I know I probably shouldn't have approached Carter like that in the middle of the Harvard Club, messing up his brunch date and all, but you know what? Fuck him. He didn't need to take the first swing, did he? Fuck him and his liberal agenda—putting fucking owls before jobs. Fuck him and his plotting with Vivian. If he thinks he can steamroll me like that, he has another thing coming. Let him watch me as I fuck Vivian and then shoot his fucking owl. Then chop down his goddamn tree. And set fire to the whole fucking forest.

At least the people will have jobs.

I'm pacing back and forth in the holding tank like a caged tiger. I can feel the frustration of the situation coursing through my tense muscles. Carter has already been bailed out of this fucking place and here I am. I'm waiting for my lawyer to show up. Where is he? He should've been here by now. I don't even have a watch to look at, but it feels like I've already been stuck in here for an eternity.

He better get here soon because I don't know how much longer I can be in this place. The people in here are characters—to say the least. One guy scratched the cell wall so hard his fingertips were rubbed raw, and the next claimed he once ate a shit burrito and I really don't want to know if he's telling the truth. I don't know if there's a more awful place I can be sitting right now, to be honest.

Just as I'm getting crazy sideways stare from a fellow detainee, and I'm feeling like I may have to defend myself, a guard approaches. "Mr. Jeffries, let's go. You're free to leave."

I let out a sigh of relief. Thank god; I mean, I wasn't going to last much longer in this place and I have much more important things to do. 10,000 jobs are at stake here. I stand up and walk to the sliding gate. The guard lets me out and I'm greeted by my lawyer. He walks over and gives me a solid pat on the back.

"Rough day, huh?" "What took you so long?" I ask.

"I came as fast as I could. You're lucky this incident isn’t all over the news. I heard you made quite the scene."

"Look, I didn't start this."

"That's not what I was told. I'm hearing you stormed into the Harvard Club ready to pick a fight with the Governor."

"Not a fight. A discussion, OK? I just needed to talk to Governor Andrews. But I guess the Governor is more hotheaded than anyone anticipated. He threw the first punch."

"You never should have been there."

"Instead of telling me where I should and shouldn't be, just do your fucking job as my lawyer and fix this shit storm. All of it. Understand?"

"Yes, sir. It'll be tricky, but I'll work my magic."

"That's what I like to hear," I say, resting my hand on his shoulder. I pay him enough damn money to be my lawyer. That's the least he can fucking do. We walk outside and the daylight is momentarily blinding. How long was I locked in there? I wonder. My lawyer ushers me to a parked limo.

"Over here, Mr. Jeffries," he points.

The limo is black with deeply tinted windows, and I can't see inside of them. The driver steps out to open the door for me and usher me in.

"We'll talk again soon," my lawyer says, and waves goodbye. I watch as he walks off and then I scoot into the backseat of the limo.

As soon as I'm inside, I look up and see an unexpected face; it's Carter.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I ask.

"I'd like to ask you the same damn thing."

"Is there something I should know, Carter?" My voice is tense.

"Why do you always think I'm plotting against you?"

"Because you are." Does he think I'm that much of an idiot that I don't know he's been plotting against me with Vivian? I mean even Tina Ling, the Mayor of fucking Shanghai, knows about it.

"Look, I'm not planning on landing back in jail anytime soon, but if you keep this up, it's not going to end pretty. That much I'm sure about."

"I'd fucking watch it if—"

"Vivian and I are on the same page," Carter says, cutting me off mid-sentence. "I know this is all stemming from my meeting with her—all this pent up hatred of yours—let's be honest, we're both adults here, but listen to me Liam, she cares about the environment just as much as I do. And she cares about following the new environmental legislature."

"That's funny because she clearly wasn't on the same page with you when I was sleeping with her the other night." I watch as Carter balls his fists again, and jail be damned. I know I just said I want to get as far away from this place as possible, but I'm ready to hit him where it hurts, both physically and emotionally. And I refuse to let him have the first punch this time. If he wants this to get physical, I'm ready for him.

Just then, the door of the limo opens and I see a flash of blonde hair emerge. It's Vivian. What is she doing here? How does she know we're both in this limo?

"This needs to stop," she says, sliding into the backseat with us. "You're both leaders. The people of New Kingston need you to cooperate and quit this fighting. We aren't going to accomplish anything with you two acting like angry schoolchildren."

"That's convenient," I say. "It's easy to come here and say that when you're the reason why we're fighting in the first place."

"Me?" she asks, looking at us with a surprised look on her face.

"Don't look so shocked," I say. "First you search me out at a bar, and you sleep with me, and then you find Carter and devise a secret deal that's aimed at taking me down."

Vivian laughs as if I'm not making any sense. Like I'm crazy.

"Liam's right," Carter says, and for the first time he seems to be on my side. "You need to choose. Who will you pick? Is it me or Liam? You can end this needless bickering."

"No," Vivian says flatly.

What exactly is she saying no to, I wonder. "No, what?" I ask out loud, unable to mask my confusion.

"I don't need to choose," she replies.

Carter and I both give each other puzzled looks. What exactly does she mean? But when I look back at her, the answer becomes clear. She slowly places one hand on my thigh and another on Carter. We both can't believe what's happening and neither of us can speak. She reaches over and lightly touches my cheek, and then my lips with her fingers. With her other hand, she slowly drags her fingers through Carter's hair. Then she leans in and before I know what's happening, she presses her lips into mine. The moment our lips touch, I know she's in control. My cock is twitching to life. All of my self-control is dissolving under her touch and there's no telling what I'm about to do.

She leans over and drags her lips across Carter's neck, stopping to nibble on his ear and then finally moving to his lips. I know Carter's thinking the same thing—that he can't fight this. We both can't, and can you blame us? Vivian is a smart and sexy woman, and the way her blouse is hugging her perfect breasts like a second skin makes me want to rip it right off her body.

She lets out a sigh as her lips move back to mine. We open our mouths and take each other in, our tongues pressed up against each other in a dance that I don't want to see stop. Desire is rippling through my body as her lips begin an exploration of my body.

"Don't stop," I tell her. Even as I say that, I know we shouldn't be doing this. I can be placing my job—my entire career at risk. I shouldn't be here right now, in this car with Vivian and Carter. But she kisses my chin, my ear, my cheek, and moves down to my neck, and then even lower still, tracing the contours of my collar bone. A jolt of electricity travels down my spine. I take a deep gulp and can feel my Adam's Apple bob. She feels it too and stops to lick it with her tongue. This woman is unbelievable. I close my eyes and run my fingers through her hair, and then I surprise myself by grabbing a handful of her hair and pulling her back, exposing her neck and mouth. I lean into her and press my lips to hers again.

When I release her, she keeps one hand in between my thighs and leans over to Carter. Desire is burning in his eyes.

"I want you both," she purrs. And this time, neither of us asks her to choose.