The CEO's Temporary Assistant

Yellow Pajamas

The last thing Elise could have imagined was receiving a phone call from a drunk Olivia. "The audacity of that girl!" she exclaimed as she sank back into bed. "Who in their right mind would sleep in a bar?"

Shrugging off the idea, she shut her eyes and tried hard not to think about Olivia anymore. And yet, she could still hear the words that had come out of Olivia's mouth.

"I'm sorry, Elise..."

Groaning, she glanced at the alarm clock beside her. It was already half-past one. Elise dialed Olivia's number, but the phone only directed her to a service operator. The more she thought about it, the more worried she became. Putting on a jacket, Elise left her room to look for Franko. And in the midst of her hasty strides, Aunt Milda arrived with a cup of tea in her hand.

"Why are you still up, Elise?" her aunt asked worriedly. Elise tried her best to control her emotions as she hastily explained everything to her aunt. "She managed to ditch Franko again."

"Well, you and Franko better follow her there."

"Yes, auntie. That's the plan. I'll see you in the morning. Please rest."

Elise sprinted towards Franko's private office, spotting him in the middle of working out.

"I'm sorry to interrupt."

The man looked up, smiling a little to acknowledge her presence. "It's only to ease my drowsiness, Miss Elise. What can I do for you?"

"It's about Olivia."

Franko nodded his head before answering in a serious voice. "Ms. Fabien made it clear that I'm not going to interfere with her escapades tonight, so here I am."

"You were told to step back, and you just did?"

"Miss Olivia can take care of herself, Miss Elise."

"You don't know that."

"I sure do. I've been with her since she was fifteen."

"But I'm still worried," Elise replied with resignation in her voice. Massaging her temple, Elise explained the situation.

"It's not new to me. The girl has been an alcoholic for such a long time."

Creasing her eyebrows, Elise found herself at a loss for words. "Don't worry, she's attending AA meetings, but I doubt she's doing a good job of staying away from alcohol."

"The more I think about it, the more I feel we should follow her."

After a few more pleadings, Franko finally agreed. "Only on the condition that you'll never tell her I brought you there. I don't want to lose my job."

"Fine. Do you have any idea about her whereabouts?"

"I do, Miss."

He then led her to his sleek BMW. Both were quiet as they settled inside.

"Mr. Franko, what can you say about your boss?" Elise later asked, realizing that Franko was not the chatty type. And yet, she waited for his response.

"Miss Fabien may have been harsh and cold, but she is tactful and smart. She ditches me on some occasions, but she shows me respect, especially with my job."

"I'm just terrified of her."

"Believe me, Miss Cortez. I've heard a lot."

Just then, Franko stopped and intently stared at her from head to toe. The act made her feel uncomfortable. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"It's a high-end bar, Miss Elise. Are you sure you're wearing just that?"

Elise felt relieved as she heard the explanation. Looking down, she examined her yellow pajamas and black hoodie. They seemed fine. And it was dark, she reasoned. Surely, no one would notice as soon as she entered that bar.

"It's okay. Besides, we're just going to get a drunk woman out. Come on, time is ticking. I don't want to waste my time choosing a wardrobe."

"Okay then. Suit yourself, Miss Cortez."

The streets were almost deserted now. It looked odd, partly because she missed the sound of crickets and the chirping of birds that she used to hear in the province. Her heart was filled with longing as she reminisced. She wondered what her uncle Jose was doing at this hour. Had he eaten dinner? Up ahead, Elise spotted a family huddled together in a corner. Back in the province, everybody had their roofs to sleep under, no matter what the materials were made of. Engrossed in her thoughts, Elise did not notice Franko pulling into a driveway.

"We're here."

"Fireball Bar and Resto," Elise read the glowing signage, leaning through the window and silently wishing she could reach Olivia as quickly as possible. She knew how people behaved in places like this.

"Politicians and business owners come and go inside that bar," Franko explained, reminding her of her poor choice of wardrobe. True enough, there were expensive cars outside the bar. Girls dressed in heels and luxurious fashion clothes were also huddled outside, waiting for their VIP treatment.

"I tried to tell you."

Elise felt ashamed upon remembering her hasty decision. And yet, it was too late to turn back now. They cruised the street, dodging every human being as they made their way inside. When she looked back, Franko was already at the entrance of the bar, talking to the bouncer. She walked quickly this time, colliding with a blonde girl in a pink cocktail dress.

"Ew! Can you at least try to be—oh, what on earth are you wearing?"

"Yeah! This is not a slumber party, girl!" came a quick response from the girl's companion. Elise only rolled her eyes and casually walked past them.

"Miss Elise, this is Daniel. He will escort you inside."

"What? But what about you? Aren't you going to accompany me?" she exclaimed, feeling herself panic.

"I need to go back to the mansion right away, Miss. Miss Olivia is no longer my responsibility since you're already here. And besides, she strictly forbade me from going after her no matter what happens. I will report to her tomorrow." And in just a blink of an eye, Franko had disappeared.

"Come inside, please," said the bouncer in a gruff voice. He looked like a celebrity bodyguard. Groaning, Elise followed the man inside. "How are we supposed to go home?" she asked herself as she dodged every moving body along the way. "Did Franko think I could drive?"

Squinting her eyes, Elise walked fast, hoping to reach Daniel, but the man was already rushing ahead of her. "Hey! Daniel!" But the loud music drowned out her voice. Thankfully, Daniel then looked back in her direction and pointed at Olivia, who was sitting in an elevated part of the bar. The irritation once again boiled inside her. Daniel eventually disappeared into the dark, leaving her alone amid this moving mob. "What on earth did I do to deserve this!" she exclaimed to herself as she remembered being caught in this whole mess.

Elise slowly made her way toward Olivia, but a stinky guy roughly grabbed her arm. "Hey, are you lost?" he said in a scary voice, looking at her like she was a little deer caught in a prey's trap.

Elise looked up, shocked to see a five-foot guy hovering over her and holding her arm captive. "Let me go!" she said loudly as she tried to yank her arm away. He terrified her. She could smell intoxication on him, and his T-shirt hung loosely on his body like he had not showered in such a long time. The guy only snickered at her. He started kissing her as he pinned her against a wall.

"No! Get away from me!" she squirmed as she tried to free herself from him. "What are you doing?"

But the people around them were oblivious as they continued to go about their business. Elise began to cry.

"I like little girls like you, especially girls in pajamas."

Elise shrieked louder, but her strength was nothing compared to this big, hairy man. She shut her eyes, hoping against all odds that Olivia would hear her screams.

***

There was a sudden thud as Olivia charged at the man, delivering a solid flying kick to his face. People in the bar started gasping and shouting, and the music abruptly stopped. Just then, bouncers quickly gathered around them, but Olivia gestured for them to step back.

"What gives you the right to insult this girl, Joris?" Olivia demanded.

The big man seemed to snap out of a dream as he recognized Olivia's voice. "M-Miss Fabien?" he stammered. "I am so sorry, Boss. I-I didn't know!"

"What did I tell you about my girls?" Olivia asked sternly.

"I-I didn't know, Boss. I thought she was just another stranger to you. I'm sorry!"

At that moment, a man in black approached them and took the gun from Olivia's hand. Elise looked shaken, but she had no choice but to let him take it. Clutching the revolver, Olivia aimed it at Joris, and a bullet immediately lodged itself in his limb. The bar patrons started screaming as they witnessed the horrifying scene.

"Get him out before I completely lose my cool," Olivia commanded, handing the gun back to the man in black. The bodyguards swiftly moved to remove the injured man, leaving the spectators standing in disbelief. Elise, wide-eyed, approached Olivia. Without a word, Olivia grabbed Elise's wrist, and they quickly disappeared into her private suite inside the bar. The music in the dance hall resumed blaring as if nothing had happened.

Under the dim lights, Olivia examined Elise's body and saw her arm swelling, as well as bruises on her elbows. Raking her disheveled hair, she asked in a loud voice, "What the hell are you doing in this bar? Look what happened to you, Elise!"

Elise could only look at her with terrified eyes. "Speak up!" Olivia commanded, her voice softening. She then led Elise to an elevator.

"I-I was looking for you," Elise finally managed to say.

"Why?" Olivia demanded.

"Y-you called me."

Olivia looked at her with disbelief. She wanted to get angry at Elise for her recklessness, but she realized the girl was still traumatized by what had happened.

"I didn't say you should come here."

"Y-yeah, I'm sorry... I-I was worried," Elise replied in a low voice, catching Olivia off guard. She wondered how this provincial girl could still worry about her despite everything that had transpired.

Time seemed to slow down as Olivia stared at the numbers above them. It bothered her to know that Elise was standing so close to her in the small elevator. Elise's black jacket exposed a glimpse of her delicate neck and chest, making Olivia's face flush. Shaking off her inappropriate thoughts, Olivia led Elise to her bedroom.

The bedroom was enormous, with white curtains that gave it a fancy look. An expensive water bed sat at the center. "Sit down," Olivia commanded Elise as she disappeared into the bathroom. When she returned, she had a bandage and other first-aid materials in her hands. Olivia gathered her thoughts as she walked to the refrigerator to get ice cubes. With a sigh, she knelt in front of Elise to administer first aid for her swelling arm and bruises.

"O-Olive, you don't have to," Elise protested.

"How can you be so hasty and—"

"And stupid. You don't need to say it."

Olivia sighed before glancing at Elise again. "I was about to say 'brave'."

She noticed a glimmer in Elise's eyes. "But yeah, you're also stupid for coming here wearing those stupid yellow pajamas."

Elise chuckled at that. "You were so drunk when you called me on the phone. But now, you're bandaging my arm."

Rolling her eyes, Olivia finished the task quickly and stood up, sighing. "Whatever you say, Elise. Get up, I'm going to fix the bed. I'm already sleepy."

"W-what? What do you mean? Aren't we going home tonight?"

"Unless you want to drive my car yourself. I'm not going to because I'm still dizzy."

Elise blushed as Olivia snickered at her. "Come on, it's not like we haven't slept together before, you know!"

The comment made Elise's cheeks flush even more. Olivia could only smile, remembering that incident in the hotel. Clearing her throat, Elise changed the topic. "If that's the case, then I guess we don't have a choice. How much are you paying for this room? I didn't know rooms like this existed in a bar."

Olivia burst into laughter.

Scowling, Elise climbed onto the bed, ignoring her. Olivia also crawled under the sheets, grateful to finally rest her aching back and throbbing head. "I own this bar, Elise. This is my private room. I'm not renting it."

The last statement almost made her laugh again. "Screw me," Elise replied, chuckling. "I have to remind myself how wealthy you are."

Silence fell as they lay in the bed.

"Thank you, Olive, for saving me," Elise eventually said.

Olivia smiled, her dimples showing. "Thanks for caring too. It means a lot."