Scarlett enjoyed singing along with all the Christmas songs which came on. She made the ride to the beach house fun. It felt like they arrived there much faster than normal. He knew it was due to Scarlett being excited. She managed to make him sing along with those cheesy Christmas songs too. He wasn't a fan of Christmas but Scarlett seemed to love it. If Noah managed to turn their lobby into a Christmas wonderland within a few days he'd be impressed but mostly Scarlett would be impressed.
He couldn't wait to see the look on her face as she entered the lobby.
Smiling he parked his barely used car in one of the private parking spots his family owned. He recognized his father's car, there was a car next to it he didn't recognize. It probably belonged to his mother's friend or maybe the friend's daughter.
This was real, it was really happening.
He glanced at Scarlett when he felt her hand on his arm. She flashed him a reassuring smile, the warmth in her eyes luring him in. Everything about her was soft and gentle at the moment. That was unlike her. Maybe she felt sorry for him. She knew how stressed he was, this drama wasn't something he could deal with.
"We can do this." She spoke in a quiet tone, trying to encourage him.
He wasn't sure if they could but they had to. They were already at the beach house, there was no going back now. If his mother was lurking, waiting to surprise him with her guests she would be on guard and already know that he was there. Emma Starr was not to be taken lightly. She could be dangerous behind all that glitter and glamour.
"We have no choice." He muttered.
Scarlett shrugged, "You always have a choice if you want to leave you are allowed to leave." She leaned closer to him and lowered her voice, "Your mother can't hold you hostage. That's against the law." She whispered.
She was trying to keep the mood light between them and he appreciated that. He knew he had a choice but he wasn't looking forward to the consequences of his actions. If he just up and left his mother would haunt him forever. She would forever let him know about that time he behaved like a child. So leaving was not an option right now. Right now he had to pull himself together, grab their luggage and settle in at the beach house. Introduce his fake girlfriend to his parents and the unwanted guests.
"We'll see this through."
She didn't protest but Scarlett didn't seem like the type of person who would just run away from her problems. She might not deal with them maturely but she would deal with them. Without warning, she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his cheek. She did it again but this time he didn't even have the right to be shocked. She was his fake girlfriend after all. Kissing his cheek felt like something she was allowed to do. Her lips tugging to a mischievous smile told him that she was aware of this.
"Let's see this through then, baby." She more or less jumped out of the car so she didn't have to hear him whine about the pet name. Her giggling was all he heard when he climbed out of the car.
She thought she was so funny.
He hated how a small smile spread across his face, betraying his feelings to her. He thought her giggling fit was adorable but he wanted to hide that. She knew now though. Letting her calm down he grabbed their luggage and locked the car.
"You almost done, Miss Archer?"
She wiped a tear away, "I'm having a lot of fun already, are you?" She asked him.
They walked to the beach house together, "I always enjoy your teasing."
The sarcasm came across but Scarlett didn't seem to mind it. She brushed it off with a flick of her hand. As they arrived at the beach house the door was thrown open and his mother graced them with her presence. Emma Starr did know how to grab everyone's attention.
"Lucian!" His mother greeted cheerfully, "Your father just set the table, you are right on time." His mother just then noticed his company and the cheerfulness faded. The woman didn't even try to hide it, "Oh, won't you introduce me to your friend?" She asked.
He turned to look at Scarlett, "This is Scarlett Archer, my girlfriend."
He made sure to clear that up from the start. It left no room for doubts or creativity on his mother's part. Scarlett was his girlfriend and he'd make sure the people staying at the beach house were all informed about that.
"Nice to meet you." Scarlett smiled at his mother, holding her hand out.
His mother couldn't leave Scarlett hanging, that would be rude and not the image Emma wanted to set. He had to hide a smile when Emma stepped forward and shook hands with Scarlett. Displeasure was, however, very clear in his mother's eyes.
"Nice to meet you too," Emma said in a very tight voice.
Lucian slightly raised the bags he was holding, "Mom, will you let us through? I want to settle down before dinner and I'm sure Scarlett wants to freshen up."
"I'd actually love that." Scarlett agreed.
Emma smiled, the smile never reaching her eyes as she stepped aside. Lucian ignored her and so did Scarlett. He smiled when his back was turned to his mother. He led the way to his room while Scarlett followed behind him. He knew his mother would not like this at all, but he didn't care. He did want to put their bags away and freshen up too before facing their guests.
His mother still wasn't aware that he knew about the guests. Things would become very interesting.
Scarlett closed the door behind her, "Well, that's out of the way." She said quietly.
"That was the easy part," Lucian whispered. He gestured to his ensuite, "You can freshen up first."
She swayed from side to side, "Always the gentleman, I love that about you." She spoke louder now and if his mother was eavesdropping she would have heard that.
He shook his head at her, "Just go, will you?" He whispered.
She grinned but did as told. She grabbed her makeup bag and disappeared in his ensuite. While Scarlett got ready he grabbed his phone and texted both Noah and Michael to let them know he was at the beach house and Emma wasn't happy with him already. Noah and Michael both told him he should have expected that. They were sending him message after message with encouraging words. They wanted him to stand his ground, let his mother know that this could never happen again.
"Your turn."
Lucian looked up from his phone, "Okay, I'll be quick."
"There is no rush." Scarlett joked.
"No rush at all."
He closed the bathroom door behind him and was impressed that his mother kept his bathroom stocked with his products. He did bring his hair and face products with him but there was no need to take them out. He quickly freshened up and met up with Scarlett who was seated on the end of his bed, scrolling through her phone.
"You ready?" He asked her.
She got to her feet, pocketed her phone and walked to the door beating him to it, "No, but I do need some food in me so let's go."
He took her outstretched hand and led her out of his bedroom, walking with determined steps to the dining room. His father sat at the head of the table, his eyes glittering the minute Lucian walked in together with Scarlett.
"Good evening." Lucian greeted, trying to break the awkward silence.
His father threw him a pointed look, "This might be the first time you're actually on time for dinner." The man got out of his chair, strolled to Scarlett and held his hand out to her, "And that might be because of you."
Scarlett shook hands with him, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Starr."
"James." He corrected her, letting go of her hand, "Take a seat and make yourself at home."
"Thank you, James." Scarlett made sure to emphasize his name.
His father thought that was hilarious because he smirked. He swore he even heard his father chuckle but tried covering it up with a cough.
"Lucian!" His mother caught his attention with her high pitched squeal, "I'd like to introduce you to my friend Ellen and her daughter Jenna. You remember, Jenna?" His mother asked, more or less forcing him to nod, "I mentioned her company."
Lucian flashed the woman who was put on the spot a polite smile, "I remember. Nice to meet you, Jenna."
Lucian sat on his father's right and gestured for Scarlett to take a seat beside him. She quickly sat down, her eyes gleaming playfully.
"So what do you do, Scarlett?" His mother asked who now sat across him and looked at his fake girlfriend as if she was gum on the bottom of her shoe.
He didn't like that.
Placing his arm around Scarlett's shoulder, he pressed a kiss to her temple. Unlike him, she didn't tense up by the display of affection. She merely giggled.
"I work together with Lucian."
She told his mother without blinking. She sounded so confident about it his mother couldn't even respond to that right away. She needed a minute to process that. Emma did recover after a few seconds and straightened in her chair. She poured red wine in her glass and held out the bottle to her friend. They'd pass it on just like they'd share peas and corn. He figured everyone at the table needed a little wine to get through this awkward dinner.
"You work together?" His mother asked again so they'd clarify that.
Lucian let go of Scarlett when it was her turn to pour herself a little wine. When her glass was filled she also poured him a glass of wine. The bottle was empty when it was dad's turn but James didn't mind.
"I guess I'll get us another bottle."
"Or two," Lucian muttered.
"Right." James chuckled.
"We work together." He confirmed, "Scarlett is my assistant at the office."
His mother looked so shocked that she could barely blink. He paid her not much attention and focused on finishing dinner so they didn't have to stay at the table for long. Scarlett must have noticed what he was doing so she followed him, filling up her plate and eating everything a lot speedier than normal.
"Wow." Jenna was sipping her wine and observing them with a cautious eye, "How does that work?"
"When we're at the office we're Mister Starr and Miss Archer." Scarlett answered her, "We keep our relationship strictly professional. Since we work well together that's not an issue at all."
"At all." Lucian agreed, "Scarlett and I work really well together. She is the best assistant I ever had and I know Lara was amazing but you just know what I need and when I need it." He faced Scarlett who was smirking at him with that mischievous look in her eyes which he became so familiar with.
"I am so telling Lara that." She whispered to him, placing her hand on his knee underneath the table.
He raised an eyebrow at her, "You stayed in touch with Lara."
"Yes, we get along pretty well."
He nodded, inhaling deeply when he felt her hand trail high and higher. She rested it on his thigh, her touching becoming way too personal now.
"I can totally understand that."
She leaned in, "Yeah? Are we so alike?"
He was aware that they were ignoring everyone else by having their own personal conversation which was becoming a bit flirty but surely his mother and her company got the message now.
"I'm not going to lie, you are quite similar."
His mother cleared his throat, "We have guests, Lucian." She reminded him.
Mind your manners is what she wanted to say but she glared at him instead. He shrugged his shoulders not feeling guilty about flirting with his fake girlfriend at all. Scarlett slipped her fingers higher and brushed against his crotch which made him clear his throat to cover up a gasp. She smiled innocently when she pulled her hand away and reached for her glass of wine, taking a sip the same way Jenna had. Like she was all high and mighty.
"Dinner is lovely," Scarlett told his mother.
"Just lovely," Lucian muttered, reaching for his wine and gulping it down.
His father looked intrigued by the whole ordeal but kept his words to himself. The man was observing. He knew that unlike his mother, James would be subtle about his comments. It didn't look like his father disliked Scarlett. It seemed like his father actually liked his fake girlfriend. It was the right thing to do to mention they worked together. Scarlett would be around for a long time he hoped and his family would run into her occasionally. If they couldn't keep up with the fake relationship they at least could play the 'we work well' together card.