Tempting my Billionaire

Late Night Visit

★Nathan★

I had told myself I would not overthink it. Cassandra’s behavior, her calm distance, her polite professionalism, the faint edge in her tone, it could have been nothing. Maybe she was just like that with everyone. Maybe I was imagining the tension between us because of what Timothy said at The Dockhouse. But ever since that conversation, I had not been able to shake the thought.

She had a crush on you once.

The words had replayed in my head more times than I cared to admit. I tried to ignore them, to drown them out with work, but they kept finding their way back. It was late when I decided to drop by LuxeLine. The office lights were still on when I parked outside, and I could see her silhouette moving across the glass wall of her office. She was probably reviewing reports or reorganizing her notes for tomorrow’s review meeting. She worked too much. I could not decide if that was admirable or if it made her just as bad as me. I grabbed the pizza box from the passenger seat and headed inside. The security guard at the front desk gave me a curious look.

“Working late again, Mr. Grant?”

“Something like that,” I said with a smile. When the elevator doors opened on LuxeLine’s executive floor, the building was silent except for the low hum of the air conditioning. Most of the lights were dimmed, but Cassandra’s office glowed softly at the end of the corridor. She did not notice me at first. She was standing by her desk, arms crossed, reading something on her screen. Her hair was tied up, a few loose strands falling around her face. I knocked lightly on the glass wall. “You always work this late?” she turned, startled, then frowned when she saw me.

“Nathan,”

“That is my name,” I said, as I held up the pizza box. “I brought dinner,” she blinked, visibly caught off guard.

“You brought pizza?”

“Don’t sound so surprised,” I said. “Even I eat normal food sometimes,” she looked down at her watch.

“It is nine-thirty,”

“Exactly,” I said. “The perfect time for bad decisions and extra cheese,” she sighed, but I saw the corner of her mouth twitch.

“You do realize there is a cafeteria downstairs,”

“Yes,” I said as I walked past her and set the box on her desk. “But they do not have my favorite place on speed dial…and the kitchen is closed,” Cassandra crossed her arms, but she didn’t tell me to leave.

“You could have at least called first,”

“Then it wouldn’t be a surprise,” I said as I flipped open the box. “Relax, it isn’t poisoned,” she scoffed.

“I wasn’t worried about poison,” she said dryly. “I was worried about interruptions,” I leaned against the edge of her desk.

“Consider it a working dinner,” I said. She hesitated, then shook her head with a quiet sigh.

“You are impossible,”

“I hear that often,” I shot back. She finally sat down, and I could tell that she was trying to look unimpressed.

“What is it?”

“Half pepperoni, half margherita,” I answered. “You strike me as someone who likes options,” she raised an eyebrow.

“You guessed correctly,”

“See?” I said with a smile. “I am learning,” we got comfortable, and we ate in silence for a few minutes. The office felt different like this, less corporate, more human. The city lights spilled through the windows, and the faint hum of the traffic below was almost soothing. Cassandra leaned back in her chair, her expression softening.

“I am surprised you aren’t still at your office,”

“I was,” I admitted. “Then I realized my dinner was a stale sandwich and an open spreadsheet. I figured yours might not be much better,” she smiled faintly.

“You weren’t wrong,”

“And you are welcome,” I said. She gave me a look, but there was warmth in it this time.

“Do you always show up uninvited with food?”

“Only when I am trying to make an impression,”

“An impression?” she asked.

“Professionally, of course,” I said. Her lips curved, but she looked away quickly, pretending to study the pizza box.

“Of course,” she whispered. I took a bite and watched her. She was relaxed now, less guarded. Her shoulders weren’t as stiff, and her laugh came easier. It was strange seeing her like this, without the polished composure, without the wall she kept between herself and everyone else. I realized I liked it.

“So,” I said after a moment. “Is this what every night looks like for you?” she nodded.

“Mostly. Meetings during the day, work at night. I don’t mind it,”

“You sound like me,” I said.

“Maybe we aren’t that different,” she said. I couldn’t help but smile.

“That might be the most generous thing you have ever said to me,” I said, and she laughed softly.

“Well, don’t get used to it,”

“Too late,” I said, and she laughed. Again. But it faded, and the air shifted. It wasn’t tense. It wasn’t awkward. It was just charged with something unspoken. Cassandra looked at me, and I could see the flicker of something in her eyes. Something I couldn’t quite name. I couldn’t help but wonder if Timothy had been right about her crush on me. I cleared my throat and leaned back in my chair. “You know,” I said carefully. “You have changed a lot since we were younger,” she tilted her head slightly.

“Is that a compliment or an observation?”

“Both,” I said. “You were quieter back then. Always watching, never saying much,”

“I was a kid,” she said with a small smile. “I watched because I had no choice. No one listened to me anyway,”

“I would have listened,” I said before I could stop myself. She looked at me, surprised.

“Would you?”

“I like to think so,” I said. “But maybe I was not as observant as I thought,” she studied me for a moment.

“No, you weren’t,” she said.

“Fair enough,” I said. We finished off the pizza in silence, and while I would have loved to stick around and figure her out, I couldn’t. “I should get going,” I said as I closed the box and got to my feet.

“Thank you,” she said softly. I nodded and tried not to make a run for it. Whatever she had once felt for me was probably long gone. But there was definitely something between us. Something I wanted to explore. The question was: was she still interested? Or had the puppy love of a young teen disappeared?

★★★