After last night's dinner with Luke, I was looking forward to seeing him waiting for me again by the sidewalk but he wasn't there this morning. 

While I was in the bus, I got a text message from him. He held my phone out of my reach last night so he could ring his own number to get my contact info to register on his phone, grumbling that it was only fair since he gave me every possible way I could get a hold of him. 

[Luke: Good morning. Sorry I missed coffee. Have breakfast meeting. Gonna be a long one. We'll see if I make it back by lunch.] 

I was surprised but mildly pleased that he spent two minutes of his busy morning writing me up something so simple as a text message. 

[Me: It's fine. We can get coffee another time. Do eat something though.] 

[Luke: If I don't, you'll just have to force a meal on me while you sit there and make sure I eat every last bit of it. I'll take my time.]

 [Me: LOL. Has anyone ever said you're too transparent?]

 [Luke: Not really. People think I usually give nothing away.]

 [Me: Really? Weird. Just saying I can see thru your tactics.]

 [Luke: Yup. I like that about you. Gotta go. Later, baby. =P]

I shook my head as I chuckled softly to myself, slipping my cell phone back into my purse. 

The first time Luke called me baby last night, it was in a joking manner that I didn't even really think about it. Since then, he's thrown it around freely but never attempted anything with me beyond the occasional hug and kiss on my head. If I were a different girl, I might put more stock into these things but knowing Luke the way I do in the short three days I've known him, I knew he was just being affectionate which seemed to be the way he was naturally. It didn’t mean anything serious. I personally didn’t like a cavalier attitude about something intimate like that but with Luke, I somehow understood that it was just part of who he was. No big deal. If he just wanted to get into my pants, he would've done more than just eat lunch with a girl at the work cafeteria or go grocery-shopping with her. Those were not the actions of a man after a lay. As inexperienced as I was, I knew that at least.

The morning at work was busy with the presentation and a couple of meetings that time flew by. Jillian was already at our usual table in the cafeteria, wolfing down a tuna sandwich and listening to her MP3 when I came over.

She looked up when she saw me and took off her headphones. 

"It's about time," she said. "I was starting to worry that other random people are going to come up to me and ask about you again."

I set down the microwave-warmed lunch container that had last night's stir-fry leftovers on the table and frowned at Jillian. "What are you talking about?"

She arched a brow at me as if I shouldn't have asked that question. "Oh, I don't know. Just all the nosy people in this company who are asking if you and Mr. H are dating because you've been spotted coming in to work together, sitting down for lunch at the work cafeteria, his driver dropping off stuff at your desk—you know people are going to talk, don't you, Max?"

I sighed, grateful at least that no one seems to know everything else. "I know. There's really nothing to it, like I told you. We just became friends. We ran into each other Monday morning and he was the reason I got soaked in the rain—don't ask how—and we just kind of carried on from there. That's it."

"I actually believe you but I have to say that people only see what they want to see and interpret it however they like," Jillian said. "I didn't give them anything except that Mr. H is just really cool and nice to ordinary folks like us and just left them to grind their teeth in frustration."

I smiled at my friend. Jillian may not be everyone's cup of tea but she was a fiercely loyal person. "Thanks, Jill. He really is nice, you know?"

"Oh, I know," she agreed. "He had sent a request to IT to free up the access to his email so anyone who wants to email him can, no matter what rank they are. I suspect though that you're probably instrumental to that."

I wrinkled my nose. "Hardly. I just told him about the restrictions and he was apparently not aware they were there. I'm glad he got that sorted out."

"Ryan said he has always been a nice, down-to-earth guy for as long as he knew him," Jillian said. "Even back when they were in college. He said Luke never acted important."

I grinned. “It’s good to hear that he's not just doing this for show. By the way, where's Ryan?"

"New York," she answered. "He said he'll be there a couple of days but he'll be back for Saturday's gig. Are you excited? Mr. H is going to be there."

I laughed. "While that shouldn't make a difference, I have a feeling it'll be very interesting having him there. For one, I doubt that he's ever heard of the band and two, I don't know if Sonic is his scene. That bar isn't the most upscale in the city, you know?"

Jillian threw a balled-up napkin at me. "And here you were just saying that Luke is a nice guy. If he's not a pompous ass, then he's going to be fine at Sonic."

"...it'll need to be revised if you don't want them thinking we're going to buy them and chop them up to pieces. We need to clearly outline at least a general long-term plan for the company so they can be reassured. Baxter is a good guy—I want him to be happy signing on with us..."

We looked up at the sound of a very familiar voice speaking in a firm, businesslike tone and saw Luke walking over to our booth. He remained standing but set down his lunch on the table as he continued to talk on his cell phone. 

He brought the lunch container identical to mine that was now steaming with the same stir-fry leftovers I was eating. Jillisn saw it and glanced back and forth between mine and his, understanding dawning quickly in her eyes. 

"Okay, I'm off for lunch. Talk to you later, Bill," Luke finished before he slipped his phone back into his suit pocket. He grinned down at us. "I'll go get something to drink. Anything you'd like, ladies?"

Jillian and I both shook our heads silently before he headed for the vending machine. 

"You two have identical lunches," Jillian finally commented, seemingly unable to not state the obvious. "What the hell is going on, Max?"

I groaned and pressed my palm against my forehead. "Nothing. We got groceries together last night and made stir-fry at home and since he helped out in making it, I gave him half of the leftovers for lunch. That's it."

Jillian blinked rapidly as she digested everything I'd rushed out in one breath. 

"Buying groceries? Making dinner together?" Jillian asked with a dumbfounded expression. "Do you honestly mean to tell me that there is nothing going on between you and Mr. H? He's freaking rich, hot and even famous. He dates a lot of women. Hell, he's been dating that starlet Lola-something on and off for ages if the tabloids were to be trusted. Why the hell would he be spending time in your tiny little apartment making stir-fry dinner with you?"

I got angry. It was rare, especially with Jillian, but I really did. 

One, for questioning everything about Luke when I didn't even want to make a big deal of it. Two, for bringing up just how out of my league he was. Three, for making too fine a point on Luke's lovelife which was none of our business no matter how madly curious I instantly became when she mentioned it. Not that I've forgotten, of course. After all, the first time I literally ran into him, he was fleeing from a woman.

"I don't know, okay?" I hissed under my breath. "I'm the first person who'd like to know why but I'm not going to point-blank ask him. I won't send him away either because I actually like hanging out with him but that's all there is to it."

Jillian looked like she was about to say something but was distracted when we heard a small crash followed by people's gasps.

We looked up and saw Luke standing frozen for a moment, the front of his suit dripping with what looked like some sticky, brown soup specked with a few vegetables . A woman, Melissa from Accounting, was staring at him agape, squealing in horror and holding a food tray that was shaking so badly, more stuff kept dropping to the floor at their feet. Luke jumped away quickly enough that he avoided getting splattered on his pants.

"Oh, my God! Mr. Hedenby, I'm so sorry! I didn't see you—Oh, God! I'm so stupid!" Melissa was sobbing as she put the tray down and started to twist right and left as if looking for something to do to fix the situation. Everyone else was stunned silent, including us.

"It's alright. I'm fine," Luke reassured Melissa with a small smile as he bent down to scoop up the stuff from the floor. He grabbed a napkin and dabbed the front of his shirt before throwing the crumpled napkin into the waste pile that he was starting to separate from everything else that was salvageable.

"Are you okay?" Luke asked, looking up at Melissa. 

She nodded mutely before dropping down on her knees to help.

I set down my fork to go help them but Jillian stayed me with a grip on my hand. 

"Don't give them more gossip fodder," she muttered under her breath. "He's got it under control. Just let him do it."

I watched helplessly as they cleaned up and tossed the wasted food into the trash. Melissa had tear-stains on her cheeks as she profusely did a combination of apologies and thank-yous to Luke before dashing out of the cafeteria.

"Are you okay?" I asked him softly when he finally made it back to our booth. The front of his shirt had no bits of food on it anymore but it still had a giant, ugly brown stain and smelled of stew.

He grinned at me, completely unperturbed, as he slid off his jacket, folded it and tossed it on the bench between us before sliding into his seat. "I'm good. I have an extra shirt in my office and my pants survived. I just hope that girl had something else to eat for lunch because I think we pretty much threw out all her food."

"Nah. She'll eat once she's recovered from her eternal mortification," Jillian said with a shrug, smiling at Luke with what I suspected was a hint of admiration. "At least you didn't fire her on the spot or something."

I choked slightly on my food and sent Jillian a look of warning to which she just smiled.

"I'm not going to fire anyone over a silly accident like that," Luke said with a chuckle. "I hope no one thinks I'm that heartless. Do you agree, Max?"

He glanced at me with meaningful humor in his eyes and I knew he was referring to that day we met, after I discovered he was my boss and thought he would fire me.

I smiled at him. "So far, so good."

He beamed at me and I felt his hand take mine under the table, holding it between us under a layer of his folded up jacket. 

I squeezed his hand and gestured to his food with my fork. "You better eat now if you want to have time to go and change. You probably don't want to show up at your next board meeting smelling like beef stew."

"Well, if I did, I don't imagine anyone would say anything," he said teasingly. "The perks of being the boss, I guess."

Jillian laughed. "Oh, you could fire them all for making a crack about it. That'll be a sight to see."

I grinned and shook my head. "That might pose some problems for the company. Let's not get carried away here."

The three of us just laughed and continued with our lunch in a much lighter mood than it had been when Jillian and I were arguing about Luke earlier. I think she begrudgingly knew that he was a decent guy despite the load of crap the media probably said about him. I also understood that she was mostly just looking out for me which I completely appreciated.

Luke went on with his lunch despite the stain on his impeccably tailored and most likely very expensive suit as if it weren't even there. He also never seemed to mind Jillian's sarcastic, dry humor even when she was slightly poking fun at him. He would just share an amused glance with me and occasionally reach for my hand and squeeze it as if we were somehow mentally enjoying some private joke

When we were done eating, Jillian went off to play some of her virtual portal game again and Luke and I walked back, carrying our lunch containers and him his soiled jacket. No one we passed who saw his stained shirt mentioned anything but he didn't seem to care.

"Come up with me and have coffee before you go?" he asked as we approached the elevator.

Those puppy dog eyes again.

I glanced at his soiled shirt and back at his expectant expression and nodded. "Yeah, sure. I'll say hi to Peggy while I'm there."

A grin broke out on his face just as the elevator door opened.

Peggy was already at her desk when we arrived and she looked up with a smile which instantly turned into a frown when she got a good look at Luke.

"Good Lord, what happened to you?" she asked, rising and reaching for his soiled jacket. She turned to me with a smirk. "Did he say or do something you didn't like, Max? At least you spared his hair."

I laughed as Luke groaned beside me. "No, no! Nothing like that. He just collided with a girl in the cafeteria and her lunch got thrown all over him."

 "Oh, you poor boy," Peggy said, her expression turning motherly. "Go change and toss this one into the hamper. I'll call Terrence to bring over a new suit for you. I just sent off your dry-cleaning."

"I'll be fine with just the shirt, don't worry about it," Luke said as he headed for his office door. "Let Terrence off the hook for the afternoon. He's got a report to write."

"If you say so," Peggy said as she settled back in her seat. "Let me know if you need anything."

"I will. Thanks, Peggy." He smiled at her before reaching out to grab me by the wrist. "Come on. Why don't you start the coffee and I'll just change out of this shirt?"

"Okay. What would you like?" I asked as we walked into the office, leaving the door ajar. I headed for the snack bar while he rummaged through a closet at the opposite corner of his office. 

"I'll drink anything," he said as he pulled a fresh, crisp white shirt and started unbuttoning his dirty one. 

I spied a flash of his lightly bronzed chest in the corner of my eyes and I turned and stared.

He caught me and laughed, pausing in unbuttoning the rest of his shirt. "You can look all you want but close the door, will you?"

Heat spread across my cheeks and I shook my head as if to clear it. "Why don't you use the bathroom instead?"

He sighed but turned toward the bathroom. "I don't mind if you ogle me, you know?"

I tried to give him as stern a look as I could manage and he just laughed again as he disappeared into the bathroom, calling out "If you insist!" over his shoulder.

"Silly man," I murmured as I smiled and turned back to the coffee. I just finished making two cups of espresso when he stepped back out, looking casual but sexy in the white dress shirt which he left open at the throat and rolled up at the sleeves. His hair was damp and messy as if he’d run a wet hand through it.

I swallowed hard at the pounding of my heart which filled my ears as well.

"That's much better," I said in a forced, steady voice as I handed him his cup. "Beef stew wasn't really your look."

He grinned and took a sip of his coffee. "It's a good excuse to ditch the suit and tie look today. Come on, let's step out to the balcony. It might be a little cool but it's beautiful and sunny outside."

I glanced at my watch and saw that I had about fifteen minutes left before I needed to head back to my desk so I followed him out to the balcony. 

It wasn't very big but it took up the corner of his office. The furnishings were sparse with just a minimalist patio set and a few potted palm trees. The vista of the city skyline against the backdrop of sparkling blue ocean was the focal point.

"I'll pick you up after work," he said out of the blue while we were leaning against the concrete railing, our face lifted to meet the light breeze and warm spring sun. 

I turned to him, scrunching up my nose. "Why?"

"I'll tell you later," he said with a shrug that clearly indicated he wasn't going to reveal more details about it. "Why, do you have somewhere you have to be? Someone you need to be with?"

I flushed at his last sentence but shook my head. "No, but I'd like to know if I have plans and what they are."

He smiled. "Just an errand we need to run. Don't worry, it won't be long."

I turned back to the view and quietly finished my cup. "Luke?"

"Yes?"

"Why do we seem to be friends?" I asked before I could screen the question and I glanced at him nervously, somehow afraid of his answer.

He blinked, as if surprised by my question, but his expression instantly cleared, a crooked grin curving his mouth on one side. "Because we just are."

"You don't really know me," I said, biting my lip. 

He shrugged. "I know enough."

"I don't really know you," I added.

He downed the last of his coffee and smiled at me, his blue eyes darker and bluer than the afternoon sky. "You will. I know it's a little crazy, Max, but I follow my instincts when it comes to people and it's telling me that this, with you, is something I want and need, at whatever capacity it can be."

Well. That was more answer than you thought was coming.

Luke's statement was a bit vague but somehow, I understood it perfectly—maybe because I felt the same way. I was the perfectly logical girl all my life and nothing I've done in the last few days have been typical of me but for once, I didn't care as much for the consequences. While that in itself was troubling, the ability to toss my hair back and say a dismissive 'whatever' was incredibly freeing. 

"Okay," I said after a long stretch of silence.

"Okay, what?" he asked with an amused but puzzled tilt of his brows.

"Okay, we're officially friends," I said with a grin. "And yes, I'll go run errands with you later, whatever those may be."

He beamed and closed the distance between us. The breeze carried Luke's faint, clean, masculine scent and the sudden warmth of his body a mere inch or two from mine caused my heart to do somersaults. 

Despite what you said, this isn't a very 'friendly' reaction, a voice in my head mocked but I ignored it and looked up into his eyes.

"Go. You don't want to be late," he murmured as he leaned down and pressed a kiss on my hairline as he plucked the empty espresso cup from my hand. "I'll see you later, baby."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "We're really going to give people the wrong idea if you keep calling me that."

He paused for a fleeting second before he cocked his head to one side and grinned. "Nah. I call all my female friends that. Nothing new."

A flash of irritation flitted through me and I scowled as I pushed him away. "I feel special to be counted among the ranks. I'm going."

I could hear him laugh as I marched out of the office grumpily.

"Instinct, Max," he called out after me. "You've got to trust it no matter what everyone says."

Cryptic doesn't help, I mentally grumbled as I smiled and waved goodbye to Peggy who just smiled back at me in amusement. 

I got into the empty elevator and sighed out loud. 

No, cryptic didn't cover the entirety of this situation with Luke.

Complicated.

Now, there's a perfect adjective for it.