The girl bounced energetically on the balls of her feet, asking him what drink he would like as he made himself comfortable at her dining table.
"Would you like some tea, Lucien?"
Tea is a bad idea if you're planning to sleep at night but did he genuinely want to waste his evening hours away on sleep or research when he could be up all night, talking to her?
He nodded, "Do you need my help?"
"It's okay, Lucien. I can manage brewing tea by myself. Don't worry I won't burn down our apartment building."
He let out a chuckle, "I have full faith in you. And, you know I'll always drink anything you make."
The girl's mood had changed so drastically, knowing she had more hours to spend with Lucien tonight and she hummed a song as she placed a pot filled with water on the stove and added a couple of tablespoons of tea powder, setting it on low heat.
"Pfft, you're just saying that."
"No, I'm being very serious. I don't know why you always doubt that I enjoy everything you make for me but I sincerely do. Maybe one day, you'll understand me," he expressed earnestly.
Sighing, she brought two mugs down and placed them near the stove before lighting up the wisteria candle in her living room and made her way towards him.
"So, how has work been, Lucien?" she asked, watching him intently while she sat opposite him.
He sighed loudly, stretching his arms wide before loosening his tie even further. He made eye contact with the girl and his face got serious. "It hasn't been going all that well lately, to be honest."
The girl raised her eyebrow and leaned forward, grabbing Lucien's hand, "Oh no, Lucien. What's wrong? You can always confide in me. You've always had my back and been there for me when I was really down. I want to be there for you when you need someone too."
Her aura flashed a sad blue in his eyes for a moment and he wondered briefly if his mind was playing tricks on him. The girl couldn't believe her ears. Lucien? Out of everyone she knew, he was the last person she'd imagine having work issues.
"You know how much I love my research, don't you? I've been focusing all of my time on this one groundbreaking project. It's been tough to crack but it genuinely has the potential to be my life's best work. I've tackled it from so many angles already but I've been coming up short every time so that's been frustrating. I don't even know if I'm on the right path. There's been so much pressure from the Dean and the Board of Directors as it has the potential to put Loveland University and even, Loveland as a major city on the Biosciences map. A couple of days ago, I thought I had finally made a breakthrough and was so ecstatic. I thought this would be it. But I felt my whole world come crashing down a couple of hours ago when I found out I wasn't successful. That's when I called you actually. I thought, what could make me feel better? You came to mind."
The girl shut her eyes, unable to contain the guilt she felt from hearing Lucien's words. He was opening up to her about his feelings and failures for the first time and had sought her out for support but she had completely shut him out. Her heart ached for what she had done and she involuntarily squeezed his hand in hers, trying, no, willing him to feel better.
Lucien leaned forward, placing his other palm up against the girl's cheek as if he had read her mind and knew what she was thinking about.
He always had a tendency to know what she was thinking and feeling.
"Hey, it's okay. You're here now and that's all that matters to me," he said, trying to comfort her. The conversation had gotten heavier than he had planned for it to.
Lucien straightened in his chair, removing his hands from the girl's soft skin before he stood up, walking towards a wall that was newly furbished with photos. He examined the new photos the girl had hung up, a few from her childhood and adolescence with her father, Uncle John and some high school friends.
She had such an innocent look in her eyes and it was clear these were some of the happiest moments in her life. They had such a vibrant colour to them and she was glowing in his eyes . He also noticed that she had some recent photos up, some with her colleagues and one with him in it at the Peach Blossoms garden. She appeared happy in them but he could tell that her glow had dimmed considerably. He reached out a hand and traced the pink photo frame that held their moment. She was still the most beautiful thing he had ever laid his eyes on. His happy disposition in the photo was a stark contrast to his current inner turmoil.
"I'm so lost and feel so stressed right now, I don't even know what to do with myself," revealed Lucien, his brows furrowing harshly.
Wanting to ease some of his worries, the girl crept up to him and suggested, "You can tell me about your project, Lucien. I may not have majored in Neuroscience but maybe I can help you?"
Glancing down at the girl's soft features, Lucien patted her hair.
"I'm sure you'd be able to help me but I'm not legally allowed to discuss it."
"Well, no one has to know Lucien. I can keep a secret," she voiced out, winking conspiratorially with a grin on her face.
What was happening to him? Why is he opening up so much to her?
She was getting too close and he had to change the topic.
"Enough about my work troubles. Tell me what's got you so down." He fixated his intent gaze on her and she could not look away.
"I've been given the opportunity to present an investment proposal to one of the biggest venture capital funds in the country and I don't even know where to begin. My company is so small and most of my employees are in my age group. No one really knows what to do so I'm tackling it head-on by myself and it's been incredibly pressurising. The fate of my employees is in my hands and if I mess this up, all of them will lose their jobs. These are good people, Lucien. They deserve to be employed, doing the work they cherish the most in the media industry. I'm in doubt about my capabilities as a boss and I'm stressed about failing."
The girl was gripping onto Lucien's arm tightly and he could feel how much she was shaking. He lost himself in the girl's smoldering gaze and before he knew it, he was moving closer and closer, melting the distance between them almost completely.
The girl's beautiful caramel eyes widened slightly as she walked backwards, feeling the wall bump against her back. Lucien's tall frame was shadowing her petite figure, his right palm flat against the wall right next to her head. His face inched lower and lower until she could feel his warm breath blowing her bangs gently. It felt like the temperature of the air around them had risen a few degrees and tiny beads of perspiration rolled down her back. He raised his left hand, cupping her chin softly as he tipped her head higher. His dark gaze on her seemed to hint at a bit of danger but she felt frozen and did not want to pull away. She watched as his pupils dilated, giving her a glimpse of what was on his mind.
"L-Lucien," she breathed softly.
"I think there's a way we could kill two birds with one stone." His voice was like liquid gold, calm and soothing.
She was sure her ears and face were red as a cherry.
"We're both worked up and stressed with work and this isn't healthy for either of us. What better way to relieve the stress in our bodies than…" His voice drifted off into thin air.
His face was a lot closer now, his mouth practically on her ear. Her heart was pounding away like crazy. Was he asking what she thought he was? He let her chin go and gently slid his fingers up and down her arm, stroking her.
He smiled as she shuddered under him before whispering, "Tell me you don't want this. Tell me to stop and I will. I promise."
She closed her eyes, basking in the warmth his body was exuding and thought about this. Them. She was trying to figure Lucien out. He had always felt like a complex, multi-layered puzzle. Was he using stress to get into her pants? Maybe. Was he going to abandon and hurt her? Unlikely. She thought about him and how she truly felt about him.
Truth be told, she hadn't been able to get the Professor out of her mind since they had first met. She was brought back to that day when he had come on strong and cornered her in his office. He had well-meaning intentions but she couldn't get his voice, his face, his intense gaze and his physicality out of her head. He probably wasn't even aware of how he had melted her that day and turned her on.
She had thought about their encounter multiple times in inappropriate locations and while she was alone in her bed. The producer was definitely attracted to Lucien both physically and mentally and had always fantasised about peeling his clothes layer by layer, exposing his skin to her adoring eyes.
Making up her mind, she opened her eyes and they lingered on his collarbones. She rarely got to see his flesh because of his conservative fashion sense and had an underlying curiosity about his body. Clenching her thighs, she balanced on her tippy toes and threw her arms around his neck, kissing his lips softly.
Lucien's body became taut like a pulled bowstring in the girl's arms and it felt like his heart was threatening to beat itself out of his chest. He hadn't expected the girl to make the first move on him.
All along, he had slowly but surely been leading the girl to his trap. But now, he wondered, was the girl leading him to her trap? Was he just a game to her?
His eyes were still wide open from the initial shock and he looked at the girl's face, her aura tinged with red.
The colour of love. Could it be?
He didn't need to see her colour to know the truth in his heart. He wondered if she was aware, though.
Closing his eyes, relaxing in her grip, he kissed her back softly and gently as if she was a fragile, little flower. His hands ran up her arms before meeting at the back of her head, as he deepened the kiss. Ever since their first encounter, he'd always wondered what those pillowy soft lips would taste like. And now, he had his answer. She tasted like strawberries on a summer evening, sweet and succulent. He opened his mouth, slipping his tongue out to tease her swollen bottom lip and the girl let out a soft, sultry moan.
The floodgates had opened.