AUTHOR'S POV
"How about having lunch with me?", Scott said with a piercing stare and a serious tone.
"Huh?", Diana replied wondering if she heard it right.
"You heard me. We'll have lunch at my villa today. That's the first in paying me off", Scott said in a tone where he doesn't accept a no.
"First? So, there will be a second?", she asked, not hiding her displeasure.
".. and a third. First is for riding Apollo without permission. Second is for me sparing the brats. And third was when you harassed me by jumping on me at the beach. Remember?", Scott said as he grin at me.
"I beg your pardon? I did not harass you. You were the one..", before Diana could even finish her sentence, Scott interrupted her.
"You know what happened, Diana. You were clearly on the upper hand and I was just offering my assistance. I suggest, you just come with my terms. You don't want the authorities to go between us right? That's just messy", threatening her a little bit so she wouldn't say no. Scott was enjoying how hard it is for Diana to keep her cool as her face turn red like the wild red roses earlier as he push her buttons.
"Fine.. fine!", she said, clenching her jaw.
"I'll see you at noon? My villa is just straight ahead over there", he pointed to the right direction so she won't get lost. He gave her a cheeky smile, before walking away.
'This guy is just unbelievable', Diana thought as they separated ways.
SCOTT'S POV
I couldn't stop thinking about how Diana almost kissed my cheek. Actually, I should've leaned closer for I might get luckier! The struggle was real keeping a straight face being around her. Her scent is so addicting, it almost felt like I can no longer resist. But then, I'm puzzled with the way she acts towards me. It's clear that she did not reciprocated the imprint. How is that possible?
I went inside my villa and took a quick shower. I didn't know what to wear, so I tried on a few shirts until I've decided to wear a black V-neck shirt and a beige shorts. I practiced a few facial expressions. My smiles, and frowns. I even flexed my biceps a little on the mirror, checking out how do I look when I'm in front of her. Ugh!! This is killing me. I jumped on the bed, planting my face on the pillows. I concealed my screams, as I release all the tension bottling inside of me.
I'm seeing her again and somehow I doubted if she would come over. I wonder what food she likes. Back again on my feet, I opened the fridge and checked what I have in store. I only found steak, a bottle of wine and my favorite strawberry shortcake. I called the main kitchen at the hotel to send some more food, but with the volume of orders I requested, and the number of guests having lunch at the moment, it would take some time for my orders to arrive.
Leaving me with no other choice but to serve what I have. I wore a white apron, and started to whip the kitchen. Starting with the steak, I panfried the meat and sprinkled a little salt and some herbs. While cooking in between steaks and setting the table, I kept glancing on the wall clock. At about 11:45 am, I told to myself that this is gonna the longest 15 minutes of my life.
Once done, I placed the steak on the kitchen island table and washed my hands fervently. I added a few flowers and lighted a couple of scented candles on the dining table. At a distance, I rearranged everything too many times until it felt right. I made sure everything is not too cheesy for her to puke my cooking, and not too empty for her to lose her appetite. After all, I don't want to overdo the first lunch date with my Luna.
I was so busy, I didn't noticed that Lucas was already sitting at the bar stool and was about to eat the steak I cooked. "Don't you dare, Lucas!", throwing the hand towel on his face.
"Aren't these for me? You can't even finish these all by yourself", he said drooling over my steak while I take it away. "Besides, there are two plates and there's just the two of us here. Who else will you have lunch with?", he added as he followed me to the dining table like a hungry puppy.
I glared at him and said, "I'm having lunch with my Luna."
"WHAT?? For real??", he gasped in shock with his fist on his lips trying hard to let chuckle out. He grabbed my shoulders, and shook me with much exhilaration.
"What's real?", a girl's voice suddenly butt in. Without even seeing her face, I knew right away who's my uninvited guest.
"Do something about that", I whispered to Lucas as I watch Christina freely toss her pink purse on the chair and sat comfortably on the seat by the nook.
"I'm glad the food's ready. I'm sooo hungry", Christina uttered, waiting for the food to be served.
"Hey Chris! Fancy seeing you! Why don't we have lunch at the hotel bar and help me plan the bonfire party tonight? I might miss a few details", Lucas shouldered Christina, and forcibly pulled her off her seat. She frowned with her eyes rolling, refusing to go with Lucas. Thankfully, Lucas was able to take her out without so much arguments. I tilted my head back with my eyes closed, and sighed. How annoying.
LATER, AUTHOR'S POV
Diana wore a knee-length fluid beige strappy draped dress with a high slit from her hip down. She twisted her hair up, and sprayed a little perfume behind her ear. Compared to Scott, she knew what exactly to wear. She looked at herself at the mirror, before wearing her slippers and stepped out.
The sun is high, and it's warmer. There was like a sea of crystals as the sunlight hit the sand. The scorching heat of the sun didn't bothered her, as she have spent all her life in the cold corridors and patient rooms of the hospital. She paced out her way through the palm trees going to the villa and took her six minutes to reach it. 'I never thought his villa was this near to my bungalow', she thought. Just in time, the door creaked open just when she was about to knock on the door. "Hello?", she said as she peeked in. She knocked a few more times before entering.
"Scott? Hello?", she said as she carefully walked in. The interior was intricately designed with modern furniture and shades of blue. It's triple the size of her bungalow, and the place is full of mirrors. She smelled the aroma of steak that made her stomach grumble.
"Hi! I thought you'd never come", Scott came out of a room, pocketing his lighter. He stared at her from head to toe and dropped his mouth open with her simple yet tempting look.
"The door was open. So I let myself in", she said as she gave him a polite smile.
"It's alright. Shall we?", Scott led her to the dining room, bit his lower lip and scratched the back of his head.
Scott's villa is exuding the quiet luxury. The combined neutral colors and simplicity made the entire place serene and elegant. As Diana walk in, she was even more impressed with the efforts screaming in the dining space. The wooden dining table of six was set up for a casual lunch for two. There were white marbly plates with black and gold charger plates beneath, shiny silverware, a pair of crystal wine glasses and goblets for water. There are only two kinds of food served on the table - a plateful of steak and a strawberry shortcake.
Diana looked around and noticed a pink purse on a chair. She then sat on the dining chair pulled by Scott. "Is someone else joining us?", she casually asked.