The Billionaire's Bitch

Fifty-Five

Everyone was suitably surprised when Adrian and I came walking across the cemetery lawn to the group gathered around the prepared gravesite.

We had missed the chapel service, but the priest had a few more words to speak from the Bible as the casket with Wallace's urn was lowered into the ground.

Adrian and I stood at the back and I tried not to think about how I rather wished I could hold his hand.

I tried not to think about how horrifyingly depressing it was that an entire life could be reduced down to ash in a matter of minutes. Seconds, really.

I doubted that poor Wallace had even seen those thugs coming when they had stormed the Kingsley building.

One day he had been waiting for his shift to end, wondering what was for dinner, worrying about bills and his grandchildren getting through college, the next, BAM!, gunned down, dead, for no reason other than the fact that he was in the way.

Because he had worked for Adrian Kingsley.

I glanced up at my employer to find his face completely deadpan and glazed over.

Nobody home?

Or perhaps the funeral was making him uncomfortable so he felt the need to shut himself off from the entire event, the entire world, including me.

Or maybe he was still feeling down about having to return Ty to Tiffany so early. Or maybe he was still kinda mad at me for turning down his offer for free and easy sex.

My employer was a complicated creature, after all.

And yet, at the same time, he was such a classic idiot man sometimes.

When Wallace was finally lowered into his final resting place, his widow and a few of Wallace's old friends who were still in Adrian's employ approached us.

"Can we leave now?" Adrian asked me in a low voice, gazing longingly back the way to the car.

I stepped on his foot as I smiled sympathetically at the widow, who was nearly upon us. "Mrs. Keats. We are so terribly sorry for your loss." I said to her. I might have even offered an awkward little bow.

The old widow had eyes only for Adrian, however. "Oh, Mr. Kingsley!" She crooned, grasping his hands earnestly in both of hers. "How good of you to come! I understand how busy you are. Wallace would've just been tickled by this, you know."

I'm not honestly sure who was more surprised, me or Adrian.

"Oh, would you mind terribly if I introduced you to a few people who were very special to my dear Wallace? You benefitted all of our grand babies so much with all those hefty Christmas bonuses, you know!"

Adrian looked to me, and I had to hide my smile. I'd never seen pure terror in my boss's eyes before, and he was looking at me; for help.

It honestly warmed my heart a little, especially because I knew he'd be just fine. It wasn't like he was in any real danger.

And if he was, that was Mike Barrett's job to take care of. The surly bodyguard was standing back a ways, looking very official in his dark blue suit and sunglasses, his deadpan expression and folded hands.

I glanced back at him as Wallace's family dragged Adrian away, leaving me in the wake of their mass.

Mike looked at me from behind his glasses, but he made no change of expression.

He was disgusted and disappointed with me, I could tell.

I knew because I was a little disgusted and disappointed with myself right then.