Page 19 of Falling For My Assistant

“Laurenza would’ve killed me,” she whispered, a chuckle coming from the other side of the car.

“It’s still perfect,” he said.

“Make sure I stay away from open flames tonight,” she quipped. “I’m likely to light on fire with how much hairspray there is.”

“I’ll make sure to keep you from burning up,” he said, his voice low.

It’s too late for that.

Royce announced they had arrived, and the car came to a halt. Erin was unable to keep a gasp from escaping when she saw the building.

“This place is huge!”

Royce parked the car and got out. He came around the car and opened the door for her, stepping back as Sean assisted her from the car.

“Thank you both,” she said, ensuring her skirt wasn’t caught in the door.

Sean held his arm out to her, and she slipped her hand into the crook, his cashmere coat warm and soft against her hand.

“I love your coat,” she said, running her other hand over it.

“Thank you. It was one of the first things I purchased when I made my first big paycheck.” He ran a hand down the front of the black coat. “It’s so special, I only wear it to fancy parties. The rest of the time, it hangs in my front closet of my apartment.”

“It seems a shame for it to go unworn so often,” Erin replied.

“If it weren’t a sentimental item, I’d wear it more often. I do have a few different coats that I prefer to wear out, since they aren’t sentimental to me. But this coat I wear for special occasions, such as this one.”

The doorman held open the door for them, Erin’s mouth forming an O when she stepped into the lobby, her heels tapping on the marble floor.

“This is extravagant,” she whispered, leaning close to him.

“What do you expect? Mr. Donaldson is a very wealthy man, and he enjoys that wealth.” He looked around. “Well, that and real estate.”

“This is his largest building, isn’t it?” she asked, taking in the sandy-colored marble, the soft cream walls, and the gigantic diamond chandelier. The exterior walls were banks of windows, and the interior walls were covered in the most elaborate crown moulding she’d ever seen.

“This is his third largest,” Sean replied, leading her to the bank of elevators on their right. “He said that the building that’s being built now will be his largest.”

The elevator dinged, and they stepped onto it. Sean pressed the penthouse button, and they headed up, her hand tightening briefly on his arm when the elevator jumped into motion.

“That one is downtown, right?” she asked.

“It is,” he replied.

The elevator came to a halt on the twelfth floor, and the doors opened to allow two more passengers on. Erin gave the older couple a smile, and the woman returned it; the man was engrossed on his phone.

The elevator shuddered to a halt on the twenty-fifth floor, opening to allow more passengers on. With the additional passengers, the elevator quickly filled, and the older man narrowly avoided stepping on Erin’s toes.

In one fluid motion, Sean lifted Erin and deposited her in front of him, his arms coming around her to tuck her close to him.

Warmth surrounded her, and she sighed, unable to ignore the safety welling up.

“Are you okay?” he whispered; his voice was so close to her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

“Yes. My toes are safe, thanks to you.”

“Good. It would be a shame for them to be stepped on, especially since they’re painted so nicely.”

“They are,” she agreed, trying to calm her racing heart.

The elevator stopped at the forty-first floor, and everyone got off, leaving Erin and Sean alone again.

She waited for him to let her go, but he didn't, instead keeping his arm around her waist for the rest of the ride.