The Billionaire's Assistant To Be

The Argument

Scarlett rolled to her side when he brushed his hand gently over her back, trying to wake her without scaring her shitless. She groaned, burying her head underneath her pillow. Her hair was a mess but it was cute in a way to see her undone like that. It was a different experience, sharing a bed with his assistant.

It was awfully easy to settle in beside her.

She made some incoherent noises, he had no idea what she was saying. His lips tugged to a smile, he watched her peek at him from underneath her pillow, looking suspicious of him.

"What time is it?"

"Seven-thirty."

"It's way too early." She grumbled, her eyes took him in, "Why are you dressed like that?" She murmured.

"I'm going for a morning run." He informed her, smirking when she made another grumbled noise, "So I take it you don't want to join me?"

"Definitely not." She murmured, "You're crazy, babe. It's your day off."

He ignored how easily that term of endearment rolled off her tongue. It almost felt like they were dating, they were both getting lost in this game. It was becoming dangerous, he was aware of that yet he didn't want to put an end to it.

"I'll be back in an hour."

She pulled the pillow away from her head and smiled at him, "I'll miss you."

He grabbed her pillow and gave her a light shove with it, "You can't help yourself, can you?" He dropped the pillow on her head and stepped back, "See you in an hour, babe." He made sure to emphasize that with lots of sarcasm to his tone.

Her giggle told him she got it.

He left the bedroom, closing the door behind him to let Scarlett get some more rest. He didn't expect her to join him but it would have been fun. He made his way to the kitchen to grab a glass of water first when he ran into Jenna.

That was odd.

"You're going for a run?" She asked.

The woman looked like she was going on a run too. He had a feeling where this was going. Entering the kitchen he poured himself a glass of water and offered her one too. She took it and drank her water while she eyed him.

"Your girlfriend isn't joining you?" She asked.

"Scarlett should sleep in, she deserves it considering the long hours she works at the office."

Jenna smiled, he could tell she forced it to look sympathetic, "That's nice of you."

He didn't understand how he was being nice to Scarlett to let her sleep in while he went on a run. It was his decision to get some exercise she wasn't obligated to join him. This woman pissed him off and she hadn't said much. He quickly finished his drink and placed the glass in the dishwasher.

"Well, I like to take this time to clear my mind so I'll be going ahead of you."

He couldn't be clearer even if he tried. The woman didn't let him walk away just like that though. He could praise her for her efforts. But to him, it was just annoying.

"Do you mind if I join you? We're both going on a run so-"

He smiled at her, making sure she understood that he was being polite and nothing more. The smile awfully similar to the one she showed him when she mentioned Scarlett. The darkening of her eyes told him that she got the hint.

"I mind, I just want to be alone when I go for a run."

He knew it was harsh to be that forward but he couldn't play the political games he usually played this morning. He didn't care about his mother's friends were upset with his behavior. They weren't his friends. Walking past the woman who was gaping at him like a fish out of the water he headed to the front door and left the beach house quickly. He knew she wouldn't follow him after his firm words but the last thing he wanted was for his mother to stop him and tell him off. He wasn't in the mood for that either.

All he wanted was to go for a damn run.

***

When he got back to his bedroom after his sixty minutes run Scarlett greeted him with the sight of her in his shirt and long legs bare and crossed while she was sipping coffee or tea. She looked very comfortable and very tempting. He needed a shower.

"What did you do?" She asked.

He frowned, "What do you mean?"

She carefully moved to the end of the bed and sat on her knees. He approached her and grabbed her cup, taking in the contents and taking a quick sip. Coffee, he was sure he needed it. Scarlett smiled, holding out her hands to take back her cup. He handed it to her, their fingers brushing which made her shiver. She didn't even try to hide the blush which spread across her face.

She cleared her throat, "Jenna was talking to your mom, she sounded upset about something you said?"

He groaned, his annoyance quickly fading when he felt Scarlett's hand press against his stomach and slowly trailing up. Her soft touch felt like it left a burning trail on his skin. He felt her touch right through the fabric of his grey tee.

"First she tried to cause trouble for us when she tried to casually suggest we'd go on a run together. I told her I wanted to go for a run alone." He sighed, covering Scarlett's hand which rested on his chest, "I'm not in the mood for their drama."

"Neither am I." She told him, "We should team up with your dad. He seems to dislike their bullshit too."

"We could always lock ourselves up in the bedroom."

Her eyes sparkled, "I like the way you think, Lucy."

He regretted saying that, he realized too late he gave her ammo to keep up her teasing. He let go of her hand and shook his head at her. She giggled, sitting back on her butt and sipping her coffee.

"I'm going to grab a shower."

She eyed him with a little smirk spread across her face, "I'll be here waiting for you."

He gave her cheek a pinch which made her pout, "Of course you are."

Scarlett took a shower after him, giving him time to log into his laptop. He managed to respond to six emails when his fake girlfriend strolled out of the bathroom wearing only a towel. He tried to focus on his screen, hoping she'd take her clothes and head back to the bathroom.

She didn't though.

She got ready right in front of him, the woman didn't even care. He forced himself to not look at her, he could feel her eyes on him from time to time but he refused to look up from his laptop. He wasn't going there. Too many lines have been crossed already.

"Such a gentleman." He could hear the smile in her voice.

"Such a tease."

She giggled, stepping away from the bed to head back into the bathroom. He finally dared to breathe again when she was out of sight. He put his laptop aside when someone knocked on his bedroom door. He opened the door to reveal his mother who definitely looked pissed. She tried to hide it with a smile. They were all quite passive aggressive, he preferred it if they would just speak their minds but they wouldn't.

"Mom."

"Are you and Scarlett going to join us for breakfast?" The demanding tone told him that his mother expected them to have dinner with the parents and the unwanted guests.

"Sure."

They still needed to eat and there wasn't a restaurant or café close by. He'd need to take the car and that was rather elaborate to avoid his family. Scarlett would be with him, she was enough of a distraction.

"So breakfast." Scarlett strolled out of the bathroom looking all casual but comfy, he liked that look on her, "That will be awkward."

"We'll pull through."

She nodded, "Of course we will, we're a good team."

He closed his laptop and followed Scarlett out of his room. They headed to the dining room, loud voices already traveled into the hallway. He could hear his mother laugh at Ellen's story. They were chatting away like old friends who hadn't seen each other in years. Jenna was setting the table, smiling at them when they entered the dining room.

"Come take a seat." She said cheerfully.

He knew what they were playing at the minute he set foot in the dining room. It wasn't going to work, he'd always choose Scarlett over any woman his mother wanted to shove in his face. He placed his hand on Scarlett's lower back and guided her to the chair closest to his father. She sat down, sharing a smile with his father. He took a seat beside her, grabbing the empty cup which was placed beside his plate and poured it with black steaming hot coffee.

He needed something stronger.

Irish coffee would probably do it, but that was out of the question. Scarlett's arm brushed against his occasionally as they were filling up their plate.

"What are your plans for the night?" His mother asked.

"Movie night." He answered without hesitation.

"Oh, I forgot about that." His mother glanced at her friend Ellen, "We always have a movie night whenever we stay here. The boys pick their favorite movie and then fight over it for ten minutes. Eventually, they settle for a movie and we can enjoy some family time together." His mother sounded excited which pissed him off more, "We should-"

"I'm not doing that." Lucian firmly told her, "I would have loved to do a movie night if Michael and Noah and his family were here but they're not. I don't dislike you." He flickered his eyes to Ellen and Jenna, "But movie night means something to me." He grabbed Scarlett's hands underneath the table and squeezed it for reassurance, "So we're not joining in for that."

"Lucian." His mother wanted to reason with him but he wasn't having it.

"Mom." He narrowed his eyes on her, holding her heated gaze.

It was then that his father finally decided to speak up. The whole room fell quiet when James cleared his throat and flickered his eyes to his wife, "That's enough, Emma. Lucian is right, movie night is more like a tradition for the boys. Don't force our son into doing something he doesn't want to. This weekend away is already not turning out the way he wanted to. Don't make it worse."

Lucian was grateful his father finally spoke up. It was awkward, everyone was totally silent at the table just staring at their plates. It was awkward but it was needed to be done. Scarlett faced him, he could tell she had trouble holding in her laughter. It was not the time to laugh yet as they stared at each other he couldn't help himself. She couldn't either.

They burst out in laughter, making everything worse.

"Sorry." Lucian breathed, "Scarlett and I will excuse ourselves. Breakfast was lovely, thank you, Jenna." He smiled at her, got to his feet and helped Scarlett to her feet as well, "Scarlett and I will go into town for lunch and dinner."

His mother nodded, not saying anything. She was fuming inside, he could tell she was not happy about this but couldn't speak up either. Not when his father made it clear that she was out of line. Lucian laced his fingers together with Scarlett's and left the dining room together with her. Once they were safely away from his mother and the other women who were all upset about the turn of events he laughed again.

Scarlett joined in.

This was not what Ellen and Jenna signed up for and they would probably tell their social circle about how horrible he was. He didn't care though. He was sure people would write them off as jealous. They would be okay.

"You've ruined that friendship." Scarlett pointed out, catching her breath, "Those women will hate you forever."

"I honestly don't care." He meant that "Let's head out, I don't want to stay around for the aftermath."

She hurried to the bathroom, "Agreed. I'll freshen up my makeup and then we can go."

The restaurant which was close by didn't have a great selection. The pancakes were to die for but they couldn't have pancakes for lunch and dinner. Well, they could but he wasn't sure if Scarlett was up for it. She emerged from the bathroom looking giddy, she looked happy to go out. This was their last night at the beach house and things between them were even better than before. She approached him with careful steps, smiling up to him when she stood before him.

"Ready to head out?" She asked.

He gulped when he felt her fingers linger on his chest, she pulled away flashing him that bright smile which promised him things she shouldn't. He never knew where they were standing.

"Yeah, let's go."

Scarlett grabbed his hand when they left his bedroom, he didn't feel the need to pull away even though he should. He tightened his hold on her hand and led her to the front door. They were about to head out when they were stopped by his mother. He didn't need Scarlett to listen to his mother's preaching. He could save her from a boring conversation which would become repetitive at this point.

He was sure his relationship with his mother has ruined all thanks to Ellen and her lovely daughter Jenna. He blamed his mother for letting total strangers ruin their relationship.

He handed his car keys to Scarlett who hesitated to take it, he grabbed her hand and dropped his keys in her hand and smiled at her, "Wait for me in the car, I'll be right there."

She didn't argue with him, she walked out of the beach house, leaving him alone with his mother.

"I don't know what happened to you." His mother went for it the minute Scarlett was out of sight, he didn't expect that "But that girl has changed you and not in a good way. You know better than treat people the way you did today, Lucian." She narrowed her eyes on him, "I raised you to be better than that."

"You're being obnoxious with your forceful ways." He told her quietly, "I'm not sitting back quietly and let you humiliate my girlfriend by shoving Jenna in my face. I don't like the woman and I never will and I also don't have to be nice to her just because she is friends with you. And don't tell me that you didn't plan any of it because where's Michael and Noah and his family? Just stop it."

He didn't want to raise his voice and alert his mother's guests so he remained quiet. The look on his mother's face told him that his words did get to her. She was too prideful to admit that she was wrong though.

So he continued, "It's safe to say that I won't be joining the next few family social gatherings. I don't trust you to plan behind my back and try and hook me up with some other woman I don't actually give a crap about."

"And you care about that woman." His mother pointed at the door but they both knew she was referring to Scarlett, "She's not right for you."

"How do you know that?" He asked her, "You didn't try to get to know her. Scarlett is good for me, that's all that matters." He opened the front door and stepped out, "I'm done with this conversation."

"You're choosing that woman over your own family." His mother hissed.

"I'm not choosing anyone over anyone, I'm telling you that I don't like what you did here and that you should stop going after Scarlett like that."

He didn't give his mother another chance to argue with him because they really weren't going anywhere. His father and his brother could deal with her, he was done with all of it for now. He joined Scarlett in his car and appreciated that she already put the key in the engine.

"Thanks."

She brushed her fingers over his arm, "You okay?"

He faced her, the concern in her eyes making him feel better already. Not because she was worried about him but that it showed that Scarlett was good to him. It didn't matter what his mother thought of this woman, he wouldn't push her away.

"I'm okay. So let's make this day about us."

He pulled away from the private parking lot and headed for the small town a bit away from the beach house. They both needed it.