*****ANNIE*****

It felt as if time had slowed down in the last minute of waiting. Patiently, fuck no, I was pacing up and down in front of Daisy's hospital bed and checking my phone every two seconds.

    Why was he taking so long to reply?
Was he busy?
Perhaps he was ignoring me?!

Argh! It was torturous being this edgy, even though I had sent that text like sixty seconds ago.

    Honey, do you expect him to reply that quickly? Priorities changed. You're no longer his problem or his princess. My conscious mocked.

I suddenly paused and checked the black screen. My sweaty finger pressed the on and off button and the the screen lit up. But still, no single notification.

     Without thinking straight, I unlocked the device and our chat popped up. Well, it was more of me texting him to meet for coffee and him being silent.
Gawd! What was I doing?
Was I even ready to talk to him about anything that happened in the past five years?

Somehow, the past three days had stirred restlessness during the nights and distracted me during daytime. I hadn't concentrated on a damn thing. All that was playing in my head was Jack's cold gaze. He had never looked at me like that ever. And the slightest possibility of him hating me had caused such a bizarre disturbance in my soul.

    My thumbs flew over the keyboard, typing a new message.

Be professional.

"Don't overthink it. It's about that treaty."
I stared at the text for half a minute, then hit the send icon.

     "Fuuuuck!" I grunted running a hand through the soft mass of my straight hair.

"Do I want to do this?" I doubted myself for the tenth time.

It would have been better if things stayed as they are, but...

   The notification tone rang out.
My phone almost slipped out of my hands from how fast I whipped it up to my face.

Jack; My house.

I stared at that text for eternity.

Had he gotten the messages mixed up with someone else's?

Two words. Two exciting and terrifying words that made my heart flutter and pound at the same time.

Me; You sure?
Jack responded almost immediately.

Jack; Safest place.

My excitement dulled instantly. He really took this meetup as a formal meeting. Bummer.

   But hey, I took whatever I could get.
It was a chance to see him again. A chance to see the place where we fucked each other like crazy.
His mansion held special memories in my sexual life.

Me; Okay.

--------------------------------

      The mansion looked exactly as it did when I left. The lounge had not had much change except for a blue plastic egg that sat on the glass table before me. This was his idea of decor. Of course it had to be an egg.

Most of the faces I had encountered upon arriving were new, all giving me the same look...blank stares.

     My eyes shot to the wall clock right above the huge smart TV.
Twelve sixteen, it read.
Sigh!

I had been on that couch for over fifteen minutes while Jack was god-knows-where doing satan-knows-what.

   Why did it feel like he was punishing me?

As I contemplated whether to stay or leave, the same servant that had led me in the lounge showed up.
She offered the plastic professional smile then delivered her message.

   "Mr Raynatt will see you now. Please follow me to his office."

Finally!

Placing the glass of juice on the table, I rose, and followed the female like a good puppet.

  She guided me on the east hallway, which I was familiar with and opened the firm-looking mahogany door at the end of the hallway. "Please," the redhead gestured ushering me inside.

    The second I stepped in his office, a strong wave of his personal cologne rushed inside my nostrils.
  He was in there alright.
And the moment our gazes met, a swirl of fear engulfed me for no reason.

The soft thud of the for being shut behind me made my insides jumpy.

   "Did I keep you waiting?" He asked. His voice was monotonous, giving him an aura of a villain out to get the hero. A sexy villain that sat behind this wide desk in an imposing posture.

He was leaning back on the swivel chair, his left leg placed comfortably on his right knee. Jack's chin rested between his index and his middle finger of the left hand while his elbow was supported by the chair arm.

          Jesus!
This man looked so freaking handsome and dominant sitting like that. It was like one of those manga villains sizing up his prey.

    He had a pair of spects on, adding a layer of mystery to his blue eyes.

    "No. Not really."

"Have a seat, Miss... Raynatt."

Okay, he was having too much fun poking me. And yet, I couldn't resist.

   I obeyed, lowered my ass on the single chair in front of his desk.

Even though it was sunny outside, Jack's office maintained shut curtains. With the only source of light being the bulb above us.
It illuminated his void expression, and everything else in the room that I wasn't interested in.

    "Has Mr Bass agreed?"

"Um...I, we haven't spoken since... since-"

  "Are you nervous Miss Raynatt?" Jack asked removing his head from his chin to angle it vertically.

  "No. Why would I be?"
Such a beautiful lie.
Only God knew how desperate my body was working not to let my intestines melt.

   Jack snorted amused.
"Good. Cause this matter is very, very serious." He said sliding the left leg off of the right. Still holding my eyes, Jack got up from his chair. "The terms to this treaty are simple honestly. And your organization benefits more than Shadows will." He preached while walking from behind the desk.

In my silence, I watched him walk over to the little bar at the corner of the room and pour himself a half glass of vodka.

    "Want one?" Jack extended his kindness.

I shook my head. "No thank you."

  My self discovery journey had been wild, made me realize how crazy I was when drunk. And so I had been avoiding drinking in public, or with people the likes of Jack.

Heaven knows how stupid I could get. Out of control even.

   "If I were you, I'd make sure he agrees to sign it because one signature doesn't count."

Good point there.

  But I hadn't come here to sign anything honestly. Just wanted to see him.

  "I'll, I'll keep that in mind." Said softly.

The male walked back to the desk, only this time, he sat on it that his leg brushed slightly against mine.

  A jolt of electricity shot from the spot of contact, but was cut short when Jack moved his leg.

"Is there anything you want to say to me?"

Yes. You look so fucking hot wearing those glasses and in that suit.

   Would I seem shameless if I acted too brazen? Could I depend on the bond we once shared?

I placed my purse beside him, then stood up in my four inch heels. This leveled his sitting height, leveled our faces.
    Not a word was spoken between us, I daringly snatched the glass from his hand and gulped down the remaining vodka like a a maniac.
My throat lit up in a burning flame but I acted like I had felt nothing and bottled up the tears.

   Gawd it burnt so much.

For some reason, Jack's face turned grim as I placed the empty glass next to my purse.

   "You acting so-"
He grabbed me by my cheeks, cutting short the honest speech I was about to give.

    "Who gave you permission to drink my-"

I knocked his hand down and threw myself at him, stealing a kiss from him in the most unexpected scenario.

   My hands snaked around his neck while my mouth kissed him harder.
But, Jack didn't kiss back.

He instead broke the kiss and swirled me around before grabbing both my hands and locking them on my back in swift moves.

   The male got off of the desk while still caging my hands behind me.
   "Let go!" I ordered putting up a squirming act.

  Jack snorted, just as his free hand covered my throat.
When his breaths came raining on my neck, every defense broke down along with whatever was holding my arousal away.

I could see the raw desire on his face through the mirror mounted on the wall behind his chair. He was staring at my face from the side like a damn predator.

  And boy did that make me horny.

"Just because you're grown, doesn't mean I won't spank the shit out of you for some manners." He threatened in a hoarse whisper.

Oooh there it was, that beastly side of him.

   Do it! Do it!

"Don't you dare." I hissed, pretending to not want that with every fiber in my body.

  Jack took a deep inhale on my neck and shut his eyes, as if savoring my scent like a goddamn vampire to track me down later.

Pressed on my hands trapped between us, something started hardening.
    And when I moved my hand to feel it better, Jack dashed away and off of my back.

He immediately faced the other side, a hand raking through his short hair.
     Had I just, turned him on?

"Was nice seeing you Miss Raynatt." He stated. "Have a safe drive home." And with that, he abandoned me in his office.