JoAnna looked through cabinets in the kitchen, pantry, storage room, and anywhere else she saw cabinets… and found one more vase. She got her phone and texted Jeff: "If you get more flowers, keep in mind that you are out of vases."
...
Jeff is in a eting, one woman, Martha Hindin, is presenting financial data from marketing departnt on the big screen. About dozen other people are attending the eting.
Jeff saw his phone lit up with notification that he got text from JoAnna. He unlocked it and read the ssage. He kept his cool expression while texted her back.
[Jeff]: "Noted"
After a second he sent another ssage.
[Jeff]: "Correction: WE are out of vases"
People in the eting noticed that he texted and thought how they never saw CEO White send texts during etings before. Jeff would check the ssage occasionally, but he would not reply until the eting ends.
…
Back at the penthouse, JoAnna was surprised that he responded right away. She saw his 'correction', and it's obvious that implies they are living together. JoAnna didn't tell him that she is considering staying with him in LA. 'How can he be so confident?' She texted back.
[JoAnna]: "It's not WE. I'm only visiting. All vases here are yours only."
…
Jeff read her ssage and a smirk appeared on his face for a second before he reverted back to his cold deanor. He didn't hesitate to text her back.
[Jeff]: "It's just a matter of ti."
…
JoAnna was amused and at the sa ti upset to see him saying that with such confidence. She can see that he is deciding without asking her, felt vexed. She can't leave it be. JoAnna decided to tease him, and at the sa ti to let him know that nothing is certain.
[JoAnna]: "How can you be so confident?"
…
Jeff was thinking for few seconds how to respond, and then a mischievous smile appeared on his face. He rembered previous night and how JoAnna expressed herself. Just thinking about that got him excited. The fact that he can bring her to such a state where she loses herself made him delighted.
[Jeff]: "I know you need , hard."
He was smiling while looking at his phone. ssage status showed 'Read'. Jeff was thinking what JoAnna's reaction is now while she is reading his ssage. It took so ti for him to realize that Martha, woman who was presenting is not talking any more. No one was talking. Everyone in the room was looking at Jeff and wondering, 'Is that CEO White smiling???' He always had a cold and distant expression. Everyone wondered what made him smile like that. Well, everyone except Steve who had a good idea.
Jeff cleared his throat, and his expression went back to serious.
"Continue", he told to the woman who paused her presentation, dazzled by his smile. She got startled and stumbled to find where she stopped before continuing.
…
JoAnna read his ssage and embarrassnt hit her. 'Is he teasing ? Is he referring to last night???' She face-pald herself and looked at his last ssage thinking how this man is getting more and more cheeky.
For soone who has a reputation of being cold and not talking much while keeping people at a distance, JoAnna found Jeff to be the total opposite... And it seems that even his sense of humor was showing up.
She threw herself on a sofa in the living room and thought about Jeff. His smile, his deep dark eyes, his firm body, his warmth… his care… his love… 'Oh, how I wish to hug him… snuggle next to him.' Jeff made her feel safe. She likes that. JoAnna knows that when she is with him, she does not need to worry about anything because he will take care of it. He will take care of everything. For her. 'It feels good to be cherished.'
She looked around, and the apartnt looked so empty without him.
She didn't want to play gas any more… she unlocked her phone and texted him: "I miss you."
…
Seeing that there was no response for so ti, Jeff thought that JoAnna will not text him anymore. When he got a response, he was ready to tease her again, but then he saw simple three words she sent, and his face softened. He missed her too. Her image appeared in his mind and he saw her smile, and he felt her arms wrap around his body, and her breath on his cheek. He could not stop himself from missing her like crazy.
Jeff smiled while staring in space toward the big screen where presentation was ongoing, and Martha saw him. She was sure that she saw him when she turned to glance at the audience… CEO White was smiling while looking at her!
Jeff didn't realize the emotional stir he caused in the woman who was presenting. At that point he forgot that there is soone presenting at all… and that he is in a eting.
He checked his schedule and found that it was full because all etings from previous day got moved to next few days and filled up his day completely... but he would make ti for her.
...
JoAnna's eyes lit up when she saw Jeff's ssage: "Let's have lunch together."
She wanted to et him.
She typed: 'Yes' but deleted it.
Second attempt: 'If you have ti'. That one didn't get sent either.
Third attempt: 'I can co to your office.' JoAnna hesitated. She deleted that ssage as well. At the end, she typed another ssage and sent it.
She kept roses in the vase and went to get her laptop. JoAnna's task before lunch ti was to find hospitals in Los Angeles who are good candidates for her to do her residency in.
...
Jeff looked at the last ssage he received.
[JoAnna]: "No, I'm busy. See you when you get back."
Imdiately he understood that JoAnna said she is busy only because of him. 'She is such a considerate person.' He was smiling while typing "OK" as a response.
After that eting no one talked about the important financial presentation woman did. They all discussed strange change in their CEO, wondering what caused him to smile, suspecting various causes like disease, alcohol, and drugs.
As for the woman who did presentation, she actually had hopes that Jeff smiled at her.. She was disappointed that she didn't get a chance to talk to him in private and to confirm her suspicion.
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