Chapter 4

Alexia.

It was soon time for lunch and I went to get Michael something to eat. I didn't know what he liked but when I asked, he said that anything was good. Which wasn't saying much, if you ask me. I wanted to get him something that suited his tastes but the variety I was given made me nervous because of how broad it was. 

Michael and I had been working together for three days now and he didn't talk to me much. Apart from the greetings we exchanged in the mornings and him ordering me around, we've never really gotten to know each other at all. It troubled me that I was still new to him and him new to me. I preferred knowing everything I was allowed to know about my boss to avoid mistakes. 

I had just arrived from an international restaurant that sold amazing pasta and beef stew. Running errands for his father really paid off because I knew all the reliable and wonderful places for food, wine and social and business gatherings. 

Walking past the marketing department, I thought of stopping to see Luis and Tony but they were probably out. At this time, most people were either eating out or in their offices and the possibility of missing them gave me more reason to not stop. As I made my way to the elevator, two women stopped me. A redhead and a blonde.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Dawson," the redhead greeted politely.

"Good afternoon," I replied with a smile.

"You're the boss' P.A, right?"

I nodded.

"So you're like, the closest person to him?" The blonde asked.

I looked to the side uncomfortably, failing to fight the feeling that I knew where this was going. "I guess so." 

"So what does he like? Have you seen him talking to any women? Where is he usually found during breaks?"

"Unfortunately, I don't have the answers to your questions," I said. "I just started working with him so, I'm still new to his preferances."

"She's just being greedy with the information," the redhead said to her companion.

"I'm not, honestly." I took a step back from the women who were now glaring daggers at me. "I have to go." 

"You've got some nerve just because you work so close with him," the redhead said raising her voice. "It's not a big deal, you know?" 

"Yeah, sh..... Maybe we need to...." The blonde continued.

I couldn't gather what they were saying to each other and I didn't ask them to repeat it. It obviously wasn't anything good. 

"Sorry for making you uncomfortable. Why don't we talk somewhere private?" The blonde asked with a smile so friendly that it was almost scary.

Swallowing my anxiety, I answered, "I seriously need to go. Mr. Clarkson will get mad if I delay." 

"You know, if you didn't want to say anything, you could've just said so."

"I keep telling you that I don't know."

"Madison, don't bother. The lady's deaf. I bet that she's having a hard time hearing," the blonde snickered. "Sofia already taught her a lesson at the party, remember?"

The redhead gasped and the amused smile on her face disgusted me. "Serves you right. Despite all that happening, I'm surprised that you still have courage to show your face here."

"He'll fire her in no time."

"I hope so. We're all tired of you and I bet he'll be too."

I hated everything that they were saying but my voice didn't seem to be working. I looked down as they went on with their harassment and wished that they could just back off and leave me alone.

You see?

They were only loud enough when saying hurtful things. That's how it was all the time. 

"Hey, don't ignore us." The redhead grabbed a fist of my hair and pulled me closer to her. "Are our voices too low for you?" 

I clenched my fists as my anxiety turned into anger. "Everything about you is too low for me."

"What!?" 

"What's going on here?" Mr. Clarkson asked as he quickly walked towards us. 

The women quickly backed away from me. I looked up to see Michael standing a few feet in front of us and he didn't look pleased.

"Good afternoon, sir," the blonde greeted with a wide smile. "We were just playing around with our friend here." She glanced at me through the corner of her eye. "Right?"

I nodded nervously. I didn't want to explain or start a fight with these women. I hated confrontations and preferred if the incident was just forgotten.

He looked at us closely and pointed at me. "You. Come with me." 

He turned and began to walk to the elevator before I could respond. I quickly followed him and we awkwardly stood together before entering the elevator. The ride up was as quiet as a graveyard at midnight and it was like we were both trying not to look at each other.

"Were you looking for me?" I asked, trying to somewhat clear the heavy atmosphere.

"Yes. You took so long that I wondered if you got caught up somewhere and I guess I was right."

I looked at the paper bag in my hands and hoped that the food hadn't gone cold yet. "I'm sorry for making you wait." 

A few more seconds of silence passed before he asked, "What did they want from you?"

"It's not a big deal. Don't worry about it."

"It didn't look like that to me. One of them even yanked your hair or maybe you like that sort of play?"

I blushed. "No, sir. It isn't something to worry about and I can deal with my own problems."

"Does that happen a lot?"

I shrugged as I tried to act nonchalant. "Not really."

He sighed. "You are bad at defending yourself. You're my P.A and I don't want you to be scared of wandering through the halls. What you just said proves that it wasn't a game at all." He looked at me, his chocolate brown eyes meeting my mismatched ones and with a stern voice, he said, "If something like that happens again, you have to tell me, got that?"

"Yes."

He looked ahead and I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. Who knew that a human being would have such a captivating gaze?

The bullying had started a few months ago. Despite the rudeness of others, they never tempered with my documents so, I never reported it because I thought that it would eventually stop. I was hoping that Michael wouldn't find out about it and I was curious to know what was currently going on in his head. I didn't expect him to be so concerned but at the same time, I was moved that he was protective of me.

I took a quick glance in his direction. Michael was a very handsome man. I could understand why they wanted to get close to him because he rarely interacted with the others outside work matters. He also kept himself in his office until it was time to knock off. Despite looking like he hated every inch of this place, he was a fast learner and diligent boss.

The elevator doors opened and he stepped out as I quietly followed behind. Entering his office, he sat on his desk and I began to set up his food in front of him. The office was peacefully silent, unlike earlier, and I enjoyed it.

I set a fork on top of the napkin close to his plate and asked, "What beverage would you like? Apple sangria or a mango cocktail?"

"An apple sangria would be nice," he answered as he looked at the food in front of him. After I put the glass on his desk, he asked, "Where did you get such exotic stuff from?"

"I bought the meal from an Italian restaurant and grabbed the bevarages from the kitchen downstairs."

"You could've just gotten me a McDonald's meal like every other normal person."

I frowned. A simple thank you would've been great. "I'm sorry. Your father likes expensive dishes and you haven't told me what you like yet."

He nodded, put his phone away and leaned back into his chair. "How about you? Aren't you having lunch?"

"I will after you're done eating."

"I'm neither a child nor an old man. You don't have to wait on me before you think of yourself."

"I feel more comfortable when I do."

"What's wrong with you?" He asked in confusion. "If you think that this kind of act is cute, it isn't."

"I'm not acting, sir," I said honestly.

He shot me the most sarcastic look that I've ever received and it could put Luis' sarcasm to shame. "You know what? Suit yourself." 

He sat upright and began to eat. To make him feel better, I sat across from him and began to eat too. No words were exchanged but I didn't mind. This was our first real conversation as CEO and P.A and it made me very happy.