Part 2/2 of Irresistible

Early January was always cold. Always snowy. Always full of after-holiday stress and dread. Most people hated going back to work, but Betty was looking forward to it. She'd had a wonderful holiday and had been surprised when Daniel had spent the entire day of Christmas with her. That had been the best part. She figured that was why she was looking forward to going back to Mode so much. She hadn't heard from Daniel in a few days and she was both curious and concerned.

Hilda had forbidden her from calling him. She'd said she liked him but that Betty needed to focus on her family. Betty had listened because she knew that deep down Hilda was right. She'd spent a lot of time worrying about Mode and Daniel and she needed to focus on other things.

"Is Mr. Meade coming over again?" Justin asked as Betty sat down for breakfast. He was moving his spoon around his bowl, trying to appear casual, but Betty knew he was full of curiosity and excitement.

Betty shrugged her shoulders, "I doubt it. Not anytime soon, Justin." Justin looked crestfallen and Betty wished she'd said something that would please him.

"Time to go," Hilda entered the room. "You'll be late for work." She turned her attention toward Justin, "and you will be late for school."

Justin groaned but stood and went and got his things for school. Hilda looked at her sister and smiled. "You're nervous, huh?"

"Nervous?" Betty pushed her glasses up her nose. "Why would I be nervous?"

Hilda shook her head as she poured herself a cup of coffee. "You're nervous because you don't know how Daniel's going to treat you once you get back at the office."

"Daniel always treats me well," Betty shook her head. "Why would he treat me differently?"

Hilda smirked at her sister, "because he spent the holidays with you. Because he kissed you."

"It was mistletoe," Betty shook her head as she shrugged her shoulders, smoothing out her green sweater. "It didn't mean anything. It was just some little kiss. He did it because it was tradition. A tradition he'd never participated in," she pointed out. "It wasn't anything important."

"Then why are you making such a big deal about it?" Hilda smiled. Their father walked into the room, poured himself a cup of decaffeinated coffee and then rummaged around in the cupboard for cereal.

"Dad," Betty spoke up, ignoring her sister's question, "don't forget to check in with the immigration services."

Ignacio nodded and said that he would, sipping his coffee slowly. Betty rattled off a few more things that he had to remember and then when he cut her off, saying that he knew and would remember, she smiled. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his cheek in a quick kiss before smiling and saying she was leaving for work.

The whole way to work she couldn't help but think of what Hilda had said. Betty had been making a big deal out of a kiss she claimed meant nothing. Which wasn't true. Inside that one kiss under the mistletoe had been everything. It had been short and sweet and utterly perfect. Knowing that it had been a fluke, she was disappointed.

When she entered the building of Meade Publications, she made her way up to the twenty-eighth floor with butterflies in her stomach. It was silly. As she walked through the office, she smiled at a few people, muttered 'hello' to Amanda, nodded at Mark and made her way to her desk. She put her purse in her desk, hung her coat on a hook and then went about getting her things prepared.

She was just placing Daniel's coffee and bagel on his desk when Henry appeared in the doorway, smiling at her.

Daniel's coffee and his breakfast consisting of a bagel and light cream cheese was sitting on a plate in his office when he walked in and he was surprised to find that Betty was not in his office, nor was she at her desk. Frowning, he left his breakfast and exited his office. He stopped Mark in the hallway, inquiring as to where Betty was at the moment.

"She was last seen heading toward the elevators with that Henry guy from accounting," he shrugged his shoulders and made his way toward Amanda. Daniel frowned at the mention of Henry. Betty had had a lunch date with him before Thanksgiving. Daniel instantly wondered why he was upset about that. He should be happy for Betty- happy that she not only had friends at work, but a boyfriend.

A boyfriend that Daniel decidedly did not like. He wasn't sure why- Walter was nice enough. There was just something about him that Daniel didn't like. Deciding not to go in search of Betty, he returned to his office, sat behind his desk and simply stared at his breakfast. He slowly bit into his bagel, savoring the taste and sat back in his chair.

It was at least an hour later when Betty returned to her desk. Daniel noticed right away but pretended not to notice at all. Instead, he sat at his desk and pretended to over notes for the next issue of Mode. He watched her when she wasn't looking and couldn't help but smile at her. He'd spent the last week thinking about her and the holiday he'd spent with her family. He treasured those moments.

It was nearly lunchtime by the time Betty entered his office. She smiled at him as she stood in front of his desk, asking if there was anything he needed before she went to lunch. She explained that she had a lunch date with Henry and Daniel frowned.

"What about Walter?"

Betty faltered and Daniel noticed but didn't say anything. "It's just lunch," she shook her head, avoiding his gaze.

"How about you cancel with Henry and we'll go out to lunch?" Daniel suggested, leaning forward in his chair, his elbows resting on his desktop. He looked at Betty expectantly, saw her deer-in-headlights expression and tilted his head to the side, looking at her curiously. "Betty?"

"Uh . . . Henry's waiting for me already, I'm sure," she continued, speaking so quickly that her words jumbled together a bit.

"Betty, is everything okay?" Daniel pushed his chair away from his desk and walked around so he stood beside her. When she didn't answer, his hands moved to her shoulders and turned her to face him. "Betty?"

"Look, Daniel, it's okay."

Daniel shot her a confused look, his eyebrows furrowing together, marring his handsome face. "Betty, what are you talking about?"

"Look, you don't have to have lunch with me just because-" she was cut off by Daniel slapping a hand over her mouth, effectively silencing her.

He ignored her confused look and gently removed his hand. "Betty, I want to have lunch with you," he smiled at her, his smile slowly crossing his entire face.

"You do?" Betty was surprised. "Why?"

Daniel smiled at her oddly, taking her elbow and guiding her toward the door. "Why wouldn't I?" he asked as he led her to the elevator. He pushed the 'down' button and they waited. When the elevator arrived, they entered and Daniel couldn't help but smile at her. "Well?" he prompted.

"Daniel, I'm your assistant. Not your friend."

Daniel's smile disappeared and he dropped her elbow as if he'd been burned. "I see."

Betty frowned when he suddenly turned cold and professional, stepping away from her quickly and looking straight ahead, standing up straighter as he adjusted his tie. Then her eyes widened when she realized what she'd said. "I didn't mean that! Of course you're a friend. I just . . . I know you'd rather spend your lunch with someone like . . . Amanda or Sophia."

Daniel shook his head, "no, just you."

"Me?"

"Betty, you're a better friend to me than anyone else. And," he lowered his voice conspiratorially, "You can hold a conversation."

Betty smiled, ducking her head she blushed at that. "Daniel . . . "

"How was your New Years'?" he asked suddenly, changing the subject. He knew he had her full attention and she wasn't going to back out of lunch now. Not if he could keep her talking until they got into the limousine. He smiled at his plan and listened to her as she went on about her holiday with her family.

They were nearly to the first floor when Daniel realized she hadn't mentioned Walter.

"Your boyfriend wasn't there?" he raised an eyebrow at her and smirked.

Betty immediately became flustered. "Uh . . . no. I..."

"What?" he looked at her expectantly.

"I didn't invite him over. I spent the entire evening with my dad, Hilda and Justin," Betty shrugged her shoulders and they stepped aside to let someone in as the elevator came to a stop.

Daniel ducked his head a bit. "And he didn't just show up?"

"He did," Betty conceded, surprised that he knew her that well. "But I had Hilda tell him-"

"That you weren't feeling well, right?" Daniel grinned, shaking his head. "And the dork bought that?" he chuckled to himself.

"Walter's not a dork," Betty defended him. "He's just . . . "

"Socially impaired?" Daniel smiled, not surprised when she smacked his arm lightly. They exited the elevator and Betty scolded him halfway to the limo while Daniel defended himself. Once they were inside the limo and the driver had pulled away from the curb, Daniel pumped his fist into the air. "Yes!"

"What?" Betty looked around.

"So where do you want to go to lunch?" Daniel had a mask of innocence on his face, smiling at her.

It was at that moment that Betty realized Daniel had done an excellent job at distracting her and getting her into the limo, and now, in the middle of traffic. "Why you . . . " she trailed off, the beginning of a tirade turning into a smile. "You are way too resourceful, Daniel Meade," she shook her head, turning her attention to the snowy weather outside the vehicle.

Daniel grinned triumphantly then, nodding. "I know."

Lunch was normal. They talked and laughed and little business got discussed, thanks to Daniel, who changed the subject every time Betty brought up anything resembling work.

It wasn't until they were on their way back to the office and Betty's cellular telephone rang. She pulled it out of her purse and her smile disappeared. Daniel knew by the look on her face that it was either Walter or Henry. She stared at the screen of her phone for a few seconds before reluctantly answering it.

Daniel listened as she made an excuse to Henry, who wasn't buying it, obviously. He motioned for her to give him the phone, clearing his throat to get her attention. She looked at him curiously and then he was snatching the phone from her and taking over the conversation. She batted at him, trying to retrieve her phone, but he merely grabbed her wrist in his hand and held it against his chest as he used the other hand to reach for her other wrist, the phone wedged between his shoulder and his head as he spoke to Henry.

"She was busy," Daniel spoke. "Yes, this is Daniel Meade. Now Henry, Betty was busy. I'm sorry, but I didn't give her a chance to call before we left the office."

Betty stopped struggling and sat back in her seat beside him, listening intently.

Daniel shook his head and rolled his eyes as he continued. "She was a little distracted," he lowered his voice suggestively and continued. "And because she was so distracted," he smiled at Betty, "I couldn't help but let her enjoy everything."

Betty's jaw dropped at the way he was speaking. He wasn't saying anything out of the ordinary, but the way he was saying it- it was just dirty. "Daniel," she hissed. Daniel grinned as he nodded, rolling his eyes at something Henry was saying. "Henry, I-I gotta go, Betty is . . . not distracted any longer and I need to fix that." Then he was ending the call and tossing the phone across the limo onto the other seat.

"Daniel Meade! This is just . . . "

"Hilarious," Daniel cut her off, laughing loudly as he slouched in his seat. "You should have heard him . . . "

"Daniel that was . . . mean," she shook her head, suddenly regretting that she'd enjoyed their lunch together. Poor Henry was now probably thinking that she and Daniel had been . . . not in a restaurant, that was certain. "Henry . . . " she couldn't even speak about how hurt he probably was.

Daniel rolled his eyes, jealousy flooding his senses. "Will get over it and find his own girl," Daniel muttered. As soon as the words slipped out of his mouth, his eyes grew as large as saucers and he stared ahead at the empty seat in front of him. Avoiding Betty's gaze, he stared at the leather seating and prayed that she hadn't caught what'd he'd said. After about half a minute of silence, he dared to glance in her direction and found her sitting beside him. She sat a little straighter than usual, a little more mechanical. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was open a bit, and Daniel knew that she'd heard him.

Turning in his seat, he tried to appear casual, but was anything but that as he offered her a sheepish smile. He felt like he was in high school and had blurted out his feelings to some gorgeous girl unintentionally. Betty, dressed in her blue puffy coat, a sensible skirt that stopped just above the knees, tights and loafers, didn't turn to look at him.

"Right?" Daniel prompted her, checking to see if she'd heard him. "Betty?" He wasn't used to being the jealous one, but something about her not responding to his question bothered him.

Betty slowly turned to look at him and raised her dark eyes to his cobalt ones. "Hmm?" She feigned innocence, but Daniel could see through her charade. Betty was not a good liar. Nor was she good at pretending something that she didn't want to pretend.

Daniel grinned, "I know you heard me, Miss Suarez."

"I didn't think that you actually meant it," Betty shrugged her shoulders, obviously feeling a little out of place. Daniel hadn't seen her look uncomfortable for quite a while and he couldn't help but think that she looked adorable.

Daniel regarded her carefully for a few moments. "Well I did. Henry can find himself his own girl." He moved closer to Betty, reaching one hand up and slowly turning her head toward him, his fingers trailing along her jaw line to rest at the curve of her neck

"Daniel . . . " she trailed off uncertainly, her eyes searching his for something. "What are you talking about?" She nervously chewed on her bottom lip, worrying it and sequentially drawing his attention to her mouth. A mouth he suddenly had the strong desire to kiss.

Daniel slid closer to Betty, his knees bumping against her legs as he smiled. She took a deep breath and let it out very slowly as her eyes widened perceptively. "Betty," he whispered, smiling a bit as he leaned closer, the hand on her neck gently pulling her closer to him. Then without warning, he leaned the rest of the way forward and was kissing her.

Surprised was not a strong enough word for what Betty was feeling. She was more than surprised. She was shocked and pleased and excited and afraid. She had butterflies in her stomach and her head was spinning as Daniel slowly kissed her, deepening the kiss after a few moments. It was at that moment that Betty realized that she'd been responding to his advances, had been kissing him back, had moved so that he could get closer to her.

With one hand on her neck and the other near her hip, Daniel kept a firm but gentle hold on her while his mouth continued its assault on hers. He smiled into the kiss when he felt her arms wind around his neck, tugging him closer. Now he knew why he'd kissed her under the mistletoe. He'd wanted to do it. He'd wanted her. That alone was a huge revelation to him, but it felt right.

Daniel broke the kiss for a few seconds, only so they could catch their breath. Both were breathing heavily and Betty's cheeks were flushed, her lips swollen from his kisses. Daniel didn't know when he'd seen her look better. He was leaning in for another kiss when the limousine suddenly came to a stop and the driver's voice stopped him.

"We're at the office, Mr. Meade," the driver called through the partition. Daniel sighed and shook his head. Betty was flustered, smoothing out her clothes, running a hand through her hair and trying to look as if nothing had happened. Daniel however, just smiled. When she reached for the door handle, Daniel caught her hand, pulled her to him and kissed her one final time before he followed her out and onto the sidewalk.

Neither said a word as they walked into the building or got into the elevator. Betty was not looking at him on purpose and Daniel couldn't help but smile. She got the cutest look on her face when she looked nervous. When they exited the elevator, neither acted as if anything were different and continued across the floor.

"Betty, we need to go over some notes in my office. Five minutes," he ordered with a smile.

Betty nodded but didn't say anything as she sat at her desk. Daniel entered his office feeling very accomplished and rather satisfied. It had been an impulse to kiss Betty and not one that he regretted. He hadn't been able to get her out of his head since Christmas. He had kissed her because of the mistletoe, that much he knew. He just hadn't expected that kiss to mean anything.

Smiling, Daniel realized that maybe he shouldn't have kissed Betty again. She had never said that she enjoyed their first kiss and had never given any indication that she wanted more out of their relationship. His smile disappeared and he suddenly wondered if he'd just ruined their friendship. It had been an impulse and he prayed that she wasn't upset.

Outside Daniel's office, Betty was trying to compose herself. Daniel had been a huge part of her life since she'd started working at Mode. A lot of her time had been spent either with him or thinking of him. After spending the holiday together, Betty had allowed herself to imagine that Daniel saw her as more than his assistant, as a friend. As more, even. She'd never voiced those thoughts. Hilda had known though, had teased her about it.

She sighed. Why did he kiss me? She wondered to herself. Why? They had been acting as they always had and then it had just happened. She'd been surprised and had sat there as still as a statue for a few moments before she found herself responding to his kisses. Sweet and gentle, they hadn't been demanding or forceful. Then, after she'd allowed him to deepen the kiss, he'd grown more frantic, more needy and Betty and felt as if she were really wanted. That's silly though. Isn't it? She thought to herself. It's Daniel. That was the problem. It was Daniel. Daniel who had shown her that he was more than a handsome face with money. More than a man who'd gotten his job because his father had given it to him. Daniel, who was a good, kind man. A man she'd slowly started to fall for, if she'd allow herself to admit it. Which she rarely did.

Looking up, she saw her time was almost up and slowly stood, grabbing her notepad and a pen off her desk before moving to Daniel's office, closing the door behind her.

"Betty . . . " Daniel looked up at her. He didn't say anything for a few minutes and Betty nodded before she spoke.

"It's okay, Daniel," Betty shook her head. "I understand."

Daniel frowned. "You understand what?"

"That you weren't thinking clearly," Betty shrugged her shoulders and forced a smile onto her face. "It's okay."

Daniel's frown deepened when she realized what she was doing. Shaking his head, he stood and moved around the desk, stopping directly in front of her, their chests nearly touching he was so close. "I was thinking clearly," he raised a hand and brushed some hair behind her ear. "Don't think that I didn't mean what I said," he looked at her lips which were still a little puffy, "or what I did."

"Daniel . . . " she shook her head and looked down, her gaze stopping at his shoulders. Then his hand was on her chin and he was forcing her to look at him. Betty stared into his cerulean eyes and her breath caught in her throat at the emotions she was seeing. Then she was pressed against his muscular body, one arm snaked around her waist, one hand holding her face up toward his and his lips were pressed against hers again.

"I've wanted to do that since Christmas," he whispered, pressing his forehead against hers.

Betty swallowed slowly. "You have?"

Daniel backed away from her a bit, nodding at her. "I couldn't help myself," he shrugged his shoulders. "You're just . . . " he trailed off, shrugging his shoulders.

"I'm 'just' what?" Betty was curious now. She caught his arm as he was going to turn away from her, clearly a little embarrassed. "Daniel?"

"Irresistible, Betty," Daniel smiled at her.

Betty stared at him disbelievingly. "I'm what?" she wasn't sure she'd heard him correctly. He smiled at her, knowing she'd heard him correctly. Smirking, he shook his head. When she opened her mouth to object, Daniel held up a hand, silencing her.

Daniel's grin was dazzling as he shook his head at her. "You, Betty" he took hold of her hands, "Suarez, are," he pulled her toward him, "Irresistible." With that said, he dipped his head and kissed her softly. Santos had definitely been right. Irresistible was definitely the right word.

-

Authors Note: Okay, so how horrible was that? Lol. Everyone seemed to really like this and I had a lot of people asking me to continue this, so I did. I am not entirely happy with this at all. The whole mushy fluff is probably very out of character. I might go back and change some of it. So this is the end- what'd you guys think? Good? Bad?

Jen