Code of Love

by Sharon Cummin

  Cody: I only have one conversation going right now, and that is with you. You could do something to help me though.

  Julie: Why would I want to help you? Especially if I want to kick your ass one day.

  Cody: Because I'm nice, and I saw you checking my ass out last night.

  Julie: I was not, and how do I know you're nice.

  Cody: Because I'm telling you I am, and yes you were.

  Julie: Anyway, what is it that I can do to help you?

  Cody: Go out to dinner with me.

  Julie read his message three times before replying.

  Julie: How would that help you?

  Cody: If you say yes, I can stop typing. Then I can get back to running a business and being the best coder on the planet.

  Julie: Do you even code anymore? I bet you sit in your big, leather chair and tell people what to do.

  Cody: That's where you're wrong. I code every single day. I do have a big, leather chair, but I never use it. I sit with my team, and that's just how it should be. If you go to dinner with me, you can bring those notes, and I can see what you actually found valuable yesterday. That wouldn't just help me. It would help everyone that ever has to hear me rattle on again.

  Julie: So It would be a business dinner. That I can do. Where should I meet you?

  It took a few minutes for him to respond, and Julie couldn't help but wonder if he was working or if he was thinking.

  Julie: Wait! So, you are sitting with your team, and you're on your phone. Isn't that setting a bad example?

  Cody: I'm actually sitting in our break room right now, but I do let my team use their phones. Happy employees are way more productive than ones that hate the boss.

  A few seconds later, he sent a text with the name of a restaurant, an address, and a time. He wanted to meet at five o'clock.

  Julie: Isn't that a bit early, or are you going to tell me that the rest of your team leaves that early as well?

  Cody: Actually, they all leave at five. I'll only be leaving fifteen minutes early. It's business, your words not mine, so that's allowed. I'll let them know I'm going to meet the best coder in the world. They won't mind.

  Julie: So, you stop working at five?

  Cody: I said my team leaves at five. I, on the other hand, do not. There are days I have a very late dinner here. I've also spent the night in my office many times. I try as often as I can to leave with the team, but when I do, I take work home with me. So, now that I've given you even more of my secrets, will you meet me for dinner?

  Julie read his text, but she didn't respond right away. If her dad found out, he would be pissed. It was only to discuss business, but that wouldn't matter to him. Cody was his competition. That made him hers too, or did it? She wasn't working for her dad again yet, so technically, he wasn't. He didn't sound mean, and he seemed like he probably treated his employees well, unless he was lying, of course. As much as she knew she shouldn't go, she couldn't help but want to learn more about the man her father couldn't stand. He couldn't really be that bad, could he?

  Julie knew her sister wouldn't be home until at least nine o'clock from the hospital. If she met Cody at five, she'd surely be home by then. She'd make sure of it. If one of her parents called, she'd just tell them she'd been busy when she called them back later.

  There was no reason she shouldn't go, she thought. If anything, she could get information that could help her family's business. Then maybe her dad would see that she was worth more than just a chair next to all of the other developers in his company.

  Julie: I'll see you at five, and I'll bring my notes.

  Cody: I'll see you there.

  “I can't believe I'm doing this,” she said to herself, as she got up from the couch so she could get ready.

  Chapter 5

  Cody

  Cody joked about Julie being on his team, but he knew it would never happen. He'd heard she was a daddy's girl, and that honestly scared the shit out of him. Hearing her say that she'd had some of the very same ideas he had hadn't surprised him at all. He'd heard she was smart. He'd also heard she was shy, but he hadn't seen that. She'd seemed a little quiet when he had seen her at the club, but he could tell it wasn't her scene at all, and after only a few minutes, she was coming back at him with cockiness in her tone. Then he'd sent her a text, and she'd turned into a total smartass. There was not one shy thing about her.

  When Julie said she didn't know what she was going to do for the summer, he was shocked. She'd be going home to work with her dad. Cody was sure of it. He'd actually been planning for it. She was young, and that was exactly what her father needed to boost his business even higher. If she was that good, Cody knew he'd have to work that much harder to take over the number one spot, and that shit was what kept him at the office late, but he wasn't about to tell her that. He knew she would soon be with her father every day, and he was ready for it, or at least he hoped he was.

  Julie saying she wasn't sure made him nervous, and he knew he had to get to the bottom of it. Did she know who he was? Of course she did, he'd given a talk during her class, but did she know he was her father's biggest competition and that he was gaining speed fast? If she was half as smart as he'd heard, then she knew. So, what was the deal with her lying? Was she playing him as much as he was playing her? Was she onto him?

  When she sent back that she would meet him for dinner, he was shocked again. What was that about? If her dad found out, he'd flip his shit. Cody knew that for sure. If she was going to take over their family business, why would she do something to put it in jeopardy? He was curious about the notes she had taken, and he was just as curious to see what kind of information she'd give him, so he was going to meet her, and he was going to pick her brain every single second of the time she was willing to give him.

  Cody walked into the restaurant a little early. He got a table, and he waited.

  “Be on your game, Man,” he whispered, as he sat there with his head in his hands. “Don't screw this up.”

  When he lifted his head and his eyes landed on the woman in front of him, he instantly got to his feet. Julie had looked so cute in class when she'd laughed at him and then walked up to apologize after. She'd looked even more adorable when he'd seen her at the club, but the way she looked, in a black dress that fit her perfectly, had him unable to look away. Her hair was up on top of her head, and her eyes looked so dark and nervous. The smartass from before wasn't there, not one bit, but something told him it wouldn't be long before he'd see that part of her again. She was beautiful and so damn sexy, but he could tell just from looking at her that she didn't know it. How could she not, he wondered?

  “Hi,” she said, as she got closer.

  “I'd hate to see what you look like in your pajamas,” he said, before instantly cursing himself in his mind. “You look amazing.”

  “Thanks,” she said. “I thought I'd at least shower.”

  “Have a seat,” he said, as he pulled her chair out for her.

  She sat down, but she didn't speak. He could feel her nervousness oozing off of her.

  “How was your first day off?” he asked.

  “It was okay,” she answered. “There was this guy that was bugging me, but other than that, it was quiet.”

  “Bugging you?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she answered. “It's okay though. I took care of him.”

  “By telling him you'd meet him for dinner?” he asked.

  “It got him back to work,” she said. “I'd say it was a success. Did you actually get some work done before bailing early?”

  “I did,” he answered, with a smile. “I was busy making a plan.”

  “A plan?” she asked.

  “Yes,” he answered.

  “What kind of plan?” she asked.

  “No way,” he said, as he shook his head. “I'm not giving you any more ammo to kick my ass with. My lips are sealed.”

  “Why do I doubt that's even possible?” she asked.

  The waiter ap
proached their table and asked if they'd like drinks. Julie looked at Cody and then back at the waiter, and just as she opened her mouth to answer, Cody jumped in and ordered a bottle of wine. When Julie gave him a questioning look, he shrugged.

  “It's on the company,” he said. “This is a business dinner after all.”

  “A company that you own,” she said, with a laugh. “That's not a cheap bottle of wine.”

  “You're worth it,” he said, as he watched for her reaction.

  A smile covered her face. Then it was gone just as quickly. For a split second, he felt bad. Then he thought about the fact that she was most likely playing him too, and that guilt was gone.

  “I brought the notes,” she said, as she opened the notebook he hadn't noticed her caring and had honestly totally forgotten about.

  “Great!” he said.

  The waiter brought their wine and then asked what they'd like to eat. Cody motioned for Julie to go first, and he couldn't believe it when all she ordered was a salad. He'd planned on ordering steak, but he quickly upgraded his order to the largest steak on the menu. There was no way she wasn't eating just because it was on his dime, and he knew damn well that was what she was doing.

  As soon as the waiter walked away, Julie moved right on to talking about her notes, and as soon as she began, he saw her completely transform. The nervous woman was gone, and a passionate and confident one had taken her place. Before he knew it, she was moving her hands as she spoke, and he couldn't help but laugh.

  “Why are you laughing?” she snapped, as she folded her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at him.

  “I'm sorry,” he said, as he tried to stop laughing but laughed even harder. “It's nice to see someone so passionate about what I said. Did you see the rest of your class? They looked like they were falling asleep. Here you are, seeming actually excited. It feels good.”

  “Oh, it should,” she said, moving right back into her excited state. “Like this, right here. It's amazing.”

  She was pointing at her paper, and Cody quickly scooted his chair over next to hers so he could see what she was showing him. Then he was gone. He was just as into what she was saying as she was, and he began explaining why he'd said what he had. It didn't take long before he was spilling his guts without a second thought, and there she was, telling him what she thought and how she thought he could take his ideas to the next level.

  When the waiter walked up, neither of them noticed. Then he cleared his throat, and they both jumped. That nervous look from before was right back on her face.

  “I'm sorry,” she said.

  “Don't be,” Cody said. “I really liked what you had to say.”

  The waiter looked at Cody, waiting to see if he was going to move, but he didn't, so the waiter put his plate down where he was. Cody could feel Julie looking over at him, but he didn't look her way. He wasn't done talking, so he wasn't moving.

  Cody cut off half of his steak, put it on a small plate the waiter had brought him, and slid it over to her.

  “What?” Julie asked.

  “It's really good,” he answered. “You have to try it.”

  “I am not eating half of your steak,” she said, as she moved to push the plate back, but he wouldn't let her.

  “You are,” he said.

  “Cody,” she snapped, and he couldn't help but like the way his name sounded leaving her lips.

  “Just eat it,” he said, feeling aggravation fill him at the thought he'd just had.

  She didn't respond, but she didn't push the plate back either. They sat in silence, and when she finally took a bite of the steak, she whimpered, and he didn't miss it. That shit went straight to his dick.

  “So,” he said. “What are your plans for tomorrow? More of the same as today.”

  “Very funny,” she said. “No, I'll be working.”

  “Where?” he asked, genuinely wondering what her answer would be.

  “On my own work,” she answered.

  So far, she hadn't mentioned her father, and there was no way he was going to be the one to bring him up, so he tried to stay away from the topic.

  “Oh yeah,” he said. “Is that part of your plan to kick my ass?”

  “It sure is,” she answered.

  Was she working on stuff for her dad's company from where she was, he wondered? That was a definite possibility.

  “Where do you go from here, Julie?” he asked, wanting to know if she'd admit she was working for her father.

  “I'm honestly not sure,” she answered. “I've got some decisions to make.”

  “You could always come work for me,” he said, before he could even stop himself.

  “That wouldn't help me to kick your ass,” she said, “so I'm pretty sure that would be a bad idea.”

  Cody laughed, and Julie laughed right along with him.

  “If anything, it would help you,” she said.

  “Nothing wrong with that,” he replied.

  “Not going to happen,” she said, as she laughed and looked back at her notebook that she'd set next to her salad. “Let's see what other information I can get out of you.”

  “Is that what you're doing?” he asked. “Are you just telling me you listened so I'll give you information?”

  “Of course I am,” she said, as she flipped to the page they'd been on before their food had arrived. “Isn't that what you're doing to me?”

  Cody was shocked by her words, but what shocked him even more was the slight feeling of hurt that moved through him. No way, he thought to himself. She's not playing you. You won't let her.

  “Of course,” he said. “I have to try to stop you from kicking my ass, right?”

  “I guess you do,” she said. “You don't have a chance though.”

  “Oh yeah?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” she answered. “I'm awesome, and there's nothing you can do about it.”

  “Are you always this cocky?” he asked.

  “I wouldn't say that's the right word,” she said, “and if you want my honest answer, no.”

  “I find that hard to believe,” he said.

  “It's true,” she said. “I think it's you.”

  “Me?” he asked. “You're blaming me for you being a smartass?”

  “Yep,” she said, as she took another bite of the steak he had given her. “This really is good.”

  “I told you,” he said. “Let's get back to you blaming your attitude on me. How is it my fault?”

  “It just is,” she said, taking yet another bite of steak. “Are we going to talk about my brilliant ideas or not?”

  “You're definitely brilliant,” he said. “I've got to give you that, but I'm sure you've heard it a million times.”

  Cody saw Julie's smile fall and a look of sadness cross her face.

  “So, where did we leave off?” she asked.

  Then she flipped to her next page of notes and began talking about what he'd said and why she'd taken notes on it, and they were both right back to where they'd been before.

  By the time they let the waiter take their plates, they'd been sitting there for over two hours. Cody noticed Julie look down at her watch before looking over at him.

  “You got another dinner date after this?” he asked.

  “No,” she said.

  “Do you turn into a pumpkin at a certain time?” he asked.

  “No,” she answered.

  He couldn't help but wonder what it was she was thinking about, but he didn't ask. Instead, he began scooting his chair back over to where it originally sat.

  “My sister gets home at nine,” she said.

  “You live with your sister?” he asked, but he didn't need to.

  “I do,” she said. “I was just seeing how long we'd been talking. It doesn't seem like it's been that long.”

  “Would you like dessert?” the waiter asked, as he approached.

  “No,” Julie answered.

  “Yes,” Cody said, before saying the names of two diffe
rent desserts.

  As soon as the waiter walked away, Julie shot him a look.

  “You can not eat here without having dessert,” he said. “That's just not possible.”

  “Of course it is,” she said. “You simply get up and leave.”

  “So, you're ready to go then?” he asked. “I guess you're done picking my brain.”

  “Oh, I'm not even close to being done doing that,” she said, and then she quickly covered her mouth as a surprised look covered her face. “That's not what I meant.”

  “Sure it is,” he said. “I can't blame you.”

  “Are you always this,” she began, but stopped before she finished her thought.

  “Confident?” he asked.

  “That's one way to put it,” she said.

  “You seem a little confident yourself,” he said.

  The waiter walked up with two huge desserts, and Julie gasped. When he put them down and walked away, Cody picked up one of the spoons and handed it to her.

  “Dig in,” he said, with a huge smile.

  “You don't think I will?” she asked. “This has ice cream in it. I must not have told you, but Ben and Jerry are my best friends.”

  “Really?” he asked, and she nodded as she scooped up a huge bite and ate it.

  “This is delicious,” she said. “How have I never had this before?”

  “You've been having dinner with the wrong people,” he said, and a jealous thought filled his mind.

  “I guess so,” she said. “This is bad.”

  “Why is that?” he asked, still not taking a bite for himself.

  “I'm going to have to come here all the time now,” she said. “It's not like I can just come for the ice cream. Between steaks and desserts, I'm going to go broke.”

  “I highly doubt that,” he said, with a laugh, as he thought about her dad. “With your brains, you'll do just fine.”

  “It's true,” she said, as she spooned another bite into her mouth. “I don't even have a job.”

  Bullshit, he thought, as his mind snapped him back to reality and a cold feeling ran through him.

  “You going to eat some?” she asked, as she pointed her spoon at the two desserts.

  “Have at it,” he said, as he stuck his spoon into the other dessert. “I think I'll try some of this one so it's feelings don't get hurt.”