The Billionaire's Personal Shopper

Dress to Seduce

Plotting like an evil Bond villain was not something I used to do in life. Jacob showing his true colors brought the worst out of me. Nick just left to nestle at home and do the hermit thing. That was okay. We needed to give Nick space when he felt the need to recharge his mental battery. I was currently in the kitchen cooking up a storm to placate Lucas when he came over in a few hours.

Manipulating him with food.

That's what my life came too. I knew Lucas enjoyed my cooking so far. If he was filled up with food maybe he'd be soft and warm. More so than average. Lucas was on his own a soft and warm person. He cared and he showed it in the way he moved and talked. I was busy stirring the thick pumpkin soup cautiously, wanting it to be sweet yet spicy. My brows were furrowed and my lips pursed as I viewed as if it was a science project. In a way it probably was. My phone going off scared the living light out of me. Letting the wooden spoon rest in the thick soup I grabbed my phone out of the back pocket of my jeans and answered it in a squeaky voice which worried mom.

"Are you okay, honey?" Mom asked.

I kept an eye on my amazing smelling soup, "Okay, I'm preparing dinner."

"Sounds like you're busy. Should I call you later?"

"No, it's fine, mom." I took the spoon out of the pot, placed it down on the little plate beside the stove and covered the pot with the lid. Keeping it ajar while I lowered the heat to let the soup simmer, "Lucas is coming over later. I just want this to be good."

"Things are going so well between you two." I knew where this was going, mom wasn't being subtle about it anymore, "Why don't you want to do the official family dinner?"

I started collecting the ingredients I needed for the lemon chicken I wanted to bake in the oven, it was a quick fix but still so favorable. I'd serve it with a fresh salad. Maybe some broccoli. I was picturing all these ingredients plated up when mom tore me away from my inner thoughts again.

"Honey?"

"Lucas and I don't feel like we're ready for that yet." I placed the ingredients down on the counter and focused on my conversation with my mom, "I haven't even been to his place yet. I mean I have met his roommate and his roommate's sister. But I haven't seen his place yet."

"Is that really all there is to not doing this family dinner?" Mom inquired, "Or is there something more going on here?"

She was too damn observant for her own good. She didn't need to know about the mess I created. I would clean it up and hopefully marry Lucas and grant her the grandbabies she wanted. That was the future I was aiming for. It wasn't highly ambitious. I wasn't a badass lawyer who showed women could be just as powerful and intimidating as men. I was me. What I wanted was to enjoy my job, no matter how much it paid. I wanted to date someone who made feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

"There is nothing more going on, we just want the moms to give us some space so we can work on our relationship on our own pace."

"Okay." She finally gave in which surprised me, "We won't bring it up anymore. Just know that we're excited about this. It just really makes us happy seeing our kids together and the relationship being steady and only growing."

I leaned against the counter, my throat tightening up hearing the emotion in mom's voice. Lucas and I were aware that the moms were planning our wedding. We were aware of how happy they were yet hearing the words just sucker punched me in the gut.

"Mom, I'm in love with Lucas." I let her know in a quiet voice, afraid of someone hearing me who wasn't supposed. It was silly since I was in my own freaking kitchen, "I want to marry him. Not now but definitely in the near future. Don't worry about us, okay?"