Page 87 of Assistant to the Billionaire CEO

“Oh, no, they’re not done yet. You’re just in time to help me make them.”

He smiled his breathtaking smile. “That so?”

I walked over to him, stood on my tiptoes, and kissed him. “I hope that’s not a problem.” I smiled too, and turned back to my mixing bowl.

“Of course not.” He stood behind me as I measured out a tablespoon of butter and wrapped his arms around my waist. “I’ll help you make pancakes any day. Hell, I’d even fight the fiercest of dragons, get you the moon and all the stars, go through hell and back…or search for these adorably furry slippers for you.” He winked at me. “Although I have to admit that, at first, I thought there was a rabbit hiding under my pants.”

“I would never keep a live animal in my small city apartment. Not even a canary, although I love birds more than anything.” I thought of the dark eagle on his chest. Was it getting warm in here? Hot, to be exact?

“And you don’t quite need to go through hell and back.” I laughed. “But I would appreciate it if you could get the almond milk from the fridge for me. “

He shuffled over to the fridge. Observing him, I realized I was the happiest I’d ever been. I ignored the tiny voice urging me to not get too excited.

He placed the milk onto the counter next to me. “Just a heads-up. We have one hour, then I’m meeting a client.”

“You should do something about that crazy schedule of yours. Both my momanddad died way too young. It is crucially important to take time for yourself.”

“I’m working on it,” he muttered.

I used to believe he was grumpy because of his breakup, but it seemed more like his impossible schedule was the main cause of his grouchiness. Did he ever slow down, even for a day or two?

36

STELLA

Jay appeared more somber than usual when he picked me up in front of my apartment building the next day. I noticed that he didn’t smile at me like he usually did when I slid onto the back seat of his cab.

“What’s up, Jay?” I asked, leaning forward to put my hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay? You look a little upset.”

“I handed in my notice today,” he replied with a sad expression. “So this is my last month as a cab driver. And that means it’s my last month driving you around, love. I just wanted to give you a heads-up.” I caught his eye in the rearview mirror to see if the reason for his resignation was good or sad. “Thinking about it makes me feel a bit sad, to be honest. Don’t worry, I’ve got a lot of trusty colleagues ready to take over—Jay the Hunk, maybe? Don’t ride with Hans, he’d have his ‘hans’ all over you. Susie’s a sweetheart too, if you’d prefer a female driver. I hope you’re not upset?”

“Upset? No, of course not. Okay. Maybe a little bit. That’s…that’s big news. It feels like everything’s changing, hmm?”

“Sure does.” He sighed. He turned the cab onto the main road and followed the flow of traffic toward Manhattan Bridge.

“So, why did you quit? It has something to do with the essay you wrote a few days ago, doesn’t it?”

He shook his head at a red pickup truck that tailgated us near an exit. Normally, he’d swear at the other driver in his fun way, but instead, he just focused on me. “All in the bag, love. Just finished my degree. The last essay I needed to wrap up my bachelor’s in psychology.”

“Wow, Jay. I had no idea. I’m so happy for you.” I wrapped my arms around him—and the driver seat—from behind. “I can’t believe I know a psychologist, a real psychological expert. That’ssocool.”

“Thanks,” he humbly replied, solemnly smiling at me in the rearview mirror. “I mean, I’m not a psychologist yet. I need to get a PhD before I can join the American Psychological Association—and before that, I’ve got to get my master’s.”

“What are you going to do then?” I arched an eyebrow and placed both hands on the backrest of his seat.

“I applied for a gig as an assistant at a psychologist’s office in Hoboken.” The cab came to a stop in front of Windsor Architects’ office building, but I didn’t get out, gesturing for Jay to continue. “It’s a foot in the door, y’know? I’m kind of hoping the guys who work there take a liking to me and give me a hand with my postgrad studies,” he admitted.

“I’m incredibly proud of you, Jay,” I said. “Even though you won’t be my cab driver for much longer, you’ll always be my friend. My mate. My lad.”

“And you’ll be mine too,” he said. “Hang on a minute. Sit tight.” He got out of the cab, walked around, and opened my door for me. “And thank you for being you, mi’lady. You’ve always made my day.”

I slid out of the back seat and stood facing him. “That’s because you’re freakin’ awesome.”

“Too right, love.”

I put my hand on his shoulder. “And you’re going to be an even more awesome psychologist someday.” While standing next to the cab, I wrapped my arms around him and gave him the best bear hug I could muster. “Now, I think it’s time that you promise to stay in touch and still come to yoga class, especially after you start your new job.”

“Errrr…it hasn’t been me skipping yoga classes these past two weeks.” He smiled. “Don’t worry, though—I will definitely drop you a line when you become a bigwig here to find out whether you need counseling.”

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