Chapter 26: Give You a Taste of Sweetness
Lucas's office was bright and spacious. He sat behind his desk, looking seriously at some documents.
There was a dessert on the coffee table. I glanced at it and sat down on the sofa.
Five minutes later, Lucas acted as if he'd just noticed me. "When did you get here?"
I thought disdainfully: He's been sneaking looks at me several times, what's with the act!
"Half an hour ago," I lied casually.
Lucas smiled, stood up, stretched his stiff limbs and waist from sitting too long, then walked over and sat across from me.
"Why aren't you eating?" He pointed at the cake and coffee on the table. "I had someone prepare it especially for you."
I propped my chin with my left hand, picked up a fork with my right, poked at the cake, picked out a piece of mango, and said, "I can't eat mango."
Lucas's expression darkened. He immediately called Alfred in to take the cake away.
The disappearing cake seemed to take Lucas's composure with it. Awkward silence spread between us. I rolled my eyes and asked, "Are you done with work?"
Lucas nodded. "Not busy for now."
I snorted lightly. "If you hadn't finished soon, I would've left."
Lucas glanced at his watch. "Want to have lunch together?"
I shook my head in refusal. "Just say what you need to say directly. I need to get back to the hotel—I've got a lot going on lately."
Lucas got straight to the point: "I sent Aunt Grace back to Dawnharbor. She won't bother you for now. Jonas wants to hold a trade show at Platinum Haven Hotel."
"Yes." Amelia was also causing me trouble, but since Lucas deliberately didn't mention it, I didn't ask.
Asking would only get me answers that would upset me anyway. Why make myself miserable?
"Is the hotel's security strong enough?"
I snapped back to attention and shook my head. "Not really. Send some people to help me."
Lucas had been planning to do just that. After nodding in agreement, he seemed to think he'd agreed too quickly and asked me, "What do I get for helping you?"
"What do you want?" I blinked.
Lucas pressed his lips together, gazing at me with restrained, suppressed desire in his eyes.
I stood up, my right knee against the table, and in a flash crossed the coffee table to stand in front of Lucas.
"But there are no reporters right now," I said, pretending to be troubled.
"So?" His body missed mine. Just my closeness made him reach out to pull me into his arms, to ease his longing.
I went with his pull and sat on his lap, skillfully wrapping my arms around his neck.
I leaned forward, stopping when my lips were about an inch from his, my right hand gently rubbing his earlobe as I asked in a seductive voice, "Has this mouth kissed anyone else lately?"
"No." Lucas's Adam's apple bobbed, his hot palms pressed tightly against my waist.
"Only me?" I asked with a smile, seeking confirmation.
Our breaths mingled, body temperature rising. Lucas said, "Only you."
"Good. Here's your reward." I kissed his lips. "Let me give you a taste of something sweet."
It was a long kiss. We were like two travelers in a desert who'd found an oasis of life, desperately seeking each other. I opened my eyes slightly, watching Lucas get more and more absorbed, continuously falling deeper.
Suddenly, a shutter sound made him open his eyes quickly, like a sleeping beast lifting its eyelids. He frowned, breathing slightly heavily, and asked me, "Did you take a photo?"
"There are no reporters, so I had to take it myself. Otherwise, wouldn't I have let you kiss me for nothing?" I held up the camera like a mirror to check my mouth. "Why were you so rough? It's all swollen!"
My complaint seemed to put Lucas in a good mood. He gently touched my lips, his voice low and pleasant: "Should I be gentler next time?"
My index finger traced gentle circles on the side of his neck as I nodded.
He kissed me again, but soon increased the pressure. I whimpered and pushed him. He released my lips and moved down, kissing and sucking on my neck.
James called at just the right time. I pulled Lucas's hand out from under my clothes and answered the phone: "Okay, got it. I'll head back now."
Lucas sat with his legs spread, looking at me with dissatisfaction. "You're leaving?"
"Yeah, I'm busy too." I nodded irresponsibly.
Lucas pointed at his lower abdomen, his eyes blazing. "What am I supposed to do about this?"
"Whatever you want. Deal with it however you like." I straightened my clothes unhurriedly, like a female player.
Not long ago, when Lucas left my bed, he'd been just as cold.
"You know what," Lucas walked to my side, pressing close to me, "if I said right now that I needed to find someone to satisfy my sexual needs, women would line up from here to the Platinum Haven Hotel entrance!"
I imagined that scene and couldn't help laughing.
"You can find someone else, but if you do, you can't come back to me." I shook my head. "I don't eat other people's leftovers."
Lucas sneered. I stood on tiptoe and kissed his lips, cheeks, and eyes. His sharp, overflowing aura gradually calmed under my soothing.
"I'm leaving."
Lucas followed me out with a dark expression. "I'll see you out."
"No need. Adrian and Cole are right outside." I waved without looking back and left.
In the car, I opened my photo album. The photo I'd just taken was pretty good—we looked quite intimate in it.
I didn't send the photo to reporters. Instead, I sent it to Amelia.
Amelia was furious, constantly sending me messages. I didn't read a single one and set her to "do not disturb."
I returned to the hotel in a good mood, only to find more good news waiting for me—Karen and Jonathan had arrived, bringing five large trucks full of foreign specialty products, adding the perfect touch to the upcoming trade show.
The two had decided to settle in Starstream City. I suggested they live in the Northern District, which was relatively safe under Lucas's management.
But Karen and Jonathan refused.
"Among the things we brought this time are chocolate edibles and candy edibles. These should sell well in the chaotic zone," Karen said.
I narrowed my eyes and studied them. "Looks like you two weren't just taking photos and having fun abroad all these years."
Karen spread her hands helplessly. "No choice. In this world, strength is what matters, especially for gang families like ours."
Jonathan said somewhat shyly, "We have suppliers and business chains in four or five tropical countries, though they're small-scale. The local powers control most of the market."
I nodded in agreement. "Every place has its local power players. You can't survive without aligning with them."
"So we've set our sights on the chaotic zone. It's rare to find unclaimed territory," Karen said with a confident smile, clearly not acting on a whim.
"What's your plan?" I asked.
"Jonathan and I want to open a photo studio in the chaotic zone, sell some 'little things,' gather information for you, and do some intelligence business on the side."
"I'll give you financial support. Whatever you need, just ask!" While the method of controlling the drug market would work in the chaotic zone, too, with Karen and Jonathan's help, my plan had a much better chance of success.
Preparations for the trade show were in full swing. Gale and Marcus, who'd been gone for half a month, finally returned!