Convincing her

After their dinner, Jen went to shop for a couple of things she would need for the weekend before going for grocery shopping. By the time the two left the mall, it was already dark outside.

Lucas leisurely drove towards the villa while Jen admired the passing city lights and how they gradually reduced the further out they went. Soon there were barely any flecks of light outside. But to them, that meant that they were closer to their destination.

Soon they were in front of the gates of the gated community and after they were identified, the gates slid open. Jen continued to look outside at the houses that looked similar to each other but had some characteristic differences that seemed to be customized according to the owners.

"We're here," Lucas announced as he stopped the car and turned it off. Jen happily got off the car and went to take the shopping bags that they had stuffed in the back seat.

Lucas picked up her luggage and the rest of the things in the car and the two went into the house. Jen made a beeline for the kitchen as she was carrying the groceries, and after Lucas deposited the heavier things they had bought in the kitchen, he went upstairs with the rest of her things.

Jen began arranging the things they had bought in the refrigerator that had nothing but drinks before. She closed the fridge and started arranging some things in the cabinets.

As she was standing on her toes trying to put a box of tea leaves in the upper cabinet, Lucas stood behind her and easily put it up for her.

"When did you come downstairs?" Jen asked as she stood properly once more.

"Just now," Lucas said and took a step back so he wasn't so overbearingly close to her.

"Is that everything?" Lucas asked as he noticed that she was just staring at him.

"Oh no, I'm not done yet," Jen said and turned back to continue with what she was doing.

"Don't worry about it, I'll handle it. You go freshen up first okay?" Lucas said as he stopped her from continuing with what she was doing.

"You sure?" she asked him as she looked up at him.

"Mmh, I know you are tired so go on ahead first," Lucas said and kissed her forehead. Jen nodded and went upstairs to the bedroom.

She took a relaxing hot shower and brushed her teeth before wearing her short slip with a short silk robe. She wore her slippers and went downstairs to look for Lucas. Lucas had already finished arranging things in the cabinets and even put a couple of snacks on a plate and was snacking on them.

Jen picked up the glass of iced water he was drinking and took a generous gulp before he could stop her and she instantly regretted. Lucas watched with an amused smile as her eyes watered before she coughed and exhaled as if to relieve her throat.

"What the hell are you drinking?" Jen asked him as she sat on the barstool next to his. 

"It's vodka," he said with a chuckle, before dragging the stool she was sitting on closer to his. Jen grimaced a bit as she remembered the taste. Not that she had never had it before, but who drank vodka on large mouthfuls in the first place?

Lucas went to the fridge and got her a coke to drink. He felt for her. He knew that it was not a pleasant taste and the alcohol was strong enough to make you shiver and have goosebumps if you drank too much at once as Jen did.

Jen took a sip of the coke and paused momentarily before taking a long drink out of it. Lucas just swirled his drink with the ice and took a sip of it. 

"That was weirdly refreshing, I almost forgot about my trauma," Jen said, referring to the vodka she had just drunk.

"Do you want some?" Lucas asked her. Jen looked at his glass and after some hesitation, she finally nodded. 

"You can have something else if you don't like it. Take your pick," Lucas said as he pointed at all the drinks that were assorted on the shelves behind the bar.

"No, I'll have what you're having," Jen said decisively.

"Okay," Lucas said with a chuckle and went behind the bar to pick a glass before butting two large cubes of ice in it and pouring her some vodka. He did not return it to the shelf but left it on the bar in case any of them wanted more for themselves.

Jen watched him leisurely do these series of tasks and couldn't help but think that if he was a bartender, he would probably be very popular.

"Thank you," Jen said with a smile that appeared to be a bit flirtatious since she was still lost in her own thoughts. Seeing how she was looking at him, Lucas also smiled at her, his dimples making an appearance.

"You would definitely be very popular as a bartender," Jen said to herself, but Lucas heard her words anyway and he chuckled in amusement.

"Are you drunk already?" Lucas asked as he sat down next to her.

"Not yet," Jen said and took a sip from her glass as if she was proving a point.

"Okay, just slow down, don't go overboard," Lucas said as he pushed the plate with the snacks towards her.

"Thanks," Jen said and picked up a peanut and put it in her mouth. Even though she hadn't been sitting there and drinking for a while like Lucas was, the vodka she had accidentally drunk was already taking effect and she started feeling hot.

"Is the air conditioning on?" Jen asked as she fanned her face. Lucas looked at her and noticed that her cheeks were already slightly red.

"It is, are you hot? Should I turn it down?" Lucas asked as he observed her.

"No need, can we go outside?" Jen asked him. Lucas looked continued to look at her for a few seconds before nodding his head in agreement.

Jen picked up her glass and slid down the bar stool. Lucas got off the stool and went to take her hand. The two of them walked out of the house into the garden outside. It was not as large as that of the main house, but it was equally luxurious.

There was a cool breeze blowing in the night that brought with it the beautiful scent of flowers, that combined with the sound of water from the water fountain really was a recipe for a relaxed night. 

Jen took a deep breath and smiled before taking a sip of her drink. Lucas was satisfied with looking at her happy expression.

The two of them then walked to a bench that was not too far from the fountain and sat down. Jen then took a deep breath of the night air and felt like all her stress was going away. The air was truly different when you were not in the centre of the city. She then took another sip of her drink, the cool but burning drink making its way down her throat, warming her insides.

She looked up at the sky as she breathed out and noticed how bright the stars were. She smiled as she moved closer to Lucas, bringing his arm over her shoulder so that she could comfortably rest on his chest.

"The stars are beautiful here," Jen said as she continued to look at the sky. Now that he had mentioned it, Lucas looked up too and realised that the stars were truly bright. It should be the effect of being in such a dark area in the first place.

"Do you like it?" Lucas asked as he looked back at her and noticed that she was fanning herself again.

"It's beautiful," Jen replied honestly.

"You can come over any time to relax, I'll just tell security to let you in whenever you come over, okay?" Lucas told her, eliciting a smile from her because of his promise.

"I would love that," Jen said wholeheartedly. When she felt like she was about to start sweating even though she just had a shower. She tugged at the belt of her robe and it fell open and her skin was cooled by the night breeze making her sigh in relief.

"Were you that hot?" Lucas asked in amusement, and Jen nodded at him. It was almost unbearable for her, if she was being honest.

She shrugged her shoulders, and the robe fell to her elbows and the wind cooled her back. When the two of them drank, they were normally outside when they were drinking, so the still air in the house was a bit suffocating for her. Combined with the fact that they were having hard liquor this time did not help matters at all.

"Are you that hot?" Lucas asked as he looked at her. His eyes had darkened slightly after seeing what she had been hiding inside the robe she was wearing.

"Aren't you hot?" Jen asked as she looked at him. He noticed that her cheeks were slightly pink, probably from the alcohol. He could only think that she looked cute.

"Your face is red," Lucas said to her as he used his hands to rub her face.

"It only happens when I drink such strong stuff," Jen said as she touched her warm face with her cool hands.

"It's cute," Lucas said with a smile and bent down to kiss her lips.

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