A/N Remember this is a chapter behind Inkitt. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Five

"You've got to speak to them tonight," Josh leaned in and whispered at Nancy's ear.

Her changes to the contract hadn't caused any hardship with the money men, but they still had to figure out how they were going to work this out as a band. The guys had to accept her, that was a given, but as yet none of them had approached her, hell none of them had even acknowledged her. She was definitely up against it. But she wasn't a quitter. Never had been.

"I know, let me go to the bathroom, just have a minute, then I'll do this." She turned to him and smiled, "I can do this. Promise."

Josh placed his hand on her thigh, "I have every confidence in you."

With a nod, she excused herself, and cut across the VIP area to the corridor leading to the bathrooms.

Sitting on the closed toilet seat, she pulled out her phone. There was a message from Malachi. She hadn't told Joe, her brother, where she was, otherwise he would be there picking a fight with any or all of the band members.

You holding up Fox? Remember you're better than them. I've wangled a long lunch tomorrow, meet me in the bar across the road from my office? I'll be there at 12.30...unless you need a rescue. I can be in King's Cross in 15 mins, 10 if there's violence.

There was no response she could give, other than a heart emoji, and that's what she sent.

Taking a deep breath, bigging herself up in her own mind, creating that haughty air that people accused her of having, she stood and unlocked the cubicle door. Only to come face to face with a huge bulk of a man, piercing blue eyes glaring at her from behind those black rimmed glasses.

"Riker," she gasped as she tried to process the shock. And it was shock, not fear. Suddenly facing him head on, she wasn't scared. He had said more hurtful things to her than anyone else when she'd been young, vulnerable, grieving and feeling guilt. Now? She was a successful business woman, she was adult, mature, and the old adage was true, sticks and stones may break my bones, but Riker's words couldn't hurt her any more.

He gave a dull laugh in response to that gasp, "you avoiding me, Princess?"

He'd caught her unawares, this was what he had planned, suddenly she knew that she'd lost any advantage she could to the situation. But she could either fade, or she could fight, and he deserved the latter. She deserved the latter to.

"I'm no one's princess, now get out of my way. There'll be time to get close to me when your band are paying me for it."

Riker laughed, a deep hateful sound, "you prostituting yourself Princess? At last we get the truth."

"Fuck you."

Again he laughed, "oh, you'd like that, am I the only man in your world who doesn't want to fuck you?"

She saw red, she'd been caught off guard, but this was out of order.

"Kidding yourself about that, Matthew?" She saw his eyes flare at that, no one called him by his first name. Apparently he hated it. Grinning she stepped up to him, "like you're also kidding yourself that you aren't desperate for me to agree to bail you guys out?"

His nostrils flared now, and he leaned into her, towering over her, "need you like a hole in the head. No room in our band for some washed up slut."

It was her turn to laugh, she'd rattled him, "washed up? Nah. This isn't my career, it's yours, and I've been asked to help resurrect your band for you. So who really needs who?" She ignored the slut comment, typical man.

"I fucking hate you," he snarled as he stepped closer, backing her into the door, the only exit from this tiny room.

She shook her head, "nah, you don't. You always wanted me, isn't that how teenage boys prove they like someone, by being nasty?" She barged past him, "you just hate that I never threw myself at your scrawny, geeky feet."

"You stuck up bitch," he grabbed her arm, pulling her round to face him, and she stumbled. Suddenly they were nose to nose. His breath was warming her cheek, his hands firm around her arms, and his blue eyes were just an inch from hers.

"You hate me?" She gasped, suddenly struggling for breath, "not as much as I hate you, get your fucking hands off me, and don't touch me without my permission again."

That made his eyes zone in on her, and she felt her heart beat in the back of her mouth, suddenly he was surrounding her, "permission? You think I want to touch you?"

He smelled good, and for a moment everything combined and she forgot who he was for a moment.

"I think you're desperate to touch me."

Riker shook his head, "no, this is all you. Are you pushing me away? Nope. You're hoping I take this further, Think you can wrap me around your little finger, like the rest of them. Using all your wily charms to get exactly what you want." His voice was hoarse, a rasp almost touching her skin.

Her eyes were level with his nose, thanks to her heels, and as her eyes dropped, he leaned into her, trying to force her head back.

"Can't face me?"

As he said that, her body backed into the closed door, and he pressed into her, both of them breathed deeply, he was huge, firm, hard against her, and she'd never felt so tiny in her life as she did at that moment.

A noise from the corridor behind the door made him step back, running a hand over his beard he dropped his eyes for a moment, it was all the time she needed.

"You think you hate me? But I felt that..." she gestured to his body, distinctly below the waist. "Either you're a complete bastard who gets off on being violent to women, or you are desperate to do exactly what you deny. Right here, right now, you want me. And that is hilarious. You gonna tell me more about these wily charms that I have?"

He glared at her, seemingly unable to formulate words. So she flashed him her teeth in a wide smile, then she fumbled before unlocking the door, leaving him looking like he was about to explode.

Riker punched the wall, the exact reaction that Josh had predicted in him. What the fuck just happened? One minute he was telling her exactly how he felt, the next she was close to him, in his arms, staring up with those green eyes, and she was right, he had a hard on that could cut steel.

He didn't like her, he loathed her, all that was shit in his life was down to her. She said he liked her, that he'd lusted after her, all bullshit, he hated her from day one.

So why was he having to wait before following her back to the group?

He adjusted his jeans. Skinny ones left little to the imagination. And he had a lot going on down there.

Ten minutes later he was able to leave the bathroom and rejoined the VIP lounge, only to see Nancy sat amongst the other band members laughing with them, Josh was looking on proudly.

As he approached, Chris glanced at him, "you've been ages, fall down the pan?"

That made him fume even more, and Nancy had the gall to chuckle, looking him up and down knowingly.

His brain screamed profanities that his mouth didn't vocalise, and all he could do was roll his eyes at Chris, then grit his teeth.

"Sorry, you missed the plan Riker," Chris clapped him on the back, "but Josh has arranged that we'll send Nancy all the tapes of our practices and recordings, she can then head into the studio, hear what we've got then add her bit." He gave him a supportive smile, "means we don't have to all be in each other's pockets."

Riker gave an abrupt nod, then stormed out onto the dance floor, only to be swamped by the women that Ben and Paul were lining up earlier.

Despite her apparent calm, Nancy was a bundle of nerves, her encounter with Riker and unsettled her, he was angry, intimidating, a total bastard, but then there was that moment when time seemed to stand still and there was tension, a moment...something passed between them, and she wasn't lying when she called him out on the wood he'd been rubbing against her. But it wasn't one sided, she had her thighs clenching together since that moment, her pelvis was swirling, everything tightening, and she had the strongest urge to chase after him.

But she couldn't. Instead she sat with the guys and laughed with them when they spotted Riker having a full on snogging session with someone in the middle of the dance floor. Apparently that was the most out of character behaviour they'd ever seen in him.

She was going to leave, as soon as Josh came back from seeing he suits out to their cab. She wanted to say goodnight. She'd been a bitch to him since she'd come back, hell, since she left. And he was looking out for her, he'd suggested splitting recording duties, he was helping her to ease into the band, rather than forcing her on the guys and watching the fireworks.

Having only had a couple of beers, she headed to the bar. Pete the ever happy barman beamed at her.

"Hey Nancy, what can I get you?"

She sighed, "one for the road. Surprise me..." When his eyes widened in surprise, she added quickly, "nothing dodgy. I have to get home."

Grinning he turned around and filled a cocktail shaker, talking over his shoulder as he did, "terrible clientele tonight, no one wanted my mixology skills."

"Until now," she called out.

He laughed as he turned around and handed her a tall glass, yellow at the base, grading through orange to bright pink at the top, a wedge of pineapple and a paper umbrella completed the drink.

"Is that what I think it is?" She asked lifting an eyebrow.

"Depends on what you think it is. You a cocktail connoisseur?"

She shrugged, then took a sip, "had my fair share of Sex on the Beach!"

He flushed bright red, obviously she'd scuppered his reveal and was embarrassed at her innuendo to boot. Youngsters, she was so over all this playing around. But he drink was good quality, that was the main thing.

"Another man all wrapped around your little finger."

She was still leaning against the bar, when the voice snarled a whisper at her ear, setting the hairs on the back of her neck on end. She didn't turn, she didn't have to, if she didn't recognise the voice, which she did, then she'd recognise that smell. And she hated the way her pulse quickened at his proximity.

Deliberately not reacting, she sipped at her drink, then winked at Pete, who disappeared, sensing the waves of anger and tension wafting between the two. Then turned to him.

"You seriously can't keep away from me, Matthew."

Again, he grimaced. This was too easy.

"Just noting that things haven't changed."

She rolled her eyes, "me 'talking' to a barman offends you?"

He growled, "you offend me. Every breath you take that he doesn't."

Referencing Damon was the only thing that could bring her down, but she as sick of feeling guilty, sick of carrying that around with her. It had been fifteen years.

Turning to him, she placed a hand on her hip and glared at him, "if I want to fuck every barman in here, that is my prerogative, guilting me over Damon won't change the fact you have zero control over me."

"Control? I just want you gone."

She nodded, "so you keep saying, but I'm not buying that. Why else are you up in my face at every opportunity?"

"Because I want to make sure you go, get out of this place."

She pushed out her chest, squared up to him, "not happening, so you better get used to my face everywhere."

"You'll never win this battle, Princess. I will defeat you."

She gave him a sickly sweet grin, secretly enjoying the anger and frustration she knew she was adding to, "never. And knowing my actions kill you so much, well...let me just explain that if I can do anything that makes you this riled, then I will. That may become the focus of my universe – winding you up."

"You can't affect me." His words were low, gruff, but his eyes were wild, glaring down at her.

"Really?" She cocked an eyebrow, loving her power.

He leaned forward, into her personal space, "yes. Really."

Nancy knew that she'd once again reached that point where she was going to do something that she regretted. There was nothing more guaranteed to see her lose her shit, than a challenge. The fact that it was from a man who hated her, ever more joy.

Nodding slowly, her eyes never leaving his, she grabbed for the cocktail and sucked the entirety through the straw, rather flirtatiously, if she did say so herself. Riker was rigid, furious and she gave him a little smile, before turning to the bar.

Climbing up onto the stool, she knelt with her arms over the bar. Peter had returned and was looking nervous. So she beckoned him over with a curled finger, when he got close enough, she reached for his shirt and pulled his lips to hers.

She knew Riker was watching, so she made it good, dragged him into her, kissed him like she owned him, then pulled back, "thanks Pete, for helping me sneak in, and the amazing cocktail. You are the greatest barman."

Their heads were still close, so no one could hear her words, he had huge eyes, staring at her as he nodded.

With a smile, she slid down off the stool, then turned to an almost purple faced Riker, "I do what I want, when I want. I am not a kid any more Matthew, you cannot control me."

Then with a delicate wave, to Pete, and then the rest of the group who had all witnessed her little show piece, she left the building.