Sorry for the super late update. I had a family emergency on Friday so I had totally forgotten to finish writing the chapter. I also forgot to translate for Brooke in the last chapter: Merci beaucoup pour votre générosité, chef Mathis. Which supposed to mean: (Thank you very much for your generosity, chef Mathis.) Merry Christmas and happy holidays everyone!

Chapter Seven

"I got the twins to sleep!" Sam said in a celebratory fashion as she closed the twins bedroom door, effectively interrupting the moment Brooke and Lucas had been locked in while standing in the hall.

"That's great." Lucas said with a smile towards Sam. He then turned his attention back to Brooke and said, "I have a call to make so I will be in my study if you need me. See you in the kitchen in an hour then?"

"Of course. See you then." Brooke tried not to watch Lucas walk down the hall, but found herself doing that very thing, her eyes glued to his nicely formed backside. When she turned around she found Sam chuckling. Brooke huffed, "What?"

"Nothing. So wanna hang out in my room for a bit?"

Brooke hadn't spent that much time with her little sister since she went to culinary school which hadn't been her intention. So they were definitely due some sister-time.

Brooke smiled, "Lead the way…"

Brooke followed behind her towards her room which was across from the twins bedroom. Inside was a world of crème and overstuffed furniture, gauzy white curtains framed by heavy beige curtains, the rug was also a cream color, and it looked very thick and plush. This room spelled: comfortable.

"So what's the story?" Sam asked as soon as she shut the door behind them, looking at her with knowing eyes. Brooke and Sam had then kicked off their shoes before walking on the rug and she instantly fell in love with the feel of the soft material.

"What do you mean?"

Sam rolled her eyes, "You know what I mean…how did this happen?"

Brooke decided to act dumb and asked in response, "This?"

Sam narrowed her eyes, "Don't play dumb with me Brooke. How did you meet my boss?"

"Oh that."

"Yeah that." She said drolly, narrowing her eyes. After a short period Sam exhaled and asked, "Well are you going to tell me or not?"

"Okay fine…" Brooke then sighed deeply and answered, "Well remember I told you about needing a financer for Reverie?"

"Yeah?" Then her eyes widened with realization, "Wait—Lucas is the asshole that's been trying to take over everything?!"

Her big sister nodded, "Yes. That would be him."

Sam's brows furrowed as she said in confusion, "But he's literally the nicest person you could ever meet—"

Brooke scoffed then said, "Yeah but you've never witnessed all-about-business Lucas Scott. And I have to say that he's an asshole and not someone to tangle with."

Sam almost cackled as she said, "But you did anyway didn't you?"

Brooke felt herself smile as she answered, "You know me so well…"

"What happened when you tangled with him?"

Brooke chose not to disclose the fact that they were sort of in an inappropriate relationship with each other so she said, "We had some misunderstandings but we're working out the kinks."

Sam sat on the bed and sat with her legs crossed under her. "So…how long will you be here?"

"A few months I guess. We have a project together—he's building his new hotel…with my restaurant attached." Brooke then felt a surge of pride as she added, "That's right! We're taking Reverie international."

"Oh my God that's so amazing!" Sam exclaimed with a beatific smile.

She smirked then said, "Tell you the truth…I fought him tooth and nail about it…"

Sam's brows furrowed again as she asked, "Why?"

"Because… at the time the thought of this venture was very overwhelming and everything was happening so fast—Dan being a crook, almost losing the business because of him, Lucas stepping in and changing stuff…but I'm ready for the challenge now. I'm done fighting it." And my attraction to him. She thought with resignation.

"I'm really happy for you Brooke."

"Thank you sis." Brooke sighed softly then asked, "So are you going to tell me why you're forgoing college for the moment—beyond financial reasons?"

Sam rolled her eyes then exhaled, her nerves making her fidget a little. "Promise you won't get mad?"

"I will try not to…"

She narrowed her eyes and said, "That's not exactly a promise."

"I'm aware." Brooke said sassily as she waved her on.

"Fine…besides the finances… I'm scared." She admitted, her eyes downcast toward the floor.

"I figured that…" Brooke sat down on her bed next to her and it literally felt like she was sitting on a cloud. "Wow he went all out on this place down to the sheets…anyway why are you scared?"

Sam shrugged despondently, "What if I flunk out? What if I just don't have what it takes to stay there—it just feels like I'll be out of my league there."

"I thought you said it wasn't about that?" Brooke said as she playfully nudged her with her shoulder.

Sam frowned then shrugged again as she admitted, "So I lied…"

"Sam you'll never know unless you try. Listen to me, you've always been a brilliant girl from the time you were in elementary 'til now. You always got straight A's and B's throughout your school career. This insecurity that you're facing that's telling you that you're not good enough is dead wrong. You're awesome in every way."

Sam gave her a deadpanned look, "You have to say that because I'm your little sister."

"No, I say that because you have the greatest potential I've ever seen…and I believe in you. Sam I want you to always remember that whenever you find the whole world against you just turn around and lead the world."

Sam blinked then looked at her with open shock, "Really? You think that I have potential?"

Brooke looked at her and said meaningfully, "Of course I do! And trust me I've been there…on the cusp of something new, leaving your comfort zone—of course it's scary but when you face that fear you'll find it's not as bad as you thought it would be. So do it for yourself it's not easy at first but it will get better…"

"Are you sure? That it'll get better I mean."

Brooke smiled reassuringly, "Yes I'm sure. And I have to add that during that time I found that one of the hardest decisions you'll ever face in college—and in life is choosing whether to walk away or try harder."

"Thanks for the advice sis. I really do appreciate it."

"I'm glad." Brooke said as she brushed her sister's dark hair behind her ear affectionately with a soft smile. "So are you going to Northwestern?"

She paused then said, "…yeah only now I just have to get the money up."

"Don't worry about the money. I will come through for you. I promise." Brooke said just before she hugged her to which San tried to push away from her embrace.

"Ew you know how I feel about displays of affection!" Sam whined with a laugh as she struggled to get away only to have Brooke hug harder.

"Hug me back or I'll never let you go." Brooke taunted.

Sam sighed exasperatedly and half-heartedly hugged her back for a full minute. Brooke then released her and asked with a teasing smile, "Now that we've got that out of the way… are there any boys in your life?"

Sam hid her face in mortification as she groaned, "Ugh why do you always ask me that?"

"Because it comes with the territory of being sisters duh!" she said with a laugh, "And since you tried to avoid the topic of discussion there must be a boy. So who is he? Is he cute?"

Sam rolled her eyes, "For the love of God Brooke there isn't a boy I can't stress—wait what's this?" Sam asked as she picked up an envelope with her name on it in bold cursive writing that was on her plush pillow. Curious she opened it up and almost fainted. "Oh my God!!!" Sam said in an almost scream.

"What is it? Was it a rat or something?" Brooke asked as she looked around in a rush of panic.

"No!" she said, her eyes tearing up as she looked at whatever it was in her hand. "Oh my God!"

"What are you Oh my God-ing about?!" Brooke snapped, wondering what had gotten into her.

"Lucas…" Sam squeaked around the lump in her throat hindering her speech. "Read!"

Brooke took the envelope from Sam's trembling hand with unabashed curiosity and looked down at the note. "Okay…'To Sam, May you follow your dreams and always believe in yourself. Keep your eyes on the stars and hope in your heart… Sincerely, Lucas Scott…' That was sweet and odd of him—"

"Not the note…the check." She said emotionally, her face red from being on the verge of crying.

Brooke had never seen her little sister so worked up. She then looked behind the note and saw the check. Her heart stuttered as her eyes widened at the figures written on it. She looked at Sam in complete shock and said in awe, "Oh my God! It's a check for seventy-five thousand and six hundred and forty-nine dollars!"

"How did he know that's how much I needed?!" She gasped, finally able to speak. "And then some! He gave me an extra thousand dollars!"

Brooke thought back to the conversation that she had with Lucas and was stunned that he would do such a thing. When did he have time to write a personal note and write out a check for the school? She thought as she hugged her sister who for once had initiated the hug. If she told Sam about what was said between her and Lucas then she would look at this as charity and would stubbornly refuse to take it. So she lied and said before kissing the top of her head, "I have no idea but I'm going to find out for you okay…"

-x-

Lucas had just gotten off the phone with Nathan and was going over the applications for the gardening position that Gaston had set on his desk five hours ago when Brooke opened the door and marched into his study with an unreadable expression on her face.

"Is something wrong?" he asked with a bit of concern as she made her way to his desk.

Brooke simply shook her head then gave him a soft, thorough kiss that rekindled his desire for her. He broke the kiss then asked, "What was that for?"

"What was what for?" she asked, breathing hard, her eyes glassy with some unknown emotion.

"That kiss? What was it for?" he panted, his eyes looking at her lips as she casually licked them.

Brooke eyed his lips as well as she said, "Oh…right. Mostly because I wanted to…but also because of what you did for Sam."

"For Sam?" He looked genuinely confused, "What did I do for Sam?"

"Lucas don't play games. I know about the check…you didn't have to—"

Lucas sighed then rushed to say, "I know! I'm sorry! I know you said that you could raise the money yourself and I didn't mean to overstep but I just wanted to—"

Brooke kissed him again and again until she took it a bit further by gently licking his lips. Lucas groaned softly as she gave him a mind-scrambling kiss, pushing his lips open with her tongue, lightly running along the edge of his front teeth might feel good. When her tongue reached his, she swirled hers around it, delicately sucking on his tongue, her tongue then gingerly tickled the top of his mouth every once in a while, both locked into a hot and heavy make-out session.

Brooke found it was very difficult to stop once they started, mostly because she didn't want to stop. Her fingers cupped the back of his head, her fingers running through his blonde hair.

Lucas brought her down until she was in his lap, repeating her actions, his hands burrowing in her silky smooth tresses.

A knock jarred them apart, the impromptu kisses leaving them breathless.

"Help…" he finished softly, his eyes locked on her kiss swollen lips.

"Thank you." She said softly, her already raspy voice smoky with desire.

Lucas shook his head, "You don't have to thank me for anything—"

"I know—" she said just about to give him another kiss but another knock halted her.

"Je suis désolé d'interrompre monsieur Scott mais quelqu'un est à la porte. Il dit qu'il est ici pour un entretien d'embauch…" (I'm sorry to interrupt Mister Scott but someone's at the door. He says he's here for a job interview)

"Who's that?" Brooke asked breathily before she tried to scramble to get out of his lap. And he of course, stopped her, wanting to hold her just a little longer.

"Esmée…she's another maid." He whispered, answering her. "Donne moi une minute, Esmée!" (Give me a minute, Esmée) he said after he cleared his throat. He looked at her longingly and said, "I'm sorry…I need to see about—"

"A possible hire?" she asked as she rose from his lap and straightened her ruffled clothes.

Lucas cursed his luck and rose to his feet. "Raincheck?"

"Maybe…"

"Merde!" (Shit, crap, poop, damn, turd A/N: I obviously mean the first translation) He breathed as he walked to the door, leaving the object of his desires behind. Lucas followed Esmée to the garden and saw a man who had a somewhat stocky build and a tall lanky kid with a mop of brown hair.

"Hello Mr. Scott. I'm Ian Kellerman and this here is my cousin John Daniels but he goes by Jack. We heard you need a gardener." He said as they shook hands in greeting.

"I do. The last man who held the position fell ill." He said with a taut smile. Benôit had been a staple of the Scott's staff for as long as he could remember—since even before they purchased Ile-De-France. He should have retired ten years ago but he loved tending to the garden and always said that it wasn't work and that they paid him to do what he loved.

"Well Jack and I are the men for the job." He said confidently.

Lucas eyed them and said, "We'll see…you're from America?"

"Yup…North Carolina to be exact." Ian said proudly.

Lucas nodded, "What brings you to France?"

Ian chuckled, "Women. I'm just kidding!"

"You're a riot…" he said with a bored tone, Lucas then told him, "Since you have filled out the applications along with turning in two forms of ID…I need two things from both of you before hiring you. I need a background check done which I already started the process of and I also require a blood test to make sure that you're not doing any drugs. I can't have unsavory characters around my family."

"No problem boss. We're as clean as a whistle, right Jack?" The boy nodded in response, not saying a peep. "He's the strong silent type."

"I see…Gaston will keep you posted since he's your reference. How do you know him anyway?" Lucas asked curiously, saying exactly what was on his mind.

Ian shrugged, "He's my mother's uncle on her father's side. We're getting to know that side of the family at the moment."

"Gaston is a good man, always has been. The background check will be faxed to me in three days to a week so all I need is your blood test. I'll call you when I get both of the results."

"Fair enough. See you then…"

-x-

This was the first time Haley was truly at the helm for the whole schedule—there were times when Brooke would be on errands during breakfast or lunch but she was always there for the dinner rush and Haley was never as nervous about anything as she was today. The crew did great under pressure without Brooke's presence but the night was still off because her sunny joking manner was the glue that held them together. Haley wanted to lead them as Brooke has but found herself arguing most of the night with Tim and Chris. On top of that Brooke still hasn't called her back to tell her if she had landed safely which is nerve-wrecking as well.

The ringing of the office phone jarred her from her thoughts, her heart racing. "Hello?"

"Hey Hales…I meant to call you this morning but by the time we landed it was around four a.m. there so I saved the call until I was sure that you were up."

"Good call…" she said with a laugh.

"So how's your first shift as head chef?" Brooke asked warmly.

Haley frowned but managed to say jokingly, "Its going good. No fires erupted—"

Haley could just picture Brooke rolling her eyes as she said, "Hales…you know what I meant. Is the pressure getting to you?"

"Somewhat. But I can handle it. So how's Paris?"

"It's so beautiful. I really love it here. And you won't believe who's here though."

"Who?"

"Sam's here."

Haley's brows furrowed, "Sam?"

"My little sister Sam."

Her eyes widened, "Seriously? How did she get there?"

"Apparently she's Lucas' nanny."

"Wow talk about a small world. Wait…isn't she supposed to—"

"Yes she's supposed to be at Northwestern but she was working to pay for her tuition."

"Ah, because of the Dan situation…"

"Yes the Dan situation. That man has screwed me in so many ways and I definitely didn't get any pleasure out of it." She practically growled.

"Speaking of pleasure…did anything happen with you and Lucas?"

"Uh…we are getting along. We shared a few kisses here and there—nothing too big. Oh! And I met the boys. They are so precious Haley! They think that I'm a candy making super hero." She said with a breathless laugh.

Haley laughed as well then asked, "How on Earth did they reach that conclusion?"

"Jamie asked—wait Logan asked why didn't Lucas tell them that I could make candy and Lucas said he didn't know and that I kept my candy identity a secret from him. And since super heroes hide their identities they figured I was the same way… Speaking of which I have to go now. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Yeah I should get ready for the breakfast rush anyway. Alrighty talk to you soon. Bye." Just as she put the phone in it's cradle it rang again, sighing she picked it back up. "Thanks for calling Reverie Restaurant. My name is Haley, how can I help you?"

"Hales?"

Her heart started racing for a whole different reason, recognizing that voice. "Nathan?"

"Uh, hi…I didn't think I'd catch you." He said with a slightly embarrassed chuckle.

Haley almost laughed but settled for asking, "Then why call?"

"I wanted to catch you—I mean I hoped I would but I didn't think I would—if that makes sense." He stammered, nervousness coating his voice.

"It makes sense. So what did you have to tell me?"

"Seeing you again last week…it brought back a lot of memories. Like that time where you had me sneak out of my parents apartment to meet you in the lobby to go to the movies?"

"Or when we fed ducks at the park every weekend." She said with a fond grin.

Nathan chuckled, "You had us name each one and we tried to remember them all later."

"My favorite was Sir Ducks-a-lot…" Haley said with a giggle.

Nathan paused then asked, "What are you doing later?"

"I am in charge of Reverie for a few months so…I'm a very busy woman." She said with a wince.

"I want to see you."

"I…" Haley looked up and saw Skills enter the office then rushed to say, "I gotta go."

She hung up on him and smiled at her friend and colleague. "What do you need Skills?"

"Its almost time for the breakfast rush."

Haley nodded and sighed, "Right…"

She followed Skills out into the kitchen where her staff were waiting for instructions.

"What's on the menu chef?" Skills asked as he leaned against the line table.

Haley looked around and exhaled then said, "Alright you guys today…in honor of our restaurant expanding we're going French cuisine…"

-x-

As promised Lucas, the twins and Sam watched Brooke as she zipped around the kitchen, gathering the ingredients to make homemade Twix but what they didn't know was that Brooke had more plans for the delicious candy bars.

"Okay for the Cookie: 5.5 ounces of softened butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 2 cups cake flour and1/2 teaspoon salt…"

While there are multiple steps to this recipe, this dessert is broken down into workable categories to help her better plan for preparation and baking. Starting with making the Cookie Base

Once she gathered the ingredients. She heated the oven to 350 F. Prepared the 13x9-inch baking pan by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

Placing the butter and the granulated sugar in the bowl of a large mixer, she beat them together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.She added the flour and salt, mixed on low speed just until the flour is incorporated.

Brooke then scraped the dough into the prepared pan and use your hands to press it into a thin, even layer.

She baked the shortbread for a total of 18 to 20 minutes, turning halfway through so it cooked evenly. When it is finished, it was a light golden brown color. She allowed the shortbread to cool completely and moved on to the next step.

"For the Caramel Layer: 21 ounces of soft caramels unwrapped…2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream…and for Chocolate Coating: 1 pound semisweet chocolate or chocolate-flavored candy coating…" she muttered to herself, as she worked through the steps, placing the unwrapped caramels in a large microwave-safe bowl with 2 tablespoons of cream. At first the caramels were very stiff, so she increased the cream by an additional spoonful, which helps make it silky smooth.

Brooke microwaved the caramels until melted and smooth, stirring after every 30 seconds to incorporate the cream and prevent overheating.

Brooke poured the melted caramel over the shortbread cookie crust and smooth it into an even layer. Refrigerate the pan to set the caramel completely, about 1 hour.

The twins watched her with rapt attention as she baked, neither wanting to leave the kitchen despite the fact that it took some time to make the candy bars. No matter how much prodding or bribing Sam did which flattered her in a deep level.

She melted the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and stirred until completely smooth.

She then removed the caramel-covered bars from the pan by using the foil as handles. Brooke used a large, sharp knife so she could prevent the cookie base from crumbling as she cut the bars into thin, finger-width sizes. She cut the entire sheet of bars in half width-wise, then cut about 10 bars from each half, for a total of about 20 long, thin bars.

Using dipping tools to dip the bars in the melted chocolate, covering them completely. She then placed the dipped bars on a foil-lined tray until all bars were dipped.

She then refrigerated the tray of bars to set the chocolate for ten minutes.

When the time was up she allowed the very patient four year olds, Sam and Lucas to taste the treat.

"What do you guys think?" Brooke asked as the foursome chewed the chocolate bar.

"Wow Brooke… they taste even better than the original." Sam complemented as soon as she polished off her chocolate bar.

"Can she live with us forever Daddy?" Jamie asked after polishing off his chocolate bar, complete with the licking of his fingers.

Lucas chuckled then said, "Um…that's not up to me buddy."

Logan looked at him then asked in complete innocence, "But isn't everything up to you Daddy?"

Brooke hid a laugh as Lucas looked as if he were a deer in headlights and stammered, "M-m-mostly. But not this." He said as he ruffled his hair, making him giggle a bit.

"I can't stay forever but I can promise you that I will be there whenever you need me." Brooke said as she smiled down at him. "But for now I need you guys out!"

"Come on spider monkeys let's go watch the Wiggles."

Brooke halted Lucas as Sam and the twins left and said, "Wanna help me with dessert?"

Lucas rubbed the back of his neck as he chuckled, "I don't know how much help I could be…I may even be a distraction for you."

"I'm kinda counting on you to be."

Lucas let out a breath. "Okay…" then followed her to the sink. She plugged in the stopper and filled the left side of the sink with soapy water.

Brooke washed all the utensils and bowls she had used while he rinsed and dried them off. "Believe it or not I used to do this for punishment for misbehaving when I was a kid…my parents way of trying to make sure that I wasn't too spoiled by them."

"So you had to wash the silver spoon you were born with every once in a while huh?"

"Ha ha…" he said as he set the dried bowl back on the mixing machine. "Seriously though my mom made sure that I was in the kitchen everyday during those two weeks…longest two weeks of my life."

"Ha! Try cleaning the entire house including washing dishes and taking out the garbage up until you leave for college."

Lucas eyebrows rose then he lifted up his hands and said, "You win."

Brooke laughed then said, "Okay Lucas you're gonna be my big helper and help me whip up a Twix chocolate layer cake…"

"A what?"

"A Twix chocolate layer cake… A delicious layer cake. Soft and fluffy chocolate cakes with a creamy caramel frosting, topped with chopped Twix bars, crushed shortbread cookies and homemade salted caramel sauce!" she said as she gathered up the ingredients she needed.

"Sounds decadent… Like you."

"It is a decadent dessert. Very sweet and luscious." She said flirtatiously while eyeing his lips, her finger tip playing under his chin. A slight smirk playing at her lips, her right dimple making an appearance as she stood toe to toe with him. "I want you… to preheat the oven to 360 Fahrenheit."

"You're such a tease, you know that!" He said laughingly as she stepped away from him.

"You're right, I'm a flirtatious person; I'll flirt all day long, but it really is hard to get into that when I'm so into my business, and I'm in the kitchen all day long and all night sometimes. That's not an exaggeration." She said as she greased and lined two 8 inch round cake tins.

In a large mixing bowl, Brooke guided Lucas to sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda. Then instructed him to add the sugars. Lucas watched her intently as she whisked the ingredients together. It was something about watching her do what she loved, how in her element she was despite never having cooked here before.

"I never met someone who has a passion for their work like you. Don't you get tired of cooking at all?"

In a separate mixing bowl, Brooke added the buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla and eggs then whisked it all together then answered, "Sometimes but it's rare. Mostly because it's therapeutic for me…"

Brooke then added the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, folding the mixture together, slowly pouring in the hot water while she continued to mix until all the ingredients were incorporated.

Lucas divided the mixture into the two cake tins readying them for the next stage where Brooke carried them to the oven. Lucas bit his lip as he watched her bend over seemingly in the most provocative manner to insert the cakes into the oven. Brooke sighed with a smile as she turned around, flashing him those intoxicating dimples. "We're going to let them bake for approximately 30 minutes."

"That's a lot of time to wait…" he said as he strolled towards her.

"You've waited longer, I'm sure." She teased, licking some of the chocolate mix that happened to spill on her finger.

"I don't want to wait anymore…" he said with a slight groan, his eyes fascinated by the way she now suckled the slim digit.

Brooke smirked, "Too bad."

Lucas saw the timer on the counter then looked at her intently as he said, "Set the timer."

"Why?"

"Please do it…"

Brooke turned around and set the timer for twenty-seven minutes. By the time she turned back around, Lucas was in front of her, "Oh!"

Lucas looked at the timer then back at Brooke saying, "We now have twenty-six minutes and counting…"

"For what?"

"For this…" Lucas bent his head down slowly while lightly stroking the area where her neck met her shoulder with the tips of his fingers. Brooke shivered with pleasure, her eyes hooded with desire. Lucas continued stroking, giving her plenty of time to object his advances. Brooke lifted her head slightly, subtly giving him her consent. Lucas kissed her lips gently, his hands encircling her small waist. Brooke gasped as he lifted her onto the countertop, giving him leeway into her mouth. Brooke moaned softly as his tongue snaked its way inside her mouth, deepening the kiss instantly. Lucas brought her closer to the edge, her thighs cradling his hips perfectly.

She felt his hands in her hair, massaging her scalp as his mouth suckled on her neck gently, a feeling of surprise mingled with something inexplicable raced through her at the feel of his lips there.

Brooke bit her lip and whimpered as his mouth moved lower, brushing the top of her breast—Brrrriiiiiiinnngg, the interruption causing him to back away a little too fast.

"I guess times up." He said with a smirk as he watched her hop down, her mannerism of fixing her clothes telling just how worked up she was.

Brooke exhaled as she bent over and removed the cakes from the oven.

"What seemed normal in your family when you were growing up, but seems weird now Lucas?" she asked as she left the cakes to cool down some for 10 minutes before gently removing them from their tins and left them to cool completely on the wire rack.

"That's random…"

"Answer the question Lucas. You may get a prize if you do."

Lucas sighed then answered, "My mom still video tapes us coming down the stairs in footy pajamas. It's kind of weird at 36, and we still open our gifts together taking turns so it's all equal. We have a fair Christmas."

Brooke tried not to smile as she as she prepared making the frosting, adding the butter to the large mixing bowl and beat until smooth and creamy.

"That's actually cute. That you still get together for Christmas even though you're an adult with kids of your own." She said as she added the powdered sugar to the butter and beat the mixture until smooth. Add the caramel sauce and continue to beat until creamy.

Lucas rolled his eyes, "It's not cute. It's mortifying."

Brooke laughed as she added the caramel sauce to the bowl and continued beating the icing until creamy.

"Okay what was the most embarrassing thing that happened to you?"

Brooke winced then admitted, "When I accidentally sent a drunk text saying I wanna suck your dick to my professor at 3am. I could've died!"

Lucas looked at her stunned then asked, "Who were you texting that message to?"

"This really hot guy I met in some random bar near culinary school—" she said with a shrug. "Come on and help me frost the cakes." Brooke commanded as she trimmed off the dome of the cakes using a large serrated knife.

"I'm still waiting on my prize." He grumbled good naturedly as he added half the frosting to the top of one chocolate cake just before she added the other chocolate cake on top.

"You'll get it as soon as we're done with this…"

Lucas frosted the cake with the remainder of the caramel frosting. Finally, Brooke topped off the cake with chopped Twix bars, crushed shortbread cookies and then drizzled with the extra caramel sauce.

"Wow…that looks delicious… Almost as delicious as you." He complimented, his eyes slowly sliding over her body, the way her nipples pressed against the fabric of the pink floral print dress.

Brooke hopped back on the countertop and took some of the excess frosting from the bowl and met his eyes as she painted a strip just above her cleavage, "Go ahead and taste it."

Lucas feasted on the strip, licking the sweetness from her soft skin, tasting her leisurely. Brooke held his head closer to her, her eyes closing in pleasure as he suckled her supple skin, his hands caressing her curves.

"Oh God, Lucas…" she moaned just as his fingers smoothed along her thigh, sending a fiery trail with every caress.

Lucas unwrapped her dress, revealing her lacy nude lingerie. "This is a prize…"

"Oh! Excusez-moi, je ne voulais pas vous interrompre!" (Excuse me, didn't mean to interrupt) chef Mathis exclaimed as soon as he stumbled upon them.

Brooke gasped for an entirely different reason as she hopped down again, blushing from the top of her head to her toes in embarrassment as Lucas shielded her from Mathis view.

"Je suis juste venu vous faire savoir que nous servirions bientôt le dîner." (I just came to let you know that we would be serving dinner soon.) Mathis said, a blush high on his cheeks.

"Merci Mathis. Nous allons sortir de votre chemin ..." (Thank you Mathis. We will get out of your way...) Lucas said as he grasped her hand and hurried out of the kitchen.