His Absolute Assignment - Elise's Love Story: The Billionaire's Continuum (#1) (A Contemporary Romance Novel) (6 page)

"What do you say?" Asher asked.  "Will you take good care of her?"

Her?  He called the book "her."  I didn't know whether I would have considered
Dante's Inferno
a him or a her, but I appreciated the fact that he didn't call the book "it."  Books were alive, the stories were vibrant and real in their own special ways, and they deserved attention and care and meaning.

They deserved...

It wasn't until later that I realized who Asher was.  Asher Landseer, billionaire CEO of Landseer Enterprises, one of the richest men in the world.  I'd spoken with him.  I was helping Rob to restore his book.  I was...

Currently I was standing outside his office in Landseer Tower.  I raised my hand and knocked politely.

"Who is it?" someone asked from inside.  It sounded like Asher.

"Um... Mr. Landseer?  I mean, Asher.  Right.  Er..."  What was I doing?  Why was I here?  I was looking for Lucent.  "Is Lucent there?  Uh, Mr. Storme?  You know?  Public Relations Director-y sort?"  Did I really just say that?  A Public Relations
Director-y
sort?  I made it sound like Lucent was a phone book.  My next words came out fast, anxious.  "I went to his office but he wasn't there and he doesn't have a secretary and he never tells the main lobby secretary what he's doing, but I guess no one would do that, anyways.  I have no idea where he is, and..."

The door opened abruptly and Lucent stood there, looking down at me.  I jumped slightly, startled.

"Oh.  Lucent, you're, uh... here," I said.

He nodded.  "Yes, Miss Tanner.  You were looking for me?" he asked.

I leaned forward, whispering.  "Are you busy?  Can I come in?"

I didn't know the protocol for that sort of thing.  I'd been in Asher's office before, but only with Jessika, since we'd used his private meeting room to discuss some things.  I'd never been in there with just Asher.  Lucent was here now, so it wouldn't be
just
me and Asher, but still.

"You want to enter into Mr. Landseer's personal office?"  Lucent raised both brows.

"Is that alright?" I asked.  "I mean, I've been in here before, so I don't think there's anything wrong with it, but all of this really confuses me sometimes.  Jessika and—"

Lucent interrupted me.  "Mrs. Landseer."

Whoops!  "Oh.  Uh... Right.  Mrs. Landseer and I have meetings in here sometimes if it's too busy in the commons meeting room.  I like it in the commons, though.  It's interesting, you know?  The meeting room here isn't bad, but it's not as exciting."  What was I saying?  Why was I rambling?  I didn't know, but I couldn't have stopped myself if I tried.  "Did you know you can have a meeting in a garden shed there?" I asked him.  "Or, it's not a garden shed, I guess, since it's set up in the middle of a huge ballroom.  I guess it's not a ballroom since no one ever dances.  That's what it reminds me of, though."

Lucent smiled softly at me, distracting me from my nervousness.  "Miss Tanner?"

"Yes?"

"You're rambling."

"Oh."

From further in the room, Asher said, "Stop teasing her.  Elise, you can come in if you'd like.  Lucent and I were just discussing business propositions."

I loved Lucent, I really did.  I enjoyed spending time with him, but... sometimes when he was around other people, and especially when he was in Landseer Tower, he changed a little.  I understood it, and this was his job.  It was a business, and he had a certain way of doing things and acting in his business life that differed somewhat from his social life.  He was still formal... almost always formal... but he put up this wall when dealing with others, like he didn't want anyone to know that he cared or ever showed concern or worry.

I understood, and yet I just didn't like it.  I wanted him to greet me with a hug and squeeze me tight, then kiss me.  Nothing excessive, and a kiss on the cheek would do.  It's not like it was some huge secret that we were dating, you know?  Or maybe it should have been.  I'd never really bothered keeping it a secret, and maybe that upset Lucent?

I wasn't sure, and I didn't want to think about it right then.  I didn't want to be in this hallway anymore, I wanted to be somewhere more comfortable, so I hurried into Asher Landseer's office, scurrying past Lucent, and moving to join Asher who was sitting alongside a sparse wall.  Asher had a little library nook in his office and I really liked it.  I wished we could sit there instead, but Asher was already seated so I didn't want to disrupt anything.

When I reached the chair, I... no.  I changed my mind.  I went back to Lucent and I hugged him tight.  He closed the door after I came in, so no one could see us, anyways.  Asher could see us, I supposed, but that didn't count.  We were alone now, together, and I wanted to hug him.

Lucent didn't hug me back at first, though.  I squeezed him tight, pretending he was, pretending he wasn't looking down at me with a business-like scowl even though I knew he was.  I liked feeling him close to me, feeling my cheek press against him, listening to his heart beat softly.  It was hard to hear through his suit coat and shirt, and maybe I was just making it all up, but I knew I could hear it.

And now for the kiss.  I practically crawled up his body, pressing close to his chest while I stood on tiptoes to get closer to his cheek, and I kissed him there.  Lucent's scowl melted and he smiled at me, looking a little lost and confused, but happy.  I understood that, though.  Landseer Tower was to Lucent what the library was to me.  He felt safe and comfortable here.  He felt safe and comfortable hiding behind an austere, corporate exterior.

He bent his head down and whispered in my ear.  "I'm sorry," he said, his words rough and stumbling.  "I don't feel entirely comfortable with you in the presence of others, but please understand that I'd like nothing more than to squeeze you tight and kiss you all over your beautiful body, Miss Tanner.  I do love you, I just find it difficult to show it in the confines of the workplace at times."

My eyes widened.  This was new.  It was different.  I didn't know why he said that all of a sudden, but it made me happier.  It comforted me to know that maybe I could comfort Lucent.  He always seemed like mine, the person I went to for comfort, but I could be his, too.  I
was
his.

I squeezed him in a hug one last time and this time he returned my embrace.  Sneaking out of his grip and slinking away, I went back to visit with Asher.  Asher sat there, grinning, watching me watching Lucent.  I went to sit, but then I realized there weren't enough chairs, so I grabbed one from near Asher's desk, brought it over, and offered it to Lucent when he approached.  Then I sat.  We were all sitting.  It took a bit of work, but, oh well.

I smiled and nodded to Asher.  Yes, he was a billionaire, and the CEO of the company, but he also liked books and I felt like that made him my friend.  I mean, he was sort of my friend, too, right?  Jessika was my friend, and Asher was her husband, and we knew each other, so...

"Hi," I said.

Asher smiled.  "Hi, Elise.  How are you?"

"Good.  How are you?"

"Very good.  Did you get the invitation from Jessika for tonight's party?"

Well, I did, and I would have spoken to her directly, but since I couldn't, I supposed Asher was a suitable alternative?

"Yes," I said.  "I think that's so sweet of you to do.  I really do.  It's nice, but—"

Lucent cut me off.  "You're going."

I tried to finish my sentence, but it didn't work so well.  "...I have to..."  I couldn't go, I didn't belong.  Yes, I... I felt better now, sort of.  I was with Lucent, and Asher.  I knew them both.  But I still didn't belong here, or there, or anywhere like that.  The corporate party was taking place at Landseer mansion and that might as well have been a foreign country for all I knew or cared.  I meant that in a nice way, and I knew that Asher and Jessika were nice people, but it didn't change who I was.  I didn't like groups or crowds, and I didn't know anyone, and...  "Lucent," I said, stumbling for words, annoyed that he was making me do this.  "I have to do something.  It's important."

"You don't have anything to do," he said.  "You don't want to go because you think you'll be out of place.  I assure you, you won't."

He had me there.  That's exactly what I was thinking.  "Who am I even going to talk to?  I won't know anyone there."

"You won't know anyone there?"  He gazed at me, curious.  "Are you positive?"

I mumbled and muttered.  "I can't just go up and talk to you and Asher and Jessika.  You'll all be busy."

Lucent sighed.  "Mr. and Mrs. Landseer," he said, correcting me again.

Asher interrupted.  "Neither of us minds if you call us by our first names."

"See?" I said to Lucent, ignoring his attempt at a scowl.  "Anyways, you'll all be busy and I'll end up standing against a wall.  I don't know if you know this, but that's how it always was in school, too.  I'd just stand against a wall and sip fruit punch out of a cup and sway back and forth."

I'd been like that years ago.  I didn't make friends very easily.  I thought I was a nice person, and I tried to get to know people better, but it just didn't work most of the time.  I didn't know why.

"Someone may ask you to dance," Lucent said.  "In fact, if someone doesn't ask you to dance, they're foolish."  He seemed so sure of this statement, and yet I wasn't sure of it at all.  "I cannot even comprehend why the most beautiful woman in attendance would be relegated to swaying back and forth while sipping idly at a cup of fruit punch while leaning against a wall."  Turning towards Asher, he added, much to my amusement, "Pardon, Mr. Landseer, I may be biased and Mrs. Landseer is certainly a close second in terms of attractiveness."

"No offense taken," Asher said, laughing.

I wasn't as convinced as Lucent.  In fact, I was fairly positive he was wrong.  I was plain.  I was rather ordinary, actually.  Brown hair, maybe a little mousy, and while I wasn't in the worst of shape, I could have worked out more and eaten better.  Jessika had beautiful blonde hair, pretty blue eyes, and she had a personal trainer who helped her three times a week to keep in shape.  She'd offered to let me join her as part of my benefits package for Landseer Enterprises, and we could spend part of our work day exercising in the company fitness room on one of the lower levels, but I declined.  I didn't know why I declined, but I felt awkward about it.  I was clumsy sometimes and I had some irrational worry that someone would see me trip on a treadmill or something; which would both hurt and be embarrassing.

"Are
you
going to ask me to dance, Lucent?" I asked, pushing away the idea of an awkward exercise mishap.  "I don't want to dance with a random person.  I'm awful at mingling.  What do you even do?  Just go up to people and talk about the weather?  I don't understand how to do it."

Lucent took a deep breath in.  "You peer outside, ascertain as to whether it is hot, cold, raining, snowing, or all other manner of meteorological assessment, then you approach someone of interest and discuss in minor detail what you've just discovered," he said, putting his deep breath to good use.  "It's quite simple, Miss Tanner."

I rolled my eyes at him, giggling.  "Did you really just say all of that to me? 
Meteorological assessment
?" I asked.

Lucent glared at me, his lips pushing upwards at the sides, playful and trying to hide a silly smirk.  I glared right back at him, making no attempt at hiding my own teasing smile.  Asher laughed at the both of us.

"You're both insane," Asher said.  "Lucent, just dance with her.  It's supposed to be a celebration."

"A
business
celebration," Lucent added.  "Certain formalities must be maintained.  Miss Tanner is an employee of Mrs. Landseer and Landseer Enterprises.  It would appear uncouth if she and I were to partake in more intimate relations during a business event."

I frowned, but I tried to hide it.  I knew Lucent felt this way, and I understood his reasoning, but it still hurt.  I didn't like to hear him say it, nor did I want to.  What about what happened in his office earlier?  Yes, we were in private, but I wanted him to do things like that in public, too.  Or, maybe not
exactly
that, but I wanted him to hold me.  I wanted him to want to dance with me, and to kiss me, business celebration or not.  He did it outside of work, and we walked down the streets holding hands and things like that.  We'd play and tease each other, and he'd kiss me lightly on the nose and lips and cheeks and forehead if we were out and about.  Lucent really was very gentle and loving, just... not exactly any of those things when it came to business.

"I'm not
your
employee," I said, grumping.  I didn't want to sound accusing and childish, but I wanted him to know at least a little about how I felt.  "You wouldn't even hire me, remember?" I reminded him.  "I think Jessika would dance with me, too."  Some epiphany struck me and I looked towards Asher.  "Asher, would you dance with me?"

Lucent clenched his jaw, but said nothing.  I doubted he found my rebellion very entertaining at the moment.

"Yes," Asher said.  "It would be my pleasure."

Grumbling, from Lucent.  No, he didn't find this entertaining at all.

Switching form, I grinned and scooted my chair towards Lucent, whispering loudly to him.  "Does this mean you'll spank me before the party?" I asked.  "I'll go, then.  If you use your velvet-covered—"

I just meant it as a joke, some fun and capricious statement of whimsy, but Lucent (perhaps predictably) got mad.  I really shouldn't do these things, I thought.  I was just... I didn't know what I was right now.

"Elise!" Lucent said, loud and clear.  "We're in the presence of Mr. Landseer, CEO of Landseer Enterprises, currently residing in his office within Landseer Tower.  This is hardly the time or place for—"

I scooted closer to Lucent again, as close as I could get.  Placing my hands on his arm, I held him lightly and put my head on his shoulder.  Smiling up at him, I said, "I love you, though."

Lucent smiled down at me, conflict in his eyes.  We were both not very good with each other sometimes.  I didn't think either of us ever fully understood the other, to be honest.  It was stupid to argue, though.  For every one thing Lucent did that I didn't like, he did about a hundred things that I absolutely loved.  I hoped that he felt the same way about me.  I hoped that...