Chapter 143 – Beginning with a Daring Encounter

“Are you having a mood swing? Perhaps you are on your period or ovulation?”

Benne looked at Celsie, not knowing what to say for a moment. What did she mean by the CEO had reminded her of him? He had tried to ensure that he didn’t act like himself in any way. He had ensured to follow the five rules of disguise which relied on the basic human senses.

Do not look or dress like yourself; His outfit as Benedict Delgado was completely different from how she knew Benne Handy. His eyes, hair, beards, glasses, and clothes had all been different.

Do not smell like yourself; He had used a different cologne and deodorant just so that he smelled entirely different from what she was used to.

Do not sound like yourself; He had tried to make sure his voice sounded completely different too, even though his throat was feeling funny now because he had spent more time talking than he had planned to.

Do not taste or feel like yourself; Thankfully both of these had been avoided as they both did not get involved in any activity that involved kissing or touching each other.

So what was she talking about? Benne wondered, his heart beating very fast at the thought of being discovered when he was just beginning to find his way into her heart.

“Why do you look so startled?” Celsie asked with a curious smile as she looked into his face.

“I don’t know. I guess I’m just feeling kind of flattered and confused at the same time. What exactly about the CEO reminded you of me?” Benne asked with a shaky smile, as he looked at her with interest. He needed to know if it was something he could work on so that he could correct it the next time he meets her.

“Well, you both have the same physique and similar complexion. I swear if you were to be disguised as the CEO, you could easily pass for the CEO,” Celsie said with a nod and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose as she looked at his face like she was searching for other similarities.

“That is interesting,” Benne said with a small smile, “Maybe I should consider disguising myself as the CEO one of these days. What do you think?” Benne asked with a grin, and Celsie chuckled.

“You wouldn’t dare. Believe me when I say the CEO can be ruthless when he wants to be, and you don’t want to get on his bad side,” Celsie warned.

“Whatever. Enough about your charming CEO, I want to hear about something fun,” Benne said as he took one of her hand in his and patted it.

“Something more fun, like?”

“Like how much you missed me?” Benne asked playfully, wanting to change the subject to one that was of interest to him.

“Hmm… I don’t know. I suppose you were just on my mind all through the day,” Celsie said thoughtfully, adjusting her glasses once again.

“And what were you thinking about me?” Benne asked, leaning forward in his seat such that his face was only a few inches away from hers while he still held her tiny hands in his.

“I was just wondering about you. What you were doing, if you have eaten, how the work was going, bla bla,” Celsie said with a shrug that told him she didn’t think it was a big deal.

“And do you often think about your twin, or Sonia all day that way?” Benne asked, wanting to know if she often thought of her loved ones generally like that, or if this was special.

Celsie considered the question for a moment, and her heart skipped a beat when she realized what he was driving at. It wasn’t normal for her to think about him that way, “I guess I’m taking this temporary girlfriend thing a little too seriously,” she said with a burst of awkward laughter while Benne stared at her in amusement.

“I think you are doing just fine. So tell me. Do you?” Benne asked as he reached out to pat the side of her face.

Celsie blinked at him, and it was all she could do not to lean into his touch. She cleared her throat and leaned back in her seat, “I don’t. So tell me about your day. Was it very stressful? Do you need a foot rub or a massage?” She asked, wanting to change the subject once again as she didn’t feel very comfortable with the idea that she was beginning to care more than she was supposed to.

“Did something happen?” He asked, wanting to know the reason for the sudden change. Not that he was complaining, but why was she being so open and caring all of a sudden? Perhaps she was beginning to fall in love with him for real? He really hoped that was the case. The sooner she fell in love with him, the earlier he could put a stop to all the lies and live happily with her as he wanted to.

“Something like what?” Celsie asked with a slight frown as she self-consciously reached out to adjust her glasses.

“You are acting so differently, so I’m just curious to know what prompted the change,” Benne explained, making Celsie look at him thoughtfully for a moment.

“Is it good different or bad different?” Although he had said that she was doing just fine and had insinuated that she do not change a thing, she still needed to know if she was overstepping her boundaries this time so that she could get back on track.

Benne’s eyes lit up at her question and he smiled at her, “Excellent different! You are actually behaving like my girlfriend,” Benne said, making her relax a bit.

“And you like it?” She asked cautiously.

“I love it,” Benne said with a nod, and she gave him a bright smile, feeling relieved that she wasn’t doing too much.

“I’m glad to know that I’m learning fast. So tell me, what is it going to be? Foot or body massage?” Celsie asked again.

Benne looked at her for a moment, “You don’t have to worry about giving me a massage, I’m fine. All I need is a good night’s rest, and I will be good,” Benne assured her.

“You are sure your body doesn’t ache anywhere?” Celsie asked with a concerned frown, and this time Benne pulled her closer to himself. Butterflies fluttered in Celsie’s belly as she allowed him to pull her to himself.

“I love how you are so concerned about me, but you should know that even if my body aches, I feel better merely by talking to you and being close to you like this. You are medicine to me,” Benne said in a husky voice as he gazed into her eyes, while she looked back at him, her heart pounding in her chest.

Medicine? What were they doing? What were these words he was saying to her? Celsie mused as she watched him, unable to break away from his gaze.

Benne reached out carefully and took off her glasses, and without breaking eye contact with her, he dropped it on the table near them, “Have I told you that your eyes remind me of beautiful jewels?” Benne whispered as he brought his head forward, making Celsie’s heartbeat skyrocket.

Still holding her gaze, he slowly moved his hands up her arm and used his thumb to caress her skin. Celsie swallowed, as she tried not to let her eyes dart to his lips. Right now she wanted to be kissed by him. She had no idea why, but she just wanted to lock lips with his, and have his hand all over her.

Benne watched as her tongue darted out of her mouth to wet her lips which suddenly felt dry, despite the lipgloss on them, and his eyes stayed on her lips, “I’m trying not to go further than this, but you make it hard when you do that,” Benne confessed as he looked into her eyes.

“What if I want you to go further than this?” Celsie asked in an unfamiliar voice, surprising them both with her unexpected question.

Benne looked at her face with searching eyes as though trying to know what she was thinking, “Do you want us to take things further?”

Celsie gave him a tentative nod as her heart kept beating wildly in her chest. She was certain he could hear her heartbeat if he listened closely enough.

“What do you want me to do?” Benne asked as he leaned forward and placed his head in the crook of her neck as though he wanted to whisper something into her ears, “Tell me what you want.”

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