F I V E

BRETTON LOOKED UP FROM HIS FOOT AND BACK AT ME IN CURIOSITY.

It was definitely warranted because I was applying golden nail polish to the nails of his toes, but I had no one else to do all of the sisterly stuff with that I felt comfortable with calling up right now. No one else was technically allowed to see me in such a mess like this, like I was untethered and bound to break into a million tiny pieces.

Cliche, I knew, but what else could I say? Kane Marchant just had that effect on a girl.

"Sorry," I apologized, shooting my cousin a lopsided grin. "I just really needed something to laugh at and your toes just had to be that thing."

He nodded, leaning back on the couch so he could stretch his feet out further on the coffee table, placing his hands behind his head. "Fair enough. But why did you call me, Fiona? I asked to miss the last hour of practice tonight just for you, so this better be good."

I looked up at him in shock, realizing I forgot all about his training schedule and how I could be jeopardizing his performance in the upcoming games he would be playing in. "Shit, I forgot. You should go then -"

"My nails," he chuckled, pointing at his golden toenails and even I had to smile. "Besides, I actually want to be here, Fiona. You know me, I never had a problem with being there for you no matter how needy you may be."

I would've protested but we knew each other better than to pretend he was wrong.

"Besides," he said as he moved one of his arms from behind his head to wrap it around my shoulder and pull me closer to him. "It's okay to need things."

I froze at his words, just letting those fill the space between us. I felt guilty about being the reason he had skipped out on the rest of his training, especially when considering the friendly fire between Nolan and I at work earlier. Not only was a stupid bet in the office on his head, but his reputation and his perspective of his career. He had an amazing one and it would be selfish of me to let him squander it because of my broken heart - I wouldn't allow it. This wasn't family over all when so many people were depending on him to provide his talents.

No, I couldn't nor wouldn't be that selfish. "Well, I'm not ready to tell you, so you can just crash here if you really care about the nail drying that much. I'm not telling you about my ex until I'm ready and probably not until you're ready as well."

"In my defense," he started, "you really seemed to put a lot of work into that paint and I am definitely one to appreciate art. Not to mention the fact that I wore my lucky socks today and I don't plan on ruining them because of you and your late night paint-my-toes sessions."

I shouldn't have laughed because that would only invite him to ask, but I did and so did he. "I'm always ready, especially for your guy drama considering how much I talked your ear off over Marilyn. So, what aren't you telling me about this guy?"

I rolled my eyes. There it was, that soft heart that always landed him in leagues of trouble. I knew that if I told him anything, it would only make everything worse. I wasn't ready for that, carrying the heavy burden always felt better than seeing what decimates after you dropped it.

"Now is - not the time," I said slowly and carefully. I doubted there ever would be a time, even, everything was too unstable right now and it was the last thing anyone needed.

-

I WAS THANKFULLY ABLE TO CATCH THE BUS WITH ELIJAH THIS MORNING.

It was a fun experience, him informing me of all the people in the office who would make my life hell.

"Whatever you do," Elijah warned sternly, "avoid Meredith Marks at all costs. If you have to communicate with her, be as tight-lipped and formal as you can because she means business. She's the great-niece of one of the first women to work for the Baldwin's which is tragic because there were only three generations of women, but she takes it upon herself to make sure she is the only outstanding female. Rumor has it, Elise who worked here was bullied into resignation."

I looked at him in shock. "What position did Elise previously hold?"

Elijah looked both ways to make sure no one was listening in on us before turning to face me wearing a grave expression on his face. "Valet."

I groaned, leaning against the window of the bus. "So being the personal assistant puts me in even more danger, doesn't it?"

"Another person to watch out for is Nolan Abernathy," he said, making me freeze. "He seems really cool, like that person you'd have drinks with, but I heard things about him - things like he likes to fool around with coworkers but hates to use protection. Morgana whose on maternity leave confirmed, and I quote, 'it doesn't feel good wrapped up, sweet baby, let me hit it raw.'"

I coughed, trying to mask my laughter but I couldn't. Not only was it hard to imagine, but Elijah's impersonation skills were amazing. There was a part of me that was attracted to Nolan, but thankfully, Elijah got me out of that before I was the next sweet baby who was expecting one of her own.

"That's seriously what he told her," I asked incredulously when I finally recovered. "He's at least paying for the kid, right?"

"Yeah, he's not a dick, he just doesn't believe in wrapping his," Elijah said with a laugh.

"Well, since you seem to know the scoop on everyone, what do you know about our very own Ashton Baldwin?" It was a bold question, but Bretton's words about Kelsey's resignation were haunting. If he weren't going to make my life a fireless Hell, he would definitely take me further.

"Ashton? He's amazing. Definitely about that player lifestyle which isn't a good thing depending on which perspective you look at it from, and he has his pitfalls, but he's definitely safe about sex. I know because he told me you were going out to buy him condoms so I could clear you to go in and out."

I blushed, which was surprising because none of those things surprised me. He definitely had that Casanova flair to him and it would be shocking if he didn't use it to his advantage. In theory, it seemed scandalous, but it was his body and it was no issue as long as he took care of it.

Maybe the problem was wondering if I would ever be able to fit in there. I didn't envision myself as someone down to be a one night stand, but relationships seemed out of the question with him. This wasn't a tale of the girl who would show the player the error of his ways and teach him commitment and monogamy. No, this was just me, a girl who didn't know how to fit into this high life, especially when she shared it with someone she wanted but would likely never have.

I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and watched Elijah as he played a game on his phone out of the corner of my eye. "How do you know so much?" When he looked up in confusion, I added, "about what goes on in the office, I mean. Are you like some kind of gossip cop or something?"

He shook his head. "Not really, I just get lots of calls. Mine isn't monitored so people come to me in confidence."

I nodded, just going with the flow until we got to work, my gaze directed out of the window and watching the city come to life.

-

EMILIE STANDIFER'S PRESENCE SHOULDN'T HAVE SHOCKED ME BUT IT DID.

After all, she was sitting on top of my desk, clicking the catch on her pin - with closer inspection I realized that it was actually mine - as she looked out of the window at the Philadelphia skyline. "He's got a great view of the city from his office, even better than this one, doesn't he?"

I shrugged, walking around her and sliding out my chair so I could sit down in it and utilize my desk. Of course, she didn't seem to pick up on that, because she still sat there, the pen going on and off as she stared at me expectantly.

"You want to go in Mr. Baldwin's office," I asked rhetorically. "I'm sorry, but I don't have the key, so you're going to have to wait for him to grant you access."

"But that ruins the surprise," she pouted and held her purse open to me, showing me that she stored whipped cream and strawberries in there. "I was planning to help him take a load off, maybe not from his shoulders but you know what I mean."

She was already beginning to annoy me, not because she had her butt all over my belongings, but she was clearly too invested into this. Ashton was trying to secure a deal and he did that already last night. He was just playing her and she couldn't see that behind all the glitz and the glamour so she left her own husband. She wasn't even legally divorced from him yet, the ink on the forms probably just dried an hour ago. Sure, jealousy did play into my emotions toward her since she without a doubt slept with Ashton Baldwin - her posture was too relaxed and flirtatious to be normal for her because with all her beauty, she still wasn't pulling off the look - but there also was a part of me that knew rivalries over men were pathetic and that someone had to give up. She already won the battle anyway, the only problem was she didn't exactly get to keep the trophy.

"You can wait in the lounge until he comes back," I offered. "Just please get off of my desk so I can do my job."

She looked at me in shock, not realizing a personal assistant could get so bold around someone of her status. But you needed to be cruel to be kind, to help people get out of trouble they only get themselves into because they never consider the consequences. I was sure that she would've talked back to me or gave me a snide remark, but instead she just slid forward until her feet touched the floor before hopping off of my desk and dropping the pen on it. "I know you wrote me that letter, Ms. White. I saw him writing yesterday - don't ask what because I won't tell you - and his script was nowhere near as neat as yours. So I don't know what you were getting at or whether you were trying to help or hurt me, but I can handle things with Ashton from here. You just assist in his work affairs, so please just leave me to do the rest, or else I may have to ask you a lot less kindly."

I frowned, taking a piece of paper and the pen, switching up my style a bit this time, not going for neat and orderly, but for wide and sweeping script like I was trained to do during cursive lessons in grade school. When I was done, I slid it to her, a coy smile twitching at my lips but I fought to surprises it and maintain some seriousness on my face. "Ms. Standifer, I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about. Also, I am being trusted to protect his personal office from any intruders, so this is a work affair. I don't know what you're planning on doing with those strawberries, but it doesn't seem like it would pass any standard health codes, would it?"

After that, she all but glowered at me. I knew I was overstepping my bounds as well as being uncharacteristically rude for a personal assistant, but she laid the framework for any hostility between us, I couldn't help but build it up.

"I will wait in the lounge for him," she said with a huff of finality before turning her back to me and walking away, each step accented by the sound of her high heels as she went.