Enraptured

Chapter 19

"So, do you have any woman in your life yet?"

Huh?

My hands stilled on the chopping board, not expecting such a sudden question from my mother while I was helping her prep the ingredients for tonight's dinner. I thought I had already finished all her questions when I first walked through the front door.

She had already asked me about my work and my date with Odette's daughter. I thought she was already satisfied with the answers when she dropped the questions and told me to help her with dinner instead.

My mother continued stirring the pot and repeated, "Do you think your own mother wouldn't notice the leaked picture of you with some woman? I know that Lukas is good, but my PA is better."

I silently cussed in my head and looked back down at the half-chopped vegetables on my board. I didn't expect her to catch the picture so quickly when it had only been on the internet for less than 5 minutes.

"So, who is she? You never date unless I force you and always go to your events without an escort, and you most definitely never had any public pictures with any woman before, so you can't sue me for being curious."

I pressed my lips into a thin line, trying to think of some answers. It's been less than a week since I asked to court her officially.

She shot me a sharp look and lowly warned, "Demetrius Andino Nikolaos, don't you dare try to lie to me."

I sighed. "I'm not, mother. It's just that it's still early in our relationship, and I don't want to scare her away yet."

Her eyes almost instantly lit up. She dropped her spoon and energetically bounded to me, shaking my arm with a dangerous amount of vigor. "Are you actually being serious right now, Demetrius? You're not messing with me, right? You actually got a girlfriend?"

I uncomfortably leaned away from the petité woman that is my mother. Sometimes, she had so much energy in her that I wondered if she really was in her 60s.

"Not exactly a girlfriend..."

"What do you mean not exactly a girlfriend?"She paused with a slight frown and then suddenly gasped, "Don't tell me you bought a whore?!"

I quickly caught her hands before she could smack me. "No, not a whore, and I would appreciate it if you never referred to her as such a disgusting thing ever again." I slowly released her hands when she calmed down and had an inquisitive look on her face rather than the previous one of pure fury. "She's had a bad past with being harassed by men, so we're taking it slow. I've only just begun courting her a few days ago."

"Courting?" she repeated softly. "As in with the intent to marry?"

I nodded hesitantly, "Yes..."

Her eyes instantly brightened as she clung to my arm. "Oh my goodness! That's such amazing news. What is she like? Is she pretty? Smart? Where does she work? Oh, is she—"

"Mother, one question at a time." I patted her head, trying to get her to calm down.

She nodded her head vigorously and took in a deep breath before calmly asking, "What does she look like?"

"She had hazelnut-color hair with bright violet eyes with a small frame, maybe a few inches shorter than you." An image of her adorable little figure popped into my mind, making me unconsciously smile.

"Awe, you must really like her," my mother cooed, poking at the dimples on my cheeks. "What's she like?"

I flushed at her comment and bashfully turned my face away from her prodding finger. "Quiet but caring."