Chapter 116: Lots of Teasing

Michael’s POV

I watched Emerald for a moment, then shook my head.

"I’ve never seen you this proud of acknowledging that you’re my girlfriend."

Her expression shifted, though the confidence remained. "I am simply reminding you of the arrangement you created."

"Then let me remind you of something else." I leaned back slightly. "You still have to choose between business and pleasure."

She stared at me.

"If you need academic assistance or anything business-related, you can contact one of my assistants and have an appointment arranged. You don’t need to come looking for me personally."

I extended my hand toward my tea. "But if you really want to see me on a weekend, then it has to be for pleasure."

My fingers stopped before reaching the cup. "And now, give me my tea back."

She looked at the cup, then at me. "You won’t get it back until we reach an agreement."

"There is no agreement to be reached between us," I insisted, knowing she wouldn’t like that.

Her eyebrows rose. I said nothing else and simply waited.

She had taken my tea hostage, so I wanted to see what she intended to do with the situation.

There was no reason for me to rush her. I had all the patience in the world, and watching her think through her next move was considerably more entertaining than arguing with her.

Eventually, she leaned closer. "By pleasure, what exactly do you mean?"

I raised an eyebrow. I loved where this was heading.

"What kind of pleasure do you want?" she inquired.

I smirked and leaned toward her slightly. "What do you think?"

Her eyes narrowed, but I held her gaze and asked, "What kind of pleasure do you think a man would want when he is home alone with his girlfriend?"

The moment the words left my mouth, I watched the realisation reach her face.

Her eyes widened. A faint blush spread across her cheeks. She looked genuinely shocked.

Not because she didn’t understand what I meant, but because I had said it so casually, sitting across from her in a café full of people.

I kept my gaze on her.

She lowered her voice almost to a whisper. "Do you have no fear?"

I scoffed. "Do I look like someone who can be afraid of anything or anyone?"

That left her completely speechless. She opened her mouth, then closed it again.

I smiled.

There was something deeply satisfying about making Emerald Hugo lose her words. She was usually quick with her responses, especially when she thought she had the upper hand.

Now, watching her struggle to find something to say because of a few carefully chosen words was far more entertaining than it had any right to be.

Draxen was laughing inside my head. "You enjoy this."

I ignored him. Of course I enjoyed it.

When I had watched her reaction long enough, I decided I had teased her enough, so I leaned back in my chair.

"You can come tomorrow morning."

She blinked. "I can?"

"Yes." I picked up my fork again. "Anytime in the morning. Although it would be better if you came on time so you can have breakfast with me."

A soft sigh escaped her. I noticed it immediately. She had finally relaxed.

Her mind had clearly come back down to earth after realising that I wasn’t actually trying to take the conversation where her imagination had apparently carried it.

"Then I will come on time for breakfast." She nodded. "And I’m not missing your breakfast spread for anything."

I smiled. "That’s what I thought."

She smiled.

I took another bite of my cake and suddenly had a thought, so I put down my fork.

"There’s something you should know," I said. "My best friend is coming to stay with me for the weekend."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "The friend I saw at my cousin’s wedding?"

"Yes. Adrian Blake."

She nodded slowly. "Then there won’t be any need for me to come tomorrow."

"Why?"

"If you have a visitor, I don’t want to ruin the moment. You two probably haven’t seen each other in a while."

"That won’t be a problem," I said immediately.

She shook her head. "No, it’s fine. I can come next weekend."

"Emerald," I called out gently. "You won’t be a bother."

She said, "I didn’t say I would be a bother."

"You were already thinking it."

She gave me a look. "I simply don’t want to intrude."

"The only reason I told you about his presence is so you know beforehand. I don’t want you walking into my condo tomorrow and finding someone there you weren’t expecting."

She considered that. Still, I could see she wasn’t entirely convinced.

"I can just come next weekend."

"No." I refuted.

Her eyes narrowed. I knew that expression. She was preparing to argue. But I had no intention of letting her escape that easily.

"Why are you not comfortable coming over when my friend is around?" I asked.

She frowned. "I don’t understand what you mean."

"Could you have some other plan?"

"Plans?" She looked genuinely confused. "What sort of plans could I have?"

I lowered my voice. "For example, pleasuring me."

Her gaze widened instantly. The colour returned to her cheeks so quickly that I almost laughed.

She stared at me as though I had lost my mind.

I used the opportunity perfectly.

While her attention was still fixed on my face, I reached across the table, took my green tea from beside her plate, and pulled it back toward myself.

Finally. My tea was back where it belonged.

I took a slow sip while she continued staring at me.

Draxen was laughing so hard that I could barely hear my own thoughts. "Lucien,you are really something else."

I took another sip. "Thank you."

Emerald blinked, then she realised what I had done. Her mouth fell open slightly.

I smiled over the rim of my cup.

She had been guarding my tea as though it were bargaining power, so she had forgotten one important thing.

I had never needed to negotiate when I could simply wait for the right moment.