Chapter 74 - Tipsy

When I gently sucked on it with my lips and licked it, it stayed still. The hard object that was touching the back of my head quickly became larger and hotter. In the haziness of my sleep, I dreamed about lying on a cozy but simultaneously uncomfortable bed and feeling a wall of flame approaching me from behind.

“Nnh…” I mumbled softly as I slowly opened my eyelids. For a moment, my surroundings were unfamiliar. The first thing that came into sight was dark leather seats. I blinked slowly and tried to recollect my thoughts. I was still biting down on something in my mouth.

“…!” All of my memories suddenly returned to me and I shot open my eyes. I gulped down my breath and jumped to my feet. As soon as I did, however, I loudly banged my head on the roof of the car.

“Ngah!” I yelped out of reflex and crouched down with my head in my arms. Stars floated around my eyes, and I was in a complete daze. I felt tears welling up in my eyes as I swallowed my moans. When I finally somewhat came to, I was too terrified to look up.

What the hell had I just done?

I had no choice but to accept the horrid reality. My only drinking habit had surfaced. ‘Still,’ I wondered, ‘I wish my body had held up just a little more. Why did I have to fall asleep as soon as I got into the car? To think that I made such a mistake… Why did I drink so much?’

I couldn’t believe that I had fallen asleep using Keith’s lap as my pillow. When I carefully shifted my gaze onto him, Keith was crossing his leg. I didn’t dare to look at his face. I panicked and desperately tried to come up with something.

“I-I’m sorry. I… I fell asleep, and—” I struggled to get some words out, but Keith didn’t reply. Was he so flabbergasted that he was at a loss for words?

I wanted to drop dead on the spot. I got too excited at the fact that I was sharing a meal with Keith. Moreover, Keith himself had picked out the wine. It was unfathomable to not drink it.

Was I always this bad at keeping my work life and my personal life separate?

Even if Keith had allowed me to, I should not have had the wine. If anything at all, I should not have had so much to the point where I got drunk.

I was confident in my professionalism more than anyone else when it came down to work, so this left quite an impact on me. What would have happened if Keith didn’t cancel the rest of his plans for today? I could easily have caused a big ruckus.

I told myself that I would never drink again. Blaming myself over and over again, I barely managed to look up. Keith was just looking out the window, supporting his chin with one hand. His finger that I had been nibbling on and licking until just now was scattered carelessly across his firm thighs. They were the very thighs that I had slept on.

When I became self-aware of this fact, I almost got myself hard. I felt as if I were going to tear up from my shamelessness. If Keith were to throw a sarcastic remark or criticize me, I wouldn’t hesitate to open the door of the car and jump out. However, the door was securely locked. Failing even to escape, I was jailed inside the car as I was dragged back to the mansion. I had long gotten sober.

*

*

The car gradually slowed down. Amidst the heavy silence, I meaninglessly fiddled with my briefcase. ‘At least I didn’t leave anything behind,’ I thought to myself. Even so, it didn’t comfort me much. After all, the biggest incident had happened right after.

I glanced over at Keith, but he was still sitting with his legs crossed and not looking my way at all. Was it because he didn’t want me even in his sight? I felt gloomy yet again.

As soon as the car came to a halt and the door unlocked, I got out. When I turned my head, I saw Whitaker getting out of the car behind ours and walking toward us. During my brief moment of hesitation, Keith blurted, “I need to think about something. Close the door.”

“Pardon me?” I paused.

He didn’t even look at me as he gritted his teeth and spat, “Shut the door. Are you deaf?”

I hurriedly shut the open door with a loud thud. When Whitaker looked at me with confusion, I let him know what Keith had said. He shrugged his shoulders and stood guard. I hesitated slightly before stepping back.

Was Keith completely sick of me now?

Various thoughts swarmed my head, but the cruelty of reality slapped me right away.

‘There is nothing to even be sick of. I’m just his secretary and nothing more.’ I added self-critically, ‘Wouldn’t it be okay for there to be a small bad memory in Keith Knight Pittman’s life of glory?’

Thinking about it like that made me feel a little better. ‘It’s very convenient being someone completely insignificant at times like this,’ I thought to myself, feeling dejected.

*

*

It took 30 more minutes for Keith to get out of the car. I had no idea what he was doing in the car for an entire 30 minutes, but in any case, I made the most of that time. I headed straight to my room, confirmed with Emma if she had canceled all of Keith’s afternoon plans, and rescheduled everything. Whenever half a day’s schedule was canceled, the impact lasted up to a whole month. I wrung out my brain, trying to figure out how I should ask to be excused by the ones who Keith was supposed to meet today.

On top of all this, I also had to squeeze in any special events—for instance, the birthday of someone who was valuable both professionally and socially—and even check the gift list. I frantically tapped around on my tablet and began making calls.