Running away from Mr. Blackwood is all I did lately. I was aware that it humored him, that he enjoyed watching me struggle mentally. He was so full of himself, so smug looking all the damn time. I wouldn't lie to myself and say that he was wrong. Deep down I did wonder about him sexually, but I'd never admit that to the man himself. I was pretty sure the world would end the minute I told him what he wanted to hear.

His scent lingered around me.

It drove me insane still being able to smell his fresh cologne. It made me glance over my shoulder and wonder about the man. He was so sure I'd run back to him. He knew about Lucas yet he was still so sure about me.

Did he think he figured me out as well?

That man was a financial genius but he wasn't a mind reader. I doubted he also figured me out by meeting me once or twice. Unlike me, he didn't have the advantage of accessing my personal life. This man knew nothing. He was just really good at intimidating people, getting inside their heads to get them to do his bidding. He was good at that. I kept walking, my feet hurt with the distance I traveled on my heels. I didn't want to bother Nick, I had no girlfriends to call or run to have the famous boy talk. All I could do was walk around town. That stupid man didn't even let me finish my coffee. I needed the caffeine to comfort me. Tea wouldn't do right now. I found a little place at the corner of the street, it was quite busy. I wouldn't be having an awkward conversation with devilish men so it didn't matter. I could drown out the voices and focus on getting much-needed caffeine in my body. When I placed my order the barista looked at me with kind eyes. She knew I wasn't having my day. She probably served tons of people who looked like their life got drained out of them. She drew a smiley face on my paper cup and handed it to me with the brightest smile I had ever seen. I couldn't help but leave a tip. I sat down in the back of the room, a small table for two which was a bit away from the people working behind their laptops.

The first sip felt like I drank a piece of heaven. It seriously helped calm me down. The caffeine kick is just what I needed right now.

"Hello."

The hesitant greeting tore me away from my cloud in heaven.

I flickered my eyes up, the tension leaving my shoulders when I saw a familiar voice. I greeted him with a small smile.

"Hello, Owen?"

A massive grin similar to the bright smile the barista had shown me spread across his face.

"That's right and you are Lucas' girl."

A soft giggle left my lips, "Well, I prefer to be called Nina."

He took a seat in the chair across me, looking quite at ease around me. He placed a tall paper cup before him on the table and leaned back in his chair. He didn't mind getting comfortable around me. He acted as if we had known each other for years. The air around him felt similar to Lucas' and that's what I needed right now. I was horrible, at this point, I more or less used my boyfriend to help me settle down emotionally whenever I faced Mr. Blackwood. He deserved better, yet I didn't want to let him go, knowing he could offer me a white picket fence life.

He could offer me what Mr. Blackwood never could.

"Never would have thought running into you like this, Nina."

He made it a point to say my name. He looked more rugged than Lucas, he more or less looked like the type of person who just didn't give a fuck about anything. He lived his life the way he wanted and he wouldn't let others pull him down. But the dark look around him also made him appear like the type of guy who punched people at bars when things got out of hand. Maybe he was a bit of both.

"I did walk quite a bit to get here," I stated casually.

"True." He sipped his coffee.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that he knew where I lived. It was obvious that Lucas had shared a few things about me with his friend and he was allowed to do that. I shared quite a bit with my brother. Nick was more or less my BFF at this point.

"Before you start assuming I'm a creepy stalker, let me make clear that Lucas and I are not only old friends we also are roommates." He rolled his eyes, "Ad we work for the same private limousine company. We are attached to the hip so dating him also means getting to see this face quite a bit." He gestured to his face which had a smirk spread across it.

"Guess we have to share a coffee and have some small talk then."

His smirk turned to a grin again, "Lucas didn't mention how charming you are."

My cheeks heated up at the casual compliment thrown out there. He didn't mean anything by it, he was acting like he hadn't said anything at all.

"So it's your day off today?"

"Yes." He gestured to the barista, "My sister had a shift today so she asked me to come get a coffee."

That's why their smiles looked quite similar.

"Your sister is a lovely person."

"What about me?"

I pursed my lips as I really thought about it. He seemed nice. He paid his sister a visit when he had a day off and casually hanged around her workplace, giving her space to work her shift. He was close to Lucas, making it obvious he knew I was dating Lucas and that he wouldn't cross that line. He was also the type of guy who I preferred romantically. Confident yet not a dick, unlike a certain man I knew who was the devil in disguise.

"You are a nice guy who has great taste in series and movies." We shared a smile, "Or I could be saying that because we have similar taste in series and movies."

"Good." He nodded, "That means we don't have to argue about what to watch when you come over."

It hit me then that it was normal for me to come over to their place now that I was dating Lucas. Everything he said about me and my relationship with Lucas was so casual. Like we had been dating for years. I loved that about him.

"I'm grabbing a tea." He stated, "You want another one?" He asked, pointing at my cup.

I glanced down at it, "No, thank you."

He got up, taking his empty cup with him. Nick had been right all along, things would become messy if I gave into Mr. Blackwood. I wanted this in my life. Things being easy filled with positivity. I couldn't work for Mr. Blackwood anymore. It was cowardly of me but I grabbed my phone and emailed him that I would no longer take his assignments. I couldn't say it to his face because I knew if I met him in person things would get messy and complicated.

I settled on my living room couch after doing the dishes. It was a great feeling moisturizing my hands with cherry blossom scented hand cream while watching one of my all-time favorite series. I pulled my feet up, the lighting in the room dim and warm. I lighted up peppermint scented candles to illuminate the room. It was cozy up in here if I say so myself. I leaned back and enjoyed the series which took place right in this city. Teens living the rich and famous life. My life was never that exciting and honestly, I was glad it wasn't. I would never be able to deal with the drama. Things between Lucifer and me weren't that catastrophic yet I couldn't handle it. I reached for my cup of tea and sipped the peach flavored white tea. My phone rang which nearly made me spit up my tea. I grabbed the device and answered it immediately.

"Lucas." I greeted.

"Nina." I could hear the smile in his voice, "I just dropped the car off at the garage, would you mind if I came over?"

I sat up, "Did you have dinner?"

"No, I'm about to grab something-"

"Don't." I told him quickly, "I made mushroom with chicken casserole. You could eat here."

"You really don't mind?"

I giggled, "I really don't mind. I'll heat it up for you."

"Okay, I'm taking a cab to your place. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

"See you soon."

I ended the call and got to my feet, heading to the kitchen to warm up his dinner. While I put his plate in the oven on low heat I grabbed the veggies I needed to make a fresh salad. Cutting them up while humming a song which was stuck in my head due to the series I was watching my phone beeped again. I washed my hands, dried them on with a paper towel and strolled to the living room to grab my phone. I sipped my tea and opened the message I received.

Miss Merigold,

It's a shame things have to end like this.

I did enjoy your services, thank you for your hard work.You can drop off the key to my penthouse at the front desk.

Though our partnership is coming to an end I have no doubt we'll be meeting again in the near future.

If you change your mind about all of this don't hesitate to contact me.

Have a nice evening.

Jacob.

Reading his email nearly made me cry. Nothing about this email would indicate that the man was mischievous, a confident jerk. I forgot about the key which he entrusted me with. I would drop it off at his office. Though it was tempting to email the man and tell him I changed my mind I knew it was better this way. He seemed confident about us meeting again and maybe he was right. Dad called the guy Jacob. Jacob who moved around in the same circles as us. He ended his email with his first name. When we interacted before he always ended his emails with Mr. Blackwood. It was different, indicating that we were close.

Maybe we were.

Things did become quite intense between us so it was odd that we kept up the formal form of speech. I slipped my phone into the wide pocket of my sweats and focused on finishing up the salad for Lucas. Right now I couldn't let Jacob consume my thoughts. I'd worry about his penthouse key tomorrow.