- Chapter Two -

Nix

––––––––

My mouth tasted like the bottom of a lake.

Groaning, I rolled over, rubbing my hand over my lips. What the hell did I eat? And why did my skull feel like someone had been jumping on it?

It must be from the rock concert.

As the black fog slipped off my brain, I remembered more about my evening. How I'd only gone to the show because my 'date' was supposed to meet me there. And, when he hadn't, I'd started to leave in anger.

Being stood up was awful. I didn't have time for dating with my busy work life, but I still tried occasionally. Dating sites were the only way I had of meeting men. But last night was just a reminder of what a waste it all was.

Wait. Last night.

Right. The girl getting assaulted, and me, deciding to get involved.

Twisting under the blankets, I felt my sore muscles. Was it all from defending... what was her name, Trish?

Chuckling at myself, I rolled onto my side. What was I doing, being all heroic? But she'd needed help. That guy was going to hurt her, I'd just known it. And no one else was stepping up!

No. That's not... entirely right, wait...

Blinking, I stared blearily around the room. Had my walls always been so white? No... My apartment was blue, what was going on?

Next to me, something moved. Then it grunted.

Clarity slammed into me like a train going off the tracks. This isn't my apartment.

Then this wasn't my bed!

I...

No.

I sat up, the blankets falling away and exposing my naked chest to the cool air. The motion split my brain in two, I grabbed my forehead and winced. I didn't have the luxury of feeling pain, not right then. I needed every brain cell, all of my focus, to make sense of what I was seeing.

There was a stranger lying next to me.

In a wavy mess, my memories came back. All of them. Every alcohol infused, sweaty, obscene and wild memory.

I never did hookups. It just wasn't me. But the combination of stress at work, stress from my parents, and the rejection of my no-show date, had left me wanting to act out.

Abell—his name was Abell, right?—had... I don't know, tempted me to let go. To have some fun, shake things out. Plus, he'd been my savior, shoving that potential rapist off of me.

It had helped that he was sexy as hell, too.

Now, sitting in those unfamiliar sheets in the early glow of morning, looking down on his sharp features, noting the string of condoms cluttering the floor...

I regretted everything.

I hooked up with someone who keeps that many condoms at the ready. Shit, why did the one person I decided to let loose with have to be a player?

Flushing, I covered my breasts, frantically looking for my clothes. I need to get out of here before he wakes up. Sliding out from under the covers, I touched my toes against something rough. My outfit!

Bending down, I gathered the clothes in my arms, my eyes fixed on Abell with paranoia. Starting to lean away, I wasn't aware of my surroundings; my hip connected with a small alarm clock on the nightstand.

The device tumbled free, clanking loudly on the floor. I slammed my palm over my mouth, as if the sound had come from inside of me. Then I saw the time blinking on the clock.

It's after eight? Oh fuck, fuck! I need to go, I don't even have time to go home and change, the company meeting... my parents are going to kill me!

“Morning,” a smooth, sultry voice said beside me.

Yanking the bundle of clothes to my neck, I stared at Abell. He was leaning back on the pillows, arms folded behind his head. He looked entirely too comfortable, his blue eyes twinkling warmly in the morning sun.

His torso was bare, hard muscles and rich ink drawing me back; forcing me to remember the night we'd had. The way he'd rolled over me, claiming every inch of my flesh until I was writhing, soaking, screaming—Stop stop stop! I warned myself.

Clearing my throat, I said, “Uh, morning.”

“Going somewhere?”

“I have to get to work,” I said quickly.

“And you decided to take my jeans as a souvenir?”

Baffled, I stared at the clothing I was using to hide my body. He was right, it was what he'd been wearing last night. Spotting my shirt in the far corner, I narrowed my eyes on Abell. “Look away, please.”

His face went blank. “Look away?”

“I'm naked,” I hissed, turning reddish-pink.

Abell smirked blatantly. “I noticed.”

I think I started to glow, I was so humiliated. “Just look away already!”

“But I saw you last night.” He paused. “All of you. Every inch, Sugar.”

Again, the memories came. His mouth on mine, his fingers burying between my legs.

Gritting my teeth, I lifted my head high and ignored him, walking over to my discarded outfit. I knew he was watching me, I could feel his eyes, but fine. Whatever. I didn't have time for games.

My parents are going to murder me for being late! That was worse than some guy staring at my bare ass. Though I was twenty-three, they both had a strong hold over my life. I guess that's what happens when you work for your mom and dad at one of the top consulting firms in the city.

I'd struggled and busted my hump since the first day I'd walked through those doors. It had been torture to juggle every meeting, every success, every failure. I'd never had time for a social life, but the lack of friends and loved ones would pay off.

When I'm the owner of the company, it'll all be worth it.

All of it.

First, though... I had to get to this damn meeting.

I didn't know why they were having it. My mother had called me last minute, just before I'd reached the concert, telling me I had to show up at nine today.

She could have told me why, I thought, shoving my legs through the holes of my pants. All week, she'd been harder on me—more likely to snap—than usual. It had left me drained, wanting to just break free and change it up.

And look where that got you, a stranger's bed. Way to go, Nix.

Twisting around, I buttoned up my top. Abell was still lounging, but while his body was relaxed, the hunger in his eyes warned of something else.

This guy didn't even try to hide what was on his mind. I'd never met someone like him. How the hell could he be so raw? Who had the energy for that kind of thing?

Still, I couldn't lie to myself; my belly was one big, creamy sensation. No one had ever looked at me with that much desire. Abell lived and breathed sex.

Maybe, in another time-line, I would have tossed my clothes off, ignored the meeting, and crawled back into bed with him for round two. But this wasn't a sci-fi movie, I hadn't discovered the ability to jump dimensions.

In this universe, I was someone with responsibilities. Goals.

None of those included indulging in a second pointless hookup.

“Which way is the metro?” I asked, wiggling into my heels.

“You're not even going to have breakfast with me?” He yawned, stretching so that every muscle on his chest rippled.

Yanking my gaze away, I tugged on my jacket and hurried towards the door. “The metro, just tell me.”

“You could at least give me your number.”

“I don't give out my number to people I barely know.”

“Gotcha. You just have sex with them.”

Freezing, I turned enough to scowl at him. His small smile teased me. “You're going to insult me, when you did the exact same thing last night?”

Abell's eyes twinkled like long lost stars. “Don't get upset, I didn't say it was a bad thing. One of the best qualities a woman can have is going after what she wants.”

Dammit. Fuck this guy.

Staying silent, I ripped open his front door, exposing the hallway of the apartment building. Behind me, Abell spoke with a bored tone. “To the right.”

I blinked and looked over my shoulder. “What?”

“The metro. Take a right when you leave.”

He was helping me now? After busting my lady-balls? I wasn't sure how to take that. Reevaluating him, I placed my hand on the edge of the doorway. “Thanks.”

Straightening up on the bed, he let the blanket slip down his body. The soft curls of hair dusting his pelvis revealed before my eyes.

It was clearly intentional. Helplessly I glanced there, then back to his face. He arched one eyebrow. “You can thank me by climbing back into bed. There was a lot I wanted to try with you last night, it's a shame I never got to.”

Burning like the sun, I clenched the doorway. “And you never will.”

“No?” Abell laughed, placing his hand over the blanket between his thighs. Slowly, he caressed the growing shape of his morning wood. “Sweetheart, remember where I live. You'll want to know when you get that craving for more, and I'd hate for you to forget where you need to go to quench your mad thirst.”

Heat throbbed in my lower belly. Biting my tongue, I spun around. “Believe me, we're never going to see each other again.”

“Want to bet on it?”

“Yes,” I laughed humorlessly. “I'll take that bet.”

Abell winked, jerking himself through the blankets faster. “Mmn. What do I get when I win this bet?”

Rolling my eyes, I said, “On the impossible chance I see you again, I'll buy you dinner.”

“Careful,” he groaned, grinding into his palm lewdly. “I'm not a cheap date.”

My whole face was on fire. Could he be anymore obscene? “Thanks for the evening, it was almost good. Almost.” Though I slammed the door, I could still hear him laughing through the wall.

Asshole.

How dare he act like I couldn't resist him? What an egotistical prick!

I don't have time for this, I reminded myself.

I had a meeting to be late for.

****

Rushing through the glass doors of the building, I caught a glimpse of myself in the reflective walls. My hair was all over, makeup stained the circles under my eyes; I was a damn mess.

I'd decided I definitely didn't have time to get changed, I was late enough as is. Grumbling, I straightened my shirt, then ran my fingers through my hair. My parents are going to lose their minds.

Rounding a corner, I spotted a familiar face at the end of the hall. “Gram!” I said, waving at my brother—technically half-brother—frantically.

Gram always gave me the impression of a coiled spring. He was uptight, a little anxious—and I understood. I'd experienced the rough side of our family, but Gram... well. He'd always had it harder.

Being the product of an affair is never easy.

“Nicky,” he said, pushing off the wall. He glanced at the nearby door, the way into the meeting room, then to me. “Where the hell have you been?”

“I'm sorry!” I groaned, brushing my palms on my pants. “It was... something just came up.” The word 'up' conjured the image of Abell's cock flexing towards the sky, thick and delicious and...

Holy shit focus, you damn nympho. Is this what happened when you got laid for the first time in forever? How did you detox from sex?

Shaking his head, Gram reached out to smooth some strands of hair on my scalp. “They're inside, waiting for you.”

The unsaid sentence was there in the air. I was part of this, but not Gram.

He'd never been allowed in any of the company meetings.

Though he worked here, my brother was treated worse than a regular employee. He had no perks, no real bonuses for being related to my dad. Gram was tolerated at best, part of my father's guilt, and drenched in the shame of how he'd come into existence.

My mother flat out hated him.

I'd been surprised when he chose to work for us, but over time, I'd understood. Jobs were hard to come by in today's market, and Gram had never gotten a degree; his mother couldn't afford to put him through college, and my father refused to help.

Even with the emotional abuse he took, Gram stayed here because he actually loved what he did. Something about the act of problem solving the company finances really left him proud. That counted for something.

Inhaling deeply, I stepped towards the door. “Anything else I should know?”

I could have sworn that something flashed across his face. “Just get in there before they implode.”

Grinning, I soothed my nerves as much as I could... and entered the room.

The long, dark pine table—capable of holding fifteen people—contained only three. My mother, looking ever more tense, my father with his constant frown, and a man I'd only ever seen on the covers of magazines.

Corin Birch.

He looked the same age as my dad, but there were far less wrinkles across his face. Striking blue eyes, richly tan skin, I was sure he was quite the catch when he was younger. Maybe he still was, silver foxes had their appeal.

They all turned to me at once, reminding me just how empty the room was. Wasn't this supposed to be a hugely important meeting? A hard pit grew in my guts. Shouldn't the share holders be here, or the managers, or just... anyone else?

“Nichole,” my mother said, not muting her exasperation. “Where have you been?”

I hated when she used my full first name. “I got caught in traffic,” I lied casually. Flicking a quick look at Corin, I slid into a chair next to my father. “Sorry about being late.”

“Thirty minutes late,” my dad sighed.

My lips pulled into a forced smile. Be professional. “Right, I'm sorry to make you all wait. Especially you, Mr. Birch. It's a pleasure to meet you.”

Corin chuckled, a thickly rich sound. “She's so much like you, Gabby,” he said, eyeing my mother. “That same charming mask when she's trying to impress someone.” His sly smirk was oddly familiar.

That comment struck me as rude, and out of place. My mother shifted in her seat, not looking at me. “Mr. Birch,” she said flatly. “How much longer do we have to wait for your son to arrive?”

His son?

Corin's smile twitched. “I'm sure Abram is on his way. We already waited half an hour, what's a bit more?”

“Excuse me,” I said, lifting my hands and spreading my fingers. “Your son is coming here?” I'd only ever heard about Corin Birch's son, but the rumors weren't very flattering.

Reckless, alcoholic, arrogant with an addiction to wild sex...

I didn't want to meet Abram, why would my parents want to?

My dad kept his gaze on the tabletop. “We'll explain everything once he's arrived.”

I laughed warily. “I thought this was a business meeting, but everyone is acting strange. Where are all the other execs, what's really going on here?”

“Calm down, Nichole,” my mother hissed.

Palming my forehead, I looked straight at Corin. He had his fingers steepled patiently in front of him. “Mr. Birch, please, can you explain what's going on here?”

Before he could answer, the door opened.

Twisting, I looked at the man who swayed—swayed—into the meeting. He had his thumbs hooked in his pockets, a leather belt enhancing the fitness of his lower stomach. I could see his muscles through his shirt and open jacket. The sun that filtered past the windows turned the blue of his eyes into crystals.

Comfortable, calm, and undeniably handsome.

Abram Birch.

Abell.

The man I'd hooked up with last night.

Oh shit, I thought, meeting his surprised stare.

Abell paused, recognizing me and obviously not expecting to. Slow as fresh honey, a smile spread over his face. “Well, hey there.”

Everyone was watching me. A fierce blush rolled up my neck. “You're Corin Birch's son? You?”

Fuck fuck fuck what the hell had I done.

Corin made a gruff noise. “Glad you could make it, Abram.”

“No problem,” he said. “I thought I'd have something to... keep me busy this morning, but that didn't pan out.” He hadn't stopped looking at me since he'd entered. Even now, he kept watching me as he answered his father.

My heart was in overdrive; I couldn't breathe. Torn between feeling humiliated or furious, I bit my tongue and squeezed my knees. Everything was spinning, my world wobbly.

Why did it have to be him that I'd hooked up with?

And why the hell were we all here!?

“Have a seat,” Corin said. “Then we can get started.”

Putting his hand on a chair across from me, Abell slid into it. “You could have started without me. You never needed me at any of your meetings before.”

Corin glanced at him, his eyes hard. “I need you this time.”

My father rocked side to side uncomfortably. “Let's get this over with.”

“Get what over with?” I asked, breaking my silence.

Holding a hand over her mouth, my mother breathed out loudly. Then she opened her briefcase, placing a stack of papers on the table between her and Corin. “You explain it,” she mumbled.

This was all wrong. I'd been to many meetings for our company, and not once had everything been so private or tense. This felt as if I'd stumbled into something... dangerous.

Corin pulled the papers closer, flipping them, reading the tiny words. “You don't want to be the one to explain to your daughter what her choices are?”

I leaned closer. “Choices? What's written in there, what's happening?”

“Mr. Birch—Corin,” my mother hissed. “Please. Don't drag this out.”

“Fine. As you wish.” He lifted his eyes, fixing them on me. “Miss Halloway,” he said, “Tell me, how long have you worked for your parents' company?”

Under the table, something touched my foot. I startled, realizing it was Abell's shoe. He was trying to rub my ankle.

Eyeballing him with a warning, he winked, clearly not bothered by my irritated frown. Ignoring him, I said to his father, “I've legally worked here since I was seventeen. But I've been here constantly since I was a child, doing anything they wanted—anything they'd let me.”

Corin's smile was indulgent. “So you enjoyed working here?”

“Of course!” Nothing felt more satisfying than figuring out what another company needed to increase their success. Marketing was a game, but it had rules and I'd ingrained those rules after years of hard work. Some of my tension melted as I dipped into this familiar territory. “It's how I spend all of my time. It's my life.”

“And,” he went on, “You expected that someday, you'd take over? Inherit all of this, being an only child?”

I wasn't technically an only child, but Gram had no chance of inheriting anything.

Scrunching up my eyebrows, I asked, “Wait, 'expected?' That's what's going to happen.” Paranoia raced through my blood. I stared at my parents. “Right? I... that's my future, isn't it? CEO of Halloway Inc?”

They said nothing.

I let my tone get louder. “That's what you always told me. Talk to me. Tell me what's going on—why is he asking about my future?”

Abell rocked back in his chair, but he was no longer smiling. All of us were feeling the heaviness in the air.

“Nix,” my dad whispered. “Let him finish.” His face was pale.

Sweat poured down my neck, I looked back at Corin expectantly. He slid the papers to me, nodding at them. “Miss Halloway, you'll find your answers in there.”

Turning the stack around, I read the words. “This is a contract,” I said slowly, reading deeper as I flipped the pages. “It says that... no. It can't be.” In disbelief, I gawked at my parents. “You sold the majority of the company to Birch Industries? To him? Why didn't you tell me?”

My mother's lips were fiercely puckered. “It was over twenty years ago. We needed the money Corin had, or we would have gone completely under.”

Abell's chair creaked as he adjusted in it. “Why is this only coming up now?”

I had the same question. Staring at Corin, I bent to read further. What I came across in that document made me start laughing. I knew I sounded unhinged, but I didn't care. The contents of that contract were pure insanity.

“This is a joke,” I said, smiling in a way that never reached my eyes. “You're all messing with me.”

“No,” Corin said. “It's not a joke. Not even a little bit.”

Waving the papers, I tossed them at Abell. “Read that. Go on, read what it says.” A joke, I told myself firmly. A giant fucking joke.

Abell turned the pages, and when he reached what was making me laugh, he froze. “This is a joke. It says her and I are supposed to—”

“Get married!” I cut him off, pushing my chair away from the table. “Isn't that hilarious? They expect me to marry you, of all people, so that your father will return the majority ownership to my parents!”

Insanity. Ridiculous.

I couldn't, even for a second, allow myself to think this was real.

My mother pinched the bridge of her nose. “That's what I agreed to when he loaned us the money. Corin wants you to marry his son and give him a grandchild.”

“It's a giant fucking joke,” I nearly shouted.

She scowled and said, “Don't overreact.”

“Overreact!” Throwing my hands up, I looked at them one by one. “You're trying to tell me that after all these years of killing myself for this company, years of working with the expectation that I'd take it over someday, that now I could lose everything, and you want me to not overreact?”

My mother shut her eyes, saying nothing.

Corin sighed. “Miss Halloway, this is all very real, and all very serious.”

“Fine,” I said, crossing my arms. “This contract is impossible to enforce. You can't make people marry each other or get pregnant! This isn't the eighteen-hundreds.”

He nodded. “True. I can't force you to marry Abell. However, you're deciding your fate—and the fate of everyone working for this company. Marry him, give me a grandchild, or watch as I absorb this company and remove everyone you know and care for from its property. Including you and your family.”

Cold prickles grew along my spine.

He was serious.

This would change everything about my world.

Lifting my chin, I stared Corin down. Then, I turned towards his son; the man I'd slept with last night. A man everyone here expected me to sleep with again. Marriage? A baby? That wasn't the future I'd been chasing.

But if I didn't agree, they'd rob me of the one thing I'd run myself into the ground for.

Not just me. My parents...

And Gram.

What was I supposed to do?

“You,” I said, gesturing at Abell. “You're being really quiet. Aren't you upset? This affects you, too. Don't you realize that?”

His eyebrows went up. “I'm not stupid, of course I know it affects me.”

Suspicion infected me. “Did you know this was going to happen?” He didn't act like he recognized me last night, or this morning, but...

Abell curled his lip in disgust. “I had no fucking clue.”

“Then say something! Tell me what you're thinking!”

“About which part?” he asked, tilting his head. “The bit where I'm supposed to marry you, or the part where, if I don't, I lose nothing?”

I opened my mouth, but Corin spoke first. “You misunderstand, Abell. If you don't marry her, I'll happily cut off your access to my money. It's about time you learned to stand on your own, anyway.”

Shock burned through Abell's expression. “Is that so? How fucking considerate of you.”

My sourness was briefly relieved by Abell's situation. Good, let him see how it feels to be threatened. I didn't want to delight in his misfortune, but it was nice to have someone in the same shoes as me.

“You're awful,” I said softly, seething. “All of you. How can you plan my future like this? How can you just decide I'm supposed to marry a guy like... like him?” I threw my arm out to indicate the tattooed man.

Abell's lips slid into a neutral line. “A guy like me?” Then, a wicked smirk took over his face. “Why do you think 'a guy like me,' who can have any woman, would want to marry you?”

Tensing up, I felt my jaw drop open. He wouldn't want to marry me? Don't think about what he said, that's not important! What did I care if he rejected me? I wasn't marrying anyone! I had dreams, goals, so much to do...

And settling down to pop out babies wasn't in my cards.

Breathing in sharply, I stood out of my seat. “I'm done with this. I'm not going to sit here and let you turn me into some brood mare.”

“Nix,” my father gasped, reaching for me. “Think about what you're doing! If you don't agree to marry him, we'll lose everything!”

I knew he was right, but the disgust—the rage inside of me—was burning away any part of me that could be patient enough to debate this. “I can't agree to anything,” I snapped. “Not here, not without—I don't know, some time to think!”

My mother spoke, but her eyes stayed on her lap. “If you'd read the contract closer, you'd see you have time. Nothing is final until the day of the wedding passes.”

“The day of the wedding,” I laughed bitterly. “Great. Fantastic. When is that?”

“One month from tomorrow,” Corin said calmly.

One month.

That was all I had.

Abell lifted his hand in the air. “Isn't that sort of fast?”

I grabbed the door handle, shoulders hunched. Again, my father called out to me. “Where are you going?”

Gritting my teeth, I glared at him. “I already said I wasn't going to sit here while you guys wrapped me up like a present to hand over to a manwhore like him!”

Abell didn't hide the low boil of distaste that filled his glare. What I'd said or how I'd said it, I'd managed to piss him off.

Let him be mad, I thought firmly. It was his family that had set out to ruin my life.

They thought they could force my hand, but I wasn't going to let anyone choose my future.

Without looking back, I slammed the door on all of them.