I leaned over and kissed his cheek. He mumbled something about “just five more minutes” before twisting under the blankets and hiding away from the sun. I couldn't help but smile as I went to the door to find my shoes.
I had to get ready for Kathryn’s meeting, and as the only clothing I had was my still damp outfit from the night before, I had to leave early in order to change and prep. I didn't want to go, but my job was important to me. Besides, once the meeting was over, I would have the rest of the day to do nothing but be with him. It sounded like the perfect way to spend a day.
“Where is that damn shoe?” I whispered, one flat in my hand and the other nowhere to be seen. I looked under the bed, under Aiden's clothes, on the porch, even in the gigantic closet attached to the huge bedroom.
As I searched and kept discovering more rooms, I wondered just what kind of assistant Aiden was. His room was nicer than Kathryn's. I paused for a moment as it hit me.
This had to be his boss's room and he had brought me here to impress me. I hoped Ben didn't mind and was out enjoying himself somewhere. We were definitely staying in my room after this, though. I didn't want to be doing the naked dance in someone else's room.
“Fine, you stupid shoe. Stay here,” I whispered into empty air. I could not for the life of me find it. I blew out a breath of frustration, making a strand of hair flutter up from my face. I liked these shoes, but I would just have to find them later. Aiden could help me look. The later part of that thought made me smile. There was going to be a later.
I took one last peek at Aiden's sleeping form, giggling at how he had turned himself into a burrito, and carefully escaped. The word outside still smelled of rain. I took a deep breath, enjoying the way the salty air of the ocean mixed with the clean scent of freshly watered tropical plants. I filed the fragrance away in my memory as something wonderful.
“Good morning,” a familiar voice interrupted my thoughts. Walking up the path was Kathryn in exercise clothes heading to the gym for a quick workout before the meeting. I wondered just how walk-of-shame-y I looked wearing a wet dress and missing my left shoe.
“Good morning,” I replied cheerfully. I pulled away from Aiden's door and began to hurry back toward my own.
“Did you just come out of Mr. Hayes' suite?” She looked pointedly at my wet dress and I blushed hot enough steam should have come off the fabric.
“Mr. Hayes? No, no.” I shook my head. At least I wasn't sleeping with the billionaire. I'm sure that was a conflict of interest somewhere. “That's where his assistant, Aiden, is staying today.”
Kathryn frowned. “Mr. Hayes doesn't
have an assistant. He has a bodyguard named Ben, but no assistant. Especially not one with the same name.”
“You must be mistaken,” I stammered. “Mr. Hayes is in his sixties and the man in there is barely thirty. There's no way that's Mr. Hayes.”
She chuckled and shook her head. “You're thinking of Gerald Hayes. He founded the company, but his sons, Aiden and Logan run the company. Aiden Hayes is the Travel, Inc. representative that is scheduled to be here.”
“Oh...” I swallowed hard and felt like my knees were going to give out. “Oh, boy.”
Kathryn cocked her head to the side, apparently amused at my surprise. To be honest, thinking a billionaire was an assistant would be hilarious. I would be amused too if it hadn't been me. “Did you really think Aiden Hayes was an assistant?”
I nodded. “I did. The file you gave me was on Gerald Hayes and barely mentioned his sons. I should have put the names together, but...” I put my hands over my face as I realized just who I had been sleeping with. A billionaire. An honest to God billionaire. “I am such an idiot.”
Kathryn pulled my hands from my face. “Not an idiot. Just blind is all.”
A billionaire. Aiden was a freaking billionaire. And I had just spent the past few days treating him like a colleague instead of a boss. Teasing him. His pinky toe was worth more than my annual salary. My new really good salary. No wonder he hadn't worried about how much the dinner had cost last night. It could have cost a small house and he wouldn't have even seen a dip in his bank account.
She must have seen the horror swirling around in my eyes as I realized that I was way out of my depth. I was meant to date men who worked as copy-editors or were in school for something, not billionaires. Billionaires were supposed to date actresses or models. Not me.
“Lena.” Kathryn used her lawyer voice to focus me. “Lena, you're okay. It doesn't matter that he's a billionaire. He's just a person and you haven't done anything wrong.”
“What am I doing?” I whispered, more for me than for her. I knew I was in shock and this wouldn't matter near as much in a few minutes, but I let myself have a freak-out moment. I had just found out he wasn't at all what I thought. “How did I fall for a billionaire?”
“You fell for a billionaire? For Aiden Hayes?” Kathryn repeated it like I had just admitted I was guilty of murder. She tightened her grip on my hands to get my attention. “You need to be careful not to get attached to him, Lena. He isn't exactly known for his loyalty to his girlfriends. You're too good for the likes of him.”
“What?” I tried to shake my hands free, but Kathryn held tight. Her lips pressed to a thin line. “He wouldn't do that...”
Kathryn evaluated my face and sighed at what she found there. “Just, take your time with him. I suppose it's good that you thought he was an assistant. At least you know your feelings for him are genuine and not bought. Just be careful. The last girl in your position with Aiden didn't fare well when he left her.”
“What do you mean?”
“He dated a secretary a while back. Not his own- not even in the same company, but still a secretary. When his father found out it was getting serious, he had her fired. She had to move to a new state because no one would hire her after that.” Kathryn glanced from side to side, making sure we were alone. “Gerald Hayes wants the best for his eldest. Flings he will tolerate, but the woman who will bear his grandchild... it's incredibly hypocritical given his own past, but that's what it is.”
I tried my best to absorb that blow without it knocking me off my feet. “So, it's not Aiden, so much as his father that I should be afraid of?”
Kathryn sighed. “Yes and no. Aiden didn't stand up for the girl. He let her go. I heard he got her a better job elsewhere, but my point is that he didn't fight for her.”