I hang up and sit for a few minutes looking out of the window not really seeing anything, lost in thought and wondering when Gary's going to rear his ugly violent head again.

Chapter 22.

Sebastian The meeting finally comes to an end and I almost give a whoop of delight as I see everyone out of the office and to the elevators. I walk back to my office, only to find Jacky bending over my desk wiggling her a.s.s.

"Jacky?" I shout louder than I intend, making her jump, but I'm not at all sure that she didn't hear me walk in behind her. It's my own d.a.m.n fault she keeps throwing herself at me, and my brothers.

Moving to stand behind my desk, I notice a freshly brewed coffee sitting in place as I unload my arms of the doc.u.ments while trying to think of something to say to get her to stop. If she wasn't such a good worker I'd have transferred her by now, but the fact is she's d.a.m.n good at her job and keeps me organized.

"Look," I rub the back of my neck in discomfort, "can we just have a working relationship here, Jacky. I'm with someone now and I've no intention of letting her go."

Sitting down, I lean back and offer her the seat opposite me before continuing, "You're an attractive woman and there are lots of guys out there who would love to be with youa"

"But not you," she interrupts, crossing her arms and glaring at me.

"But not me. The woman I'm with means a lot to me so you and I need to get back to a working relationship. I only took you out the one time and nothing happened a s.e.xually." G.o.d, why me? "So um, do you think we can get along and that you can stop, well," I wave my hands around, "you know."

She starts to laugh. "Are you trying to ask me to stop flashing my a.s.s and b.o.o.bs in your face and to stop bending over things, which gives you ideas?"

"Yes. I mean No. f.u.c.k, I mean yes stop flashing your body in front of me and no, you do not give me ideas." I let out a frustrated sigh. This woman is enough to drive a man to the bottle!

"I guess I can do that. If you're sure there isn't any chance with you." She sounds hopeful.

I shake my head and start flitting through the papers on my desk wanting this discussion over with.

"What about Ruben?"

Having just taken a sip of coffee, I start to choke at her question.

"What about me?" Ruben asks walking into the office. "Hey Jacky. How's it going?" He sits in the spare visitor's chair across from my desk.

"I'm okay." She shrugs her shoulders. "I was just asking Sebastian if you wanted a woman," she blurts out to my stunned brother.

I start to laugh after a few moments when Ruben still doesn't reply. A woman has finally left my big, bada.s.s brother, speechless. This is too good to be true.

Ruben turns his head and gives me a death glare, which used to work as kids, but not anymore and it just makes me laugh all the more. Seeing Jacky's face start to fall, I finally manage to draw breath and compose myself back into the hotshot businessman that I am.

"Jacky, why would you want to know if I wanted, um, a woman? What makes you think I don't already have one? And what makes you think Sebastian here doesn't need one?" he smirks.

Hearing his last question, I just hope Jacky doesn't pick up on it because as yet neither Ramon or me have explained to our family about Carla now being with me.

"He has a woman." She stands up straightening her clothes before stomping out of the office and banging the door behind her.

Ruben frowns. "This woman. Is she real or to stop Jacky?"

Sighing, knowing I'm going to have to tell him something. "Yes, it's true."

He opens his mouth to say something, but nothing comes out as he shuts it again.

"It's been complicated. Not so much now, but it's been h.e.l.l as I thought she was with someone else. As it turns out she wasn't really with him. The whole d.a.m.n situation was driving me crazy." I drag a hand from the back of my neck, over my head and down my face in exhaustion, although my exhaustion now has more to do with the s.e.xy as sin woman I can't do without.

"Carla," Ruben says, with a wry grin on his face. "I have eyes. As far as I'm aware you've behaved for months now. I've also seen you l.u.s.ting after her when you thought no one was watching, and vice versa." He sits forward in his chair. "What I don't understand is her relationship with Ramon, if she wants you and you're now with her."

Itching to call Carla, I start fiddling with my cell while I stare at my brother. "He told us about Gary the other day. He's the reason why Ramon pretended she was his girlfriend. She was already living with him for protection so he asked her to act as his girlfriend before Mom found out and started on about living in sin and getting married." I lean back in my chair. "You know what she's like. He had no idea his 'no commitment' brother would fall for her and vice-versa."

"f.u.c.k. Well at least she wasn't actually dating Ramon, that would have been, um, awkward."

"Yeah, tell me about it." I let the silence go on, unwilling to break it.

Something's wrong, probably at his club and I wish he'd just come out and tell me instead of prolonging the inevitable, but I don't have all day. I have some paperwork to get done for Jacky to handle over the next day or two while I'm with Carla so I ask, "What are you doing here? I've been acting CEO for about six months now and I can count on one hand the amount of times you've been in here during that time."

He looks uneasy as he looks anywhere but at me.

"Rosie was attacked in one of the restrooms at the club last night."

My eyes widen as I watch my brother stand and begin to pace, back and forth in front of my desk. "She's alright, Keith got to her just in time to watch her knee him in the b.a.l.l.s. Thank G.o.d. I tried to get her to move into my spare room, but she won't have any of it because I'm her f.u.c.king boss. The pig headed woman."

At this, I start to chuckle. "Are you sure your motive was purely honorable." My brother, unbeknown to him, has a thing for 'little Rosie' and watching them together is entertaining to say the least.

He scowls, ignoring my comment. "She says she doesn't know the guy, but it's the same guy you saved her from on the dance floor the other night. Keith recognized him. I don't know what the f.u.c.k is going on at my own club and it's p.i.s.sing me off." Stopping in front of my desk, he looks at me. "I came here to see if you, Ramon and Lucien can come down to the club and keep a look out, but as though you're there drinking, catching up. Something is going on and I intend to find out just what."

I nod. "That's fine, but I don't really want to bring Carla into trouble, she's in enough as it is. I also don't want to leave her at night either." I need to work something out to help him. "Leave it with me. I want to help you so we'll see what can be worked out. Are you going to talk to the others?"

"Yeah, I'm heading over there now." Ruben starts to leave then looks back over his shoulder. "Thanks Sebastian."

"Don't say anything to anyone about me and Carla just yet, okay?" I shout after him and see him acknowledge my request with a shake of his hand over his shoulder.

Chapter 23.

Carla "Okay, now it's just us for probably five minutes I want you to tell me about Sebastian," Lily insists, patting the cushion beside her as an indication she wants me to sit with her and with the wicked gleam in her eye, she wants more than a few words. "Carla, I might be pregnant, but that doesn't mean I've lost my woman's intuition...or my eye sight." She grins at me while smoothing her top over her huge stomach. "Besides I'm not having s.e.x right now since Michael read online that a man's sperm can start labor." She rolls her eyes. "I wouldn't mind labor starting. I look like an elephant and it's d.a.m.n uncomfortable."

I start laughing, as I collapse into the seat she pats. "You only have a couple of weeks to your due date right?" Seeing Lily nod, I carry on, "Twins usually arrive early from what I've heard, so personally I think you're doing really well hanging on to them."

Lily rests her head back against the cushion before turning to look at me. "So, Sebastian."

I feel like squirming where I sit with her looking at me in the all-knowing way. "What do you want to know?"

She smirks. "Carla. I want to know everything. He's my brother-in-law and a fine specimen and seeing as though I'm not letting Michael between my legs, I need second hand information and you're the only one here."

G.o.d, I'm glad I'd already finished my coffee because it probably would have choked me to death with Lily's words.

"I thought you said Michael wouldn't have s.e.x with you." Are we really having this conversation? Unreal.

"He won't put his c.o.c.k in me." My eyes widen at her bluntness, which considering the topic of conversation I should have been prepared for. "But he keeps trying to put his mouth on me." She grins. "I told him if he refused to use his c.o.c.k, then my legs and mouth were staying closed."

I listen to her going on about her s.e.x life and then start laughing. In fact, I'm laughing so much, tears are leaking out from the corners of my eyes.

There's no way she's going to let me off the hook and as she knows there is something between us anyway I guess I won't be given much away.

"Will you keep it to yourself for now, until we can tell Pippa?"

"I can do that. So spill."

She's infectious. "I've never been with Ramon in the way we've let everyone believe. Something happened and I agreed to pretend to be his girlfriend, not expecting to fall for his brother," I lean back against the sofa, closing my eyes, "but I did. I'm in love with Sebastian and I think I have been since we first met at your wedding."

I turn my head to look at Lily. "We've been together these past three days. Today is the first day Sebastian has gone into the office since he showed up at my door." I offer a slight smile. "He didn't want to leave me, but he had a meeting he couldn't get out of."

After a few minutes Lily breaks the silence. "I noticed his attraction to you at my wedding. He couldn't take his eyes from you. I've also noticed him watching you when he thinks no one is looking. In the time I've known him, he's never been like that before." Lily sighs. "I'll be honest and say I was worried at first because I thought you were his brother's girl, but as I watched you both the attraction between you was electric, whereas with Ramon you always just acted as friends. So it's a relief to know there isn't going to be any conflict within the family."

"No conflict, although it was difficult and upsetting wanting to be with him, but not wanting to break my promise to Ramon. It was more so for Sebastian because he thought I was sleeping with his brother. At least we're together now."

"Whose together now?" Lucien asks striding into the room and straight to Lily, placing a kiss to her cheek. "You okay?"

"I'm fine Lucien. I thought you were picking Sabrina up on your way here." Lily pushes him to one side and then spots her friend hovering in the doorway.

Something's going on here and I think that something is Sabrina and Lucien. Sabrina sure as h.e.l.l doesn't look too happy with Lucien fawning all over Lily, which the rest of the family is used to. Even Michael's accepted his brother's coddling of his wife. Lucien on more than one occasion has spoken out calling her his sister, but I guess Sabrina not being around hasn't helped with her perception of their relationship.

Lucien sits opposite us and glares daggers, for want of a better word, at Sabrina until she straightens up, and joins us by sitting as far away from Lucien as she can without being rude, which gets a raised eyebrow from him.

Sabrina completely ignores him and glances between Lily and myself, but stays silent.

"How are you settling back into life in the states?" I ask wanting to break the tension that arrived with them.

"Just fine. I love the cabin Michael found me to rent, and the peace and quiet of where it is. The weather is an added bonus after raining for weeks before I left London. Anyway, enough about me, Lily, how are you feeling?"

I'm beginning to feel slightly uncomfortable with tension between Sabrina and Lucien and I so wish I could be a fly on the wall when they're alone...then again, maybe not as it'd be an explosive encounter.

"I feel like an oversized elephant and Michael refuses to do anything to try and set my labor off."

Trying not to laugh at the freaked out look on Lucien's face is easier said than done. It takes him a minute to school his feature before he asks. "How? Dare I ask?"

I'm unable to control the snicker, which burst from between my lips. "You really shouldn't have asked that, Lucien."

He still looks clueless, but he won't for long.

"A man's sperm can trigger labor when the due date is close and Michael refuses to, well you know, inside me." Lily grins across at Lucien who looks d.a.m.n uncomfortable now. "Lucien, are you feeling okay?"

Trust Lily to draw attention to his embarra.s.sment.

"I'd rather not have that image in my head. So thanks for that," he says standing up. "I think I'll leave you ladies to catch up." He bends and kisses Lily again before scowling in Sabrina's direction, but turning to me he winks before walking out of the room.

Lily chuckles. "I think I went a bit too far with him then, but it was fun. He doesn't normally blush," Lily makes the observation looking at her friend who ignores her.

"Lily, I need to be heading back to the city. I have some things to do," I say quietly, hoping to sneak off and avoid the tension in the room.

Lily takes my hand and pulls me to her for an awkward hug. "Seduce his socks off," she whispers for my ears only.

I grin and after saying goodbye to a brooding Sabrina, I walk out of the living room and b.u.mp into Lucien, Michael and Elias, who I also say goodbye to before climbing into my car.

Michael and Lily's house sure has a lot of family back and forth. As I pull away from the house and drive slowly down the lane towards the highway, I can't help be slightly envious of the close-knit family of the McKenzie's. I love my own s.p.a.ce, but knowing I have family close by would be lovely and something that I haven't missed until I started hanging out with them.

Pulling out on to the highway, I start speeding up when I catch a black SUV barreling towards me at a high speed through the rear mirror.

Trying to keep my nerves at bay, I carry on driving at the legal speed in hope the SUV will pa.s.s, but glancing back it slows down and trails behind me right on the a.s.s of the car.

Could it be Gary? I can't make out the driver because of the tinted windows. How would he have gotten the money for a car that fancy? I'm stupid. I chide myself. Of course he will have stolen it, if it's him. Why isn't the driver pa.s.sing me?

The car keeps weaving back and forth between this lane and the next, but he's not overtaking, and then I feel a jolt as the car pushes forward.

He b.u.mps my car. My fingers cling to the steering wheel in a death grip as my stomach turns and panic starts to set in. Watching the car pull back slightly, I reach for my cell, which I'd placed on the pa.s.senger seat and hit speed dial two, Sebastian.

"Hey babe," he answers immediately.

"Sebastian, I don't know what to do," I say panicking. "There's an SUV following me and they've hit the b.u.mper once." I start to cry. "I'm frightened."

"f.u.c.k, baby. Where are you?"

"I've left Lily and Michael's about five minutes ago and heading back to the city." I watch as the SUV pulls up to me again and clips the b.u.mper, making me scream.

"Carla...Carla...f.u.c.k, answer me dammit," he shouts down the phone, sounding frantic. "I'm just ringing Michael. Hang on."

"Okay. I'm here." I wipe the tears from my eyes. "There's no one around to help me."

I can hear Sebastian talking to someone in the background.

"Baby, I've called Michael. Dad and Lucien are on their way to you right now and I'm leaving. I'm just getting into my car."

I hear his car door slam then a screech of tires. It's going to take him about twenty minutes to get to me. Time I don't think I have as the SUV is speeding up to me again.

"Sebastian," I cry, "I love you."

"Carla, don't you dare do this."