Convincing her

David's phone rang at that time and he pulled it out of his pocket to see who was calling him. He quickly excused himself when he saw that Lucas was calling and went to the balcony to take the call.

"Hello?" David said as soon as he answered the phone.

"Mmh, are you at the event already?" Lucas asked once he heard David's voice.

"Mmh, we got here about half an hour ago" David answered.

"We? Ah~ you brought a date right?" Lucas said and David could almost see him smirk smugly at him just by the tone of his voice.

"I did, when will you be here?" David asked immediately changing the subject.

"I'll be there in about ten minutes. I'm not late right?" Lucas asked.

David did not know but Lucas was calling because Jen was worried that they were going to be late to the party, so he was trying to reassure her that everything was fine.

"Heh, is this a trick question?" David asked. He still wasn't able to figure out the situation. On the other hand, Jen was giving Lucas an accusatory glare.

"Never mind, I'll see you soon," Lucas said and cut the call an annoyed expression clearly etched on his face.

"I told you we were late," Jen said as she folded her arms in front of her chest.

"We aren't late, let me explain. Whoever arrives after I do is late to the party. If my father was here then it would mean we were late if we arrived at the venue after he did but since he isn't, we are not late so calm yourself" Lucas said clearly frustrated.

He had been nagged from the moment they left the house and on the whole duration of their drive, considering that they had been driving for about twenty minutes already, his frustration was warranted.

"Will we really get there in ten minutes?" Jen asked skeptically.

"Mmh, don't worry about it the turn is right ahead," Lucas said and not long after turned the steering wheel as they took the exit from the highway to the hotel.

As the hotel was large, it was the only place that the exit would lead to into in the first place. Jen looked at the familiar scenery of the hotel and remembered how she had agreed to date Lucas the last time they were there.

Lucas stopped the car in front of the lobby and quickly got out. He threw the car keys at the valet that was on standby and went to open the passenger's door. He stretched his hand out and Jen took it as she gracefully got out of the car.

There was some press that was standing in front of the hotel so Jen did not want to look bad in case pictures of her were taken without her knowledge like last time.

Lucas smiled in amusement when he saw how composed she looked all of a sudden. No one would have been able to guess that she was the same person that had been relentlessly nagging at him a few seconds ago.

"Mr. Lewis, can we have an interview?" One of the few reporters that managed to get to the hotel asked.

Lucas politely declined and walked up the stairs that would lead to the entrance of the hotel lobby.

"Can we at least get a picture?" the reporter asked. He knew that he couldn't make a fuss otherwise he would be blacklisted and he could only dream of getting to the hotel's premises.

Lucas paused when he heard the reporter and turned to look at Jen. Jen looked at him in question when he suddenly stopped.

The reporter's spirits were lit once more when he saw Lucas stop at the stairs. He quickly beckoned to the photographer to quickly find a good spot.

"Let's take a picture together," Lucas said to Jen and did not wait for her to respond before he turned the both of them around securely holding on to Jen's waist so she wouldn't trip since they were standing at the stairs.

When Lucas nodded the photographer quickly snapped pictures of the couple. Jen was still disoriented from being turned so suddenly.

Lucas leaned down to whisper something in her ear an action that did not help Jen's situation at all.

"Smile Miss Larson. We don't get many opportunities to take pictures together" Lucas said with a smile. The photographer continued to snap their pictures enthusiastically especially when Lucas smiled against her cheek, the two of them looked intimate and dignified at the same time.

Jen turned to look at Lucas and almost lost her composure in the process. Couldn't he have asked her? She was upset that he turned her around so suddenly without warning while they were on a flight of stairs. Things could have gone very wrong if he had not held on to her.

Lucas chuckled when he saw that she was trying to stop herself from glaring at him.

"You shouldn't wear such a sour expression, go ahead and smile," Lucas said and surprised her once more by pecking her lips before he turned and gave the photographers one of his most charming smiles. After Jen had gotten hold of herself she also turned and smiled at the cameras as well.

"That's enough. Send me all the pictures, even the weird ones" Lucas said to the photographers as others had joined in the fun when he agreed to have his pictures taken.

He then turned slowly being cautious of Jen already and the two of them disappeared from the photographers' sight once they got into the lobby.

"I see you've made them your personal photographers," Jen said as they walked past the lobby area.

"I might as well benefit as well. Those pictures will earn them a bonus at work" Lucas rationalised and Jen scoffed in disbelief.

"You had to say that," Jen said as she looked at him. Lucas laughed when he saw the way he was being looked at. She was clearly judging him from how dirty her gaze was.

"Hey, you know it's true. Besides, everyone but you is allowed to judge me" Lucas said and connected their lips once more.