Chapter 19. Bad manners
I set my fork down next to my empty plate, feeling completely stuffed. Jackson had noticed and seemed to enjoy watching me eat. I guessed he was used to dating models who only ordered salads.
"Do you have room for dessert?" he asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise.
"Really?" I replied, my own eyebrows lifting.
"If you want to, if not..."
"Of course! What desserts do you have?" I asked, curious. "I'm allergic to nuts."
"There's only one with nuts, but I ordered the house special."
"And what’s that?" Now I was even more curious.
"It's a cheesecake with a layer of natural strawberry jam dripping all over it..." For some reason, his mouth hypnotized me. I looked away when he noticed, and he stopped his explanation, then ran his fingers over the corners of his lips.
"I thought you had a stain..." I pointed out casually, trying to hide that I had been staring at his mouth like a schoolgirl. He took his napkin and wiped his mouth in such an elegant way that I wished I were that fabric. Lilly Bradley, he's your boss! I cleared my throat. "I guess there wasn't... You were saying about the dessert..."
After his detailed explanation, two plates arrived with a large slice of cheesecake. Yes, large. I already felt full, and this would be the cherry on top. I slid my fork slowly, seeing how creamy it was, then brought it to my mouth and realized he was watching me intently. When I tasted the cheese melting with the strawberry, it was an explosion of flavor. I raised my eyebrows in surprise and moaned with pleasure.
"It's delicious..." I intended to take a second bite when my eyes stopped on him. He seemed to have turned into a statue in his chair. "Didn't you like it? Because I did."
"Yes, it's just that..." he began to speak awkwardly, stood up, and placed his napkin beside his plate. "I'll be back..." and disappeared among the diners in the distance. I continued eating, glancing at the clock. I had to return in twenty minutes.
Five minutes later, my boss returned to the table.
"We're leaving," he ordered in a tone loaded with coldness, which left me confused.
"Yes, yes," I quickly wiped my lips, grabbed my bag, and followed him. He walked quite fast. I got into the car, and he followed. "Did something happen?" He didn't answer. "Did I do something I shouldn't have?" He still didn't answer. I pursed my lips without him noticing. "That's rude," I thought, looking out the window until we reached the building. The driver and the man in the passenger seat got out, leaving us alone inside the SUV. He seemed to be preparing to speak. "So, something did happen," I said, sure of my words.
"I'll just leave a warning between us," he said, looking at me. I didn't see this coming. "We met on a blind date set up by my mother, and it's quite a coincidence that you started working at my company."
"I don't know your mother and..." but he raised his hand in front of my face to stop me, and I instinctively swatted his hand away. He opened his eyes wide in surprise as he withdrew it. "Don't shush me like that, it's rude."
"Swatting my hand is rude!"
"You started with your rudeness, so don't expect me not to respond."
"I didn't start anything," he emphasized.
"You did it. So I'll finish this because my work schedule is about to start, and I'm not one to be late on my first days. First, don't interrupt me, you're a man and should have the decency not to interrupt a woman like that. Second, I don't know your mother well enough to manipulate her to get a job. Third, I didn't know who you were, or your name, to look you up on Google and stalk you at your own company. Lastly, I'm smart enough and educated enough to find a job on my own. Thanks for the meal, and since you're my boss and I'm the employee, I know what you'll say: This is the last time we can do this because it would break your company's rules. And I accept that, thanks again." I opened the door and got out to enter the building, crossed the lobby, and reached the employee elevator. I pressed the button and waited for it to arrive. My heart raced, reminding me that I shouldn't have done that. I wasn't in London, and he wasn't my ex-fiancé or someone I knew well enough to be so direct.
"And you call me rude when you were the one who walked away without hearing what I was going to say." My boss's voice behind me made my skin prickle from my feet to the top of my head. Then I saw him stand next to me.
"I have to respect my lunch break schedule. I don't want to get in trouble for being late, Mr. Johnson."
"Johnson!" It was Maxima getting off the elevator. I subtly stepped aside to get in, and Maxima stopped to talk to him. "Have you already had lunch? I'm starving..." But it seemed he didn't care as he immediately got into the elevator, standing beside me. "Where are you going?" she asked, confused.
"I've already had lunch, sorry. I have to go to my office and make some calls."
"In the employee elevator?" Maxima asked, raising her eyebrow, then looked in my direction. "Oh no, don't look at me like that."
"There's always a first time, right?" He pressed the button himself, and the doors began to close. Maxima didn't take her eyes off us until we disappeared from her sight.
"Now she'll think things that aren't true," I muttered under my breath.
"How do you know?" he asked, curious.
"I know that kind of look..."
"I didn't know there was..." I interrupted him.
"Why didn't you take your private elevator?" I looked at him now, and he leaned against the handrail.
"Because you haven't let me say what I wanted to in the car." I let out a long sigh and waited for him to speak before getting off on my floor. "I'll just ask you two questions." He paused briefly, pressed the red button, and the elevator stopped to ensure he had my attention. How could he not, with us trapped in the elevator? "Did my mother tell you that I owned this company?"
"No!" I felt offended. "I don't know your mother, and I've already told you no..." I stopped my words when I saw his expression. "No," I emphasized, saving myself from giving explanations.
"Second," he narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. "Is this some kind of obsession with me because of our blind date and...?"
"Are you serious?" My accent came out very pronounced with that question. "I think you've forgotten who left first and refused to have dinner with you. It was me, remember? I was just doing a favor," I shook my head. "But what a man..."
He stepped closer to me, and I backed up until my back was against the cold steel wall.
"I'm a man who hates lies and manipulations."
"Good for you, but I'm telling the truth," I said confidently, not taking my eyes off his dark ones. "I applied online. Maxima was the one who hired me and gave me the administrator job."
His phone rang. He stepped back and answered.
"Tell me, Richard." He didn't take his eyes off me. "Alright, delete the recordings. I'll be in the office shortly." He then hung up, let out a sigh, and reached out to press the red button to get the elevator moving again. "I hope your arrival at the company...wasn't planned by my own mother."