Behind closed doors

FOUR

Daniel.

I lay on my bed after dropping Mia at home, reminiscing about the evening. I had taken her to the Mon Coeur Restaurant, a small but classy eatery.

I couldn't risk taking her to those high-end restaurants, even though I wanted to. But I couldn't do it because of the paparazzi. If I had taken her there, my identity would have been exposed.

I didn't plan on keeping this charade up for long. I thought she would have seen through me, probably made some research about me or something like that but as it seemed, she trusted me fully.

I was suddenly beginning to dread the day my identity will be exposed because no matter how I try, it's bound to happen one day.

At the beginning of the date, I didn't want to tell her when we were going because I did not want the look of disappointment when she found out that we wouldn't be dining at those high end restaurants.

But once again, she blew my mind. I was pleasantly surprised when she felt at home at the Mon Coeur Diner we went to. At first, I thought she was faking it for my sake but I found out that she was really relaxed, almost as if she was in her own environment.

We ordered and she asked questions about my family, wanting to know more about me. That is another plus in my book because most of the girls I take on dates just want to talk about themselves and their shopping list and what they do for fun.

Grabbing my phone from my bedside stool, I texted her. “Hey princess!!! How is your weekend going?”

She replied immediately, going into details. She was having a girl's day with Claire which is why I wasn't able to see her.

Since I've been hoarding Mia to myself lately, I decided to leave today for just the two of them. After all, I was going to see her at the office tomorrow.

***

It was 8:30 pm already and most of my employees had left for the day already. But Mia and I were still at the office, working tirelessly on a project.

“Daniel, what do you think about the proposal we've made?” She asked me as she slumped on her seat, tired.

We missed lunch just because of this project and even I, as the CEO of the company, was starting to feel sorry for her.

Left to me, I would have already submitted the proposal but Mia decided to work overnight since it was due tomorrow, trying to perfect every single thing.

“I think it's alright,” I finally told her, happy to be done and have some time to ourselves.

Mia got to work this morning in a professional mood. After exchanging greetings, she dived immediately into work and I have been craving for her attention since morning. I love work, don't get me wrong but I also need some time with my girl.

Shocking me once again, Mia replied, “Great. Now that the proposal is perfect, I was thinking we could make a video to back up what we are offering them also.”

It took all my willpower not to groan out loud and I quickly excused myself to the restroom. Bringing out my personal phone, the one I never use around her, I emailed her asking about the progress of the proposal.

I felt a little guilty when she replied and told me that she was done with it, sending the document to me for approval.

Already deep in the hole I dug myself into, I asked how Daniel Cobalt, the person I was pretending to be, was performing. She immediately sang praises about him; how he was a meticulous worker and punctual.

I grinned as I checked the message, proud of myself for excelling as a personal assistant. One more thing before I left the bathroom, I ordered a meal for two from a high end restaurant and sent the order to her as her boss, telling her it was my show of appreciation for her working overtime just for the success of the project.

She was still gushing thanks to the CEO when I came out of the bathroom. “Babe, you won't believe what just happened,” she started but stopped and I smiled knowing why.

This was her first time referring to me as babe. “I think I like that one better than Daniel.” I teased her playfully.

She blushed and started wringing her fingers together. “Well, I don't know what we are. Sure, we've gone on a few dates together but you haven't asked me out yet and I hate assuming. So I'm sorry but that was a mistake.”

“Oh princess,” I moved closer to her and ran my fingers along her face until I trailed it to her jaw. I softly raised her face up so she was looking into my eyes. “Of course I want you to be my girlfriend. I just wasn't sure if it was something you wanted. So I was biding my time until I was sure it was the right time.”

“Oh…” she trailed and my eyes moved to her lips.

“Mia Lawson, princess of my heart. Will you be my girlfriend?” I asked softly, my face moving closer to hers with each sentence.

As soon as she said yes, I captured her lips with mine, sucking on her upper lip slowly. She moved her hands up my chest to come rest behind my neck as she kissed me back.

I groaned when her fingers dug into the hair at the base of my neck, causing her to moan. Reluctantly, I pulled away from the kiss and smiled down at her. She returned my smile and blushed.

“So, what was it you wanted to tell me again?” I asked, suddenly remembering the whole reason we kissed.

“Oh yeah. It's our boss. You wouldn't believe…” I trailed off as she spoke, a look of pure happiness on her face.

As long as she was happy with Daniel Cobalt, there's no need for me to let her know I was Daniel Travis. But the question is: for how long?