"Please stay... just wait for in the living room. I wasn’t expecting you, so I needed a shower after the gym. I’ll be quick—just need to get dressed. Don’t leave, alright?" Greg pleaded, his voice almost desperate.
Cammy noticed the urgency in his eyes, his hand still gently holding her arm. She gave a small smile and nodded.
Greg was relieved and hurried upstairs to his room to dress as quickly as possible, reassured that she wouldn’t leave the penthouse.
Instead of heading to the sofa, Cammy wandered toward the kitchen after seeing that sothing was amiss and rembering Greg’s words earlier about having dinner. The penthouse had an open layout, and her eyes were drawn to the kitchen island, which had various ingredients scattered on top of it.
She noticed so vegetables still wrapped in plastic, others freshly washed, and a few half-prepped items like onions and garlic on the chopping board.
"Hmm, what was he trying to make?" she wondered, scanning the ingredients to guess what Greg had in mind.
Then she spotted so beef cut-in steak slices on the counter. "Maybe he was going to cook steak with mixed veggies?" she murmured, deciding to pick up where he’d left off.
Quick and seasoned from cooking for her family for years, Cammy finished chopping the onions and garlic, then moved on to slice the carrots, celery, and potatoes she found in a strainer by the sink.
"Whoa, whoa—what are you doing? You’re my guest! Let handle that," Greg exclaid, noticing Cammy placing the at and veggies on a tray. He quickly took over, adding another steak and the remaining vegetables before sprinkling on so seasonings.
"It’s really fine. I didn’t an to intrude. I showed up unannounced, and you barely had ti to get ready. I’m sorry for interrupting your dinner," Cammy replied.
"No need to apologize. I’m actually glad you ca," Greg said, flashing her a warm smile that caught her off guard. "I just felt a little embarrassed showing up sweaty from the gym, so I took a shower as soon as you ended the call."
Cammy stepped back, watching as Greg expertly seasoned the at and vegetables. She couldn’t help but notice his hair, still damp, with droplets of water trailing onto the white sleeveless shirt that perfectly outlined his toned physique.
Her gaze drifted downward, landing on his gray sweatpants, which fit just snugly enough to catch her attention. She swallowed hard as her eyes lingered on his front, quickly realizing that she shouldn’t have let her eyes wander so far.
’He’s not wearing anything underneath!’ she realized, catching sight of the outline of his shaft pressing against his pants. She quickly snapped her gaze back up.
Greg caught her looking as she was sizing him up and smirked slightly but held back, not wanting to ruin the mont after so many failed attempts to get close to her. Instead, he focused on sliding the tray into the oven before turning back to face her.
"Please, have a seat and make yourself at ho," Greg said, retrieving a bottle of wine from a small rack on the counter.
She found herself montarily captivated by his warm smile until she rembered the reason she’d co. "I-I don’t intend to stay long," she replied, picking up the box she’d placed on the chair by the island.
"I ca to return this to you," she said, holding the box out to him.
Greg’s expression shifted as he saw the box. He instantly recognized it—he had personally picked out the dress, shoes, and bag that were inside. "You didn’t like the style? I can exchange it for whatever you’d prefer first thing tomorrow," he offered, slightly deflated.
Cammy noticed the shift in Greg’s tone, his initial enthusiasm fading into disappointnt. "It’s not that I don’t like them—they’re beautiful. I just don’t think it’s appropriate for my boss to buy sothing so expensive."
"Think of it as a bonus for all those late nights you put in to finish the designs before the presentation, without charging the company for those hours," Greg replied with a playful pout. "Please, don’t give it back. You’ll hurt my feelings."
Cammy bit her lower lip, trying to hold back a laugh at his playful and unexpected charm.
"If you accept it, I promise I won’t tease you anymore. I’ll act like any proper boss and acquaintance. Just please don’t return it. Plus, you’ve been so busy with work that you haven’t had ti to shop for Sunday, right?"
Greg paused, pressing his lips together as he reached for a corkscrew. "Think of it, Cammy. It’s not exactly ideal for you to be out shopping with everything going on in your ideal. Accepting the gift is really the best option."
Before he could open the wine, Cammy quickly placed her hand over his to stop him. "Wait, don’t open it. I’ll accept the dress, bag, and shoes—but let pay you back. Since you said it was for all the unrecorded overti, I’d still be short on those hours to cover it."
She offered with a smile, "How about I work it off? I’ll make you cocktails tonight, do the dishes, and put in extra hours next week until it’s paid off. Sounds fair?"
Greg leaned against the kitchen counter, arms crossed, as he considered Cammy’s proposal thoughtfully. "Alright, I’ll take you up on the cocktails and the overti next week, but that’s not enough right?
So let’s add one condition: your assistance this Sunday. Since Crosstech is the main sponsor of Dylan’s school and it’s our competition that awarded him the scholarship, I’ll be attending."
He added, "Harry has so personal matters to handle and won’t be there, so I’ll need you to step in as my assistant to note any business offers that co my way. Can you handle that?"
Cammy’s brow furrowed, uncertain. "But I don’t have experience as an executive assistant—I wouldn’t know where to start."
Greg smiled reassuringly. "You won’t need to do much. Just collect business cards, jot down any offers, and note anything important. I’ll handle all the talking and networking; I just need you to help with the details."
"Sounds simple enough. If that’s all I have to do, then count in—I’ll be hitting two birds with one stone that day," Cammy agreed with a spark of enthusiasm.
"Deal! Now, tell what you need—I’m ready for that cocktail," Greg said with a grin, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
"I’ll keep it light," Cammy replied. "Nothing too strong, since we both had a long day, and you just got back from the gym."
Greg pointed to a mini-fridge beneath the kitchen island. "There are sodas and sparkling fruit juices in there, and the main fridge has so fresh fruits. Check the pantry if you need any herbs."
He paused. "Since you’re on board as my assistant on Sunday, let grab my tablet to show you the people I’m targeting that day, as well as a few who might approach us with business deals. Will you be alright here on your own? The oven’s on a tir, so no worries about that."
"Yes, go ahead. It’ll take a bit to get everything ready anyway."
"Great—I’ll be back soon."
As he hurried to his ho office, Greg thought, ’I should clean up the sponsor list a bit before showing it to her.’ A plan was forming in his mind, one that might just get Cammy on board with his bigger goals, especially his plan for revenge.
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