Chapter Thirty Four
“I cannot believe this year is almost over. It’s been hell,” Amanda muttered as she walked into Lucas’s boat.
It was the day before Christmas Eve, the first of a five-day break at the company.
Lucas stepped in after her and closed the door. He said nothing as he placed the groceries he had picked on the way on the sink. He proceeded to unpack them into the refrigerator.
“So, are you really going to spend Christmas alone?” she asked, taking a seat and placing her bag beside her.
“I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me.”
“How can I not? It’s kind of depressing. This is your first Christmas at home in five years and you’re not spending it with your family. What exactly did you fight about?”
When he had told her he would spend the next couple of days cruising on his boat, she had thought he was joking. Christmas was one of the few times her entire family got together. Hell, even Simon showed up. She had thought Lucas would get a chance to spend some time with his parents and siblings.
So when he told her he wouldn’t be joining their festivities, she had been surprised. He explained that he wasn’t in good terms with his parents, but didn’t explain further.
Having finished stocking up the refrigerator, Lucas put away the shopping bags and turned to her. “I’ll tell you, later.”
“Oh? Okay.”
“For now, tell me, what do you wanna eat?”
“I’m not really hungry.”
He raised his brow and approached the couch. Moving her bag away, he sat down next to her. “Oh?”
She met his gaze as he leaned towards her. “Mmh.”
“Sure I can’t make you want to eat anything?” While he asked, his eyes moved from her eyes to her lips and back up.
She played along. “I don’t know… what do you have in mind?”
His hand came up, his large palm cradling one side of her face. His thumb brushed over her lower lip, his eyes focused on her mouth. Just his gaze was enough to get her all hot and bothered.
She was amazed at how after all this time, her attraction to him only seemed to increase. At the beginning, she had thought that after a few times together, their desire for each other would run out fast.
But each time he looked at her, like now, the intensity in his eyes seemed to grow. She told herself that it meant nothing. That things were as they were when they first started sleeping together.
Deep down, she knew she was lying to herself.
It was just an excuse she used to keep from admitting that even though she knew they were no longer just another pair of fuck buddies, she wasn’t doing anything to stop it.
She hated that after all this time, she was still hesitant about trying something more with him. Was she really so afraid that things would turn ugly?
“Let me show you,” he said before claiming her lips with his.
Her phone chimed, but she ignored it.
She wrapped her hands around his neck and pressed closer to him.
How much better would all this be if she admitted she liked him for so much more than just sex?
---
Amanda emerged from the main cabin, wearing one of Lucas’s shirts. They’d had sex twice, taken a nap, and now he was fixing something for dinner.
She reached into her bag and retrieved her phone. Unlocking it, she walked over to the refrigerator to get a bottle of water. Meanwhile, she swiped her phone’s screen and tapped on a notification for an unread message.
She placed the phone on the counter as she opened the bottle. Her eyes scanned the text.
“Do you have a fetish for CEOs, or do you just like banging your employees? I have videos of you and Erikson being intimate. I’ll exchange them for 10 million dollars. Or you can become the newest pórn star in town. Your choice. Get the money ready in two days, I’ll tell you where to send it.
Ps: it’s nice when you have video evidence, isn’t it?”
Everything faded around her as the message registered.
She was barely aware of the bottle of water slipping through her fingers and falling to the floor.
“Oops,” Lucas said, bending to pick up the bottle that was spilling water on the floor. “What, you’re suddenly clum—” He went still as he saw the horrified look on her face. “What’s wrong?”
She lifted her phone to his face, robotically. “Somebody knows.”
***
Amanda got off the phone and threw it onto the couch. “She’s denying involvement.”
When Amanda saw the last part of the blackmail message, only one person had flashed through her mind. Nancy. She had thought that maybe she was doing this to get back at her for releasing the video about her and Samuel.
But after calling her, the woman denied.
“Do you believe her?” Lucas asked.
Amanda shook her head. “I don’t know.”
The message she received was from a private number. She would try to have it traced the next day. But, she knew it would probably be futile. If she was the one blackmailing someone for ten million dollars, she would take every precaution to hide her identity.
Besides, what would she do if she found out who it was? If she reported them, they’d definitely release the video.
“Maybe they’re bluffing,” Lucas suggested. “We’ve never been together in a public place. Even if they knew about us, they’d never be able to get such a video.”
“Maybe we were careless. Like that day at the wedding, when your mother found us.” She paced. “I don’t have that kind of money, Lucas.”
“Hey, calm down. You’re not paying anybody anything.”
“Do you realise what this can do to me?”
“I know…”
She shook her head. “If they prove that they have a video, there’s no two ways about it.”
Lucas drew her into his arms and gave her a hug. “No, we cannot let whoever it is get away with this. You’ll be fine.”