Fated by S.H. Kolee

and pretend like every fiber of my body wasn't aching for him?
    I
tried to build an armor of moral conviction around me. After all, how clichéd
was it to get involved with your boss? I didn't intend to spend the workday
being chased around the desk. Besides, I didn't want to risk putting Macie's
job in jeopardy. I didn't have many friends, and she had been a constant in my
life since college. Although Macie didn't know everything about my past, she
knew I was slow to trust and cautious about making new friends. She had made a
concerted effort to keep in contact with me over the years, even during the
times when I had withdrawn, not returning phone calls and barely responding to
emails. I couldn't put her job in danger because I wasn't sure Caden wouldn't
blame Macie if I quit, and I was sure that would happen if Caden and I
continued along this dangerous path.
    I
was given a reprieve of having to face Caden on Monday morning when I arrived
to an empty office. I hoped he wouldn't come in today, although I knew deep
down I was lying to myself. As much as I dreaded facing him, I craved his
presence as well.
    I
frowned when I sat down and glanced at the vase of calla lilies on my desk.
They looked as fresh as the day I had bought them more than two weeks ago. I
had become suspicious a while ago because there was no way they could survive
for so long, but I couldn't actually believe that Caden was replacing them. The
meaning behind that was too dizzying to even contemplate. But I had sworn more
than once that the flowers looked slightly different.
    I
checked all the flowers, looking for the blue pen mark I had made on Friday on
one of them. It was foolish, but it was the only way to get an answer because
there was no way I was going to ask Caden.
    My
stomach fluttered in a combination of excitement and anxiety when I couldn't
find a flower with a pen mark on it. My mind was racing as I tried to come to
terms with what this meant.
    Caden
chose that moment to enter the office, his eyes zeroing in on me as soon as he
stepped inside.
    "Good
morning," I said, trying to keep up a façade of normalcy.
    "Good
morning." His reply was measured as he walked up to me and sat down in
front of my desk. It took all my willpower to not glance at the flowers and
then back at him, because I didn’t want to let on that I knew what he was
doing.
    Caden
took away any hope I had of sweeping everything that had happened Saturday
night under the rug when he spoke again.
    "I
want to talk about what happened last Saturday."
    I
took a deep breath, steeling myself for the conversation. "What happened
Saturday was a mistake. A mistake that we can never repeat."
    "Why?"
    I
wanted to shake Caden, to put some sense into his stubborn head. He seemed to
be of the mindset that if it felt good, it was okay. That was a school of
thought that I could never subscribe to.
    "I
feel like a broken record." I paused before continuing, trying to take the
bite out of my words. Getting angry wouldn't do any good. "I'm not going
to go through all the reasons again. Please just respect the fact that I don't
want to take our relationship beyond a professional capacity."
    "Let
me photograph you."
    I
had the sudden urge to pick up the vase of calla lilies and throw it at him in
frustration. A laugh slipped out at the thought of Caden’s face if I did that,
causing him to raise his eyebrows in surprise
    "That's
not exactly the reaction I was expecting. I thought you'd either punch me or
agree." I was slightly impressed that my laughter in response to his
intimate request hadn't angered him. He merely looked curious, as if he wanted
to share in the amusement.
    "Caden,"
I started, once I had my emotions under control. "The last thing I'm going
to do is strip naked and let you take pictures of me. Pretty soon you'll be
telling me that you can get me a big Hollywood gig, if only I pose nude for
you."
    He
frowned, not sharing the humor of my statement. "Is that what you think