I swallow hard and blink rapidly.
"There are many places that I'd enjoy fucking you, including this desk, but right now, I simply want to enjoy a meal with you."
"Watch your mouth." I whisper and his smile is back.
"Telling your boss what to do?"
"Somehow, I don't think we're having this conversation in a boss/employee context." I shake my head and stare at the man before me. "What is this? Why now?"
"Eat."
"I'm suddenly no longer hungry, thanks."
"Just humor me, Julianne."
"Why do you call me Julianne?" I ask and pick up another piece of sticky chicken.
"It's your name." His eyes are on my mouth and I smile to myself as I grab an egg roll and bite off the end.
"Everyone calls me Jules."
"Not me."
"Why?" I ask again.
"Because Julianne suits you." He shrugs and takes a bite of his food.
"But I prefer Jules."
"Okay, Julianne." He winks at me, and grins broadly before taking another bite of food.
"I'll bet when you were small your teacher sent home a letter to your parents saying, 'Doesn't play well with others.'"
Nate laughs, and my gut clenches. "Probably."
I realize I've cleaned my plate and I throw it in the trash and bag the left overs. "Okay, I ate. Thanks for dinner. Have a good weekend." I rise to walk out the door, but Nate leaps up and stops me.
"Don't go yet."
"Why not?"
He licks his lips, shoves his hands in his pockets and rocks back on his heels. "Stay with me this weekend. At my place."
I think I've entered an alternate universe. Or I'm on Punked. Yes, that's it. Punked. I start looking around the room, behind me, up in the corners of the room.
"What are you looking for?" he asks as he follows my gaze.
"The cameras."
"What cameras?"
"I have to either be on Punked or I'm being set up to be fired."
Nate laughs, a low chuckle that tickles my insides. "Why do you say that?"
"Because, you've shown no signs of attraction toward me in months, which is fine with me, and if I stay with you this weekend, we could both lose our jobs."
His smile is gone, and his wide gray eyes go glacial. "Number one, I don't give a fuck about the no frat policy here. Any relationship I choose to have, in any capacity I choose to have it, is none of their business. And number two…"