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“I don’t like discussing my personal matters in public, even with friends,” I retorted firmly.
Mia stood up abruptly, clearly agitated. “It’s not just your personal matter, Ethan. I shared everything with my friend, so what’s your issue?” she snapped, and stormed out of the coffee shop without another word.
I looked over to Sarah and asked calmly, “Can you bring me a cup of coffee?”
But Sarah was clearly unhappy with me. “I wouldn’t allow you to destroy my innocent friend’s life,” she said, her voice tense and angry, before storming off to the coffee counter.
The situation was utterly unacceptable to me. Despite my growing feelings for Mia, I found myself at a loss as to what to do with her. When I entered the coffee shop and saw her sitting there, I walked over to her. However, my name was suddenly uttered, and I froze in place, listening intently to the rest of their conversation. Mia had been discussing her emotions towards me, and how they were shifting. It was clear from their conversation that she had shared everything with Sarah, and I could feel my anger growing inside me.
I understand that Mia wants to discuss her feelings with a friend, but I am not comfortable with how she discussed me with Sarah. I do not appreciate Sarah's advice that Mia should stay away from me. I do not want Mia to leave me, and I believe that Sarah is wrong to think that staying with me would be harmful to her. I am growing increasingly fond of Mia, and I do not want to let her go. I do not agree with Sarah's advice, and I would prefer that Mia not discuss our relationship with her. I left the coffee shop, still seething with anger.
As we were investigating the case, we received some crucial information about one of our suspected leads. The lead was heading towards Ojai, a quaint town near Los Angeles. Jim provided us with vital information about the lead’s travel plans. He was going to travel by road, and he had a woman with him. It was unclear whether they had a genuine relationship or if she was his partner in crime.
Knowing the stakes, I decided to follow him. Jim suggested that I find a woman to travel with me, posing as a couple to avoid arousing suspicion. He informed us that the suspect had a team of trained spies around him, and we couldn’t afford to take any risks.
We had to maintain our cover, and to do that, we had to appear as a couple. I immediately set to work arranging everything. I knew that we had to be cautious, and I needed to find someone I could trust. It was then that I thought of Mia. She was smart, quick-witted, and had the perfect persona to fit the bill.
After our last argument, I knew that Mia was still upset, but I was confident that I could calm her down. I decided to seek Jack’s advice first, and to my surprise, he began laughing. “So, you two will be traveling together as a couple? That’s hilarious! You argue so much that everyone will see right through your act,” Jack chuckled. I was not amused by Jack’s reaction and barked, “Shut up.” Jack quickly regained his composure and suggested, “Seriously, you’ll need some evidence that you two are actually a couple. Otherwise, people will get suspicious.”
I gave Jack a puzzled look, “Evidence? What do you mean?” Jack explained his idea, “That woman traveling with the suspect is most likely his partner in crime. If she suspects anything, she can approach Mia in a friendly manner and ask for any evidence that proves that you and Mia are a couple.”
I reassured Jack, “I’m no stranger to these situations. I can control the situation if something like this happens, and things won’t get any worse. They won’t suspect a thing.”
“As a couple, it would be natural to have photos of your engagement ceremony or something of that sort,” Jack suggested. “Absolutely not,” I replied firmly. “Suit yourself,” Jack said. However, Jim later proposed the same idea, stating that we should have photos to bolster our cover story. Creating fake photos was not a challenging task, but Jack insisted on having genuine ones. The most challenging aspect was convincing Mia to agree to this process. I called her to my office and explained the entire plan in detail, hoping to gain her approval.
Mia had posed the same question, wondering why real photos were necessary. In response, I let out a heavy sigh and began to explain the rationale behind Jack and Jim’s suggestion. I also reassured Mia that if she was not comfortable with the plan, I could find someone else to take her place. After a moment of hesitation, she ultimately gave her approval.
I tasked Jack with managing the arrangements for the engagement photos, but stressed to him the utmost importance of secrecy. We could not afford to have anyone within our office suspecting anything, as it could compromise the entire operation. Every detail had to be kept under wraps, and we couldn’t afford to take any chances. I wasn’t willing to stage an entire engagement ceremony just for the sake of a cover story. Jim arranged for a professional photographer to capture fake engagement photos. The picturesque location, a stunning house nestled in the serene outskirts, was his choice of setting for the photo shoot, where he usually stays with his team during some cases. We both had agreed to take part in a fake engagement, but as we went through the motions of planning the proposal and ring, I found myself becoming more and more drawn to her. As we began the engagement photoshoot process, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of nervousness. Even though the photos were fake, it was still difficult to keep the line between our real relationship as boss and employee and our fake relationship as a couple.
We started with some casual poses, but as the photographer asked us to get closer and closer, things started to feel more intimate. I could feel Mia’s warmth next to me, and it became difficult to keep up the act of being just friends and coworkers. When the photographer asked for a romantic shot, I could feel my heart racing. Mia and I got into position, and I put my hand on her waist. She smiled at me, and I knew that we were both feeling something we shouldn’t be. After the photoshoot, I proposed to Mia in front of the photographer. I got down on one knee and presented her with a beautiful ring that I had picked out myself. She was genuinely surprised and thrilled, even though we both knew it was just for show. But something strange happened during the proposal. As I looked into Mia’s eyes, I felt a connection that I hadn’t felt before. We were drawn to each other in a way that went beyond our roles as boss and employee. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep up the charade of our fake relationship.
As Mia and I made our way back to the office, I noticed her constantly fidgeting with the ring on her finger. My own feelings were just as intense. Spending nights with women was one thing, but proposing to a woman and having a fake engagement was an entirely different matter. It was the first time in my life that I had proposed to a woman and taken photos with her as a couple. Mia seemed lost in the memories of our previous moments together, gently rubbing the ring on her finger. As her boss, I had to keep a professional demeanor, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to do so. Despite having had passionate nights with Mia, I knew that there were boundaries to every relationship. Despite our previous sexual encounters, we both knew that our relationship had to remain strictly professional in the office. However, the events of the day had left us both feeling emotionally charged.
As I let out a heavy sigh, I reached for the car stereo and turned on some soothing music to ease the tension. The music filled the car, and for a moment, we both just sat there in silence, lost in our thoughts.
“I’m caught up in your expectations, you try to make me live your dream,” the singer crooned,
I could see the emotions playing across Mia’s face.
“I wish that I could be more like you, or maybe you could be more like me,” the song continued.
As the song came to an end, the tension in the car began to ease, and Mia and I both let out a sigh of relief. I turned to Mia, and she met my gaze. It was as if we were both lost in our own thoughts, pondering the gravity of what had just transpired between us. Suddenly, a loud honk of a car jolted us back to reality, and I quickly turned my attention to the road, trying to shake off the overwhelming emotions that were still running high.
12
MIA
“What areyou expecting from this deal?” the woman asked.
“Darling, what do we expect from all our deals? Money,” the man replied, his voice tinged with greed.
The man had his arm around the woman, pulling her closer to him, while she rested her arm on his back. They were standing at a distance, but their voices carried effortlessly in the peaceful surroundings.
The woman sighed. “It was difficult to make him agree. It was a real daunting task. He was not much fond of women,” she said. The man then took her face in his hand and kissed her on the cheek. “Darling, who can stay away from you? After seeing your beauty,” he said in a heavy voice, still holding her close The woman rolled her eyes and smiled. “Oh, don’t be silly,” she said, playfully pushing him away. The man burst into laughter.
The scene was set against a backdrop of lush greenery, with tall trees and colorful flowers adorning the quaint little streets of Ojai. The gentle breeze carried the sweet fragrance of wildflowers, while the distant chirping of birds added to the serene ambiance. Their conversation was abruptly interrupted by Ethan, who whispered in my ear, pulling me out of my trance. “Don’t stare at couples like this. If you like, we can have our own romantic moments.” I quickly turned my attention away from the couple and towards Ethan. I rolled my eyes at his comment. “Oh, fake couple,” I said, trying to shake off the uncomfortable feeling. “I know we’re on the job as a fake couple, but we can still pose as a real one,” he said, his hand now rubbing my shoulder. Ethan immediately pulled me closer to him, “You mean they’re fake?” he asked, his eyes now focused on the couple. I nodded, “Yes, I overheard them talking about some sort of deal they had going on. Money was the main focus,” I said, relaying the conversation I had overheard. Ethan’s grip on me tightened, and I could sense the tension rising high.
“Something is wrong,” he whispered, his eyes scanning the surroundings. “Yes, I can sense it too,” I replied, trying to free myself from his grip. “They might have included someone else in their plan,” I added, glancing at the couple ahead. “We can’t let them slip away. We need to act normal and pose as a couple, so that they don’t suspect us,” Ethan suggested, holding me closer to his chest. “Otherwise, it will become difficult for us to follow them and track their whereabouts.”
