“Is this seat taken?” Ceaser asked when he got to her table and Jules froze in place.
How could she have forgotten the way he made her feel or how his presence made her heart skip a beat, then race faster with every second he got closer to her. She should have known he was the cause of whatever feeling she had.
She shut her eyes and cursed the slowly, she turned away from the busy road and looked up at him. A small smile played on Ceaser lips.
His lips…
Jules sighed inwardly
… No! Don’t!
“No.” Jules said before she got her head more messed up than it already was with thoughts of him and threw herself at him without remembering their last encounter.
Ceaser sat across from Jules with a full-on smile like he had won a trophy. Jules tried hard not to stare but it wasn’t an easy task. She saw him smirk which made her pull her gaze away from him.
“What are you doing here?” Jules asked ignoring his gaze on her.
“The same thing you are.”
“This doesn’t seem like your kind of place.”
“Whatever do you mean?”
“You eat at fancy restaurants and not little ones like this.”
“Well, change is good.” He said not being able to take his gaze off of her, he sighed. “Look Jules…”
The waitress arrived with a tray then.
“Here’s you go Jules.” Amanda – the waitress – said in that southern accent of hers.
“Thanks Amanda.” Jules smiled at her and caught her eyeing Ceaser.
Jules noticed Ceaser didn’t even give her a single glance.
“Hey pretty boy.” Amanda said to him “I haven’t seen you walk in here since you took over that publishing company.”
“Been busy.” Ceaser said plainly
“Want to go out some time?”
Jules wanted to wince at her directness.
Ceaser looked at up at Amanda then smiled.
If this feeling she had was called Jealousy, then she didn’t want it. She freaking hated it. It was digging deep into her chest as she watched them flirt…
“You’ll have to ask her for permission.” Jules eyes snapped up at Ceaser in confusion, surprised, shocked, and in lack-of-words.
Amanda looked at Jules.
“Didn’t know she was with anyone.”
“I-I’m…” Jules stuttered.
“She’s still trying to process it.” Ceaser smiled at Jules, grinned was more like it.
“Well, Damn girl.” Amanda said “Keep your fine hunk of meat safe. There are a lot of hungry dogs here.” She whispered into Jules’ ear before she left.
Jules looked at Ceaser who sat there smiling at her. He couldn’t help it.
“What the heck…?”
“So, I’m your fine hunk of meat?” He asked still smiling.
Jules looked away as fast as she could, his presence only made her more embarrassed about the other night than she already was.
“What’s the matter?” Ceaser asked sensing the change in her.
Jules shook her head.
“There’s obviously something wrong.” Ceaser said not backing down.
Jules cleared her throat.
“I’m sorry about Saturday. I don’t know what came over me.” Jules face turned red “I feel so embarrassed just thinking…”
“Hey.” Ceaser placed his hand on hers “Don’t.”
Jules looked from his hand on hers to his eyes.
“I wanted to.” Ceaser confessed “Just as much as you. But I thought with Ivy being away, your emotion was getting in the way of your rational thoughts. I thought you’d wake up and regret it and I didn’t want that.”
Jules felt the weight lifted off her shoulders.
“I’m glad you did.” She said “It shouldn’t have happened. You’re my boss and I’m your employee.” She leaned closer and whispered “Nothing can happen between us.”
Ceaser blinked as Jules slide her hand from under his.
“Why not?” He asked “We’re adults.”
“I can’t put my life on the line for you for whatever we may or may not have.” She said “I have a daughter and she comes first, even before me.”
“So, you’re saying even though you want this thing between us, you can’t because of Ivy.”
“Exactly.” She said “It might have been possible if you were an ordinary guy but you’re not. You’re my boss, you’re a Thompson and your position in the society comes with a lot of unwanted attention to anyone associated with you. I don’t want that for Ivy, she deserves an ordinary life, a normal life.”
Ceaser took a minute to digest what she had just said but he knew he had a find a way around it. She just needed time and he was willing to give her that.
Ceaser sighed dramatically intending on making Jules think he’d given up and it worked.
“Okay, I understand.” Ceaser said “But I do want you in my life, I can’t just forget about you and Ivy. You both have had an impact in my life.”
Jules thought for a second and fell right into his trap.
“We can be friends.” She said “If that’s alright with you.”
“It’s better than nothing.” Ceaser smiled and so did Jules.
That afternoon, two friends sat in a crowded restaurant and had a meal together not knowing what the future had in store for them or rather, the next day.
Jules had been happy and free since her conversation with Ceaser the previous day. She smiled as she made her way into the company building with Ivy in her arms. She hadn’t noticed the stares she was getting until she arrived at her office.
“Morning Alice.” Jules greeted as she went straight into her office.
Alice quickly followed with the paper in her hand.
Jules placed her bag on her desk and took off her jacket and hung it on the back of her office chair as she went through the files on her desk.
Alice entered her office and shut the door behind her as Jules sat down.
“I’m guessing you’ve not seen today’s papers?”
“I don’t have time during the week.” Jules said “I keep them till the weekend. Why?”
“Uh, well I’m not sure if it’s a good thing or a bad thing.” Alice said and Jules looked up at her.
“If what is?”
“You being on the front page.” Jules’ eyes winded. “With the boss.” Alice placed the newspaper in front of Jules and watched in horror as Jules snatched the paper from her desk.
There were two pictures. One of Ceaser’s hand on hers and another of both of them laughing and having lunch from yesterday at the restaurant.
Jules snapped her gaze at Alice.
“Is he around?”
Alice nodded, scared to speak with the look Jules had on her face.
Jules got up and walked right out of her office as her co-workers stared and she walked past them to the elevator.