Romance with the CEO Ch. 01

Should I call him to thank him? I don't know, is that weird? Should I wait until tomorrow to thank him in person?

I don't want to disturb him when he's off of work, so I'll just thank him in person tomorrow.

The next day I headed into work, putting my stuff down in my office before visiting Nick's office to thank him.

"Good morning, Justin." He looked up from his desk. "What's up?"

"Good morning, Nick. I just wanted to thank you for the housewarming gifts. It was very kind of you but also very unnecessary."

"Nonsense, it's to celebrate a big step for you."

"I'd feel guilty opening that wine all by myself, would you maybe like to come over tonight?" Why am I saying this? What am I doing?! I tried to make it sound casual. "I'll make dinner and stuff and you could see the place, it's fine if you don't want to, or-"

"No, I'd love to see your place. Thank you, what time should I get there?" He's just being polite by agreeing so it's not awkward.

"6:30 work?"

"Alright. See you then."

"I'll send you the address." I smiled.

***

Thankfully I'm a neat-freak and keep my place clean and everything organized, so I only had to worry about making a nice dinner for Nick. He dines at Michelin star restaurants, so the best I can do is splurge on a nice steak and try to not mess it up. Used to saving my money, I rarely buy steak or anything nice since it's just me.

At 6:28, there was a buzz for me to let him in. Two minutes later, I hear a knock on my door. Double checking to make sure it's him, I look through the door's peephole to make sure before opening it.

"Hey, please come in." I smiled. It was extremely nerve-racking having Nick Sherbrooke, my boss, entering my place. For dinner! Sure we've spent time alone together, but this feels different.

"Thanks." He smiled, stepping in. He looks very nice, in a pair of dark chinos that go to his ankles, what I assume to be expensive Italian loafers, and a black linen buttoned shirt. Way nicer than me, in my favorite jeans, a plain beige t-shirt, and a black crewneck.

"I didn't want to show up empty handed, so instead of another bottle of wine I brought some chocolate." He showed me the pack of Hershey's bars he had with him. "For your method of staying fit." He made me laugh.

"You didn't need to do that, but thanks. I love Hershey's."

"I know, I've seen you eat them many times in your office." which makes me blush.

Not knowing what to say to that, I changed the subject. "How about I give you a tour?"

"Yeah, I'd love to see the place." He said. He must live in the most modern, bachelor-pad style penthouse with a million rooms, so this apartment won't really interest him.

"This is the living room, I wasn't expecting to find such a good size in my price range but I'm lucky." Why did I say that? He probably has bathrooms the size of this room!

"Wow, this is quite large for the city!"

We walked through the open dining room into the kitchen, "Here's the kitchen."

"It's beautiful. Did it come like this when you bought it?"

"I actually redid it, I've always wanted to have white cabinets, just like the average person in House Hunters." I joked.

"Ah, I see. The marble counters are beautiful. You obviously put a lot of effort in this, it's paid off." He was being really genuine, making me smile.

"Thank you."

We walked down the hall. "Here's a closet, then a bathroom." He peeked inside, nodding his head. We continued to the guest suite. "Here's the guest suite. I still want to paint the walls but the rest is pretty much done."

He walked inside while I stood at the door. "What color are you going for?"

"A dark green, most likely." He nodded this approval. "Is that... a mini fridge?" He bent down and opened the small fridge under the counter. "It is!"

I laughed. "Yeah, it is." I sighed. "This is gonna sound so dumb but I read somewhere that Taylor Swift does this in every guest room in all of her houses, to make her friends and family feel really welcome and at home when staying."

"That's awesome. Love the selection you got. And I take it you're a Swiftie?"

"I am a very proud Swiftie. And please, take whatever you'd like."

He grabbed a mini kit kat, opening it while walking back towards me. "Have you had anyone over yet? They love it?"

"One friend, she likes it a lot." I answered.

"Nice." He stepped even closer, then quietly, almost a whisper, said "By the way, your guest suite is actually just as nice as hers."

"Wait, what do you mean?" As I asked that, I remembered once seeing a paparazzi photo of him and her, completely forgetting about that. "Oh my god, that's right! You know her!" My face went red. "Here I am acting like an idiot. I remember seeing the photos when you went out with her, I completely forgot about it."

"You're not an idiot." He laughed. "To clarify, we never actually dated. The media is just obsessed with slut-shaming her. She's actually the sweetest, kindest person ever."

"Oh sorry, I didn't mean to imply anything. Trust me, us Swifties know to never trust the media." I need to shut up before I sound like a psycho.

He nodded, "Shall we continue the tour?"

"Yes, let's do that." We headed down the hall. "Here's my office."

"Nice, hope your boss doesn't make you use it a lot." He teased.

"I don't, I prefer to just stay in the office to finish up everything."

We headed to the final spot, my room. Feels weird to show my boss my room but I mean, it's a house tour so it's fine, right? "And lastly, here is the master."

"This is nice! Wow, gorgeous bathroom."

"Thanks. That's pretty much it. I know it's not very homey but I figured for what my life is right now this works well."

"Do you like more character in a home?"

"I mean I'd prefer to not be haunted, but I'd love something with more history and old original floors and stuff. This place is just a great location and had everything I really needed for my price point."

"Fair enough. Congratulations again on this place."

"Thank you." I lingered on those words. Why don't we head to the kitchen, I'll finish cooking."

"Sounds good."

"Can I get you anything to drink by the way?"

"Water would be great, please."

He helped me finish making dinner, which turned out pretty good. The wine went really well with the meal, and was surprisingly good, but still not worth the price to me.

As the evening progressed, I got less nervous. I think it's just his personality, he's very good at putting people at ease, making them feel comfortable. It's one of the reasons why he's so good as CEO.

The evening winded down. "Thank you for a delicious dinner, you have a beautiful place here." He said on his way towards the door.

"Thank you for the wine, it was incredible."

"Glad you liked it." He smiled, lingering at the door for a few seconds. "Well, have a good night. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thanks, you too. See you tomorrow." I feel like I should hug him or something, but I don't want to make it awkward.

He left, I closed the door behind him. Why am I so confused? I mean, before London, I thought he was just a pompous, arrogant, trust-fund baby. But he's actually not that bad, he seems pretty sweet and is so smart it's scary. He's also insanely funny and charming, plus he's ridiculously cute.

But he has a girlfriend, Justin! Stop thinking about him like this! He's your boss, he's not into you, he is seeing someone, and he's straight! I think back to his words in that store in London, "A very special girl I know." There's no need to fall for someone totally not meant for you!

It's a week later, and we haven't really talked a lot since we had dinner. I have to drop some documents off to him, so I head over to his office. "Hey Nick, here are a few of the reports you asked me to prepare for the possible acquisition."

"Thanks, Justin, I'll look over them."

His secretary came on the intercom "Sir? Your mother is here to see you."

"Please let her in, thanks Sally." He responded.

"Sorry, I'll get out of your way." I said, heading out while he stood up.

His mother opened the door and walked into his office. Her casual appearance caught me off guard, I don't know why I was expecting her to be in a fancy Chanel suit with her hair up all nice. I mean, her clothes are definitely nice and put together, just not what I expected.

"No, please stay and let me introduce you to my mother." He responded, walking over and giving his mother a hug and kiss on the cheek. "Hey Mom, good to see you."

"It's been too long, I thought I'd pop by since I was meeting friends in the city today."

"I'm glad, let me introduce you to Justin Park, he is the company's new CFO. Justin, this is my mother."

I held out my hand and she shook it. "Hello Mrs. Sherbrooke, it's very nice to meet you." I smiled.

"Please, call me Kate. It's so nice to meet you, congratulations on the promotion."

"Thank you."

"I was just going to invite my Nicky to a family dinner tomorrow..." she patted Nick on the face. "And I'd love for you to join us if you are free, to thank you for all your hard work so far. We've heard such great things about you."

"That is very kind of you, ma'am, but I don't want to intrude on a family dinner."

"Nonsense, it would be lovely to have you. The former CFO wasn't Nicky's favorite, he's told me how easy you've made his life so I want to get to know you!" I smiled.

"Only if you want, you are allowed to say no." Nick chimed in.

I laughed. "Thank you, it would be my pleasure."

"Oh, great!" She smiled sweetly. "My Nicky can give you all the details! I guess I should go, let you boys finish work." She kissed Nick on the cheek. "Bye, see you both tomorrow!" Just as swiftly as she came in she left the room.

"Welp, that's my mother. Sorry you got sucked into a family dinner." He sighed.

"She seems lovely, it's not a problem. I had no plans anyway, other than to lay on my couch."

He gave a small chuckle. "Why don't we carpool? I'll drive since it's gonna be in Connecticut."

"Oh, okay yeah, that would be great, thank you."

"And don't worry, it's a casual thing, you can wear jeans. I'll let you know when I know when to pick you up.

"Alright, see you later, Nicky." I playfully teased him as I left.

***

***Nick's Point of View***

My mother calling me Nicky in front of my employee and the guy I like definitely wasn't the best for my ego. But at least Justin was nice enough about it, and he's coming to dinner tomorrow!

I'm so excited and nervous for the car ride, I don't know what to do. My mom texted me to get there by 5, so I told Justin I'd pick him up at 3.

A little before 3, I pulled up in my Tesla to his building, luckily finding a spot not far from the front. I didn't want to drive a sports car and be all in his face with it, but at the same time I do want to make a good impression, so I landed on the Tesla. I headed inside, riding the elevator up. The doors of the elevator opened and I prepared to step out, but Justin was already in the hallway waiting to step in. "Oh, hey." He said.

I took a step back to let him in. "Hey, I was just coming to get you." I smiled nervously.

"Sorry I was just coming down to wait outside, guess we never clarified that." He stepped in and pressed the ground floor button.

"No worries." I smiled, putting my hands in my pockets. The shock of seeing him there quickly wore off and I now get to appreciate how good he looks. His dark jeans and blue cable knit sweater bring out his already adorable features. He was also carrying a bottle of wine, I assume for my parents.

"Just a warning, my parents hate red wine."

"Shoot, really? Let me grab something else then!"

I pulled his arm back from hitting the elevator buttons, "I'm just messing with you. Don't worry, they'll appreciate it." I laughed.

"Hope you are amused." He couldn't help but show a small grin. I am very amused.

Our drive there wasn't too long, and it felt even faster talking with Justin. "Here it is." I pulled up to the main gates and checked in with the security.

Once past those, we drove a bit up the road to reach the gates of my parents' place. Once inside, I glanced to see Justin's face as he set eyes on the house, which is far from humble.

"Did you grow up here?" He asked.

"Yup, this is the place." I answered as we pulled up the driveway.

Parking the car, we got out. "I have to grab something out of the trunk real quick." I said.

He waited as I grabbed the teddy bear for Lily. "Oh, isn't that the bear you got in London?"

"Yeah, my niece Lily is here tonight so I can give it to her." I responded, his eyes widened.

"Oh, nice. I thought it was for a girlfriend or something." He laughed. I guess I can't judge him for thinking that, I don't think I ever clarified who it was for. Plus, I'm not exactly thought to be gay, especially when the magazines are covered with photos of me and female friends that the press assume are more than friends.

I'm not uncomfortable with people knowing my sexuality, I just don't think it's important that everyone needs to know. I don't shout it from the rooftops, though I often wonder if it may help others, but those in my life that deserve to know do. It always makes me, friends, and family laugh when the press shows me with a girl they assume is my next fling.

"No, no girlfriend." I don't find it the best time to tell him that right now, so I leave it at that. I mean, I think he's gay but I don't know for sure so we can maybe have that conversation when he's not about to eat with the people who own the company he works for.

Everyone is great welcoming Justin in. I think he is surprised at how intimate our dinner is, rather than some intimidating thing most people expect. I was really surprised at how good he was with Lily, I never expected him to be so warm and good with kids.

"Hey Lily?" I got down on my knees to her eye level, the bear behind my back. "You know how I went to London for work?"

"Mmhmmm." She nodded her head, her whole body cutely moving with it as she responded.

"Well, I found someone who needs a special home. I think this special someone would love to live with you." I brought the teddy bear around and held it in front of her. Her face lit up and she immediately reached for it. "Do you think you can take care of teddy?"

"I can! I promise!"

"I thought so." She brought the teddy bear up to her chest and hugged it sweetly.

"What do you say to Uncle Nick for bringing you the teddy bear, Lily?" Her father said.

"Thank you, Uncle Nick. I promise I'll never let him go!" She jumped into my arms and gave me a big hug.

"Good. You're welcome, Lily. You let me know if he gives you any problems."

As we ate dinner, everyone started getting to know Justin. "So Justin, you're the youngest CFO in the company history, I'd love to hear about your start with the company." My sister, Sarah, asked.

"I started as an intern in the accounting department when I was still in college. Thankfully it was a paid position and helped me pay for college, and I got so much great experience in that position, plus I really loved working for the company. When I graduated, I was offered a full-time position with the department and so it was a no-brainer for me to accept."

"I'm glad you enjoyed the internship program, I tried really hard to make it as useful and beneficial for kids as possible." My father said.

"I did, it really gave me the opportunity to explore the field and find my interests."

"Where did you attend college?" He asked.

"Yale undergrad, then Wharton for my MBA."

"How did you get to where you are so fast? You're only 27, right?" My mother asked.

"Well, I took a class or two at night my last two years of high school, and had a few college courses in my curriculum which afforded me the ability to complete my undergrad in two and a half years. Then another two at Wharton."

"Wow, that is incredible! Your family must be so proud of you." My mother said, making me immediately look at Justin knowing the answer to that. I should've mentioned that to my parents, damn it! I don't want him to feel weird about explaining everything.

"Well, actually my parents passed away when I was young. I'm an only child and so I don't really have any other family." Everyone was silent for a second.

"I apologize, I shouldn't have said that."

"No, it's fine. It's a normal thing to ask, you did nothing wrong." How is he comforting my mother when he's the one who is probably in more pain?!

"God bless you, dear" She squeezed his hand.

I decided to chime in. "Well, Justin has a lot to be proud of, he's recently purchased his first place in the city, it's beautiful."

"Oh, that's wonderful. Good for you." My father said, "May I ask where?"

"It's on 64th Street, it's actually only a 10 minute walk from the office."

"Nice. I like the dedication to the office." My father laughed.

"He is always there late, I feel bad."

"You're not an evil boss are you?" My sister asks me, then looks at Justin. "Do I need to have a talk with Nick about his management style?" She said in a jokingly serious tone.

"No, he's not a bad boss." Justin smiled. "He is a good, fair boss. He expects everyone to do their jobs well which is understandable, and is very good at motivating everyone to do their best."

"Good job, you said it word for word like we practiced on the way here." I joked, making everyone laugh.

After dinner, my parents prepared tea while we retired to the living room. Sarah and her husband were putting Lily to bed. "I assume these yearbook photos are of you and Sarah?" Justin asked, looking at the wall of photos.

"Yeah, we definitely aged well. Those years were not very kind to us." I laughed.

"I think you guys were doing alright back then." He laughed. "You both look so different as little kids, though. Very cute."

"Yeah, we get that often."

"Lily looks just like Sarah in this one." He pointed to a photo of us in Disney World. "Where was this photo taken?"

"Disney World. It was our first time, I think. We were about 4 and 5."

"Is it really the most magical place on earth?"

"I would say so. I take it you've never been?" He shook his head. Another stark reminder of our very different upbringings.

"So Sarah's only a year younger than you?" He changed the subject, I think because he knows what I'm thinking.

"No, she's actually a year older." He looks surprised.

"Wow, I would've believed she was still 20, good for her."

"Yeah, she's always gotten that." I laughed.

"Why doesn't she work for the company like you?" He asked in a more serious tone.

Just then Sarah approached us. "Well, I did work for a bit but wasn't crazy about it. I found my passion for interior design so, thanks to Nick's dedication to the company, I was able to make my own path." She answered him.

"Sorry if that was too intrusive."

"Not at all, I am after all the oldest so I should be in Nick's position." She winked at me. "But we all know I would've driven the firm right to the ground if I was." We all laughed.

"Thankfully one of us has a passion for the business. But I think you would've been just fine in my shoes" I said.

"You are too kind." She scoffed.

On our way back into the city, Justin told me how much he liked my family, and how normal we seem despite everything people assume about us.

"There's a lot the media doesn't show." I told him.

"That's a fair point I guess. Does it ever bother you?"

"I mean, from a business side it's not the worst thing, getting attention for the company. But if it's bad, it can also have a bad appearance to our partners so there's that. Plus the fact that they never, ever, ever cover the things I try to bring to their attention." I started on a mini rant. "But helping charities and those less fortunate doesn't sell magazines." I remarked, looking in my blind spot before switching lanes.