Ms. Millionaire

Chapter Four

Adrienne's POV

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"Alexander? Where is Amir?" I say walking into the kitchen, pushing stray hairs out of my face.

"Amir went out last night, ma'am. He told me that he would be back home in time for work." I sigh, taking a sip of the coffee. It tasted off.

"Alexander, did you use a different brand of coffee?"

"No, ma'am. I used what Amir typically uses." Weird, it did taste different though. Maybe it was the lack of Amir's touch.

"Did he say where he was going?"

"No ma'am, he neglected to mention. Only when he would be back. Did you need him for something? I may not be as multi-talented as Amir, but I can attempt it?"

"No, no, it's nothing. It's just odd without him here. Now I think about it, when was his last day off?"

"I don't think he's ever taken a day off, Ms. Dietrovich."

"Who's never taken a day off?" Lucas says, coming from the direction of my bedroom.

"Amir, my..."

"Bodyguard?"

"He's quite more than a bodyguard. He does a bit of everything. I'm pretty sure he does your laundry."

"Sounds like I need an Amir of my own. But I think I'll settle for an Adrienne." I look back down into my coffee, before offering him a mug."

"Alexander is Ad-" Amir's sentence gets cut off when he sees that Alexander wasn't the only one in the kitchen. His hair is mused and out of place and his tie is undone. If it wasn't for the fact he looks perfectly alert I'd assume he'd just gotten out of bed.

"Good morning, Ms. Dietrovich." He says snapping back into his role.

"Good morning, Amir." His eyes flick towards Lucas before settling back on me and sliding down to my neck. I get hit with flashbacks of Lucas sucking and biting bruises into the skin there. I almost want to slap my hand over them. His expression stays neutral before excusing himself to his room.

"Does he have a room here?" Lucas stirs milk into his coffee, thanking Alexander.

"Yes, it was more practical for him to stay here." I look down at our hands in shock as he intertwines our fingers under the table. I can feel a smile tug on my lips.

"I don't believe we have met. I'm Alexander Halilović. I have worked for Ms. Dietrovich for the last six years." Alexander takes on a more threatening tone, staring down Lucas, who quickly drops his gaze. His grip on my hand tightens.

"Lucas Walker. Nice to meet you." He drags his eyes back to Alexander's before turning back to me.

"Adrienne, I've enjoyed our time together. I would love to stay longer, but I have to go home and get ready for work. My driver is outside." He pulls his fingers away from mine.

"Okay. As do I."

"I'm hoping for better results this time; here is my phone number. For whenever you would like to see me again." He sets the card into my hand.

"I'll keep that in mind." I reply, making no promises. But I did enjoy myself. Xara was right; I needed to take a break.

"I'll consider that a win then, Adrienne. Excuse me."

"Goodbye, Mr. Walker." He smiles at me fondly before making his way to the front door. I can hear it close behind him.

"He seems... civil." Alexander takes Lucas' newly abandoned seat.

"Yes, he is."

"Should I be expecting a round of grandchildren from you, Ms. Adrienne?"

"It's nothing quite that serious, Alexander." He smiles at me.

"That's good..." Alexander mutters under his breath; nonetheless, I can hear it.

"Why is that good?"

"No reason, Miss." I don't pursue it, my focus being brought back to my coffee and thoughts rather than conversation. I have an hour and a half before work. I need to get dressed.

"I should be heading out, Miss. Amir is here if you need anything."

"Give your wife and daughter my best, Alex."

"Of course."

I rest my head on the cool counter. I let myself wake up, slowly processing this morning's events. I slept with someone I work with. What part of my slightly intoxicated counterpart thought that would be a good idea? Now I have to work with him. At least he's gone now. I'm just going to throw his card away, again.

"Never again. And definitely don't listen to Xara anymore." I groan. I'm so tired, I don't want to go to work today. Almost anything would be better than that.

"Ms. Dietrovich, what are you interested in eating for breakfast today?"

"Sleep. I need more sleep in my life, Amir." He stops prepping breakfast and sits besides me.

"Yes, I'm inclined to agree. Is there something wrong?"

"Nothing world-shattering. Well, potentially. I just feel like I've hit a rut." I purse my lips dolefully, tapping my fingers on the marble counter. The clicking of my trimmed nails is the only sound in the room as Amir thinks about what I said.

"What do you mean?" He gives me his full attention, alert and completely focused on what I'm saying.

"I just don't really know what to do at this point. I already have what most people can only hope for. I don't have goals anymore." It's a scary realization, and even more terrifying to say out loud. I had been thinking about it for a while now but couldn't admit it to myself, much less someone else.

"I understand that feeling, Adrienne. It's incredibly overwhelming. Especially when people expect so much of you." He says while getting back up to continue fixing breakfast. He looks back at me over his shoulder with a thoughtful expression adorning his features.

"Maybe you should take some time off, see if you can clear your head without having to worry about your work responsibilities." I pause at his suggestion. It has indeed been quite some time since I've taken a break for myself. Yesterday was a good reminder of what I had been missing.

"Can I really do that? I have... obligations."

"I think the most important obligation is to yourself, Adrienne." I ponder his words for a long time, keeping my eyes glued to his back as he dutifully immerses himself in whatever he was cooking today.

"Should I go on vacation?"

"Whatever you think is best."

Authors' Note

The fact we've written more in two weeks on this book than Noir did in two years.

Thoughts?

Love, Vix and Noir