BRIANNA

“I’m going to kiss you now,” Adrian said, and his lips descended on mine. I froze for a moment before I started to reciprocate the kiss. Our lips moved in sync, and soon, we were lost in each other’s embrace. I held onto his neck tightly because my legs felt like jelly, and I would have fallen if I didn’t hold on to something.

His tongue snaked into my mouth, and our tongues began a battle of dominance, with his quickly taking control. The kiss grew more intense as we continued moving our lips without pausing to breathe. His hands remained on my waist, kneading gently but never daring to move further.

We were so deep into the kiss that we completely forgot about the dance floor, surrounded by so many people. But we didn’t care. We just wanted to continue sucking on each other’s lips like they were our lifeline. It was as if we were in our own world, where only the two of us existed, with no one else to disturb or interrupt us.

After what felt like an eternity, Adrian slowly let go of my lips. I opened my eyes to find him already staring at me, his gaze filled with a mixture of emotions. The only one I could identify was admiration.

My face turned bright red as I realized what had just happened. I had just kissed my boss—my BOSS. It felt like I had lost my mind. Who would have thought that we’d be sharing a kiss for the second time after the one we had in the elevator? And I enjoyed it so much that I wished it would never end, but of course, we had to stop.

I glanced around and saw that some of the people on the dance floor had stopped dancing, their eyes now fixed on us with curiosity. My face flushed even deeper, and I buried it in Adrian’s chest.

“They’re all staring at us,” I whispered to him, and a deep, rich chuckle rumbled from his chest, vibrating against my face.

“Don’t mind them. They’re all busybodies,” he said, stroking my hair.

“Do you want to continue dancing, or should we go back to our seats?” he asked, his voice soft as my face remained hidden in his chest.

“I’d rather we go back to our seats,” I mumbled, but he heard me clearly.

“Alright, let’s go back to our seats then.” He said, and I reluctantly raised my head from his chest, my face still bright red. I glanced around and saw that the attention from the people had shifted away from us, and I sighed in relief. Thank goodness.

Adrian took my hand, and we walked back to the table. Cherry and Manuel had returned, and Carlos was still sitting there with his date, who didn’t seem too happy.

I sat down in my chair, and before I could even get comfortable, Cherry bombarded me with questions.

“What was that kiss all about?” she asked, her eyes wide with eagerness.

“Jeez! You couldn’t even let me catch my breath or something?” I glared at her.

“I’m too curious about the kiss to care about that,” she said, rolling her eyes. “What was that kiss all about? I was shocked to my core when I saw you two kissing, on the dance floor of all places!”

She was being so dramatic right now. But I shouldn’t be surprised; Cherry had always been a drama queen.

“The kiss just happened, Cherry. I don’t know anything else other than that,” I answered, shrugging.

“Well, there’s got to be something behind it,” she pressed on. “Who would’ve thought you’d be kissing Adrian, your crazy boss? The one who makes you work like a maniac and makes you miss lunch sometimes?”

I glanced around, making sure no one else could hear, and nodded.

“Yes, I kissed him,” I said, looking down at my lap. “And honestly, I’d like to do it again. His lips felt so soft against mine. And even though I haven’t really kissed a lot of people, I know he’s a damn good kisser.” I touched my lips as the memory of the kiss replayed in my mind.

“Girl, you’re in love!” she said, teasing but with a tone that made me wonder if she was serious.

“No, I’m not. I just like the feel of his lips on mine. It’s nothing serious,” I replied quickly, shaking my head. “Besides, I don’t plan on falling in love with a man after what one has done to my mother.” The thought of my father, who had all but forgotten about us, still stung.

“Oh, I’m so sorry for bringing that up,” Cherry said, her expression softening.

“It’s okay, it’s not your fault,” I smiled, though it felt more like a grimace.

Before we could continue the conversation, a man took the stage, his voice booming through the microphone.

“It’s time for the presentation of awards!” he announced, and the crowd erupted in applause.

The awards ceremony took about thirty minutes, and when it was over, the gala was coming to a close. Adrian had won five awards that night. The two that stood out to me were ‘Richest CEO of the Year’ and ‘Best CEO Humanitarian of the Year.’ He was the only one with five awards, and I couldn’t help but notice how Carlos seemed to fume at the recognition Adrian received, though he tried hard to hide it.

After the event, we returned to the limousine, heading back to my house. Adrian and I didn’t speak much during the drive, probably because neither of us knew what to say or perhaps because there was too much running through our minds.

When the limousine finally stopped in front of my house, I was about to open the door when Adrian gently held my hand, stopping me.

“Did you have a good time at the gala?” he asked, still holding my hand.

I nodded. “Yeah, I did. It’s not really my kind of thing, but I enjoyed it.”

“What’s your kind of thing?” he asked, his eyes searching mine.

“Probably a party where you don’t have to dress up like this…” I paused, gesturing to our fancy outfits. “A party where you can dress casually, but not too casual.”

“Oh, I get what you’re saying. Maybe we can go to something like that in the future,” he said with a small smile.

“Yeah, maybe,” I agreed, nodding.

“So… good night?” I asked, more like a question, and before I could even process it, Adrian leaned in and placed a kiss on my lips. It was quick but meaningful, and then, just as swiftly, he pulled away.

“Yeah, good night and sleep tight,” he smiled at me.

I stepped out of the limousine, my face flushed, and a full-blown grin stretched across my face. I felt like a high school girl who had just received her first kiss from her long-time crush.

The driver started the engine, and I waved at the limousine until it disappeared from sight. Then, I turned and walked to the front door, still floating on air.