Chapter 04

After dropping Addy off at home, Finn felt absolutely lost that evening as he returned to the parking garage of his apartment. He pulled into his spot and left the engine idle, his forehead resting on the steering wheel. He had taken it too far and especially since he had told her that their relationship needed to remain platonic. Damn, did he screw that one up today. He needed things to get back to normal and needed to straighten out his feelings and fast! Finn had tests to study for and this speed bump he'd hit with Addy was just enough to make him go crazy. If he was completely honest with himself, he'd admit that he'd never been so attractive to a woman as he was to Addy and that he had no idea what to do with this fact, seeing as they were in a position that nothing should happen between them. They had already crossed that line twice now. It was also quite obvious that the way he had handled things earlier was not of their best intentions. He had been treating her rather cold that he figured she hated him by now. Great. He would love to call his older brother Derek right about now, for he always knew the answers to his problems.

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Addy had returned home that evening, dropping her briefcase down and removing her shoes before proceeding to the kitchen. Fuck him! He had been on her mind so much that she was feeling overwhelmed. Damn him. If Finn thought he was pulling this again, he was sorely mistaken. Seriously, just who the hell did he think he was? Playing with my emotions like that. Not. Happening. Yet, when she looked past her angered emotions about him and how he had been treating her, it was hard for her to admit how attractive she was to him. With such mixed emotions, she couldn't think straight. What was this, some sort of sick masochistic shit she was going through? Ugh.

"Ah, Addy!" Her father Bernard first spoke as he walked into the room. "How was work today?"

Without comprehending her surroundings, she immediately went to the fridge. "Fine!" She had replied quickly, not fully seeing that he was sitting at the table with two other people.

"May I speak with you for a moment?"

She rolled her eyes before turning around and meeting with him and the two others. "Oh, hello."

Two individuals, a man, and a woman sat with her father at the dining table before all three stood up to formally introduce themselves. "Addy, you remember Scott and Natalie Devlin. They are close friends and investors of mine. In fact, I believe you are familiar with their son."

"O-Oh, yes. David!" He was the one who had left her house with her that morning, the man Finn had seen and spoken as her boyfriend. "Nice to meet you two."

"A pleasure, I'm sure." The woman replied. "Thank you for allowing David to drop off the documents for your father early this morning. You are a lifesaver."

With a smile, she nodded. "Of course, no problem. It was nice seeing him again. David and I have known each other since we were kids, after all."

"Oh, wouldn't it just be most adorable if you two ended up together and getting married one day!? Our two firms joining as one. David has always spoken fondly of you." Natalie began to chatter on.

Well, there's an idea. Wouldn't that just please Bernard; more money. "Y-Yes… well, you never know!" Addy just wanted to sound polite and get out of that death trap of a conversation after excusing herself from the room so that the adults could get down to business with their meeting. After showering, she returned to her room and prepared for bed. It had been a very, very long day for her. Quite frankly, she was absolutely done with thinking about everything as well.

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Finn was flat out pissed at himself, at the situation, and the fact that he told her for their relationship was to remain professional only for him to give in. The following morning, he had left his apartment early to meet with his brother. He had two older brothers, Derek and Wes. Both served in the military for many years and were very specialized and assertive in their work.

As they met for breakfast at a little café in Manhattan that morning, Finn joined him in their booth looking rather uncomfortable.

"So, what's up, little bro? Looking a little anxious there. Never seen you so tense over a girl before." Derek began before taking a sip of his coffee, a wide grin on his face. Derek was a former Army Delta Force soldier who'd received an honorable discharge after being injured. Since then, he had been working with their father with his APS business with various jobs and protection services. There had been some pretty tense moments over the years when he was deployed and the family not knowing where he was or if he was okay. The whole family had given a collective sigh of relief when he'd returned home safely.

"Hey, Derek. How's everything going?"

"Good, can't complain. Well, I could, but I won't." He chuckled, joking. "How are you? Seem pretty wound up these days. School going good?"

"School is going fine. It's tough as shit but I'm hanging in there. It's my recent client that I'm having trouble with." Might as well get it all out in the open. No turning back now. "We, uh, kissed last week, then I took her out to dinner to explain that we had to keep things professional, then we barely spoke all week, then yesterday morning she was with another guy walking out of her house together, probably her boyfriend, and I just got so mad then when I dropped her off after work we got into an argument and I kissed her." That was one long breath to explain everything at once. "Now I'm pretty sure she hates me. But I just can't seem to get her off my mind now. And I'm certain that if dad or her dad finds out then I am in complete shit trouble."

"Damn, slow down, Finn." His brother smiled. It must have been a big deal for him if he had gone as far as to get involved with a client. It was very serious business. "So, what led to all this?"

"I don't know. I mean… I've watched over her part-time a few years ago but back then she was young and naive. Now, though… she's grown up. We had a moment when we first met again, stared down at each other in the club, then kissed when I brought her home. It kind of just happened, you know? Then I took her out to talk to her that we had to be professional and platonic about our arrangement and she continued to flirt with me and even suggested to "keep anything between us" a secret. I was tempted. Then yesterday she walked out of her house with this guy and was acting so damn smug and full of herself. I got so mad… well, jealous, really. I couldn't keep my damn mouth shut but when she bickered back at me, I couldn't help but kiss her." He let out another big breath.

"Yeah, damn, that sucks. What's she like?"

Finn sighed heavily. "She's great. Such a smartass but also very intelligent and diligent. Quick-witted. Gorgeous. Shit, I don't know. I mean, I thought she was worth it until I saw her with fuckboy yesterday morning. Why would she hit on me if she has a boyfriend?"

"It's a tough call and situation, bro." Derek knew this was a big deal because Finn hadn't talked to him about a girl since he'd been with his last girlfriend, Robin. They'd dated for two years, and even after he had given her his heart, she had ended it by needing 'space' which did end up with her in the arms of another man. Since Robin, he hadn't exactly put himself back out there on the market. He could tell that after that experience, he wasn't ready for any long-term committed relationship of any kind. So, the fact that he was gushing over this current client of his, was big. "So… do you know who the guy that she was with? Her boyfriend, as you say it was?"

"Well, the way she was clinging to the asshat, I just assumed it was. I guess I could have misread the situation." Now feeling more of an asshole, he sighed. "I don't know what to do. I need the job but also never felt like this before about another."

"Well, your damn right that pops will have you fired so fast, you'll have your ass on the streets tomorrow. APS has a very strict non-fraternization policy with our clients. You need to make the choice to continue the contract strictly platonic or have yourself removed from it so you can have the girl. Tough call, little bro."

It was the most obvious advice but Finn always felt better when hearing it from Derek, who he had always looked up to. He was right. He was going to have to choose between the job or the girl. Suddenly, he smiled, starring over at his brother. "Hey, you and Wes want to go out tonight? Grab some drinks at Kelly's Sports Bar?"

"Now that's my kind of place." Derek grinned. "I'll call Was up and we can meet up there around 7."

Technically speaking, he was crashing on her plans and venue by going there after overhearing her conversation yesterday in the car. However, the way it saw it was that he was going out to spend some time and fun with his brothers casually at a sports bar, which "so happened" to be the same one Addy and her friends were attending. Like, really? What could go wrong with the plan?

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Typical girls on a Saturday evening, making sure they were going to look their best on a night out with friends. Addy had told the girls that she would have Simon swing by and pick them both up on her way. Finally finished with hair, makeup, and a casual outfit of Hudson jeans, strapless bustier top with a jade-colored, sheer, off-the-shoulder top over it, and black Jimmy Choo pumps, she was more than excited to have a night out with the girls and her special guest for them.

Finn and Nate had arrived at Kelly's Sports Bar first and, as tradition, each guy would order a round to start the evening. Derek and Wes weren't much of a wait to join them just after 7:00 pm that evening and joined the two at their table. Wes ordered his usual shorts of bourbon, which the men drank down fast, slamming their glasses on the table. Nate ordered tequila shots next. Finn enjoyed his whisky, and Derek followed with a beer chaser. Needless to say, they all felt quite decent after that, which was exactly what Finn needed. He was not one to go out with the guys often, knowing a potential hangover in the morning was always never worth it. He maintained his drinking casually and did not overdo it.

Derek ad Wes were both flirty lady-killers; both fit, muscular, sharply dressed, and just overall handsome; it was hard for women not to be attracted to them.

He really missed nights like this, hanging out with good company, fun, stress-free, and just enjoying himself. For that first hour, he had almost forgotten the main reason why he had chosen that particular sports bar.

"So, what is next, boys? The night is still young!" Wes asked, looking over at Derek. "You buying next?"

"Fuck you, bro." He replied with a sneer. "I already got two rounds. I'll wrestle you for the next!"

Wes slammed his elbow on the table. "You're on!" They clasped their hands together, squeezing hard for intimidation, smirking at one another before pressing their arms into the other. Derek used as much force as possible on the first chance, not even bending Wes' arm back an inch. It only took mere seconds for defeat and Derek was now responsible for the next round of shots. The four of them had a good laugh at their new profound way of deciding their next rounds. Finn laughed, and honestly, he couldn't really remember the last time he had last laughed so hard. Derek ordered a round of Jack Daniels next, the four of them laughing and talking about their jobs, sports, and of course women.

From their laughter, Finn must have looked up at the perfect time because looking over at the entrance, there was Addy with a group of others walking in. She was accompanied by two other girls, who must have been her friends Katie and Leslie, and with them… another. Oh great. It was Fuckboy. David. The guy she was clinging to yesterday morning in front of him. He starred them down as they walked over to their table across the room from him and got comfortable, ordering their first round of drinks as the asswipe sat right in the middle of the women. What a tool.

They wasted no time to begin their night as Addy's friends immediately began to pester her about current events. "So, Addy. How are things going with Mr. hot boyfriend bodyguard? Too bad he isn't here with you tonight for us to gush over!" Leslie teased, chuckling.

"First of all, Finn is not in any way my boyfriend." She defended herself, "and second of all, I haven't had a boyfriend since I broke up with Bradly in senior year, so soooooory I've forgotten how it is."

"Oh yeah, Bradly! He was damn hot!" David said, shaking his head at her. "Too bad that didn't work out for you two."

"Too bad? I don't think so. I found out he had a girlfriend on the side. He literally stole my credit card, ranked up $4000 in debt with it with shopping and gambling! So yeah, he might have been hot, but a complete asshole!" Addy huffed.

"Forget that!" Leslie smiled while holding up a shot. "This is girls' night!"

Back at the men's table, the guys were enjoying chasing down their shots while Finn watched maintaining his consumption by just drinking a beer casually.

"Wow! Check out the legs on that gal!" Wes mentioned to the others, whistling low.

"Seriously, bro? If you want to go talk to her, then go!" Derek replied, noticing the blonde who was sitting at the bar rather than in a booth with others. "Think she will give you the time of day?"

"Hey." He grinned. "All I gotta do is turn on the Was charm and she'll be all over me before you know it!"

Finn shook his head with a chuckle. Wes was probably right; he was always too good when it came to talking and flirting with women. Damn, why couldn't it have been that easy for him? Deep down, he wasn't the type to just hook up with someone and then just ditch them the next day. Truth be told, he had always been interested in the idea of finding someone he could spend his life with. The unfortunate reality of that in New York City was slim to none.

When it came time to order another pitcher of beer, Finn glanced over at Addy's table to see her get up from her seat and walk over towards the bar. This was the perfect opportunity to strike up a conversation to get this night going. He sat up from their table and walked over nonchalantly as unnoticeable as possible.

"Hey, can I get two long island iced teas and a rum and coke, please?" Addy ordered without noticing another walking up beside her.

"Those are some boozy drinks, princess." He responded to her conversation with the bartender, which pulled her attention and look over towards him. As their eyes met, he could see the intensity and stun in them. In response, he grinned. "After all, you don't want to wake up with a hangover in the morning."

What. The. Actual. Fuck! Was this really happening!? Finn was the last person she would expect to see that evening and now felt so befuddled. "No… fucking… way… how and why are you here!?"

"What?" He smiled. "Am I not allowed to enjoy my downtime out with my friends and brothers?"

She then raised her eyebrow. "Just a one in a million coincidence that you so happen to be at the same bar as me." Damn, she looked so sexy, her hair down around her shoulders as she collected her drink order from the bartender. When he didn't respond, she gave him a simple carefree smile. "Well, enjoy your night, MR. ADAMS." With that, she turned away and headed back to her table while Finn grabbed his pitcher and returned to his table. Damn, not a great start at all. He wanted to grab her attention and in a secluded way, just the two of them. After their first encounter, it didn't take her much time before she left the table, this time to the restroom.

Since she had to walk across the room towards him, their eyes met again, and felt their bodies physically flinching at one another's notice. Finn sneered at her initial reaction seeing him before looking away and continuing on down the hall. Are you freakin' kidding me? Was her first thought seeing him starring her down as she walked towards his direction; her eyes locking with his once again. With a smug, Addy looked away and continue onwards to the restroom.

Wow, what a little shot. Always so fucking high and mighty. Look at her try to ignore me. Finn smirked as he watched her walk away. He then decided that two could play games, also wanting to make her acknowledge him. Finishing his beer, he then stood up and walked over to the hallway, waiting for her outside the washrooms. Leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, he had full confidence on how to approach her next. Seemingly enough, when she exited the washroom, he could see her eyes big as saucers in surprise to see him there waiting for her.

"What do you want? You following me or something?"

Damn, she was still pissed. There was just something exhilarating about her when she was mad. "Maybe I'm just making sure you're staying out of trouble. Can be dangerous in places like this. Especially with Simon not watching over you in here."

Addy snorted at his response. "Right. Now, if you'll excuse me… my friends are waiting." She then tried to get by him, knowing this encounter wasn't going to end just so quickly. No matter what happened, he'd just ignore her again afterward, acting as nothing happened so he could keep his precious job. No way she was going to fall into that shit again.

Finn boldly placed his left hand on the wall in front of her, keeping her trapped from leaving. "They can wait." He responded. "You out with Business Boy tonight?"

"His name is David, and, yes, he's here." Being in such close proximity to Finn was making her feel warm, too warm. Despite all they had gone through up to this point, deep down, she still had an urge to kiss him senselessly. He looked oh so irresistible standing there, his dark hair messy with his hazel eyes burning into hers, the light stubble on his jaw begging her to trace over it with her fingers. Holy fuck. She hated that he could affect her this way, and with alcohol in her system, it wasn't helping her decision-making in any way at all either. Damn it.

"Oh? You're on a date then?" He asked, leaning in closer, making her begin to squirm.

Uncomfortably, she chuckled, trying to remain casual. "Uh. Yeah, I guess. If that's what you want to call it." She then flipped her hair over one shoulder nervously.

Finn then moved a piece of hair that she'd missed behind her ear with his free hand, leaning in and whispering into her ear, "So what do you see in this guy?"

Addy was pinned against the wall with Finn's closeness making her feel as if her heart was to pound out of her chest. All she'd have to do was move forward an inch and her lips would be on his. As he pressed closer, she saw the muscles in his arm on the wall flex, showing off how fit he really was. That definitely added to the hotness. Addy then looked up at him, mesmerized by his presence, forgetting she was still mad at him, wanting him to close the small distance so she could feel his soft lips on hers again. "What do I see in him? Well, he's smart for one thing."

"Yeah, he looks like a fucking genius. Just another business thug." Finn replied, his hazel eyes piercing hers as his fingers trailed lightly up and down her arm, leaving goosebumps in her shiver, making her want more. Well, the guy was hanging out with three women, so he was either crashing on their girl's night possibly because he didn't have many guy friends or could in fact be a schmoozer. Ha! He didn't look like the type who could attract so many girls. He must have been a loner.

"He… he makes me…laugh…" Addy stammered, swallowing roughly, frustrated that Finn could make her body react in such a way just with his touch.

He then pushed her hair back behind her other shoulder, leaning in closer to her ear. "Is that so?" He breathed, his lips grazing down it to her shoulder.

"Oh, God…" She murmured, pressing her hands behind her to the wall, her back arching against it, her breasts pressing into his chest. She was completely turned on.

Fuck. He was supposed to be playing a game here, but all Finn wanted to do now was kiss those hungry lips of hers, especially when she was pushing her chest against him like she was doing now. She made him so hot for her. "Is that all?"

"He, uh… he…" She was totally lost to him. Addy then ran her hands up his arms to his shoulders, then wrapped around his neck.

This was perfect. He had her right where he wanted, which then made him revert back to his original plan and pulled back to look down at her face, false amusement in his eyes and said, "Well, sweetie, you go enjoy Chuckles, and I'll see you bright and early Monday morning." Finn then dotted her nose with his finger, walking away with a forced chuckle, and headed into the men's room.

Addy stood there dumbfounded, her breath still coming hard. What. The. FUCK! SERIOUSLY!? Ugh! He'd bested her again! She now felt ever so serious to kill him for this. Who the hell did he think he was? Oh, he was going to pay for this! She was fuming now at this point. She had also promised herself that she was going to be in control of this stupid game between them, this mindfuck, this idiotic sexual tug-of-war she and Finn had going on, and yet he'd totally checkmated her. Dammit! Well, she was going to take power back. And now. After their little flirting session, she was going to burst his egotistical bubble as soon as he emerged, so she stayed and waited, ready to knock him off his self-assembled pedestal.

As she saw him exit the restroom, he strolled out like he owned the room feeling satisfied over his behavior, and she hated him for making her feel weak. Yet, no matter how infuriating he was, just one look at how good-looking he was—No, NO! Don't fall for his charm, Addy! Damn it. She shoved her attraction aside and got her second wind, ready to rip him. Finn smirked, surprised to see her waiting for him, but also glad that she hadn't left. He thought surely, she'd stomp off, pissed beyond at how much of a jerk he was.

"You think you're pretty fucking smart, don't you?" Addy spat out as he approached her, his smug look making her pulse quicken in anger. Or was it the anticipation of being near him? Ugh, that thought really annoyed her. "Seriously, were you born an asshole, or was it something that developed with time?"

"Hmm, you know, the thought never really crossed my mind." He stroked his chin in thought making her want to smack the crap out of him.

Jerk. "God, you piss me off. Now, look here. I've had enough of the bullshit! You are not going to make me look stupid anymore!"

All Finn could do was grin at her again, which made her that much angrier that he wasn't taking her seriously enough. Damn, she's beautiful when she's pissed.

"This isn't funny! I don't know who you think you are, but I'm no—"

Without any hesitation, Finn placed his hands on her cheeks and pulled her to him as his lips quickly captured hers. Her hands immediately went up to grab his muscled forearms, trying to remove them, but she wasn't strong enough, and damn it if she didn't get caught up in his kiss again, melting into him instead. He pulled his face away from hers, her face still firmly in his grasp.

Addy tried to make sense of her body's traitorous reaction to him as she breathed heavily, but it was almost as if she couldn't him even if she tried. "Just because you can overwhelm me with your kisses, doesn't mean that this—"

Finn smiled down at her. "God, you are just too damn beautiful," he spoke, cutting her off once more as his lips covered hers again moving sensuously. His hands then released her face as they then traveled up her arms then down her back until they gripped the curve of her waist, hugging her close to his chest, pressing her body into his.

Addy finally gave up resisting, with no help from his amazing touch and resigned herself to the fact that he definitely had some kind of control over her. Soon, her hands were tangled in his soft hair, and her lips began to tingle. It wasn't long till she surrendered them to his, matching the steady strokes of his tongue. Gripping the back of his neck, Addy angled for deeper contact, moaning seductively. The sound of her pleasure caused Finn to pull her in as close as possible, their heat against one another so exhilarating.

"Good God! Get a room!" A woman going past squawked at them, distracting and pulling them apart from one another, both breathing heavily.

Embarrassed that she'd given in to her desires once again when it came to him, Addy pulled her bottom lip between her teeth with a smile, which to Finn was so sexy that he couldn't help but raise his hand and caress the side of her face. "You're gorgeous, Addy."

She then blushed hard at his comment. Damn, he was so irresistible. "You finally called me by my name."

This was absolutely crazy what they were doing. Not even 5 minutes ago she was completely pissed and infuriated with him, now here they were, smiling and blushing after one of the hottest make-out sessions she had ever had! His eyes sneered into hers as he leaned in to kiss her again. Could this be the start of something-all of a sudden there was a huge commotion back in the bar, broken glass, and screaming.

They broke from their kiss, both turning their heads down towards the end of the hall, Finn already having a bad feeling about the situation, and furthermore having Addy there in danger. He quickly grabbed her hand and began walking towards the main room of the sports bar to see what exactly was going on. Addy gripped his hand tightly, heart pounding as they approached. It was probably nothing more than a bar fight, right? Those were common on weekend nights at sports bars. Nothing to be too worried about.

Fuck. This is not good...

Peeking over to see into the seating and bar area, people began hiding under tables and ducking down as four men walked into the bar, one holding a shotgun while the other three with handguns, all wearing black ski masks to hide their identities. A man with a handgun aimed his weapon up towards the speaker is and fired, killing the music.

"Listen up! We aren't here for cash and rather not have anyone hurt. As long as you listen and stay out of our way." The main man with the shotgun began to speak. "We are here for a man named David Devlin. Step out and come with us and no one has to get hurt."

Addy then gripped Finn's hand harder. "What!? W-Why do they want David? He's sitting with my friends..." Her voice was low as she spoke, nervous that one of the kidnappers may overhear her.

Damn, I had almost forgotten about David. Her boyfriend. Geez, what the fuck was I thinking coming onto Addy like that when she had a boyfriend!? Now this goof is the prime suspect for these fuckers and with her friends stuck in the middle, this wasn't going to be an easy situation to defuse. Knowing his brothers, Finn knew that they were armed with their guns; however, Finn wasn't as prepared for he had left his forearm back at his apartment. Fuck, I should have known better to be more prepared. He cursed at himself. Well, it didn't matter what he thought about the situation or David; ensuring Addy's safety was his top priority now. His next problem was actually finding another way out. Back down the hall towards the restroom had no exit door. Their best bet would be to crouch down and go through the back of the bar without being noticed.

Finn looked around the room as two of the four men started walking around table to table to find their captive, while another watched the main door and the frontman with the shotgun stayed up near the bar. David had been crouching down and hiding in between Addy's friends Katie and Leslie. Damn, he had to make sure nothing happened to those two women as well. Now looking over to where his brothers sat, they were casually sitting and watching the men closely, ready to disarm the situation if needed. Finn could tell that Addy was scared shitless, and he needed to get her out of there ASAP! Finally looking over at the bar, luck had made its way. Crouching at the end of the bar was Simon, who was signaling for them to follow him over. Finn watched the gunmen closely and when found an opportunity to move, he held onto Addy's hand once again, instructed her to bend down as low as she could then quickly dash over towards the bar, hoping to not be seen yet had a quick moment of hesitation that one of them might have.

"Simon!" Addy smiled as she whispered, happy to see him.

"The police should be here within minutes. I'm here to escort you out, Ms. Jones. Please stay low and as quiet as I take you out through the back exit." He replied, nodding his head before looking back at Finn. "Mr. Adams... I'll take it from here."

He hated to separate from her but knew it would be the best choice since she was under his watch this evening. Simon had been doing these types of jobs for many years beyond his own experience and knew that she would be safe.

Addy looked back at Finn who she saw nodding his head and her smile quickly faded. When he looks back into her eyes, he gave her a light smile. "I'll stay here. My brothers are here and there is a matter of making sure your friends are out of harm's way. You need to leave now with Simon."

She hated the thought of leaving him in such a dangerous situation, but also knew that her friends' lives were in jeopardy as well. It was such a hard decision. Addy knew she had to release her grip from his hand and let him go. He was a trained professional, after all.

With no choice and teary eyes, Addy then parted ways from Finn and turned away from him to follow Simon out through the back. When she had turned her back to him, Simon pulled out his Glock and handed it to Finn. He accepted gracefully then turned back at the hostile situation before him, arming his weapon and ready to join his brothers.

Once Simon had led Addy through the bar and kitchen, safely reaching the alley outside, she suddenly jumped at the sound of a gunshot from inside. Feeling frozen in place, there were then two more shots fired.

Feeling absolutely terrified, she froze. Finn, please be okay… please keep everyone safe…