Love In High Stakes

Chapter 14

After dinner, Lucas settled the bills and they both left. As usual, Lucas opened the car door for Olivia to get in and then he got into the driver's seat. Everything seemed peaceful between them. While Lucas did not want to scare Olivia or make her feel uneasy, her lips were tempting.

Without losing any second, he turned towards Olivia, pulled her close to him and crashed his lips on hers. The taste of her delicious lips drove Lucas even more crazy, while Olivia only closed her eyes. Everything happened so fast, clouding Olivia's thoughts and paralysing her instantly. She did not want to respond, but all she was doing was waiting for this moment to be over.

Lucas sucked on her lower lip, and Olivia shuddered. She tried to push Lucas gently, but he did not give up. Instead, he shifted his mouth to her neck and sucked on her skin.

"Lucas, please, no!" Olivia protested.

Lucas stopped, stared into her blue eyes and said, "Scared that I may leave a mark and he'll see it?"

Shocked, Olivia just stared at him, confused. Olivia could swear that she saw his grey orbs shine.

"What do you mean?" Olivia finally asked.

"You're seeing someone, aren't you?" Lucas clenched his jaw and interrogated.

"I'm seeing no one... What's wrong with you?" Olivia asked.

"Then, why did you stop me?" Lucas asked, still upset.

"Lucas, we have discussed this millions of times and I don't have to give you any more reasons. I had a lovely evening, but please, drop back now," Olivia pleaded.

"Tell me something, Olivia. If your dear father hadn't traded you to me, and we were just strangers, would you have fallen for me? If there was no contract involved between us, would you have been mine?"

Olivia remained silent and looked down. Of course, she would have fallen for him. Who could resist Lucas Kennedy? He was a gentleman, respected her and very caring. What else did she need? But she hated him because he agreed to Olivia's father's condition.

Olivia thought that Lucas might have pressured her father into agreeing to his demands and that Lucas only found benefits in any kind of trading, ignoring human feelings. To her, he was just a selfish maniac, although he had not stolen her virginity, but he was like a wolf, waiting for the right time to pounce.

On the other hand, Lucas felt stabbed. Right then, he hated the contract he had made between Olivia's father and him. Many times, he wanted to set her free, but he feared that she might just forget him and go with someone else.

Lucas hated the fact that Olivia felt like a puppet in his hands, but for the time being, it was the contract that had given him excuses to spend time with her. Lucas was madly in love with Olivia and it was hard to let her go. He was willing to give her some time, but he wanted to wake up to her beautiful face every morning.

"I... I don't know, Lucas," Olivia mumbled.

"Are you in love with someone else?" Lucas asked.

"No! I'm not. I don't have time for love and relationships. I need to—"

"I know! I know! To work your ass off and pay back what you owe me!" Lucas snapped.

Olivia said nothing.

From time to time, Lucas had to vent his frustration. In front of him was his woman and yet, he could not have her in his life fully. Now he had started cursing the contract that was supposed to bind them but stood as a thick wall between them.

Lucas thought that it was best to stay away from Olivia for some time so that he would not lose his sanity. Still, he had faith in his love. It was true love and she would come to him sooner or later.

"I'll drop you home," Lucas said and acted.

Minutes after, Olivia got down. Since it did not look like Lucas wanted to speak to her, she turned her back to leave.

To her astonishment, she heard Lucas saying, "The day you fall in love with someone, let me know. I promise to free you from me!"

Before Olivia could turn to see Lucas, he had already driven off.

Olivia felt her heart skip a beat. Had she heard him well? Had she been dreaming? Or was he so mad at her that he had uttered those words?

Once Olivia reached her apartment, she heaved a sigh of relief. She removed the dress with care, kept it on the sofa and headed to the washroom. She proceeded to remove the makeup and freshen up before going to bed when she noticed a hickey on her neck.

Olivia touched it, closing her eyes and thinking about Lucas. He could have been a great friend if he was not her enemy. Or rather, he could have been her husband, if that bloody contract had not come between them.

Olivia kept on pondering upon Lucas' words, "Tell me... Olivia. If ... we were just strangers, would you have fallen for me? If there was no contract involved between us, would you have been mine?"

Fortuitously, Olivia muttered, "Maybe, Lucas... But you thought that I was a commodity and a seal to get what you want. Your goal is only the gallery and nothing else."

Thinking about a bright future that lay ahead of her, Olivia fetched some ice and massaged the area and she knew that the next day, the mark would have already vanished.

As Olivia checked the time, the clock indicated 22:30. She needed to make sure that she would be ready for her first day at the Sterling office and make a good impression. Her struggles had come to an end and soon she would be able to free herself from Lucas Kennedy's clutches.

All of a sudden, Olivia thought about Lucas' question, "Are you in love with someone else?"

Was she really in love with someone? Could that someone be Alexander Sterling? The latter's face flashed in front of her eyes.

"No..." Olivia said to herself, "It can't be."