Second Hand Waitress

She squared her shoulders, determined to ignore his rude behavior, and walked over to the lavish buffet breakfast he had ordered. At least he had remembered to get enough for both of them this time.

She felt a flash of frustration at the memory of how he had completely ignored her need for a meal the night before. How inconsiderate of him. No wonder she had been so easily swayed by his charms, she had been starving, and her judgment had been clouded. Now, starving again early in the morning, she couldn't even remember the last time she'd eaten, she piled her plate high with scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and toast before sitting down to eat.

She barely had more than a mouthful when he finished his call.

“We don’t have time for breakfast. We’re running late. Our first meeting with the architecture of my new home is in forty minutes, And another will be twenty minutes later, you're going to work as my acting assistant for the time being, and the driver says it’ll take at least half an hour to get there through rush-hour traffic. We can’t afford to be late. It’s considered rude in Medina.”

“But…” She glanced longingly at her half-full plate.

“If you had woken up earlier, you’d have had more time to eat,” he pointed out as he grabbed his briefcase.

Yeah, right. She had taken her time this morning, gathering the courage to face him. She had imagined all sorts of scenarios: he’d sweep her off her feet, confess that what happened the night before was a mistake, or maybe he wouldn’t be able to look her in the eye and wouldn’t know what to say.

But she hadn’t expected this. He was acting completely normal, on top of everything he had just appointed her his new personal assistant, as though nothing had happened. She even wondered if he had forgotten about their little mistake.

She shoved one last bite of eggs into her mouth before standing up with a resigned sigh. She straightened her black pinstriped pencil skirt and caught a heated look from him.@@novelbin@@

Oh, wow. That look was about to send daggers at her.

“Let’s go,” he grunted, stepping aside to let her pass.

For a brief moment, that look made her feel powerful and feminine enough to add a little sway to her walk as she passed him.

Tesah clenched his jaw, trying to ignore the growing tension. He had hoped to put the whole incident behind him, but seeing her walk in that skirt, knowing what she was wearing underneath, was more distracting than he had anticipated. He gritted his teeth as he followed her, forcing himself to focus on something else. It didn’t help that her shampoo’s light, fresh scent wafted toward him, or that her hair bounced in a way that made his thoughts wander.

He managed to distract himself all the way to the car, where the sticky heat of the outside air replaced his frustration with discomfort.

“Wow, this humidity is crazy,” Kira remarked as they settled into the cool air-conditioned car.

Tesah barely grunted in reply, pulling out his tablet to review his meeting notes.

“Is it always like this in Medina?”

Why was she still talking? She rarely made small talk, and he liked it that way. When they spoke, it was always about work.

“I’ve never been to Medina before,” she continued. “I knew it would be hot, but I wasn’t expecting this humidity. It’s like a sauna out there.”

Tesah sighed, setting his tablet aside. “Kira,” he said, lowering his voice so the driver couldn’t hear, “last night wasn’t anything serious. You know that, right? Just a way to blow off steam. I don’t usually get involved with my employees. It’s too complicated.”

He didn’t mention the other reasons why he avoided relationships with his staff, probably due to his like on making his life away from complexity and to also avoid the risk of lawsuits or complications, but he didn’t think she needed to hear that.

He cleared his throat and added, “I’m not interested in making things awkward. It was just a one-time thing, that’s all.”

She muttered something under her breath, and he looked at her.

“What?”

“Kira,” she said, meeting his gaze with fiery defiance. “My name is Kira, not Sally.”

He winced. “Right. Of course, Kira,” he said, feeling embarrassed. He remembered her full name now, Kira Samia, but after calling her Miss Samia for so long, he’d gotten the name wrong. He could feel his cheeks flush as he remembered calling her "Sally” during their night together.

“And don’t worry,” she continued. “I’m not imagining some grand love story with you. I don’t think either of us wants that.”