STELLA

I sit up with a start when I don't recognize my surroundings at first. The jacket draped over me falls to my lap. I pick it up and take a deep inhale of it, closing my eyes; JP's earthy spicy scent and cologne linger heavily on it.

Images of his soft lips on my shoulder, neck, and chest replay in my mind, and a warmth spreads through me, remembering his large hands gripping my hips and his strong arms wrapped around me.

But then I remember how comforting and gentle he was as he held on to me while I cried, feeling guilty, for letting myself get carried away by his touch, again.

I sigh heavily and swing my legs over the side of the couch. I have no idea what time it is and wonder if the club is even still open. Someone would have surely come looking for me before closing up.

Feeling a chill, a shudder ripples through me, so I slip on JP's jacket and head to the door. Bruiser jumps when I open the door quickly.

He chuckles. "Gotta say, I've never known anyone to fall asleep on the job, Raven."

"You should have woken me up, Bruiser." I scold him teasingly.

"Right and have my head ripped off by the big boss," Bruiser shakes his head. "No, thanks."

"Yeah, well, I'm sure I'm going to get a lot of shit for it, too," I tell him as I yawn.

"Naw, the boss paid for the rest of the night with you, so as far as everyone knows, you were just doing your job." He tells me.

JP paid for the rest of the night with me? That doesn't exactly make me feel good.

I tell Bruiser goodnight and head to the dressing room and find the girls getting changed. They all look over at me when I walk in.

"Girl, where have you been?" Letty asks as she pulls up her pants.

"Room 6," I inform her as I head to my station. "I fell asleep." They all turn to look at me.

"Really?" Jessica chuckles.

I nod as I slip off JP's jacket and set it on a chair. I begin unclipping the garters and then unzip the corset jumpsuit I'm wearing.

"This whole time?" Destiny asks me, with a curious look on her face.

"Well, I was dancing, and then that led to talking...and then I woke up on the couch." I pull on a sports bra and my t-shirt.

"Sounds like you had a real bore," Destiny comments.

I shrug, "I haven't been sleeping well," I explain, which is the truth.

I begin wiping off my makeup and ask how the rest of the night went for them. They each take turns explaining how their night was, and each had a good time, making a lot of tips.

"Who was the client?" Victoria asks me as she pulls her long hair in a ponytail.

"JP," I say quietly.

"You spent the whole time with JP?" Jessica asks behind me. I look up at her through the mirror. She stares back at me; her eyes narrowed with her hands on her hips.

"I fell asleep at some point, and when I woke up, he was gone, so, no, not the whole time, Jess." I know she's feeling defensive or protective, thinking about Sean.

My phone chimes and I look away from her doubting look, and of course, it's Sean, asking how my night went.

S: Hey lovely, how did the rest of the night go?

Me: Good, quiet.

S: Really, with that big of a crowd? I wanted to see if I could come over, but if you're too tired, then I can wait until I take you out tomorrow night...Well, later today, I mean. Haha.

Me: No, I'm not tired. I want you to come over.

S: Great, send me the address again, and I'll head there.

"Raven, the boss wants to see you," Roman says from the doorway.

I slip my bag over my shoulder and tell the girls goodnight. I make my way to the back office, and Rio walks out.

"Hey, you wanted to see me?"

"No, Johnny did." He tells me, "But since you're here--next week, we'll begin training the new hires. We won't have another show until the end of the month. That should be enough time for training, right?"

I nod, "Yes, it should be. But remember, I have Annalisa's wedding this week. So I'll be in and out a lot. I think Letty can take point on everything. She's worked for you the longest, and she knows all the schedules; and with what's going on with my friend, I will end up having to leave soon."

Rio's eyebrows shoot up, "So you've made your decision to stay here after all?"

"I can't leave those kids, Rio, and I can't take them to Miami, either."

He sighs and rubs his chin. "Okay, I'll talk to Eva about the upcoming changes, and then I'll talk to Letty. I'd hate to lose you, Stella. But I get it; family is everything, yeah?"

"Yes, it is."

"I'm sure I'll see around the Villa; have a goodnight." He starts to walk away but stops, "Also, from what I hear, quite a few men are lingering near the entrance waiting for you. So, unless you want to deal with that, go out the back door." He tells me.

I thank him and turn to knock on the door before I walk in. JP is standing behind the desk looking at a file; he looks up at me and smiles. "Did you have a good nap?"

I nod. " A little embarrassed. I've never fallen asleep at work before."

"Yeah, don't let that happen again. I hear your boss is a real hardass." He jokes as he walks around the desk and then folds his arms as he leans back on the edge of the desk. But, dammit, why does everything he do look like he's doing some GQ photoshoot?

I shake my head at my thoughts, "Yes, he can be, but my boss's boss is a real softy."

JP laughs, "Do you need a ride back to the Villa? You can ride with me."

I shake my head, "No, thank you. I was going to head to Cristian's penthouse. Sean is waiting for me."

The playfulness in his face fades away as he turns away from me and goes back around the desk. He pulls out an envelope and hands it to me.

"Payment for the night. I'm sorry I kept you from actually working tonight." He says, his demeanor more businesslike now. "Rio took the other girls' payment since he's riding back with them."

I hold the envelope; the size alone looks more than the regular payment. "This feels like too much, JP."

"It's not," His tone clipped. "You earned it."

My eyes snap up to glare at him, but he's busying himself with paperwork on the desk.

"Gee, thanks for pointing that out." Feeling overcome with anger but most of all hurt by how he made it seem like I'm a whore getting payment for something indecent.

JP doesn't say anything or even look up. I hold out his jacket. "Here's your jacket."

"Leave it." His voice is stiff and cold as he still doesn't look at me.

I stuff the envelope on the inside pocket of his jacket and throw it at his head, hoping it smacks him hard.

I walk out, slamming the door, and head out the back door. I'll have to swing around the front of the club and pick up Nicky, who's probably still waiting for me at the entrance.

I quickly make my way to unlock the car, but someone grabs my hand and pulls the keys out of my hand. I immediately think it's JP.

"John Paul, I swear if you don't--"

I stop when I see four guys staring back at me. I don't recognize any of them as I look at each of their faces. They're all dressed in suits, and I can only assume they were part of the crowd that came tonight.

"We've been waiting all night for a moment with you, Raven."

The one closest to me; he looks me over as he rubs his chin. "Even dressed in sweats, you look pretty hot, am I right, guys?" He looks back at his friends. The others nod or murmur in agreement.

"Look, I don't have time for this, my boyfriend is waiting for me, so give me my keys. Now." I hold my hand out expectantly.

Another guy in the group chuckles. "You'll get them back after, maybe."

"After what?" I question.

"After we spend some time with you," Says another, and I look over at him as a slow smile spreads on his face.

"You don't want to spend time with me, trust me," I state.

"We beg to differ," The first guy speaks again; he twirls my keys around his pointer finger.

He claps his fingers around the keys and smiles at me. "Tell you what, if you can get your keys from me, we'll leave you alone."

"Fine."

I jab him in the throat, then knee him in the groin, and he drops my keys, groaning and coughing.

I pick them up. "Thanks."

I turn away, but I place my keys in between my fingers, knowing I'm going to need a weapon soon.

Someone pushes me against the car, and I swing my elbow back and hit the guy behind me in the head. He staggers back and holds the side of his head.

"Well, aren't you full of surprises?" The guy I dropped earlier questions. He turns to the guys standing a few feet away on either side of me and nods.

They move in simultaneously, and I duck and hit the guy on the left in the groin with a kick, and then I slash at his face with my keys. The guy behind me grabs me around the neck, and I elbow him in the stomach and then turn to grab his arm to flip him on the ground.

I feel dazed as I get hit on the side of my head, and then I'm strong-armed down to the grown; the unmistakable feeling of a cold knife up against my throat brings my haziness into focus.

I grunt and scream for them to let me go, but they work together as they pin me down behind the car.

My head snaps to the right when someone backhands me, but they gave me enough room to kick them away, and I hear the knife clattering on the ground, but then another takes the place of the one I kicked.

"Hold her down!" One of them shouts. I struggle against them to get off of the asphalt. I scream again for them to let me go, but they just double down on their efforts to hold me and flip me on my stomach. I scream out for someone to help, anyone.

I remind myself to calm down and slow down my rapid breathing; I need focus. I've been in worse situations than this, and I'll have a better chance of them loosening their grip on me if I relax a little, but I don't get a chance when I feel the weight of the guy over me come off.

The others let me go and look up, and I turn around and see what they see.

JP towers over us, holding the guy who was on top of me by the throat. He turns the mans' face towards him. "You're dead," His voice is menacingly low.

JP snaps his neck before he throws the guy back; his body hits the car before he crumbles to the ground.

The other men move in on JP all at once, but he fights back at a savage pace, and then I see Nicky and Adonis join him. The last guy is trying to crawl away, but JP grabs him by the hair, turns him around, and then kicks him in the face.

"Signorina Stella, stai bene?" Nicky helps me stand up. (Are you okay?)

I nod at him, and then I head to the car to get away even though I'm shaking.

I get in quickly, but the door opens, and I'm pulled out roughly. I look into JP's angry eyes as he pushes me up against the car.

"Why the fuck did you leave alone?" He growls.

"Let go of me, you arrogant prick!" I yell back at him and try to shake out of his tight grip.

He pushes the envelope into my chest. "And you're welcome, by the way."

"I don't want your fucking money, Johnny. Now let me go." I grit out, and I shove him back.

"What the hell is your problem?" JP asks me angrily. I see Adonis is on the phone, and I'm assuming he's calling for help to get rid of the men on the ground.

"You, you're my problem...you...you, big...asshole!" I'm so angry, frustrated, and shaken up I can't even form a damn name to call him. "I'm leaving."

"I just saved you from those motherfuckers, and that's all you have to say?" JP yells at me.

"I had it under control!" I yell back.

 "You're fucking unbelievable!" He grabs my hand and shoves the envelope at me again.

I throw it over his head. "I don't need it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm keeping Sean waiting. At least he's never made me feel like some cheap whore." I turn to tell Nicky to get in, and he looks at JP before getting in the car silently.

JP laughs, "If he had any fucking clue how to make you feel, you wouldn't have been moving on me the way you were tonight. It's clear he doesn't take care of you."

"And you do?" I laugh in his face.

"You think this," I gesture to the men on the ground, "that what happened here, is you taking care of me? Let's recap on the real version of taking care of me. You push me away, you break my heart, you lie to me, you kiss other women--to hurt me, you claim I'm the only one you love, you make me believe you're dead for years and come to find out, you're alive and well, and fucking someone else!" I shove him.

"For three goddamn years, I haven't thought of or looked at another woman, and all you can focus on is the time I slept with someone when I couldn't remember who I even was?" JP yells at me.

"It's not just that, JP, and you know it. Sean has never lied to me; I never have to wonder what he's thinking or feeling because he actually fucking talks to me! He doesn't shut me out!"

JP walks up to me and stands so close to me I have to crane my neck to look up at him. "You can fool yourself all you want, Stella. But he doesn't take care of you the way you need." He says arrogantly.

I know I should walk away, but I can't help myself. "Well, how about this? You always liked me taking videos of myself, " I cup his face gently before I shove him. "I'll send you a video of him "taking care of me" or better yet, of me sucking him off tonight because that's what I plan on doing when I see him!" I scream.

"Just remember who's name to call out, princess," JP says quietly.

"What?" I question angrily.

He walks closer to me, so I have to lean back to look at him; he tucks some of my hair behind my ear, and his lips graze my ear as he whispers. "It was my name you called out just now when you needed help. It wasn't his." I start to tremble, fighting the shudder running through me, and I let the anger take over.

JP leans away, smirking as he watches me.

"Unlike you, I'll actually know who I'm with when the wave of ecstasy, pleasure, and desire rolls through my body because of what Sean will be doing to me tonight."

JP looks at me with wild, crazy eyes, breathing heavily, and I jump in the car and peel out of the parking lot.

By the time I pull into the penthouse garage, I've calmed down significantly but feel completely drained, too.

Nicky grabbed the dashboard a few times from my speeding, but he seems to understand I don't want to talk and keeps quiet in the passenger seat.

When we make it to the top floor of the building, Sean is leaning against the wall; the guards outside watch him carefully. He moves away from the wall and smiles when he sees me; I return his smile as he brings me into a hug.

"I was getting worried," He says before he pulls away. "You look tired, gorgeous. Are you okay?" He asks me.

"Ouch. Usually, when people say that, it means you look like shit," I mutter as I walk through the penthouse.

Sean stops me before I walk into the bathroom and holds my face, "You don't look like shit, Stella." He kisses me slowly.

I move away and head to the bathroom, I pull my hair up in a messy bun, and I do my nightly routine. Sean has his shirt off when I walk back out and turns when he sees me. He undresses me and gives me his shirt to use as sleepwear.

As he heads to the bathroom, my phone vibrates, and I check the notifications. I have eight missed calls and several angry text messages from JP that I don't bother reading before shutting my phone off.

I feel Sean rub my shoulders. "You're shoulders are so tight, Stels. Maybe you should take some time off since you have Annalisa's wedding this week anyway." He suggests as he continues to rub my shoulders and back.

"Yeah, I told Rio, I would be in and out most of the week because of the wedding. We're supposed to be training the new hires for the next two weeks, for the grand opening at the end of the month. And I also told Rio he should have Letty start taking point. She's ready, and she's worked for him the longest."

"So, you're quitting?"

"Well, not right away, but yes. I'll have to start making arrangements to bring our stuff here from Miami." I tell him.

"Are you moving in with him?" He asks quietly.

I turn around to face him. "No, of course not. The kids have another home, so Kai, Miles, Lucy, and I will move in there. JP will stay in his Villa."

Sean leads me over to the bed, and we lay down as he continues to stroke my back gently while I lay on him.

"So, how will it work? This co-parenting thing?" He asks.

"To be honest, we haven't figured that out. We'll be meeting with JP's lawyer again sometime this next week." I tell him, and my mind drifts to the events of the night outside the club, and I feel a shudder go through me.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Sean leans on his side, watching me.

I take a deep breath. "Some guys were waiting outside the club; they grabbed me and tried to pin me down on the ground."

Sean sits up, "What?!"

"Nothing happened. JP got them off of me, then Nicky and Adonis were there, too."

"Why were you alone in the first place?" Seans asks me, his eyebrows furrowed.

"It doesn't matter now. Nothing happened." I repeat.

He looks at me worriedly before he cups my face and kisses my forehead. Then, finally, we lay back down, holding each other until we both fall asleep.

In the morning, I wake up earlier than I would have expected, but I take the opportunity to jump in the shower before Sean wakes up.

I slip on a new pair of underwear and bra and walk over to Sean, who's lying on his stomach; I smile as I kiss him on the shoulder. "Wake up, Seanye..." He groans and turns his head in the other direction.

I squeeze some water from my hair onto his bareback; he shoots up from the bed, groaning. I laugh and try to move away, but he grabs and pulls me on the bed with him. He tickles me, then kisses me, and the kiss picks up quickly as his hands move over me.

I feel his morning erection press against my thigh as he moves us towards the center of the bed when a loud knock on the door stops us. He groans and rests his head on my chest. Then, another knock comes, and he moves off of me.

"It's probably one of the kids or maybe Enzo," I tell him as I throw on his shirt that's near the end of the bed.

"I thought the kids weren't here," Sean says as he pulls on his pants.

He opens the door, and then I stand up quickly when I see it's JP standing at the door. His dark eyes lock on mine before they move over Sean's shirt that I'm wearing.

"What are you doing here, John Paul?" I walk closer to Sean.

"I brought the kids home."

"Why didn't you call?" I fold my arms.

"I did. Several times." He says as he eyes, Sean. "You would know that if you didn't shut your damn phone off."

"We didn't want to be interrupted," I respond viciously. JP glares back at me.

Sean's phone rings on the nightstand, and he walks to answer it. JP and I keep glaring at each other while Sean is on the phone.

"I've gotta go, Stels, but I shouldn't be too long." He gives me a lingering kiss before he picks up his keys and then starts walking out.

I chuckle. "Wait, Sean, your shirt." I point at the shirt I'm wearing.

He looks down, realizing he's still shirtless.

He chuckles and smiles, "Keep it. I'll get it later."

JP moves to the side as Sean approaches.

"JP," Sean nods at him as he walks out the door.

"Do you need something else?" I ask JP, who's still standing there watching Sean. He looks back at me as I move to the dresser.

"Dean needs to move the meeting to tomorrow. He'll be at the Villa around 11." He informs me.

"I'll be there. Anything else?" I walk to the door with my clothes in hand.

"No."

"Good." I slam the door in his face and lock it.

~~~~~~~~~

JP & Stella! They sure know how to push each others buttons!

What are your thoughts on their moments together?

Has their ship sailed and they should just walk away?? It could go either way at this point hahaha!

**Don't forget to vote! =)