Chapter 4

Riley's POV

"I look like my sister." I look at myself in the full length mirror with the beautiful clothes and wig Richard had me try on. "I didn't know you have a sister." I sigh sadly and look down. "Ah, she passed away years ago. Seeing me like this though, it's like looking at her." I smile nostalgically as I remember her happy face. "We were twins, actually." He hums and lifts up another dress. "Makes sense you would look like her then if you dressed like a girl."

He hands me the other dress and I go back into the other room to change into that one. So far most of the clothes have fit pretty well, but that was the first time I really looked into the mirror. It was shocking to see what looked like my sister staring back at me. I don't really want to think about that anymore though, it's been a long time. I lay out the dress on the bed and remove the one I'm currently wearing. His house is already fully furnished despite him just moving in. I change into the other dress and step out, letting him look at this one as well.

He reaches forward and takes a piece of my wig, rubbing it between his fingers with a soft look on his face. "Richard?" He looks up at me and removes his hand. "I have to say, the vast majority of these clothes look good on you. The few that don't I'll send back, but we have quite the collection. Do you have hangers at your house? We can find a closet there and hang them all up nicely." I shake my head no. "That's okay, I got quite a bit of them too because I wanted to be sure we can hang them. Shall we carry them over then?" He places a pile of clothes in my arms and grabs his own pile, also opening a drawer and grabbing a handful of hangers.

"So are you feeling ready for work tomorrow, Riley?" Not really but I'm not gonna tell him that. "I'm excited to get back to secretary work." "I'm sure you know this, but for people in our position we have to do a bit more work than others. I hope you're willing to go above and beyond." I open the door to my house and we go in. "Yes sir, I understand secretarial work is a very demanding job." I lay the clothes down and open a closet I haven't used for anything yet. "You'll also need to attend events with me, not just as my secretary, but as my girlfriend as well. I don't think this needs to be said, but the pay for this will be much more than you're used to from your old job." I saw the salary, he definitely doesn't need to tell me. The pay I'll be getting definitely isn't anything to scoff at. In fact, it's quite impressive.

"Is this closet okay to hang them?" He peeks his head in and looks around. "I believe so, we will have to see if there is enough space. I haven't even gotten any shoes for you yet except a single pair of flats." Oh yeah, gotta get that whole ensemble… "Do I need to get makeup as well? I don't really know how to put it on, and I'm not sure if I would be comfortable wearing it. " He starts hanging the clothes up for me, not looking at me. "I think your face is pretty enough Riley, I don't see any need for makeup. It would just cover up your natural beauty." I- i- this guy is such a flirt! How can I possibly hold up against this?? No one has ever said things like that before to me.

"Richard, you're really so honest with your words, huh?" He turns to me again. "Let's go get the other clothes, I think we can fit them in here." And just like that, he's brushed aside what I said. Maybe he's embarrassed about saying it too, I know I'm embarrassed hearing it. No wonder Angela was so head over heels for him. I can see how pretty much any girl would be attracted to him. He's hot, rich, mysterious… I have the feeling I've thought this exact same thing before. I just need to shake it off. This is a job Riley, this is a job. A job you need the money from, you can't afford to blow this.

"Are you okay Riley?" I stiffen as he puts more clothes into my arms. "What do you mean?" We again take the walk back to my house with all the clothes. "You were mumbling to yourself. Is something on your mind?" Great, now he's gonna think I'm crazy. "Oh, I'm just excited for this job. Nothing to be concerned over." He doesn't look like he is convinced, but thankfully he decides to drop the topic instead of continuing on. We load the last of the clothes into the closet and as he heads out the door he turns to me. "Riley, you can talk to me about anything, okay?"

............

Leaving the house in women's clothing is something I've never done before. My face feels so hot as I walk into the building, even as the higher than normal air conditioning hits my body. I walk over to the elevator before I'm stopped by a lady at the receptionist desk. "Excuse me, can I help you?" Well, it's not Angela anymore. "Oh yes, I'm Richard's secretary. Today is my first day here." She smiles at me warmly before picking up the phone. "Today is my first day here too. Let me just call up to him to check, okay?" She dials before holding it up to her ear and looking back at me. "Name, please?"

"Oh, um, it's Riley." She speaks into the phone before hanging up. "Wait one second, he said he wants to come down and get you himself." Seems like a waste of time to me but it's his company, not mine. I stand by the desk feeling self conscious, before catching a glimpse of myself in a side mirror. Again, it's like seeing my sister. I don't want to think about that, really. All it does is bring pain. I hear the elevator and turn my head, almost bumping into him. He smiles before leaning down and kissing my cheek. Wait, what??? I knew he said I would pretend to be his girlfriend but he didn't mention kissinggggg. "You ready for your first day honey?" I paste a smile onto my face, hiding my nervousness before looking up at him. "More than ever!"

He places his hand on my back and gently leads me over to the elevator. As we step in and the doors shut he turns to me. "So tell me Riley, how are you really feeling?" I brush my wig back behind my ear with my fingers and look down. "Really nervous, actually." He tilts his head. "You've done secretary work before though, no need to be nervous." "I'm not nervous cause of that! I'm nervous because… well, I've never dressed like a girl before." He chuckles before the elevator doors open. "Let me show you to your desk, Riley. I'll make sure you're up to date on everything needed to do your job."

.........…..

Richards POV

He's so fucking cute it's distracting me. I shouldn't have put his desk in my room, but I can't just move him now. It's my own stupid self that decided to put the desk in here anyway. He's chewing on his lips, doesn't he know how he looks right now. I guess not. I look up as I hear a knock on the door. "Come in!" The door creaks open before I see one of my business associates. "I don't believe we have an appointment today?" He scowls at me and walks in anyway, flopping himself into the chair in front of my desk. "Numbers are down this quarter! This didn't happen until we partnered with you!" I sigh and glance at Riley. His eyes are widened slightly, and as soon as I meet eyes with him he flinches and quickly looks back down to his work.

"We only formed a business partnership last week, that's not enough time at all for us to affect your numbers. I did hear, however, a rather interesting rumor yesterday." I see him grit his teeth as he wipes some sweat off his brow. "And pray tell, what was this rumor?" I smirk and lean back in my chair. "Oh, just something about a certain company President and his step daughter." He bangs his fist on the table and quickly jumps to his feet. "HOW DARE YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO MY FACE!" He breathes heavily and his skin turns a bright red color in anger. This poor fool doesn't know what I know. He must have headed here before he even went to his workplace, or he would have heard the lovely news.

"Say, have you stopped by your office yet this morning?" He tenses his fist and sits back down, still quite angry. "Don't try to change the subject, you're to blame for our decline." I hold back my grin, don't want to give away anything too early. I shouldn't let Riley see how much I find his anger entertaining as well. "Oh, then you haven't heard?" He again wipes his brow, rubbing the sweat off onto the pants of his suit. "What the hell are you talking about Cummings?" I again glance at Riley, but he isn't looking this way at all anymore.

"You were fired." He stands still for a moment, mouth agape, before jumping out of the chair once again. Curses rain from his lips, and his skin continues to get even more red. Men like this used to scare me, but not anymore. I have all the control, and he has none. I sit back as he continues to swear and scream at me, not saying a word. He's already getting out of breath. What a joke of a human, really. "Are you quite done with your temper tantrum?" This angers him yet again, and he continues with his tirade. It's obvious he is losing steam though, and won't be able to continue for much longer. I reach my hand under my desk and press the secret button I have that alerts security to come to my office. Watching him is fun, but I can see Riley isn't holding up quite as well as I am.

Only moments later my door slams open, and he whips his head around to see multiple security guards. Wow, these men are quick. "Sir, you need to leave the building immediately." His red face pales considerably, before glaring at me and turning to leave. "I was just getting ready to go, you don't have to cause such a big scene now!" Some of them follow him to the elevator, while two approach me. "Sir, is everything okay now?" "Yes, everything is fine now. You're dismissed." They nod their heads and leave without another word, closing the door behind them. I look over at Riley, who is staring down at his computer in shock.

"Riley." He quickly lifts his head and looks at me. "Y-yes?" I guess I shouldn't have let the man ramble on as long as he did, seeing how upset Riley is now. "Come here." He bites his lip again as he stands up, shuffling over to me. "Riley, are you okay?" He nods timidly, looking away from me. "Riley, maybe you should go make us some coffee, hmm?" He breathes deeply and nods. "Yes, I'll get you some now."

.........…..

Riley's POV

I walk back into room carrying Richards coffee, feeling much calmer than before. It's my first day here and already I've had to witness such a scene. Richard handled it so calmly, I don't think I could have done that. I set the coffee down as he looks at me confused. "You didn't get any coffee?" I shake my head. "Coffee makes me tired, actually." He looks away for a second, his mind going somewhere else. "Just like her…" "Um, who?" His head snaps back around to me. "Oh, just someone I used to know." I nod and smile. "Maybe she has ADHD as well. Coffee is a stimulant so it calms down those with ADHD." He scratches his neck before furrowing his eyebrows. "I never knew that…"

I walk back over to my desk, stretching as I settle into my seat. He probably hasn't had a secretary in a while, everything in the system is so disorganized and chaotic. I haven't even been able to work on anything, so far today all I've been able to do is go through his endless pile of emails. The emails date back months, and I still have thousands to go through. Three hours in and it's all I've done. I've barely even glanced at any of the other things that need to be done. I can only handle one thing at a time. Once I go through everything and get it up to date though, this should go much more smoothly.

"Oh, Riley?" I look up at him. "Yes sir?" He shakes his head at me. "Don't call me that, it makes me feel old, Richard remember?" I sigh and smile. "Yes Richard, what's up?" He points up at the clock. "Did you want to go out to eat, or do you want to eat here?" I glance over at my computer, thinking of all the work I have to do. "Probably best I eat here, I have a lot to catch up on." "Well, what would you like to eat? I'll have it delivered at one so we can eat together." Is this normal for secretaries who work at large companies? My old boss would have never suggested something like this. "Oh, I don't really have the money for that right now. I brought some bread with me, I'll just eat that." His face goes blank. "Bread, Riley? Really?" Well geez I can't help it I'm broke. "Riley, you don't have to pay for this food. I'm eating as well anyway. Besides" He winks at me. "I have to take care of my girlfriend, right?"

My face and neck goes red and I look away. Oh geez, this man is ridiculous. "Well, whatever you get should be fine…" I can't even bear to look at him anymore now. I hear him mess around with the phone, and I go back to staring at my computer screen. Just work Riley, just work. Throw yourself into it. You can't be distracted by his words. He's just messing with you. Him buying my food though? I really didn't expect that, he's already going to be paying me so much. Wait… maybe the food is coming out of my paycheck. I can't bring that up now though, that would be rude. I'll just have to look at my paycheck when I get it and see if it's less then the agreed upon amount. If I ration it today though maybe I'll have enough for dinner as well. Then the ramen I bought I can have tomorrow for dinner.