Mark was a nice guy. Nice but boring, too boring to keep Glory's attention. He lacked the irritating charm that had become a clear must in her life. It had been a mistake to let Lucy set her up on a date. She had done it only to shut her up about how hard it was for her to watch her mope around. This was the last time that Glory was ever going to let that happen.

Mark had talked throughout the whole dinner about his job. He was a professor of some sort, perhaps physics or something science oriented. Glory honestly couldn't remember she had tuned him out halfway through the meal, only smiling and nodding when the conversation called for it. That was something she had learned how to do well, thanks to her upbringing and Mark hadn't seemed to notice the difference.

The only redeeming quality he had going for him was the naughty professor fantasy that Glory had to keep her company throughout the conversations. It had been a little while since she had gotten any action. Of course she had no plans to do anything with the Professor outside of her mind. The fantasy was much better than the reality and she didn't want to ruin that for herself.

So now they sat together on her couch, Glory trying to keep the space between there bodies with a bowl of popcorn as they watch the least sexual thing she could find in her collection of movies. She was doing her best to keep the vibes friendly, endure the rest of the movie before she feigned she was tired and sent Mark on his way. She was only enduring the entirety of the date to appease Lucy and because she was sure that Mark was indeed a nice guy.

When he grabbed the bowl from between them and set down on the coffee table, Glory felt her heart drop into her stomach. This was clearly not his first time in this situation, and he was bolder than most. The popcorn bowl trick didn't stop him. As his arm came up around her shoulder, she stiffened as he pulled her into the side of his body. Clearly he wasn't put off by the blood and guts that was currently on the screen. This guy was a pro.

He turned his face toward her, hot breath hitting her ear, "I've had a really good time tonight." Mark whispered in a low tone that had her gritting her teeth.

She turned to tell him she was feeling tired but stopped when eyes locked on a piece of spinach stuck in his teeth, god how long had that been there? He must have taken her speechlessness as sign for the go ahead because suddenly his lips were descending toward her own in slow motion. The soundtrack to her impending kiss the screams of terrified campers as they were hacked apart by some backwoodsmen psychopath.

The surprising knock at the door was a welcomed interruption, the flake of greenery wedged between his front teeth killing any mood that Glory could have conjured, "ignore it." He said in a husky tone that would have been sexy if it wasn't for Mark being Mark.

She leaned back further as the knocking persisted, pushing her hands into his chest to keep him from getting any closer, "It could be important..." Glory mumbled with an apologetic smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Mark shrugged his tweed covered shoulders, "Or it might not be...if we're quite they might go away." He gave her a smirk that only drew her attention back to the foliage he had been growing in his mouth since dinner.

Glory cringed before pushing him away and leaping up off the couch, "I really should get that. I'll be right back..." She turned away from him, running her hand over her hair. She hoped it was the police saying there was bomb threat, or firemen evacuating the place because Mrs. Tuckerman had fallen asleep with the burner on again (Happened twice last year). Honestly, Glory would have even been happy to see Arden at the moment, if only to be saved from this date.

She was clearly, feeling more than a little desperate.

Glory opened the door, surprised to see Rainy Fox standing outside her door. She immediately wished she had ignored it and had gone tromping through the jungle in Mark's mouth instead. Anything would be better than being trapped in another situation with this wretched witch. Her hand tightened around the handle, "I think you must have gotten lost, taken a wrong turn somewhere along the way Mrs. Fox to end at my door." She commented dryly.

"Has my son made you an offer of marriage?" Her question was direct and to the point. There were not idle greetings.

Glory's eyes widened for a moment at the shocking question before snorting out a laugh, "I'm sorry. You'll have to excuse me, but is this some kind of prank? Are we on TV or something?" She poked her head out further into the hallway, glancing up and down the hallway.

Rainy pursed her lips, blue eyes blazing with anger, "I do not care for your sarcasm Miss. Novacek. I came here only to put my own mind at ease." She pulled a folded wad of paper from her purse, hands shaking slightly as she read the a couple of the words aloud, "Source confirms that Arden Fox, newly appointed leader of Fox Enterprises is not far from making a proposal of a different sort to Blogger, Gloriana Novacek."

She shoved the paper towards Glory's face, "Do you still deny that my Son plans to propose to you?"

Glory's heart was hammering in her chest as she read over the tabloid. It was there in bold words that Mr. Fox and Her had a secret romance, and that they had sources saying that an engagement was not long off. A weird twisted feeling began to bubble in her stomach. She collected herself, staring down the demoness before her, "You're wasting your time coming here." She held the paper back out towards her.

Rainy sneered, "So you're not denying it?"

"I'm not denying anything because there is nothing to deny. I don't know anything about a proposal, especially in regards to myself. You know how writers are. They like to make things up because there real lives are dull and boring. " Glory snapped back, fighting back the urge to smack the woman in the face with the damned tabloid.

"Well if my son does make you a proposal, you will have to decline it." She said with such certainty, as if that was the end of the conversation and they had come to the same conclusion.

Glory laughed at her words, "If I am a passing fancy like you believe than you have nothing to be worried about Mrs. Fox. I doubt your son would stoop so low as to attach himself like myself or so you made it very clear the last time we talked. I'm sorry you wasted both of our time by coming here tonight." She moved to close her door but Rainy put her foot out to block the action.

"I want your agreement before I leave Miss. Novacek." She and Arden were definitely related. She could see where he got his persist and business savvy nature. Before Glory could speak Rainy was reaching once again into her purse and pulling out a checkbook and pen. She couldn't help but watch as the woman flipped it open and began to scribble, tearing the slip of paper free when she was done.

"Everyone has a price Miss. Novacek. You can get yourself out of this awful apartment, buy yourself some nice clothes...maybe travel somewhere far from here. All you have to do is agree that you won't accept any proposals from Arden. Work or personal. I want you out of his life for good." Her words burned through Glory, igniting the hatred she had for the world she had left behind her. The blank check hung between them, but she felt no temptation to take. She would rather live on the street than accept any kind of bribe from such a spiteful woman, or anyone for that matter.

She snatched the check and proceeded to tear it up into tiny pieces, enjoying the shocked expression on Rainy Fox's face, "Unfortunately, my value is more than even you can afford Mrs. Fox. I won't tell you false words of agreement, not now, not ever. Now if you'll excuse me, you've offended me enough for one night. Good evening." She tossed the pieces of check at her before slamming the door shut in her face.

Glory spun around, hand going to her chest as she tried to calm herself down. Her emotions were threatening to overwhelm her at the moment. Why hadn't she just told Rainy fox she didn't care about Arden like that? She worried her bottom lip between her teeth, Why had her heart stuttered at the thought of Arden's fake proposal as if it had actually happened? As If she had actually cared. Clearly the distancing tactic had not been as helpful as she wanted it to be.She needed to reign her heart in or when he actually found a girl she was likely to lose herself.

Mark sat on the couch patiently, popping some popcorn into his mouth as screams of the terrorized campers flooded her ears, "So I'm guessing that this isn't happening?"

*****************

Glory sat at her desk, tapping away at the keys listlessly as she replied to email after email. She had been back as her usual place of work for the past week and already the familiar bitterness was creeping back in. After Mrs. Fox visited Glory at her home she had sent her resignation as Arden matchmaker via email. She hadn't the strength to look into his eyes and say the words, not after having been so thoroughly humiliated by his mother.

At least now she was free from the constant torture of trying to set him up with the perfect women that seemed to line up for him. She could go back to the job that paid for her shitty apartment and helped her feed her obese cat, Duke. Everything in her life had fallen back into the exact place it had been before she had met Arden Fox.

"As your best friend it is my duty to tell you how pathetic you look right now." Lucy remarked as she came into Glory's cubicle, "You look like some borrowed your favorite heels and returned them to you covered in mud and scuff marks."

Glory spun in her chair to look at her friend with a flat look, "Don't you have something else to do, like don't know work maybe?" She really wasn't in the mood to deal with Lucy's attempts to cheer her up. She wanted to be left to sulk over her life.

"Why don't you just go talk to him, Glory? You know that you want to. You're letting your stubbornness get in the way of your possible happiness." Lucy wasn't wrong. She should have talked to Arden about a lot of things, given him the chance to explain himself but if she was going to be honest she had been afraid. She was afraid that he might feel the same for her as she did about him and then she was afraid that he wouldn't. It was pure torture. In the end she had proven herself a coward and had justified it with the simple fact that the two of them would never work.

They fought like cats and dogs. They wanted to lead completely different lives. And of course there was his mother. Glory shivered at the thought of ever having to deal with that wretched woman again, "It's better this way. Trust me."

Lucy rolled her eyes, "That's such bullshit, and you know it." Glory opened her mouth to say something more but stopped short. There was a shift in the air as the office seemed to break out into a tsunami of whispers, that only happened when there was something worth gossiping about. A strange unsettled feeling passed over Glory, she knew in the past couple of months such reactions usually centered around her.

"I want to speak to the woman who wrote this dribble." A familiar voice called out into the room, bringing Glory back to the moment when she had first met Arden Fox. Her heart stopped for a moment before it restarted itself at an accelerated rate, palms growing sweaty as the butterflies in her stomach assaulted her insides.

Lucy chuckled beside her, "I think that's for you."

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Glory rose on shaky legs, making her way out of her cubicle and into the public eye. The moment Arden caught her up in his bright eyes she felt her knees lock up. It was completely unfair that the universe had made someone so obscenely handsome. His dark hair was slicked back perfectly, suit pressed with the right creases, shoes shined so that the florescent light reflected off of them. Glory suddenly felt completely under dressed, combing her fingers through her hair.

He moved towards her with slow steps, "Are you the woman who wrote this?" She was certain he was holding her resignation in his hand, that he was purposefully reenacting the way that they had met.

Glory crossed her arms over her chest, "What do you want Mr. Fox?"

He came ever closer to her, "Do you realize that because of your stupid little email my whole life was turned upside down? I was on top of the world. I had everything that a man could want. Now I have absolutely nothing that I want." The whole room attention of the room was focused on them, which had Glory extremely uncomfortable. She liked being in the shadows, and unnoticed.

She stood up a little straighter, "I am not going to apologize. So if that's what you came here for than you've wasted your precious time Mr. Fox."

He held her gaze, lips twitching upwards slightly into what looked like subtle amusement, "You're absolutely right. That would be a waste of my time...Which is why I came here to apologize to you, Gloriana. I'm was a fool, have been a fool...I am a fool." Arden pressed not allowing her the time to runaway from him like she wanted. Her fingers trembled as she tried to keep her composure, all of her emotions threatening to overwhelm her. Glory's gaze flittered about the room, noting all the people watching them expectantly. Lucy was giving her a giant smile full of anticipation as she held her thumbs up as if this was the best thing she had witnessed despite all the reality TV she had waiting for at home on her DVR.

Arden didn't seem to care that he had an audience, slowly lowering himself down onto one knee. Glory felt her eyes widen at the new stance of his body, she'd seen enough romantic comedies in her life to know what usually followed such a motion. She shook her head at him, the muscles in her face tensing, "What are you doing? Get up. Seriously, Get up." She whispered to him through her teeth as she took another quick survey of the crowd.

He completely ignored her plea, either he hadn't been listening or he was pretending not to hear her, "Gloriana I think you are the most infuriating woman I have ever met..." Her lips pursed at the words leaving his mouth, a couple of people snickering at the comment.

"But I find myself captivated by the person you are. No one has ever matched me as you do. I thought that I wanted someone who was gentle and quiet. Instead I found I what I wanted was someone who checked me at every move I made. You are brilliantly maddening, Gloriana Novacek and I wouldn't have you any other way." His words had her heart beating hard against her chest. The air felt thicker with every breath she took.

"My mother told me that she came to your apartment. Told me everything she had said to you and done, for which I ardently apologize. But it gave me hope that perhaps I hadn't completely ruined everything between us." He shifted as if he was nervous, maybe even afraid of how Glory was going to react to everything he was doing.

Except Glory couldn't remember a time that Arden Fox had looked more perfect than he did kneeling before her.Her mind was full of all the moments they had shared together, from the moment he had walked into this office to this one. He was far from perfect. Half the time she couldn't figure out if she wanted kill him or fuck him, but she knew that she always felt more alive in his presence. He brought out the worst and the best of her, simultaneously. There was no way to know for sure if what she felt for him was anything like love but she wanted more time to figure that out.

"What are you trying to say Mr. Fox? Please get to the point. As much as I like you on your knees before me...you look ridiculous." She felt her lips stretching upwards into a smile, something they hadn't really done in the past couple of weeks.

Arden stared up at he silently, eyes narrowing slightly in brief agitation, "What I am trying to say Miss. Novacek is that I would like to take you are a real date, perhaps several of them and then maybe if you decide you like me we might try our hand at marriage. What do you say, Gloriana?" The tension in the room spiked as the anticipation of the crowd built in suspense.

All of the aches and pains of the past couple of weeks seemed to fade away. The attention of the entire world could have been completely focused on them but Glory wouldn't have noticed a thing. All she could see was Arden Fox on his knees before her in an Armani suit, not a hair out of place. The fact that he was here, doing what he was doing spoke volumes to how much he had changed since their meeting. He was still the obstinate man she had met but he had let go of some of the control. He was putting everything on the line for her, simply to have whatever future he could have with her.

"Fine." She snipped.

The room took in an audible gasp.

Arden's eyes widened as if he couldn't completely believe that she had agreed to his terms, "So that's a yes?" He questioned.

Glory rolled her eyes, "That's a yes, but on one condition Mr. Fox ..."

He rose up from the ground, with a suspicious gaze, "Your condition?"

She felt like she might laugh for a moment at how this moment seemed to be turning into some kind of business arrangement, then again what could she expect when she was dealing with Mr. Fox, "No Sex. I want to be sure that this is more than just animal attraction." The room began to snicker at her words, but Glory didn't care. She didn't feel ashamed of her body or anything she did with it, this was the twenty first century--cultural and societal ideals be damned.

Arden's expression became pinched, "At all?"

She gave him a look, "I might be mean at times Mr. Fox but I'm not that mean. Six months. Those are my terms. You can take me on as many dates or whatever for six months but there will be no sex. At the end of the six months if you still feel the same way we can reevaluate our situation."

He stared at her for a long moment, eyes raking over her body as if he was undressing her right there, trying to memorize every part of her. Glory couldn't fight the way her stomach fluttered or the way her nipples hardened at the memory of his touch on her body. Finally their gazes met again and she noticed the challenging spark in his bright eyes. Arden had no plans of making those six months easy on her. She could already tell he was going to do everything in his power to crack her resolve.

"Alright, Miss. Novacek." He held out his hand between the two of them, "You've got yourself a deal."

Glory smirked as she place her hand into his, pushing herself toward him. He looked a bit surprised, as her chest pressed into his. The heat of his body pouring into her in a familiar way, "I might have said no sex but that doesn't mean no kissing, Mr. Fox." She whispered to him before she pressed her lips to his.

The room erupted in applause and whistles, but the two of them couldn't be bothered by any of that. Not when they were so utterly wrapped up in each other. 

Arden sat at the bar nursing his whiskey, thinking back to the woman that he had been forced to take out because she had been one of Gloriana's matches. One she had chosen for him, Monica. She had been beautiful, intelligent and independent. She was working for a fortune five hundred company. Honestly, she had been the perfect woman for Arden. She would have understood all of this responsibilities. She would have required much of his attention and she would have look great on his arm at parties. She could have entertained his business partners.

Monica. The woman in black cocktail dress with legs up to her neck.

Monica. The woman with the full red lips.

Moncia. The perfect woman.

Perfect or not though, she wasn't the woman for him. She wasn't the woman that had him twisted up and confused. She wasn't the one that left him frustrated beyond rational thought. She wasn't the one that he wanted in his bed. She wasn't the one that he thought about at random points of the day, wondering what she was doing.

Gloriana. The woman with curves that he could hold onto.

Gloriana. The woman with a tongue that pleased and teased him.

Gloriana. The beautiful disaster.

Arden knew for certain now that he didn't want the perfect woman. He didn't need the Monica and Isobel's of the world. No, he wanted his beautiful disaster. As much as he wanted to tie her up to his bed and turn her ass pink for everything she had been putting him through...He wanted to see her smiling again. He wanted to see that sly look in her eyes when she was up to know good.

Begrudgingly, Arden finished off the last of his drink, glancing down at his cellphone that sat next to him on the counter. He had tried to call Glory after he left the perfect Monica twenty minutes into there date. He couldn't go through with another date. He had been through several of them over the past couple of weeks. He had gone through with them in the beginning hoping that Glory was simply upset with him for whatever reason she was upset with him.

He had expected her to get over her anger, but she hadn't. She had only seemed to become more serious about finding him his match. The woman she had thrown at him had been beautiful, temptresses. They turned heads but sadly as much as he wished it, they didn't turn his. No. Arden's head seemed to turn toward the petite woman with a cold shoulder that left him frostbitten.

"I thought I might find you here." Frankie remarked as he pulled out the chair on the other side of Arden, easing himself out of his blazer. Arden gave him a bitter chuckle, before taking a big sip from the amber liquid in his short glass. It burned as it hit his tongue, the burn drifting down his throat and settling in his stomach.

"That bad, huh?" His friend questioned as he motioned to the bartender to get whatever Arden was drinking.

"No, Monica was perfect. She had legs that could have easily wrapped around me. Lips that would have had the pope thinking dirty thoughts..." Arden replied, honestly. There was no reason to not say what he had been thinking when he'd seen the woman. Of course, his next thoughts had been how the perfect woman didn't stack up next to the beautiful disaster that was, Gloriana Novacek.

That woman had completely bewitched him. And then turned around Hexed him, leaving him unable to do anything with anyone.

"That's not what I was talking about." Frankie mumbled under his breath as the bartender handed over a drink. She gave him a slow smile, a seductive one that spoke of the things she was considering letting him do to her later. Arden almost laughed out loud at how his friend seemed completely unfazed by the beautiful woman, throwing herself at him.

Frankie turned his gaze toward Arden, "You really need to get yourself together. You've been completely distracted over the past couple of weeks and that is not helping you or the business. As you're friend and business partner it's my job to tell you when you are fucking up. So listen carefully, You. Are. Fucking. Up." He said pointedly before raising his glass and taking a sip from the stiff drink. Arden sagged forward a bit, feeling the effects of his two drinks or was it three now? He couldn't remember clearly.

"Don't worry I'll get myself together. I'll call Monica, and ask for another date..." Before he could finish whatever bullshit he was spewing out of his mouth Frankie slapped him in the back of his head. He jolted forward in surprise before swinging his gaze toward his friend with narrowed eyes, "What the hell was that for, Franklin?" He clenched his hand into a fist.

Frankie shook his head, "You clearly weren't listening to me. Arden, I know you aren't here drinking over the beautiful woman you could have taken home tonight if you had wanted. You're here drinking about the beautiful woman would you couldn't. A particular female who came into your life with all the graces of a blind elephant." Arden couldn't help the snort of laughter at the comparison because it was damn accurate.

"She wants nothing to do with me, and to be honest it's probably better that way. She and I fight more than we get along. She has no self control. She does and says whatever she wants, when she wants without consideration to the audience. She is a menace to society, honestly." Arden grumbled as he took another drink, the world spinning slightly.

"Yes and despite all those things... you're still in love with her." Frankie finished.

Arden snorted at his friends ridiculous comment, "In love?" He let out another bitter laugh, shaking his head as he sipped down more of the whiskey.

"Hardly." He commented to himself with another disgruntled sound. Frankie simply sat beside him quietly, watching him with a smug expression on his face. He was not backing down from the thought, turning the situation into a silent battle of wills.

"No." Arden narrowed his eyes, losing a bit of the humor that he had. There was no way that he was in love with Gloriana. Sure, he wanted her underneath him, in his bed. It had been a hard couple of weeks, just him and his hand and memories of the things that had transpired between the two of them. He groaned internally as he felt himself growing hard, thanks to the images now circulating around in his mind.

"No." He repeated again but it felt less sincere. He had enjoyed her smiles even if they had been at his expense. He had liked the way she had cut him down, something no one else had the balls to do before her. She hadn't cared that he was Arden Fox. She had treated him as if he was anyone else. She didn't care about his money, it hadn't impressed her. She had seemed completely content in her dinky apartment with that hellish feline.

He closed his eyes as the room swam, even still he could feel Frankie's eyes burning into him. He was not in love. He wasn't.

He wasn't.

No way.

Not with Gloriana.

"You love her, Arden. Anyone with a brain could have figured that out. You've turned down every woman that Glory as set you up with. I've seen them. They are beautiful, smart, clever...she has been giving you exactly the type of women you've always gone for..." Frankie pressed as He tapped his finger against the glass in his hand. Slowly Arden opened his eyes to look at his friend, feeling a tight feeling in his chest. A feeling he'd found himself feeling a lot over the past couple of weeks.

Frankie gave him a small pitying smile, "But here you are drinking, alone. Thinking about Glory...Sorry to break it to you, but you are in love with her. Even if you can't admit it, it doesn't change the fact that you are." He sucked in a breathe, like the truth had punched him straight through his chest.

He was.

Madly ( He'd have to be mad.)

In love with Gloriana.

Frankie leaned over and patted Arden on the shoulder, giving it a friendly squeeze, "It's alright. It's a lot to take in. Arden Fox has fallen in love."

"I need to call her. I--" Frankie snatched his friends phone before he grab it and do something stupid.

"Let's not jump the gun. You've lost a lot of ground over the past couple of weeks...you're going to have to do something more than make a couple of phone calls to fix this one." Frankie commented as he put the phone into his pocket, "But don't worry I'm sure you'll think of something. You are Arden Fox after all." 

"Is something wrong, Gloriana? Has something happened to upset you?" He asked as they drove in silence. It had been that way since they left his mother's house and Arden was curious about the change in her demeanor.

Glory tightened her hands on the stirring wheel. Her mind was churning what his mother had said to her, about her mother and about her. She wasn't one to be upset when someone talked bad about her family, she was usually the first one to agree but this time it left a sour taste in her mouth. There was clearly bad blood between the Fox's and her family, a secret that had been swept under the rug.

Her father had been very upset when he had seen the news article now that she recalled and her mother had been quite surprised to see her and Arden together. She didn't like the thought of seeing her mother again, let alone talking to her but she knew her father was an iron safe. Whatever secrets they were keeping buried, he was likely to take them to his grave. Especially if said secrets made him out to look like a fool, something had been her mother's goal it seemed during there entire facade of a marriage.

"Gloriana..." He called her name hesitantly this time, where she remained silent--staring out the windshield. The darkening expression on her face had him more concerned over what had happened during the small portion of time that they had separated at his mother's home.

She turned her face in his direction with narrowed eyes, "What am I to you Arden Fox?"

He pulled back a little surprised by her sudden question, "What do you mean?"

Her eyes narrowed further before she turned her gaze back to the road, the car speeding up slightly as her budding anger made her foot feel heavier, "Exactly what I said, Mr. Fox--what am I to you? Am I a business colleague? A booty call? Your enemy..."

Arden found himself put on the spot without an understanding for it or the words to say to correct it. He shifted around uncomfortably in his seat, reaching up to loosen the collar of his shirt that seemed suddenly to tight for him to get a good breath.

"You are my matchmaker Miss. Novacek. You were hired to--"

She let out a loud bitter laugh that halted his answer. Arden turned his face in her direction to see the way her smile didn't seem to quite reach her eyes, which were darker than they usually looked. She whipped the car down a side street without much care, he had to grip the door handle to keep himself steady.

"Yes, I am your matchmaker Mr. Fox. who you seem to enjoy fucking on the side when your intoxicated..." She rolled her shoulders, "I mean why not fuck the work while it's cheap and easy, Right? God, I am such an idiot." Glory was practically seeing red as she barreled car toward Arden's apartment building. Honestly, the thought of being anywhere near him at the moment was making her sick to her stomach.

She had thought herself past the age of being fooled but her she was realizing that she had done exactly what Lucy had warned her she would do. Glory had gotten lost somewhere between her hatred of the Arrogant billionaire and finding the hours they spent bantering as endearing in some way. She could feel her heart hanging like a dead weight in her chest as her mind kept repeating his mothers words over and over.

You're nothing but a passing fancy.

It was true though, wasn't it? She was simply another woman in a long stream of women that the billionaire had been with. He didn't do anything but fuck girls like her, it was the women like Isobel that he would take to social outings. He had an image to keep and that image needed a woman who shined liked the diamonds she wore. That was a life Gloriana had long sense left behind and vowed never to return to.

"What are you going on about, Miss Novacek?" Arden was thoroughly confused over the strange turn of events. He furrowed his brows as he clutched the handled tighter as she turned another corner sharply, "I can assure you that I want fuck you with or without the influence of alcohol. Hell, I'd fuck you right now if that would calm whatever mental breakdown you are having." He snapped not enjoying the situation he was currently trapped in.

Glory cast a dark look in his direction, eyes narrowed, "Have you seen Isobel since we've been together?"

Arden met her gaze, a bead of sweat building on his forehead at the sudden interrogation, "Together?" He said the word aloud, testing it with his own tongue. It seemed like a foreign concept to be attached to anyone other than Isobel. She had been the only female that he had chosen to commit himself to since he had become an adult. Yet, staring across the car into Gloriana's dark eyes he tried to image her with someone other than him. He felt a spark of anger bubble in his stomach. He didn't know what was going on between him and the fiery brunette that had burned his world to the ground but the thought of her with another man seemed unacceptable to him. He hadn't had his fill of her yet.

He wasn't sure that he ever could have his fill of her.

She licked her lips, the anger tasting bitter on her tongue, "I mean since we've been doing this whole charade--" Glory waved her hand in the air between them, trying to cover her word slippage, "Have you two met up for the horizontal mambo?"

Arden snorted at her childish remark, leaning back into the seat, "Really, Gloriana?"

Glory tensed under his judgement, cheeks flaming, "Just answer the damned question Arden!" She practically shouted into small space that surrounded them. Her heart was racing and she found that she was clenching the steering wheel so tight that her knuckles were turning white.

God, Glory you've really stepped in it this time, She thought to herself as she chewed on the inside of her cheek, You never shit where you eat. Haven't you learned anything from all those romantic comedies you watch?

"I've seen her one time. She tried to start something--I wanted to enjoy it but I couldn't think of anything but you." He replied honestly, it seemed like the better option. He had learned well enough with his mother that women seemed to always know when they were being lied too. He peered over hesitantly in Glory's direction, trying to gage her response.

His words smashed through her like a sledgehammer, an intense unexpected ache building in her chest. She had the urge to reach up and rub at her skin but she kept her hands planted on the steering wheel.

She was nothing but a passing fancy. She sucked in a deep breath, taking control of her racing thoughts. There was nothing that she could do over the choices that she had made prior to this point but she could keep things from spiraling into complete chaos when business between her and Arden Fox was done. She could save herself the heartache that she was certain he would bring into her life the moment he stopped showing up at her house in the middle of the night.

It was in this moment that she realized that she didn't want to be a passing fancy, not anymore. She deserved more than that and so did the people she had lost herself in for brief periods of time. Glory felt the urge to laugh at the fact she had such a life epiphany while in the presence of Arden Fox.

"That was the last time that I saw and spoke to Isobel. I realize that this is probably not what you want to hear..." Arden tried to find the right words to fix whatever damage he had caused. The intensity of her silence was making him extremely unnerved, "I came immediately to you after, I swear it. I haven't been able to think of any other women but you Miss. Novacek. You've completely bewitched me."

Gloriana leaned her head back and laughed at his words, tears pricking at the corner of her eyes. She couldn't decide which emotion was best to express, her overwhelming anger at his arrogance and selfishness, or sadness at the fact that her heart was tangled up in such a ridiculous situation, or the humor at the fact that she had a man like Arden Fox telling her that she had bewitched him like some cheesy romance hero.

She was happy when she realized that they were outside of his apartment building, it stood tall--a reminder of the differences between them. Glory pulled the car up to the curb with a screeching halt, "Have yourself a goodnight, Mr. Fox." She said in a rehearsed voice, one that she had used on her parents when she was a different and much younger version of herself.

Arden felt the chill of Gloriana's cold shoulder, recognizing that she had completely his admittance to her affect on him. He turned to her as he unbuckled, "Gloriana--"

"Goodnight, Mr. Fox." She snapped at him, cutting him off before he could say anything more.

He sat for a moment longer, searching her hardened expression before he got out of the car. He leaned in, hand on the door so that she couldn't leave like she wished, "I don't know what caused you to be so upset but know this Miss. Novacek. I am a persistent man. I don't give up that easily, I wouldn't be where I am if I had. So goodnight, Gloriana." He slammed the door closed before turning his back and walking toward the tower.

Glory turned to watch him go, knowing that she was in a lot deeper than was good for her sanity. How had this happened without her realizing it?

******************

Glory traced her finger through the condensation on the glass as she waited for her mother to show up for the lunch date she had scheduled with her. Her foot tapped restlessly against the leg of the table, Helena was always late to everything that involved her daughter.

It didn't matter that she was her only child, her mother was one of the most selfish people she knew. When she had been younger and foolish, the quality had seemed somewhat endearing. Now, it made her want to punch something.

Her phone vibrated on the table next to her other hand. She peered down at the lit screen to see yet another call from Arden Fox. She reached over and hit the decline button. Still, her heart clenched in her chest with the desire to call him back.

That made it clear enough to her that she needed to put an end to whatever had been going on between the two of them. She had a job to do and that wasn't to fall for the man who was the epitome of everything she hated.

Plus, he wanted a woman like Isobel. Someone who would kiss babies, who never argued with him, and looked great in cocktail dresses. Gloriana was far to opinionated and she thought babies smelled funny, two red flags might as well be three.

"Gloriana." She frowned at the sound of her mothers posh tone of voice, lifting her gaze from her phone.

"Helena, glad to see you are as punctual as ever." She snipped as her mother took as seat across from her at the small cafe table.

She watched her pull off her sunglasses like she was the queen of the god damn city, squinting down at her,"I don't know why you chose to sit outside on the patio. You're skin is already beginning to look pink. You need to take better care of your skin or you'll look like your fifty when you turn thirty five." Glory almost found the urge to laugh at the fact that her mother had only been around her thirty seconds and she was already critiquing her.

She didn't get a chance to reply before her mother was flagging down a waiter. The young girl hustled over with a bright smile, "How can I help you?"

"Yes, can I get a mimosa and make it strong." The waitress looked a little surprised but simply nodded her head and hurried away from our table.

Helena swung her gaze to me, a tight smile on her face as she took a seat across from Glory, "I was surprised when Marissa told me you wanted to have lunch with me. It's been a long time since we spent some girl time." She ruffled her short blonde hair with her perfectly manicured hand.

Glory took a sip from her glass, "Yeah, about six years to be exact...but who's counting?" She mumbled to herself.

"So how are things going with you and Arden Fox? He seemed particularly taken by you when you came to my shop. Has a tongue as sharp as his mother." She kept smile though it didn't seem to reach her eyes, but then again Glory couldn't remember her mother ever truly smiling over anything. She was a woman who was constantly calculating everything so that she could come out the one on top. There was no time for actual smiles when you lived like that.

"If by things between us you mean a lot of hot air and paperwork, than they are going spectacularly." Glory chimed, sarcastically.

Helena snorted, very unlike her to make such undignified sounds, "Sweetheart, anyone with two working eyes could see that Arden Fox has a big one for you. You two aren't fooling anyone with that only business partners shit." Glory's cheeks heated at her mother words and she ducked her head down a bit. She wasn't even drunk yet and she already was saying crass things to her.

"I mean I don't blame you for trying to keep things low profile. The media can be awful, plus they never take flattering pictures." She added looking toward Glory as if to say she could stand to loss a couple of pounds.

Glory bit the inside of her cheek in anger, "I didn't invite you here to talk about what is or isn't going on between Mr. Fox and myself. I was more curious about why his mother seems to have it out for me...and why she would claim, "I'm a snake just like my mother"?"

"Rainy Fox is a old witch who doesn't know how to keep her mouth shut. I would ignore anything she has to say." Helena jumped in quickly, eyes sparking with coldness. She clearly didn't like Mrs. Fox and Glory couldn't blame her. The woman had come of as more than a little bit of a bitch, cornering her like she had out of sight of anyone else.

"Uh huh....how about you just be honest with me for once in your life? Sure the woman was bat shit insane but it doesn't mean she was spewing nonsense at me." Glory pressed in irritation as the waitress returned with the extra strong mimosa that her mother had ordered.

The waitress lingered for a moment and Helena glance up at her, "Unless you're going to take my picture or get my autograph you can move along, sweetheart." The words were crisp and snapped coldly. Glory watched the young girl blush wildly before turning and rushing away from the table. No doubt to go cry in a bathroom stall from the sheer embarrassment that her mother had dealt out. Honestly, she could recall moments in her life when she had cried to herself over her mothers little critiques.

"Nice, Helena." Glory's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"What? I don't appreciate people who hover. Good help knows when to linger and when to leave." She shrugged her shoulders. This had obviously been a mistake. Glory shouldn't have even entertained the idea of sitting down with her mother, but the need to know what Mrs. Fox had been talking about had been the truth.

She started to rise up out of her seat, "You know what...this was a bad idea. I'll pay for your drink..." She started to reach back for her purse. Her mother reached across the table and grabbed her wrist, lips pinched together in annoyance.

"Don't get yourself all worked up over nothing. Sit down, before you cause a scene." Helena whispered across the table before she pulled back, glancing toward the couple sitting a few table away from them.

Glory clenched her teeth together, slowly lowering her butt back into the seat, "You going to talk?"

Helena sipped from her straw, leaving behind a dark lipstick stain, "Gloriana, we don't need to pretend that your father and I actually loved each other. He wanted a trophy wife and I wanted to make a name for myself. You're father was a means to an end." She replied coolly as if it was nothing more than a conversation about weather.

Glory clenched her hand into a fist under the table, "So did you sleep with her husband?" This was all she wanted to know.

Her mother's velvet red lips twitched upward into a smug smirk, "Oh I see what this is. You are afraid that you might be more like me than you want to be..." She leaned back in the seat, squinting her eyes against the sun, "Yes, Howard and I had an affair. He was handsome and he had that silver tongue...the one I'm sure he gave to his son."

Glory felt her shoulders sag at the news, "God, that is depressing."

Helena let out a small laugh, "You're so dramatic, Gloriana. It was nothing but a small fling. Half of the city had slept with that man. Sure, he tried to pursue a more constant situation with me but I didn't have time for anyone like that in my life. I barely had time for you and your father. Rainy found out and...well you met the woman."

"Yeah I did, unfortunately." She grumbled in response. Glory didn't know what she was suppose to do with this new information. She had expected that it would change the way she felt about about Arden, that it would take away his edge but it didn't really change anything. It only had helped her to see a fuller picture of who her mother had been and the reality of her parent's sham of a marriage.

She released a sigh, "Why did you and dad even have me? It seems kind of pointless."

Her mother leveled her with an amused gaze, "You might not have been planned Gloriana. Trust me, you father and I had our drunken nights." Glory gave her a disgusted expression she'd heard enough about her mother's sexual exploits to last her an entire lifetime.

"Oh hush." Helena waved off her dramatics, "You're father and I might not see eye to eye on most things but the one thing we agree on is that you were the best thing that we did together. I know we're not the best at expressing that but we do love you Gloriana."

She felt herself heaving a sigh at her words. Helena drove her crazy ninety-nine percent of the time but it was still comforting to hear after everything that she had been going through that she wasn't completely out on her own. she had people that did truly care about me.

"And If you have anymore problems with Rainy you let me know. Mama will take care of it." The dark look in her eyes and the predatory smile on her lips, sent a small shiver of fear down her spine. Her mother could be downright terrifying when she wanted to be.

Glory gave her a nervous smile, "Thanks, mom but I don't think she'll be a problem anymore." She wouldn't be a problem because once she found Arden a new Potential Mrs. Fox she would be completely out of the picture.

Helena's eyes crinkled in the corners as she smiled, a sign this was a real smile, "Mom is it now?"

"Don't get used to it." She remarked in a flat tone but the both of them were still smiling. 

The street was filling up with new vans and journalist wanting to sink there teeth into the story of the rich and beautiful girl locked up behind bars. Probably trying to figure out a way to spin the story so that it had sex, drugs and misbehaving billionaires in it. Glory gripped the steering wheel a bit tighter in annoyance at the sight of the police station being overrun with the hungry vultures, "Bottom feeders..." She grumbled, honking the horn as a van cut her off as she turned into the parking lot.

Arden glanced in her direction with, lips twitching upward in amusement, "Last time I checked you were a journalist Miss Novacek."

She let out a huff, "I'm a blogger." Glory corrected him, glancing in his direction to admire his face for a moment before looking away--searching for a parking spot, "Of course I guess you can add, chouffer and match maker extrodinaire to my title now."

He chuckled, "You're getting a little ahead of yourself wouldn't you say? You would have to actually make me a match to earn such an esteemed title." Glory pulled into an empty parking spot, hitting her brakes abruptly, causing Arden to jolt forward almost hitting his head on the dashboard. He turned towards her with a glowering look, to find her looking at him with a sheepish grin.

"Oops. My foot slipped." She muttered as she pulled her keys from the ignition.

She was the first one out of the car and into the chaos, Arden following close behind. It didn't take long for the press to notice them, camera lights flashing in their direction as they made there way through the ocean to the front door of the precinct.

"Mr. Fox!"

Flash.

"Mr. Fox! Look this way, Mr. Fox."

Flash.

"Mr. Fox, is it true that your sister was arrested for assault her long time sweetheart, Scott Summers?"

Flash. Flash.

Glory recognized the name turning her face in the direction of the young looking female reporter. The summers were a family that had circulated in her parents circle of "friends". Mr. Summers had moved up in the years from District attorney to Senator. He was riding the high of his political influence, but from what I had heard behind closed doors when I was a young girl was he was the chauvinistic ass and his wife was a Stepford twat. Those were my mothers names for them, and coming from her that meant a lot.

Flash. Flash.

Glory turned away from the lights, feeling slightly agitated by all the commotion. She could only imagine that this is what Arden must feel like most days, how he got through it all without losing his cool was a miracle since he didn't seem to be able to spend more than five minutes with her without threatening her.

She glanced his direction to she that he was holding his familiar grimace as he ignored the hungry vultures circling around them, trying to pick for pieces of anything. A reporter pushed to the front of the group, shoving a recorder into Arden's face, as he reached for the door.

"There are allegations that your recent takeover of Fox Financial was because your brother and late president was siphoning funds from the pockets of investors into his personal accounts, is that true?" Arden froze up at the question, staring down the reporter with a dark look--jaw muscles clenched tightly. Glory recognized the look as a sign that he had reached his limit of tolerance and that if someone didn't step in he was going to go on a rampage.

She pushed her way to his side, knocking the recorder out of the way, "I'm sorry but this is a very stressful time for Mr. Fox. He is unable to answer your questions at this time." She grabbed Arden's arm with her other hand and pulled him through the door with her.

She marched them up to the front desk where a young officer sat. Glory slapped her hand down on the counter, snapping the officer to attention. He stared up at her with a slightly perturbed expression. He was cute, she thought to herself. He a baby face that would have appealed to her at one time but standing next to Arden Fox, all other males seemed to pale in comparison. It wasn't there fault, it was his--he had ruined everything for her.

"Hello, can I help you?" He asked after a moment of tense silence.

Straightening her back, "I would just like to say on behalf of Mr. Fox and the Fox family that I am appalled by how this department is handling the matter of his sisters arrest. Someone in your department most have leaked this information to the press. We had to fight through a sea of reporters just to park the damned car." The officer sat up a little straighter at her tone of voice, or maybe it was the mention of the Fox name.

"Mr. Fox, I apologize..." He started to speak but Glory flashed him the palm of her hand, silencing him.

"Mr. Fox doesn't need or care for your apologies. What he wants is to pick up his sister, get her home, and forget this whole incident even happened at all." He stared up at her with a slightly terrified look as if she was going to turn into a dragon and gobble him whole, "Since that isn't going to happen, maybe you can help up speed this along, and if you can't do that..." She read his name tag, before meeting his gaze again, "Officer Marshall than I need you to get me someone who can."

Officer Marshall stumbled over himself as he pushed up from his chair, "Hold on, I'll be right back." He looked terrified as he rushed away down the long hallway to their right. Glory released her hold on Arden when they were alone, relaxing against the counter as if she hadn't just chewed someone out.

Arden stared down at her like she had grown another head, "You are a dangerous woman, Miss Novacek."

She peered up at him from under her lashes, lips twitching with the urge to smile, "All women are dangerous, Mr. Fox. You know what they say, 'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'. From what the looks of this situation I'd say Scott Summers learned that first hand." Arden gave her a dry look at her finishing comment, but she ignored it.

"Arty!" A female called out. Glory and Arden turned around quickly to find a young female with dark hair falling out of was once a nice braid. Her make up was smeared as if she had been crying hysterically. Overall Glory would have rated her a level six on the spectrum of Britney Spears mental breakdown level--so she was doing fairly well.

"Mona." Arden caught her as she leapt at him. Mona held onto her brother tightly as if she was afraid officer Marshall was going to drag her back to a cell, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I promise I'll never do anything like that again." Glory waited for her to finish the sentence with 'please don't let them take me away'.

Arden patted her back before peeling her off, staring down at her as she held her shoulders, "You have a lot of explaining to do when we get home. You are going to pay for any damages you caused from your own pocket and I expect you to work off your bail over the summer at the tower." She screwed up her face at his words as if they had put a bad taste into her mouth, "You also better hope that you don't have this written on your permanent record, your considered a legal adult. I'm very disappointed in you right now." He gave her a serious look, a fatherly look.

Mona's shoulders sagged, "I'm sorry, Arty."

"I'm sure you are." He released her and turned his face in Glory's direction, "Can you please take her out the back away from the reporters? I'll handle everything in here."

Glory pushed off the counter, "I think I can handle that. Come on, slugger." she teased just to see the look of annoyance that crossed Arden's face before he turned away. Mona came towards her with a curious look in her eyes.

They wandered down the long hallway, "So what's going on between you and my brother?" She asked as they rounded the corner for the exit door, sign shining bright.

Glory kept her face expressionless, "We are business partners."

Mona snorted, "And you just happened to be together on a saturday morning?" She was a smart girl, Glory could see the relation between her and Arden in this moment.

She pushed the door open, and peeked her head out, looking both ways before waving Mona through it, "I'm consulting him on his love life."

"I bet you are." She mumbled back.

"Maybe you'd like me to consult with you on yours... from the looks of things I'd say you could use it." Glory quipped back without hesitation, expression never changing.

Mona turned her gaze toward Gloriana, lips pulled together in a tight line that slowly turned up in one of the corners, "I like you. You're much better than Isobel. Maybe Arden isn't as stupid as I thought he was."

She returned the smirk, "Oh he's just as stupid as you thought he was." Glory unlocked the door to her car.

*******************

Arden looked more than a little angry when he got into the car, eyeing his sister through the rearview mirror. Glory waited a moment before she decided to the heavy silence between the two siblings wasn't going to work for her, "So where am I taking you?"

"Charlie's apartment"

"To my mother's house"

They both respond at the same time so that their voices overlapped but their answers don't. Arden twisted in the passenger seat with wide eyes, "Charles?" He seemed thrown off by his sisters request, "You are not going to Charles apartment. I forbid it!" His tone raised with his anger.

"It's probably his influence that got you here in the first place. No, you are going home to Mother's where she can keep a close eye on you." Arden supplied in a firm tone as if he were more of her father than her older brother. Glory peered into the rearview mirror to get a good look a Mona's reaction, because she could imagine how she would have responded to the same situation.

Mona had her arms crossed over her chest, lips pressed together like a child throwing a tantrum, "Mom won't listen to anything I say..." She whined in frustration toward her older brother.

Arden didn't seem to be in the mood to listen, "Well maybe if you tried acting like an adult and not a spoilt child she might be more inclined to hear you out." Mona's mouth dropped open in shock as if that was the first time anyone had ever spoken to her like that. Glory wasn't sure if she should commend Arden for his sharp tongue or come to Mona's rescue. She wasn't armed enough with his family dynamic to know how to be useful in this awkward situation.

"Spoilt?" Mona repeated the word, still in shock.

Arden turned away from his little sister with a tired sigh, "That's what I said Mona. Mom and Dad didn't do you any favors in the way they raised you and I haven't done you any by always coming through to clean up every mess you make. You're my kid sister and I love you with all my heart but this is the last time, understand?"

Mona snapped her mouth shut, "This is why Isobel left you for Charles! You try to control everything and everyone, just like mom!"

Glory flinched at the tone of Mona's voice, peering over to Arden after such a proclamation. She felt a little bad for him to have such personal insults thrown into his face. He kept his eyes focused on the police cruisers parked a couple rows away from them. HIs face was drawn together in an expression that gave away nothing than his usual cold demeanor.

"Please drive us to my mother's home." He commented in an even low tone, never looking in Gloriana's direction. When Glory kept staring in his direction he turned his face toward her with lifted brows, "Do you remember the way?

She had to shake herself back into reality at the question, realizing that she looked like a weirdo staring at him as she had been, "Yeah, I remember." She replied as she started up the engine.

The drive across town was a quiet one that had Glory wishing she'd called a cab for Arden this morning at her apartment instead of offering to drive him around like she owed him something for giving her the best sex of her short life. It was pathetic really, but here she was trapped in a old car after having a night of wild sex with Arden Fox, followed by spending the next morning bailing his sister out of jail. Lucy was never going to let her forget this once she told her how she had spent her weekend.

The Fox's family manor looked a lot different in the light of day, far less imposing than it had looked a couple nights earlier when she'd been thrown out of the get together with Arden. Glory parked the car in the driveway next to the black town car that reminded Glory of her younger years, she was certain she could probably remember the smell of the leather without even trying.

Glory glanced in Arden direction and lifted her brows as if to question 'Now what?' without even saying the words aloud. She was fairly confident that they had spent enough time in each other's company over the past couple of weeks for him to understand her non-verbal cues.

Mona was already jumping out of the backseat and marching across the front lawn with determined steps before Glory could blink. She could only see this as sign that the young teens wrath for being disregarded was soon to follow and if as on cue Mona disappeared into the house and Arden's mother stepped out. She was dressed in a nice white pant suit, one that Glory was certain her mother would have been jealous of. His mother lifted her hand to shield her eyes from the sun, "Arden?" She called out to him, as if she didn't already know it was him.

"Come inside for a moment, I have something I would like to discuss with you." Her tone of voice was more commanding than demanding. There was a heavy sigh from Arden as if the task completely exasperated the entire flow of his morning more than it had already been.

"You're welcome to bring miss Novacek with you. I would hate for her to get heat stroke in the car waiting for you." She added as she spun on her high class heels and headed inside. Glory gave Arden a narrowed look as she imagined all the awful things that his mother had planned for her the moment she stepped through the door.

Arden must have had the same feelings because he paled slightly and his muscles tensed up, "Whatever you do...don't speak. My mother won't find your tongue as amusing as I do." He said before he unbuckled and climbed out of the car.

"Whatever you say Mr. Fox." Glory mumbled under her breath as she watched him walk away with a dirty look on her face, giving him a little space before she decided to follow him. She pulled the keys from the ignition, swinging open the drivers door and slamming it shut behind her as she took long strides to catch up.

The familiar doorman greeted them as they entered the manor, his mother coming down the spiral staircase like the queen she believed herself to be. Her blue eyes were as cold as frost as they roamed over the two of them, "Let's speak in the quiet of my office." She motioned with her hand for them to follow her down a nearby hallway as she stepped off the last riser.

Glory jumped in quickly to the conversation, "May I use your restroom?"

Arden's mother gave a look a annoyance, "Upstairs, to the left."

She gave a forced smile, "Thanks. Appreciate it." She made her way to the stairs as an escape from whatever she had been trying to do.

----------

Mona was laying on her bed with her hands folded together on her stomach. Those familiar blue eyes focused on the posters she had taped to her ceiling. Glory was surprised to find that her bedroom seemed so normal considering who her parents were and the last name she carried. She stepped into the room, leaving the door open a crack in case someone should come looking for her.

"What do you want?" Mona asked with in a dry tone. Glory still remembered what it was like to be a teenager, remembered how she had been treated by her own mother. Luckily she had been an only child so she never had to worry about siblings.

"To be honest I am hiding from your mother and brother. I lied and told them I had to use the bathroom. Think they'll believe that I got lost?" Glory tilted her head back to get a better view of the pictures overhead.

Mona snorted, "That's the worst line anyone has ever used to try to get me to open up to them, and my mother made me talk to a shrink for a year after my father passed away." Glory flipped her attention to the pretty young girl spread out on the bed. Their gazes met in a tense silence.

"Before you try to tell me that Arden is doing all this because he cares about me you can save your breath. I know he cares about me. I shouldn't have said that stuff to him even if it is true." She added with a heavy sigh.

Glory took a seat on the stool in front of the white colored vanity, "Then why did you?" She questioned out of curiosity.

Mona pushed up onto her elbows, a deep frown set on her lips, "Because no one ever listens to me and what I want. If they had then I wouldn't have even gotten into this mess in the first place."

"What do you mean?"

"My mother though it would be great if Scott and I dated. I mean it's picture perfect, millionaire's daughter and senators son. Everyone wins." She says with a sarcastic eye roll. Glory could tell from the frown on her lips that she is more hurt than she was letting on.

"So why date him if you didn't like him?" She shifted on the uncomfortable stool.

Mona sighs, "I didn't like him at first but he wore me down. We've been together for two years now and I thought we had everything planned. I was supposed to join him for college in the fall." She looks a little teary eyed. Glory pushed up from her seat and came to sit down on the bed next to her.

"I was surprising him at work with some take out. I caught him with one of his father interns." Mona spoke through clenched teeth, "So I showed him what I thought of him. I rammed his car with mine and then grabbed the tire iron from my trunk and..." She looked toward Gloriana with a fiery look of anger that was familiar.

"I think I can figure out the rest..." She followed up, not wanting Arden's sister to incriminate herself anymore that would make Glory a character witness to something she hadn't actually seen.

"To be honest, I slashed the tires of my high-school boyfriend when he dumbed me for Charlene Watts. It was the best revenge I ever got...he loved that car more than his own mother." Mona gives a wide grin of amusement at Glory's story. She knew it probably wasn't the best thing to do for a girl that had just been bailed out but she felt like she was the only one who would take the time to talk to her, hear her out.

"You are way cooler than Isobel." Mona commented with a laugh, "At least if Arden marries you family get together will always be interesting."

Glory chocked on the air entering her lungs, "We are business partners that's all. I'm helping him find a new mrs. fox...and I can assure that search does not include me." She slapped her hand to her chest to clear the blockage in her lungs at the surprise that statement had cause her.

Mona rolled her eyes, "Right, I forgot you're 'business partners'" She rolled over onto her side, turning her back on Glory, making it clear she was done with the conversation. Glory pushed up off the bed and made her way to the door. She might spend her day giving love advice but that was over the internet and not in person. In person she seemed to lack the actual skills need to be helpful.

"Mona?" Glory paused at the door, glancing over her shoulder, "next time you have love troubles...try talking it out first..." She tried to give some actual advice.

Mona looked over her shoulder with a frown, "Yeah...I learned my lesson."

As she left Mona's bedroom she ran into their mother, who happened to be waiting for her a little ways down the hall. The tension was so thick Glory was certain she could have cut it with a knife, "I was just saying goodbye..." She floundered for an excuse to have been talking with Mona.

"I know what you're trying to do Miss Novachek." Mrs. Fox spoke in a rigid tone, not trying to put on any airs about about her reason for approaching Gloriana.

She lifted a confused brow, "I wish I knew what you were talking about..."

"You're just like your mother." The insult came as a slap and a surprise. She hadn't known that the Fox's had ever been intwined with her family, though she could say she recalled her earlier years all that clearly anymore, "She was a little snake in the ground as well. Whispering all her words into in my husband ears while nobody was watching. Like mother like daughter. You're as much of a snake as her, trying to weasel into my sons life and twist him up over the things he wants." Glory stiffened at her harsh words, narrowing her eyes slightly but holding her tongue until she had heard every last word the old witch had to say.

"You're nothing by a passing fancy in my sons world. He might flounce around with women like you but he marry's women like Isobel. If I were you I wouldn't get to comfortable, I know my son better than you." Her words stung and Glory tried her best to keep them from cutting to deep.

She gave Mrs. Fox a small smile, "I wish I could claim to be as clever as you think I am. Unfortunately I'm just trying to make some extra money to pay for my shitty apartment because my shitty job barely covers it. Most of my money goes into feeding my obese cat duke...did you know cat obesity is almost as much as problem as human obesity? who would have known..." Glory purposefully rambled on as she moved away from Mrs. Fox toward the stairs. This was a tactic that she had learned as a teenage when her parents tried to interrogate her about where and who she had been with. If she kept talking that would distract them long enough for her to make her get away.

Mrs. Fox watched her with cold eyes, but Glory never let up, "Either way, there is nothing happening between Arden and I, other than professional interactions." She had her hand wrapped around the rail at the top of the stairs.

Mrs. Fox was following her every step of the way, eyes full of judgements, "Only a fool would believe that Miss. Novacek, I see how my son looks at you. This is the only warning I'll give you. Stay away from my family." She seemed deadly serious. Gloriana was certain that she had the money and connections to ruin her life if she wanted. She passed by Glory with her head held high, meeting Arden who was waiting at the bottom.

Glory followed behind her with a tension in her that hadn't been there before. Arden met her gaze as he came to greet her, leaning his body toward her, "Everything okay?" She could hear the concern in his tone.

She found Mrs. Fox watching the two of them and she forced herself to step away from Arden, "Everything is fine."  

Glory paced back and forth in her bedroom, raking her fingers through her hair. Duke was laid out on the foot of her bed like a the king he thought he was watching her with a look of boredom, tail flicking back and forth. Her body still ached from the power of Arden Fox, fingerprints on her hips from where he had gripped her tightly. She spun to face Duke, "I'm going to have to buy myself a chastity belt...that's the only solution...." He stared at her in silence before letting out a meow.

She turned away from him, throwing her hand to her hips wincing slightly, "Great now I'm talking about my self control problem to my cat..." Glory closed her eyes, lifting a hand and pinched the bridge of her nose, "I'm losing it...completely and utterly losing it." It was going to be a very long night of tossing and turning, thanks to the subconscious filled with regrets and stupid thoughts.

She woke up to the sound of someone knocking on her door, rolling over she checked the alarm clock—red light glaring back at her that it was two in the morning. The knocking became heavy pounding and Glory groaned as she threw back her covers, stomping out of her room ready to ream whoever dared to interrupt her beauty sleep. She snapped the deadbolt open, twisting the knob of her door, "You better have a damn good—" Her threat was silenced as large hands grabbed a hold of her face, pulling her foreword and kissing her like she had never been kissed before.

Her eyes widened in surprise, hands pressing into a firm chest. Arden broke away from the kiss still holding her face between his large hands. Glory stared into his eyes, breathing in short gasps, "How--What are you doing here?" She couldn't seem to grasp what exactly was going on between the two of them. It was an inexplainable force that had them continually clashing and crashing into each other.

He gave her a crooked grin—a familiar grin he had given her the night at his mothers dinner. She narrowed her eyes, "Arden you're drunk..." The fire that he ignited in her turned into a fire of another kind, simmering below the surface. His hands dropped away from her as he shrugged his shoulder, "So what if I am? I couldn't get you out of my head. I needed you again—" He reached up grabbing onto one of her hands, sliding it down his body until he had it pressed against his arousal.

Glory swallowed hard as she remembered the feeling of him inside of her, quickly she pulled her hand away—clenching it at her side, "We can't do this—you need to go home. It's late and I'm tired..." Even to her own ears it sounded like a weak refusal. Arden's full lips pouted at her words, clearly not pleased by her denial of his desire to loose himself in their combined fire again. Not one to give up that easily he took a step into her apart, the warmth of his body causing goosebumps to rise on her skin.

Arden leaned down, bringing his lips dangerously close to her own, "I know you want me Gloriana—there's no reason to us both the pleasure of me being buried deep within you." He planted his hand gently on her hip, before stepping around her—his fingers playfully skimming her stomach as he took up residence behind her. He pressed his lips to the side of her neck and she found herself tilting her head, body shaking from the tantalizing touch.

Biting into her lip, Glory twisted away from him, "No—no...we can't...I can't...this is not going to end well. We work together and clearly you've forgotten that we hate each other..." Arden growled as if possessed by some kind of beast as he grabbed onto her again, kissing her like their lives depended on it. All thoughts of denying him further fled from her mind, Glory moaned as she succumbed to her overwhelming desire for him. They became a tangle of groping hands, as they tried to shimmy out of their clothes. Glory pulled away gasping for breath—lips stinging from Arden's hunger.

She let her eyes rake down his body—lingering on the parts of him that she longed to gorge herself on. Glory took a step backward then another, beckoning for him to follow her like a siren. His crooked grin made another appearance as he watched her sultry dance toward her bedroom, "Close that door quick before I handle myself without..." She smirked knowingly at him as she turned her back to him, giving him the opportunity to walk away though she knew he would--just like she wouldn't.

Glory stood in the center of her darkened bedroom, the sound of the front door closing had her heart racing. Their was a moment of tense silence, followed by the sound of heavy footstep—his outline framed by the soft light in the kitchen.

Arden backed her up into her bed in the darkness, the sheets brushing the back of her knees, "I don't know what it is about you..." He nipped at her neck and shoulder, "but no one has ever driven me this mad before..." Glory threw her head back with a throaty laugh, finding herself amused by his admission. The truth was she had never found anyone who had her so willing to go against her own rules of engagement.

His fingers skimmed down her naked flesh, exploring her slowly—building the ache between her legs. Glory rubbed her thighs together with anticipation, arching her back as he took beaded nipple between his teeth—teasing it with pleasure and pain. She dug her finger in deep to his thick hair, pulling at it.

Arden escaped her grasp as he pushed her back into the bed, her body bouncing slightly against the mattress. He ripped off the rest of his clothes, stumbling over himself in his haste. Glory pushed herself up onto her elbows to watch his drunken dance, smiling to herself as more of his body became visible. His muscles were taunt and defined, clenching with every slight movement. Once he was naked—he stood at the edge of her bed proudly, with every right to feel that way. Everything about him seemed immaculately designed from the top of his head to the tips of his toes—he truly had be gods morning star.

Glory parted her legs for him, angling her body so that he could see all she was—no shame. He groaned deep in his throat, reaching down and fisting himself—giving his most prized possession a couple of slow, loving strokes. She licked her lips as she watched him, the prince of darkness—Arden Fox. His eyes seemed to shine brightly as they devoured the sight of her laid out on the bed for him, ready for the taking, "Some time tonight big guy...I'm drying up over here..." She taunted him.

He crawled up onto the bed and up her body, coming to rest perfectly between her thighs. Arden held his weight up off her, staring down into her face, "I'm going to have you in every way before this night is over Gloriana...you'll never think of wanting any man but me inside of you." His husky voice danced over her and pooled in her southerner region. Glory felt a tremor of fear in the back her mind that his promise might become a truth.

"You talk a big game but it seems to me that you're the one who is having trouble wanting anyone else..." She felt the words pass from her lips without a second thought. He lowered his face until there lips were a breath apart. Her heart jolted in her chest as hungry gaze pierced through her, "There's that smart mouth again...what did I tell you about that Gloriana?"

******************

Gloriana woke up to the feeling of something poking into her backside. She groaned in annoyance, swatting away the disturbance with her hand, "Jesus—you are like a goddamn bunny...you should consider officially changing your name Mr. Fox..." Her muscles had a deep ache to them with even the subtle movements. He had made sure to deliver on his promise last night—more then once. She was seriously beginning to question his genealogy—perhaps he truly was some kind of god of desire, it was the only thing she could rationalize at this point.

The poking came again, only this time much more forceful. She growled in frustration ready to give Arden a piece of her mind as she rolled over. Her eyes widen with surprise when she found him passed out, his piece barely covered by her duvet and Lucy standing on her side of the bed with a look of condemnation. Talk about getting caught red handed, Glory gave her best friend a sheepish grin as her pulled the blanket up toward her chin.

"I've been meaning to get that key back from you..." She mumbled to herself not sure what else to say about the situation. Lucy pointed at her with a stiff finger then toward the living room, mouth the words 'right now'. Glory sank deeper into her mattress knowing she was about to get the lecture of the century, glancing over in Arden's direction—she thought to herself it had been worth the dance with her personal devil.

Rolling out of the bed she searched for clothes in the mess of the night before, looking around her people might think a natural disaster had taken place—rightly named, Hurricane Arden. In the end she grabbed his shirt because it was the one in view to lazy to scavange for her own, fingers going to the buttons only to find half of them were missing from his none to graceful removal of it.

Lucy was brewing her a pot of black gold when she walked out of her bedroom—understanding well that she needed it to be awake enough to have whatever dreaded yet well meaning conversation they were about to have. Glory wrapped her arms around her waist as she shuffled into the kitchen, "I'm guessing you came here for a reason other then to lecture me for my after work activities...which I can explain...but you're probably not going to like it."

She spun on her heels, blonde beach waves flowing out like a little girl in a twirling skirt, "You know I was concerned because my best friend kind of fell off the face of the planet for a couple weeks. I wanted to make sure that she hadn't done anything drastic because of a certain asshole billionaire...didn't realize you'd been bringing work home with you..."

Glory gave her friend a half-hearted smile that didn't reach her eyes, feeling slightly guilty for giving her an accidental cold shoulder—Arden had rooted himself so deep into her mind and life that it had become almost an obsession, an addiction—other things had become less important in comparison. Even now she stood wrapped up in his shirt, the scent of their lustful activities of the night before clinging to her skin—and in the back of her mind her gluttonous little devil was hungry for more, needed more.

"Don't look at me like that Gloriana Novacek! Have you lost your mind? I mean sure he is smoking hot...but you hate him and he's probably just using you, now that he's gotten what he wants...well you know how guys are..." Lucy crossed her arms over her chest to show how truly upset she was—it was like being reprimanded by her mother, minus the continual demeaning comments.

"Look it's because I hate him that you don't need to worry—I couldn't care less about what Arden Fox does or doesn't do with his dick...there are no emotions involved at all. It's purely a physical thing between two consenting adults who happen also hate each other." She felt a strange bubble in her throat as the words came out of her mouth, noting it as an uncomfortable tickle she quickly pushed the concern away.

Lucy rolled her eyes dramatically, snorting out a sarcastic laugh, "Oh yeah, Glory—so you have no feelings for him at all?"

"Other then feelings in my vagina? None. I swear." Glory held up a hand as if she was performing an oath in a courtroom.

Lucy narrowed her eyes into slits, "Swear it on Duke's life and I'll believe you."

Glory took a small breath, really wishing the coffee was done—she really needed her caffeine to deal with this,"I swear on the life of my beloved, yet extremely obese cat that I have no feelings for Arden Fox. None, whatsoever." She waited silently for her friend to make the final call—staring deeply into each other eyes, trying not to flinch under the intensity of her stare. Glory wiggled her nose slightly, feeling the sudden urge to sneeze.

"You're such a liar...oh my god, I can't believe this...You've caught feelings for the mega douche!" Lucy whisper yelled at her before turning her back to her—throwing hands up in the air. Glory reached up and rubbed her itchy nose, laughing at the ridiculousness of her best friend, "Luce...I swear I don't care about Arden..."

The sound of a heavy groan broke through her laughter. She turned her face to find Arden standing in her bedroom door way completely naked—everything hanging free in the wind. He looked completely disoriented and a little green around the gils—that alcohol wasn't doing him any favors this morning. Glory let her eyes roam slowly down the expanse of his body, finding herself mesmerized by the sight in the morning light—the darkness of her bedroom had kept her from really getting a good look at his majesty.

"Oh my..." Lucy commented breathlessly from beside her, pulling her back from her own ogling. She strolled quickly toward her couch, grabbing a pillow and throwing it towards him. It smacked him in the stomach, plopping down onto to ground at his feet. He gave her a dirty look before realizing that they weren't alone in the apartment. He quickly bent over and covered himself with the small pillow, "Good morning..." He croaked out trying to come off as relaxed.

"Good morning to you too Mr. Fox..." Lucy gave him a knowing smile—her gaze lingering on the pillow a little longer then Glory appreciated. The little hypocrite had come into her apartment, practically broken in and lectured her—only to bat her lashes at the same person she had been harping on. Glory crossed her arms over her chest, clearing her throat, "Thanks for stopping by Lucy but as you can see I'm a little busy this morning—be sure to tell Royce I'll have my article for him on monday." She lied through her teeth, not liking the way her friend was eyeing up the guy she had only just had sex with a couple hours ago.

Lucy peeled her eyes from the man meat in front of them—smiling wickedly at her, "Couldn't care less...my ass..." She turned away, stuttering over the counter victoriously where her purse was setting. Glory watched the little victory walk—feeling slightly sick to her stomach at the forced realization her friend had just put upon her.

"You two enjoy your weekend—remember lots of water, hydration is key." She gave a finger wave from the door, the sound of the timer on the coffee maker ringing out as she disappeared from sight leaving me to deal with my denial alone—I was definitely going to need that caffine.

*****************

The two of them stood silently together after Lucy left. Glory wasn't sure what she should do with the awkward tension floating between them, "There is a shower through the connecting door in my bedroom." She rattled off quickly.

"Right..." Arden cleared his throat. Glory chanced a peek in his direction, trying to hide her desire to laugh when she found he was still standing there using her little throw pillow as covering. He had alway seemed so in control of himself but in this moment he looked like high school kid who got caught by his parents.

"There are clean towels in the cupboard above the toilet." She wrapped an arm around her waist, lips curved upward. He must have noticed that she was having a small laugh over his predicament, because his eyes narrowed slightly. He tossed the pillow away, letting himself be completely exposed to her. He didn't say anything as he turned and strode away, butt muscles flexing deliciously as he walked away.

For a fleeting moment she had the thought to follow him, but she knew what would happen if she did—they would never leave her room. With a sigh she turned away, pouring herself another cup of coffee before putting out some breakfast for Duke.

A half hour later, Arden exited her bedroom fully clothed—well mostly clothed, she was still wearing his shirt. He had the towel slung around his neck, the ends clenched in his hands. He gave her a relaxed smile. The smile caused a storm of butterfly to erupt in her stomach—she quickly looked away.

"Do you want to some coffee? Or maybe something to eat? I think I might have some eggs in my fridge..." She let the words hang between them without the confidence she normally felt. It was as if he had fucked it all out of her last night, only to further surprise her with the fact that he was still in her bed when she'd been awoken this morning. Part of her wanted to play it off as meaning nothing, but still the desire for him to linger for a little while longer poisoned her thoughts.

Arden pursed his lips as if to respond but before she could get an answer his phone rang loudly. He let out a heavy sigh of exasperation as he fished it out of his pocket, "Hold that thought."

He turned his back to her answering—holding the phone to his ear, "Fox." Glory rolled her eyes, thinking she really needed to break him of that greeting—it was too uptight, business tycoon or not there was no need to be a stiff.

"Calm down, Mona. I can't understand what you're saying." She can hear the slightly rise in his voice, the concern for this Mona person coming through loud and clear. She felt a spike in her heart rate, similar to when Lucy had been eyeing him like a piece of candy.

Great, I'm so in over my head—She thinks to herself, trying to busy herself with the cup of coffee that sat in front of her.

"Alright. Alright. I will be there soon to get you. Don't talk to anyone, just keep your mouth shut." He hung up the phone spinning around to face Glory. The look on his handsome face said he felt conflicted but there was a rushed look burning in his eyes, as if he needed to be wherever else he needed to be—and he needed to be there ten minutes ago.

"Gloriana..." He began to explain himself, but she stopped him by holding up a hand. She lifted her mug taking a sip of her coffee, "I understand, no need to explain yourself Arden. I know how these things go."

His lips twitched and he lifted a brow, "How what things go exactly?" She felt a wave of annoyance that he was going to make her say what had happened between them aloud—the bastard was always looking to embarrass me.

"We're both adults Mr. Fox. I think we both know we had a good time but it's just that a good time. No reason to complicate with explanations and excuses." She tried to say it in a relaxed tone to cover up for the buzzing feeling in her heart that screamed she was a big fat liar who needed to just shut her mouth. Arden gave her a bemused smirk, rocking back onto his heels, "I'm glad to hear that you've enjoyed yourself, but just to be clear I wasn't trying to make an excuse. If I wanted to leave I would have been gone last night...That was my sister...she apparently got herself arrested."

He had somehow turned the entire conversation around in a span of seconds to make her feel like a complete ass for assuming otherwise. Glory felt her cheeks flood with heat, lifting her coffee mug to take a sip to hopefully cover up the reaction.

She cleared her throat, "I see. Do you need a ride to the station?"

Now it was his turn to look slightly embarrassed, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck, "Actually, that would be appreciated. I don't need to set any more of a bad image for my family, considering the press are probably going to have a field day with this one." He got a little more tense over the mention of his family. Glory was beginning to understand that family was the one area of Arden's life that made him a little more human—more relatable, almost redeemable.

She set her coffee down on the counter, "Let me go put on something a little more presentable."

His eyes raked over her from head to toe, the burn of his gaze made her heart speed up and her mind fill with dirty images of the things that he had done to her—and the things she wanted him to do again. He must have been on the same wavelength because he moved towards her, pulling her close by the collar of his shirt—thumbs smoothing the material between his fingers as he held her gaze, "You keep looking at me like that Gloriana, and I'll fuck you right here. I won't be able to stop myself."

She sucked in a breath, her body trembling with need, "Maybe another time, Arden. I can't imagine your sister would like to know that you were fucking my brains out while she was locked up behind bars." Glory reached up and pulled herself free from his grasp, slipping out of his shirt--so that she stood completely exposed before him. She had to muster every ounce of self-control to walk away from him and into her bedroom. The moment she closed the door she locked it—there was no part of her that trusted Mr. Fox to not follow her into her room and take her the way his eyes had said he wanted to take her.

Twenty minutes later the two of them left Gloriana's apartment in silence. She lead them to the parking garage for her apartment, finding her car was exactly where she had left it last—still in need of a wash.

"I didn't know you even had a car—every time you've shown up to work you've taken a taxi." Arden commented as he opened the door to her old mustang. She was proud of it, the one thing she had kept from her old life before college. She had spent her entire senior year of high school rebuilding the engine. It had been the biggest secret she had kept from her parents—they had thought she was taking night classes. In truth she had been 'slumming' it with the guy she'd ended up losing her virginity to, being a part time mechanic made him very talented with his hands.

Arden gazes around the interior with a smile, touching the leather with his long fingers, "This is a beautiful car. I am surprised you don't drive this around more."

She starts up the engine, it rumbles to life—vibrating through her body, "Buckle up, Mr. Fox." She smiled to herself, as she peeled out of the parking garage just for the fun of it. Arden clutched the arm bar on the door tightly, which only made Glory chuckle to herself--maybe she should offer to drive him around more. It could become a new form of torture. 

Arden arrived back at his penthouse in the late evening—it had taken him much longer then usual to accomplish all of his affairs. It probably had something to do with the fact that the object of his obsession had been sitting nearly ten feet from him, wearing a tight black skirt and a blouse that accentuated her breasts in a manner that had his eyes wandering far too often. The subtle scent of her vanilla perfume had him hard enough to cut diamonds. How any man could possibly keep his thoughts pure around her, he didn't know.

He released a heavy sigh as he walked toward his kitchen, loosening the knot on his tie. Arden opened the fridge and grabbed a beer, popping the top off on the edge of the counter. The bitterness helped to wash away the lingering taste of Gloriana that remained on his tongue. He was going to have to come up with some kind other kind of arrangement if he wanted to accomplish anything. Maybe he'd set up a separate work space for her.

A sound of knocking on his front door broke him out of his thoughts. He frowned to himself, sauntering towards the door hoping if he took long enough they would go away. The knocking continued—grating on his nerves.

Arden opened his front door, taking a swig from his beer as he did. His eyes narrowed in suspicion at the sight of Isobel standing on the other side. She gave him a weak apologetic smile as a greeting that did absolutely nothing for him. Arden moved to slam the door shut in her face, knuckles turning white as he clenched it in a tight grip.

"Wait!" She reached out her hand, "Can I come in for a minute? I just want to talk." He hesitated for a moment, "Please Arden..." He released his grip on the door, stepping to the side. Isobel granted him another smile as she passed by, gently grazing her hand against his chest as she walked into the territory that used to belong to the both of them. The floral smell of her perfume burned his nose and brought an acidic flavor to his tongue that he quickly washed away with another mouthful of beer—kicking the door shut as he followed after her.

He walked around her, giving a wide berth as he went—not wanting to give her the idea that he was pleased by her sudden appearance. Arden set himself down on his couch, spreading his legs and slinging a free arm over the back, "What did you want to talk about Isobel? I was under the impression that we had said all that needed to be said between us." He regarded her with a cold gaze that he used in his business meetings, giving away nothing to the thoughts circulating in his mind.

Arden would have to be blind to not recognize the beautiful woman that stood before him. Isobel had always been desired amongst the men in their inner circle—married or single it didn't matter. He lifted his beer to his lips in slight amusement as he found himself silently comparing her to Gloriana.

Her body was slender and long like the model of how society enjoyed women to be. It used to appeal to him but at the moment all he longed for was the healthy curves that made up Gloriana—they fit against him in a way that left him hungry for more. Isobel threaded her fingers through her long dark charcoal hair—something he had often enjoyed doing after their love making but now it seem to have lost its luster. It was Gloriana's chocolate waves and the way they spilled down her back as he had fucked her against his desk that had his blood heating to a boil.

"How have you been since the party? I know that things got a little out of hand..." She let her hands fall to her sides, clenching and unclenching them—a nervous tick he had picked up from the years he had known her.

He tilted his head a bit, looking like a disinterested king on his throne, "I've been fine—out of town on business. Did you come here for small talk?" He pushed the topic, wanting to get to the point of the matter. The sooner that happened the sooner he could be alone like he wanted.

Isobel pressed her ruby lips together, "The truth is...I miss you Arden—"

He let out an exasperated sigh as he leaned forward setting the beer down on his coffee table, before rising to his full height, "We've talked about this Isobel. We are not getting back to together. I told you..." She moved him with desperation—high heels clacking against the hardwood floors. Isobel silenced him with a deep kiss—his mind short circuiting under the surprise attack.

She devoured him, tongue dancing and tantalizing him. He found himself sinking into the familiar kiss but not feeling the same fire he once had. Isobel broke away, trailing kisses across his chin to his neck, nipping and sucking. Arden tried to get into the moment with her but it felt like he was holding onto a complete stranger—it was awkward and underwhelming.

She undid his belt, before unzipping his slacks as she lowered herself to her knees. Arden watched her through hooded eyes trying to will himself to be turned on by the beautiful woman, offering him pleasure. He threw his head back with a low moan as she took him deep into her mouth. It felt good, maybe even great but when he lowered his gaze to her he felt the desire rush from his grasp. Isobel began to do all her tricks to try and get him hard again—none of it working.

He squeezed his eyes shut in frustration—images of Gloriana being the one on her knees sucking him off began to filter through the walls in his mind. Arden hissed out a breath as he gorged himself on the fantasy of her—pleasure crawled up his spine, causing gooseflesh to rise. He wove his fingers into silky strands of hair, delicate moans vibrating against the sensitive head of his cock. He drove himself deeper—pumping his with more force, holding the back of her head, "Oh fuck! That's so good..."

His eyes snapped open as he got closer to his release—he wanted to stare into her eyes as he came in her. Only when his eyes locked with a pair of earthy-toned ones instead of the muddy brown ones that belonged to the woman he had been fantasizing about—the passion quickly flew from him. He pulled himself free from Isobel's mouth with irritation—almost completely limp. She gave him a curious look, "Is something wrong? Have you had to much to drink tonight?" She tried to supply reasons for his current ineptitude.

Arden glared at her, "The problem is not the alcohol Isobel. The problem is that my cock doesn't seem to care for you anymore—" She looked up at him in confusion as if it was the first time she had ever heard that a man didn't desire to have her mouth wrapped around him. Who was he kidding it probably was the first time. It was certainly the first time he had found himself unable to enjoy the pleasure a beautiful woman was offering him—that damned witch had put a hex on him or something.

Arden put himself away with an apathetic sigh before holding a hand out to her—a polite gesture. She took it without hesitation, allowing him to help her back to her feet, "I think it would be best if you left. It's been a long day and I'm tired." He offered her the friendly goodbye as an olive branch feeling slightly guilty over the fact that had been thinking of another woman while she had tried to pleasure him.

She stood like a statue, eyes wide—completely speechless. She had clearly believed that she could win him back by using her body and in different circumstances—had he been a different man that may have worked. Shaking his head at the absurdity of the situation, he moved forward placing his hand on the small of her back and ushering her toward the front door.

Isobel walked silently beside him, even as he opened the door no words came from her lips. He stared at her with pity, "This is the end of it Isobel—don't come back here again."

Her lips parted in further surprise, "You can't be serious Arden..."

"I've never been more serious. Also be careful if you're going to hang out with my brother...he's bad news...have a good evening Isobel." He replied dryly, closing the door in her face. He closed his eyes--ending the night with blue balls--he might have deserved that. 

Glory was looking through the applicants the next morning, laughing to herself at over some of the things these women had been willing to write on their applications. If only they knew Arden Fox the way she did, they might feel differently about wanting to be his lady love. The sound of a deep voice growling angrily at someone carried down the hall to her ears, sending adrenaline pumping through her veins—speak of the devil and he shall appear.

There was a moment of silence, followed by the clicking of dress shoes slapping against the tiled floor. The door to Arden's office swung open revealing the immaculate object of her demented fascination. His eyes surveyed his private sanctum, cataloging everything to makes sure that it was exactly how he had left it. Glory rose from his chair like royalty, moving around his desk with slow sensual steps, "Good morning Mr. Fox—I hope your trip back was a pleasant one." She held a fake smile on her lips.

His eyes raked down the length of her body as if he needed to make sure she was exactly as he had left her as well. When their gazes connected she watched his eyes blaze to life with his untapped fury. Arden reached up with his elegant fingers and loosened the knot on his tie.The movement both sexual and threatening, "Miss Novacek you wanted me here—Now I'm here. Let's discuss your employment and how it's going to work from here on out because there seems to be some confusion..."

Glory took a subtle step backwards, "I'm pretty sure that I have a clear understanding of how your employment system works..."

He gave her a predatory smile in response, "Are you sure? You had me leave an important acquisition meeting to come back here. So let's talk Miss Novacek—What seems to be the problem? What more can I do for you to make your time here more satisfying?"

She no longer felt confident in her assessment of their situation. Perhaps she had jumped to conclusions and wasn't really trying to avoid her. Now that he was standing in front of her—she regretted her decision to call him home. He moved towards her, crowding in close to her personal space—close enough that she could smell the mint on his breath, "Were you lonely without me Gloriana, hm? Didn't know what do do with yourself without me around..." He taunted with a smug smirk as he began to unbutton the buttons on his suit jacket.

Glory watched his movement with suspicion, eyes slitting, "You really expect me to believe that you weren't avoiding me? You had your phone disconnected..." She leveled him with an accusing stare. Arden slipped out of his jacket, folding it neatly, "My mother was berating me with calls...I figured it was the most efficient way to deal with her at the moment." He brushed past her as he walked over to a nearby chair. His calm movements were setting her more on edge—he was definitely going to punish her somehow.

"Come here Miss Novacek..." He spoke to her in a voice that was too calm as he pointed a finger to the space between him and his desk. She eyed the space for a moment before shaking her head, "I'm quite fine where I am now—clearly I was mistaken about several things. I apologize for that..."

He held her captive in his steady gaze, "Come. I won't ask you again..." His eyes spoke truth—he would likely strangle her for real this time if she did not do exactly as he told her to do. Glory lifted her chin defiantly as she sauntered towards him as a purposefully slow pace. His eyes narrowed slightly as he watched her every movement until she was squeezed between him and the desk.

"You thought that I was avoiding you?" He scoffed at her, "Au contraire Miss Novacek...you were constantly with me whether I was awake or asleep..." He encroached on her space, the hard wood of the desk beginning to press in against the small of her back. She stared up at him from under lashes in confusion, his heat doing delicious things to her body. Arden grabbed onto her arms, pulling her up close to him, "I couldn't get the taste of you off my tongue, no matter how hard I tired. I know now one time will never be enough for me Gloriana—with you it appears my hunger is insatiable." Her eyes widened as he twisted her around, barely giving her a chance to catch herself on his desk.

Glory's palms were pressed flat against the desk. The paper of applications stuck to her clammy hands. Arden pushed himself hard against her bottom, making her body shiver with anticipation. She was dancing with the devil in his house—a house that offered eternal pleasure and damnation.

"Consider this an lesson in your employment here...an understanding and agreement between business partners..." He whispered as his fingers played with the hem of her skirt, stroking the skin of her inner thigh. The soft of crinkling paper and soft breaths were the only things she could hear as he lifted her skirt slowly up her legs until he had it rolled up to her waist, exposing her lacy thong. He sucked in a breath, fingertips fluttering over her sensitive flesh.

Glory let out a small gasp when she felt the strike of his open palm against the firm cheek of her ass. He followed the strike by gripping onto her, "While you work with—for me...this..." He lays another slap on the other side with his opposite hand, securing her to the desk, "belongs to me and only I am allowed to handle it—do you agree to these terms?" He ground his erection into her ass causing a wetness to form between her legs. She flipped a look at him over her shoulder and he captured her with his piercing gaze—enthralling and enchanting her to give into the dark desires that had led them to this point. Glory wet her lips in hungry anticipation.

"I need to hear you say it aloud—do you agree Gloriana?" He gripped her tighter, demanding her compliance. She narrowed her eyes dangerously, lost in their combined lust, "Yes...I agree to these terms." She had sold her soul and body to the devil, something she was certain she would regret later but that was a problem for future Glory to deal with—right now she planned to enjoy this debauched tango with Arden Fox.

A hungry smirk pulled up his lips, "That was the right choice—" His hands roamed upward under the bunched up material of her skirt, finding the lacy waistband of her underwear, "This looks lovely on you but in the future—no underwear in my presence...it take to much time to remove..."

Glory rolled her eyes, even in a sexy moment he has to be an uptight control freak, "Yes and we all know how you are—wouldn't want to waste any of Mr. Fox's precious time...he..." A palm slapped against her ass cheek again—harder then before—effectively silencing her as she sucked in a breath. Her eyes narrowed into angry slits even as her pussy clenched tight with excitement. Arden held his smirk, "Be careful little mouth what you say..." He chimed, taunting her as he peeled her thong down, letting it pool at her ankles. Glory was going to return that tenfold—which made her lips curve slightly at her inner amusement of her future torments planned for him.

He lightly stroked her skin with his fingertips as her rose back up behind her. When he drove two thick fingers into her heated channel—all other thoughts slipped from her mind, eyes squeezing shut. Her groaned as he twisted and probed her—slowly he pulled out his fingers, only to push them in deeper, "You're so wet for me...so ready..." He fingers rubbed achingly slow against her walls, driving her frustration and desire higher.

"Arden—" She growled in annoyance as he continued to torment her. He chuckled softly to himself, her clearly knew what her was doing to her—the no good, rotten bastard.

The sudden absence of his fingers followed by the sound of a zipper unzipping pulled all of her attention. She pushed up a bit, tilting her face to side so she could get a better look at him over her shoulder. His eyes locked with hers as he positioned himself at her entrance, "Is this what you want Gloriana?" He questioned in a deep voice laden with desire. His rounded tip pushing inside of her ever so slightly as she wiggled her body in anticipation. Hungry for more and done with his game of torment—Glory pushed herself back, taking him by surprise as her pussy swallowed all of his cock in a quick thrust.

"Oh God—Yes!"

"Fuck!"

Glory's body spasmed around him—his entering her alone had plunged her over the edge he had been dangling her over minutes before. Arden turned into a ravenous beast as he grabbed hold of her hips and began to drive his hips into her with increasing speed and force—not giving her a moment to recollect herself before he was pushing her toward the heavens agains. They were two animals working out their angst and aggression in the form of sexual expression. Glory did everything she could to hold on as he ravaged her body—wave after wave of pleasure rushed over and through her. She was certain she was going to be torn asunder.

"Oh yeah...right there...give it to me!" She pleaded as another orgasm barreled towards her. Arden slammed into her as he slapped a hand down hard against her ass. That was the final push she needed as her pussy clamped down tight around him, moaning loudly as her pleasure set her adrift in the universe.

Arden pulled out of her quickly, releasing a groan of pure satisfaction as hot liquid littered the sensitive flesh of her bottom. Their heavy breathing became the only sounds in his office, neither of them venturing to move. After a couple of minutes Arden wiped his hand over her skin, smearing his seed as he did, "I like the way I look on you—" His deep voice rumbled with dark possession. She wanted to be disgusted by what he had said—what they had done but her pussy clenched up tight exposing her for what she was—addicted to the devil and his wicked ways. 

Glory's body was humming with excitement as she stood with her back to Arden. She knew the moment that he made his appearance, wrapped up only in her duvet that something was going to happen between them. The sight of his body alone made her ache deeply and remembering how he had pleasured himself only made it worse. She couldn't let him touch her again if she ever wanted to move on from her strange addiction to him, but she could do this. It had to be the equivalent of buying heroin only to stare at it. Sure, it was bad but it wasn't that bad.

She slipped her thumbs into the waist of her lace panties and shimmied seductively from side to side as she worked them over her hips. She bent over as she pulled them down her legs, giving him a clear view of everything. She could feel the heat of his eyes traveling over her flesh as she stepped free from the slight covering.

The wood of her coffee table felt cold against her bare skin, raising goosebumps all over her body as she situated herself on it. She made sure to hold his heated stare as she spread her legs wide, exposing her most vulnerable part. Arden held her gaze for a moment longer before his let his eyes drop down her body until they reached her sweet spot. Glory watched his tongue flick out through the small gap in his lips, wetting the seam hungrily. She rolled her hips at the thought of that tongue swiping over other parts of her—teasing and tasting.

"Watch me..." She whispered to him as she lifted her fingers to her mouth. He caught her movement through hooded eyes--she was calling to him like a siren. Glory licked them slowly, teasing him with the mental imagines she knew her actions were creating. When Glory was certain she had him where she wanted him—she lowered her hand toward her pussy. It was throbbing with need—a carnal beast that wanted to be fed with pleasure. Her hips surged upward at the first contact and she sucked in a breath as electricity surged through sensitive nerve endings.

Her fingers rubbed her nub in slow circles, winding herself up tighter—higher. She licked her lips that were quickly drying up from soft panting breaths, "You see how wet I am Arden?" She begged the question in a husky voice. She slipped her hand down and spread her nether lips apart, giving him a better view of tight channel. Her fingers were slick with the desire that had pooled there. He groaned as if he was in pain, that sound vibrated through her—stoking the flames higher.

She dipped one finger into the honey pot, feeling the hot wet walls grip her tightly on the invasion. Her mind splintered for a moment and a throaty whimper catching in her off guard. This wasn't the first time that Glory had partaken in the gift of self love but it was the first time anyone had ever watched her.

She ate up the way Arden's muscles tensed and flexed as he tried to maintain his self control, "You want to be the one touching me, don't you?" She knew she was poking the bear but it only made the moment that much more forbidden. She slipped in another finger, as she stroked herself. He cursed under his breath drawing a seductive smirk on her face, "Do you remember what It felt like to be inside me?" She bit into her bottom lip to keep back a moan.

"Gloriana..." He warned her, the sound of her name on his lips made her toes curl. Memories of his fingers buried in her as he milked her for her the best orgasm she'd ever had. Her head feel back and her hips shifted up, driving her fingers deeper. Her orgasm came over her quickly and she cried out sharply as her muscles spasmed.

The world around her was painted with stars as she slowly drifted back down to earth. Warm hands grabbing onto her thighs had her eyes snapping open. Her eyes locked with Arden's hungry eyes, words escaping her. He was on his knees before her—his hands gripping her thighs, keeping them spread apart.

It looked like she was about to receive the consequences for her impulsive nature once again, "I said..."

"Oh I know what you said—I watched...I didn't touch..." Glory swallowed hard as he lifted one leg, bringing it to rest on his shoulder, "But that moment is done and over." He yanked her up by her legs, which caused the lower half of her to be suspended--his shoulders holding all the weight. Short pants escaped her lips as the anticipation of the moment built, "Arden..."

He shoved his face between her legs, tongue diving in to taste her sweet nectar. Glory arched her back and dropped her head back, "Holy—Arden!" The stars were back and she could feel herself rising higher and higher. His tongue was definitely as wicked as it had always been but what it was doing to her now made her want to thank the big guy upstairs for sending this devil into her world. Temptation had been sweet but the sin itself was soul shattering.

His fingers pressed in deeper to her flesh, hard enough to leave bruises but she couldn't find the desire to care. As long as he never stopped she would let him do just about anything to her. Glory reached out and grabbed a fistful of his hair as she undulated against him. Icy eyes peered up at her—smug bastard.

She narrowed her eyes about ready to tell him to stop until he did something unexplainable with his tongue. She threw her head back again, "Yes! Right there—Don't stop...I hate you Arden..." His deep chuckle vibrated against her, only propelling her further into his black hole of pleasure. She cursed him—she had been a complete idiot to have not sent him away last night. There would be no going back from this—she was going to want him again...and again.

She had invited the devil into her home and let him get comfy—now he owned her pleasure. Branded by a man she couldn't stand, "Fuck me..." It was more of a muttered curse to herself but he must have took it as a plea, because he plundered her harder--faster. Glory screamed hard enough to strain the muscles in her throat. She came hard against him, body quivering as she rode wave after wave. The man was damned lethal.

*******************

Glory was lost in a conundrum of emotions and feelings. It had been two weeks since she had let Arden Fox eat from her secret garden. Two weeks since he had promptly excavated himself from her life. At first she couldn't have been happier to find out he would be out of town on business. It meant she had his whole office to herself and didn't have to deal with cutting remarks from his perfect "fuck me" lips. It also meant she could spy on him—look through the world that belonged to the devil himself—who wouldn't be curious. However she quickly found out he didn't keep much personal items or information within the four walls of his holy sanctuary. In fact all Glory had learned was that he had a strong liking for expensive malt liquors and a pack of big red gum in the top drawer of his desk.

Glory had become more certain that all this out of town business was to conveniently timed—The bastard. He was trying to avoid her. If anyone should be doing the avoiding it was her. She was the one who had diddled her do-dad in front of him for christ's sake. Mostly she was confused, a little angry and extremely sexually frustrated.

She sat in his big office chair that was probably made out of the finest leather the big idiot to afford—nothing but the best for Arden Fox. Her eyes skimmed over the applications she had spread out over his desk. Hundreds of women who were all competing with each other for a shot at being the illustrious Mrs. Arden Fox. Glory scoffed at herself out of indignation—the slimy devil deserved this—She should pick the worst ones and force him to go on dates with them. It would serve him right for trying to avoid her like she was some clingy one night stand.

She let out a heavy groan as soon as she realized she sounded like a jealous ex-girlfriend or at the very least a girl who wanted more. Sure, she wanted to sit on his handsome face and ride that wicked tongue straight to the stars but that was it. She had tried his cell phone several times but apparently the line had been disconnected. Glory rose from his chair with a bout of determination. She was going to find out the truth about Mr. Fox and his out of town business—she had played the game his way long enough. She stormed out of his office heading straight to the source—Jackie, his diligent secretary.

She rounded the corner of the hallway to find Jackie sitting behind the counter at her desk, typing away at her computer like a good little worker. She looked innocent of any involvement with Arden Fox's plan of tactful avoidance but Glory knew that the thin blonde was anything but, "How can I help you Miss Novacek?" She questioned without looking in her direction, continuing on like it was business as usual.

Glory approached the counter, "I need to discuss some private matters with Mr. Fox about some of the applicants. Did he happened to leave a private number to reach him at while he's away?" She asked with a forced smile, trying to do her best to not seem over eager—business as usual. Jackie continued on with her task, not even venturing to give Glory the decency of her attention, which irritated her beyond belief.

"I'm not allowed to give out his personal number. However, if you want to write down whatever questions or information you need from him...I would happily email it to him and I'm sure he'll answer back at his earliest convenience. He does after all value the work you've been doing here..." Her words and tone of voice were robotic and scripted. It was obvious to Glory that Arden had told her to play defense in case of something like this—that asshole thought he was so clever. Glory stepped up to the counter, placing her palms down on the chilled granite surface. The one thing Arden hadn't accounted for was her single-mindedness and the fact that she was not above fear tactic—he had taught her well.

"Here's the thing Jackie..." She made sure her voice was so sugary sweet that it threatened to give the woman a cavity, "We both know that you're not going to send him an email and if by chance you find it in the goodness of your heart to actually email him—we can probably agree that Mr. Fox is going to promptly ignore said email simply because it involves my needs. He's made it quite clear how he feels about me Jackie. I'm under no illusions. So here is what you are going to do for me..." At this point Jackie's full attention was focused on Glory. A look of fear and anger mingling in her eyes.

Glory leaned forward on the counter bringing herself into the secretaries inner sanctum, "You're going to get me Arden's personal number and you're going to do it because if you don't do it I promise you that I will make it my personal mission to make your time here hell...we both know that I'm capable of it. So what's it going to be Jackie—Arden's anger or my hell?"

She watched Jackie contemplate the options for a moment before she released a frustrated sigh. She began to shuffle through the items on her desk until she found a rolodex, quickly flipping through the cards. She ripped out the one she wanted and held it out towards Glory with a deep frown marring her face, "I'm only doing this because frankly you scare me more than Mr. Fox..." Glory snatched the paper from the terrified secretary with a wide smile over her victory, "You've been so helpful Jackie. I'll make sure to let Mr. Fox know you deserve a raise." She pushed back from the counter and sauntered back to Arden's office with a little more pep in her step.

She flipped the paper around between her fingers for a while, smiling to herself. Finally she gave into the temptation, picking up the phone from his desk and dialing the number. The phone rang about five times before she heard the voice that had been haunting her in nightmares and daydreams, "Arden Fox speaking—"

"How's the vacation been Mr. Fox? Working hard on that tan—I know how hard it can be—nobody likes tan lines..."Glory teased him with mock interest in her tone. A strong silence took over the line and her smile widened, knowing that she had properly taken him by surprise. There was the faint sound of sheets and bedding rustling and he smile slipped a bit. The image of him in bed with another woman plagued her mind against her wishes.

"Please tell me that my secretary is still alive. She is the best one I've ever had..." He grumbled to himself. Glory rolled her eyes at his statement, "I didn't touch a hair on your precious Jackie's head." Her voice came out sounding more angry and bitter then she had meant it to.

There was another beat of silence between them before Arden spoke, "What are you mad about now Miss Novacek?" He asked with a sigh of exasperation that had the switch in Glory's head flipping, "Oh I don't know Arden...there are so many things...how do I choose just one? Why don't I start with the fact that you didn't even inform me that you were going out of town on...business." She accused making it clear that she didn't believe for one-second that he was out of town or doing anything related to business.

He let out a heavy sigh, "You're my employee Miss Novacek. I do not have to inform you of anything I do not wish to inform you of."

Her face scrunched up in irritation, "Oh that's the line you're going with...Well It didn't seem like I was your employee when you had your face buried between my legs—don't remember being paid for my time during that little session...do you think that would be considered eligible for overtime?" She quipped.

Arden cleared his throat roughly, she could almost imagine him glaring at her through the phone, "That shouldn't have happened..."

"Damn right it shouldn't have but it's a little late for that talk don't you think Mr. Fox? We crossed that line and we need to figure out were we go from here. Enough with your avoidance tactic—it's not solving anything because I'm not going anywhere." She interrupted him before he could finish. Glory was already over the conversation and hearing his voice was causing weird sensations in her heart that she didn't like.

"I'm not avoiding you Gloriana—" His voice was softer.

"Bullshit you're not Mr. this number has been disconnected!" She interrupted him again before he could feed her any of his well rehearsed lines—she didn't need them.

"Watch your mouth!" Arden growled at her finally losing a bit of his composure. She rolled her eyes at him again, "Listen Mr. Fox if I don't see you here tomorrow morning bright and early...I'm heading down to the home depot and buying the brightest pink paint they have and I'm going to redecorate this office. If could definitely use a woman's touch..."

Arden was practically simmering in his anger, "I'm going to leave that ass so sore that you can't sit down for a week if you—"

"Watch your mouth Mr. Fox or I'll have you for sexual harassment. I am only your employee after all." She smiled again as she spoke to him, knowing she had gotten him good.

"Gloriana—" He warned, his aura of dominance practically blasting her through the phone.

"I'll see you bright and early tomorrow Mr. Fox—have a safe trip back."

"Don't you hang up on—" She ended the call still smiling to herself. She knew that he would be coming back for sure. There was no way he took her threat as idle at this point in their relationship. The phone began to ring again but she ignored it—let him stew in that feeling for a bit—just like he had done to her. 

As Arden moved back into the world of the conscious he could tell from the smells around him that he wasn't in his bed—it smelled too feminine, too sweet—too intoxicating. He wasn't exactly sure where he was or how he got where he was—most of the night was blur after getting to his mothers house. He opened his eyes slowly, squinting against the dull sunlight pushing through the dark curtains that covered the window on the wall across from him.

Arden felt the ache in his hands as he curled them around the sheets. He groaned softly at the effort it took him to lift his hand up. Clenching and unclenching his fingers, he examined the damage. He obviously had gotten into some kind of fight from the state of his swollen and bruised knuckles but he couldn't remember what he had been fighting about. He let his arm fall back down onto the mattress beside him.

He closed his eyes as the pounding sensation began to build in his skull. Arden hadn't been drunk enough to have a hangover in a long time, and the fact that he had one now only served as another sign to how out of control his life had gotten. He laid in the quiet of the strange room for a couple of minutes before deciding he needed to try to piece back together the events of last night, hopefully he hadn't done anything to embarrass himself.

He pushed himself up, having to catch himself with the bedside table as the world shifted and turned around him. He frowned as when he felt cold air wash over him, looking down he realized he was completely naked. His eyes slammed shut and he groaned louder—wonderful, just wonderful. He reached back and ripped the duvet free from the bed, wrapping around his waist as covering because he had no idea where his clothes were.

Arden turned his face toward the bedroom door when he heard the soft sounds of someone moving around. He had no idea who he had gone home with and the thought of having to interact with them set him on edge. He sucked in a breath before pushing himself to his full height and moving towards the door, he pulled it open like ripping off a bandaid—quick.

He heard the feminine yelp before his eyes locked on the startled vision of Glory. They both stared at each other for a silent moment, neither of them moving. Her eyes slowly drifted from his face and roamed down the length of his body. He felt himself jerk to life under her hooded look, tightening his grip on the duvet. Memories of last night began to stir through the haze.

Glory's slender fingers brushing over his heated skin as she unbuttoned his shirt—turning him on.

He cleared his throat, shaking his head slightly hoping to clear it from the images that would only cause him more problems, "My clothes?" He croaked out. Her eyes snapped back to his, cheeks slightly pink, "I had to throw them into the wash. You threw up on them..."

"Right...of course I did..." He had made a complete fool of himself. This is why he tried to avoid his family at all cost, nothing ever good happened from spending time with them. His mother would drive anyone to drink. He walked over to her couch and sat himself down, shoving his head into his hand unable to handle the pounding anymore. He closed his eyes and listened to the soft padding of her feet across the room. Cabinets opened and closed, water was turned on and off.

"Here—" She was suddenly standing before him again. He opened his eyes and lifted his face to see she was holding a glass of water in one hand and white tablets in the other. He lifted a brow but didn't want to question her kindness. Instead he took what she was offering him and was thankful for it, tossing the pills into his mouth and downing the water. They were thrown into silence and it was filled with tension. She was looking at him like she had something she wanted to say, nibbling on her bottom lip.

He pulled the glass back from his mouth, "Out with it Glory—we both know holding your tongue has never been your forte." He set the empty cup down on the coffee table. Glory snorted at his comment, "To think I expected you to be a little more grateful..." She mumbled under her breath. He looked up at her realizing he might have been a little harsher then he had meant to be. She had obviously taken care of him. He let out a heavy sigh, "You're right Miss Novacek...I apologize for my attitude. I'm just unsettled by the level of my own stupidity at the moment. I know you might have your feeling about me but this isn't a usual thing for me. I don't even remember how we got here..."

"What do you remember?" She glossed over his apology.

"I remember..."

Glory watching him as he showered—hungry eyes traveling over his body as he touched himself.

His eyes drifted toward her plump lips and his cock pulsed to life, knowing exactly where he wanted them—the same thought that had plagued him in the shower last night. He forced himself to look away from her, "I remember going to my mother's with you but most of that is a blur...a couple of hazy things..." He looked down at his hands, frowning.

"Did I happen to get into a fight?" He questioned, clenching and unclenching his hands. Glory let out a small chuckle that turned into a full blown fit of laughter. Arden turned his attention back to her, watching as she wrapped her arms around her stomach as if she was holding herself together. Her eyes glittered with merriment at his expense which had him frowning but he couldn't find the anger, not while she looked the way she did at this moment.

It took a moment but she got herself under control enough to answer him, "You got us thrown out of your own mothers party for fighting with your brother...Charles, I believe was his name."

He stared at her blankly for a moment, "Did I win at least?"

Her smile grew brighter at his question, "With a little help from yours truly—consider it a tag team effort." Arden found himself smirking at her comment. He couldn't remember what he had fought with him about but he was certain Charles had deserved it. He groaned internally as he thought about the damage control he'd have to do though. His mother was not going to let this indiscretion go easily, not only had he brought Gloriana but he had beaten on her favorite child.

"Is there anything else you might remember from last night?" Glory questioned again after a small silence developed. The tone of her voice sounded slightly huskier, as if she had just roused from a night of rough love making.

Arden felt his cock hardened at the thought, "Is there something that you want me to remember Gloriana?" He questioned back, peering up at her through hungry eyes. Her lips parted slightly and he watched the way her pulse ticked quickly in her slender neck. Her breast heaved up and down as her breathing exhilarated. He pushed himself up off the couch, making sure to keep his grip around the duvet, "Are you thinking about what you watched me do in the shower? Thinking about how you liked it..."

Her pupils dilated and she swallowed hard, "You obviously don't have a problem remembering certain things it seems..."

Arden smirked knowingly, "It hard not to recall how hungry you looked for my cock. Any man would remember something like that despite how out of his wits he may seem..."

"You're incorrigible Mr. Fox..." She frowned at him but that didn't deminish the fire in her eyes. She wanted him, he could see that as clear as day. He wanted to get her hotter for him. He wanted to burning the same way she had him burning.

Arden shrugged his shoulders, "I think you should repay the favor. In the spirit of fairness and hospitality..."

She narrowed her eyes, "In your dreams." He chuckled at her expected response--she was such a predictable person. He knew just what to say to set her off but he wasn't about to give up. He was certain losing himself in Gloriana Novacek would be the perfect remedy to his hangover, "I want to see you spread your legs for me Gloriana, right here on your table. I want to watch as you pleasure yourself. Your fingers pumping in and out of your tight little hole, getting slick with your desire..." He growled with barely contained hunger.

Glory wet her lips, staring at him for a moment. To his genuine surprise she brushed past him and slowly lowered her shorts down over her legs. His eyes drank in the sight of her ass encased in black lace. She cast a seductive look over her shoulder at him, "You can look--but you can't touch..." 

Glory laid in her bed staring up at the ceiling with Duke cozied up by her face, purring with contentment in her ear. She honestly didn't want to leave her apartment this century or at least until she could be sure Arden Fox was decaying in a crypt somewhere far away from her. However, she was certain that more she put off her new reality the more satisfaction the handsome devil would get out of torturing her—and that was the last thing she wanted to give him at the moment.

She rose from her bed with a groan, shuffling her way toward the kitchen to get her morning cup of coffee. A surprised scream tore from her throat when she found Arden sitting on her couch, playing on his phone. He lifted his face to look at her looking completely apathetic. Glory pushed her lips together in a grimace as calmed her rabbit heart, "What the hell Arden? Did you break into my apartment?"

He rose up from her couch like a lazy cat, "Do I look like a man who needs to break into your apartment? Honestly Miss Novacek...Your landlord let me in for a little compensation. Remember I'm just a man with a lot of money—and people are surprisingly easy to buy..."

Glory rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest to realize she was only in a sports bra and a pair of shorts. Her face blossomed with heat, "Excuse me for one second—" She spun quickly on her heels, stomping back into her room and slamming her door shut behind her. She opened her mouth and let out a silent scream toward the heavens. She was going to have to move, there was no other solution—move and change her name. How hard is it to get into witness protection? She wondered as she stripped down and put on actual clothes.

When she returned Arden was leaning against the bar, holding a steaming mug in one hand. Glory eyed the sight with suspicion, "I thought you said you didn't like coffee..."

"I don't—" He held the mug out towards her, "but you seem particularly fond of it." She walked towards him hesitantly, eyes narrowed as she tried to figure out what kind of game he was playing with her now. She reached out for it but he pulled it back slightly, "Let's not make this a familiar morning routine." He had obviously come to her apartment to make sure she was going to show up for work.

Glory snorted before she snatched the coffee from his hand, "If I was going to choose to have a hot guy bring me coffee every morning I think I would choose one with a better personality." She happily took a sip of the warm coffee, satisfied that he knew at least how to use the machine to make a decent cup of Joe.

Arden frowned at her, "Always the most clever person in the room aren't you?"

"I certainly like to think so Mr. Fox." She batted her eyelashes mockingly at him. He shook his head at her antics, "We have things to do and I have a car waiting for us down stairs. So hurry up—time is money." She eyed his perfect ensemble for the day, nothing on him out of place. It was hard not to look at him and think of the ken doll she used to own when she was a young girl. Glory quickly drank the rest of her coffee, placing her mug down on the table covered in overdue bills, "Shall we?"

As he had said Henry was waiting for them with black car that looked very out of place in the parking lot of her apartment, but at least is wasn't a fucking limo. Glory found herself seated next to Arden doing her best to not stare at his peripheral. No matter how much of a devil he was—he was damn attractive, someone who was meant to be admired by others.

"So what am I in for today? What arduous tasks do you have planned for me?" She asked after a couple of minutes of him messing around on his phone, unable to handle to the sexual tension within herself. He waited a moment before paying her any mind, "Well I have several meeting I have to attend to. I thought you might look over some of the applications and then this evening we have a party to attend that my mother is hosting."

If she had been drinking at the moment he had said that to her, it would have been the perfect spit take. Glory choked on a breath, "I'm sorry did you just say that I was your plus one to a dinner party that your mother was hosting? What clause was that covered in the contract I signed?"

Arden clicked his tongue off the roof of his mouth as he readjusted himself in his seat, "Consider it a way to repent for the trouble you've caused me..." She narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips, the desire to strangle him with his seat belt building in her mind every passing second.

"Is your mother anything like you?" Glory questioned. He turned his gaze back to his phone as if to show he was bored with the conversation, "I suppose we have certain similarities being that she is my mother." Her answered with a slight indifferent shrug of his shoulders. That was not a comforting thought to her in the slightest. If anything it made her more troubled, spending the evening with female version of Arden did not sit well with her stomach. In fact she was certain she would have no appetite at all for food—maybe for alcohol, very strong alcohol.

"It would probably be best if your avoided my mother all together..." He commented after a moment of silence. Glory cast a look in his direction as she crossed her arm over her chest, "Why?"

Arden leaned back into the seat, before locking his phone and shoving it into his suit pocket, "Because she thinks you're trying to purposefully keep Isobel and I from fixing our broken engagement. She's a silly woman—not unlike yourself..." He mumbled the last part but she had heard him loud and clear.

"Then why the hell would you bring me? Isn't that going to send the wrong message?" Glory questioned with barely contained rage, twisting herself in the seat so that she was facing him completely. He tilted his head in her direction with a heavy sigh, "Because she invited Isobel and I need you to keep both of them away from me. You seemed like the perfect person for the job. You're obnoxious and stubborn—plus you enjoy pissing people off...so naturally you are the perfect distraction."

She couldn't believe the idiocy of the man sitting next to her. He clearly had no survival instincts or he would not tempt her so often with the desire to murder him. Glory closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, hoping to calm herself down enough to respond to him. After a couple of deep soothing breaths she opened her eyes and focused her attention on Mr. Fox. He sat with elegantly with his face turned toward the window, watching the building blur together.

Glory reached out and smacked him hard against the back of his head, causing some of his hair to fall loose from how he had stationed it. He snapped his attention to her with a nasty glare in his eyes as he lifted a hand to rub the spot I had hit, "What the hell was that for? I've never met any woman so prone to violence..."

"That's a shocker because you seem to have a particular talent for pissing them off." She snapped back at him. He continued to glare at her silently as he tried to compose his pristine image again. She watched him struggle for a couple of moments before she smacked his hands away, "Jesus--let me do it..." She began to fix the stray hairs that rested against his forehead. Glory could feel his eyes raking over her, making the tension between them grow more intense. When it looked good enough she pulled back, meeting his stare for a moment.

This was why lucifer was gods favorite angel—he was beyond beautiful despite his wicked soul. Perhaps he had simply changed his name to Arden Fox after his fall from grace--it would explain a lot. Cursing herself mentally she turned her face away before she gave into the desire he stoked in her, "Arden I swear to God—this better be the first and last time you ever make me play interception for you."

When he responded with only silence she cast a look back in his direction to find His lips curved upward into a devilish smirk as if he had won some small victory. Glory scowled at him, "Wipe that stupid look off your face..." She grumbled as they pulled up in the front of the Morgan and Beck Tower. This was certainly going to be a long day but how did that saying go? When you're walking through hell—hurry the fuck up and get out of there or some shit like that.

**********************

The night had definitely not gone according to plan, Glory thought to herself as she rolled over in her bed the next morning. Arden Fox's sleeping face stared back at her like a beautiful phantom contrived of her own mind, except he was very real from the soft breathes passing through his parted lips. One of his muscular arms was stuffed under the pillow while the other was thrown haphazardly out towards her—reaching and almost touching.

Why had she allowed the monster into her sacred space? Perhaps it was a momentary lapse in judgement but if she was going to be honest with herself it was because she lost herself in a moment of compassion. Last night she had seen that even the devil had demons and those demons where not so different from the ones that mocked her. As much as she hated it, Arden Fox and Gloriana Novacek were tainted by the same darkness—pride was there defense against the world that had made them.

Duke was mewling at her bedroom door not understanding why she had locked him out. Glory cast one last lingering look at the sleeping Arden before slipping out of the bed doing her best not to wake him. She didn't want to deal with that particular situation just yet, not until she had at least one cup of coffee in her. She padded her way to the door on tip toes, escaping her room like a cat burglar. Glory scooped up the whining Duke before he could bolt into her room, "We really need to get you on a diet buddy. Jenny Craig for felines..." She wheezed as she carried him toward the kitchen to feed him. Memories of last night bouncing around the halls of her mind.

A very drunk Arden Fox—naked in her shower.

She repressed the thoughts as she dropped Duke onto the counter before fishing out a can of food, popping the seal and pealing back the top—to lazy to put it in a dish she let him eat his meal straight from the can.

Naked Arden Fox—pumping his cock in a tight fist.

Glory swallowed hard as the memories battled against her will to ignore them. The images of what had transpired between them had her blood heating and her body aching, which only made her more antsy and uncomfortable—the object of her desire was laying fifty feet from her asleep in her bed. She was definitely going to have to throw out her sheets, the scent of him alone would be enough to drive her to madness on lonely nights.

Arden Fox was pleasuring himself while she watched.

She liked it--She was completely mesmerized.

She groaned loudly as she threaded her fingers through her bed head. She should have called him a cab after they got back to her apartment but he had been a hot mess. He had been slightly emotional and extremely horny. At least that's what Glory had learned quickly when she had to help him strip out of his clothes and put him into a shower in hopes of sobering him up. He had put on quite the show for her—a show her mind seemed to be delighting in currently.

Letting her hands fall back to her sides she spun to her coffee maker in an irritated and sexually frustrated huff. It wasn't long before she was sitting in her special spot sipping on her liquid addiction. After last night Glory felt she could see Arden through different eyes. It didn't make him any less of a devil he had only become a more understandable devil.

"I seriously don't understand why you must treat me like your own personal barbie—is this what your fiancé had to put up with? cause her leaving you is making more sense by the second...fuck I can't breathe in this damn thing...if I eat one thing I'm going to bust a seam..." Glory complained as she walked behind Arden, adjusting and re-adjusting the cocktail dress he'd forced her to shimmy her body into. She wasn't a model thin female—she had some curves to her and at the moment she felt a little bit like a sausage link stuffed into a dress.

Arden cast a look over his shoulder at her, "You look like the perfect distraction..." His eyes raked over her, lingering on her cleavage and then on her legs a little longer then necessary.

She frowned at him, "You mean I look like your painted whore." She mumbled under her breathe as they reached the front door of what was easily a million dollar home. It wasn't as though Glory was starstruck by the glamour. She had spent her life touring the inside of these homes, attending the afternoon teas and playing the part of the blessed one percenter like all the rest. At that time she might have even tried to win the attention of someone like Arden Fox. Now she lived in self-imposed exile and couldn't be happier, but thanks to her new friend she was about to return to the lost kingdom.

The door opened to reveal an older man in penguin suit, he gave Arden a smile, "It good to see you again Mr. Fox It's been a while since you've joined us." His eyes moved to Glory, taking her in. He stepped to the side without another word and Arden held out his arm to her in mock civility. She took it as years of ingrained behaviors resurfaced, making her cringe internally. Apparently she hadn't broken herself of the offending habits as she'd thought.

They had barely entered the main room when Arden decided to pull his Houdini moment, "I'm going to get myself something to drink. Why don't you socialize? I'll be back. Oh and try not to embarrass me or yourself." He whispered into her ear, leaving her alone with the wolves. She cast a glare at his retreating form, flipping him the mental bird.

After about two hours Glory's feet were hurting and she was done faking smiles. She couldn't seem to find Arden anywhere—Why was people with money had to have such large houses with more rooms then they needed? She was pretty sure even the big guys house in the clouds didn't have this many rooms. Of course thats probably because most of humanity was heading straight to the fiery pit—though Glory couldn't even be sure she hadn't already descended into a special type of hell made specifically for her.

To her utter horror and slight amusement Glory walked into a room to find the incorruptible Isobel sucking face with someone who certainly wasn't the fiancé she was supposedly trying to patch things up with. "Oops—sorry about that...I didn't see anything...Wrong room" She mumbled as she tried to back out slowly.

The man that was with her did hold a familiar presence. The more she inspected him the more she had the sinking suspicion that this might be a more fucked up situation then she had originally thought. Isobel was looking at Glory with an equally horrified expression, "Oh my god—Your Arden's assistant aren't you? I remember you from the other day...I can explain..." She began to fumble over her words as she put a distance between her and Mr. suck face who was eyeing Glory with a smug smirk.

She was one hundred percent certain now that he was a relation of Arden, and a complete horn dog. If the situation couldn't have become more hellish Arden Fox decided to make an appearance as if her speaking his name aloud had summoned the devil. "I've been looking everywhere for you Gloriana—" He stumbled over his words, not even noticing they had company in the room.

Glory turned toward him with surprise, "Are you drunk?" His eyes were glassy and a seductive grin broke over his lips. Her body lit up like the forth of july at the sight of it—oh brother! Fortunately for her but unfortunately for everyone else he realized they were not alone in the room. There was a moment of unbearable silence in which Glory knew that Arden went from randy bull to raging bull.

"Arden I can explain—" Isobel began lifting her hands up in surrender.

"What the fuck are you doing here Charles?" He completely ignored Isobel. His focus was on Mr. Suck face—A.K.A Charles. Normally Glory was all for live drama but she had a horrible feeling this wasn't going to end well for anyone.

Charles held his smirk, "Its good to see you too baby brother..." Arden looked between his ex-fiance and his brother for a moment as if finally putting two and two together. That was all he needed before he charged across the room and began swinging like he was Cassius Clay, "You fucking bastard!"

They crashed into things, tipping over a chair and sending a glass figurine shattering across the floor. Isobel was watching with her stupid horrified expression like a princess in a tower, as two ogres fought over her. Glory rolled her eyes, deciding she was over pretending. She charged toward the two brawling males, jumping onto Charles back and locking her arms around his neck. He stumbled back into the wall with the added weight, smashing her into it.

"What the bloody hell is going on in here?" A voice boomed through the room, bringing everything to a stand still. Glory looked over Charles shoulder to see a stern looking woman who she immediately knew was Arden's mother. Her piercing gaze roamed over the group of offenders before landing on Glory. She could see the anger intensify and she flashed smile at the woman, "You've got a beautiful home Mrs. Fox."

Yeah, last night had not gone according to plan at all, She thought as she glanced toward her bedroom door envisioning the man in her bed.