Annabeth's POV
I pushed the door open to Malcolm's apartment, walking inside. "Malcolm! You're late!" I called out into the empty living room. No answer.
"MALCOLM!" I bellowed. A moment later, I heard movement, and then my brother emerged from the bedroom, pulling a shirt on. He looked every bit the self employed twenty-seven-year-old.
"What the hell—?"
"Dad's been waiting for half an hour! Jesus, get your shoes on, we've got to go!"
"Go where? What are you talking about?"
"You don't remember?"
Sam looked at me earnestly, shaking his head. That's when I cracked a smile.
"You bastard! " he laughed, throwing a shoe at me.
"I told you I'd get you back!"
"God, what time is it?" he asked, running a hand through his hair.
"Almost seven."
"Malcolm?" I heard a female's voice call from the bedroom. I looked at him, eyebrows raised. "Malcolm?" She called out again.
My curiosity got the best of me. I stepped into the living room, peering toward the bedroom. That's when the door opened, and a woman walked out…fully naked.
As in, I saw it all.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, running back into the room.
"Ah! I'm sorry!" I stammered turning around. "Who's that?" I mouthed at my brother, but he just busied himself with the coffee machine. A minute later, the girl came out in clothes.
"Hi!" she said cheerily, without a trace of embarrassment. "I'm Bethany. You're…?"
"Annabeth. Malcolm's sister," I said, eyeing my brother the whole time. "Nice to meet you, Bethany."
"You too! Who's hungry?" she asked, pausing to kiss Malcolm and then going to the fridge. I watched as she took out omelet ingredients, moving around the kitchen like she was more than familiar with it.
Why hadn't Malcolm told me was seeing anyone?"
"How long have you two been…uh—?"
"Seeing each other? A few weeks," Bethany answered from in front of the stove.
I shot Malcolm another look, but he just handed me a mug of coffee and went to turn the tv on. The news came on, but I was too preoccupied to pay attention to it. "How'd you meet?"
"At a friend's birthday party. Malcolm was the sweetest, helped me find my jacket when the asshole coat-check guy at the bar claimed to lose it," Bethany bubbled. She was certainly more energetic than his previous girlfriends.
"How sweet of him…"
"Hey Annabeth," Malcolm called from in front of the tv. I walked over to him, expecting to be chastised for interrogating his newest lady. But instead, he just pointed to the television screen.
And my heart stopped.
Because there I was, on the morning news, sitting at the table in the Ritz tea room, in a deep conversation with Percy Jackson. Which wouldn't have been a problem in itself. The problem was that Percy's hand was very clearly on my thigh.
"Percy Jackson spends time with new lady leading up to custody hearing," Malcolm reads off the screen. Yeah that was another problem.
"Malcolm let me explain."
"Is that how you got the job? You've been screwing the boss?" he asked, turning to face me.
"Are you crazy? No, that's not how I got the job!"
"And here I was, thinking you work too hard, but really, you're just in the Ritz with the billionaire CEO."
"MALCOLM!"
"I mean, seriously, Annabeth, you're too smart for something like this! To be some rich boss's young plaything—"
"MALCOLM CHASE. SHUT UP!" I thundered, my head about to explode. I shot a quick glance at Bethany in the kitchen. Her eyes could not have been wider. "Sorry," I said to her. Then I turn back to Malcolm. "Listen to me. I am not involved with Percy Jackson. He's my boss."
"His hand was on your thigh."
"Yeah. he was trying to get my attention. We were arguing about some business thing."
"Very convincing."
"I'm serious. I'd tell you, okay? There's nothing going on." Malcolm's expression softened for a moment, but then he scrunched his eyebrows together like he smelled something rotten.
"Maybe you shouldn't be working there."
"What are you talking about?"
"You're so smart, Annabeth, you could work anywhere you want. But having this kind of publicity…"
"What do you know about publicity?"
"What if dad saw this? Or mom?
"Don't bring them into this."
"Mom might be kind of out of it, but she can still recognize you. And if she sees you like this—"
"Like what? Talking to a successful businessman?:
"I'm just saying, Annabeth."
"You're not just saying. You're trying to use mom's Alzheimer's against my job! And my job's the only reason she can even get the care she needs. Malcolm!" I shouted, before realizing what I'd just let slip.
Bethany walked into the living room and handed us each a plate of eggs.
"Wait, what?" Malcolm asked.
I sighed. "Nothing."
"We're splitting the cost of the facility…"
I shot another glance at Bethany, who was standing right beside Malcolm, her head on his shoulder. "Let's not do this right now," I said to him.
"No, tell me what you meant."
I took a breath. "We were splitting the cost. They upped the monthly amount, so I've been covering the difference."
"How much?" he pressed.
"It doesn't matter."
"It does matter. How much?"
"$1,500," I said, eyes on the ground.
"You've been paying an extra $1,500 a month?!" he exploded. "Absolutely not. I told you we would split it—"
"I can afford it, Malcolm. My salary is more—"
"I don't care if I have to sell everything in this goddamn apartment! I'm not letting my little sister front more of the bill for my mom's health."
"Shh, it's okay, babe," Bethany cooed in his ear, rubbing his back. I shook my head. It was too much for me, too early in the morning. That was when I felt a buzz in my back pocket.
Unknown: Annie. I'll be at you flat in 10 minutes
Unknown: Don't keep me waiting.
Annabeth: Who is this?
Unknown: Percy Jackson.
Unknown: Your boss.
"We're not done talking about this!" Malcolm called out to me— but I couldn't formulate a response. The only thing I could do was think about the texts I'd just gotten. From Percy Jackson, the man with the sexist green eyes I'd ever seen.
The man who was my boss.
I hopped into the first cab I found. "Go as fast as you can!" I pleaded, and the driver tore through London. When we pulled up to my flat, I ran up the five flights of stairs until I was on my floor. I round the corner, and there he is.
Leaning against the door, like he didn't have a care in the world. Beside him was a short, muscular man dressed in all black, who I presumed to be a mix between bodyguard and navigator.
"Hello," I said, catching my breath.
"You're late," Percy replied.
"I was across town. How do you know where I live anyways?"
"You'll find there isn't much I don't know about you, Annie."
"It's Annabeth," I said, through clenched teeth. How many times would I have to correct the arrogant man before he—?
"Are you going to invite us in, or would you like to carry on being a terrible host?"
I rolled my eyes but pushed the key into my door anyway, holding it open for both men to enter. "Now, are you going to tell me why you're here?" I asked.
"How about some coffee first?"
"Coffee," I repeat.
"Yes, coffee. You know the deep brown liquid that breathes life into humans first thing in the morning?"
His bodyguard smirked, but I didn't get the same enjoyment from Percy's quip. I sighed and walked into the kitchen, pouring the coffee grounds into the machine and turning it on.
"Okay, coffee's on. Why are you here?" I asked him again, this time more directly. I turned around, surprised to find he'd come into the kitchen.
"Get yourself a glass of water."
I don't want a glass of water, Percy."
"You ran up the five flights of stairs, did you not? I can't have you being dehydrated now."
"I'm fine."
"You're not fine. You're in need of water."
I sighed sharply, filling a glass with water and gulping it down. There. I'm hydrated again."
"I'm assuming you saw the news."
"Yes. I saw the news."
"Well, that's why I'm here. My ex-wife is going to do everything she can to try and get full custody of our daughter, which means releasing pictures like the one plastered on the tv this morning."
"She did that?" I asked, eyes wide.
Percy laughed. "This won't be the worst of it, believe me."
"Jesus, I'm sorry," I offered before I could stop myself.
"Don't apologize," he said, grabbing my hand. The contact caused my breath to hitch in my throat–his hand was so warm…so strong. "I won't have you apologizing for something that is absolutely not your fault, do you understand?"
"Yes," I choked out.
"Good. Now, my ex's team will do whatever they can to run my name into the dirt. Anything they can dig up on you will reflect poorly on me and my ability to take care of my daughter."
"Alright…"
"No, it's not alright. I have my lawyer releasing a statement to the press as we speak, explaining just what the meeting at the Ritz was about. He's also filing a court order on your behalf, so no press can reach out to you directly. Are you following?" Percy asked me.
"Yes," I said, even though the only thing I was paying attention to was his hand on mine. The warmth was seeping in through my skin, causing my pulse to speed up.
"If anyone asks you anything about your role at the company, or your relationship to me, you just say, 'No comment.' Okay?"
"Okay, wait a second. What have you told Nico?" I asked, snapping out of my daze. My actual boss might have no idea what was going on. He might think I was sleeping with his brother.
"Don't worry about Nico."
"What do you mean, don't worry about Nico?! Nico's my boss, the one who hired me! I can't have him thinking I'm sleeping with you, while in reality, it's quite clear you and I don't even like each other!"
Percy chuckled. "That's quite clear, is it?"
Heat was rising to my cheeks again, and I cursed the effect this man had on my body. "Look, I know you're technically my boss—"
"There's no technically about it, Annie"
"-and that you don't get why Nico hired me. That's fine. You don't see what I'm capable of. But I'm just asking for you to give me a chance and not make my job any harder than it already is."
But then, Percy Jackson was reaching his finger up to my face, the exact same way he'd done in my dream. "What are you doing?" I whispered, as he traced his way down my cheek and to my jaw.
"You said I can't see."
"What?"
"You said, I can't see what you're capable of."
"I didn't mean it as a blind thing, Percy." But his finger was still gliding around my jaw, working its way back up to my nose. His touch was so gentle, it left my whole body tingling, wanting more.
"I might not be able to see," he said softly, leaning in so he was speaking directly in my ear. "But I can smell. I can smell, and I can feel."
His finger dipped lower, until it was pressed against my lips, and a soft moan escaped my mouth. The second it did, Percy dropped his hand with a smirk.
"You better get going before you're late. Wouldn't want Nico wondering where you were," he said as he walked out of the kitchen.
And then, Percy Jackson and his bodyguard were gone, and I was left alone with a pot full of coffee and a mind full of dirty, dirty thoughts.
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