My CEO, My Temptation

Jessica

“So, he kissed you? wow, no wonder things have been awkward between you guys.”

Kayleigh finally digs the truth out of me because of the not-so-subtle business lunch that she bumped into hours before.

“… and his PA kept on looking at you as if you just snatched her campus jock.”

“Kay!” I reminded her as I closed my office door.

It was almost the end of office hours where we usually chat about our days.

“It was an awkward kiss, I never…”

She almost falls as she takes her seat, but then Kayleigh looked at me in amazement.

“I thought you and Aaron…”

“No, Aaron and I are not like that, we’re friends. He’s Amanda’s brother he knows what happened,”

“Jess,”

“I can see it in his eyes, it’s there. And I know Tyler would know about me eventually, and I can’t.”

Kayleigh took my hand in hers while she waited for my explanation.

“Amanda had pushed me to befriended Aaron, he’s about my age, and also needed a friend to talk to since he also has issues. We would meet up and talk, he can be a good companion, but we both kind of knew that we are good friends.”

“Hey, what are you girls talking about?” Larry knocked on my door before entering my office.

“Nothing, just girls stuff, and Kayleigh here is just saying goodbye. She’s going to go home.” I nervously smiled while Kayleigh shook her head in disagreement.

“What? no, Tyler and I are going out for drinks. Come on, you both should come.”

“You should take my boss, but I’m heading back home. I promised to babysit my nephew tonight.”

Kayleigh grabbed her purse and rubbed my hand telling me that I’ll see her tomorrow morning.

“Okay then, come on partner. Let’s pick up my brooding brother next door, he needs alcohol while you need to sterilize your wound.”

He made me laughed and I took his arm as he guided me to his brother’s office. The view of him and his PA made me halt my step.

“You’re right, he looked busy,” I muttered beside him.

Tyler was signing off some documents, his brows were deep in thoughts while his fountain pen kept on scribbling on the documents. Elsie, his flirtatious PA was busy lowering herself showing off her cleavage to the boss man who was not even realizing that we had entered his office.

“Tyler, bro… you should let Elsie go, it’s time for happy hour.”

The said brother stop what he was doing and looked up at me then at Larry.

“Why doesn’t she join, Kayleigh couldn’t make it, Elsie can replace her absence?” I smiled, while Larry smirked at his brother.

“You heard the boss lady, get your purse, Elsie, you’re coming with us.”

Tyler didn’t look happy with my suggestion and my smile grew wider because of it. But then I rolled my eyes when the perky assistant was giggling, thanking me for inviting her. And I swear in that couple of seconds I could see Tyler tugged his lips.

“You don’t actually like him getting involved with his PA right?” Larry asked as we entered the designated bar.

“I never thought it would be this cozy-looking from the bar’s appearance from outside.”

Larry laughed when he realized that I was not going to reply to his question.

“… I mean, this place doesn’t even have a sign from the outside,”

He laughed and ushered me to one of the empty booths.

“Yeah, it’s one of those cool local bars.”

He called the waiter and order us two glasses of beer as starters, then I ordered a lemon drop martini when Larry ordered a glass of scotch on the rocks.

It took us less than twenty minutes for us to reach the bar, I arrived with Larry as Tyler was taking his car with his PA. Elsie looked more than happy when she walked into the dimmed lit bar with Tyler on her side.

“I should get male PA and have him show his boobs,” I whispered to Larry as I saw Elsie shamelessly flirted at her boss.

Larry laughed loudly, almost choked on his beer.

“I’m sure Kayleigh would love such man as company, I can already imagine them working efficiently together.”

Then it was my turn to laugh, almost spilling my beer.

“I see you both are having such a good time together.” His deep manly voice tickled my insides and it made me drink more beer to cool myself down.

Tyler and Elsie joined us, we were seating in a u-shape booth I thought he was going to sit to Larry’s front, but instead, he scooted next to me. His PA sits to his other side and didn’t look too happy with the seating arrangement.

I finished my beer when I saw the waiter arrived with my Martini and Larry’s Scotch. Tyler was quick to order his beer along with his PA who ordered sex on the beach with her flirty tone.

Larry looked at me knowingly and I almost burst out laughing and decided to hide my smile by sipping on my drink.

“You’re right, I needed this. But I also need snacks, we should order some nachos and fries…”

Larry was laughing and waving at the waiter and quickly ordered snacks for all of us. Tyler was still a bit quiet as if he has a lot on his mind, he would talk to Elsie but then was back talking to Larry.

But one thing I was certain of was that he was being suspiciously distant towards me.

“Is there something I did wrong today?” I whispered asking him while Elsie was talking to Larry, laughing at his jokes.

“Why?”

“Nothing, you just seemed a bit off.”

“I’m not, just that I don’t hang with assistants.”

I laughed at his words, a bit too loud making Larry and Elsie stopped their conversation.

“Wait, you’re laughing? did he actually make you laugh? or are you really that drunk?”

“I don’t think so, not that drunk… he’s not that funny!” I whispered a bit too loud and giggled to his series of questions.

“Well, then…” Larry call the waiter again and order us another round while he flirted with the waiter.

Elise looked really upset as if something had transpired with her and Tyler.

“I need to go to the ladies before I re-hydrate and raise the blood alcohol in my system.”

Larry laughed and let me through from his side, while I could hear in the background Elise was having a heated argument with her boss.

I was back at our booth in less than fifteen minutes, but Elise and Tyler were gone. And there’s a woman sitting on Larry’s lap.

He moves really fast.

“Where are the two love birds? and how long was I gone for?” I smiled at Larry for the last question, silently asking him to answer who the petite woman was.

Larry gave me the look, and I know from his eyes that the other boss man was right behind me and definitely heard about my snarky remarks seconds before.

“Elsie went home,”

“Oh… I’m sorry, well, maybe I should too. So you two can enjoy your time…” I smiled cheekily, but he looked at me in all seriousness and suddenly the vibe around us was very different.

“Stay,” he stepped closer and suddenly made me feel trapped. Maybe it was the intense closeness but I decided to bolt.

“Umm, I’m going to get more drink.”

“Jess,” he tried to grab my arm, but I was already gone.

I decided to have a shot of vodka to calm myself down, but finding him by the bar was least expected.

“Jessica?”

“Aaron? you look great. What are you doing here?”

“Well, I can say the same thing about you. What happened to your hand?” he smiled and took my wounded hand in his. He has always been very calm and nurturing towards me, he’s like the brother that I never had.

“I cut myself cleaning broken glass, but Rebecca had stitched me up I’m all better now.” I smiled at him then decided to order another lemon drop martini and talk to him while waiting.

Aaron was waiting for a friend, saying something about making a business deal when Tyler was to my back, putting his hand on my waist and asking about the tall handsome man to my front.

“This is Aaron, he’s Amanda’s brother, she was my sister-in-law. Aaron, this is Tyler, his family bought out my company that Troy managed to dragged down the gutter…”

“You should sell that company a long time ago, I hate that he caused you this much suffering.”

He cupped my face and rubbed my cheek gently while I could feel Tyler’s hand put a tighter hold on me as if he was upset.

Men.

“Thank you, for being there for me…” I nervously drink my Martini when the feelings started to make my eyes teary.

“Hey, he’s dead, the company is sold, you should be sipping that Martini by the beach somewhere in the tropics.”

He gave me his charming smile and rubbed my shoulder warmly.

“You’re going to be just fine, call me, okay? my friend is here. Tyler, nice meeting you.” He hugged me and kissed my forehead, then nodded at Tyler.

All the feeling rushed over me and I finished my Martini and told Tyler I want to go home. We leave Larry and I was in his black Lamborghini in minutes.

I was thanking him for not saying anything back there.

“You shouldn’t be driving.” I finally open my conversation when we reached the parking lot of my apartment.

“I only had one beer,”

“Right, thank you for driving me back. You should go back to Elsie, I think she’s mad at you.”

I was unbuckling my seatbelt when he put his hand on my cheek and kissed me.

“Tyler,”

“I broke up with her, I should’ve ended things with her a long time ago.”

“I… I can’t do this right now.”

I was on the verge of crying when I hurriedly get out of his car and leave him to my apartment.

I can’t.

Not ever.