Page 71 of Taken By My Grumpy Pakhan

It was incredible how much a person's life could change in the space of five months.

Not too long ago, I was like Maya. Beaming at people and smiling extra hard even when they were being overly mean and withholding tips for great hospitality and service.

And now, I could afford to shop around the season even though the old me still looked at prices and punched the calculator.

“Alright,” Maya replied. “I’ll leave you to it.”

I continued browsing through the racks. It was nice to have someone curate the best and have them waiting for you, but I preferred to make a few discoveries of my own, and with this being my first time shopping alone, I had all the intention of maximizing the options.

A burgundy silk dress caught my eye, pulling me deeper into the racks. It was a beautiful dress, but I couldn’t see it fitting into my wardrobe. I couldn’t walk away from it either, so I ended up getting it for Anna.

Thirty minutes had passed when I decided I had enough to return to the dressing room for tryouts.

With the launch of the new products approaching, the company was getting busier and Caroline had thankfully brought to my notice that I’d be taking more trips with Kazimir to meet with investors and partners.

Rose, being the fairy godmother of shopping, found a way to hook me up with a session with Maya.

Kazimir was yet to apologize for the little stunt he pulled in Dallas, insisting that he gave me something many assistants were looking for: free time and unlimited money despite a heavy workload.

And as expected, Anna agreed with him, pointing out my need to not feel like I was trading sex for opportunity and not wanting to feel like a glorified whore as the reason for my fight.

She had argued that if I wasn’t having sex with Kazimir and he gave me a free day, I would’ve jumped for joy and not felt underutilized, and I absolutely hated how right she sounded.

I returned to the dressing room with my selections and was immediately grateful I listened to Rose’s advice to dress in tight leggings and a top with a built-in bra if you were shopping alone. There was no way this dress was making it onto my body if I wasn’t near nude, and as much as I loved my body, I wasn't liberal enough to strip naked in a changing room.

The undressing part was, however, intended to be a joint situation.

I could imagine the designers intending for it to be the kind of dinner dress that stunned your date and then you get home and they help you out of it.

Unfortunately, I was alone in the dressing room.

I pulled the bottom over my head, trying to manipulate the bodice with a sway when a soft voice reached me.

“Let me.”

Shortly, my neck was free from the suffocating fabric and microscopic beads of sweat had covered my skin.

I tossed the dress to the sofa, undecided if the beauty was worth the torture, before turning to thank my saviour.

“You’re not Maya,” I blurted the moment I beheld the blonde in front of me.

Her lips dipped slightly. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I’ll get Maya—”

“Oh no,” I rushed out. “I didn’t mean to be rude, I was just surprised.”

“I figured. You were here all by yourself one minute and the next…” she snapped her fingers, “I appeared like a goddamn fairy.”

I smiled at her joke. There was something very familiar about her. I was certain I’d seen her before, but I couldn’t place the memory.

“Wait a minute,” she said like something just clicked in her head. “You’re the new PA.”

I blinked. “Sorry?”

“Kazimir’s. You’re Kazimir’s new PA.”

The image immediately fell into place and I took in her slender body, high cheekbones and blue eyes.

She was the woman Kazimir had attended the gala with. She looked a little different without the red lipstick, but she was stunning either way.