[Washington DC, 2130hrs]
Daniel turned in his seat and faced her. His lips curved to a smile as he examined her features. She had long jet-black hair that flowed just below shoulder level, and deep blue eyes. Her lips were rosy pink. She was in a velvet red dress that accentuated her sexy goddess figure. Her breasts were heavy and perky, and the dress curved at the order of her hips. Her tummy was flat, giving her the coveted model figure. She was holding a red handbag and wearing a pair of black court shoes.
"You're staring." She said mischievously walking up to him and sitting on his lap.
"You look stunning every time I see you." He said, pecking her lips slightly. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately.
"Really?" she asked, savouring the taste of his lips.
"I want to take you somewhere." He said, getting up and walking towards the wall. He unhooked his coat and grabbed his car keys.
"Where are you taking me, Dan?"
"Relax babe, you'll know soon enough." He said in a tone of finality. They both walked out of his office and took the elevator.
*****
They settled in the black BMW X5 as it sped along the highway. He still hadn't said anything to her, as they were both deep in thought. His thoughts took him back to the day he'd first met the lovely lady; Chelsea Peterson.
*****
Two years ago...
The courtroom had fallen quiet waiting to hear the verdict.
"Not guilty."
Dan exhaled slowly, like a man surfacing from deep water. Cameras flashed. Reporters scrambled. He sat still, jaw clenched as the lot swirled around him.
Chelsea, calm as ever, gathered her files and stood.
"You're a free man now, Mr Moresby."
He looked up at her – the woman who had cut through false testimonies, pressure, and political fire to defend his name.
"I owe you everything." He spoke.
She raised a brow. "You don't owe me. You hired me."
Dan hesitated. Then on a reckless flicker of hope:
"Would you ever let a client take you out for dinner, or coffee maybe?"
She studied him – guarded, amused, and curious.
"I don't date clients." She spoke. "But you're not one anymore, are you?"
He laughed. "So I'll take that as a yes?"
That dinner became breakfast the next morning. The rest is history, and here they were right now.
*****
She was looking out the window. Admittedly, she was anxious about where he was taking her. All in all, she knew she'd like it. She smiled slightly. Dan. He had been her first case, and although she didn't bother him with the details, she had won in his favour. The first time she'd laid her eyes on him, she got infatuated. Their encounter then, however, had been purely professional, and it would be unorthodox for them to engage with each other. After the case, he'd asked her out, and there was no way she could decline. One thing led to another, and he stole her heart. His sincerity, his assiduity in carrying out his business, his looks, his character; she loved it all. Dan was then a small-scale real estate agent, but his business had progressively grown from the time she'd known him to a large real estate enterprise. He was working on signing a partnership with Castell Inc. and Epsilon Tech.
Daniel braked the car to a halt. "We're here." He spoke.
She raised an eyebrow. "Isn't this one of your hotels?"
He got out and opened the door for her. "It is, just trust me on this." He said, blindfolding her.
"You're starting to worry me, Dan." She said, as he took her hand.
He tossed the car keys to the valet and led her into the hotel. They took the elevator, and once they were at their destination, he led her to a seat, and took out the blindfold.
"Was the blindfold really necessary?" she asked, looking around. It was a penthouse. He had arranged a romantic dinner date for them over sweet sentimental music and the delightful smell of roses. The room was decorated in red, and the music playing in the background was: Die with a smile, by Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga.
"I love what you've done to the place." She commented.
He cleared his throat. "This is all for you."
He sat on the opposite side of the table, on which scented candles burned, filling the room with the smell of lavender.
"This is exquisite. Colour me impressed." She said, taking off her jacket.
He went to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of champagne, and two flutes. He poured the drink into the flutes, and set one on the table in front of her.
"Before we begin, I'd like to say something, or rather, ask something of you." He said, fidgeting with his fingers.
She took a sip from her drink, and looked up at him. "Go on, I'm listening."
He stood before her. "I've closed deals on skyscrapers, brokered estates across the country, but I've never wanted anything – anyone – like I want you."
Chelsea opened her mouth, but he took a knee.
"Will you marry me, Chelsea Peterson?"
Her hands were clasped over her mouth, speechless. An ominous silence filled the room. His heart beat in his chest loudly with anxiety, threatening to burst out of his ribcage. Seconds felt like hours for him, until she finally broke the silence.
"Yes, Dan. I will."
He smiled from ear to ear as he slipped her finger into the ring, and hugged her tightly, sweeping her off her feet.
"Thank you. You've no idea how much that means to me." He said inaudibly.
*****
"Let's go," she whispered to his ear.
He looked up, slightly startled. "Oh, it's just you." He said, sighing with relief.
She looked at his screen. "Did you crack it?"
He shook his head. "Barely, but I'm getting somewhere."
He removed his flash drive and put it in his bag before standing up to leave. "Shall we?"
She smiled slightly. "Yes please."
They both took the elevator to the ground floor. Mike took out his phone and dialled some digits before putting the phone up to his ear.
"Hey, you out of school yet?"
"Yeah, but I don't expect you to pick me up…"
"I'm aware. I just called to…" he turned his head towards Luci, who was waiting for him at the gate. "…never mind. Have fun."
"What are we having for dinner today?"
"I'll bring takeout, if that's ok with you. Or we could eat out. Pick one."
"We'll think of something by dinner time."
"Ok then. Where are you?"
"I'm with a colleague."
"Ah, that was fast." Cindy laughed.
"It's not what you think, we're professionals."
"Ask her to join us for dinner."
"I'll try. Let me not keep her waiting."
"OK. See you later then."
Mike hung up and walked towards Luci.
"What was that about?" she asked.
He shrugged. "I was just checking in on my sister. Where are we going first?"
"The bowling alley." She spoke.
*****
Arianna sat behind her desk, scrolling through her phone impatiently.
'Where are you, Rose?'
There was a knock on her door, and her secretary walked in.
"You have a visitor, Miss Castell."
"Send her in." she said; her face lighting up.
Bella Rose walked into the office.
"It's about time you showed up," Ari said, coming up to her for a hug. 'You're fashionably late."
"I make it a habit." Rose said. "What was so urgent you had me drive halfway across the city?"
"I'm bored, that's what. D'you want to hang out, just the two of us? There's something else I'd like to tell you."
"I'm sorry Ari, but Christopher and I are going out this evening. He's waiting in the car just outside."
Ari sighed sadly. "Can't you cancel?"
"You know I can't. You really need more friends, Ari. Go to a coffee shop, and talk to the first guy that comes your way."
She shook her head. "I'm booking you for tomorrow though."
Rose smiled. "Sure, what d'you wanna do?"
"We could take a flight to Los Angeles, if you're up for it."
"Of course I am. I better not keep Chris waiting."
And Rose left. Ari stood by the window. "Coffee shop, huh? I might run into him there today."
*****
Later
Mike stopped by Starbucks after his outing with Luci. He had asked her if she'd like to join them for dinner, and she agreed. He was to pick her up at 7.30, and it was now a five minutes past seven. The café wasn't crowded at this time. He walked towards the counter to place an order when his phone rang.
"What's up Cindy?"
"What did you decide about dinner?"
"We're going to eat out."
"Cool. Will your friend be joining us?"
"Yes, I'll pick her up at 7.20."
He hung up and put his phone in his pocket. He was next in line.
Alex, apron stained with coffee and confidence pointed toward the back.
"Someone's waiting for you. Thought you'd be in earlier."
Mike frowned. "Who?"
Alex just nodded toward a table near the far window.
And there she was, the girl from the other day.
She was wearing a simple grey hoodie, sleeves pushed up, with a white tee underneath, tucked just barely into black jeans. A cup of coffee rested between her hands. Nothing about her screamed importance – but there was a kind of stillness about her, like the world around her was moving too fast, and she didn't care to keep up.
Mike walked over slowly. She looked up – and that same searching soft-intense look she'd given him on their previous encounter.
"Mark," she said, almost relieved.
"It's…Mike."
A small pause. Her mouth curled like she already knew that but didn't care. "Right, Mike."
He raised an eyebrow and gestured to the seat across from her. "Mind if I sit?"
She shrugged and he dropped into the chair.
"D'you make it a habit, staring at people and calling them the wrong names?" he asked.
"You aren't very subtle." She spoke. "But no, just you."
He paused. There was a sip. A moment. Her fingers tapped her cup lightly, like a rhythm only she heard.
"You're convinced I'm someone else?"
She nodded. "Mark. I knew him a long time ago."
Mike studied her. "You say that like it should mean something."
"Maybe it does."
"Should I be concerned?"
She smiled faintly for the first time. "If I wanted to mess with you, I'd be better at it."
He smirked. "So…mystery girl sitting in a coffee shop waiting for a guy she's misnamed twice. What's your end goal here?"
She met his eyes. For a moment her expression softened – a flicker of something close to loneliness, but it vanished just as quickly.
"Arianna." She spoke. "Thought you'd wanna know."
"You still haven't answered my question." He spoke flatly.
She took another sip, and set the cup down on the table.
"I don't know." She said honestly. "I think I just wanted to see if you'd show up again."
Mike leaned back in his chair. "And?"
"You did."
They had a small chat. Mike looked up.
The clock above the Starbucks' counter read 7:23PM.
Mike blinked at it as if it'd betrayed him. He'd come in for a ten-minute catch-up. Maybe fifteen. But somehow the quiet conversation across the table had slipped into something longer.
"You've got this…weird calm about you." She said, sipping from her cup. "But your eyes never stop moving."
He chuckled wryly, putting his phone on the table.
3 missed calls, 5 unread messages. All from Cindy.
Shit, I must have put my phone on silent.
He stood abruptly, nearly knocking over his chair. Arianna looked up from her cup.
"Everything okay?"
"No," he said. "I was supposed to be home a few minutes earlier."
"Aren't you going to ask for my number?" she teased.
"I didn't think you'd let me have it." He spoke.
She smirked. "Well, I was planning to play hard to get, but I'll make an exception."
They exchanged contacts.
"Can I…" she opened her mouth, maybe to offer a ride but he was already halfway to the door, and just like that, he was gone.
*****
The Ducati roared to life beneath him. Cool wind blasted him as he cut through the streets, headlights slicing the evening in flashes of gold. His thoughts were split – half on Cindy, and half on Arianna.
What the hell kind of girl sits down and rewrites your evening like that?
He sped through a yellow light and didn't slow down. Moments later, he skidded into the apartment complex's garage, pulled into his space, and bolted upstairs.
He was frisking his pockets for the keys when he heard music and laughter come from inside.
Please don't let her be mad.
He twisted the handle and pushed the door open.
Warmth, food and laughter.
The scent of garlic and something frying hit him first, then the voices. Cindy was at the stove, with an apron too big for her, and one sock on, another missing. And sitting on the couch, was none other than Lucille!
She raised her hand casually. "Hey, stranger."
Mike froze. "Luci?"
She smirked. "Turns out we're neighbours. Small world, huh?"
Cindy turned from the stove. "Nice of you to show up."
"I…" He ran his hand through this hair, then dropped his keys on the table. "I lost track of time. I'm…"
"Starving?" Luci offered.
"Sorry." He sighed.
"You'll never believe what happened. I was at the hospital, and she came in to check in on her aunt, who happens to be my economics teacher. We started talking and that's when I found out she was your colleague." Cindy explained. "And the best part is; she lives just across the hallway."
Mike sighed contentedly.
"I hope you enjoy my cooking." Luci said, smiling slightly.
"Join us. We were planning on eating together, weren't we?" Mike invited.
"Sure."
They enjoyed dinner and later washed up the utensils. Luci stood up to leave.
"I'll see you out." Mike offered.
He walked her back to her apartment room.
"Thanks for dinner." She spoke.
"I should be the one thanking you; after all, you did all the cooking."
"Don't mention it. It was lovely spending time with you and your sister."
"I guess I'll see you tomorrow." He said coyly.
She pecked him slightly on his cheeks. "Good night, Mike."
"Good night, Luci."
He walked back to his place, smiling from ear to ear.
"You're glowing, Mike. Care to share?" she asked mischievously.
He mused. "I just had a good day, that's all."
"C'mon, tell me what happened." She insisted.
"Well…" he narrated his encounters with Luci and Ari.
"Two babes huh?" she laughed. "Who's your type?"
He shook his head. "I'm ok with just being friends. Besides, Luci and I are professionals and Ari…" he paused. "…there's something awfully familiar about her."
Cindy rolled her eyes. "You obviously know what's best for you. But whatever you decide, make sure it doesn't mean less time with me."
He patted her head. "Don't worry; you're much too important to be replaced."
"I better go to my room. I have some homework to finish up by tomorrow."
He nodded and waved bye to her, before settling in the couch.
His phone buzzed once. A text.
Arianna:
Hey, I'm sorry for stealing your evening.
Mike:
You didn't steal it; I just let you have it.
No response. But the dots flickered for a second like she was typing, and then stopped.
He smirked faintly. 'Typical.'
Another buzz.
Lucille:
I left some food in your fridge. Also, your sister's hilarious. You're lucky to have her.
He chuckled under his breath and texted back.
Mike:
Thanks again for being a hero tonight.
No replies right away – just a heart emoji after a few seconds.
He set the phone down and lay back on the couch. He sighed. He didn't know what was happening yet, but something had changed.