Page 34 of Falling for the Boss's Son

She nodded. “Thanks for lunch.”

“Don’t spend the next hour worrying about what will happen, okay? Things will be fine. You’ll see. Soon, it’ll be normal for people to see us together around here.”

Cassie really wanted that.

There was still that lingering voice in the back of her head, wondering about the list he gave her and if she’d be able to meet his expectations. She’d never been a submissive before and her limited knowledge came from movies and television shows.

Before she could let her mind go too far down the rabbit hole, her boss emerged from his office. He took one look at his son, then at her, and back at his son. “Don’t you have some work to do?”

Jesse smiled and straightened, then his gaze met hers. “I’ll see you at two.”

He headed toward the elevator, and she turned to see what her boss needed.

* * *

All things considered, lunch with his dad went as well as could be expected. His dad had always encouraged him to weigh the pros and cons of a situation, what he wanted, and how it would affect others before deciding on a course of action.

Pursuing Cassie was no different. He wanted Cassie. There was no hesitation there. She was beautiful, sweet, and had a humble air about her he found appealing. She wasn’t afraid to speak her mind, something he needed in a partner given his sexual preferences, but she wasn’t obnoxious about it.

As for how their relationship would affect others?

Besides the obvious speculation it would cause, Jesse didn’t see it having any effect on anyone other than maybe his father. Cassie was good at her job. She’d been his dad’s administrative assistant for long enough and each knew what the other’s expectations were.

When it came to everyone else in the office…

As far as he was concerned, him managing the accounting department was more of a potential minefield than him dating his father’s assistant.

He made his way to his office. Stephanie, his administrative assistant, looked up from whatever she’d been working on as he approached. “Welcome back. How was your lunch?”

“Very good.” He paused beside her desk. “Could you see if Shannon has yesterday’s figures ready for me yet? I wanted to try and look them over before my two o’clock.”

“Sure.” She stood and went off in search of Shannon.

Normally, he would have gone to Shannon’s desk himself and asked for the report, but he already had three missed calls from his mother. It didn’t take a genius to know his dad had talked to her after leaving the restaurant.

They’d been married for thirty-five years and there were no secrets between them. Growing up, he’d hated it. There was no going to one parent to ask permission to do something, then if he didn’t get the answer he wanted, go to the other parent. Blake and Florence Masters didn’t play that game. The one time he’d tried it, he’d ended up not only losing his gaming system for the week, but he’d also had to weed his mom’s flowerbeds.

Lowering himself into his highbacked chair, Jesse dialed his mother. She answered on the first ring.

“I was beginning to wonder if you were avoiding me.”

He chuckled. “Never. I just got back to my desk.”

“I’m sure you know why I called. You need to bring Cassie to dinner so I can meet her.”

“Mom, you know Cassie. She’s dad’s assistant.”

“I’m perfectly aware of who she is,” his mom said. “But it’s not as if I’ve sat down and gotten to know her. I’ve only seen her in passing and exchanged pleasantries when I came to the office to see your father.”

“Fair enough.” He’d come with his mom to see his dad at the office many times over the years and he’d never spent much time wondering about who his dad’s assistant was. “When would you like us to come?”

“Friday night. Six o’clock. Don’t be late.”

The smile wouldn’t leave his face. His mom was giving him a hard time, but he knew she was secretly thrilled. She wanted grandbabies. “I’ll talk to Cassie and make sure she doesn’t already have plans. I’ll call you back after work to confirm.”

Jesse hung up with his mom and logged into his computer. He was going through his emails when Stephanie walked in with the reports he’d been waiting for. “Thanks.”

He expected her to leave, but she remained in his office.

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