Call Him Cassio

The champagne arrives and we all toast to my promotion, which I think is surreal. All these powerful people celebrating what would be such a little win for themselves.

"I'm so glad that you were there to save the day. I would have been distracted all week, worrying about my wife spending all that time alone. I dragged her along on this trip and I would be in big trouble if she didn't enjoy it," he says.

"Mr. Losange, it's my pleasure. I love any chance I get to speak French and your wife has been so kind to me. It's nice to have someone to sightsee with," I respond.

"Please call me Antoine," he says. Then he turns to Mr. Conti and says, "Cassio, you really lucked out with this assistant, her French is great, almost like she grew up in France."

"I stole her from a rival," is Mr. Conti's straight face reply.

"Ooo, I love it. So scandalous, it's not normally like you Americans. Always having to meet with HR and lawyers for hours before the slightest decision can be made," Antoine mocks.

"I'm the boss of my company. I do what I want," Mr Conti says matter of fact.

Something about his tone gets the bats flying again. This time there's also the accompanying sensation of my nipples hardening. I move to lean my elbows on the table, close enough together that you can't see  the shape of my hardenned nipples through my blouse.

Unfortunately, the movement grabs Annabelle's attention and with a devilish smile she asks, "Are you cold Alexa?"

She says it in French so Mr. Conti looks clueless, but Antoine instantly reacts, "If you're cold, please take my jacket."

He starts to take off his jacket, but Mr. Conti stops him and says, "Antoine, save your jacket in case your wife needs it."

He shrugs out of his jacket and says, "Here take mine." He places it around my shoulders so quickly that I don't have time to protest. Plus, my hardenned nipples are hidden so at least that problem is solved. However, a new problem has arisen. His coat smells divine. I don't know what colone he uses but I'm fighting the urge to take deeps sniffs.

This dinner is going to drive me crazy!

"Thank you, Mr. Conti," I say quietly.

"Alexa, I think it would be alright for you to call him Cassio," Antoine says jokingly, as if I'm a kid.

I look at Mr. Conti unsure, but he nods. The look in his eyes tells me he's not necessarily a fan so I say, "Alright but in the office I'll still address you as Mr. Conti."

I order steak for dinner and when it arrives I couldn't be more relieved. Firstly, I haven't had a more amazing steak in my life but secondly, it gives me something I can focus on so I don't feel constantly overwhelmed by Mr. Conti's presence.

For the most part, Antoine and Cassio converse while I talk to Annabelle in French.

At some point she says, "We have so much to discuss tomorrow!"

"What do you mean?" I ask naively, hoping she'll move away from the direction she's going.

"Watching you and your boss sit beside each other is like watcing the best TV. I can feel the tension of an early relationship, which is the best part. Antoine and I have been together so long, so it's nice to be able to experience it a little by watching it happen to other people," she says.

"No, that's definitely not what's happening. There won't be any relationship here. He is my boss and I'm too young for a relationship anyways," I say with conviction.

"So blind. Age doesn't matter. Love comes when it wants to and even those with the strongest will can fall. Knowing that you two will probably fight it will only make watcing this all that much more fun! I'll have to come visit more often," she says excitedly.

Her confidence scares me. She's older and understands love more then me, seeing as I don't understand it at all. I've never been in love and I hope to never be in love. I though that my reaction was purely physical because Cassio is undeniably, of the charts, sexy, but what if she's right and I like him?

I shake my head out of my thoughts. I don't like him and even if I did, I'm definitely not on his radar. I'll learn to keep my reactions under control and no one will ever need to know what I'm thinking. I wil take this secret to the grave no matter how hard Annabelle may try to unearth it.

During all of my deliberating, I didn't realize that I was cutting my steak a little to aggressively. I'm pulled out of my head why I feel myself elbow Mr. Conti. I immediately freeze, then I slowly and gently place my utensils on the plate and lower my hands to my lap. I'm mortified.

"I'm so sorry Mr. Conti. It was an accident," I say quickly. Then force myself to look at him so he can see the sincerity and so I can gauge his reaction.

"It's fine. I'm glad you're enjoying the steak," he says calmly, impersonally. He turns right back to Antoine and resumes his discussion. Annabelle can't be right. Mr. Conti's reaction makes me think that it would make no difference whether I was here or not.

I turn back towards my plate and notice Annabelle smiling and holding a laugh. I ignore her and pour all my focus into properly using a knife and fork until my dinner is complete. 

I think I'm finally at the finish line when the waiter comes to take our plates and I think Mr. Conti thought the same, until Annabelle asks for the dessert menu. I don't think anyone at the table wants more food, but Annabelle has a twinkle in her eye that worries me.

I thought the night was humiliating enough, but it's about to get worse for me.