The adrenalin rush they got from sparring made them impulsive. Baz and Clara kissed each other roughly like they were still dueling. He picked her up to carry her to his bed, but when she wrapped her legs around him, he almost lost reason. He wanted to take her right there on the floor, almost forgetting where they were. The need to possess her right now was consuming him. And as he came up for air, he remembered they were in his office.
‘This is what you do to me. You drive me insane all the time, and I can’t get enough of you,’ he helped get herself back on her feet. His hand was on her bare breast and her shirt unbuttoned to her navel. How that happened in such a short time baffled both of them. So he buttoned her shirt up to bring back the semblance of normalcy.
‘We should do this somewhere private, where I can take all of this off, and not worry if
Clara stirred when Sebastian came to hug her and pull her closer. ‘Is dinner ready? I took a nap… so tired,’ she yawned. ‘Not yet, I came to snuggle with you. You looked better than dinner,’ he said while kissing the top of her head. It was hard to keep her eyes open. ‘Don’t skip dinner because of me. I know you’re hungry,’ she said before closing her eyes once more. When they talked earlier, she had mentioned that she did not get enough sleep the night before. She had nightmares because of stressing out about the installation and their relationship. Then, when she wanted to take a nap earlier, he cornered her in his sleeping alcove. To avoid being discovered in his office making out, she opted to join her team and help them out instead, so they could finish the job earlier. And now she felt so exhausted, s
Sebastian’s driver dropped Clara at the hotel around 7 am. She wouldn’t let him drive her just in case someone was watching. The driver dropped her off at the back entrance to prevent people from seeing her at the breakfast bar. She still needed to get ready for work and meet her staff for breakfast. People can speculate about their relationship all they want, but if they could avoid any drama, she wanted to avoid it as much as possible. She was in an excellent mood, so she helped wake up her brothers from their slumber by jumping on their beds and tickling them before she went back to her hotel room. The meeting this morning looked rough. It seems like the staff had too much fun at dinner last night. ‘Okay, I leave you guys for one night, and you went all out and partied from the looks of your bloodshot eyes today. Please don’t let this affect our schedule.
Clara blushed, but as the elevator door opened, they had to separate and pretend they were not there together. But with the number of people riding the lift, Clara got backed into the corner, and he took that opportunity to hold her hand. He laced their fingers together and hid their hands behind him. There was a need deep inside him to constantly touch her, kiss her, or just be with her. For the first time in his life, he wanted to defy all conventions and follow her around like a lost puppy all day so he could protect her. After that incident in New York, he felt uneasy whenever she was out of reach. When they got to his office, she told him what had transpired with her father. Clara told Sebastian how guilty she felt and how she did not know how to approach the problem of revealing her identity to her family. Apprehension filled her whole being because it scared her to think they would reject her and c
Celine hurried her steps, and when she passed the post covering the person talking to her dad, it surprised her to learn that she knew this person. Clara? Max’s sister was making her father laugh. How? ‘Hi, dad!’ she said, ‘It’s nice to hear you laughing again.’ ‘Oh my, Celine, come and meet my friend. Her name’s Clara. She’s the funniest person I’ve met,’ He said, wiping the tears from his eyes and reaching out to kiss his daughter. ‘Clara, this is my daughter, Celine, the one I was telling you about.’ Envy squeezed at Clara’s heart. She wanted that, too. To have her family hug and kiss her. ‘It won’t be long.’ ‘Hey Celine, I m
Lunch had been an enjoyable event. That morning, Clara received a few calls from Lana about the New York bid. Rowan was still insistent on having SST install their security system in his office. But she had to talk to her brothers about it. After that, another company wanted to schedule a demonstration, so she set that up too. Having her appointment, one after another, all in the morning, freed the rest of her day. So she could have lunch with her father and then spend more time with Baz after. She was looking forward to dinner so she could spend time with her team, find out what they’ve been up to, and then head over to Baz’s house. She hadn’t seen her brothers in a while, so she headed to their makeshift office. Jeremy had been busy since yesterday, connecting all the hardware with the software. Making sure that both systems were in sync. If there was
Wednesday When Clara opened her eyes, the sun had already risen, ‘Oh no,’ she thought, ‘Baz must have thought I bailed out on him. I didn’t even send him a message before I took a nap. I’m such a horrible girlfriend.’ She was scrambling to find her phone when she realized somebody had pinned her down. Who was lying beside her? One of her brothers, probably sleeping like they own the bed all the time, pushed her to the side. ‘Ugh! Time to chuck you over, buddy,’ she thought, planning to push the person beside her to the floor, ‘Hehehe... You won’t know what hit you,’ she thought as she started on her plan. But then she recognized her boyfriend’s nicely toned arms and his scent, her nose picked up the body wash he used in the shower, and she smiled instead, snuggling cl
‘Sebastian!’ ‘Ms. Johnson!’ ‘Sebastian!’ ‘He’s on an important call!’ I need to talk to you right now. ‘I told her you can’t... she barged right in,’ Clara and Lexi shouted over each other as they walked into his office. ‘Let me call you back,’ Sebastian says to the person on the phone when he sees Clara coming to see him. He had a big smile on his face. ‘Here’s my love,’ he thought. ‘It’s okay, Lexi. I’ll take care of Clara.’ Lexi grumbled on his way out. ‘You look furious right now. What happened?’ He asked as he stood up. ‘How many sleazebags do you employ in your office? Was the one harassing me not enough? Do you have one in every department I should know about?’ she ask
Clara loved Max, but the way he has been handling his affairs with women lately did not go well with her. He was the “sleep with them and forget ‘em type.” Most of them knew what they were getting into, but the women always hoped he would develop enough feelings to turn him into the man of their dreams. Max and Clara fought about this issue before, and Clara eventually caved and let him lead his own life, still hoping that when he met the love of his life, he’d settle down and change. Not knowing where they went, all she could do was wait for him. It was only 2 pm, and she had 3 hours to figure a way to talk to him so they can talk about this amicably. So maybe it was right for them not to talk right now because she would probably just scream at him, and everything might explode in their face. ‘We hav
-=- Downstairs, the hotel staff had cleared the entire outdoor area to accommodate the most important event happening today. They place an arch covered in vines and calla lilies on the outer edge, overlooking the beach and the sea. Sebastian tried to do everything not to let the cat out of the bag. This event was going to be a surprise. And even though deep in his heart he knew her answer, that she wanted to marry him, he still couldn’t help but feel apprehensive about her reaction. Clara was not a simple person. She was very complex in her reactions and outbursts. He prayed to all the gods in heaven to help them today. There was no denying that as soon as Clara steps in front of the doors that led to the patio, she would know what he had planned for her because waiting at the door was her father, Nathan Jacobs.
Max, Jeremy, and apparently her sister, Celine, were inside waiting for them, waving their hands and screaming simultaneously. Sebastian walked them back into the hallway to keep her state of undress from prying eyes. The couple laughed at their predicament as she unwrapped her legs around him. Clara gave him one last lingering kiss, and when they were ready, headed back into the room. ‘Why are you guys inside our suite? Who let you in?’ ‘We got in last night, and you said you wanted to rehearse and set up the equipment before the presentation, so here we are,’ Max said with jazz hands waving in the air. She just rolled her eyes. ‘You guys are too early. I still need a nap. Can you leave?’ she plopped down on the sofa and snuggled with a pillow. The
I was sitting in my living room writing up Max’s story when this alternate ending came to me and got me excited. The following chapters were going to be part of his book, but I decided you need to be rewarded for reading all the way to the end of Clara’s story. I hope you enjoy this alternate ending. -=- ‘Clara! The plane is leaving in two hours, and there is a major accident in the 405. If we do not make it in time, you will not make your appointment.’ Sebastian yells as he walks to their bedroom. Their meeting at 2 pm is irrevocable, and nothing should impede them from keeping it. This will be the most important appointment of their lives. Clara rolls her eyes. ‘We have two hours, relax. Even in this traffic, we have enough time to make it. Your driver knows all the shortcuts. Plus, Jeremy and
Ariana was found tied up and gagged in one of the hotel’s janitor closets, one that was not normally checked until the morning. Because she was resilient and determined to alert anybody to Clara’s disappearance, she made enough ruckus for one of the hotel guests to notice and call for help. Clara felt relieved to have found her the next day. Thankfully, she had been released from the hospital with a few scratches and bandages on her head and arm. The bad guys banged her head enough to give her a concussion, so she had to be kept overnight for observation. She twisted her arm from trying to get out of the restraints, and when she continued to throw her body against the door to attract someone’s attention. Ariana was very resilient, and Clara liked that she fought until the end. Now that the threat to Celine and Clara’s life had been eliminated, with the bad gu
-=- This chapter is R18. If you are not over 18, please skip this chapter and proceed to Chapter 124. -=- Clara laughs. Sebastian knew this was a serious situation, but after being rejected earlier, he trod lightly and opted for the easygoing route. ‘I love you, Baz. Thank you for being patient with me.’ Clara looked at him lovingly and caressed his face, kissing his lips lightly as she closed her eyes. The fire was back in her eyes. He hated being the one that took it away from her by making her worry and question everything they were to each other. But now, he would make sure that he would do everything in his power, never to extinguish that again. He would do everything to make her happy.
Boss runs away as Nathan and Clara bend down to tend to Nicholas. But the cops had already surrounded the house by then, and they apprehended him as he tried to run away, just like the other goon that tried to escape earlier. Sebastian, on the other hand, fought off Spike, disarming the gun from him when Boss fired the shot. Spike had no fighting chance, and he knew as soon as Sebastian got his weapon, he was going to jail. With the criminals arrested and Clara’s uncle carted away to the hospital, they were all finally able to settle down and take a seat. Everybody was pretty shaken up, and the women sniffled from time to time as they recounted what happened. They huddled with each other, Emilia Jacobs holding onto her daughters to seek comfort and assurance that the nightmare was over. Sebastian took
The house was eerily quiet when they got home. ‘Mom! Dad! I’m home!’ Clara called out as she came in through the door. That should have been an indication that something was wrong because they had left the front door unlocked. When none of the regular security was present around the property, she just assumed they blended in with the background. But her excitement at getting away from her abductors got the better of her. She did not apply the regular protocols for security. Her mom, dad, and sister sat on the sofa in a neat line, with their hands behind her back, their mouths covered with tape. The gun she felt pointed at the side of her head made everything click into place. The kidnappers had a backup plan, and they were waiting at her parent’s home. They took the whole family hostage as a las
Spike proceeded to tape Clara’s mouth but didn’t expect her to be awake. She bit down hard on his hand, inflicting so much pain that he slapped her across the face, dislodging her blindfold enough so she could see through the bottom. Clara kicks Spike between his thighs, rendering him immobile for a few minutes. Enough time for Clara to bring the hands tied behind her back under her knees. She had to bring them in front of her, making it easier to get out of the zip ties that bound them together. Clara falls flat on her face even before she can get anywhere. Spike had come out of the sensation of having his balls kicked enough to slide his feet and trip her. He holds a knife to her neck, pinning her to the floor. She had no choice but to surrender. She fights him again when he pulls Clara up to tie her agai
Nicholas Jacobs had been watching Clara and Celine as closely as everyone else ever since the kidnappers came back and threatened to take them again. When he saw Clara sneak out into the restroom with nobody following her, he decided to take it upon himself to do it. Clara did not trust him after what he did, but he did not care. It was better to be safe than sorry. Clara could yell at him if that's what she wanted. He deserves it, after all. He pretended to make a phone call, hiding near the men’s restroom doors. When he saw two uniformed hotel staff come out of the women’s restroom with a hotel trolley, the kind used to carry all the sheets and linens from rooms that have been emptied and he grew suspicious. These men didn’t look like the regular hotel staff. They looked more buff and were suspiciously gruff-looking, covered with all those tattoos. So when they left, he checked inside the restroom, and