After his phone call with Harry, Tom had decided to give Lucy a call since that was the reasonable thing to do next as he was keeping up the front. What he hadn't expected was that she was going to play along in this manner, "It can't wait. I need to speak with you now," Tom responded, still gazing at her through the rearview mirror as she tried to keep her attention focused on the road.
"Well, I'm driving and I can't talk while driving. Besides, my boss is here," Lucy pointed out in a whisper, as she spared him another glance through the rearview mirror.
Tom looked outside the window and cleared his throat, "Miss Perry please park the car by the roadside I need to receive an important phone call," Tom ordered, making Lucy sigh. Now this was crazy. What was he trying to prove? That he had authority over her and could get whatever he wanted when he wanted it? What did he want to say that he couldn't keep until the next one hour? She wondered as she looked for the next available parking space by the road and drove over there.
"Excuse me," Lucy said as she unlocked the car and got out to give him privacy to receive his phone call, "What's so urgent that couldn't wait?" Lucy asked once she was away from him and stood behind the car with her back resting on the trunk of the car.
"Do you want me to stop being your driver? I just received a call from Mr. Harry asking me to quit my job," Tom said, even though he knew that wasn't what she wanted. He was gradually beginning to figure out what she was doing but he didn't want her to know it. Two could play the game.
"Well, you can call him back to say you're not quitting. I already made it clear that you're going to remain my driver," Lucy reminded him.
"So why then did you tell him you no longer wanted me to work for you?" Tom asked, pretending to be ignorant. Since she wanted to be crazy, he had to show her that he could do crazy too.
"You can always ask me this when we meet. If that's all you wanted to talk about I..."
"Hold on! That's not all," Tom quickly cut in before she could hang up the call.
"What else?" Lucy asked impatiently.
"Did you mean it when you said you were missing me earlier and wanted us to see a movie later? Or were you just messing with me?" Tom asked curiously, making Lucy glance towards the car.
She had to admit that the whole thing was impressed by the way he was playing along with her. Here they were, two grown-up adults behaving like kids and talking over the phone when they were right there together, "Uhm... I meant it. So let's talk later. I don't want to keep my boss waiting," Lucy said as she quickly hung up the call, but not without hearing the sound of his.
So she really did miss him? That meant she had forgiven him and was just playing, right? Well, as long as she had forgiven him and was willing to keep dating him, then he was okay with all the crazy stunts she was pulling. If she was into roleplays, then he was just going to try to make it fun for himself.
"I suppose that was your boyfriend on the phone with you just now?" Tom asked in amusement when Lucy returned to the car.
"Yes sir," Lucy said as she turned on the car's ignition and drove away from there.
"Do well to let him know that he should start looking for another girlfriend as you would soon become mine," Tom said, and Lucy's lips twitched in amusement, but she said nothing.
Neither of them said another word to each other during the rest of the drive to the office. Tom focused on his newspaper, while Lucy focused on the road while sparing him occasional glances.
Once they got to the company Lucy parked the car and handed the key to Tom. She watched him as he turned to leave, and then bit her lower lip before calling out to him reluctantly, "Excuse me, sir!" She called making Tom who had turned around and was about to leave stopped to glance at her with questioning eyes.
"Can I have a word with you?" She asked, making Tom look at her with a slightly raised brow as he watched her adjust the glasses on the bridge of her nose in an uncomfortable gesture. What did she want to say to him that she couldn't have said in all the time they were together in the car?
"Sure," Tom said with a nod.
"Earlier you said you wanted to make me yours?" Lucy asked curiously, making Tom wonder what she was up to this time.
"Yes? Why do you ask?"
"Well, you embarrassed me in front of everyone earlier," Lucy said grudgingly, and Tom's lips twitched in amusement.
"Did I?" Tom asked, looking at her with a blank expression.
"You did. I'm just saying this, in case you didn't know... You can't be asking a lady to go out with you, yet you treat her that way in front of strangers," Lucy added, and it was all Tom could do not to chuckle.
"I thought you were uncomfortable the last time because I was showing you preferential treatment?" Tom asked thoughtfully.
Lucy looked away from him guiltily, "I didn't exactly say that."
"You didn't have to," Tom said making her brows crease in a frown.
"Well..."
"I won't be showing you any preferential treatment anymore if that's what you're asking for. If you want me to treat you differently then quit being so difficult and agree to be my girlfriend," Tom said, and then walked away without waiting for her to say anything else, while Lucy glared at his back.
Forty-five minutes later Lucy walked out of the company building and smiled when she saw Tom standing by the parking lot beside her car waiting for her. Just as she approached him, the smile on her lips faltered when she saw a female staff waving at him as she walked towards him. Lucy raised a brow but said nothing as she approached them.
"Hey! So were you able to see the cab driver?" The lady who had spoken with the private investigator the last time, asked as she stopped in front of Tom.
"Yes, thanks for your help," Tom said with a small smile while he watched Lucy from the corners of his eyes as she headed for the car.
"I'm glad I could help. Can I buy you a drink one of these days? Maybe after work?" The lady asked, and Tom shook his head.
"I don't drink."
"Then what about food? Or better still, my birthday party is coming up soon, and I would like for you to be there," she said with a toothy smile.
"Ahem!" Lucy cleared her throat when she got to the car and then she flashed the lady a stiff smile, "Hello!" She greeted with a small wave.
"Hello!" The lady greeted back and then glanced at Tom, "Can I have your number so that we can talk later?" She asked, and Tom glanced at Lucy before giving her a nod.
"Sure," he said as he took her phone from her and input his number, while Lucy got into the back seat of the car and sat down.
"I should go now, she hates being kept waiting," Tom told the lady before getting into the driver's seat.
"You seem to have a lot of fans," Lucy muttered from the backseat as Tom turned on the car's ignition.
"Can't blame me, ma'am! Blame it on my good looks," Tom said, switching back to his usual voice and carefree character.
"Maybe you didn't need to go through all that stress to get a lady. All you needed was to change your personality and wardrobe," Lucy muttered under her breath making Tom chuckle when he heard her murmur something about distributing his number to every lady who asked like he was a customer care representative.
"I suppose you're right. How was work today?" Tom asked as he drove out of the parking lot, feeling very glad that he was out of the costume now. The contact lens and wig were pretty uncomfortable for him.
"Work was okay. Although the CEO was being an arsehole, I survived," Lucy said, meeting his gaze in the mirror in a bid to let him know he was the arsehole.
"Really? What did he do?" Tom asked with a very curious expression and she shook her head before going on to tell him all that had happened even though he was aware of it.
Tom chuckled by the time she finished, "Don't you think you were being too petty? Or perhaps did you do that because you know Anita is my ex-girlfriend?" Tom asked, and Lucy raised a brow.
"What has her being your ex-girlfriend got to do with anything?" Lucy asked as she took off her glasses to rub her eyes.
"Isn't that part of the reason you don't like her?" Tom asked, and Lucy rolled her eyes.
"It has nothing to do with you! I'm just pissed the CEO took her side though. One minute he is acting like he cares about me and the next he's taking the side of someone he claims he doesn't like. What a two-faced jerk," Lucy complained.
"Who said he took her side? You never can tell what happened after you left, you know? I think you know the CEO well enough to know he wouldn't do anything without good reason," Tom said, giving her a pointed look through the rearview mirror.
Before she could respond to that her phone started ringing and she rolled her eyes when she saw that it was a call from Anita. What did the bitch want this time? Lucy wondered, "Your ex-girlfriend is calling me," she informed Tom.
"Well, let's hear what she has to say," Tom said, urging her to receive the call.