He pulled the chair next to Jess without waiting to be invited to their table. It irked him to see Jess whispering with this guy in spectacles over a Quesadilla, while with him she kept on saying that she was busy.

"I never peg you to like Mexican food, Miss Zimmerman." He draped his arm over the backrest of her chair, as he picked up the last piece of Quesadilla on her plate.

"I am not easy to figure out, Mr. Tiefenbacher." she grinned at him watching him eat her last piece of Quesadilla. 'The nerve of this man!'

He nodded in agreement with his mouth full, "That's why I can't figure out why you haven't accepted my invitation for a meal when you aren't that busy." he wiggled his eyebrows on her.

Noah was about to put the last bite of Quesadilla on his mouth when he got startled by Jess grabbing his wrist, opening her mouth, and put his half-eaten Quesadilla in her own mouth. She even licked the cheese from his finger that leaked from the damn Quesadilla!

He swallowed a lump on his throat watching Jess' mouth chewing the Quesadilla. A now familiar stirring can be felt in his groin. He looked around the restaurant checking if they had the aircon on for the place suddenly felt hotter than before.

Oliver cleared his throat watching the two across him. He was thinking if they really aren't dating, why in the hell, they were shamelessly flirting in his face!

"Listen Tiefenbacher, I will share a meal with you when I felt like it." she raised her perfectly shaped eyebrow on him that seemed to be enchanted with how she moved her mouth.

She ignored his gawking and turned her attention to Oliver. "Are you ready to go?" she asked him as she wiped the corner of her mouth. "I'll drive you back to the uni."

"Yeah, totally ready," he said, clearing his throat after grabbing a glass of cold water.

Jess was ready to stand up to leave when Noah grabbed her slender wrist and pulled her back to her chair.

"Miss Zimmerman, how about me? Why don't you offer me a ride as well?" He smiled, but his blue eyes betrayed the smile that was curled on his lips.

"Uh, Jess it is a short walk back to the uni. I'll be fine." he smiled awkwardly at Noah then scamper to get up from his chair, and hastily said his goodbye, leaving the two of them on the table.

Noah was still holding Jess' wrist. She tried pulling it but he won't let go. She sighed and looked at him.

"What do you want?" she asked with a hint of annoyance.

"Drive me...back to uni." he grinned at her. An unexplainable joy flooded his heart as he saw Jess' face flushed in annoyance. He smirked thinking that Jess was one of a few girls he knew who looked adorable when angry.

Jess cocked her head to Noah's face, cupped her chin with her free, and smiled at him prettily.

Noah swallowed the lump on his throat and released Jess' hand from his grip.

Jess, still smiling touched Noah's short sideburns with the hand that he just let go of. She ran her index finger on his ear, stood up from her chair, and slowly bent to his ears and whispered seductively.

"It is a short… walk back to uni," she grabbed her purse and fled the restaurant before Noah could react.

A slow grin appeared from Noah's face, which turned to a burst of amused laughter as he watched Jess left the restaurant.

Antonio watched what was happening with furrowed eyebrows. He finally found the reason for his boss's fluctuating mood. He snapped from his thought when he heard his name called from the other table.

He quickly picked up the Ipad that Noah left on the table, grabbed his coat, and stood next to his boss.

"I already sent an order to have Mister Oliver Miller a thorough background check," he informed his boss with a straight face.

His boss slowly got from his chair, then put on his jacket, "Don't try to be smartass with me, Antonio." he said in a serious tone.

He dropped his shoulder and lowered his head, "I'm sorry Boss. It won't happen again."

He heard his boss chuckled and gave his shoulder a gentle punch, "Good job, Antonio. I expect the report on my desk tomorrow morning."

His head snapped up when he heard his boss asking for Mr. Oliver's background information to be gathered in less than twenty-four hours. He had gone insane! It was the thought on his head as he ran after his boss while his fingers are typing on his phone without looking at it.

--

Jess was waiting for the stoplight to change from red to green when she got the call from the friend she asked to check about Noah.

After she hung up the call, she gripped the steering wheel of her car, stepped on the accelerator when the light turned to green. She was clenching her teeth in annoyance.

"The next CEO? The grandson that owns the major stock of the ANAT and Pharma Co?" she mumbled in the silence of her car, she watched the street and when she saw that it was clear, she stepped harder on the accelerator.

Her SUV accelerated through Sunset Boulevard. The view of the ocean from a distance did nothing to calm her frustration. Rather the azure waters reminded her of Noah's eyes. Those liar's eyes!

She gritted her teeth, as the tires of her car screeched on the asphalt parking lot like nails raking on tinfoil.

She tried to steady her breathing as the rational part of her brain was asking why she was so bothered with what she found out about Noah's background.

After a moment of contemplation, she pulled her phone from her handbag and dialed Noah's number.

"Jess, is something the matter?" Worry was laced in his voice as he picked up Jess' call. She never called him except for that one time she called him drunk and mistakenly sent him a voice message.

Jess remained quiet on the other line that drove his anxiety to a new high. He looked at his wristwatch, he has few minutes before his next appointment. He opened his palm to Antonio to get his work phone when Jess finally spoke up.

"See you at dinner."

He looked at the phone in his hand, then glanced at Antonio who was sitting with him in the backseat of his work car.

"Cleared the rest of my schedule after this meeting, and informed Matsugen that I'd be dropping by for dinner," he told Antionio with a triumphant smile on his lips.