Dedicated to IllusionSonal

AMETHYST

"Hey." I hear Nick call out to me. I look up from the TV to him.

"Care for some Rice and Shrimps?" He asks. Hmm. Sounds yummy.

"Yup." I say in excitement. I couldn't hide it.

"You are cute." He pinches my nose and stops when our eyes meet. Awkward. He quickly straightens his body.

"I am cooking." He says like we didn't just have a moment. I nod in response and smile to him, taking my attention back to the show.

"You know, it is amazing that even down here, Galanis Foods is still thriving." He says. Way to go, feel yourself, dear husband.

"Uhh uhn." I hum in reply. He gets the message and walks to the kitchen.

A yawn escapes my mouth as the sweet aroma of food from the kitchen wafts through my nostrils. I never knew I was this hungry.

"Dinner is served, Kyría (Mrs.)." He flirts in Greek.

"Efcharistó, kýrie (Thank you, Mr.)." I play along. He holds my hand to twirl me around, making me laugh in the process. He leads me to the dinner set up.

"It smells so nice in here." I compliment, opening the serving bowls to see the rice and sauce. I do a dramatic sniff of the sauce and he smacks my hands off the bowl.

"Sit." He says.

"You ain't talking to no dog, Mr." I shoot back.

"Ever feisty." He teases.

"So what will you like your meal with? Juice or Wine?" He asks, being all gentleman-like.

"Juice will be nice, thank you." I smile back, appreciating his efforts to make this work.

"Here. Freshly made apple-grape juice from the finnest hands in the world." He says. I know he is referring to himself.

"As if." I reply, letting out a snort.

He dishes out some food on our separate plates and brings mine in front of me.

"Thank you." I mutter and scoop a spoon full of rice and sauce. I close my eyes to savor the taste and slowly chew the food. As the flavors dance through my mouth, I begin to wonder how on earth a man could cook this good and here I am, a total mess in the kitchen. These things are just not fair.

"So, how is it?" I hear him say, snapping me off my reverie.

"Well..." I tease when I notice how tense he looked. The ever confident Nikolas looking tense? This is a new thing.

"Well?" He cocks an eyebrow, waiting for my response.

"It is amazing. One of the best I have had." I finally say and he lets out a breath of relief.

"The best, you mean." He speaks up, finally gaining his composure.

"You wish." I play off.

"You know it." He says back.

"Well, maybe except for Mrs. Brian's, which I am certain you have not tasted. So mine is still the best you have had." Such confidence. Actually, it is the best Rice and Shrimp sauce combo I have had but I won't increase this man's ego by admitting it.

He starts eating his food which was initially untouched and after a while, he asks.

"So, why don't you like cooking?" I chuckle at the question.

"I like cooking. Cooking just doesn't like me." I shrug in response.

"Please explain that." He says, sipping some from the cup of juice.

"You see, I like to cook." I state, taking a pause to eat my food, I find it difficult to chew while talking even though I do it alot.

"It's just that whenever I go into a kitchen and decide to cook something, it always turns out to be a mess." I relate how I was banned from the kitchen at my father's house to him and some other kitchen tales.

"Wow. That is hilarious." He laughs and I just give him a hard stare.

"It's funny to me too. Sometimes, I laugh at myself in my head. I have signed off from the kitchen ever since." I shrug while saying.

"Well, let's just enjoy our meal." And so we eat in silence, munching on the delicious plate of awesomeness.

We were about to finish eating when his phone rang.

"Hello, Brittany." He speaks into the phone to his secretary after turning on the speaker.

"Hey, Mr. Galanis." She purrs and I cringe. She always does that, so I am not surprised.

"Any news?" He states in his boss-like voice, as if sensing my discomfort.

"Aww. You didn't miss me, Sir?" She says back. Okay, that is it. I can't keep on hearing this conversation. Grateful that I am done eating, I lace my ears with my fingers to block off their conversation then stand up and head straight to the bedroom.

NIKOLAS

I never knew contentment came with cooking until I cooked for her today. The way her eyes closed and the low moans she made whilst chewing the food was really appealing.

Thank you for teaching me how to cook, Mrs. Brian.

I never knew this skill of mine could come in handy with her. It was surprising that when I flirted, she returned the gesture. Someone's finally loosening up around me.

Of the things she spoke about, her kitchen escapades were the funniest. I am about finishing the last bits of my food when my phone rings.

Brittany it read.

"Hello, Brittany." I speak into the phone after turning on the speaker.

"Hey, Mr. Galanis." She purrs and I notice Amethyst cringe as she spoke those words.

"Any news?" I state in a serious tone because of how uncomfortable this made Amethyst.

"Aww. You didn't miss me, Sir?" She says back. She knows the rules, so why is she calling me to ask this? Amethyst laces her ears with her fingers and stands up to leave.

"No. You know the rules. By the way, whatever we had going on is over." I state, furious because I caused this.

"Fuck you." She curses.

"You are fired!" She gasps upon hearing my declaration. Realization hits her that I have been serious since the inception of the call and she apologizes.

"I am so sorry, Sir. Please, don't fire me. I will be better, henceforth. Please, my mother is sick in the hospital and I am her only hope at coming out alive. Please." So she knew all these and still went ahead to act out of place.

"Your last warning, repeat this and I won't give a care in the world about your mother. Understood?" I say.

"Yes, Sir. Thank you." She replies.

"So, why did you call me?" I ask.

"The new product has just been concluded. Viability test has been conducted and the free samples were distributed for feedback from consumers. It was excellent, we can commence mass production and sales." She says.

"Nice job." I am glad the company is operational even with my absence.

"Thank you, Sir." I end the call and finish off my food. I clean up and make my way to the room. It's time to face Amethyst.