"I saw the news."

 "I'm sure you did."

 Jackie leveled me with a sympathetic look. "Don't take it too hard on yourself, Adrienne. Things like that happen a lot of the time. You'd be surprised how often we're featured in the newspaper."

 "I've never seen you before," I grumbled, pushing my keyboard back against the monitor of my computer. She patted my shoulder.

 "That's because I've tried to stay out of the limelight," she shrugged. "The media doesn't usually find assistants who aren't in an affair with their boss interesting. Handling Lafayette is already too much of a hassle, anyway."

 I smirked. "What? Do you find Mike attractive?"

 She stuck her tongue out. "Oh, ew, you wish!" 

 Quickly, she glanced at Mike's office. His door was closed, the lockset in place. Leaning closer to me, she beckoned me up to whisper into my ear. 

"Mike's one that you can always find in the media," she murmured. "I like to think that he enjoys the attention he gets because his father is distanced from him."

 "He is?"

 "I'm not sure. It's really just a rumor that I've heard, but there's always something off with rich guys," Jackie commented airily. "Every CEO or billionaire that you hear about has some pity life behind them. Either they lost a loved one, were poor, or immigrated from another country. It's, all the same, these days."

 "Right..." I drawled, tapping my chin. I thought back to my interview with Lazareth. He had mentioned that he was an immigrant. From where I don't remember. Probably the Middle East? Did that mean he had a pity story too?

 "Anyway, don't worry about it," Jackie concluded, squeezing my shoulder. "It happens. Just try to not get into any controversial problems."

"Everything is controversial in this world," I grumbled, picking my mouse up and clicking the right key a couple of times. "Sometimes I wonder to myself why I wanted to get mixed in this cake."

 "Who knows," Jackie shrugged. "A little bit of sugar can make any treat delicious."

 My lip quirked. "I'm assuming that I'm the sugar?"

 "And the business realm is the cake," Jackie giggled. "You can't go back now. You're already well folded in, Adrienne."

 "And it seems like I'm only expanding," I added, smirking.

 We both shared a soft chuckle. Mike's eyes were on us now, but he still wasn't making any moves to berate us, which was a relief. 

 Jackie swung her feet, clapping them against the metal drawers next to my leg before jumping off my desk, grinning at me. Behind her, Lafayette was gazing at the back of her head, unaware that he was overfilling his water bottle.

 "I should be getting back to work," she said, although her eyes betrayed her. "Don't want to bring on Mike's rage, especially with the sour mood he seems to be in today."

 "Does he?" I peered over Lafayette's hunched frame. Mike's eyes were lidded and red, his hair tousled and unruly. He looked like he had gotten drunk the night before and was still hungover. 

 "He's never one to slouch," Jackie whispered. "Especially on his father's supposedly expensive desk chair." She patted my shoulder. "Be wary of him, 'kay? We don't need salty water ruining our sugar, do we?"

I shook my head, amused. "I'm not sure that's the best comparison, but okay, whatever you say."

 Jackie left to greet the men waiting at the reception desk, and as soon as her back was turned to face me, Lafayette's heavy footsteps caught my attention, growing louder and louder. 

 "Hey," he grinned his crooked grin at me. "Alice, right?"

 "Adrienne," I corrected, stiffly smiling at him. He was tall, probably not as tall as Lazareth, but tall enough. He had dark chocolate hair that made a curl at the tips like Hershey Kisses. His eyes were bright and cheery, contrasting to the demonic darkness that blanketed his orbs in the elevator a couple of weeks ago. 

 "Ah, right, sorry." He scratched the back of his neck, drawing the corner of his lip between his crooked tooth and his bottom row. "Um...Adrienne, I think I owe you an apology."

 "You think?" I crossed my arms over my chest, smirking at him with a raised eyebrow. "You aren't sure?"

 He rolled his eyes. "Okay, I'm sure I owe you an apology. What happened in the elevator--that doesn't usually happen. Jackie was just a bit prickly with me that day because I pranked her the day before."

 "I'm sure anyone who was pranked wouldn't be too thrilled," I chuckled. "But apology accepted."

Lafayette grinned at me. "Really? Awesome! You seem like a really cool gal, Adrienne...well, less than Jacqueline, of course."

 "Thanks," I smiled. "So...is Lafayette your real first name or is it your last name?"

"My first name," Lafayette admitted, blushing. "I know--it's a bit uncommon here, but my parents and family always tell me that it's popular in France, so..."

 "I've heard the same thing," I said, bringing my keyboard back towards me. "But it's a nice name, nonetheless. It sounds kind of romantic." I glanced at Jackie. Her eyes darted immediately towards the next woman in line, but it was obvious that she had been observing Lafayette and me--probably for our entire conversation.

 "Do you like her, Lafayette?" I asked.

 "Who?'

 "Jackie."

 "Jackie..." Lafayette repeated slowly, dark eyes assessing me and the blinking screen in front of me. I tugged my jacket around me and subtly twirled my hair, curling the ends so that they resembled Lafayette's hair.

 "Yeah, I do like her," he admitted softly, so softly I almost didn't hear him. A breathy chuckle left his lips and he rubbed his stubbled chin, sighing. "I don't think she likes me, though. In fact, she seems kind of repulsed by me."

 "I'm sure that's not true," I murmured. Jackie was glaring at us now, her eyes like lightning bolts piercing through my back. Something behind me squeaked, and I had a pretty dreading feeling that it was Mike's chair. 

"I think it is." Lafayette slid from my table (Speaking of which: Why was everyone sitting at my table?) "Anyway, thanks for the chat, Adrienne. I'd...I'd better get back to work."

 His eyes were darting towards something--or rather, someone, behind me, and once Lafayette was out of earshot, Mike's slender fingers gripped my shoulders, shocking me.

 "I saw you on the front page," he murmured. I grit my teeth, jerking away from him.

 "Oh?" Standing from my chair, I grabbed my purse and shut off my monitor. "That's nice."

"You and Pretty Boy seemed to be getting at it," Mike continued, trailing behind me as I strode past Jackie. Her eyes darted between Mike and me, and underneath the table, she clenched her fist, tilting her head towards Mike. I smiled, shaking my head.

 "So, we were," I yawned, pressing the elevator button.

 Mike put his palm beside my head, leaning on his arm like a sleazy salesman. "Did he feel good?"

 "Excuse me?"

 "You know what I'm talking about, Adrienne," Mike slurred, sounding, but certainly not looking, drunk. His lidded eyes drank me. "There was hardly any room between you two at that bar. Perhaps something else has been going on...behind closed doors...?"

 It took me a few moments to comprehend what Michael was trying to insinuate, and once it clicked, I wasn't sure if the image was supposed to excite or repulse me. 

I settled for repulsed.

 Smacking Mike's leaning hand, I glared sharply (or at least, I hoped it looked sharp) at him. "If you have a problem with my private life, then maybe you should either discuss it privately with me or take it up with HR, but I will not have you attempting to slander my name in public."

 The elevators opened, and I marched inside the empty compartment, confidently raising my head high. I caught Mike's appalled eyes and Jackie's smug grin from the crack of the closing elevator doors, and internally, I felt my heart smirking too. 

 It felt good to talk back, especially to Mike. I kept that side of me constricted because it clashed with the woman I chose to show everyone around me, but really, the flush of pride that flooded my body knowing that I had won a verbal battle made me feel immortal. Like it made up for my failure to control my mind.

 As I made my way down Ruby Street to grab a cup of tea and maybe a croissant, my phone began to ring, loudly. Checking the screen, Lazareth's neon green contact blinked in sync with the song playing. 

 "Um...hello?" I asked, some of that earlier confidence deflating. I always felt nervous, or maybe, intimidated around Lazareth. He was the richest man in the world and probably the most powerful! Who wouldn't be?

 "Hello," he chuckled, my stomach twisting into tight knots. "How are you, Adrienne?"

 "I'm...good," I squeaked. I felt like I was in front of my class presenting a slideshow that I knew was going to have mistakes pointed out by the teacher. "H-How are you?

Again, he chuckled, the sound reminiscent of what I thought an anthropomorphic lion would sound like. 

 "I'm doing just fine, Adrienne," he purred. "Are you busy right now?"

 "No, I'm free now," I said, biting my tongue to keep from telling him that I was at my job. "Why? Do you need anything?"

 "If you count, then yes, I need you," he stated simply.

 "Me?!" Flashbacks to Kath and I giggling in high school about boys, closets, and body parts made my stomach grow cold, then immediately hot. "What do you mean? I don't really understand...?"

 "I need to talk to you," Lazareth rephrased, clearing his throat. "I-I'm sorry. That was inappropriate...I..."

 "It's okay," I assured, sighing. My lungs felt lighter. "You weren't trying to be disrespectful...not like someone I know..."

 "What did you say? I didn't catch the last bit?"

 "Nothing important," I murmured, paying for my snack. "What's up, anyway? You keep saying you need me, but for what?"

 "Oh, right." Again, he cleared his throat. "I just realized--I was in a meeting--and I realized that we know absolutely nothing about each other...apart from...well...a few work-related things."

 "That's true," I agreed, sitting on a stone bench surrounding a large patch of flowers and grass. "We don't know much about each other."

 "I'm surprised you haven't looked me up on Wikipedia yet," Lazareth teased, amusement laced in his voice.

 I shrugged even though he couldn't see it. "I'd rather hear it from your mouth than from some middle school kid with nothing better to do apart from trolling the internet."

 This time, Lazareth laughed, a smooth, creamy laugh that reminded me of the way Gryffin let the fresh custard drizzle onto the top of his cakes. I licked my lips. 

 "That's one way to put it," he managed, chuckling. "I forgot how prone to hacking Wikipedia is."

 "Technically, it's not hacking if you already have an account."

 "You sound like you speak from experience."

"Ha! You wish!" I grinned, the warm screen of my phone burning against my ear from the number of times Lazareth laughed. "So, where do you want to meet? And when?"

 "Now, would be convenient," Lazareth said softly. "And as for where...look up."

 A few beats passed by before I complied with Lazareth's confusing question, bringing my gaze up from my lap to the stone bench opposite me. I gasped.

 Lazareth grinned back at me, clicking his phone off before striding towards me. He wore a loose-fitting white jacket and a blue shirt. His jeans were a sort of starched blue color and his shoes were dark brown, blending with the sidewalk. 

 "I hope I'm not late," he smirked, waiting for me to move over on the bench before he sat down. 

 My chest heaved excitedly, my breath hitching as his hip brushed against mine. 

 "You're not late at all," I gasped. "But...how did you know I was here? You weren't...stalking me, were you?"

 Lazareth's brow furrowed. "No, of course, not. That wouldn't be very gentlemanly." He shook his head. "No, I was seated a couple of rows ahead of you, closer to the children's playground when I caught you coming."

 "Don't you work?" I asked, handing him half of my croissant. "I thought billionaires had compacted schedules?"

 "As I said, I'm never too busy for you, Adrienne," Lazareth replied smoothly, accepting the French treat. "Also, I'm on my lunch break. They can't bother me unless it's an emergency...ah, you saw what happened the last time they did."

 "I remember..." I murmured, remembering how murderous the gleam in Lazareth's eyes sparkled and how his once easy grin morphed into an almost sadistic scowl. "So...um...what did you want to know about me?"

 "Anything you're willing to disclose, Miss. Walker," Lazareth said, winking. He reclined on the wooden backrest, draping his arms languidly behind his head. 

 I snickered. "Okay...well, I'm a University graduate with a degree in English. I have two brothers and I'm a hopeless romantic."

 "No parents?"

 "I have my mother and my step-father," I added. When Lazareth quirked an eyebrow, I sighed. "My biological father wasn't the best man...he wasn't very present in my life."

 "Ah, I apologize," Lazareth said softly. "I didn't mean to pry."

 Shrugging, I sipped my tea, tilting my head back to let the breeze sift its fingers through my hair. "Don't worry about it. I'm not upset. I don't mind talking about my family." I regarded him surreptitiously. "What about you?"

 "What about me?"

 "What about your family?"

Lazareth's eyes snapped open. Slowly, he rose from his lax position, his steady jaw clenched.

 "My family..." he repeated deliberately. "My family is of no importance. They don't play a part in my life...well, except my brother."

 "You have a brother?"

 "Yes. One. And a sister." He bristled, shaking his shoulders. "But that is of no matter. All you have to know is that I'm a billionaire, I too, am a hopeless romantic, and I have a very small family."

 "Okay..." Well, so much for getting to know one another. It didn't surprise me that Lazareth was irritated about me inquiring about his private life. Reading romance books and teen dramas taught me a thing or two already about the eccentrics of billionaires. 

 For the rest of the day (or rather, the rest of Lazareth's late lunch break), we constantly played a back and forth game with what we wanted to tell each other. He was so vague with me, though, that I wasn't even sure if we should even be asking these questions to each other--that we should be playing this losing game.