Lunch with a Side of Scandals

ROXANNE'S P.O.V

I sat alone at the dining, my feet rapping slowly on the floor. My eyes roamed around the entire house, my chest heaving as I took in the space. Florian did have stellar taste. He always has. His clothes always stood out from my brother's and any other friends they had. He always stood out from all of them.

Maybe that is why I still don't understand why he kissed me in that closet years ago.

I shook off the thought as Florian appeared, carrying a white glass bowl in his hands. He was wearing an apron now, and I wondered if he had done the cooking himself.

I bit down on my lips as he set it on the table and started to turn away without looking at me. My brows furrowed a little. He had brought me down here himself after complimenting this hoodie and all, but now he seemed distant. Aloof.

"Florian."

He stopped, then turned to me. "Yes?"

"Maybe I should come help out?"

He raised a brow. "The maids are here for that."

"So why are you cooking?"

"Because I want to," he said simply, then turned away and left again.

I wondered if he was still angry about the fact that I had simply used him last night. It did make sense for him to be pissed. I had dragged him into my issue, and if it wasn't for my parent's poor treatment of me today, I wouldn't have had to come back here. He is right to be angry about me practically abandoning him after he was there for me last night.

He came back again, pulling a food cart with him. A maid followed with an ice bucket, and she dropped it on the table as he slowly arranged the food on the table.

His hair was slicked back and held in a bun, and I could only see the black tank top he was wearing around the shoulders. Once he was done, he removed the apron from around him, dropped it on the food tray, and then waved the maids away.

He sat next to me, his eyes holding the same sleepy gaze he always did. I watched him gently pick out a roast and put it in a plate. He added potatoes and a few others that I liked before setting the plate in front of me.

He handed me a set of cutleries and filled my glass.

"Thank you for this, Florian."

He nodded. "Let's eat."

I nodded and slowly dug in. I swear, I meant to maintain my dignity and probably be quiet while we ate. But once that roast hit my taste buds, I found myself rolling my eyes back, my clenched fist hitting the table.

"You made this?" I asked between my marvel of his culinary prowess and my absolute ecstasy.

"You like it?"

I looked up to him, and he was watching me keenly, his eyes slightly wide, but still curved downwards. It gave him a very innocent yet dangerously sexy look. I swallowed hard, my lips parting as my eyes darted between both of his.

"I am sorry."

He leaned closer, his fingers intertwined with each other as he rested his chin on it.

"For what?"

I bit down on my lips. "For how I woke up this morning. I shouldn't have talked about... using you."

"You mean, you shouldn't have been honest?"

"Florian..."

He gave a small chuckle, then met my eyes again. "Remember what I told you in the car."

My lips parted as he grabbed a glass of wine, then brought it to his lips. I turned back to the absolute heaven on my plate and immersed myself in it all over again.

I settled back on the chair, a laugh escaping my lips as I closed my eyes. I wasn't sure what Florian was doing, and I turned to him, my eyes opening.

He was on his phone, his eyes fixed on it, his other hand holding a glass of wine. The glass was half empty, and I sighed, then stood up quietly.

He didn't seem to notice as I went around to him and grabbed the wine bottle. I had leaned to pour some more wine into his glass as a way of expressing my gratitude for the five-star meal when my eyes caught something on his phone.

My brows furrowed as I leaned further to check it, but he suddenly moved the phone away and turned to me.

"What are you doing?"

I bit down on my lips, then met his eyes. "I... I was about to refill your bottle."

He dropped his phone face down, then collected the bottle from me. "Thank you."

I forced a smile, then moved back to my seat, my brows furrowed in confusion. Those things on his phone... it had looked very familiar. I just wasn't completely sure.

I watched him as he picked up his phone again, then gave a small smile and dropped it back. His eyes lifted to me, and he smiled, but I could see a wicked glint in his eyes.

"Is there anything you would like to do, Roxanne?"

I shrugged. "About... what I said in the car. About revenge and whatnot..."

He said nothing, the light in his eyes reflecting between colours of fascination and just pure darkness.

"Well, I..."

The sound of the TV interrupted me, and I looked behind Florian. My eyes widened as colour drained from my face. Right on the TV screen were pictures. Live pictures of my ex-fianxee, Damien, and the prostitutes from Dirty Dreams.

The pictures were taken from the point of view of the women, and in each one, you could see Danien clearly behind them or above. My lips parted, my chest heaving as the pictures left the screen to show a herd of reporters at Damien's family mansion, demanding answers.

Damien's father was a politician, one who was getting ready to contest for governorship seat in CA next year. This would absolutely ruin his family.

My eyes focused back on Florian, and he moved his head to the left, a smile that exposed his sharp canines, lifting his lips.

"What were you saying, sweetheart?"