- When She Learns The Truth -

Nina

"Um... say, how do you cure a heartburn?" I ask hesitantly, looking down; suddenly finding my nail paint quite interesting.

Burgundy.

Not bad.

The person of the other end of the call pauses before letting out a long, exasperated sigh.

"Oh my Fuzzy Boom-Boom! Did you eat all the cheetos again? Je-sus! What is wrong with my family? Do you listen when your Momma talks about healthy food? No, you do not! But do you listen when your father mumbles with his big chipmunk cheeks filled with junk food? Of course you do!"

Oo-kay?

I distinctly hear my father burping in the background and then making some 'Om nom nom nom' noises.

Momma pauses and pulls the phone away from her ear and shrieks out loud, "I swear to God, Richie! One more of those fries and I'm not putting out for a week! You hear me!? No sex for a week!"

I cringe and pull the phone away from my ear and shudder in disgust; imagining the ways I could dip my phone in the holy water.

Mom and Dad having sex?

A big no-no.

Suddenly all the noise on the other end stops at once, just as I hear my Dad growl out to Momma, "How about I pour some caramel all over your body and take my time licking it off of you? How'd you like it then, huh baby?"

Hashtag puke alert.

I blink twice before shrieking out, "Oh my God! Stop talking, you horndogs! You do realize that your daughter is right here!" I flap my hand all over myself even though they couldn't see me.

"Yes." I hear Momma mumble with a dead-panned voice and I could almost feel her rolling her eyes as she sighs dreamily, "Mmh. I don't care. You wouldn't believe how good he is in the sack. I mean, the size of his junk! Ooh doggiee!"

Ooh doggiee?

Oh. Dear. God.

I shudder and fake gag, before mumbling hoarsely, suddenly feeling an immediate urge to puke, "I think I'm scarred for life, Mommy."

I really am.

"Anyhoot!" Momma chirps happily, "Is there anything you wanna talk about? Because your father and I have a lot more interesting stuff to do."

Mmh. I'll bet.

I shrug off my thoughts and ask again, "How do you cure a heartburn? And I'm not talking about acidity."

I frown to myself and scratch my nails over my heart when a slow burn was spreading, making itself known and leaving a painful trail at its wake.

I miss him.

I mentally whimper at the image of him begging me to miss him plays in my memory.

Damn you, Lucien!

What are you doing to me?

Momma pauses for a beat before chirping cheerfully, snapping me out of my thoughts, "Be an awesome potato!"

Um... huh?

"Be an awesome potato? That's the advice you're giving me?" I mumble wryly, raising my eyebrow.

"Mmh hmm." She hums happily.

I blink twice and mumble, "Um... okay? So, how do you become an awesome potato?"

I could feel her grinning before she sobers up and grunts dramatically in a deep voice, "You don't become an awesome potato, dudette. An awesome potato becomes you."

I hear my Dad chirp out jovially in response, "Amen!"

I let out a long sigh and shake my head, rolling my eyes and placing my head to the back of the couch; staring up at the ceiling.

And... I have the most immature parents in the whole world.

"Amen!" My subconscious chirps, backing me up for once in my life.

"Kapow! I'm feeling so young, right now!" Momma squeaks out and I clench my eyes shut, knowing where this sentence is gonna lead to.

"And I wanna celebrate my newfound youth by grabbing someone and canoodling his pants off!" She mutters mischievously making me groan in pain as I scrunch up my nose.

Oh God.

"Pick me! Pick me! Pick me!" I hear Dad yelling out dramatically and so very enthusiastically and I could almost see him bouncing in his seat at the prospect of my mother giving him some.

Those horny monkeys.

"Gee, Momma! Thank you so much for your advice! I could practically feel myself glowing with profound knowledge right now." I mumble sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

"Aw, you're welcome, baby!" She coos happily before softly calling out, "And Nicky?"

"Mmh?"

She exhales slowly and whispers in a serious tone, "Choose."

I blink twice and furrow my eyebrows, "Wh-what?"

"Choose, honey. That's the best advice I could give you right now." She elaborates and continues before I could interrupt her, "I know that this is tough. But you see, once you make your decision; everything will be all right.

The only thing is: whether you make it all right on your own or trust Lucien to make it all right for you. Love is a wonderful thing, hon... Don't run away from it."

My lips part unconsciously and feel my throat clog with emotions as I blurt out, "Love? Momma, Lucien doesn't love me."

She pauses as if bracing me for her next words and she whispers softly, "I wasn't talking about Lucien, little fuzzy."

If not Lucien then...

I suck in a sharp breath and feel my heart thud at the realization, "I love him?" I feel my lower lip quiver and my eyes moisten with unshed tears.

She just replies with one word in her motherly tone, "Honey."

Just honey.

I slump down against my seat and clutch the phone tighter in my hand and whisper to myself, "I love him. Dear God, I love him!"

And then I shriek out.

"Why didn't you tell me this before? Some mother you are! I'm the fruit of your bloody loins! How could you not tell me this?!"

Oh God.

Did I just say fruit of her loins?

Insert face-palm.

She chuckles softly before sobering up and letting out an exaggerated sigh, "Because you're clueless, Fuzzy Boom-Boom!"

I almost didn't catch her when she whispers in a low, hushed voice, "Why can't you just remember!?"

Remember?

I feel the hair on the back of my neck prickle and my heartbeat accelerates as I whisper back, "Remember what, Momma?"

She sighs and makes a frustrated sound, wheezing out, "I... er... I can't say."

"Why not?"

She doesn't reply.

"Momma?" I whisper softly, running my hand through my hair, "What's going on? What can't I remember?"

She lets out a spring of curses before she blurts out, "I'm sorry. I gotta go."

Wait.

"Mom?!" I yell out, only to hear the line beep indicating that she had hung up.

What just happened?

Placing the cell on my lap, I look down at it and whisper to myself with a frown, "What can't I remember?"

I do a little jump when the cell vibrates against my lap with an incoming text from Mom.

I scrunch up my brows and open it up to see the text had a map attached to it with the words:

Follow your heart, my little Boom-Boom.

"More like follow the map but... whatever." I mumble to myself.

I click on the map to see it highlighted a bar called My Biker's Bar; which was just three blocks away from where my best friend Rachel lived before she got married.

Huh.

Why did she send me this?

I sigh and stand up, heading towards my closet with a determined look on my face.

Only one way to find out.

Cue the dramatic music in the background.

***

I step out of the cab and shut the door; after paying the fare and turn around to look at the establishment in front of me.

Armed in a long sleeved sage green turtle-neck sweater, which had black leather elbow patches and a small hole on the ends of the sleeves to hook both the thumbs in, paired with dark boot-cut jeans and combat boots, messy hair, minimal make-up and a small amount of my favourite perfume, I take a step forward and look around.

It was some sort of a big compound, with halogens at the corner; probably used at nights. Harleys and trucks parked everywhere (Hence, the name) and approximately fifty feet away was a medium-sized old rusty bar with a couple of bearded men in leather jackets leaning against it and smoking whilst staring at me weirdly.

Yep. Definitely a biker's bar.

I slowly start walking forward, scanning my surrounding when suddenly; I flinch back when a déjà vu hits me:

"Gee, My Biker's Bar! Oh, how original!" Rachel giggled besides me, staring at the bar in front of us at the same time glaring at a guy who was blatantly ogling us.

Unable to stop myself, I let out an amused snort of my own and snickered, "Ten points for creativity, eh?"

She giggled again.

I turned around to see Amy, my brother's girlfriend standing five feet behind us looking at the bar with a hesitant expression.

"You okay, Mimi?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows and tilting my head to the side.

She whipped her head at me and whispered with wide, worried eyes, "Should we be doing this? What if someone finds out?"

Rachel rolled her eyes, "Would you stop being such a pussy-cat! As far as our families know, we're having a sleepover at my place. So, to answer your question - no. No one's gonna find out."

Amy bit her lip and mumbled, "But we're gonna be 21 in a few months anyway. What's wrong with waiting until we're finally legal to have a drink?"

She made a good point.

"That's just it. A few months. That means we're almost 21! Now, stop acting like a baby and let's go have a drink!" Rachel snapped back at her.

I heard Amy reiterate in response to which Rachel grumbled back at her and hence, started their bickering in the middle of a parking lot of a random biker bar.

Oh well.

I sighed and whispered to myself, "I need some new friends."

The sound of Harley pipes resounded through the lot making me snap my head to the side; noticing four of them entering the compound and turning towards a corner where they switched off the engines and four men started making their way towards the bar.

I shrugged my shoulder in a 'bleh' gesture and was about to turn back around when one of the guy in the group caught my attention making me stiffen in my spot as I stared at the beauty in front of me with wide eyes.

"Sexy." The sound of my voice drifted through the soft breeze.

He was perfect.

He had to be around six foot three, six foot four. He had broad shoulders, massive wall-like chest, narrow hips. He was all muscles - pure, defined muscles that could be seen through his tight black t-shirt that he had worn under a black leather jacket.

His dark blonde hair was tousled and messy. Square cut jaw; no stubble. His eyebrows dark and strong. His lower lip was swollen as if he had just been in a fight.

But the bruised lip did nothing to mar his perfect features. Nothing. Exotic eyes, high cut cheekbones, full lips. Perfection.

Sheer male beauty.

All masculine.

As if feeling my eyes on him, he paused in his trail towards the bar, allowing the other three members of his group to move forward as he scanned his eyes all through the parking lot; before his eyes snapped directly into mine.

Crap.

I bit my lip as I distinctly felt my blood rushing to my cheek and I stayed glue to the spot, unable to move when I felt his intense eyes running all over me before landing it back onto my blue orbs.

"Fuck me." His lips moved as if he muttered those words to himself, still staring into my eyes with a disbelieving yet a soft possessive look on his face.

Titling his face to the side, he pursed his full lips as he continued studying me, making me quickly dart my eyes to the ground shyly and I consciously tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear; before I raised my eyes back up to see him staring at me with a sexy, amused grin kissing his full lips.

Oh sweet Jesus!

I felt my breath catch in my throat as I stared at him; mesmerized by the curve of his lips that was directed at me.

Just as I was about to turn around and make a run for my car to skedaddle the hell out of here; I felt his lips move as he mouthed a single word at me:

"Mine."

I flinch back and breathe hard; coming back up from my déjà vu and look around the parking lot.

Yep. I was definitely here before.

I close my eyes and tried hard to recall the face of the guy but I was met with nothing. Blank. Nada.

Except a strong feeling in my gut that he was indeed the most beautiful man I've ever seen.

Damn.

Shrugging off my thoughts, I quickly make my way towards the bar; staring wryly at the other bikers who were eyeing me curiously and I push the door open and step inside.

It was a small bar; around ten booths and seven stools against the counter. The whole place was rusty, the wallpaper almost peeling off as if the whole bar could collapse any minute now but the patrons looked like they were used to such conditions as they continued their drinking and chatting and barely gave me a second glance.

Taking a deep breath, I make my way towards the counter and park my booty on one of the stool and raise my hand to signal the bartender.

"What can I getcha?" The bartender asks distractedly, wiping the counter with a towel before his eyes snaps into mine and immediately all the colour drains from his face as he pales and he quickly stumbles back to take a step away from me.

Uh...

"CH-CHEA!" He blurts out, staring at me wide-eyed before he slams his hand over his mouth and looks at me horrified as if he wasn't supposed to say that.

"Uh dude? You okay?" I mumble, tilting my head to the side.

He nods his head and quickly straightens up, clearing his throat and mumbling a frightened, "W-What can I g-getcha?"

"Coke with cherries." I mumble softly watching him nod and quickly get to work as he places my drink in front of me in a nanosecond.

I look up from my drink into his eyes and ask, misunderstanding him, "What's a Chia?"

He looks at me wide-eyed and shakes his head; gulping audibly, "I do-don't know, Miss. I got-gotta go!" He stammers and quickly runs towards the other side of the bar.

Oh well.

Time to work my magic.

I sigh dramatically and drawl out, "Ah, my love! How long are you gonna deny this sizzle between us?" I lift my index finger and proclaim, "One day, baby! One day, you're gonna run back into my arms and I'm never gonna let you go!"

I bang on hands on the counter dramatically and grunt out, "One day!"

The bartender sneaks a glance at me, sideways and I see his lips curve into a soft smile and his eyes flickering with amusement; his body shaking with laughter, automatically relaxing.

Mission accomplished.

I smile to myself and quickly down my coke and looking around the bar; finding nothing that jump-starts my memory again. Pooh.

Plus that bartender looked way too scared to even say anything.

No luck there either.

Oh well.

I let out a sigh and place the empty glass on the counter and stand back up on my feet giving the bar, one last glance when my eyes falls to the booth at the corner and another déjà vu hits me:

Making myself comfortable in his lap, I inhaled his distinct musky scent and looked up into his green eyes which were staring back at me warmly and I curled my fingers over his pecs.

Tilting my face to the side, I softened my eyes and smiled up at him through my drunken haze, "Hey."

His eyes flickered with amusement as he grinned a slow, sexy, elusive one back at me, "Hey back."

Grinning cheekily at him, I bit my lip for a beat and gave him a sultry look, "I'm sweetness! Do you mind if I I borrow some sugar?" I wiggled my eyebrows, suggestively.

His green orbs danced with humour at my weird pick-up line as he shook his head before staring down at me and softly whispering:

"Hey sweetness."

My lips part as I breathe hard, heart thudding in my chest, my chest heaving as I swallow a large amount of air.

Lucien!

I gulp audible and take a step back only to collide against a wall as two hands grips my hips and a soft masculine voice mumbles, "Easy chica."

I quickly turn around to feel my breath catch in my throat again for entirely different reasons as I ogle the guy in front of me with wide eyes.

Messy brown hair softly brushing against his forehead, dark curved eyebrows, deep brown eyes reflecting mischievousness, straight nose, full plump lips; dressed in a simple plaid shirt that did nothing to hide his abs beneath it and jeans with sneakers.

All in all he looked like a Grant Gustin twin.

Really.

He was that handsome.

Blinking his big brown eyes down at me, he stares at me for a beat before his eyes widens and he breathes out, "CHEA!"

That word again.

Before I could question him about it, I see his face split into a wide grin and I distinctly see two dimples popping out of his cheeks.

Hot damn.

Grant Gustin with dimples.

I think I'm in heaven.

The next thing I know - my face was plastered against his chest as he wraps his arms around me and hugs me tightly, yelling out, "You're finally here!"

Um... okay?

Handsome or not... this is getting a little weird.

"So, um... this is happening." I mumble into his chest as he continues hugging me and rubbing his cheek against my hair and cooing happily.

Definitely weird.

That's when I hear another masculine voice - this time deep and husky grunting out from behind me, "Dios mío! For fuck sakes, how many times do I have to tell you to stop hugging random people?! It is not okay, you weirdo!"

I blink into his chest and point my finger behind my back, gesturing to the guy standing behind me and yell out, "I second that!"

The brown eyed guy pulls away from me and whines, "But Lee!" He turns me around and exclaims loudly, "Look at her! She's Lucien's CHEA!"

Lee?

Chia?

Lucien's Chia?

Ah! Too many questions!

I furrow my eyebrows and open my mouth to question him when my eyes falls to the 'Lee' guy who was standing behind me and I gape up him like a lovesick fool.

The dude was Hot with a capital H.

A Mexican-American biker dude with perfectly tanned olive tinted skin, long jet black hair that was tied into a small ponytail at the nape of his neck. Distinct grey eyes that just captured your attention and made you wanna stare into them all day long; square cut jaw with a five 'o' clock shadow, full lips that were currently curved into a smirk.

He was wearing a black leather jacket over a matching tank that showcased the muscles beneath oh so perfectly, a tattoo peaking out of his clothes at the side of his neck, dark jeans, motorcycle boots with black bands covering his wrists and metal cords hanging from his neck.

Like I said - A really hot biker dude.

He looked at least a few inches taller than the brown eyed guy so I assumed that made him six foot three as compared to the other guy who was around six foot.

I think I'm in hot guy heaven.

I eye him curiously just as he strides up to me, titling his head down to look at me before his eyes flares with recognition and his posture softens immediately.

"Hola, chiquita." He whispers, softening his deep voice and looking down at me with a warm expression and places his hand over my head; ruffling my hair playfully, "Welcome back."

Ooh that Spanish accent!

Hubba hubba.

That's when I hear a third masculine voice growl out in a gruff, animalistic undertone making me and all the other patrons jump on their spots, "The bar is fucking closed. Everyone. Get the fuck outta here!"

I turn around at the direction of the sound to see a non-green Hulk standing near the door with his beautiful purple eyes trained directly at me with a cold, blank look on his face.

Pinning me with an intense stare, he raises his index finger at me and growls out, "Not you!"

And all I could do was stare at him in awe; 'cause the man was a six foot eight giant, resembling to the men in WWE, muscles and muscles everywhere and it looked like if he took a deep breath, his shirt was gonna be ripped off.

His whole body seemed to be chiselled with stone. He was wearing faded jeans, a black tee with boots and a black watch over his wrists. His dark black hair was cut low on the sides; strong jaw with a few days worth of stubble.

And those amethyst eyes!

He wasn't just beautiful in an unusual way... he was downright frickin' gorgeous.

Hands down, total bow-chica-wow-wow.

But the fact that really caught my attention was that his expression was completely blank. Stoic. Expressionless. And his eyes were cold and void of anything - everything.

Frankly... it was a little terrifying.

All the patrons in the bar brush past me as they quickly scurry out the door, along with the bartender who flips the sign to CLOSED and runs off leaving me with three hot guys staring intently at me.

Well... damn.

I chuckle nervously and slowly start shifting to the side, trying to close the distance between me and the door when Hulk growls out, "Take another step and see what happens."

Damn. So close.

"Fuck my life! One goes around hugging random people and other threatens them. For fuck sakes, why the hell am I friends with such people?" Biker Dude grunts out loud, looking at the ceiling and letting out a long sigh.

I blink twice and walk up to him and rise up to my tiptoes and pat his raven hair and mumble sympathetically, "There, there."

His eyes snap down to mine and I see them softening immediately.

Sighing out loud, he murmurs; jerking his chin towards Hulk and looking down at me, "Don't worry about him, chiquita. He may seem dangerous but he's just a big ol' teddy bear."

Why don't I believe that?

Brown Eyes wobbles towards Hulk and pinches the big man's cheeks as he nods and mumbles, "That's true. His mother calls him bunny. I mean - really? How dangerous could he be?"

Hulk grunts out loud and crosses his arms over his chest with an annoyed look directed at his friends.

Unable to stop myself, I let out an amused snicker, "Really? Bunny?"

Hulk rolls his eyes and points his index finger at Brown Eyes and grunts out, "Oh yeah? Well, you have a German Shephard named Fluffington! So um... take that!"

I blink twice and let out a giggle at the whole 'If-I'm-going-down-I'm-taking-everyone-with-me' expression on Hulk's face.

Brown Eyes puts his left hand over his hip whilst snapping the fingers of his other hand and rolling his neck in a sassy pose, "Excuse you, you brute! It's Mister Fluffington to you!"

Damn.

Biker Dude groans and mumbles in a monotone voice as if he has said the same line million times before, "Jesus, buddy! Stop with the Mister thing. Fuck, that poor dog is a girl." He pinches the bridge of his nose and lets out a long sigh.

Brown Eyes narrows his eyes at Biker Dude and snaps, "For the billionth time, Mister is not a title! It's her frakin' name!"

"Whoa. Whoa. Wait a minute!" I interject, narrowing my eyes at Brown Eyes, "You're telling me that you have a female dog named Mister?"

He blinks twice and hums in response.

"Huh." I straighten myself up and think over it, before giving him two thumbs up with a wide grin, "That's so frickin' cool."

Biker Dude looks back and forth between me and Brown Eyes and grumbles in a defeated tone, "Don't tell me you're one of those too."

"One of those?"

Hulk grunts in agreement and clarifies, "A weirdo. Like him." He jerks his chin at Brown Eyes.

I muse over it and nod then murmur with a grimace, "Just so you know, only a weird person can call another person weirdo. When a normal person says the W word; it's kinda offensive, you know what I mean?"

"Nope." Biker Dude shakes his head.

"No idea." Hulk grunts out loud.

"Totally." Brown Eyes nods and gives me an understanding look.

Wobbling up to me, Brown Eyes grins cheekily, throwing his arms around my shoulders and squeaking, "It's like you're my sister from another mother and father!"

I feel my lower lip quiver as I cry out, "Gosh! You're so sweet!"

I sniff twice and look up at his adorable cute face and mumble, "Can I adopt you?"

Brown Eyes squeaks out happily as he shrieks, "I was thinking the exact same thing about you!"

We both blink at each other before cooing out together, placing our hands over our hearts, "Daww!"

I look at Biker Dude to see him staring back at Hulk as they let out a long sigh, even though I could see their eyes flickering with amusement and they both grunt at the same time, "We're screwed."

"Men!" Brown Eyes grumbles, eyeing them both with squinty eyes.

"Oh yeah!" I nod in agreement and then turn to Biker Dude and Hulk, "Stop looking us with those judgey amused eyes! It's not our fault that we're weird. It's like asking a minion, 'Hey Minion! Why you so yellow?'"

Brown Eyes squeaks out and mumbles, purring at me, "Me-ow, gurl! Where the hell have you been hiding your claws?'

He then proceeds to eye Biker Dude and Hulk and bellows out, "Mike drop, bitches!"

While Biker Dude and Hulk look at his small frame with a 'Sigh. Can he be more adorable?' expression on their faces.

I blink at Brown Eyes before giggling and pointing out, "I like you."

"I know." He mumbles and elaborates, "Everyone likes me." Pointing a finger to himself, he continues, "I'm adorable."

I stare at him for a beat before we both burst out laughing together.

"Tate Hunter." Brown Eyes holds his hand out to me, just as we sober up and quiet down.

I smile back and clasp my hand with his soft, warm ones with a murmur, "Nina Stark."

He looks at me cheekily and smiles toothily, showing off his pearly whites.

I grin back at him before turning to Hulk and Biker Dude who were staring at us in amusement and say, "So... are you gonna introduce yourself or am I gonna have to continue calling you Bunny and Triple H in my mind?"

Hulk scowls at the word Bunny and grumbles under his breath before shaking his head and 'pooh pooh'ing. (In a badass way, of course!)

"Triple H?" Biker Dude looks at me with furrowed eyebrows and a confused expression.

I grin and happily reply, waving my hands dismissively, "Hot Hispanic Hottie."

He does a slow blink and tilts his head to the side and points out, "You said hot twice."

I do a slow nod and widen my eyes to show how serious I am, "Exactly."

He blinks twice and lets out a chuckle, shaking his head in amusement. Shooting me a slow, sexy grin, he whispers, "Klein. Harlen Klein."

Harlen... that's so hot.

Le dreamy sigh.

He just smiles and winks at me as if reading my mind.

I exhale slowly and turn towards Hulk who was already staring at me with a blank look on his face; his eyes giving nothing away.

"Dare." He grunts, giving me a chin lift and crossing his arms over his massive chest.

I frown to myself and tilt my head to the side, "You want me to dare you to tell me your name?"

Tate snickers and giggles softly before nudging me and pointing out helpfully, "That's his name, dudette."

Ah.

Giving me another chin jerk, Hulk grunts again curtly, "Dare Montgomery."

"Nina." I whisper softly and give him an awkward wave making the corners of his lips twitch slightly.

Feeling a warm hand over my elbow, I turn around to see Tate running his fingers through his invisible beard as he mumbles dramatically, "Come on, child. Come to Papa. Let him tell you everything you need to know about yourself and direct you to the holy light. Come, child, come."

He leads me towards the nearest booth and sits me down with him beside me, as Harlen fakes a long sigh and looks at Tate, deadpanned, "I'm too old for this crud."

"Tell me about it." Dare grunts as they both lower themselves, sitting down, facing me and Tate.

I giggle at their annoyed look directed at Tate before taking a deep breath and softly whispering, "What's a Chia?"

They pass a look amongst themselves and nod at each other before Harlen turns to me, "We'll tell you everything. But for that - we'll have to start at the beginning."

"Okay." I nod and take a deep breath before urging him, "So begin."

Just as Harlen opens his mouth, Tate bellows out, "I NEED TO POO!"

On cue, the three of us turn to him and blink twice to which Tate rubs his hands over his abs and grunts, "I ate some really spicy Indian food yesterday and I feel like some major shit is about to go down."

Harlen and Dare stare at him with a look that implied, 'Bitch, really?' while I fake gag and grumble, "TMI buddy."

Tate shoots us a sheepish look before sprinting towards the washroom and we hear the door slam.

"If you're wondering..." Harlen starts, looking at me with a serious, solemn face, "Yes, Tate was dropped on his head when he was a baby."

I look at him and giggle when he winks at me and shakes his head at the washroom door.

Clearing his throat, Harlen directs his steel grey eyes at me and starts, "It all began when we were fifteen. Our fathers took us fishing for some father-son bonding time and talked to us man to man."

Dare looks at me and continues where Harlen left off, "They looked us in the eyes and said, 'Any man's a real man... he's born with a curse'."

I feel my breath hitch, "A curse?"

"DUN DUN DUN!" Tate yells out, as he situates himself beside me, making me jump on my seat.

I turn to look at him and shoot him a playful glare before asking, "I thought you went to the washroom."

He shrugs and waves his hand dismissively, "There's a painting in there." He shivers and grumbles, "Creepy. Felt like it was staring at me."

Who hangs a painting in a restroom anyway?

I watch closely as Harlen raises his hands and ruffles Tate's hair softly as if trying to shoo his fears away before leaning his elbows on the table as he pinches Tate's cheeks and asks softly, "Want me to come in there with you, querido?"

Hmph.

I slowly tug on Dare's sleeve just as Tate responds with a warm smile, making the big man turn towards me with a raise in his eyebrow.

I lean closer and whisper in a hushed tone, "What does querido mean?"

He stares at me with those beautiful purple eyes before softly grunting, "Darling."

I blink twice and whip my head at Tate and Harlen before tugging on Dare's sleeve again and whisper, flabbergasted, "Harlen likes Tate?!"

The big guy just stares at me in amusement and shrugs innocently with an implied, 'I guess, you'll just have to wait and find out' expression.

I raise my index finger and poke his nose with a glare and grumble, "Meanie."

The corner of his eyes crinkles as he sits back and stares at me with soft, laughing eyes.

I sigh and turn towards Harlen and urge, "So... The curse?"

Tate grins widely and squeaks out, excitedly, "We call it The Ninja Curse!"

Um...

I blink at him before narrowing my eyes and blurting out, "Come again?"

Harlen winces awkwardly and scratches the back of his neck and defends, "Ninjas were cool."

Tate huffs and grumbles, "Told you Samurai Curse would've sounded way cooler!"

Harlen just rolls his eyes at him.

"Anyhoo!" I clear my throat to gather their attention, "What's the Ninja Curse?"

"Right. The Curse." Harlen mutters and scratches the corner of his eyebrow with his index finger, looking at me awkwardly.

Tate turns to me, "Papa said that we were either gonna turn out to be man-whores who fraked everything that walked and talked or the one who prefers to be with just one girl at a time or the one who waits for the perfect one."

I do a slow blink and turn to him, "Man-whores?"

Harlen and Dare suddenly whip their head around the bar, faking innocence; staring at nothing and everything but me and I distinctly see their cheeks turning red.

Tate grins widely and nods, "Slut. Man-whore. Player. Casanova. Cock-a-moo-moo!"

"Cock-a-what now?"

"Cock-a-moo-moo." Tate repeats and crosses his arms over his chest and huffs, "It's a word!"

Oo-kay then.

I look around the three of them and narrow my eyes, "And... where does this curse come in?"

Harlen shrugs before staring at me warmly, "He said, 'It doesn't matter which one of the three you turn out to be, one day you'll finally meet her'."

"Her?" I whisper softly.

Harlen smiles at me, "Papi told me he was basically a walking STD before he met Mami. But when he met her..." He trails off and grins at me, "He said, it wasn't just about getting her to bed. It was about making sure she stays there forever."

Aw.

"He said once in his lifetime, every man experiences this. The way something just clicks inside you when you see that girl. Like you just know she's it. She's everything. She's the other half." Dare mutters in his gruff voice and I swear I see his eyes flicker with longing before he turns to me and grunts, "She's his CHEA."

Whoa.

The hair on the back of my neck prickles and my heartbeat accelerates as I breathe out, "Chia?"

Tate nudges my side and whispers, shaking his head, "It's not Chia, babe. It's CHEA. C-H-E-A."

That's when Harlen's decides to drop the bomb inside the already building fire as he whispers with soft, serious look:

"You're Lucien's CHEA. His Catastrophically Happily Ever After."

Well... fuck.

***

Poke. Poke. Poke.

Pause.

"Dude! I don't think she's breathing!" Tate's worried voice reaches my ears.

Gasping out loud, he yells out, horrified, "Do you think we broke her or something?"

Harlen looks at him dead-panned and states, "This is the kind of things that gets you beaten up in public."

Tate gasps dramatically and points his index finger at Harlen, "Well, screw you! You're just jelly that your brain isn't as weird as mine!"

That's when I raise my hand up and bounce up in my seat, looking back and forth between Harlen and Tate, "Ooh ooh ooh! I have a question."

"Yes, child?" Tate responds in his best school teacher impression, raising one of his dark eyebrows.

I blink up at him and mumble, "You're the bottom, right?"

From the corner of my eyes, I see Dare's shoulders shaking as he bursts out laughing and Harlen curves his lips into a sexy, elusive grin.

While Tate just furrows his eyebrows adorably in confusion before realization hits him and he shrieks out, with wide eyes, "I'M NOT GAY!"

I tilt my head to the side and murmur, looking at Harlen and Tate, "You guys aren't a couple?"

Tate shakes his head, widening his eyes and I see his cheeks turning pink.

"Huh." I straighten up and shrug, "You sure look like one."

They really do.

"I wouldn't mind it." Harlen rasps out, licking his lips seductively, his eyes darkening as he turns to Tate and whispers huskily, "He's quite fuckable."

Damn.

Tate blushes ten shades of red and yells out, repeating, "I am not gay!"

Harlen grins and places his hand over the back of Tate's neck and pulls him closer; hovering his lips over Tate's ear, "You sure about that, guapo?"

I see Tate visibly shudder as he shivers against Harlen's hold and his eyes darken with lust and raw heat before they widen and he quickly pushes Harlen away before turning to look at me with determined eyes.

"Nina! Your boobs make me hard!" Tate grunts out, staring straight into my eyes.

On cue, Dare and I snicker and burst out laughing at the obvious way of Tate showing his straightness.

"Harlen's bi, if you're wondering." Dare points out helpfully and leans back against his seat.

"Phew! Goodie!" I let out a long sigh and turn to Harlen, "The whole female population would've mourned your loss if you had turned out to be gay."

He grins at me and shakes his head, smiling softly in amusement.

Tate clears his throat and turns to me, "So, chica! How're you feeling now?"

"Honestly?" I ask as he nods, making me continue, "All I wanna do right now is smack that stupid Italian bum before kissing the hell outta him!"

Tate blinks twice and places his hand over his heart and gushes, "Daw! You wuv him!"

I sigh.

I really really do.

"Well then! What are we waiting for? Let's get you home! C'mon! Harlen will give us a ride!" Tate yells out excitedly, pulling my arm and leading me towards the door.

"Yeah, why not? It's not like Harlen has anything to do besides driving you around the city. No siree, he does not!" Harlen murmurs sarcastically, rolling his eyes at Tate and following us.

Tate huffs and grumbles, "Oh hush, you! You're the one who told me you would love to ride me all day!"

Whoa.

Wait a sec.

I stare at him for a beat before I burst out laughing, hearing Dare snicker while Harlen just face-palms himself and shakes his head.

"Oh my sweet innocent child!" I coo at Tate, placing my hands over his cheek, "Harlen wasn't talking about riding you; he was talking about riding you!" I say, emphasizing on 'riding'; nudging him and wiggling my eyebrows.

"Huh?" Tate blinks at me and furrows his eyebrows in confusion, before his eyes widen as the double meaning hits him and he blushes red.

"Eep!" He squeaks out, blushing prettily before covering his face with his hands and sprinting out of the door.

Five seconds later, we hear his voice bellow out, "SHOTGUN!"

That's when Dare chuckles, "Just so you know, he has an attention span of a five-year old."

Ah.

That makes sense.

I turn to look at Harlen to see him staring at the door longingly as his eyes look lost and sad.

That's when it hits me.

I let out a soft gasp and turn to Dare and tug his sleeve making him turn to me as I whisper softly, "Tate's his CHEA, isn't he?"

Dare turns his eyes to Harlen, studying his friend before looking back at me and giving me a nod.

That poor guy.

Time to work my magic again.

I turn to Dare and mumble, making a thinking face, "Do you think Harlen's ticklish?" I raise my eyebrows and grin evilly.

He grins back at me mischievously, "One way to find out."

Hee hee hee.

***

"Hey! Question!" I raise my hand and look at the three of them from my place at the backseat.

"Shoot." Tate turns to look at me from the passenger side while Harlen looks through the rearview mirror as he stops at the red light.

"Well, two actually." I mumble making Dare grunt beside me as he looks at me with 'Woman! Just ask the damn question' look on his face.

"Why the Catastrophically? Why not just HEA?" I blurt out looking at them.

Harlen rolls his eyes and grumbles, "Because someone here thinks everything sounds badass when you add catastrophically before it."

"Well! It does!" Tate huffs adorably and sits back in his seat before mumbling, "Plus HEA sounds like something someone says before they beat the crap outta you."

He makes a fighting pose and yells out, "Heee-yaahh!" And then he starts punching the air around him, hitting the roof of the car before one punch hits Harlen in the face making him swerve the car before he regains the control.

"For fuck sakes, T! Not in the fucking car!" Harlen grunts out, rubbing his hand over his cheek and wincing in pain.

Tate smiles sheepishly at him and mumbles a apology; rubbing his hands over Harlen's cheek softly before leaning and giving him a soft peck over the spot making Harlen grin widely at him as Tate blushes red.

"Aw! You guys are so nummy nummy! I could just eat you up!" I gush out, staring at them with a wide creepy grin.

"That's not creepy at all!" Tate mumbles sarcastically, smiling brightly at me.

I roll my eyes and poke my tongue out at him.

"What's the second question?" Dare asks, nudging my side.

"Oh yeah, right!" I mutter and turn to Tate, "Why do you call it a curse? Isn't it more like a blessing?"

"Yeppidy doo-da! It is." Tate grins at me, "But curse sounds wayy cooler so..." He trails off and shrugs.

"Ah... of course." I mumble wryly and sit back against my seat.

Looking out through the window of Harlen's Ford Explorer, I jerk back when a thought hits me.

Narrowing my eyes at the three of them, I mumble, "I swear I've seen you guys before! Recently too at that!"

"Huh? That's weird." Tate mumbles making a thinking face.

He turns to Harlen and squeaks out, "Do you think we have doppelgangers? 'Cause that'll be so groovy!"

Yes it would.

That's when it hits me.

"Aaahhh!" I yell out, bouncing up in my seat making everyone look at me with 'Ah!So that's what a crazy person looks like!' look in their faces.

"I remember!" I chirp happily, "I saw you guys in the same article of Forbes that Lucien was featured in." I lean my hand back and pat myself in the back.

I'm so fly.

Good job, Nina!

"Ah, right. That." Harlen muses, nodding while staring at the road.

"Ooh! Here!" Tate pulls out the magazine from his inner jacket pocket and hands it to me.

"You carry it around with you all day?" Harlen asks him wryly, looking sideways at him.

Tate rears back and looks at Harlen incredulously, "You don't?!"

"I agree with Tate on this one!" I mumble, flipping through the magazine and pausing when I see the article 'Top Ten Sexy Billionaires Under 30' written in bold letters.

My eyes rakes over Lucien's picture and I let out a soft sigh, tracing his face with my fingertips before I close my eyes; imagining the way it felt when I used to trace his stubbled jaw as he used to smile down at me; leaning closer to my touch while humming happily.

Please fucking miss me.

I jerk back and breathe hard when I hear his voice playing in my mind and I clench my hands till I feel my nails digging into my palms as I reprimand myself as to why the hell did I let him leave this morning.

Stupid, stupid Nina!

"Breathe." I hear a gruff voice whisper against my ears making me flinch and slowly open my eyes to see two worried purple eyes looking down at me.

Placing a large hand on top of my head, Dare softly ruffles my hair and grunts, "Everything's gonna be okay."

Why don't I believe that?

I blink quickly, feeling my eyes moisten and I look down at my fingers, "I think Lucien hates me now."

Tugging my hair playfully, Dare grunts sarcastically, looking down at me, "And I think I'm pregnant."

I huff and playfully punch his chest making him let out an obligated fake cry of pain as he rubs his chest and pouts.

I giggle softly making him smile back at me warmly before I sigh and frown to myself, "We had a... um... fight this morning and I let him go."

I look up at him and whisper hoarsely, "Worst part about it was that he wanted me to stop him. To make him stay. And I... um... I didn't." I sniff twice and blink back my tears.

He wraps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me into him as I face plant into his massive chest and wail out, "I'm a horrible person!"

I really really am!

"Humans make mistakes, Blue. It's in our nature. But the best thing about making mistakes is that you get to apologize. So... just apologize." Dare whisper looking down at me.

"Blue?" I whisper back, furrowing my eyebrows.

"Your eyes."

"Oh." I hum to myself and then look up at him, "Does that mean I get to call you amethyst?" I ask with an excited smile.

He narrows his eyes at me and grunts, "That's a girl name."

"Oh, all right!" I mumble, pulling away from the hug making him unwrap his arms from around me but not before giving me a little squeeze on the side.

I smile up at him and whisper, "Harlen's right, y'know."

He raises his eyebrow and looks at me confused making me lean up and kiss his cheek, "You're a big ol' teddy bear."

He rolls his eyes and glares at me playfully but I could see his lip twitching making me whisper softly, "Thanks for the talk, sweetie."

He gives me a chin lift and grunts in response.

And... the grunting man is back.

I look forward to see Harlen's hand on Tate's thigh as the little man played with Harlen's wrist band, tugging it and rolling it as he continued babbling about something while I see Harlen nodding in response and smiling happily, staring sideways at Tate's hand over his.

Sigh, they're so cute!

I smile to myself and look down at the magazine and flip the page just as Tate's photo comes into view.

He was wearing a crisp white shirt under a black vest and faded jeans; his hair messy and unruly as he smiled toothily at the camera, showing off his cheeky self. Unable to stop myself, I let out a gasp at how beautiful he looked. Damn.

My eyes run over the words written on the bottom right corner of the page.

Tatum Hunter

CEO - Hunter Designs

On the other side of the page was Harlen, in his regular biker dude outfit, only in the photo - he wasn't wearing anything beneath his leather jacket; and oh my God those abs... those ripped, chiseled abs!

Holy sweet Jesus! Someone get me a drink!

I fan myself and read the words beneath the photo.

Harlen Klein

Owner - The Fantasy Club

On the next page was a photo of Dare staring at the camera with a - surprise, surprise - cold, blank eyes and a 'What the fuck are you looking at?!' look on his face; dressed in a black suit that fitted him to a T as he pinned the reader with his intense purple eyes.

Damn, so sexy!

I let out a low wolf whistle.

Darius Montgomery

CEO - M&M Marketing

"So..." I looking up from the magazine and smile at them, "Have the four of you always been friends?"

"Six." Dare grunts looking down at me.

I blink twice and stare up at him, "Pardon?"

"Turn the page, chiquita." Harlen whispers softly, looking at me through the rearview mirror.

I frown and turn the page only to see two more photos staring back at me.

I gape up at the first photo and shriek out, "You're friends with this jerkface?"

I stare at the photo of Arsen Anatakis with wide eyes; a guy who was always in the page three news and gossip sections for dumping his girlfriends within a week every frickin' time.

Talk about Casanova.

Arsen Anatakis

CEO - Anatakis International

"Well... um... he maybe an asshole." Harlen murmurs looking at me just as Tate continues, "But he's our asshole."

Tate shrugs casually with an 'Eh! What can you do?' look on his face.

I just shake my head and mumble, "Well, figures! He has the word Arse in his name, what do you expect?"

Tate snickers in response.

I shake my head disbelievingly and look up, "Did you know he just dumped his latest girlfriend - who was a supermodel, by the way - because he didn't the way she looked in nude coloured lipstick. Who the hell does shit like that?"

Harlen just shrugs and lets out an exasperated sigh, wincing awkwardly, "That's just... Arsen."

Yes, it is.

I stare down the photo of said Greek God and sigh. He was handsome, I'll give him that. His jet black hair was styled to perfection. Dark, strong eyebrows. Black eyes that reflected nothing but coldness. He was wearing a beige suit and damn, if he didn't look so fine in it. Plus his Greek heritage gave him the fine golden tinted skin, those perfect almond shaped eyes and a sharp nose.

Looking at the photo, only one thing comes to mind - Regal.

So damn regal.

His mother had also been featured in many a news articles, just as much times as her son; maybe more. She was known for her superpower to collect surnames. Jumping from one husband to another; already on her way to celebrate her seventh wedding, no wonder her son turned out the way he is now.

He was an arsehole, sure but he indeed was a sexy one.

I sigh and look at the other page only to frown in confusion when instead of a man I see a shield like design with the letters BT written over it. At the bottom of the page were the words:

Kaige Blackthorn

ThornWood Securities

I frown and look up at the guys, "Who's Kaige?" I look down and continue, "And why isn't his photo in the article?"

Tate chuckles awkwardly, "Kaige's um... he's allergic to cameras."

Huh?

"There was an incident in his past, Blue." Dare whispers softly and grimaces, "He... he has a scar on his face. It... it isn't pretty."

I feel my lips part as I breathe out, "What happened?"

He just shakes his head, "Not my story to tell." He shoots me an apologetic look making me smile back at him reassuringly.

"So he doesn't like anyone taking his pictures?" I murmur, frowning to myself.

"Nope!" Tate shakes his head, "Nobody except us, his family and his co-workers have seen him for the past eight years."

Whoa.

I look at him with squinty eyes, "Then how did the magazine know that he was sexy?" I raise my eyebrow, suspiciously.

Harlen shrugs, "He was a model before the incident. After it happened - he changed. Disappeared for about a year - nobody knows where - and when he came back he was different. Cold... aggressive... total badass. Opened up his own security firm within a year and started training his own recruits."

Tate continues, looking at me, "Since he was already famous, everyone knew he was gonna grow up to be ruggedly handsome. And the whole 'no photo' thingy just added a mysterious vibe to his image making him automatically ever sexier."

Mmh.

"So, what does he look like?" I ask curiously, eyeing them all.

"Oh! He's like an Adonis!" Tate mumbles, waving his hands in the air, "He's 6'5. Sandy blonde hair, bluish-green eyes, square cut jaw, strong nose and tattoos and tattoos everywhere. Nipples pierced. He's like every parent's nightmare. So hella hot!" Tate grins at me with a thumbs up.

"As long as you look past his scars, that is." Harlen adds and looks at me, "You'll like him. He'll be quiet and broody at first but once you'll get to know him, he'll literally kill anyone who looks at you weird. He's very protective that way."

Oo-kay.

That's when another thought hits me, "If you guys have been friend with Lucien for a long time, why the hell haven't I ever seen you before?" I narrow my eyes at them.

Tate sighs and shakes his head, "We have literally camped all day at Luke's penthouse; but he's never there. And when we want to meet him in the office, that stupid fraker always avoids us."

"Penthouse?" I blink in confusion and look at them, "Lucien doesn't live in a penthouse. He lives in the apartment next to mine."

They all do a slow blink before a slow, cocky smirk curves over their lips just as Harlen lets out a low whistle and chuckles, "That sneaky little fucker!"

I roll my eyes and poke my tongue out at them.

"So... where do you work, chica?" Tate asks, tapping his fingers over his thighs and smiling at me.

I cough awkwardly and mumble, "I'm Lucien executive assistant."

More snickering and chuckles.

"Damn, I taught him well!" Tate grins, shaking his head with a huge smile.

Le sigh.

"Is anyone gonna tell me what really happened give years ago?" I ask, letting out a dramatic sigh and flailing my arms around me.

"All right! Here the deal-io!" Tate rubs his nose and looks at me with a dramatic raise of his eyebrow.

"Lucien first saw you in the parking lot and he swears when he saw you blush he could actually hear Bruno Mars singing in the background." Tate grins at me.

I giggle and wave my hand, urging him to continue.

"When he saw your friend pull you into the bar, he followed you blindly like a man struck with the cupid's bow. And the whole night, he couldn't take his eyes off you because baby - you lit up his world like nobody else and the way you flicked you hair got him overwhelmed and when you smiled at the-"

"All right! All right! I get it!" I throw my hands in the hair and look at him expectantly, pleading him to continue with my eyes.

"Fine. As if it was written in you fate, you got up from your booth - totally drunk by the way and you walked towards us - you prolly wanted to go to the washroom, I guess - and just when you were gonna pass us; a waiter stumbled you making you lose your balance and fall onto - ding ding ding - Lucien's lap!"

I smile at him and place elbow on my thigh, balancing my face in my palm and sigh happily, "What happened next?"

"Well," he scratches his jaw and continues, "You stared at each other like you were playing some star-crossed lovers in a movie for like fifteen minutes without saying a thing. Not one single thing. Nada! I was two seconds away from yelling out, 'Jeez! Get a room, already!'" He throws his hand up in the air, exasperated.

I feel my cheek flush and feel a soft smile kissing my lips, picturing the things Tate described in my mind.

"Then like you said, a weirdo can't control the weirdness inside so all of it came out of you like whoosh! Plus, I think that you were also pretty drunk so..." Tate trails off, making a thinking face.

I feel my heart leap onto my throat as I whisper weakly, "What did I do?"

"Well," Tate chuckles and grins at me, "You sniffed Lucien and said he smelled like heaven and that he should open his own perfume brand."

I blink, "That's... not so bad."

"I wasn't done yet." Tate chuckles and continues, "You then proceeded to tell him that he shouldn't sell the perfume to men but to the women so that they can spray it on the pillow and cuddle with it all night long; imagining it was Lucien cuddling them instead."

Well... damn.

"What next?" I wheeze out weakly.

He shrugs and waves his hands dismissively, "You just rambled on about how soft his hair was, how pretty he was, how amazing his eyes were and other blabity blah blah. Then when you finally trailed your eyes down to his lips; that's when all the hell broke loose."

"Huh?"

He shrugs awkwardly and asks, "You do know that he was a fighter, right? Back in the days?"

I slowly nod and whisper, "Yeah. He told me about it."

"Whew!" He sighs in relief and continues, "So... he had a fight that evening. He won, obviously. But the opponent was a sore lose so after the game when he saw that Lucien wasn't looking at him; he took it as an opportunity and punched him; busting Lucien's lip."

When he sees me looking at him worried and wide eyes, he reassures, "Trust me, what happened to the other guy later was way worse than what happened to Lucien." He looks at me with a twinkle in his eyes making me groan; realizing that it was probably me who has done something bad.

"What did I do?" I wheeze out, for the millionth time.

Harlen chuckles and shakes his head, "You went all mama bear on Lucien when you saw his busted lip and asked him how'd he get it. So the stupid fucking loser who was also drinking in the same bar; got up and started bragging about it on and on and on."

That's when Dare starts, grinning down at me, "So you went up to him and kneed him in his nuts making him bend down forward as he clutched his junk and that's when you punched his nose - twice, I might add - and yelled out, 'Why the fuck would you ruin a pretty face like that, you dill hole!'" He shrieks out in a girly voice, trying to mimic me.

I stare at them for a beat and close my eyes when they all burst out laughing.

"That was a best moment of my life!" Tate chokes out, before he roars into laughter.

Harlen grins at me and whispers, "My best moment was - after doing that you just wobbled up to Lucien and cooed at him before taking a pink Hello Kitty bandage from your purse and sticking it over his lip."

"Oh God!" I groan out loud and cover my face with my hands.

This is why I should never get drunk!

And that's probably why the bartender looked so scared of me.

Dare nudges my side and whispers softly, "That was the moment we all saw Lucien fall in love with you. You just babbled on and on about how you should've kneed the other guy at least ten more times-"

"-And he just kept staring at you. Like he couldn't help himself, you know. It was a sight to behold." Harlen whispers, looking at me with warm eyes.

He loves me?

I look up at them and give them a soft smile, "Thanks guys."

They jerk their chins in response making me shakes my head at them. So badass.

I look through the window and frown when I see that were entering the neighbourhood of Greenwich Village. "Where are you taking me?"

Harlen shrugs and waves his hands dismissively, "We figured since you guys have been having some sort of a fight, he must be moping around in his penthouse. So... we're taking you to him!"

I nod solemnly and sit back, blowing out a breath, "A penthouse in The Village." I let out a low impressed whistle, "Not bad, Lu."

Tate grins at me and squeaks out, "Guess who has the view of the Hudson from his said penthouse?"

I gasp out loud and feel my jaw drop, my eyes widening, "No way!"

"Yes way!" They all reply together, grinning at my excited face.

Damn.

I sigh happily and hum in response.

"Tell me more about the six of you." I mumble randomly, looking at them expectantly.

Harlen hums and starts, "Let's start with Lucien. He's the charmer of the group. When we were in high school, he was the one who used to convince our parents to allow us to do whatever we wanted to. No questions asked. It was like he had some sort of hypnotizing spell. That guy could charm anyone's pants off, trust me."

Tate chuckles and shakes his head, "And he has... charmed the pants off of a lot of people. Especially girls, if you know what I mean."

"Please don't." I feel bile rising in my throat as I imagine Lucien doing it with some skank, "I don't wanna hear anything about Lucien and some chick doing it. Please." I whisper hoarsely, trying to shake my head off the mental image.

I let out a whimper when I suddenly feel a pang in my heart.

"Oh shit! I didn't mean it that way!" Tate blurts out with a worried look, "You don't have to worry about him screwing someone because he's been abstinent for like five years. Ever since he met you."

That's when the car screeches to a stop, when Harlen shoves his foot on the brake and slaps the back of Tate's head, "For fuck sake, T! You can't just say shit like that to her without easing her into it."

I feel my breath catch in my throat as I blurt out, "Abstinent? For five years?

"Um..." Tate mumbles, looking at me wide-eyed.

"Five years?!" I feel my voice rising as I gape up at him, throwing my hands in the air.

"Um..." Tate repeats, gulping audibly before turning to Harlen, "I didn't something bad, didn't I?"

That's when I feel myself tear up, "He was waiting for me all along, wasn't he?"

They all do a slow nod, looking at me with a concerned expression.

"I'm such a horrible person!" I yell out, covering my face with my hands and burst into tears, "I made him wait for me for five years!"

"Chiquita, I don-"

I look up and ask him, rounding my eyes, "He really didn't have sex for five years?"

Harlen nods and whispers, "Yeah. At first we thought that he had a secret girlfriend or something and that he was hiding her from us; so we used to have a stake-out outside Luke's building to see if there was any girl meeting him and sometimes we used to go to his house under some pretense and stay the night there. But nothing. No one."

I sniff twice and wail out loud, "This so frickin' sweet!"

I feel all of them staring at me with a funny expression as Dare grunts, "If you think it's sweet then why the fuck are you crying?"

I cry out even louder, "I dunno!"

They all snicker and let out a chuckle making me huff under my breath as I wipe away my tears.

"So... next is Dare!" Tate announces, changing the topic, once I sober up and look at them, "He's the silent, broody one of the group."

"Broody?" I ask, looking sideways at Dare.

Tate giggles, "Well, he pouts all the time but according to him, men don't pout. Men brood. So broody it is!" He exclaims happily as Dare just grunts at him, solemnly.

"Harlen's the babe magnet." Dare mumbles, jerking his chin at Harlen.

Harlen winks at me through the rearview mirror, "Guilty!"

Tate snorts, crossing his arms over his chest, "Babe magnet? More like a pervert."

Eyeing at him sideways, Tate continues, "Whenever we use the locker room at the gym, he always pulls the curtains off my shower and watches me, licking his lips and all that. You pervy pervy bum!"

Harlen rolls his eyes and reminds him, "And who's the one who asks me to rub his back and moans out, 'Ooh Lee! That feels so good! That's the spot! That's the spot!'"

I giggle when Tate blushes red and punches Harlen's arm, grumbling under his breath. 

"Why does Tate call you Lee?" I ask him.

Harlen shrugs dismissively, "Harlen - Harlee - Lee."

Ah.

"By the way, I'm the baby of the group." Tate smiles at me innocently, widening his big brown eyes.

That's when Harlen snorts, "If by baby you mean lazy then yes, yes you are."

"I am not lazy!" Tate yells out dramatically in outrage.

Harlen rolls his eyes, "He calls me at the middle of the night because the remote is too far away and needs to change the fucking channel."

Making a thinking face, Harlen mumbles, "Come to think of it, he was always lazy. When I was eight, I once saw him lying on his bed, picking his nose and when he realized there was nothing around him to put his booger - he shoved it back into his nose."

I blink twice before bursting into laughter hearing everyone laugh along with me while Tate blushes red, "I didn't do that.... but.... that does sound like me." He scratches the back of his head, sheepishly.

"What about Arsen and Kaige?" I ask, just as everyone quiets down.

Harlen shrugs and says casually, "Arsen is the stuck-up, arrogant dipshit."

Of course.

"Kaige is the badass, protective one. He was the one who taught Lucien how to fight." Tate smiles at me.

Ah.

I nod to myself and sit back against my seat.

"We're here!" Harlen announces, parking a car next to the entrance of the apartment building.

"Here's his key card. Go to the elevator and swipe it. It'll take you to his penthouse." Dare grunts, handing me the card.

"You guys aren't gonna come in?" I frown, furrowing my eyebrows and looking at them.

"Nope. Looks like you and Luke need some alone time." Tate grins and shoots me an encouraging look, "Go get him, chica!"

I giggle softly and open the door before turning around and smiling and them, "Thanks for everything, guys."

Harlen and Tate grin at me while Dare just grunts - no surprise there.

I step onto the curb and shut the door; walking towards the building.

"See you later, alligator!" Tate bellows out, poking his head out the window.

I giggle and yell back, "In a while, crocodile!"

"In an hour, sunflower!"

"Maybe two, kangaroo!"

"See you soon, baboon!"

I grin and raise my eyebrow, yelling out, "Gotta run, skeleton!"

"Bye bye, butterfly!"

"Gotta go, buffalo!"

That's when I hear Harlen grunts out, "Fuck it!"

He slams onto the accelerator and pulls away from the curb as I giggle hearing Tate whine about how he wasn't done yet.

I take a breath and turn around looking at the building and sigh softly.

Lucien...

Here I come, I guess...

***

"It's Cooper. Leave a message after the beep." I hear the loud beep making me sigh and clutch the phone tighter in my hands.

"Lu... It's me again. Could you... could you just call me back? I'm... I'm worried. It's almost 8 now. Where are you? Just call me back, kay?" I whisper softly and pull the phone away from my ear, leaving him a voice-mail.

I lower the phone onto the floor beside me in the foyer; as I sit cross legged in the same position that I've been sitting for the past 6 hours staring straight at the elevator; waiting for it to slide open with Lucien on the other side.

Tate was right, though.

The penthouse has a gorgeous view of the Hudson river. Absolutely gorgeous.

So why doesn't it I still don't feel like appreciating it much?

I hug my hands around my knees and I mentally beg for the elevator door to open but just like a million times before - it doesn't.

"Where are you, Lu?" I whisper to myself and bite my lower lip softly.

Six hours ago, when I walked into the penthouse, I found out Lucien was nowhere to be seen... and without him around I realized my brain can't even seem to process what the penthouse looked like.

I just dropped to my knees, ten feet away from the door with my back to the apartment and just stayed there.

Six hours and forty seven voice mails later...

It's still nothing.

Not one thing.

I sigh and feel my body drop sideways till I feel the coldness of the floor brushing against my left cheek as I feel my eyes closing shut; the tiredness of the day finally catching up to me as I sigh in exhaustion.

And the next thing I know... the sleep takes me over.

***

Hearing the sound of elevator sliding open, I frown in my sleep; trying to open my eyes, only to realize I just couldn't.

"Fuck me!" I hear him curse out to himself before rushing forward, his shoes tapping against the floor as he immediately cradles me to his chest and places his warm lips against my forehead making me sigh in contentment.

"Sweetness..." He whispers against my skin, swiftly lifting me up in his arms and I feel him moving for a while, before he lowers my body onto something soft making me sigh dreamily.

Brushing my hair away from my forehead, he kisses my cheek before pulling away and taking off my shoes, pulling my shirt above my head and lowering my jeans and shoving a soft cotton cloth through my hands; probably his tee and pulling the covers over me.

Using all my energy to open my eyes, I whisper hoarsely, my voice raw with sleep, "Lucien."

He immediately comes to my side, running his knuckles down my cheek, "I'm here, sweetheart. Go back to sleep. I got you."

I smile up at him sleepily and run my fingers against his jaw and just as I remember he leans into my touch, closing his eyes and hums in contentment.

Please fucking miss me.

His voice rings into my ear making me whisper softly as I poke his nose with the tip of my finger, looking up at him, "Guess what, Lu?"

He slowly flutters his eyes open and looks down at me with those warm green orbs and furrows his eyebrows in question.

I yawn out and snuggle into the pillow and grin sleepily, "I missed you!"

And the next minute - I was out.

But not before hearing his sharp intake of breath and seeing a lone tear spill down his cheek and hearing him choke out, "Thank fuck!"

***

My eyes flutter open as I yawn out loud; before frowning to myself and looking sideways at the dark room and pondering how did I end up here.

I gasp out loud when the realization hits me and I quickly sit up, rasping out, "Lucien!"

Before I could leap out of the bed, my eyes fall to Lucien's frame; seeing him sitting on the armrest in front of the bed with his elbows to his knees and hands crossed in front of him; his eyes staring straight at me.

"Lucien?" I whisper softly, feeling the covers pool around my waist.

"Five years..." He whispers hoarsely, looking into my eyes before shaking his head and smiling softly, "Five years, I've imagined what you would look like sleeping in my bed; wearing my tee."

All the air whooshes out of my lungs as I breathe out, "Lu..."

He inhales loudly and looks at me with moist eyes, "Five years, Nina." Shaking his head, he whispers weakly, "I don't think I can take it if this turns out to be another one of my imagination."

Damn.

I sniff out loud and blubber, "If you cry then I'm gonna start crying too!"

His lip twitches as he shakes his head and lets out a chuckle.

I leap out of the bed and walk up to him just as he slowly stands up and stares down at me.

That's when I shriek out, "You stupid potato head!" I lift my hand and punch his chest. "Do you know how worried I was? Why couldn't you just pick up the damn phone, you butthole?!" I use both of my hands and start punching him repeatedly.

"Fuck, babe. Calm down." He whispers softly, encircling my wrists with his hands and pulling me to his chest.

That's when the tears spill down as I look up at him and whisper, "Did you how worried I was? I thought something... something happened to you and..." I  sniff loudly and feel my cheeks puff out.

"Sweetheart." He whispers, his eyes softening as I trail off and fist his shirt in my hands and burst into tears.

"Aw fuck." He wraps his arms around me and kisses my hair, "I switched of my phone, bella. I'm sorry for making you worry."

I sniff twice and blubber, "You're a jerk! A big potato-sized jerk!"

I feel him smile against my hair as he continues rubbing my back and cradling me against his chest. I slowly loosen my hold against his shirt and just place them over his pecs, sniffing his shirt and sighing when my lungs fill with Lucien's scent.

"I was right. You really do smell good." I whisper against his chest making it vibrates as he chuckles softly.

Placing his lips against my ear, he whispers softly, "Nothing happened, sweetheart. I'm fine."

I pull back away from him and look at him through my blurry tear filled eyes, "You promise? You're really fine?"

He smiles warmly, placing his hands on my cheek and kissing my nose, "I promise."

Leaning up to place a kiss on my forehead, he whispers against my skin, "I'm sorry for making you cry."

"You should be." I grumble and take a hold of his shirt and use it to wipe my tear and then look up at him with squinty eyes and gesture to his now soiled shirt, "You deserved that!"

He presses his lips together trying to muffle his laugh, but not before a chuckle escapes him as he pinches my cheeks.

I slap his hands away, playfully and roll my eyes.

"We need to talk, Lu." I look at him, feeling a serious expression overtake my face.

"I know." He whispers back and pulls away from me and holds out his hand, "Come with me."

I clasp my hand with his and he entwines them together and leads me out of his room through the dark hallway before standing in front of a floor to ceiling glass which slides open automatically; making him lead me to the balcony.

Well, more like a roof.

It had a huge swimming pool at the northwest corner and some lounge chairs with umbrella and on the left side was a small bar like thingy, with a counter and stools and a fake wall filled with all kinds of alcohol.

Damn.

The glass door swiftly closes behind me and I distinctly hear Find You by Zedd featuring Matthew Koma and Miriam Bryant playing softly through the speakers at the corner.

Lucien scratches the back of his neck and winces, explaining, "The doors are connected to the speakers."

Oh.

I smile at him once and look around before walking up to the railing and looking at the gorgeous view; letting out a soft gasp and feeling Lucien watching my every move behind my back.

I turn sideways to let out another gasp when I realize we could totally see a part of the New York skyline from here.

So pretty.

Feeling his presence behind me, I lean back and sigh against him just as he wraps his arms around my waist and kisses the top of my head.

That when he breaks the silence, "I know I should've told you about The Biker's Bar once I realized that you didn't remember me but I didn't want you to feel obligated to be around me just 'cause you pitied me or something. I just-"

"Stop talking, Lu." I cut him off and turn around just as he clamps his mouth shut and looks at me hesitant eyes.

"I don't care, Lu." I whisper softly, shaking my head and looking at him, "I'm still pretty weak in the memory department but I do remember what I felt when I first saw you."

I place my hands over his biceps and give them a soft squeeze, "When I saw you that day..." I wince at the rawness of my voice before continuing, looking into his green orbs, "I thought that you were the most beautiful man I've ever seen."

His lips part as he takes a sharp intake of breath, "Nina-"

Without letting him finish, I continue, "And I knew this because when I saw you, I felt my heart and my brain hurt because they just couldn't process the amount of beauty in front of me."

"Nin-"

"And then you smiled at me." I whisper hoarsely, through a smile, "That's when I realized that I was wrong. Because at that moment you surpassed the very definition of beauty."

"Nina." He breathes out, looking at me with those amazing green eyes filled with raw, unadulterated emotion.

That's when I look up at him with a smile and whisper, "I love you, Lu."

Ignoring his surprise intake of breath and the feel of his hands tightening on my waist, I continue, "I always have, I guess."

Looking down at his chin, I whisper, "And I'm sorry. I'm sorry for making you wait for me. I'm sorry for pushing you away. I'm sorry for... resisting you. I'm sorry." I blubber out.

"I don't think I can do that any more." I mumble before shaking my head and correcting, "I don't think I want to do that any more."

I do a face plant in his chest and wail out, "I love you, sexy. And I'm sorry for being such a jerk!"

"Sweetheart." He rasps out, tightening his arms around me and pulling me closer.

"And I'm sorry for calling you a jerk before. You're not a jerk! I am!" I blubber out, crying into his shirt.

That's when I hear him let out a chuckle.

I pull away and shoot him my deadliest glare, "This is not funny, you potato! I'm being serious here! Stop laughing!"

He grins down at me in his regular ol' slow, sexy way, "I'll stop laughing if you stop being cute."

"You know I can't stop being cute!" I throw my hands in the air that it was the most absurd thing I've ever heard.

"Because I'm a cutie-cutie!" I say at the same time he rolls his eyes and grins down at me, "Because you're a cutie-cutie!"

I look at him and burst into giggles and hear him let out a chuckle before he growls out, "C'mere."

I wrap my hand around his shoulder and lay my cheek over his pecs as he kisses the top of my head and hums happily.

"Um... Lu?" I mumble against his hold.

"Mmh?"

"This is the part where you say 'I love you too, Nina' and then I'll wave my hands shyly and blush like crazy making you look at me with a 'Daw! You're so adorable' look on your face and I'll blush even more just as the screen turns blank and then the credits start rolling in." I babble happily with a big goofy smile on my face.

Lucien just shakes his head and muses, "Jesus! Even emotional, she's sweet."

I pull back to look at him, "Well, don't you love me?"

He immediately smiles and whispers, "Yes I do."

"Then quit your bitching!" I snap at him through narrowed eyes making him chuckle loudly.

I soften my eyes and give him a small squeeze and look at him pleadingly, "Say it."

He leans down and tucks a strand of hair behind my hear before caressing my cheek and looking at me with eyes filled with adoration, "I love you too, sweetheart."

I feel my eyes close in bliss as a content sigh escapes me and I melt against him; pressing my body deeper against his.

"Damn you, Nina." He whispers roughly, making me open my eyes and pinning me with his intense look, "Damn you for being so cute I could hardly stop myself from kissing you. Damn you for making me fall in love with you. Damn you for loving me back. Damn you for being so innocent and a vixen at the same time-"

"Antithesis." I mumble lamely, interrupting his speech making him narrow his eyes at me.

"- Damn you for interrupting me when I'm trying to give an awesome monologue."

I giggle softly making him smile down at me, as he shakes his head, "Damn you, Nina." Placing his forehead against mine, he whispers roughly, "Damn you."

"Dude?"

"Mmh?"

"Nice speech."

"Thanks, I try."

I look at him just as we both burst out laughing before I sober up and throw my hands in the hair, exasperated, "Would you please just kiss me already?!"

He blinks at me in surprise and his lips part before he hides his evident happiness behind that cocky smirk of his and grins, "Well... since you begged so nicely, who am I to refuse?"

I rear back and snap at him, snorting, "Puh-lease! I so did not beg you!"

He shrugs and looks down at me with amused eyes, "Well, you did say 'Please'."

I scoff and look at him with squinty eyes, "Are you telling me that the definition of begging suddenly changed into any line including the word please?"

He blinks down at me and replies, "That's exactly the definition of begging."

I clamp my mouth shut and look at him, incredulously, "Really? It is?" He nods in response making me blurt out, "Huh."

I make a thinking face just as he roll his eyes and grins at me, "You're thinking about googling it, aren't you?"

"Well, duh!" I throw my hands in the air before looking at him with a sultry look, "But I wouldn't be thinking about it, if say... someone distracted me or something."

"Mmh. Distracting you, huh?" Lucien muses dramatically, pulling me closer, "And say... how does this person distract you?"

I bite my lip making his eyes follow the moment with his gaze filled with heat and lust, "Oh! I dunno! He could... kiss me, I guess." I shrug nonchalantly, hiding the fact that my heart was beating like crazy.

"You... guess?" He raises his eyebrow, just as I feel his warm breath fan my lips.

"Mmh hmm." I hum in response and run my fingers through his hair making him close his eyes in bliss.

But when his eyes flutter open, unable to stop myself, I let out a gasp seeing his darkened, smouldering green eyes brimming with unadulterated heat as his jaw clenches and he growls out, "Buckle up, baby."

His hand immediately lowers down to my bum, squeezing it and pushing my lower body tight against him so that my curvy body lined perfectly with his rough, muscled one.

Oh sweet Jesus.

The vein in my neck starts throbbing and my breath hitches, seeing him lower his head down to mine just I feel my eyes flutter close and I melt into his arms.

And right then, standing on the roof overlooking the Hudson river that twinkled with the reflection of the city skyline; Lucien Xander Cooper crashes his lips against mine.

Finally.

***

Hey Dudes & Dudettes

•I'm really sorry for the late upload - really, really sorry

•I hoped you liked this chapter 'cause this was the longest one yet. (13958 words) Yowza!

Anyhoo, since lately, I realised that people really like Nina and Luke - like a lot. And they really appreciate Nina's sassiness, her awkward moments and her genetic weirdness and swoon over Lucien's dominance, his cockiness and other dreamy sigh worthy things.

So... I thought to myself; why not make this book into a series?

With equally sassy female characters and their intense alpha male heroes, of course!

So, here it goes (Let me know what you think about it ^_^):

Once Upon A Possessive Billionaire Series

• Book 1. Resisting |Lucien Cooper|

Resist Him If You Can

• Book 2. Belonging |Dare Montgomery|

Belonging To An Alpha Male

• Book 3. Seducing |Harlen Klein|

The Virgin's Guide To Seduction

• Book 4. Romancing |Arsen Anetakis|

Romancing The Billionaire From Hell

• Book 5. Tempting |Kaige Blackthorne|

The Beauty And The Tempting Beast

***

The Foreword and the Excerpt for Belonging To An Alpha Male has already been published. Be sure to check it out!

Here's a small summary though:

Belonging to An Alpha Male

"Tell me, little one... when you're fantasising about me; do you imagine me fucking you slow and sweet or do you make me sweat for it?"

- Dare Montgomery

***

PS: Again, sorry for the late upload.

PPS: I'll start with second story only after I finish this one.

Till then,

Rush

***