"And you have worked for it," he said, folding a curl behind my ear. “You did a great job with Rachel.”
I gave him the most incredulous look I could muster. "I bumped heads with Rachel at every turn. I could barely be in the same room as her, let alone work with her best interests at heart."
"I don't know if that's the best example of your abilities-"
"It's the only example of my abilities," I interrupted gently. "And even though I hate to admit it, she showed me I have a ways to go before I can be the professional that Whitmore and Creighton deserves."
He still had a guarded look on his face, but his voice softened. “You forget how amazing you are Leila—and how amazing you make me feel.”
I nibbled on my lip coyly. “How do I make you feel?”
“Crazed,” he answered without missing a beat. When I scowled, he held up his hands in defense. “Let me finish. I say crazed because you’re the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning and you don’t leave my mind all day. Even when I’m doing the most mundane things I find myself thinking about you, wondering what you’re doing, and wondering if you’re thinking about me.” If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was blushing, but he turned away quickly, obviously shying away from being too sappy. “You’re always on my mind, Leila. Making you happy is always on my mind.”
I couldn’t help but smile, even with the whole promotion thing. That feeling—the tingles and butterflies that fluttered all over—it never went away. I went back to the desk, propping on the edge and watching him. “You really do love me, huh?”
He breathed deep and exhaled with a chuckle. “I do. You drive me crazy, but I do love you, Leila.” He tightened his tie, his eyes flashing with mischief. “Which is why I’ll drop the promotion—under one condition.”
I didn’t even hesitate. “I’ll do anything, Jacob. Anything.”
He leaned forward and brushed his thumb over my hand, sighing softly like he was imprinting the feel of my skin on his heart for safe keeping.
“Don’t ever change, Leila.”
****
I plunked my tray down on a table in the corner and sat down with a weary sigh. After sending me on several errands all over town, I had a feeling Jacob was still punishing me for our argument. Before sprinting to 18th to catch a lead before they left the country, Jacob had given me the once over, noting my heavy breathing and the sweat that glued my blouse to my chest and asked if I had everything under control. My answer had been, "what's next?"
And here I was, finally taking my lunch at 3pm and only after Jacob said he'd physically carry me down to the cafe and tie me to a chair. And while I'd never admit it to him, it was nice to kick my feet up and inhale some food instead of oxygen to keep from keeling over.
I took a swig of apple juice to wash down the panini and glanced around the room. I could see now the reason everyone called it a 'cafe' instead of a 'cafeteria' wasn't out of smug elitism but because it was the gospel truth. The expansive room had muted walls with framed art and boutique vases. The tables were lined with crisp white linens and fresh flowers. I'd drawn more than one look when I'd walked toward the back area, expecting a buffet style setup and asking about trays. Apparently we placed our orders at our table unless we wanted to grab something to go. The menu was a glossy mix of American and ethnic dishes but I decided to save pad thai for another day.
I settled back in the plush armchair and took in the view from the window. The city looked so beautiful, so full of promise. I scooped a forkful of veggies in my mouth, crunching them slowly. Things were finally looking-
"Are you Leila?"
I tilted my head toward the deep, sultry and very male voice. My eyes went over a bulging chest, barely contained by a powder blue polo, up until I hit a handsome face I'd seen plastered on glossy movie posters. When he smiled, lines creased around his mouth and eyes as he extended a hand.
"I'm Cade Wallace," he said, dwarfing my hand in his. "Jacob’s secretary told me I could find you down here."
My mouth started working but no words came out. The main reason I hadn't been completely star struck when I met Rachel was because romances and chick flicks were rarely my thing. I preferred to watch things go boom and laugh at roided up men delivering over the top one liners before the bad guys ate a bullet. I'd pretty much seen everything Cade had been in since he became the It guy 5 years ago, drawing comparisons to Bruce Willis with Cruise-like good looks. He definitely had the All-American thing going on with blond hair, green eyes, and a body both men and women salivated over. He was eye candy, sure, but there was always a realness about him that made me seek out his movies with a special brand of voraciousness—even his attempts at more serious, 'actors' movies that took him from a household name to a household joke.
I was sitting there, shell shocked and still shaking his hand as he gave me a strange look and repeated himself.
“I’m guessing your Leila Montgomery? I’m Cade-”
"Oh I know who you are, Mr. Wallace,” I said, finally speaking and knowing that word vomit was about to be in full effect. “I loved you in Medal of Honor and I literally cried in Blood and Chrome. And your storyline in the Last Resort was epic. Oh and Rites of Passage-" I burned red when I realized I was totally fangirling. In front of Cade freaking Wallace. "I'm so sorry." I bit my lip, still not believing he was standing in front of me. “I think you’re amazing.”
"Cade is just fine," he said with another smile that lit up his whole face. "And I always love meeting fans of my work so apologies aren’t necessary."
I cleared my throat, realizing he probably didn’t come over to sign an autograph. "Uh, have a seat. And you can call me Leila."
"Thank you, ma'am." Usually the whole ma'am would completely turn me off, but there was just something about a megastar that hadn't forgotten his down home roots and manners that I found endearing. "I didn't mean to interrupt your lunch-"
"Oh it's fine," I tossed a napkin over my barely eaten sandwich. "I just wasn't expecting to see you until Monday morning."
"Yeah, uh, that's what my assistant had written on the calendar." An awkward silence stretched out between us for a minute until he shuffled in his seat uncomfortably and got on with it. "You know I've been out of town, working on a new movie."
I nodded. "Soldier's Creed." I'd only skimmed the script and flipped through publicity shots on the plane back to the States, but even then I knew this would reinstate him back on the action throne. "I know all of us here can't wait for the premiere. The story sounds amazing."