Personal Assistant (MXM - EDITING )

Chapter 6: Time legend.

Nick lowered his chin. "Mr. Ochoa, I'm flattered at the suggestive tactic, but I'd rather not see you shirtless on your second day."

Seven's eyes widened at the comment. He pressed his lips inward, nodding at Nick. It's my apartment, Seven thought. Why are you telling me what I shouldn't wear under my roof? Seven cleared his throat and forced a smile. "I'm sorry, Mr. Anderson. I'm wondering what I should wear for this meeting?"

Nicolas shot him back a smile. His eyes trailed down Seven's abdomen as if he were watching the beauty of his prey. The shower kept going upstairs, and the only sound went on through the apartment. Nicolas could've answered quickly, but the view was just too good.

Too good.

"Whatever you have. Don't waste too much time," Nicolas said, throwing his head back to the top of the backrest.

Seven nodded before running back upstairs, not asking any more questions.

Nicolas's smile kept on his face as he heard the footsteps course back up. The sight of his assistant surprised him, and it definitely was something.

***

After the humiliating scene, the two co-workers went to the restaurant. Inside the black Corvette, Nicolas spoke to Marcel on the phone. Chuckles escaped the CEO's mouth as the conversation went on. Nicolas kept his eyes on the road, driving while Seven sat quietly, looking out the window. After showering, he hoped Nick wouldn't say anything about the shirtless situation, but thankfully, Nick was already on the phone when he went downstairs.

Seven quietly sighed as the wind blew gently to his face, helping him ease the anxiety crawling on his spine. The car stopped at a red light while Nick said his goodbyes to his friend and hung up.

It was silent. Seven's eyes focused on the empty sidewalk as if looking at a prized trophy. He thought that if Nick looked at him, he might notice his assistant keeping himself busy by looking out the window. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

"Quite a show you put on back there," Nicolas said.

Seven's chest pounded. "Sir, if I can explain—"

"Don't worry about it, Ochoa. I understand your first day was a bit slow. It's understandable if you wanted to sleep in a little bit."

The light went green, and the car continued. Seven frowned, still looking away to avoid the embarrassment. He didn't like the silence that came after, but the awkwardness of knowing his boss saw him shirtless overwhelmed him enough not to speak. Though, it ate him up.

Say something, he thought. He wanted nothing more than for his boss to say something regarding work.

"I'm surprised you didn't ask anything about your job responsibilities yesterday," Nick started.

Seven exhaled as he moved his attention to the front of the car, feeling the air around them shift. "I assumed everything I needed to know was in the online job description."

Nicolas sneered. "So, you didn't worry about anything else? Maybe something you've missed?"

Seven swallowed. The roads were empty, seeing that it was a Saturday morning. The sun shined brightly in the sky, with clouds accompanying it throughout the day. "Not really, Mr. Anderson. I'm aware of most of my tasks as an assistant. I've researched before the interview to see if the job fit what I was looking for."

"Well," Nicolas responded, "would you mind telling me what you know then? I'd like to see how much of the job description you know."

Seven's shoulders dropped. He wasn't nervous about the question but more about how he was put on the spot. He closed his eyes as if recollecting what he had read. "I'm managing visitors and calls, resolving issues, and I'm expected to run any business or personal errands and perform any tasks you ask." Nicolas didn't say anything, but Seven could see him nodding in the corner of his eyes. The silence built up again, and Seven felt like Nicolas was waiting for more details. "I arrange travels and provide estimates for activities and events."

Nicolas nodded again. "Your memory amazes me. Word for word, you managed to remember."

Seven looked out the window again, letting the wind mess with his light brown hair. "I'm also aware that my pay depends on the number of hours I work, including the traveling I do with you, and I know my free days depend on you, Mr. Anderson."

Nicolas smiled. He didn't expect Seven to check all the job description boxes. It was as if he were reading off the website. A sense of relief released the weight on his shoulders once he heard Seven clear everything up. "Good," Nicolas complimented.

***

Nicolas parked at the restaurant's parking lot and unbuckled his seat belt. He exhaled as he kept his eyes on the structure of the restaurant's walls. Seven moved his attention to the clock, relieved to see 9:59 am.

"I'm surprised you were able to shower and get dressed in time for the meeting, Time legend," Nicolas commented, weighing his head to the side and smiling at his assistant. Seven finally turned to the CEO, making eye contact with his blue eyes. Seven's cheeks flushed as if he had forgotten about the shirtless scene. He turned away from him and started the staring contest with the sidewalk again. Seven could hear a snicker coming from his mouth as he turned off the car and opened the door. "Don't get too flustered, Mr. Ochoa," Nick teased, "we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Seven opened his car door, trying to hide the blush from his cheeks. Do you want to talk about it? Seven wondered. He kept his back to Nick, waiting for him to walk to the door first.

"As much as I enjoyed the view, I'm afraid I must overlook the suggestive tactic."

No. It wasn't a suggestive tactic! Seven thought again as Nick's cologne flowed with the wind. Seven looked up from the street, seeing Nicolas walking to the door with his hands inside his pockets. He followed Nicolas and began matching the pattern of his steps. Seven didn't want to say anything, fearing that Nick would continue to bring up the situation. However, before he could generate questions about the meeting, Nicolas stopped, causing Seven to bump into him. The assistant looked up without thinking. "Sorry—"

The taller male gazed down at him with a teasing smile. "I'm joking, by the way," he reassured. "Don't overthink my comments, Mr. Ochoa."

A bump grew inside Seven's throat as the blue eyes struck him like lightning. He nodded slowly, but Nicolas turned around before acknowledging the response of his co-worker. Nick opened the door, letting out the cold air from the building hit their faces, and with the smell of seafood tagging along, the mood changed.