"So, where are you taking me?" Fiona asked as Liam went around to hold out the car door for her to get in.
"You'll see," he said before locking her door and going around to get in. As Fiona waited for him, she couldn't help but think about everything that had happened since she met him.
Even though it was less than twenty-four hours since they met, Fiona had to agree with herself that Liam was a nice guy. Despite how rudely and disrespectfully she had spoken to him, he didn't for once feel offended or even hold a grudge.
He had even gone ahead to speak on her behalf to her manager. That had to mean he was a nice person, right? Although all the while she had been at the job, Fiona had never for once had lustful thoughts towards her clients, she couldn't help but wonder why it was different with Liam.
Perhaps it was because they had met briefly at the roadside and she had been smitten by his looks and now, she couldn't bring herself to act aloof, especially with the way he went about seducing her.
"Fiona?" Liam called, snapping Fiona out of her reverie, and from his tone, she could tell it wasn't the first time he had called her.
"Yes?" she asked and he looked at her for a moment.
He would have asked her what she was thinking so seriously but on a second thought, he decided against it. "Your seat belt," he said and Fiona flashed him an appreciative smile before putting on her seat belt.
Once Liam was sure she was through, he started the car and drove off. The ride was silent albeit a comfortable one. There was no tension or awkwardness hanging in the air save for Fiona who was curious to see where he'd take her.
Fiona gazed at Liam when they both stopped at a small restaurant. From the outside, Fiona could tell it was probably a family-run restaurant and it sort of surprised her that someone as rich as Liam would even know a place like that.
"Surprised?" Liam asked when he turned to glance at her, after feeling her stares for a while.
"I can't say I'm not. How do you know a place like this?" she asked, and Liam raised a brow.
"You don't like it? Want me to take you to a five-star restaurant?" he asked and she shook her head.
"Of course not. It's just... I didn't expect that a man of your caliber would know a place like this. Plus, I wouldn't have dressed up this way if I had known. I feel overdressed," she said and he smiled.
"Why don't we go in and see if you're truly overdressed or not?" he said and stepped out of the car.
Before Fiona could do the same, he had already gotten to her door and unlocked it. "You're my girlfriend right now, so, let me do my duty, okay?" he said very sweetly, and Fiona flashed him a small smile.
"Okay," she said and stepped out of the car. She watched Liam lock the door and extended a hand to her.
Fiona looked down at the hand as she briefly wondered if she'd feel the spark again if she took his hand. Disappointment gnawed at her when she intertwined her arm with his but didn't feel anything.
Fiona concluded at that moment that she had only felt it on those two occasions because Liam had taken her unaware. There was absolutely nothing special between them.
They both walked into the restaurant and to Fiona's surprise, the whole place had been reserved for just the both of them. Despite the place being a family-run restaurant like she had presumed, the whole place seemed to suit her dress, especially as there weren't other patrons.
"You reserved the whole place," she said, and he nodded just as they got to the table in the center.
"I wanted to make sure you weren't overdressed since I bought the clothes myself," he said as he ushered her to a seat.
Fiona smiled, grateful for his thoughtful act as she took her seat. She took a quick scan around the place and smiled in satisfaction. If she hadn't made up her mind not to cross paths with Liam after the whole arrangement was over, she would've thought about bringing her mom and Elena to the place some day.
Just as they took their seats, someone, probably the son of the owner of the restaurant, came to them with a wine and poured it into their glass for them. He also took their orders before leaving. Because Liam was familiar with their recipes, he had made Fiona's order too.
"So, how did you come to know about a place like this?" she asked again as she sipped from her wine glass.
"Phil. He brought me here while he was still in town and since then I've sort of made here my favorite place since their food is top-notch," he said and she nodded as she remembered all Mary had said about Phil.
"Phil is your brother, I guess?" she preyed and he shook his head.
"My cousin but we grew up together. His father died before he was born and his mother took ill. She died shortly after giving birth to him," Liam said and Fiona sighed, feeling sorry for whoever Phil was.
"Enough about Phil. Why don't you tell me about youself?" Liam said just as their orders arrived.
Fiona didn't say anything until the server had left. "I told you we don't disclose personal details," Fiona said, and Liam smiled.
"You can't blame a man for trying. Since you can't talk about personal stuff, how about we talk about your identity as my girlfriend?" he asked and Fiona narrowed her eyes.
"How do you mean?"
"We need to create a believable story for my mom about how we met and how long we've been together. I also told you she wouldn't approve of you if she knew of your social class so, let's create an ideal girlfriend for Liam Parker," Liam said with a wink, and Fiona smiled.
"I'm all ears," she said, as she took her first spoonful, waiting for Liam to go on with his plan.