Page 33 of Falling for the Boss's Son

No one said a word until the server returned to take their lunch orders. With the menus no longer in front of them, there was nothing else to do but address the elephant in the room.

“Cassie and I are seeing each other.”

Blake said nothing for several moments. “How long has this been going on?”

“We met at my birthday party. Her best friend is dating Kaden.” Jesse appeared to be unaffected by his father’s stiff demeanor.

Cassie wasn’t. Her palms were sweating, and she was waiting for her boss to tell her she no longer had a job. But she was trying to do as Jesse asked. This was his father after all.

“You know fraternization is discouraged. It doesn’t matter that you technically met before Jesse took over the management position.”

“Yes, we know,” Cassie said.

Jesse picked up his water and took a sip. “That’s why we’re meeting with HR this afternoon. We want everything to be out in the open. But we wanted to let you know first.”

“You know how this will be perceived, the speculation, especially for Cassie,” Blake said.

Cassie frowned. She hadn’t thought of anything beyond potentially losing her job.

Jesse placed a hand on her thigh as if he could sense the thoughts running through her head. “If something happens, we’ll address it. Until then, nothing should change. She works for you, not me.”

“It won’t matter. You’re my son and it will be implied that as your girlfriend you’ll be able to use your influence with me on her behalf.”

“I don’t expect any special treatment,” Cassie said.

Before he could respond, their salads arrived. Everyone remained quiet until they were alone once more.

Blake draped his napkin across his lap and picked up his fork. “Again, it won’t matter.” Then, he turned his focus on Jesse. “I do hope you know what you’re doing.”

“I do.”

They held each other’s gazes for a long moment before both men seemed to relax and dig into their salads. Cassie had no idea what had just happened, but she was sure something had. Blake stabbed a piece of lettuce with his fork. “You know you’re going to have to bring her over for dinner.”

Jesse smiled. “We’ll check our schedules.”

An hour later, Cassie was sitting next to Jesse in his car and they were heading back to the office. She was glad at least that hurdle was over, but she couldn’t help but replay Blake’s warning. Was there someone specific she needed to watch out for, or was it more of a general note of caution?

She was so lost in her thoughts she didn’t realize they’d pulled off to the side of the road. “What?—”

Cassie wasn’t able to get anything else out before Jesse’s lips covered hers. All her swirling thoughts went out the window at the feel of his mouth moving against hers.

“Feeling better?” he asked several minutes later.

It took her a moment to realize he’d asked her a question. “Why’d you do that for?”

“You looked like you needed it.”

Had she needed it? Maybe she had. “We were going back to the office.”

Jesse smiled, his eyes lighting up with his amusement. “I decided to take a short detour. I’m trying to be good and not kiss you at work.”

“Oh.”

He gave her another lingering kiss, then turned to face the road and maneuvered back into traffic. Two minutes later, they were driving into the parking garage.

Walking into the building felt different now that they weren’t keeping things a secret. She could tell he wanted to hold her hand because he kept brushing the back of his hand against hers.

They rode up the elevator to the executive floor and he followed her to her desk. “Our appointment with HR is at two. I’ll meet you there.”

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