Page 16 of Falling For My Assistant

Erin dropped onto her couch, picking up her burrito as she turned on the TV.

Checking the clock, she made sure she had time to eat before she had to get her dress on.

She sat as straight as she could to avoid messing up her hair, but she was pretty sure it was cemented in place with how much hairspray it was coated in.

Her phone dinged, and she picked it up, a text from Sean telling her he was on his way popping up. She shoved the rest of her burrito in her mouth and turned off the TV.

Jumping up, she tossed her plate into the sink and made a beeline for the bathroom to brush her teeth.

Cursing at her bedroom door that stuck, she gave it a shove, the sticky door finally giving way.

Need to call the landlord.

Thankfully, Laurenza had given her the lipstick they put on her, so she could refresh it just in case.

Satisfied that her breath no longer smelled like a burrito, she dropped her toothbrush into the cup and headed for her bedroom.

Looking around her small bedroom, she smiled, the space truly her sanctuary from the world.

A large window was directly across from where she stood, the lights of Manhattan shining across the water. Her gown hung from the curtain rod, keeping it out of the way, framed by pastel-blue curtains.

The wall next to the window held all her family photos, dressed neatly in small white frames.

To her right was her bed, the periwinkle queen-size tufted bed placed against the wall. The wall behind it was covered in peel-and-stick wallpaper, the paper the same color as the curtains.

Two pastel-blue nightstands sat on either side of the bed, hand painted by Erin when she moved in to match the rest of the room. A simple glass lamp she found at a thrift store sat on each nightstand, adding a bit of character to the room.

A dresser painted in the same color sat against the wall across from the bed, her record player placed on top of it. The bin full of records sat on the floor next to it, alphabetized by artist.

She stepped toward the bed and smiled as her feet sank into the plush periwinkle carpet that laid on the floor beneath the bed. The rug had been specially ordered from a company because they didn't have it in the periwinkle, and even though it was expensive for her, it was worth it because it tied the room together beautifully.

Running her hand along the silver bedspread, she walked over to the window and removed the gown from the curtain rod.

“Oh, zipper puller,” she whispered, draping the dress over the bed.

Rushing into her kitchen, she grabbed the cute little zipper puller Laurenza had given her.

It was a simple tool, almost like a lanyard, that she could hook onto the zipper and pull up the back of her dress.

The plastic pearls were cool in her hand, making a light scratching sound as she dragged it from her quartz countertop.

Coming back into her bedroom, she turned the dress over and hooked the tool onto the zipper.

Quickly divesting herself of her sweatpants and shirt, she shimmied into the dress. Catching a glimpse of herself in her full-length mirror, she laughed at herself.

The dark-blue sparkler hung from her waist, leaving her half naked.

Her breasts were covered by a fancy lace bra she’d found at Neiman Marcus, the band of the matching lacy panties peeking out at her hips.

Her chestnut hair was piled on top of her head in the nicest messy bun she had ever seen, curled tendrils hanging down around her face. The hairstylist had added a couple of extensions, then curled her whole head of hair and artfully arranged it on top of her head.

A smokey eye accompanied the wonderful makeup job they’d done on her. The makeup artist had even complimented Erin on how clear her skin was.

Erin was a stickler for her bedtime routine and always washed her makeup off at the end of the day, determined to keep her skin beautiful for as long as she could.

The buzzer echoed through the apartment, and she jumped, tearing her eyes away from her reflection.

She pulled the dress up, carefully sliding her arms into the sleeves.