Illegally Yours |+18|

8. Do you find me incredibly beautiful?

Bess.

I cautiously look at the nice office in front of my eyes.

It is big and bright. Its white walls inspire me tranquility. Despite its dozens of drawers filled with what I imagine are documents, the place looks spacious and welcoming. In one of its corners there is a huge photocopier that gives me an idea of ​​what I am going to do here.

I walk towards the wooden desk where a computer rests. Beyond that, I take in his furnished swivel chair. Without thinking, I sit on it and spin around twice as a giggle escapes my mouth.

Aaron looks at me leaning against the door, a smile resting on his lips.

"You like?"

"Are you kidding?" I look at him as he walks towards me. "This is great, Aaron."

"Carmencita, one of the secretaries, is here to explain what you have to do," he says. "It's simple, you don't have to worry."

Seat. I'm a quick learner and I'm also going to do my best to do this well. I need the job.

"You work here?" I ask because I didn't know. The only thing Aaron told me was that Evan owned this marketing company and that he was willing to give me a job.

"Yeah, I just do a simple office job, nothing major, Bess," I nod, feeling an unavoidable thrill that I'm going to have him around. He notices it, so he asks, "Do you like having me around, pretty?"

I look into his eyes, a blush filling my cheeks. But I don't see the point in denying when he already knows the answer to his question.

"You know I do."

I watch him silently as he takes a strand of my hair and tucks it behind my ear with a gentleness that manages to make me shiver. He opens his mouth to say something, but then a plump older woman walks in with folders in hand, interrupting his words.

"Good morning," she nods to Aaron and me with a nice welcoming smile on her lips. "You must be Bess."

I nod in surprise, not knowing why a stranger knows about me. Immediately, I jump to my feet and grab Aaron's hand, fear filling my body. If anyone else finds out I'm underage, they're probably going to take me away from Aaron and put me back in foster care.

And I don't want that, of course I don't.

"Aaron," my voice shakes. "Does she know that I..."

“Yes, I told her, but it's all right” his arm wraps around my waist and pulls me close to his body, his voice whispering above my ear: “Only her and Evan know, they're not going to take you away from me ”.

"You promise?" I turn my face in his direction, needing to meet his eyes when I say it.

"I promise".

I nod after a few seconds, however, an internal conflict takes place in my head. I want the job, but I also want to be with Aaron. And every second that I'm here, I'm going to expose myself more to other people. They can find out my age and take me away from him.

"Bess, everything will be fine." Aaron calms me down.

“Your secret is safe with me” interjects the plump woman. "I'm Carmen and I'm going to help you with whatever you need."

I look at her in silence, not understanding why these people are giving so much for me. I am a stranger to them and yet they help me. I don't get it, I really don't.

Aaron stays by my side at all times while Carmen explains to me what I have to do. They are really simple things. Editing the letters she gives me, sorting all the documents in the drawers by date, photocopying and printing what she or anyone else needs, and making a few calls when she asks me to.

I smile, feeling proud of myself when Aaron is surprised to learn that I am able to use the computer. I learned how to do it at school. Computer classes were my favorites. The history ones, not so much.

If there was one thing the social workers always made sure of when they made their monthly visits to the foster homes I stayed in, it was that I was going to school. Apparently, it was a right that had to be fulfilled. Too bad they only cared about it.

Although I wasn't the best student, I wasn't the worst either. Average. I was an average student. When I ran away from the last house I was in, I was a senior. But classes are over, so I guess I failed. It's also not like I have a chance to finish my studies, so that doesn't really matter anymore.

I shake my head because school is not something I like to remember. My classmates weren't bad, but they weren't good either. They just passed me by as if I were invisible. I liked it that way, but sometimes it was really depressing to be so alone.

I come back to reality when Carmen explains step by step how to use the photocopier. I pay close attention and record in my head every instruction she gives me. When I think I've finally got it, I smile with all my teeth.

"Thank you!" I tell her, giving her an effusive hug which she returns as she laughs. “Now what do I start doing?”

Aaron's loud laugh draws my attention back to him. He is sitting in the swivel chair, looking at me.

"You really are excited, aren't you?"

“And how not to be? This is great, Aaron."

"I told you, right?" He asks Carmen. "She's special".

“And you weren't exaggerating”.

I shake my head as an inevitable smile settles on my lips. I like it when he says nice things about me. I believe them, everything he says I believe. At this point, I trust Aaron as blindly as I've ever trusted anyone, not even myself.

“Can you edit these documents and put today's date on them?” Carmen asks me.

"Yes of course".

“When you finish you print them and later I come to pick them up. Then you can start to arrange the files in the drawers. They have to go in alphabetical order.”

Seat.

Edit, print, sort alphabetically.

I can do that.

"I'll start right away."

She smiles at me and before walking out the door, she winks at Aaron. I feel like there's a hidden message behind that gesture, but I choose not to ask Aaron anything because I don't want to be nosy.

“I'd like to personally thank Evan for what he's doing for me,” I say to Aaron when we're alone. “Do you think he can see me right now?”

"No" he immediately denies. “It's just that Evan is super busy, pretty. He is going to make it impossible for him to serve you.”

"Oh, another day will be."

"Another day," he nods, getting to him feet quickly.

"What is this?" I ask when he hands me a small piece of paper that look like an identification document. “Bess Lee Cooper? Twenty years old” I read aloud. "What the hell, Aaron?"

“Fake ID. All that remains is to put your photograph there” he points to the blank space where my photo should actually go. “If someone asks you who you are, you say you are my cousin and you are twenty years old. If they keep asking you more things, you send them to hell, okay?

"But..."

"Today we fix the photo, for the moment, keep that identification and if you need it at any time for something, although I don't think so, then you show it."

"Okay" I put the document in the back pocket of my jeans, looking at it carefully. "Thank you?" It came out more like a question, but I'm not sure if all this is necessary.

I think he is exaggerating a bit.

“You're welcome” he smiles at me, as if he doesn't know that I'm thinking he's crazy. "I'm going to my office."

"Oh yeah, you're late."

And even though Evan is his best friend, I don't think he likes it when he's late for his work. Much less my fault.

"If you need something, you tell Carmencita," he says.

Seat. He gives my cheek a light caress and then walks to the door.

"Aaron!" I call him when I remember my treats. "You didn't give me my colored candy."

When he takes the bag out of his pants and hands it to me, I immediately open it and take a piece of candy to my mouth. I hand the bag to him so he can eat too. When he hands it back to me, I put it in my pocket to eat later.

I look at him while I chew and he looks at me.

I smile because there is something too funny about this.

“Show me your tongue” we say at the same time.

I take out mine to show it to him.

“I see red, yellow, purple, green and… no more”.

“Rainbow!” I scream, excited. It is the first time that I have a colored tongue. "Your turn!"

When he sticks his tongue out at it, there's just a deep pink color there.

A loud laugh escapes my mouth.

"Your tongue is pink, Mr. Pink," I tease, crossing my arms over my breasts as I look at him.

Aaron's eyes twinkle with mischief as he walks over to me. "Are you making fun of my tongue?"

"No," I back away as he laughs, trying to get away from whatever has occurred to him. "I'm not just making fun of your language, I'm making fun of you too."

"Little mischief."

Without seeing it coming, I ended up cornered by him against my desk. His hands hold my hips to prevent me from escaping and then his tongue comes out to lick half my face.

I let out a high-pitched screech.

"Gross, Aaron!"

"Pretty, Bess!"

This time, his face burrows into my neck and licks where my pulse beats. However, the disgust never comes. On the contrary, my laughter stops abruptly because a strange tremor invades my body. His breath hits my damp skin, causing shivers and goosebumps all over my body.

“You have to work” I manage to say when silence invades the place.

My heart is beating so fast and strong that I'm sure he hears it.

"Yes, you're right" he finally moves his face away from my neck and like the first night I stayed in his apartment, he gently plays with his nose on mine. "See you later".

And he walks away from me, leaving me with a strange tremor in my legs.

[...]

The morning passed quickly and when it finally came time for lunch, Aaron surprised me when he showed up with two sandwiches and drinks. We ate at my desk while we chatted about anything and even later he helped me sort some of the files in the drawers. Finally, when lunch time was over, he went back to his office.

And right now, while I'm on the letter C of the files, sitting on the floor with sheets scattered everywhere, a girl walks into my office. She is dark-haired, tall and curvy. Her skirt is too short and the buttons on her shirt may be damaged, because they show too much cleavage. When I go to tell her that I can help her put on her buttons, she interrupts me.

"I came to collect the files that Carmen asked you to edit."

I raise my eyebrows in surprise.

A little rude, right?

Maybe she's having a bad day.

"They're printed on the desk," I tell her, continuing with the files I have with me.

I hear her shuffling papers on my desk and then I can swear she giggles a little.

"Something happens?" I ask.

"No, nothing," she looks with amusement at the documents she has in her hand, then in an extremely sweet voice, she says, "I'm going to photocopy some documents that are needed in the boardroom, no problem?"

“Do you want me to do it for you?”

"No!" She immediately denies. "You continue with those files, don't worry."

Oh how nice.

I smile at her because I really like it when people are nice. They fill my chest with happiness and warmth.

I continue arranging the files, and finally, after a few seconds, she leaves without saying goodbye.

Maybe two hours later, Aaron walks into the office with a few papers in hand. I watch as he closes the door behind him, seriousness plastered on his face.

"Something happens?"

“Do you find me unbelievably beautiful?” he asks, suddenly.

"What?" I stand up, the words sounding familiar. "What are you talking about?"

“My blue eyes are the deepest and most enchanting you have ever seen?” Read one of the sheets that he brings in his hands. “My laugh is your favorite sound in the world and you want to run your fingers through my hair to find out how it feels?”

Ice runs through my veins.

"From where...?"

"Evan's secretary passed out these sheets in the boardroom, in front of the company's new clients."

He hands me almost a dozen sheets where the words I stupidly wrote this morning are photocopied. Also, there is a huge heart where "Bess and Aaron forever" is written.

Why the hell did I write something like that?

"I... uh..."

Have I ever felt so ashamed as now?

I do not think so.

I want to hide behind the desk and never come out of there.

"Did you write that?" He ask me.

"I... I..."

I look into his eyes without seeing him, moisture filling my eyes.

It was her? Did Evan's secretary do this? Why would she do something like that to me? She doesn't even know me.

"Bess, pretty," I walk away when he tries to bring me closer. "I am not angry. The only thing I can't figure out is why you gave those papers to Evan's secretary."

"But I didn't give her anything!" Scream. “She took them, I swear. I did not notice".

“Bess...”

"You have to believe me. Why would I be embarrassed like that? I'm not an i***t!" I search on the desk and take the original paper. "Look! I had it there! There alone! She arrived while I was organizing the files in the drawers, she took the documents that Carmen asked me to edit and then she said that she needed to photocopy some papers. I offered to help her, but she refused. Now I understand why. She wasn't being nice, she was just being a poisonous b***h who…”

"Shh, shh" he grabs my wrist and pulls me into his arms. "I believe you, I believe you".

"Are you really doing it?" I ask over his chest, dropping the silly papers on the floor.

"Of course I do," he says with amusement. "I'm sure you didn't want the entire company to find out about your fascination with me."

A painful moan escapes my mouth.

"I am so embarrassed..."

"So it's true?" he asks with his lips on my ear. "Is everything you say there true?"

"Do you want to stop embarrassing me?" I whisper in a small voice, not daring to look at him.

"Let's see, let's see..."

A little scream escapes my mouth as he grabs my thighs and lifts me onto the desk, nonchalantly tossing the papers to the floor.

"What...?"

He takes my hand and leads it to his hair, forcing me to bury my fingers in the brown, almost black tangle of it.

"You're already stroking my hair, how does it feel?"

I smile like a fool. The embarrassment completely disappearing.

“It's not as cool as I thought it would be,” I tease, digging my fingers deeper into his scalp.

"Oh no?" He looks at me with amusement. "I'm sure you're lying to me... Now what else do you want to do with me?"

The thought of him letting me see him shirtless crosses my mind, but I know that's too intimate. The thought of him seeing me shirtless embarrasses me and Aaron must feel the same way.

So I just decide to be funny.

“I want to know what it feels like to hit you in the face and also, I would love to know what you would look like if I cut your hair completely.”

A laugh escapes his lips, eliciting my own.

"I would still look great, I assure you."

"Surely yes".

I carefully brush the hair off his forehead and push it back. He watches me all the time, until the fun fades from the spot and is replaced by something heavier that I still can't find a name for, because I haven't felt it before.

"Bess?" He asks.

"Yes?" I whisper, not knowing why I do it.

I tremble slightly as Aaron's hands tighten on my waist and he brings our noses back together, his breath mingling with mine.

"When I tell you everything I want to do to you, are you going to let me do it?"

My answer is immediate: “Yes”.

A lopsided smile that I think is satisfaction settles on his lips. Then he grabs me by the hips and lowers me back to the floor.

"Pretty" he looks me straight in the eyes. "What do you think if instead of secretly writing everything you think about me or want to do to me, you better tell me?"

“Aaron...”

"I'm not going to get mad, I promise. But if anyone else finds out about... your fascination with me, they're going to use it to shame you, and I don't want you to feel shame again."

"I'm not fascinated with you!" I reply, now angry. "But it's okay, I won't write something like that again."

"Fine" he takes a few steps away from me. “We're almost gone, so you can finish what you were doing now. I'll pick you up later."

"Seriously, Aaron." I grab his hand before he leaves. "I'm not fascinated with you... just... just..."

"Just…?" He insists.

"You're very handsome" I accept between clenched teeth.

"How much?" I growl as a smug smile settles on his lips. "Answer, Bess."

“A lot” I reluctantly agree.

He shakes his head, laughing totally amused as he heads for the door.

But for all the muffins in the world, damn it, I don't find the fun of this!

"Want me to tell you something?" He asks just before leaving.

"What?"

"You are beautiful," he says, looking at me. "You're damn beautiful, Bess." A smile settles on my lips when he smiles too. "And a lot".

And he leaves, leaving me in a cloud of new sensations.