The Undisclosed Union

Part 18

His reaction has given her reason to leave him and go back to her chair, abandoning the thought to talk to Jared.

"Are you okay, Kate?' Tess asked with concern in her voice as she sat beside her.

"I am alright, thank you."

"Kate, I think Mr. Steele has recognized you, it is rude if you do not go and greet him," Nicole advise her and then turned to Michael and explained about her temporary job as a substitute to one of the assistant secretary.

"Yes, Kate, just go there and say hello," Tess added.

But then Katelyn turned to Tess and softly just for her ears to hear said. "You see that Charlize and her friend are there."

"No matter what, his eyes are here again. If you want, I will go there with you." Tess declared.

Katelyn was going to say that she will do it alone but then remembered Blake. She knows the reason that Tess wanted to accompany her, that is, to greet him.

If her mind is not in chaos now, she will play cupid to the both of them. But then Blake is a playboy; she doesn't want to push her friend to someone who will only hurt her in the end.

They both stand up and make their excuses to the men who were now busy talking about some company they were negotiating to get their firm an auditing contract.

Once they are in his table, Jared indifference attitude had almost made Katelyn turned back to their table if not for the arm that is softly pushing her to say something.

"Darling, isn't this your new temp?" Charlize asked Jared with her eyes on Katelyn while her hand caress Jared's on the top of the table, letting them know the intimacy between them.

Jared's lack of acknowledgment of her presence as he just took a sip on his glass made Katelyn felt humiliated that she tagged on to Tess but as if she did not understand what she meant or just pretending not to care, continued her greeting.

Katelyn then looked at Jared, whose hands were still on the glass but looking at her blankly, the stare he used when a woman tried to gain his attention while for him, she doesn't exist. At this moment, even if she wanted to explain, Jared will never understand her as he already put a wall between them.

"Oh, isn't this the new secretary that you have, Jared?" The arrival of Blake diverted Katelyn's minds as well as the attention of everyone in the table to him.

But the silence on Jared's end made Blake said," Why don't you sit down with us, Ladies?' he then turned to the waiter to arrange another table for them on which Tess stopped him.

"We only wanted to greet you and Mr. Steele. We are with our friends, but all the same, thank you for the invitation." Tess told him while she looked at the other three in the table as if telling them, "they were only there as a courtesy not because they wanted to share a table.

Katelyn saw Charlize raised eyebrows as if she didn't believe Tess. It made her almost say something, but when her eyes looked at Jared's direction, looking at his glass without caring about what's happening, she spoke, " We need to go back now to our friends. It is nice meeting you all here, and enjoy your meal." She then pulled Tess to go.

"Miss Darcy, why don't you and your friend sit with us?" Jared's authoritative voice made her stopped from totally turning her back on them. She again faces them with Tess following her action.

"Thank you, Mr. Steele, but we don't want to intrude more than we are doing already. Besides, we had finished eating already."

"Common Miss Darcy, I'm sure Miss..."

"Powell," supplied Tess.

"Yes, Miss Powell, will you not mind sitting with us?" Blake asked Tess, who immediately nods and smiles at him.

"So it's settled now," he then turned to call the waiter again.

Katelyn pulled Tess and whispered. "What are we going to do about Nicole and Michael's friends?"

"Is there a problem, Miss Darcy?" Charlize inquired.

"I was just asking Miss Powell regarding our friends."

Charlize then looked at Nicole's table and turned to Jared, "Darling, maybe they are on a date, and you are depriving those men of their beautiful presence?"

"No, we are not, it just so happened when our friend's boyfriend invited us for dinner, he did not mention that he is with his male friends," Tess informed them, and Nicole's worries of being misunderstood ebbed but thoughts of offending Nicole if they will not go back to them made her worried.

As if Blake understands her hesitation, he said." If you are worried about your friends, don't worry, I will talk to them." He told them while standing up and leaving their table and walked to where Nicole is.

His actions brought a mesmerizing smile on Tess's face, and she finally realized how deep her friend's admiration on the man.

The waiter arranged the table. She sat beside the friend of Charlize on her left and Tess at her right.

Katelyn then turned to look at Jared's direction to see him looking at her as if the sun rises after stormy days in the way his brilliant eyes stared at her.

"Was Jared jealous earlier and only become alright after he heard Tess's explanation?" Katelyn almost giggled on what she found out because it means that Jared is not only sexually attracted to her but has feelings on her.

But her happiness was short-lived as she heard the friend of Charlize asked in a soft voice," Did you think Mr. Steele is attracted to you because he asked you to dine with us?"

Surprised on the other woman's question made her only answer," No, of course not, why will I be?"

"Your smug look betrayed you." Her comment made Katelyn conscious of her action, especially that her opponent is a friend of Charlize and a possible spy.

"You're kidding me, I am only a lowly employee on his company, and I don't dream that high."

"Just be sure you know where your feet should land and don't blame anyone that you have not been warned not to mess around him." She told her with a smile on her face, pretending to those around them as if only exchanging pleasantries.

Katelyn then just looked at Jared, listening to what Charlize was talking on things she can't hear as she spoke softly to him. It was also at that moment that Blake comes back to their table, and he told them that their friends would join them after a few minutes.

Katelyn was alarmed because David is so attentive to her during their dinner and she's afraid he will do something that will make Jared misunderstood her again.

END OF PART 18

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