Chapter 18

The rest of the week went by in a blur for Jules. It was too fast and yet too slow.

Too fast because she was dreading a very particular day of the week - Friday. A day where everyone was supposed to be excited to end and finally shut down for the week and go have fun with friends. A day that ended the stressful week they've had, leading to - hopefully - a promising weekend. She dreaded what used to be her favourite day of the week all because of a certain someone.

It was also too slow because she couldn't wait to get - what she was supposed to do on Friday - over with. She couldn't wait to get it done and forget about it and begin looking forward to dreading the following Friday of every other week to come till the end of her career. Sadly.

Ughhh! Why did he have to do this to her?

She thought.

Now it was official, she hated Fridays.

There was a knock on her office door.

"Yes?" She answered as she tried to go over what happened to be the final file of the week.

"Jules, I'm leaving." Jules looked up to find Alice at the door.

"Oh?"

Alice smiled at her

"You don't know what time it is, do you?"

Jules shook her head.

"Nope." She replied popping the 'p'.

"Well the time says, it's a Friday and I have to go party. TGIF?"

Jules sighed

"Well, I'm going to TGIF when Mr. Thompson has signed these contracts and I'm on my way home."

"Well, you should call it a week and pack up. Everyone's gone." Alice said

"Ok. Thanks, Alice."

"Anytime boss." She said leaving.

"Have fun." Jules said looking at the file in front of her "For two." She added to herself.

Half an hour later, Jules was done with the final file. She packed up everything. Cleared her desk and picked up the contracts that needed to be signed. She turned the lights off as she exited her office. She walked through the lobby to the elevator and pushed the button and waited patiently for it.

She couldn't wait to see Ivy. Andy and Sofi had taken her to their place. It was kind of a bummer that her Fridays were going to be like that. She wished she could do something about it but she had gone through the contract she signed when Ceaser took over and there was a clause that stated 'CEO's decisions are final. Anything work-related can be altered by the CEO alone and employee(s) is/are to adjust to the change(s) else employee(s) risk(s) getting fired.' Or something along those lines.

She figured he put that clause in because of what happened when Freddie Danfort was still the CEO. Freddie has issued a change in the way random authors were selected for publication but the Vice President had preferred the previous ways of doing things and went against Freddie which made the company lose a lot of money. Freddie had borrowed money and gotten shareholders but nothing worked.

The elevator dinged open breaking Jules from her train of thought, she got in and pushed the button to the underground floor - the parking lot.

Ceaser had given Claire his address to be given to her so all she had to do was put that into her GPS. Not her definition of fun for a Friday night but who could she argue with. She loved her job and she didn't want to risk getting fired just because she couldn't deliver contracts to be approved and signed by the CEO.

Minutes later.

...Turn left. Drive a mile ahead. You have reached your destination.

Jules parked her car in front of what was supposed to be Ceaser's house. She took the contracts and car keys before she got out of the car. She locked it and looked around the lit-up street. It was a very posh place to live and she wasn't surprised. Jules walked on the paved path towards the front door of the undeniably beautiful one storey house in front of her.

As she stepped onto the front porch, she sighed heavily. She raised her hand and rang the doorbell.

You're here for official reasons.

It's work-related. Nothing else.

Just hand over the contracts. Get it back and leav...

The front door opened and every rational and reasonable thought flew out of Jules' mind in a matter of a first glimpse.

There in front of her stood the reason for her not being a TGIF fan at that moment. Ceaser stood in front of her in all his glory, half-naked...and dripping from head to toe.

Jules gulped down, as hard as she could, the piling words in her mouth which undoubtedly bruised her throat.

Water dripped from Ceaser's hair which fell forward covering his beautiful face and Jules wanted to lean in and brush them back with her fingers.

And that body...oh that body.

Jules sighed.

She wanted to run her fingertips on every single inch of his body. The pathway his abs made to that 'V' that deepen into the towel which didn't leave much to her imagination.

Ceaser was enjoying every single second of Jules checking him out and he held back a smirk. Damn, she looked at his body like she wanted him to take her into his arms there and then and rip her clothes apart and do wild things to her into the next morning but he clenched his hand on the door and cleared their throat which broke Jules from her trip down his body as she looked up at him to find him smirking at her.

Oh, how she wished she could wipe that irritating smirk off his gorgeously chiselled face.

"Are you done ogling me?" He asked

Jules cleared her throat

"Good evening Mr. Thompson." She greeted him.

She wasn't going to let him know how affected she was by his nakedness.

"Please come in Ms. Jenna." He said.

Jules stepped in as he stepped aside for her. She followed him into the very big and amazing parlour after he shut the door. The couches were white with grey and black cushions. The walls were a shade of grey and dark blue. The tiles were white too.

"You have a lovely home." She told him

He smiled at her

"What can I get you?"

Jules followed him past the parlour into a huge kitchen/dining area. It was almost like the one in his parents' house. The colour and the arrangement. The dining table was smaller with fewer chairs compared to the one at his parents.

"Nothing. Thank you, sir." She said trying to sound as business-like as she could

He stopped what he was doing and turned to her. His eyes caught hers at that moment as he made his way slowly towards her.

"Sir?" He asked "C'mon Jules, we aren't at the office anymore. Drop the formal tone." He stopped in front of her

"That's Ms. Jenna to you...Sir." Jules added, her eyes still betraying her by falling to his perfectly sculpted body.

She caught him grinning again

"Undressing me again?"

She swallowed

"You barely have anything on, there isn't much to undress."

He had an evil smirk

"You could always take off the towel."

Her eyes widened at that as her cheeks turned pink in embarrassment.

Ceaser took the final step to close the little gap between them and placed his hand on the small of her back pulling her tightly against him as he leaned into her so slowly. Jules placed her palms on his chest stopping the torturous movement, and she could have sworn she heard him groan.

"You should put some clothes on." She said before she finally pushed him away, sighing inwardly so she wouldn't make it obvious that he affected her...again.

Ceaser went to go put some clothes on, he pulled on his grey sweat pants and a white t-shirt. He had noticed she was distant and he couldn't blame her. But he missed the Jules he used to know. He needed to get her back, he wanted the old Jules back.

His Jules.

Ceaser went out of his room and downstairs. He saw her on one of the dining seats behind the kitchen island with the contracts in front of her.

She looked exhausted but still as beautiful as ever.

"You were supposed to be here over an hour ago." He said as he walked into the kitchen

"I-I had to finish going through the last file I had before I came. Couldn't leave it till next week."

He poured himself a glass of scotch.

He admired her hard work.

"Are you sure I can't get you anything?" He asked her again.

"I'm sure," Jules said turning in her seat to look at him.

Ceaser stayed in the kitchen drinking the scotch as they stared at each other across the island. He knew inside, she was boiling in anger. But on the outside, she appeared cool and calm. He could tell from the way her jaw twitched when she lost it.

"Mr. Thompson if you have forgotten, I'll gladly remind you that I do have a daughter to take care of. I don't have all night" She said

It made him smile, knowing she could lose it sometimes.

And Ivy. How could he forget she had to get back to Ivy?

"Where's she?" Ceaser joined her behind the kitchen island.

"With my friends." She said pushing the contracts towards him with a pen on top.

"Down to business then." He said picking the pen and opening the first contract to sign.

He didn't bother reading it because that had been done by her. Her position was an important part of the company. It had to be done by someone the company could trust and depend on. She was that someone.

Jules couldn't help looking at his face as he signed the contracts. It was one of those faces you could watch forever and never get tired of.

How could he be this beautiful?

Jules thought.

She needed to end this and pick up Ivy on her way home. Ivy.

She had been meaning to go to the Thompson's house. Selene had been calling to check up on her and Ivy which was so sweet. Selene looked like she really loved Ivy in such a short time and Ivy really got along with Selene and Eric.

She had to visit them.

Ceaser felt Jules' gaze on him up till the final contract which he didn't sign...just yet.

He looked up to find her gaze on him before she caught herself and immediately looked away.

"What?" He asked her with a smile on his lips.

She shook her head.

"Nothing sir." She said

Ceaser clenched his jaw

"For goodness sake drop the sir, Jules. I hate that you're being this way. You're making me feel like an arrogant overbearing boss."

"You said it yourself." She said still not looking at him.

Ceaser sighed

"What is it?"

She looked at me

"I w-was wondering if I, hmm, your parents wouldn't mind having Ivy and me over tomorrow," Jules said

"Of course not," Ceaser told her "My parents would be delighted. I'll call them to inform them." He signed the last contract but not before he saw her face brighten with her smile.

He closed the final contract and pushed everything back to her with her pen.

She picked it up and got up from the seat.

"Thank you. Ivy would be...happy to see them again."

Ah, Ivy. He missed his little munchkin.

He had gone to see her every time he could during office hours at the daycare. He made sure not to get caught by Jules' friends. What he would do to get both his daughter and Jules in his life.

"Thank you for the...flowers," Jules said.

Ceaser smiled.

"I wasn't sure which you'd like so..."

"...you sent them all." Jules completed "I love the white daffodils."

"I'll be sure to remember that."

Jules gave a quick smile.

"I should get going." She made a move to leave.

"Jules." He stopped her and she turned to look at him.

"I am sorry."

Jules saw the sincerity in his eyes and sighed. She smiled at him and nodded.

She was glad she could finally let it go. He lied, he apologized and she forgave but she hadn't forgotten. That she couldn't do, not yet at least.

Jules had taken the night to think about it and she had come to the conclusion that she and Ceaser couldn't have anything going on between them. He was her boss, she couldn't date her boss. Asides from it being unprofessional on her part, it would be a distraction, he would be a distraction.

A mighty fine one.

She thought and groaned.

Dating him would be similar to a student dating a professor which she didn't think was a bad thing, it was just something she couldn't even consider. And not to talk of the reputation he had and the news spreading in the company or worse, everywhere. Ceaser was a good guy, a great guy but she didn't run in the same circle as him and that was that.

Ceaser on the other hand couldn't have been more encouraged since Jules somewhat forgave him – if that's what her smile was. He was looking forward to seeing her at his parents' and to spending time with her. He needed to tell her the whole truth. He needed to come clean but not now. Not when he had just gotten her back. He needed some time before he told her the whole truth.

He hoped it all worked out in the end.