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  “I need to be home for her.”

  I patted him on the shoulder. Dante was far too over protective of his wife, but I didn’t blame him. He’d fallen hard for Liora or should I say, his heart. I suppose in many ways Liora had become his conscience so his term of endearment was rather apt.

  Two streaks of fur ran up from the ground floor and scrambled up the next flight of stairs.

  “For fuck’s sake, those damn cats,” he muttered.

  “I told you not to let her get them.”

  He rolled his eyes and walked towards the stairs where they’d disappeared to.

  “No doubt I’ll find them on our bed.”

  I smiled and shook my head. When Dante was out of sight, I looked at Jen’s door. Part of me wanted to go in there and demand she let me stay with her tonight. I wanted her there next to me. But that was stupid so I walked away, my heart sinking with each step.

  Another royal fuck up.

  Another night I’d crossed a line.

  Another reason I needed to sort my head out.

  This shit between me and Jen needed to end.

  It should’ve never even started in the first place.

  Chapter Five

  Jennifer

  After last night’s debacle, I really didn’t want to have dinner with Max tonight. I had no choice in the matter. Dante needed me to do this for the good of the company, so I put my big girl panties on, got dressed up to the nines and ventured out.

  Did it piss me off that Brent was lurking around when I left?

  Fuck yes it did. I saw the way his eyes roamed over me, confusion and desire lacing those golden flecked irises. His gaze burnt into me and left me feeling hot and very, very bothered. I hated him having that kind of effect on me. He didn’t have to touch me to get me wet and that was unacceptable.

  Fuck him.

  Fuck his stupid handsome face.

  And fuck everything that was going on between us.

  He didn’t get to know where I was going. In fact, if he thought I was out on a date, all the bloody better. Maybe he’d get jealous.

  Why the fuck do you want him to be jealous?

  I did not care about Brent.

  I did not care if he got jealous.

  I did not care about his feelings.

  He’d made those very clear. I was Dante’s sister and that made me off limits. If I was so bloody off limits, he shouldn’t have had sex with me in the first place.

  I hate him. I hate how he’s confused me. I hate it all.

  Needing to get Brent off my brain, I strode into the restaurant. When I told the hostess who I was, she led me to a table by the window. Max was already there. He had that annoying smirk on his face when he stood up and came around to pull my chair out. Wearing a blue shirt which matched his eyes and chinos along with his signature brogues and no socks, he looked like he’d walked off a film set.

  “Evening Jennifer,” he said as he kissed my cheek before I sat down, letting him tuck my chair in for me.

  I wasn’t going to complain about his manners even though I disliked the prick. I waited until he seated himself before answering, eying him warily.

  “Let me get one thing clear before you get any ideas. This is business not a date.”

  He put his hands up momentarily, his blue eyes twinkling. It just served to annoy me. Everything about Max was irritating to be quite honest. He might be classically handsome, but he was not my type. I hated perfect guys with their perfect hair and perfect smiles. Also, he had a posh twat accent and that was unforgivable in my book.

  No, you just like guys with gold flecked eyes who make you wet with one single heated glance.

  Ugh, why? Brain, please shut the hell up!

  I did not like Brent, I merely liked the way he fucked. And the way he kissed. And his body. And how I felt safe with him.

  And now this is getting out of hand.

  “I didn’t expect anything else.”

  “Good.”

  I picked up the menu when he didn’t say anything further. At least he’d chosen a nice restaurant. I’d heard good things about this place. When the waitress came, I ordered a large gin and tonic to go along with the expensive bottle of wine he ordered. Starters and mains were duly chosen. I sat back, observing the other diners when she left.

  “How have you been since school?” he asked.

  “Fine.”

  If he thought I wanted to make small talk with him, he was mistaken.

  “And Fiona, how is she?”

  “Fine.”

  I looked over at him, raising an eyebrow as if to say ‘are you going to continue to ask me inane questions or are you going to get to the point?’

  “You don’t like to make things easy, do you, Jennifer?”

  “Whatever gave you that idea, Maximillian?”

  He flashed me a grin and shook his head. He could bet his rich prick arse I wasn’t going to make anything easy for him. To be honest, Max had come along at the worst possible time. I’d just about gotten back on track with my sister after the shit with Jensen and now I was dealing with whatever the hell me and Brent were to each other.

  “Oh, just a little inkling I have about you.”

  I was glad the waitress came back over to deposit our drinks so I had a distraction from his gaze. Something really didn’t feel right about this situation. I mean, Max and I hadn’t exactly gotten along at school and the timing of this seemed strange. Why would he waltz in when Dante was close to going on extended leave?

  Max didn’t seem inclined to tell me the real reason he’d invited me to dinner just yet. He tried to further engage me in conversation as we ate starters and mains. I humoured him for the sake of being polite, but I was ready to get the hell out of this place by the time the waitress cleared our plates.

  “Would you like dessert?” he asked me as he ran his eyes over the menu.

  I didn’t even look at it. I’d already decided it was high time we got this over with.

  “No thank you.”

  He put the menu down and levelled his gaze on me.

  “It has been nice catching up, hasn’t it?”

  “Oh yeah, it’s been just peachy.” Not. I’d rather throw myself into a tank of crocodiles than spend another minute here with you.

  I think he noticed my sarcasm because he raised an eyebrow and had this stupid twinkle in his eye, like he was about to drop a bomb on me. I steeled myself.

  “I’m very eager to go into business with Bensons, but with all things in life there has to be a little of I scratch your back, you scratch mine, if you know what I mean.”

  I fought to keep a neutral expression on my face, not liking where he was going with this.

  “Get to the point, Max.”

  Beating around the bush wouldn’t do him any favours with me. Not in business anyway.

  “It’s quite simple really, Jennifer.” He steepled his hands together, watching me with a smirk on his face. “My family is pressurising me to find an appropriate woman. You meet that criteria. Of course, I’m not interested in a real relationship, just one purely for the media circus and to appease them. It’d be good publicity for you and the company.”

  I blinked. Was he for real? I wasn’t going to engage in a fake relationship with this prick for anything. I didn’t care if it cost us the contacts and investment he’d bring. If he thought I was going to be a pawn in his master plan, he had another thing coming.

  “What on earth makes you think I’d ever agree to that?”

  He leant back in his chair, eyes still twinkling.

  “I thought you’d ask that. You see, I like to know who I’m working with and your family has rather a lot of skeletons hidden away.”

  My fists clenched in my lap. There were a lot of details about what Dad did which never made headlines because there wasn’t a trial. Most of it was sensationalised as was the way with the media and focused on my mother’s murder. />
  “You wouldn’t want any of it coming to light. Your image has been precarious since your father went to prison.”

  If he wanted to get a rise out of me, he was going the right way about it. However, I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction. I stared at him, wondering what the hell he knew which he shouldn’t.

  “I suppose you want to know what I have on you, right?”

  The urge to punch his stupid face pounded in my veins. I was right to think there was something off about him. This right here was blackmail.

  He leant forward and ran his finger around the rim of his wine glass.

  “Let’s just say I know all about how your brother acquired his wife.”

  I stiffened. I knew what lengths Dante went to. We all did. How Max knew was a question I’d like answering.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, my voice void of all emotion.

  Yeah, I could be a real bitch when I wanted to. I could rant and rave, but shit like this? You had to keep a cool head.

  “Come now, Jennifer. We both know that’s a lie. You wouldn’t want it to come to light that your sister in law was payment for a blood debt now, would you?”

  No. That would ruin us completely. It’d been hard enough restoring our reputation after Dad went to prison. We had public sympathy on our side then. If it came out that Dante had gone along with Dad’s blood debt shit, there’d be hell to pay.

  “So what? It would be your word against ours.”

  He tugged out his phone from his pocket, fiddled with it for a moment before sliding it across the table towards me. I looked down at it. The image on screen made me feel sick. It was a document detailing Angus Stewart’s agreement with my father along with both their signatures. Did Dante know this existed?

  “How do you have this?”

  “A man never reveals his sources.”

  I slid his phone back to him. There would be no point deleting the picture. He’d have copies.

  “Why are you doing this?”

  “I told you, I have need of you. This stays between us. If you tell your family, I will release everything I have. Bensons will go down in flames. It’s your choice, Jennifer. Act like my girlfriend or ruin your family for good. If you agree, I will help you take Bensons to the next level. Consider it a win-win situation.”

  This was not bloody win-win at all. He was fucking well blackmailing me. I didn’t trust Max, but I knew he would release everything if I didn’t agree. I couldn’t afford to allow my family to fall into ruination. Especially not with Dante and Liora’s baby on the way.

  There wasn’t anything for me to think about. I had to sacrifice myself for the good of my family. I’d never been the self-sacrificing type. That was always Dante and Fi. And yet the thought of my family and the company being destroyed by our secrets coming to light made me feel nauseated.

  “So I just have to pretend to be your girlfriend. Nothing else.”

  He picked up his phone and tucked it back in his pocket.

  “That’s all I ask.”

  I didn’t believe him, but for the good of Bensons and my family, I had little choice but to agree. They were the most important people in my life even if they did my head in.

  “Fine.”

  “So we’re agreed?”

  “Yes, I’ll be your fake girlfriend, but it won’t be indefinitely. We clear?”

  “Crystal.”

  I pushed my chair back and stood up, placing my napkin on the table.

  “Good, because I don’t have anything else to say to you.”

  He nodded slowly.

  “I’ll be in touch. We can fully discuss the terms over the coming weeks.”

  I didn’t reply to him. I just walked away, my heart sinking with every step. Had I made the right decision? How could it be anything but the right choice. Allowing Dante’s secret to come to light wasn’t an option.

  Dante owes me. Big fucking time.

  Except I couldn’t even tell him. No one in my family could know. This was fucked up. So bloody fucked up.

  All the way home, I felt like throwing up my dinner. I took the tube, wanting to get lost in amongst the crowds because being alone with my thoughts had me in knots. Who was I kidding? I was alone in this no matter what.

  How had Max found out? Who gave him that document? Did he have a grudge against my family or was he just an opportunist?

  Questions whirled around in my head until it was pounding so hard, I could barely walk up the road to the house. Letting myself in, I found it was quiet and still. Dante and Liora were likely upstairs. Just knowing I wasn’t alone soothed me a little.

  I wandered into the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water, knocking it back before refilling the glass. When I turned, he was standing in the doorway watching me. Brent had a cautious expression on his face. I didn’t feel like arguing or talking. What happened with Max weighed heavily on me. All I wanted was to curl up in bed and allow misery to set in. Because that’s how I felt. Upset. I was being blackmailed. How could I feel anything else? Yes, I was angry, but he’d found a way to hit me the hardest by going after my family.

  Popping the glass on the counter, I walked towards him slowly. His eyes tracked my movements until I stood before him. I didn’t look up, I stepped closer, wrapped my arms around his back and lay my head against his chest. His solid body against mine made my heart hammer. His warmth seeped into me. Soothing the deep seated ache which had set in my soul a fraction.

  “Jen?”

  “Don’t talk,” I whispered.

  I just wanted a moment of quiet. If he could afford me this small meagre portion of comfort, I could survive the night.

  “Where were you tonight?”

  “I said don’t talk.”

  He let out a long sigh and curled his arms around me. It felt so good to be held even if it was by Brent of all people. It’s not like I could tell him what happened. What would that achieve? He’d only want to go tell Dante and it would mean ruin for all of us. I had to assume Max knew more than what he’d told me. Our family was seeped in secrets, lies, debts and abuse.

  “I feel so alone,” I murmured, the words spilling out without me really thinking about them.

  “Because Fi’s got Jensen now?”

  Well, there was that. I missed Fi more than I could put into words. I had to get used to her being gone, but that wasn’t creating the pit of loneliness inside my stomach.

  “Yes and no.” I tipped my head back and looked up at him. “Why are you being nice to me?”

  He frowned, a small furrow appearing between his brows. I wanted to smooth it away.

  “You hugged me.”

  “And I’m pretty sure you were waiting to see if I came home or not.”

  That had him looking a little contrite.

  “I’m merely looking out for you since your brother asked me to.”

  I rolled my eyes. Why wasn’t I surprised?

  “Dante just has to stick his oar in, doesn’t he? I’m twenty seven years old. I stopped being a child a long time ago. I don’t need him to take care of me, or you for that matter.”

  “You’ll always be his little sister.”

  A fact I didn’t need reminding of. It was because of me being Dante’s little sister that this shit between Brent and I was so messed up.

  “Yeah well, just because I’m the only one who isn’t all loved up and shit, doesn’t mean he gets to play overprotective brother act all day. He’s got Liora and the baby to worry about.”

  I could see Brent holding back a smile.

  “He delegated.”

  “Do you really have to do what he says? I mean, you know I don’t need protecting.”

  Except I do what with Max and his blackmail crap.

  He shrugged. We were still in each other’s arms and I was beginning to get a stirring in my stomach from being in close contact with him. I didn’t want to step back, but I
did. Just a little to put some space between us.

  “Yes. Do you think I want to deal with his drama queen act if he finds out I haven’t been doing as he asked?”

  I rolled my eyes again, trying not to laugh at Brent calling my brother a drama queen.

  “Fine, just don’t be all overbearing and in my face about it, got it?”

  He smiled. I ignored how it made my heart race. And how his whole face lit up. And how I wanted to kiss him right then.

  Ugh! What the actual fuck? I’m not kissing him again. We’re not going to sleep together again. End of story.

  “Got it.”

  “Will you do me a favour?”

  He raised an eyebrow.

  “What kind of favour?”

  I stepped back further and he let his arms fall. Nudging my toe against the kitchen tiles, I fixed my gaze on the ground.

  “Will you come upstairs with me and stay until I fall asleep?”

  I didn’t want to see his expression, worried he’d say no. This wasn’t asking for sex. I didn’t think I’d be able to go to sleep if I wasn’t distracted from my thoughts about Max and his threats.

  “What happened tonight?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Do you want to watch a film or play on the Switch or something?”

  I looked up then. He didn’t look put out, just curious.

  “You’d let me play your precious video games?”

  That had him rolling his eyes.

  “Yeah, doubt you could beat me.”

  I smirked.

  “Oh, it’s on.”

  Grabbing my glass of water off the counter, I walked by him into the hallway and up towards the stairs.

  “Coming?” I threw over my shoulder.

  I heard his footsteps behind me. We could play nice for once. Although I was pretty sure I’d get super competitive and give him shit, but what better way to distract myself from all the crap whirling around in my head.

  Chapter Six

  Brent

  There was something up with Jen. I didn’t know what it was, but it couldn’t be anything good. For the past week she’d been working late only to come home and not want to be by herself. With Liora not feeling herself, Dante hadn’t noticed Jen and I spending countless hours in the living room either watching TV or trying to beat each other at Mario Kart.