Page 49 of The Next Door Billionaire's Deception

“You made dinner already?”

“Yup.”

“Oh? What’s on the menu?”

“Go up first, neighbor.”

Intrigued and with my stomach rumbling, reminding me I’m starving, I head to the bathroom.

As I’m unbuttoning my shirt in my closet, I pause. Melissa’s surprise gesture is stirring up a longing in me that I thought had died long back.

A longing for a real family.

Sighing, I arrange my discarded clothing, before stepping into the shower.

As the pebbles of water hit my body, vivid images play in my mind.

Melissa, nude, in the same shower with me, pressed against the glass, as I...

I finish showering and wait for my erection to subside. As I walk out of the shower, I stop at the mirror.Control yourself, Richard.

Wearing a light red shirt and jeans, I head down to the dining area.

A white linen tablecloth is spread around the dining table. On it are covered dishes surrounded by cutlery. A bottle of wine and two bottles of water complete the dining arrangement.

My gaze moves to Melissa, who’s standing by the table. She’s changed from the light dress she wore earlier, now in a tight, black dress reaching just above her knees, that hugs her curves. The cut of the dress in front offers me a glimpse of creamy, white cleavage. I swallow.

“Certainly took your time getting to all this, didn’t you?” I smirk.

She smiled. I take a seat, ready for dinner.

“So? What’s for dinner?”

She bends to open the dishes, a move which flashes more cleavage at me. I shift in my chair.

“Dinner is served,” she says as she lifts the lid off my dish. At once, the aroma of the meal floods my nostrils. My eyes glimmer.

“Cullen skink and meatloaf? Wow! How….?”

“I saw the recipe marked with a star in your cookbook, so I guessed it’s a favorite meal or one you wanted to try out. And it’s so easy to make!”

“Mmm. It’s one of my best meals. If this is as good as its aroma, I’m afraid I’m gonna have to put you in a catering business.”

She giggles, taking her seat at the other side of the table. “I have a business, remember? I’m a hotshot CEO and a noisy neighbor.”

I’m overcome with a bout of laughter so fierce I have to drink some water to stop the cough that follows.

“I’d still be hearing this years later. C’mon, let’s eat. My stomach is rumbling.”

She lifts her glass of water to her face, her eyes on me.

“You can take the man out of Scotland, but you sure can’t take Scotland out of the man,” she says, before drinking.

Dinner is a short affair, with little conversation, most of it banter from Melissa about my supposed ‘Scottishness’. Even I know that’s a made-up word.

After dinner, I help her with the dishes, laughing and making jokes as we clean up. A man can get used to this.

“Wine near the fireplace?” I ask when we’re done.

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