Chapter 15: The party

"Ochoa," Nicolas whispered. Seven furrowed his eyebrows, recognizing the tone of voice. It sounded the same as when Nicolas was waking him up for the morning meeting. Serene opened his eyes slowly and saw that they were parked in the driveway of a house. A pain developed in his head the second he started sitting up straight on the car seat. He had slept throughout the drive to the donation party and in a bad position at that since his neck was aching when he started tilting it to the side. He glanced at the clock in the Corvette, "It's 6? Are we late?" he asked. Nicolas had mentioned that he would pick him up at 5 pm. If the drive was an hour-long, then Seven wouldn't feel as bad about falling asleep on the trip.

Back at the apartment, the second Seven got into the Corvette, no words were exchanged. Though, Serene would share a few glances at his boss as he drove, and recognized a whole different aura on him. His eyes were empty, focused on the road. His tanned hands would move around the steering wheel as if Nicolas was keeping them from being stiff - though, it looked more like Nicolas trying to shake off his nervousness. The veins on his hands would be visible with every clench Nick did on the wheel. Serene didn't know what to say during that time. He wanted to ask if his associate was feeling alright, but the assistant shrugged it off and turned his attention outside the window until he started feeling himself falling asleep.

Remembering it now, Seven turned his attention to Nicolas to see if the same aura was still on him.

"We're not late. My father just fancies living far away from business as possible." Nicolas responded, turning off the car. He held the keys in his hands and lied his head back onto the car seat. The aura was still there. Nicolas inhaled silently, but deeply as if he was about to take a deep dive into the ocean. Ochoa eyed him for a second and then turned his attention to the house that was outside his window.

It was a three-story house with a line of small bushes that were aligned with the shape of the house. Two palm trees were set on both sides of the house as if they were two welcoming pillars. The house was a beige color with a brown tiled roof. Bay windows were set near the brown door, revealing the living room from inside. It was a fancy house, yet modern. Serene would have never thought he'd go into a house like this.

"It's gorgeous." he expressed.

"You think so?" Nicolas sighed. Seven didn't expect an answer from the CEO. He turned to face him, seeing the taller males eyebrows furrowed as his lips frowned. He kept his eyes shut, gripping the car keys in his hand. Seven could only assume Mr. Anderson was trying to hold back something. Though, since Ochoa didn't feel like he was in the right place to intrude, he sighed and stuck to business, "Sir, should we go inside?"

Nicolas didn't respond for a few seconds, his eyes still shut. It wasn't until Seven let out a harsh exhale that Nicolas opened his eyes. Not responding to his assistant, he opened his car door, signaling Serene to get out the car as well.

The fresh air hit Ochoas's face as he stepped out, closing the door behind him. The soreness on his neck slowly went away as he looked around the neighborhood they were in. It was a rich neighborhood, and if Seven squinted down the street, he could see that they were in a gated community.

Though, the assistant didn't let himself get too excited over the fancy environment. Usually, he'd talk for hours about how different he felt and how he fancied the way things looked. What stopped him was the fact that he was in a professional event, adding to the fact that his boss didn't seem like he was in a talkative mood.

Ochoa was observant. He was usually well with picking out small details and coming to a conclusion silently. That's exactly what he did when he entered the corvette back in his apartment. Noticing Nicolas' constant hand moving on the steering wheel as if trying to adjust to something, and also noticing the pressure he put on his hands from the way his veins became visible - he realized how tense the CEO was... and to Serene, he believed that as his assistant, Nicolas' emotions mattered more than anything.

The CEO stepped over the sidewalk, his hands inside the pockets of his black dress trousers. Seven eyed him, following him down the contemporary path that led them towards the brown front door that screamed 'extravagant' with its swirling designs on the long, narrowed windows on both sides of the door.

Serene gazed down slightly, noticing the CEO's hands clenched into a fist. His attention went back onto his boss, seeing one of his hands open up, but shakily go onto the golden doorknob. The assistant furrowed his eyebrows, "Sir," he called out. However, Nicolas didn't even react. He stayed still in his position, not even turning the doorknob to open the door. Seven frowned, stepping forward, now beside Nicolas, "Mr. Anderson." he called out again, "Are you okay?"

Nicolas finally reacted, blinking a few times as if he was in another reality.

"Yeah. Sorry."

He opened the door before Serene could say anything else.

Classical music filled the house. The grand piano in the sound was exquisite and slow. being accompanied by a sharp, yet soothing sound of the violin. Seven wasn't fond of classical sounds, but the music that was playing in the house made him feel out of place - like his world and Nicolas' world were colliding and the assistant was the one taking the damage. His heart raced, scared that someone might walk up to him and ask if he knew the orchestra that played the sound.

Nicolas sighed, fixing his bow tie as he stared down the hallway that was lit with numerous lights on the wall, "Follow me," Nick ordered, not glancing at Seven, "Don't talk unless you're spoken to."

At first, it came off as arrogant, what Nick demanded. Though, giving it little thought, Serene came out grateful for the order since it was for the best... considering the guests that were present were from different rich businesses.

Nicolas began walking down the hall, his hands behind his back and his chin held high as if he didn't just have a panic attack before opening the door.

The walls were plain white, with different paintings of fruits, and flowers that gave the wall a bit of personality. Directly ahead of the front door was a set of stairs with a swirling design on the black railings. Seven stood on the right of Nicolas as they passed by the first archway that led into the living room where several people gathered. At first, Seven didn't know what Nicolas was looking for if not the living people filled with important people.

It wasn't until when an elder man stepped out of the left archway that led them into the dining room when Serene realized Nicolas was looking for his father.

"Nicolas!" he greeted, a smile plastered on his face, revealing the small wrinkles on each corner of his lip.

The man had several wrinkles on his forehead, with a few under his eyes. His blue eyes were the same at Nicolas' except a bit lighter. Several grey hairs were v visible considering the rest of the man's hair was a dark brown. His hair was slicked back, revealing the elder man's facial features.

"Hello, Mr. Chairman," Nicolas returned, not smiling at the other man. The elder nodded at him, turning his attention to Seven, keeping a grin on his face, "You must be the one that invited Web Baze!" he chuckled, grabbing the assistants pale hands and shook it, "I love your tie." he joked, winking at the assistant.

Ochoa nodded, "Thank you for gifting it to me, Mr. Anderson."

"Please, call me Joseph!"

Seven let go of his hand, a smile appearing on his face. For Seven, it felt awkward for the boss of his boss to allow him to refer to him by his first name. The assistant glanced at Nicolas who had no reaction and stood there in silence.

The chairman turned his attention to his son, nodding at him again, "Take your assistant to the kitchen. Give him some champagne and something to eat. I'll call both of you when someone requests your presence."

Nicolas didn't respond. He sighed, turning his shoulder towards the chairman and started walking towards the archway on the right. Seven watched, not understanding why his boss wasn't acting professionally towards the chairman. He turned back to the chairman and nodded at him, smiling, "Thank you." he commented before following the CEO.

The light in the kitchen was dimmer than the hallway. It felt comfortable, yet the furniture in the area was rich. The white glazed porcelain floor was clean and it reflected a bit of shadow from the two men. There were two parts of the kitchen: The dining area where a rectangular table was set with chairs near the wall and the bar area, where the kitchen appliances were settled behind a curved bar table that had a glossy texture similar to the flooring of the kitchen. The bar chairs had a beige cushion with a black metal holding the structure of the chair. Every other appliance in the kitchen was modern and had an appearance that screamed expensively. The food that the chairman was talking about was set out on the dining table, however, Nicolas was leaning against the bar, pouring a glass of champagne.

His free hand was in his pocket, while the other poured the alcoholic drink into the glass. Ochoa didn't know what to say. He doesn't know Nicolas enough to understand when he's feeling bad or good about something, but coming from the fact that Mr. Anderson didn't even give his father [the chairman] a grin, the assistant knew that something was bothering him. He sighed softly as if speaking to the CEO was going to be a risk he was willing to take, "Your father seems nice." he said, walking towards the bar stool that was set next to Nicolas.

Nick set the champagne bottle on the counter, motioning the glass around slightly, "A professional man, don't you know?" he responded, not glancing at Serene. The assistant frowned, looking at his boss take a sip of the alcoholic drink.

Seven tensed up by the strict tone in Nicolas' voice, hearing the slight sarcasm. He thought carefully about his next words. However, the assistant thought too much about it, and forgot to answer, having Nick speak again, "He also told you to call him by his first name."

The assistant nodded, smiling slightly, avoiding eye contact with Nick, "I rather not. I can't even call you by your first name." he chuckled, trying to lighten the mood and ease his tension.

The CEO sighed, responding before taking another sip from his glass, "Well, you're not supposed to refer to me as my first name."

Serene gulped, pressing his pink lips together as he heard the obvious being spat out by his boss. Before he could say anything else, Nicolas leaned over the counter and grabbed an empty glass, turning to Seven, "Have a drink?" he asked, though it sounded more like there was no other option. The assistant eyed the glass and smiled, "I don't drink, Mr. Anderson."

Nicolas furrowed his eyebrows, squinting his blue eyes as if he were looking for something on Seven's face. The corner of his lip curved up as he pulled back the stool that was next to him, "More the reason why I'm going to make you drink." he teased.

Serene frowned, staring at the empty glass that sat in front of him, "Is that professional?" his throat stiffened. The assistant was over 21, but the fear of being vulnerable in a drunk state was too risky for him. He's dealt with plenty of drunks to realize that being in that state of mind was not for him.

Nicolas let out a soft chuckle, "You-" he started, pouring champaign on both glasses that were set in front of him, "How about a game? Yeah?" His grin was kept on his face as he watched the yellow beverage drop into the transparent glass, "You ask me a question..." he explained, turning to Seven and pushing a glass towards him, "and I'll answer honestly ONLY if you drink."

Serene's eyes shot at Nicolas who smiled, "Is this another bonding game?"

Nicolas shrugged, "Yeah. I'm curious as to what questions you have for me." He grabbed his glass, motioning it around, "Aren't you curious about some answers?"

The assistant slouched a bit, eyeing the archway of the kitchen, anxious about whether would walk in on them or not. It was nervewracking. His first time drinking and it's his boss that will be the first to witness what type of drunk his assistant was.

"Are we playing?" Nicolas asked again, a playful tone in his voice.

"I won't get fired for the type of questions I ask?" the assistant asked.

"Of course not!"

That was all he needed to hear. He had several questions bothering him at the back of his head, but he was too nervous to be called out for intruding or assuming the weirdest things. Ochoa saw this as an opportunity; a chance. He wanted to take it. It went against his morals... his right and wrong. But the questions ached his head and kept him up at night.

He gazed at the champaign in his glass, seeing the alcoholic spark with life. The bubbles in the beverage complemented the golden color of the drink and it didn't look as bad as Seven had imagined. He held the glass in between his middle and ring finger, holding the curved glass in his hands, motioning it around.

"Why did you hesitate before you opened the front door?" he asked.

Ochoa's emerald eyes turned to Nicolas, seeing the CEO's smile fade lightly, "My father can be intimidating," he answered, "Especially at a donation party with Web Baze."

Liar.

Serene squinted at him, trying to figure out if what his boss said was pure honesty or a lie. A voice behind his head couldn't understand how hesitating to come into a house could be a result of fearing your boss. The assistant assumed there was more to it. Though, he didn't want to accuse Nicolas of lying. He believed some part of what he said was true.

Maybe I just need to keep asking or be more specific.

Serene nodded, gripping the glass in his hands and taking a small gulp as he stared at the beverage in his hands.

one, two, drink.

It soothed down in his throat. The bubbles were dancing in his throat as if they were performing. In the beginning, the bubbles would be loud, and expressive until the very end, when they come to a stop and slowly end the performance.

"Well?" the CEO asked.

Serene licked his lips, feeling a bit more confident, "Soothing."

Nicolas chuckled, "Good. Let's keep it at that. Two more questions and we'll go out to talk to people."

Serene nodded in agreement, not bothered by the game anymore, "Do you regret hiring me?"

Nicolas raised an eyebrow, looking directly into Serene's green eyes that shined beneath the lights, "Do I regret it?" he sighed, turning away from his assistant as if he were taunting him, "Of course not!" he laughed, shaking his head, "Do you think that low of me? You think I made a mistake in hiring you, huh, Mr. Ochoa?" he smiled, turning to face Serene again who shook his head, "No! No! I- I don't think low of you, sir. It's just... It's been a few days, I just needed to be reassured I was doing a great job so far." he softly admitted, looking down at the glass as if he were guilty of something.

Nicolas scoffed, nudging Serene, "Mr. Ochoa," he muttered, "I didn't think you were the type to need reassurance from someone to know you're doing a good job."

Serene turned to Nicolas, his eyes meeting the CEOs. Nicolas' smile warmed Seven, hearing the last thing that he said, "If that's the case, then I'd be glad to be the one to tell you how perfect you are." he softly complimented.

Serene's smile faded, staring into the blue sapphire eyes, feeling his heart burn and his stomach turn. It was as if he were on a rollercoaster again. And he couldn't stop. The assistant was unable to turn back around, his eyes glued onto the CEO's as if he were being put into a trance.

Nicolas, on the other hand, was in a whole different situation. His eyes weren't glued onto the emerald eyes but instead scanned all around Serene's face like a painting in a museum. His dark peach freckles that blended with the assistant's pale skin was like seeing stars under the night sky. It was stunning to him and he couldn't look away even if he tried. Though, he was more capable of breaking the tension between them, noticing how Seven gazed sweetly at him for a few seconds too long.

"Drink," he spoke.

Seven blinked, turning away from the older male and clearing his throat. He held the glass and drank the remaining beverage out of pure embarrassment of how long he was staring at his boss. Nicolas smiled lightly, grabbing the champaign bottle and pouring more onto the assistant's glass, keeping his eyes on him, "Are you alright?" he snickered lightly.

"Mr.Anderson," Ochoa mumbled, "I know the first question I asked was a lie." he gazed up, furrowing his eyebrows at Nick, "Why did you hesitate when you were going to open the door."

At first, Nicolas didn't know if he should lie again, but seeing that Seven had recognized the first lie, he didn't feel the need to bother.

His tongue swirled around his mouth, anxiously, "My dad was driving out on the driveway while he was drunk," he answered softly, "A car was driving towards them and my father didn't...." Nicolas inhaled deeply, gripping the champaign bottle in his hands, "He didn't pay mind to it and my mother was with him. Screaming for him to stop. Begging him." Nicolas felt his throat stiffen, his eyes burning as he stared at the alcoholic bottle, "I was a kid in the backseat just hearing both of them yell at each other. "

Serene's eyes widened, staring at Nicolas. Ochoa didn't know what to expect. He knew Nick was lying in the beginning, but now he can see why. Have it be the fact that Nicolas was probably slightly drunk that he finally spoke about it, but Seven felt utterly bad for asking.

"Mr. Anders-"

"This house... I hesitated because it just brings back memories of that time..." he sighed, and grabbed his glass of champagne and drank it in one sip. Serene sat there, frowning, seeing his boss drown himself in the drink.

Nicolas shook his head a bit as if shaking off the thoughts, a grin appearing on his face, "Let's switch it up, yeah? I ask you a question and I drink if you answer." He set the glass aside and grabbed the champaign bottle, motioning in a circle as if he were ready for the game.

"You're drinking from the champaign bottle?" Seven asked.

"Why not? It's a party, yeah?" Nicolas smiled, but his eyes were red and Seven frowned, not knowing exactly what to do in the situation. He could take the safe road and take the bottle from his boss and guide him to the living room where the other guests were at. Or he could sit here and play the game, risking his professionalism to go down the drain as he watches his boss drown himself in the past.

Serene's stomach wrenched, knowing it was a bad idea, but part of him felt responsible for bringing up the topic. For bringing up the lie that Nicolas had made so he wouldn't end up the way he is now: a drink in his hands, ready to lose his professional appearance. Seven felt his stomach ache and he was now becoming aware of how much alcohol he can take, "Fine."

"Why apply for an assistant career? Why not a computer worker or even a lawyer? You seem like the type to be intellectual about things like that."

"I wanted to help people that were better qualified." Serene answered, "I thrive when I see people I've helped become their very best."

Nicolas scoffed, shaking his head, "Seriously?"

Seven tilted his head, squinting at him, "Is that not the answer you expected?"

"No. No. It's fine. I expected something more like..." he furrowed his eyebrows, motioning his head sideways as if he was checking Seven out, " 'I wanted to be close with the CEO of Gamercave. He was very good-looking in the advertisements. Just wanted to see if he was legit.' "

The tone in his voice was raised as if mocking the way Serene talked. The assistant smiled lightly, nudging the CEO, "You're not funny, sir. Quite frankly, you teasing me as has been annoying lately."

"Ah~ It's not like I tease you regularly, right?" he tsked, taking another drink from the champaign bottle. Nicolas drank for a long while during this time, not even taking a second to breathe - he was chugging what he could.

After a while, the CEO sniffed a bit, as he swallowed the fluid. His eyes were starting to become watery, making it obvious to Serene that he was doing this out of grief, " Mr. Anderson?"

"Why are you alone?" he asked, quickly, not even letting Ochoa speak.

Serene's heart sank, feeling pressure against his chest once the man asked, "Sir-"

"Not going to answer? Is it too private?" He was talking quickly now, tensed and at the edge of his seat.

Serene felt a guilt charge inside of him. He had made Nick answer a personal question and it'll only be fair if he did the same. Nicolas gave him a heavy look, his eyes slightly closed probably due to dry eye the bubbles in the champaign caused.

Tears swelled up in Serene's eyes, swallowing harshly, "My mom died during my delivery. I never met my dad. So, that resulted in me living with my aunt for as long as I can remember."

Nicolas' facial expression relaxed, releasing what's left of his intimidating look. He poured some champagne in the assistant's glass before he took another chug from the bottle, not saying anything.

Serene felt the urge to take a swallow as well.

'That's what people do right?' He thought to himself, 'Drink their pain? Their internal problems.'

Serene gripped the glass, raising it to his mouth.

One, two, swallow.

After drinking in silence, Nicolas finally spoke, taking deep gasps, "I hesitated to open the door because I'm scared of my father since he occasionally blames me for my mom's death and sometimes I believe it."

Laughter echoed from the other rooms, except for this scene; This kitchen was the only place where the two were heartfelt.

Serene let go of the glass, placing it on the surface of the bar. His heart sank for the man who sat in front of him... and Nicolas felt the same way for Serene.

The two gazed at each other, acknowledging each other's vulnerable position.

For a second, Ochoa expected him to ask another question.

The classical tune was all that was heard in the kitchen as the two proceeded to gaze at each other.

Serene's shoulders tensed up, seeing the change of facial expression on Nicolas' face. Mr. Anderson's eyebrows loosened, pupils enlarging. Ochoa didn't mean to, but his eyes directed to Nicolas' flushed lips and they were there for a long moment.

Nicolas noticed this. He saw how Seven couldn't even hide the fact that he wanted to kiss his boss. Nicolas felt dazed, his head throbbing. The man in front of him was moving in Nicolas' vision. A second he was blurry and the next he was in an entirely different position. It was as if Nicolas had forgotten his glasses which could explain why his vision was getting blurry and why Seven was moving in a circular motion, but the CEO doesn't even wear glasses.

He raised his hand slowly and shakily, feeling a bit more certain of his actions, putting his hand on the male's cheeks and stroking the freckles.

Staring at them gently.

All he wanted was to make sure Seven wasn't moving all over the place as his vision tricked him to think. All he wanted was to make sure he was looking directly at the assistant's eyes and feeling the warmth of Seven's cheeks did just that.

Serene felt tensed, not entirely sure what Nicolas was doing with his thumb stroking the assistant's cheekbones. He closed his emerald, taking a deep breath as he made the decision to just accept the fact that Nicolas was most likely drunk now and was admiring his dark freckles. As for Serene, the soft touch of his boss' thumb was soothing and it made his stomach ache and cheeks burn.

Nicolas paused, keeping his palm on Serene's cheeks. He stared at his assistant, whose eyes opened slowly once he had settled. Goosebumps crawled on Ochoa's arm, feeling the small breaths of his boss touch his neck as he leaned in slowly.

It was funny really. No words were spoken, but somehow the two knew what they wanted. They knew what the other wanted.

Mr. Andersons' hand crawled behind Serene's neck and pushed him softly into a passionate kiss.

And suddenly... the world around them went dark as the two felt their body grow warm.

Author's Note: Next Chapter will include sexual scenes, mature vocabulary. You can kindly skip the chapter. It has no importance, but if you do skip it, please keep in mind that Serene Ochoa and Nicolas Anderson have slept together.