*bzzzzzz*

"Tessa!" David shouted at the sound of the apartment buzzer. "I do believe Prince Charming has arrived."

Tessa panicked as she gave herself one last look in the mirror. Do I look like the sophisticated, professional woman I am pretending to be? she examined herself.

Her usually straight brown hair was in curls and she was wearing the dress David had picked out. It was elegant yet not overly dressy. She gave herself one last once-over before walking into the living room.

Seeing her friend sitting at the couch watching the T.V., she smiled. "So what do you think?"

He turned and a glimmer shined in his eyes. "You look like a total babe."

She laughed, "Shut up, you're such a bad liar."

He smiled and shook his head. "I'm serious, you look great, Tessa. Are you sure he's going to be able to concentrate with you wearing that?"

Her eyes twinkled with laughter as she gave her friend a hug. "Thanks for coming over, I really needed someone."

"Someone to boost your ego, you mean?" he teased.

She blushed without answering.

He put his hand over his heart and pretended to fall over into the sofa. "Ouch, that hurts, CB. I thought our friendship meant more than that. Oh well, I guess I can make do with just having a gorgeous best friend."

She smiled and seeing him being so kind to her, she knew she couldn't lie to him. "David, there's something you should know."

His face turned serious. "Is something wrong?"

Tessa bit her lower lip, feeling guilty for not telling him right away.

"I know something's on your mind. Spit it out," he urged her.

She took in a breath of air and in one flow of words she quickly explained, "J.C. thinks I have a twin sister named CB because I told him I wasn't the girl he had met the morning when I was being rude to him and I had to lie so that I could get his group's account for Xtreme and this morning he thought I was that twin sister and now he's going out on a date with ME, Tessa, the other twin sister and I really need you to pretend I am THAT twin sister and not the one you saw him with this morning."

David's eyes grew wide. "Woah, Tessa, calm down. Now SLOWLY. All I got was something about a twin sister."

Tessa groaned as she heard the buzzer go off again. "Look, I'll explain more later, but for now, you have to pretend that I'm Tessa, the twin, but older sister of the girl you saw J.C. with this morning. Can you do that? Please?"

"Of course, but I'm still REALLY confused," David said. "We're going to have one long talk tomorrow, understood?"

She nodded and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks, David. This means so much to me! I'm so sorry I didn't tell you what was going on. I was afraid that you would think I was this horrible person."

David smiled. "I would never think that. Besides, I always thought you had schizophrenic tendencies," he teased.

She punched him in the shoulder. "Behave. Remember, it's TESSA."

*bzzzzz*

He looked to the door. "Someone's impatient," he commented. Tessa missed the slight edge in his voice.

Tessa gave him a smile and then pressed on the control pad. "Hello?"

"Tessa? It's me, J.C.," a voice responded.

She felt her pulse quicken and she didn't answer right away. Even through her scratchy speaker, his voice was all male. She gulped and answered, "Come on up."

Letting go of the intercom button she turned to David. "Why are you still here, anyway?"

"Hey, someone has to be the overprotective older brother," he replied. "Without your father here, who's supposed to watch out for you? This guy could be some perv for all you know."

Tessa glared at him, but a smile twitched at the edge of her mouth. "First of all, this is NOT a date. Secondly, I can take care of myself. I don't need you to watch out for me, although it is very sweet. Thirdly, J.C.'s always been straight with me, so you don't have to worry about it."

"Wow, a boyband member who's straight, what a concept," David joked.

Tessa smirked. "So what does that make you, Mr. *N Sync fan?"

David clutched his heart again. "You know how to hit a guy where it hurts, Tessa."

Tessa opened her mouth but heard a knock at the door before she could respond. "You're lucky!"

David laughed as she went to answer the door.

Tessa took a deep breath before she opened it. It's going to be fine, she re-assured herself. It's just a business meeting. You know what you're doing. Just show him the plans and be professional.

She heard that familiar laughter inside her head. And don't screw up, it mocked her.

She finally opened the door but as soon as she saw him, she felt the breath in her throat become caught there. He stood at least a foot taller than her in a casual outfit. His black jacket made the blue in his eyes darker, almost gray, and even more mysterious than she already found them. Her heart pounded in her chest by the warm smile he greeted her with. She stood there for a moment as though frozen in place as she absorbed the sight of him.

The smile that had initially been on J.C.'s face faded as he looked at her.

"Hi," she greeted him slowly, unsure of his reaction, with a brave smile touching her lips.

His smile did not re-appear. "Ms. Bentley," he nodded. "May I come in, or should I leave you with your guest?"

Suddenly realizing that she wasn't the cause of his sudden change of mood, she replied, "Oh! No, David was just leaving."

David stood up behind her and nodded. He walked towards the two and gave Tessa a warning squeeze of her hand. "Hi, I'm David. I met you earlier when you were having breakfast with CB."

Tessa, realizing why David was speaking so slowly tried her best not to panic. "Oh, how rude of me. J.C., this is David. David, this is J.C., a client at Xtreme." She laughed nervously. "But I guess you two have already met, so why am I introducing you?"

J.C. did not seem to waver from his abruptly cold demeanor. "If you're friends with CB, what are you doing here?"

"Well, Tessa was just helping me with a class I'm taking at USC. CB is kind of a social science freak, and I'm more of a business techy, so Tessa was giving me a few ideas for a paper," David explained.

Tessa was confused as J.C.'s face softened. Why is he so upset that David is here? she thought to herself.

David continued, "Anyway, I better get going. I'll see you tomorrow, Tessa. We still need to have that talk."

Tessa nodded quickly, acknowledging what he meant. As David left, J.C. remained in the doorway, still skeptical but less on edge. "Would you please come in?" she invited.

He nodded and walked in. Tessa was stunned by how he seemed to fill up the room by just walking into it. It was as if his whole personality overpowered her small apartment.

"How about a cup of coffee?" Tessa offered as she walked into the kitchen area.

"I'm not a big coffee fan," J.C. admitted as the tension in his body began to ease.

"Alright . . . tea, then?" she asked, opening the cabinet in front of her, hoping to smooth over whatever caused his moment of hostility.

J.C. smiled to himself. "That sounds great."

Dropping two tea bags into a hot pot of water, she invited, "Take a seat in the living room. There's a manila envelope on the counter. It has the design plans in it."

He nodded and walked off to the living room. Out of curiosity, he paused to observe the room. It was small, some would call it quaint, but at the same time, comfortable. He thought for a moment. The room certainly did not reflect his impression of her. It was withdrawn and old-fashioned.

But he had learned, looks could be deceiving.

"Here," she said, handing him the teacup. "I only had chamomile. I hope you don't mind."

He smiled, "No, that's fine."

As he sipped his tea, he took a seat on the beige couch.

*ring**ring*

"I better go get that," Tessa excused herself as she went back into the kitchen.

J.C. put down his teacup and picked up the envelope. Before he could open it, a packet of paper underneath the envelope caught his eye. He picked it up and looked at it.

A Reflection of Economic Incline in Advertising from the Perspective of the Consumer, he read to himself.

What interested him, though was the name in the corner. David Tracker.

Now, why did Tessa have a paper that belonged to a friend of CB's if they didn't live together? J.C. thought. Maybe he really WAS over here to get some advice?

"Sorry about that," Tessa apologized as she walked into the room. "It was just the---what are you doing with that?"

Tessa quickly grabbed the papers out of J.C.'s hands.

"It was right here. I didn't mean to be nosy," he explained, although guilt was the furthest thing on his mind. He was actually wondering why she was so edgy at that moment.

"I can explain . . ." Tessa said, losing the nerve she had worked so hard to find that night.

J.C. leaned back and gestured, "Please do . . ."

Explain what? he was thinking. It's just a paper.

"Well, like David said, I was helping him with his paper," Tessa explained.

"Then why the guilty look, Ms. Bentley?" J.C. pressed her, noticing that she had this guilty look on her face.

"Oh, God," she groaned.

He stared at her completely confused.

"Okay, look. David's grandmother passed away a few weeks ago and he had this huge paper due for one of his major classes. He couldn't go to her funeral because of it, so I, well I . . ."

"You decided to do it for him?" J.C. offered.

"Yeah," she whispered. "Look, I understand if you don't want to work with me because of it, but please don't think that I'm any reflection of what Xtreme can do for you," she apologized.

He eyed her before answering. The smile returned to his lips as he answered, "That's too bad."

This time, Tessa was confused. "What is?"

"That you aren't a reflection of the company. I would hope that if my friends and I were ever in a crisis, Xtreme will be there to support us, the way you did for your friend," he explained.

The amazement in her eyes touched him. "You mean, you aren't upset that I did something unethical?"

He grinned and leaned closer. "Everyone tells lies, Tessa, but at least you did it for a friend. It really didn't hurt anyone did it?"

She shook her head slowly, "No, I guess not . . . but why are you being so understanding?"

He looked at her sincerely, "Because I'd rather work with you than any other person at your company."

She gasped. She didn't know why his approval meant so much to her, but it did funny things to her stomach. "Th-thank you."

He smiled casually and commented, "So, about these designs . . ."

"Oh, of course," she said abruptly, slightly flustered by the unexpected compassion he possessed. She grabbed the envelope and pulled out the papers she had the design department prepare for her. "Here you go."

~!~Two Hours Later~!~

"So with this layout, I think that everything will be more easily accessible," she explained. During the two hours that seemed to pass by so quickly, they had been able to pick out the most appropriate designs and features for the website along with some schematics for the promotional material for it.

He looked at her a moment as she used her fingers to put a curl behind her ear. He found it hard to concentrate on what she was saying as he found his eyes lingering on the movement of her lips. He had spent the last two hours nodding at the appropriate times and agreeing with her.

"What do you think?" she asked again when he hadn't heard her the first time. "J.C.?"

He snapped out of his daze at the sound of his name. "Oh, yeah, that's great."

She looked at him confused. "What is? The border or the background?"

"Oh, both," he replied hurriedly, realizing that he had no idea what she was talking about.

"J.C., I just explained, you can't have both. It won't fit into the design for the different screen shots," Tessa said, confused.

"Oh, yeah, uh, maybe the border, then?" he said, trying his best not to look like a total idiot.

"Are you okay, J.C.? If you want to stop, we can finish this up tomorrow," she offered, realizing that his mind had been elsewhere.

He offered a slow smile, "Yeah, I think two hours of technical talk is more than I can handle."

Her eyes grew wide, "Two HOURS? Oh my gosh, where did the time go? I'm so sorry for keeping you here so long!"

He laughed softly, "It's okay. You don't have to apologize to me. You're just doing your job. I'm the one slacking. I'm not used to being the business person. My place is in the studio, not at business meetings."

She had a hurt look on her face. "I'm sorry to bore you," she said.

With most girls, that statement would have come out bitterly or sarcastically. With Tessa, it was sincere. So sincere, that it took J.C. by surprise. "Like I said, you don't need to apologize. I don't want to hear another apology out of you. Look, call Melinda and see if I have time off tomorrow and we can finish this up."

She smiled hesitantly. "Okay . . . I guess I kind of made you miss dinner, huh?"

His eyes twinkled at her sweet demeanor. "It's okay, I'll live."

"I could make you something," she offered.

He looked at her curiously, "You cook?"

She laughed. "No, I microwave," she said, gesturing to her freezer.

The idea of a frozen dinner didn't actually please his hungry stomach, but he didn't feel like leaving yet, so he agreed. "Sure, I'd love to see some of your amazing microwaving skills."

She got up and grabbed two frozen dinners out of the freezer and popped them into the microwave. As she set the timer, she used the time by herself to think.

I feel like something's terribly wrong . . . off about this, she thought as she watched the numbers change on the timer. I feel totally disoriented when he's around. I don't know WHY I confessed about the paper!

And yet you can so easily lie to him about more important things, the voice mocked her.

Maybe that's it, she said to herself. Maybe telling him the truth about something little makes me feel less guilty about the big lie.

She shook her head. I hate lying to him, PERIOD, she thought. Then realizing what her head had just thought, she backtracked. Wait, why am I so torn up about lying to HIM?

You're so dense, CB, the voice laughed at her. He plays with your emotions easier than the LAST ONE.

No, I refuse to believe that J.C. is like HIM, she thought angrily. I refuse to let J.C. even come close to seeing me that vulnerable. He's nothing more than a client and lying is just a business tactic. Sharon and Elise use it all the time, why can't I?

That's right, CB, just stoop to their level, the voice responded at her sudden change in attitude.

She sighed. She knew she was just lying to herself. She couldn't be like Sharon and Elise if she tried. I may lie, she thought, but I do have a conscience no matter how hidden it may be at the moment.

"Do you need some help?" she heard J.C.'s voice calling from the other room.

Realizing that the microwave was beeping at her to tell her to take out the food, she hastily opened it and pulled out the two boxes. "No, I'm fine," she called out to J.C. "I'll be there in a minute."

She poured the rice and teriyaki chicken onto two plates, grabbed two spoons and two forks, and headed out to the living room.

Her heart skipped a beat as he smiled up at her when she entered the room. She was beginning to notice a pattern here.

"Bon apetite," she smiled as she placed the plate and silverware in front of him.

He put a fork into the food, picked out a piece of chicken and held it up to his mouth. He looked at her for a moment, opened his mouth slowly and indulged in the only recently defrosted chicken. "Mmmmm, the best teriyaki chicken this side of the freezer aisle," he complimented.

She blushed, realizing that she had been staring at his mouth. "Thanks, I try my best."

As she sat down across from him, she felt his eyes on her but she brushed it off as her mind playing tricks on her. If anyone was doing the staring, it was her.

"So aren't you curious?" he asked as he took another bite of the rice and chicken.

"About what?" she said as she picked up her fork and spoon.

"About why I went to see your sister this morning," he explained.

She paused for a millisecond before replying coolly, "What you do with your time is your business."

He grinned, "Awww, and I thought you cared."

She shook her head, smiling but not answering. He reminded her of David a lot. He was playful with her and if she wasn't mistaken, even a little bit flirtatious.

Don't flatter yourself, the voice inside her head taunted her. He's just business, remember?

Right, strictly business, she reminded herself. He's just a client, that's all, nothing else. However, she had trouble chanting that mantra while he was licking the sauce off his fork.

"Do I have something on my face?" he said abruptly.

She eyed him, confused. "Uh, no . . ."

"Oh, because you were looking at me funny," he explained.

She blushed even pinker than before. "Sorry, my mind tends to wander."

"To where I wonder?" his eyes twinkled at her.

He's flirting with me, DEFINITELY flirting with me, she said to herself. She quickly stuffed a mouthful of food past her lips so she wouldn't have to talk anymore. She was beginning to realize that talking just got her into more trouble when it was around J.C.

"So how close is CB with David?" J.C. asked nonchalantly.

"David?" she knitted her eyebrows in curiosity.

"Yeah, the friend that was here earlier," J.C. replied.

"They're friends, really close friends. He was there for her when I, well when she was going through some really hard times," Tessa answered him.

J.C. chuckled. "I have a hard time thinking that anything could be considered hard times with someone like CB," he commented.

"Someone like CB? What is THAT supposed to mean?" Tessa said through gritted teeth.

"I don't mean anything bad. It's just . . . the impression I got of her. She doesn't let much get by her and definitely not anyone step all over her," he explained.

Tessa nodded. "Yeah, well, she's had to learn the hard way that sometimes the only one you can trust is you."

J.C. noted the sadness in her voice and didn't continue the discussion. "So what about you? How close are you with David? Obviously, he must be important to you after what you did for him."

"Why are you so interested in David?" she questioned, feeling strange about his interrogation.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, just something to talk about, I guess. If it's a touchy subject, I won't ask."

Afraid she had offended him, she relented, "No, it's fine. I was just curious why you wanted to know. Honestly, David's like a brother to me, and CB, of course. He was the first guy we met since we moved here and he's just always been there."

"Did you move here so that CB could go to college?" J.C. asked.

Her hand paused mid-air before she could eat what was on the fork. She stayed silent for a moment, unsure if she should be discussing personal issues with someone who was a client.

You've lied to him enough, why not just lie about this too? the familiar voice suggested.

No, not one more lie, she promised herself.

She put her fork down and looked at him seriously. "Actually I moved here with my boyfriend."

"Your boyfriend?" J.C. said, nearly choking on his food.

She looked at him curiously. "My ex-boyfriend, actually . . . are you okay? Do you need some water?"

J.C. quickly cleared his throat and shook his head. "No, I'm fine."

"Okay," she replied, using her fingers to push back some curls out of her eyes. When she looked up, she found his eyes looking straight into hers.

"I should have known," he said.

"What?" she whispered, barely able to get out the words under his intense stare.

"That you didn't have a boyfriend," he replied vaguely.

She looked at him questioningly.

He slowly put his fingers on a curl and placed it behind her ear, stroking her cheek as he did so. "If I were your boyfriend, I wouldn't let you have dinner with strange men alone in your apartment."

"You wouldn't?" she asked dumbly. She was finding herself more disoriented than ever. Why is he touching me? she thought.

I think the more important question is, why aren't you pushing him away? the voice asked her.

His eyes didn't leave hers as he leaned in. "Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?" he spoke deeply.

She slowly shook her head, her face still in his hand.

"I was going to," he said, his eyes squinting slightly as he looked at her as if he was trying to figure something out. "But then, I was distracted."

"By what?" she managed to choke out.

"By this," he said, his thumb running over her soft lips.

She felt a shiver run down her spine and she quickly pulled away in fear. "I think you should go," she said.

Seeming unaffected, he nodded. "Thanks for the dinner, Tessa," he said as he stood up.

She walked to the door, unable to formulate intelligent words at the moment, but when she turned around, she found her face inches from his. As he leaned in, her heart beat a mile a minute, but she did nothing to move. She closed her eyes, anticipating the kiss she felt coming.

But then . . . nothing. To her surprise, he simply reached behind her and opened the door. Her eyes flew open, confused.

"Goodnight," he said, standing outside her door. "I look forward to our next meeting."

He smiled and left her quite flustered as he walked away. She slowly shut the door behind him. She leaned against the door, closed her eyes and tried to calm her pounding heart.

Way to go, CB, the voice laughed. Just business, eh?

Shut up, she retorted as she walked away from the door to clear the plates.

She picked up the unfinished food and the silverware and headed towards the kitchen. She was quickly beginning to realize that she couldn't shut off her feelings so easily. The sensation of his touch still remained . . .

Chapter 6 -->