The rest of the breakfast was in silence.

"Here – I have something for you." He extended his hand and I automatically extended mine to take it. It was my pearl earring that fell in the bedroom.

"Oh! Thank you so much, Mr. Holden." I beamed. "But you shouldn't have bothered."

"No problem. About the conference, I believe you can move out of the conference by 10:30 when the business model discussions start. However, please stay if you wish to." He said nonchalantly.

"Sure. Thank you, Mr. Holden." We completed the breakfast and moved towards the auditorium together. Once we reached there, we went to two different ways. He had his allocated seat in front, near the podium while I had it at the back of the room. But I was not complaining. It was good to attend the conference and I was fascinated by the world of business. So much of deliberation, planning, and detailing goes into it.

I befriended a few people who were also personal assistants though I came to know that they were not staying in the same hotel. They were either staying in smaller hotels or sharing the accommodation. There were a couple of PAs who were staying in the same hotel with their boss though the reasons were different. If anyone comes to know that I shared a room with my boss, I wonder what will they think! Won't they immediately assume that we were together for sex? I must never tell this to anyone.

The assembly broke into smaller groups as people moved to smaller conference rooms for business model discussions. I wasn't sure which one should I attend and tried finding Mr. Grumpy. He was nowhere to be seen. I finally went to one of the random rooms with the other assistants. The lunch was also a happy affair. I did not see Mr. Grumpy at all. I wonder if he left the conference. Finally, at 5:30 in the evening, the conference concluded. I decided to go back to the room. None of the personal assistants were invited for dinner so I assumed I wouldn't be either. Anyways, Mr. Grumpy did not say anything about it.

I opened the room to find Mr. Grumpy watching the television.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were still at the conference." I was so surprised to find him in the room.

"I bunked the conference post lunch." He winked at me and I laughed. I couldn't believe he could ever do something like 'bunking'.

"That's so unexpected from you." I was dumbstruck.

"Why?" He was amused at my reaction.

"Because you're the picture of a perfect person. How can you do something like that?" He laughed freely throwing his head back. I had never seen him so casual and so free. It was difficult to imagine him laughing at silly things. I stood there watching him shamelessly.

"Dinner?"

"I don't think I am invited. I mean the other assistants are not-"

"Nonsense. Go get ready and we'll go for dinner" He cut me off.

"Actually, I have a slight headache. Why don't you go ahead while I'll take rest" I wanted to attend the dinner but the headache was a tad bit nagging.

"Sure. Take rest. Then we won't go at all." I didn't want him to miss dinner because of me. Anyway, my headache was not that severe. It was like a slight but constant irritation.

Thank God I packed up a floor-length gown that I could wear for the dinner. As I came out, he stood there, ready in his dark navy blue tailored suit which fit him to perfection. As always he looked mouthwatering. We walked outside and reached the venue. There was food, drinks, and entertainment. There were a lot of people and I realized that Mr. Grumpy is a very important and famous personality. Almost every other minute, someone would come to talk to him or he will go and talk to someone.

The music was way too loud to my liking, slowly and steadily, my headache increased. I just wanted the dinner to finish and sleep, though the night showed no signs of slowing down. Mr. Grumpy had gone to meet someone else when I decided to go to the washroom. My stomach was churning and I puked. I felt a little better as I closed my eyes and sat down there on the chair in the washroom. My headache was progressively increasing in magnitude. After some time, I walked towards the counter to fetch some water. I was rubbing my temples when suddenly, I felt someone behind me. I turned around to find Mr. Grumpy looking very worried.

"Amy! Where were you? Are you alright? What happened?" His voice was alarmed.

"I have a headache. Is it okay if I leave?" I deduced it is better to leave now than later.

"Of course, come, I will take you to the room." His answer was quick.

"No. Please continue. I know you need to meet a lot of people. I will go on my own." I mean, how hard it could be to take the elevator and unlock the door?

"You will do nothing of that kind." I was too exhausted to protest and there was no point arguing with him. He kept his hand on the small of my back and tenderly guided me to exit. We reached the reception and from there, took the elevator to the room. He was by my side holding me ever so lightly. As soon as we reached the room, I went towards the bed but he held my arm and stopped me.

"Go and change your dress. You will feel much better" He said gently. I nodded and went to the bathroom and changed into my nightdress. I came out from the bathroom to find him holding a pill and a glass of water. I mumbled thanks to him and slid under the bedsheet. He wished me a good night and kissed my temple lightly.

He switched off the light and soon, sleep claimed me.

Good Night!