ALYSSA

I still don't know why I agreed to go to the café with Andrew, I knew it was going to be bad idea before we even walked into the place, but I allowed the more positive thoughts to get the better of me and I actually allowed myself to think it was better than going straight to the office—I kind of wish that we had gone straight to the office because, at least that way, I wouldn't have to wait for the insults to start because I would know they were inevitably coming at some point.

Instead, I had to sit there and listen to the pathetic arguments of Ben and Andrew, once again pertaining to the fact Andrew's excessive drinking was going to get him killed if he didn't get the help which he clearly needed. But, Andrew being the stubborn, arrogant fool that he is, didn't want to listen to what he was being told and thought that he knew what was best when, in reality, all he was doing was slowly killing himself without a thought for those around him who may actually come to need him in the future.

In the last two days, I had learnt more about Andrew Collins than I actually knew about myself, but I didn't have any interest in selling him out to those who were already after him and I certainly didn't plan to use what I knew to make his life anymore miserable than it already was. But that didn't mean that I wanted to know more about the man than I already did, I don't think I could stomach another piece of information relating to that man, so I wasn't about to interfere in Ben and Andrew's family affair.

"Has something happened, Miss Lopez?" Robert didn't move from his position against the car, his arms over his chest and his right leg across his left, and neither did he look up from his phone as he continued to grin like an idiot at whomever he was speaking to.

"Ben and Andrew arguing with each other. I don't need to be dragged any further into their personal problems," I looked down at my phone as I contemplated whether or not I should speak with Rebecca. I may not have been especially close to her, and I may not have really spoken to her other than to argue with her over her decision not to tell Andrew about Ella, but she would know what to do given that she's been through her fair share of men and had dealt with some right assholes in her time.

"Guessing Ben tried to talk you into being Andrew's friend?" Robert seemed to know the brothers pretty damn well, and even he had tried to make Andrew into something that I was still to see, but that wasn't surprising given that he was the closest thing to a friend which Andrew actually had and he was the only person to have stood by Andrew through his arrogance and asshole tendencies.

"Yes. But I can't be friends with someone like Andrew," I felt bad, I really did, but trying to put the effort in with someone like Andrew was simply too much for one person. I would rather attempt to be friends with a homeless man than give Andrew the time of day because, honestly, it was too exhausting trying to keep up with his constant mood swings and multiple personalities.

"I understand he's a difficult man, Miss Lopez, but you just need to give him time and, eventually, he shall come round to your way of thinking," Robert opened the door to the car with a slight smile on his face.

"Everyone keeps telling me that he's a good man and that I just need to give him time but, so far, all I've seen is evidence that he doesn't know how to be nice and the only thing he shall ever be is a rude, thoughtless, arrogant ass," I got into the car without another word and Robert closed the door behind me, thankfully saying no more on the matter with Andrew, for which I was grateful and appreciated that he knew when it was best to keep his mouth shut. Though the silence did give me a moment of clarity and I took the time to think back to the events of this morning.

Andrew had willingly opened up to me. He had told me about his past, and he had even told me about what Ben and Robert had done to him, but the thing which really stuck was the look on his face as he spoke. He looked so broken, almost fragile, and I wished that I could take all of the pain he was feeling, all the hurt which had been endured because of my sister, and I did actually want to be his friend—then he went back to being the ass I had come to know so well and it reminded me of all the reasons I couldn't be friends with a man like him.

I then remembered that Andrew had knowingly let himself into my apartment, without my prior permission, and I then remembered how he ended up there in the first place and how he came to learn of where I lived. I quickly rolled down the window and tapped Robert on his shoulder, causing him to jump slightly and turn round to look at me with confusion on his face, which was understandable given that he had been busy with his phone and wasn't paying any attention to what I was doing.

"Is something wrong, Miss Lopez?"

"The next time Andrew requests that you bring him to my house, please don't bother, because I don't need him knowing about my life outside of work," I didn't spare my tone because I didn't care. I was pissed with Andrew, he knew how to get under my skin and he didn't have any shame in doing it, and I was pissed with Robert, because he was the reason that Andrew now had my address and had the ability to come and go as he pleases.

"I must apologise for that, Miss Lopez. I shall ensure that it never happens again," Robert attempted to lighten the mood with a smile but I just wasn't in the mood for his pleasantries. I wanted nothing more than to be at the office so that I could get on with all the work which I needed to be done. Instead, I settled for ignoring the smile and rolled the window back up, deciding that it was time I phoned Rebecca because she, better than anyone else, would be able to give me tips on how to deal with Andrew since I knew now that I was in this for the long haul and there was no escaping wat was now my life.

"Alyssa. It's been more than five months since we last spoke. So, to what do I owe this pleasure? Is it already time for my scolding on how to look after my own daughter?" I hadn't been one to bother with my sister because, every single time we spoke, it would always end up in an argument and it would always end with one of us hanging up on the other. I would love for our relationship to go back to how it was when we were kids, with me calling her Becca and her calling me Ally, but I knew that was never going to happen and I stopped pretending that it would after Dean raped me, and Rebecca chose not to believe a single word I was saying.

"Trust me, I don't want to speak to you, any more than you wish to speak to me. And, as for Ella, I know that she's safe and that's going to have to do me now given that you've forbidden me from seeing my own niece," I could hear the bitterness in my own voice and I couldn't prevent the obvious hatred from seeping through. The day that Rebecca told me I would never see Ella again was a painful day, I spent the entirety of that day locked in my apartment, in tears because it hurt knowing that my own flesh and blood didn't want me anywhere near my niece because she thought that I would poison her against her own mother. "But I need your help. I need to know how you deal with Andrew Collins."

"And why would you need to know something like that?" I didn't miss the way she sniggered when those words left my mouth. If I had my way, I wouldn't bother with her and I wouldn't be asking her for something like this, but I needed help and she was the only person I knew who had spent a lot of time with him, therefore knowing how the hell to handle the man.

"I work for the guy, Rebecca. It's only been two days and I already want to kill him. So, are you are going to drop the bloody attitude and help me, or are just going to keep being a bitch?" I wasn't asking for her to like to me, and neither was I asking her to forgive me for what I had done, because that sure as hell wasn't happening any time soon given that I didn't even do anything wrong, so I was never going to apologise to her for doing the right thing by my niece.

"Aw. Poor Alyssa Lopez. Can't cope with a little arrogance. How sweet," Rebecca mocked with amusement.

"You don't need to be a bitch your entire life. You are allowed to take a break from it every so often," I didn't even bother to hide the sarcasm from my response because I wasn't in the mood to be dealing with the immaturity of my younger sister, I definitely wasn't in the mood to be dealing with it at this time of the morning, not when I had already had to deal with Andrew's arrogance and his oblivious outlook on life—I just wanted her help, this once, I thought that she would actually help me when I needed it, rather than being the bitch she has been to me for so long now.

"I would say he's sexually frustrated. But, then I remembered that it's you we're talking about, so I guess we can rule that option out right now," Rebecca sneered. I didn't even let her words bother me because, when I was eighteen and she was fifteen, she had already lost her virginity to some guy at a party she had been at while I was still to kiss a male, so I always knew that was the more sexually active of the two of us and that she was always going to attract the attention of the male. At twenty-nine, I simply didn't give a shit what people thought of me anymore, and I sure as hell didn't give a damn what my own sister thought of me.

"Was that supposed to hurt, Rebecca? I am sure Andrew fucks more women in a week than I do men in a year, so I don't need you to tell me what I already know," I had never been confident where my sister was concerned, she had always been able to get the better of me, despite being younger than me, but I was thankful that I hadn't faltered with my words and that I had the ability to keep myself together.

"The amount of women I fuck really is no concern of yours, Miss Lopez," I jumped a little at his dry comment from beside me because I didn't hear him get into the vehicle and I sure as hell didn't realise that Robert was now in the driver's seat, heading in the direction of the office so that we could finally start what we were both paid to do. "My personal life is none of your business. You are my assistant and, as my assistant, I require you to have finished the paperwork, which you shall find on your desk when we arrive, by three this afternoon."

"I wish you luck in dealing with Andrew, sister. I believe you're going to need it since I had absolutely no intention of helping you," Rebecca laughed because, apparently, the awkwardness of my new situation was of some amusement to her and she now had something to keep her going for the rest of the day, knowing that I was suffering at the hands of the man she once claimed to love. I, on the other hand, was entirely unamused by what was happening and wanted nothing more than to be swallowed by a hole in the ground.

"You fuc—"

"Alyssa will call you back after seven this evening when she finishes work. Please ensure that, from now on, you only phone her between the hours of seven in the evening and five in the morning. When she's not being paid to work at my company," Andrew spoke monotonously down the phone before hanging up and switching it off, putting it in his jacket pocket rather than giving it back to me, which wasn't something that impressed me because I needed my phone to make calls from my office to the clients which I had been told to deal with.

"Do y—"

"Also, clear your schedule for the weekend. There is a Charity Event taking place in Chicago to which I have been invited, and you will be attending said event with me," Andrew didn't even give me a chance to shout at him for taking me phone and refusing to give it back to me and, from the tone which he had used, it was clear that what he had just told me wasn't up for discussion and, if I wanted to keep my job, I was going to have to spend the entire weekend with him at some ridiculous event.

"Yes, Sir," I practically spat the words out because, if there was one thing which I hated more than my sister and more than Andrew, it was being told what to do rather than being asked to do something. I preferred to have a say in what I was going to be spending my weekend doing, but I couldn't afford to put my job at risk, even if Andrew didn't have the authority to sack me, he could still make my life a living hell without too much effort.

"And, for you information, I have only slept with two women in the last week," Andrew didn't even bother to look up from his phone as his words casually rolled off his tongue, like admitting the number of women he had slept with was one of the most normal things to do.

"You have a meeting at half two with some guy who comes across as even more of an ass than you do," I couldn't stop the words before they came out of my mouth. I just felt the need to insult Andrew, it came as naturally as breathing, even though it was fuelling his hatred towards me and giving him further reason to treat me the same as he would treat my sister.

"New rule, Miss Lopez. You keep all personal opinions to yourself and, the only time you speak to me, is if it has something to do with business. Understand?"

"Sure. Anything for you, Mr Collins," his name rolled off my tongue with such distaste that I could almost taste the anger and hatred as I spoke. Truthfully, I preferred the Andrew which I had this morning, the one who broke into my apartment and demanded to know all the things about me that I had never told anyone else before. The one who had trusted me enough to open up and tell me things about himself that, as he revealed, he had never even told his only friend and brother.

I wish I knew what happened in that café because, whatever it was, it had only served to make Andrew angry and had forced him back into the asshole he had spent the entire of yesterday being. I didn't expect him to jump for joy and declare that we were now best friends, but I also didn't expect something more than the cold-hearted bastard whom I had constant murderous thoughts about.

"While I am in the meeting, you will read over the contract which is currently sitting on my desk to make sure there are no mistakes. I expect it on my desk by half three."

"And how the hell do you expect me to do that? I already have a mountain of paperwork which you want me to do, and only," I paused as I checked the time on my watch, "five hours to finish it all."

"I don't know, Miss Lopez. Use your imagination, but I want it done," Andrew finally turned his head in my direction and I could feel the anger practically burning through my skin as he glared at me.

"Mr Collins. Miss Lopez," Robert's voice informed me that we had made it to the office and, without even bothering to wait for Andrew, I stepped out of the car and headed straight into the building. I spared a quick glance at the perfect reception with its perfect décor and its perfect receptionist who, no doubt, was another one of Andrew's successful conquests and that's how she ended up with her job in the first place. Even the clients who roamed around the place, waiting for those they were here to see, were perfect and it made me want to be sick.

I gave a passing look to the brunette who was sitting behind the desk and, for some strange reason, she almost seemed displeased with me and had a look which told me that she was considering all the ways in which she could murder me and get away with it. Perhaps it was the fact that Andrew had just followed me into the building, calling out my name and demanding that I listen to what he had to say to me, while I continued my walk towards the lifts or perhaps it's just because she was a jealous ass bitch who thought her obsession had fucked me too.

"Alyssa. I don't know what your fucking problem is—"

"I told you earlier, Andrew, that you're my fucking problem," I snapped as we stepped into the elevator together. Three other people went to step in, but the stare which Andrew gave them, told them that they needed to wait for the next one because he was busy with something which didn't concern any of them. And, the moment the doors closed, Andrew had turned around with his arms either side of my body, preventing me from going anywhere other than closer to his body.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you about saying nothing, especially if you have nothing to say to the person?" I could hear the coldness in his tone, warning me that I should stop messing with him before it was too late but, because I was Alyssa Lopez and I had never shied away from a challenge, I thought it would be amusing to see just how far I could actually push him.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you how to respect women?" I may have been terrified and I may have known that this was an awful idea but, if there's one thing I refused to allow, then it was to let myself become intimidated by a bully.

"From now on, keep this," he stopped speaking for a moment as he put his fingers against my lips, "fucking closed. I don't expect to hear another word from you today."

"But—"

"What did I just say, Miss Lopez?" I caught his fists clenching either side of my body from the corner of my eye.

"Perhaps, if you asked nicely, I would be more inclined to answer," I smirked back, enjoying myself a little more than I should have done, given both the situation and compromising position we were now in.

I couldn't count the number of times I had told myself to shut the hell up, or how many times I had told myself that I needed to keep my mouth shut before it landed me in even more trouble, but it still wasn't enough to actually make me take the hint and shut it before it was too late. I didn't need someone to tell me that I was an idiot, or that I was being foolish, because I knew both of those things and I still continued to open my mouth, raining my comments down on a man who had more power in his little finger than I did in my entire body.

"Word of warning Alyssa," his lips were right against my ear as he spoke and his breath fanned slightly against my neck, his hands moving from the wall beside me to my shoulders, all while I could feel my pulse increasing and knot forming in the pit of my stomach, "if there is one person you don't want to fuck with, then it's me, because you really have no idea what I am capable of."

It was only when the elevator made a noise and came to a stop that he moved the hell away from me. He walked out and left me stood there without even bothering to look at me once, he just strolled into his office like nothing had happened between the both of us, cool as anything and ready to start the day.

I may have been calm and collected on the outside but, on the inside, I was harbouring a raging ball of hormones, all because of a man I fucking despised.

© 2015 Emma Norman. All Rights Reserved.