Adam found himself once again corralled in his limo next to a seething Jillian, who sat delicately sipping a glass of red wine while glaring at him over the rim. He purchased a nice 1999 bottle of Harlan Estate Proprietary Red from Mike before departing, as sort of a peace offering for leaving her unattended in the car. Little did he know, he would have to spend an additional 45 minutes trying to get her back in it once he made an appearance.

The cad in him wanted to leave her there livid and raging on the curb, but the gentlemanly side, kept him from actually doing it. Now he regretted his cavalier behavior and wished he would have left her behind. Her sitting there spitting and hissing at him like a pissed off ally cat didn't help alleviate the temptation. He sighed heavily, leaned back into the plush leather and closed his eyes. He desperately hoped this trip home would be a speedy one, as the limo finally pulled away from the curb.

He finally managed to relax when images of haunting grey eyes floated into his subconscious causing him to reexamine recent events. He had been tempted to interrogate Mr. Briganit for more information about the intriguing waitress, but decided against it. Choosing to believe instead, this spellbound feeling he was under was nothing more than a heavy dose of lust brought on by a difficult evening. Adam gritted his teeth against the arousal which was tightening his slacks uncomfortably. He needed to get laid, pure and simple. Stealing a look under his lashes, he caught another enraged glower from Jillian. His sex drive would have to wait. There was no way in hell he was going to chance anymore entanglements with her just to appease an itch.

Closing his eyes again, he valiantly attempted to keep his mind blank. But, no matter what he tried, a short beautiful waitress with tired grey eyes kept creeping back in, making him frown.

"What the hell!!" Erich's startled exclamation shot through the opened partition followed by the sounds of screeching tires as he slammed on the brakes and jerked the steering wheel. The limo lurched hard to the left throwing Adam forward violently. Grabbing hold of the door, he was able to keep himself from being tossed onto the floor. Jillian, on the other hand, wasn't so quick and ended up in a red silk heap.

"What the fuck?" Adam snapped at his driver as the limo shuddered to a halt. A mournful wail began emanating from the floor boards.

"I fucking hit someone!" Erich answered in a rush, turning quickly to face Adam before jumping out of the car.

"Jesus Christ." Adam scrubbed his hands over his face and shoved them through his hair. Reaching for the door, he paused when he remembered he was not alone. "Jillian?" He leaned over and grabbed her elbow. "Are you hurt?" She whimpered. "Are you alright?" He said a bit more forcefully than he intended in his concern to get outside and assess the situation.

"Do I look alright!" she screamed, flipping her long blond hair out of her red face. "No! I am not fucking alright! This has been the worst night of my fucking life!" The ferocity of her words rained him with spittle. Jerking her arm free of his touch, she continued to berate him. "You are one fucked up piece of shit! I have never been treated so...." Her tirade was interrupted by a high pitched scream coming from her lips. "My DRESS!" Sitting up abruptly, she pulled the wine soaked material away from her body and out towards Adam. "Look at my fucking dress!! It's ruined!!" She shook the soggy fabric at him accusingly.

"Put it on my bill," Adam muttered, rolling his eyes. By the vivaciousness of her continued squawking, he assumed her to be fine and bailed out of the limo.

Running around the side of the car, he stopped short of a small prone figure lying on the wet pavement. Oh God! Those boots! It couldn't be her, Adam feverishly thought as he bent down, pushing his driver out of the way.

"No," he whispered in a groan. Trixie laid spread out like a chalk outline from a crime scene. Her head was tilted to one side and a steady stream of blood from a gash on her forehead, flowed into her blond hair. The blaze from the headlights accentuated her pale flesh and had him crawling towards her on his hands and knees. Praying she wasn't dead, he carefully cradled her head gently in his lap.

"Careful Mr. Steele, we don't know what her injuries are."

"Grab me something to put on her head to stop the bleeding." Adam shrugged out of his coat, placing it over Trixie in an attempt to keep her warm and dry from the drizzling rain. His fingers danced carefully over her neck feeling for a pulse. Relief flooded through him when he found it pulsing strong under his tips. "Come on baby, open those eyes for me," he murmured to her. He stroked her ashen cheek gently with the backs of his knuckles, letting his fingers brush the side of her neck. Her skin was so soft and smooth as the finest ivory.

"Here, sir." Erich interrupted, handing him a folded bar towel.

"Thank you." Taking the cloth, he tenderly placed it over the wound on her forehead, cringing when he felt the lump forming underneath his palm.

"How's she doing?" Erich asked, bending down.

"Pulse is strong, and I don't see any other obvious injuries, but she's unconscious."

"It's a good thing I was slowing down for the light," Erich said softly. "One minute she was on the sidewalk and the next she dove in front of the car like the hounds of hell were after her." Erich frowned, looking around. "I tried to avoid her, but I think she clipped the side of the bumper." He stood up pulling his phone out of his jacket. "I'm trying to call 911, but I think the buildings are blocking any signal. Now that you are with her, I'm going to walk up to the intersection and see if that helps." At Adam's nod, he turned to leave.

"What did we fucking hit? I swear, if your driver ruined my dress for some pathetic mutt, I'm going to demand you fire him immediately!" Jillian came sweeping onto the scene like an avenging wraith, arms flying out in all directions and her angry voice shrilly.

"Ma'am, please get back in the car," Erich barked, blocking her path.

"I will not! How dare you boss me around! And stop fucking calling me ma'am!" She shoved hard into his chest and managed to unsettle him enough to let her pass. "Why you keep him employed, Adam..." her voice trailed off and she gasped.

"Jillian," Adam warned, but in vain.

"OH MY GOD!! You hit a prostitute!"

"Please get back into the damn car," Adam growled.

"I can't fucking believe this! I am not going to jail because of you!" Her piercing screams echoed and ricocheted between the buildings. "I can't believe this is happening to me! You've made me a murder accessory!"

A slight movement in his lap captured Adam's attention. "Baby?" he whispered. Bending low, he put his face inches from hers. A great sigh of relief escaped him when he saw her thick dark lashes flutter against her cheek.

"A fucking prostitute! Just drag her to the side of the road and let's get the hell out of here!" Jillian continued to shriek and wail. Erich was doing his best to silence her, but it was like trying to stop a dam break with a piece of bubble gum.

The girl in his lap whispered something, but Adam couldn't hear. He lowered his head closer until his ear pressed against her cool lips. "Can you have your driver back up and run me over again? I'd rather be road kill than to listen to any more of that." Her hand weakly waved over towards Jillian.

Chuckling, Adam pulled her closer to him. Unsure why he was so elated, and for the moment, not caring about the reasons. He only knew he wanted to hold her, and so he did.

"Can't...breath..."

"Oh! Uh...sorry." Adam loosened his hold and gently laid her head back in his lap, grinning sheepishly.

"See! The prostitute is fine! Now can we please leave," Jillian whined, tugging on Adam's shirt sleeve.

"I'm not a prostitute."

"Stripper, prostitute...whatever." Jillian waved her off dismissively.

A delicate hand wrapped around his tie and jerked his head down roughly until he was staring at grey eyes ablaze. "Seriously, either back the car up and try again or get your girlfriend away from me," her soft voice hissed.

"Mr. Steele, I have a signal. I'm calling the police now."

"No!!" Jillian and the girl yelled at the same time. Adam had his hands full trying to keep her from getting up out of his lap.

"You must keep still." He put his arms around her chest and clamped her protesting body to his own.

"Please, no! Don't call the cops. Please!" Trixie struggled hard reaching out in desperation towards his driver who was now looking at him for instruction, his hand hovering over the cell phone.

"Like hell you will!" Jillian's heels clicked loudly across the pavement as she ran up to Erich and attempted to bat the phone out of his hand. "The last thing we need is for this shit to go public."

"Ma'am, stop it!" Erich held his phone out of Jillian's reach. "She needs an ambulance."

"And I need to keep my job! I won't let you ruin me!" She jumped up and down around his driver like an annoying terrier on steroids, her heels skidding and slipping on the pavement. "If you want to keep your fucking job, you will give me that goddamn phone!" she yelled, panting from her efforts.

"No I don't!" Trixie said insistently. "Honestly, I'm fine." Turning her head towards Adam, her grey eyes implored him.

"See? She's fine! Listen to the hooker."

"I am NOT a hooker!"

Trixie still kept a strong grip on his tie causing Adam to choke slightly when she tugged it in frustration. "Do you mind? You are now making it difficult for me to breath," he gasped softly, trying to pull it out of her grasp.

"Sorry." She relinquished her hold and smiled shyly. An embarrassed flush warmed her ivory skin beautifully. For a moment, Adam couldn't breath and it had absolutely nothing to do with the tie. "Please, don't call the police," she whispered.

"Why?" His gut twisted at the fear painted clearly on her features. He softly stroked her cheek, unable to resist touching her. The strange desperate feeling scurrying inside him was foreign and he didn't understand why he was so affected by her dismay, but he had an overwhelming need to keep her safe. "Hold off for a moment, Erich." He looked down at her frantic face. "Why don't you want the police called, baby?" he asked, giving into her demand with one of his own. Unaware, his thumb still stroked her cheek.

"Because she probably has a rap sheet longer than your fucking car, that's why," Jillian sneered stomping up to them. She pointed a lacquered nail into his face. "You better tell your goon to stop being a goody-two-shoe! Think about what this is going to do to your reputation, Adam," she coaxed.

"I don't give a fuck about my reputation!" He snapped at Jillian, who only rolled her eyes at his declaration. Swallowing back his irritation, he turned back towards the girl still cradled in his lap. Lifting her chin up until she met his gaze, he assessed her closely. "I need to know you're not hurt."

"I'm fine." Her voice faltered a bit, but her regard remained steady and unblinking.

"Your head is still bleeding," Adam frowned at her.

"Nothing a Band-Aid won't fix."

"Halle-fucking-lujah!" Jillian clapped her hands. "Now can we go?"

Adam sighed and counted to ten. Slowly. If ever he wanted to lay a hand in anger against a woman, it was now. "Yes, Jillian. You can go. Erich, please call Ms. Ross a cab."

"Already did. It's pulling up now." Adam raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. He paid the man well for his loyalty, but there were times when even he was surprised at the man's efficiency.

"What! When the hell did you do that you sneaky little bastard?" Jillian pounced on Erich, who smoothly ignored her as he walked to the back of the limo to retrieve her belongings.

"Your ride, ma'am." With sarcasm dripping off the his tongue, Erich indicated the yellow cab pulling up to the curb and handed over her clutch.

Jillian's gaze ping-ponged from Erich to the cab and finally landed on Adam, who blankly returned her stare. "Fine! You all are fucking crazy!" She circled her index finger next to her temple while she scowled at them. Zeroing in on him she pointed at his chest, her narrowed eyes throwing icy darts. "Adam, I don't ever want you calling me again," she haughtily told him, throwing her golden locks over her shoulder. Spinning on her heels, she turned to leave, stomping up to the door the cabbie held open. Jillian turned and looked at them for a moment. A brief glimpse of sadness flitted over her stunning features, before it was replaced with pure hatred. "I hope you rot in hell." And with that, she gracefully entered the cab.

An awkward pause fell upon the three of them as they all watched the taxi disappear up the street.

"Well, that was one hell of an exit," Trixie stated flatly.

"Yes, she's been known to put on quite a spectacle from time to time," Adam said frowning as he felt a soft shiver tremble her body. "Now, what do we do about you?"

"I still think we should call an ambulance, sir." Erich suggested quietly.

"No, really, I'm fine." Trixie jerked her head up out his lap and struggled to sit up, but Adam kept his hold firm.

"You need to lie still," he admonished, pulling her head and shoulders back into his lap. Telling himself the whole while, it was for her own well-being and had nothing to do with the fact he liked her being there.

She gave an aggravated sigh. "Look, I appreciate your concern, but I would really like to get up off this cold concrete, if you don't mind," she snapped.

Raising an eyebrow at her tone, he looked over at his driver, who simply shrugged in resignation. "Fine." Adam abruptly let her go and she popped out of his lap like a jack-in-the-box sprung loose. He quickly grabbed her shoulders as she weaved unsteadily. "Easy, baby."

"I'm fine. It's nothing...just a little head rush." Trixie jerked the towel from his hands and put it against her forehead, closing her eyes briefly.

"You can keep saying that all you want to, but I doubt you are going to convince me," Adam said drily. Standing up, he walked in front of her and offered his hand. "Let's get you off the ground and we will discuss what we are going to do next. And for the record, Trixie, I don't like to be lied to."

She sat looking up at him with those smoky uncertain eyes tinged with pain and his stomach plummeted down to his balls.

I wanted to take    this time to thank you for reading! I really hope you enjoyed this    installment of Bending Steele, and that you'll consider giving it a    vote. I can't tell you how much your support means to me and how much   it  motivates me to keep going.

If  you find any   errors along the way, don't be afraid to point them out  and I always   enjoy any recommendations or critiques you may have. As  always, I will   try and update once a week, usually on Thursdays, but if you don't see an update here, check   out my other story When Roses Collide. Thanks again!