Chapter 5 – Just a Vacation... Until She Hid Between My Legs
She peeked up, blinking fast. But rather than from the side like a civilized person, Naomi popped her head up right between Lux's legs.
Lux didn't even flinch.
Her eye makeup was still immaculate—liner sharp enough to slice a bad deal—but she looked like someone who'd just watched a stockbroker implode from sheer karma.
And she had.
Naomi looked around, cautiously scanning the room like a hunted deer in heels. "He's gone yet…?"
Lux deadpanned, lifting his half-spilled coffee with one hand and gesturing vaguely with the other. "You do realize you're currently kneeling between my legs in a public café, right?"
She froze. Her face turned a slow, beautiful shade of pink. "I… I was hiding! I panicked! If he saw me—he would've dragged me out of here. Carson doesn't lose. If he's still here…"
Lux let out a tired sigh through his nose. Something clicked inside him.
Not empathy.
More like… lobbying mode.
The same switch that flipped when he used to seduce ancient banking spirits to drop interest rates or charm warlords into signing neutrality treaties.
And unfortunately…
[System Alert: Incubus Pheromones – ACTIVE]
[Target: Naomi Delacour – Compatibility: 92%]
Lux blinked.
'Right… forgot about that.'
The Pheromones. Damn passive skills.
Still clutching his lukewarm coffee, he leaned down, ran two fingers slowly along the side of Naomi's jaw—so light it was more suggestion than touch.
Her breath caught.
Then he hooked his fingers gently under her chin and lifted her face to meet his. Their eyes locked.
"No one's taking you from me," Lux murmured, voice low and rich like dark honey.
Naomi froze. Eyes wide. Cheeks flushing deeper.
And then—
[Her Heart Rate Increased + Incubus Pheromones Intensified]
He straightened quickly and coughed into his coffee.
"Ahem—anyway. Unless you plan on giving me a public blow job," he muttered, casual as he please, "you might want to sit like a normal person before people think I'm running a luxury brothel out of a coffee shop."
Naomi turned red so fast it might've been a world record.
She scrambled to her feet like a startled cat and yanked her dress down, muttering something that sounded like "I hate how good you smell."
She cleared her throat and tried to recompose herself as she sank into the seat across from him.
"So…" she asked, eyes still a little wild, "what's your name?"
Lux sipped what was left of his ruined drink. "Lux."
"Just Lux?"
He shrugged. "Lux Vaelthorn. CFO. On vacation. Technically."
Naomi blinked. "Of what?"
"Nothing that exists in this world's tax code," he said. "Let's leave it at that."
Naomi gave a nervous little laugh and offered her hand. "Naomi Delacour."
Lux gave her fingers a gentlemanly shake. "Nice to meet you, Naomi."
She exhaled hard. "I should probably thank you. You saved me back there. I… I'll pay you back, somehow."
Lux raised an eyebrow. "With what?"
Naomi opened her mouth—
Paused.
And went pale.
Her hands patted over her dress, checking sides, hem, neckline, even inside a little flap at the back. Her expression crumpled.
"…Oh my god," she whispered. No purse. No ID. Not even her phone. Not a single coin, card, or scrap of independence left on her.
Lux leaned back with a huff and waved the nearest server away with a finger. "Sit down. Eat with me. This one's on me."
Naomi looked hesitant. "Are you sure?"
"You're a mess."
Then he pointed to his own coffee-stained chest.
"Though to be fair, I'm also a mess. Just a hotter one."
Naomi gave a tiny snort-laugh despite herself.
"So," she asked, eyeing the croissants cautiously, "what happened to you? You look like a billionaire who got mugged by his accountant."
"Tired," Lux said, tearing a piece of croissant with surgical precision. "Just tired. Burned out. That's why I took this vacation. To remember what sleep and caffeine feel like. And then you happened."
Naomi winced. "Sorry."
Lux shrugged. "Eh. At least you're interesting."
The meal was… oddly peaceful. She actually ate. Butter clung to the corner of her mouth, but she didn't care. Lux watched, sipping his second espresso, feeling… lighter. Not happy. But lighter.
The system pinged again.
[Affinity Level Increased]
[Incubus Pheromones: Stabilized (For Now)]
Once they finished, Lux casually reached into his inner coat pocket and pulled out a stack of perfectly crisp bills. Not even tucked inside a wallet—just pure physical cash like a mob boss with a luxury hygiene addiction.
Naomi blinked. "Wait—you don't have a card?"
"I forgot it," Lux replied flatly. "In Hell."
She choked. "H-Hell?"
He smirked, mouth curling. "Yeah, my office."
And then, at her expression, added, "You wouldn't like it."
Naomi blinked like he just told her his dentist was Cthulhu. "So… you only carry cash?"
"It's safer," Lux said, completely serious. "You do want to pay me back, right?"
Naomi hesitated. "Y-yeah."
He stood, casually brushing crumbs from his lap. "Then come with me."
Lux didn't wait. He turned and strolled straight to the hotel reception like he owned the damn place. Which, in another timeline, he probably did.
Naomi scurried to follow, heels clicking rapidly on marble.
The receptionist—a young man with flawless posture and professionally dead eyes—blinked as Lux approached.
"Welcome to the Sovereign Grand. Do you have a reservation, sir?"
Lux smiled faintly. "No. I'd like a presidential suite. One week."
The receptionist blinked. "Of course, sir. May I see your credit card?"
Lux opened his suit. Revealed nothing. Sighed. "Cash okay?"
The receptionist hesitated. "Only if you can cover the deposit."
Lux exhaled. Then flicked his hand.
Golden light shimmered between his fingers.
[Skill Activated: Money Multiply]
[$100 -> $1,000]
[Skill Activated: Money Multiply]
[$1,000 -> $10,000]
[Skill Activated: Money Multiply]
[$10,000 -> $100,000]
A stack of hundreds landed softly on the desk with a satisfying thump.
Naomi blinked. The receptionist froze.
The other staff subtly adjusted their posture. One even gasped.
"Will that do?" Lux asked, utterly deadpan.
"Y-yes, sir! Absolutely!" The receptionist practically bowed. "Your suite key. Right away."
Lux took the polished obsidian keycard and turned to Naomi, casually flicking his hair back.
"Well? What are you waiting for?" he said, already walking. "C'mon."
Naomi didn't move. "Wait. Are you… Are you inviting me to your room?"
Lux stopped. Looked back.
Then sighed, long and slow.
"Do you think I have time to seduce you right now?" he said. "I just nuked a billionaire and lost a good cup of coffee. I want a shower, air conditioning, and twenty minutes of lying in a bed that doesn't scream in infernal tongues. That's it."
Naomi hesitated. Bit her lip. Looked at the suite key.
"…Okay."
She followed.
The receptionist stared after them, still stunned.
Back in the elevator, Naomi leaned against the mirrored wall, still flushed but calmer now.
"You're not what I expected."
Lux glanced sideways at her. "That's what my tax demon said before he cried and retired."
She giggled again.
And Lux, for just a moment, smiled.
Yeah. Maybe this vacation wasn't so bad after all.