A/N: Hello my lovelies, sorry for the long wait. I had problems logging into my account, eventually signed on with another username, twainthetwitcher. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter ;)

ooo

POWER

ooo

In a game of chess, the queen can take away every square the king might run to because she is the most powerful piece in the game.

Lacey woke up in Danny's bed. She kicked the duvet off her legs and swung her legs over the side of the bed, her bare feet discovering a pair of sleepers Danny had conveniently placed for her. She scanned the room with now sober eyes, a slight wine headache throbbing at the back of her skull. She mused over the large telescope standing by his window, either his passions had expanded beyond wine and opera or he had been trying to impress women while she had been away. Shaking her head, she tried to shake off the growing jealousy mounting inside her.

For a moment, her mind wandered off to the night he proposed at the Louvre museum in Paris. How he'd knelt down In the middle of a bustling exhibition hall on a balmy Saturday afternoon and asked for her shaky hand in marriage. Lacey recalled how excited and terrified she had been, all the mingled emotions she had felt as she yelled an enthusiastic yes to him. They had even shopped around Paris for a wedding venue, both falling in love with the Opera house and its grandiose wall of mirrors. She was about to step outside his bedroom to check up on him when she heard the ping of a doorbell and the shuffle of feet as Danny went to the door. She stopped and pressed her ear to the door. As she strained her ears and listened intently, the voices grew sharper. Realizing that the second voice belonged to Vikram, her stomach churned and her heartbeat hammered around her temples. She bit her lip, making sure she did not utter a word while her nemesis was in such close proximity.

"What are you doing here?" Danny's voice sounded gruff and impatient as he swung the door open.

"I wanted you to be the first to know, I intend to run for governor"

"Is this a joke?" Danny exclaimed, sounding dumbstruck.

"I'm making the announcement next week, usual political shindig so I expect you to be present"

"You're really going with the family man angle?" the younger Desai scoffed.

"Speaking of family, your mother has a few concerns"

"Lacey Porter, I've been briefed" Danny scoffed and Lacey heart faltered, her hand smoothing a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Frankly I don't care how you choose to entertain yourself but-"Vikram began cautiously.

"Lacey is not entertainment" Danny quickly defended with an artic tone.

"I'm not here to argue with you, just passing on a message"

"Right, I hear you loud and clear, sir" he mocked and Lacey could almost picture him saluting mordantly.

When she heard Danny padding along the hardwood floors, coming back to the bedroom, she dived back into his bed. She pulled the duvet all the way up to her chin; head nestled between his ice blue silk cushions and cotton pillows.

"Morning, "Danny greeted, pushing the door open with his elbow.

"I hope the couch wasn't too uncomfortable" she smiled, her eyes drifting down his taut stomach to his white briefs, obstructed by the breakfast tray he was carrying.

"The couch was heaven," he mocked with a wink as he set the tray in front of her.

"Breakfast in bed?" she chuckled, lifting herself up to lean against the pile of pillows set along the calfskin headboard "Your hosting skills have greatly improved" she studied the shavings of parmesan garnishing a slice of toasted rye bread topped with smoked salmon.

"Stick around, a great deal has improved" he toyed with another twinkle in his coffee eyes.

"Are you gonna dig in?" he asked, settling on the bed, choosing a spot argent to her.

"It looks so perfect, I don't wanna ruin it" she lied, what she was desperately hankering for was a big cup of black coffee, two sugars.

"Freshly brewed?" she asked, gesturing to the small flared cup that held his espresso.

"Finish your breakfast and I'll give you some" he grinned over his cup and saucer, wetting his lips. With a heavy sigh, shoulders loosening, she picked up the open sandwich and took a big bite. Danny's eyes glowed as he watched her, a smile creeping into his face. He set his cup on its saucer with a soft clink and slowly set them aside on the nightstand.

"You and I," he began, his forehead creasing "What we had could be our foundation" he continued, rubbing the back of his neck.

"A structure to build afresh" he was pensive as he reached for her hands and she so wanted to touch the crease between his eyebrows, rub his trouble away.

"I love it when you go all Dr Phil on me" she smiled, catching his hand. She let her eyes rove over his distressed face and pushed aside the emotions thrusting their way into her chest. Quickly, with a smile that broke the thickening tension between them, Lacey lifted herself from his bed.

"We're gonna be late for work!" She yelled over her shoulder, bounding for his vast closet. Danny lost the ability to speak momentarily as his eyes roamed over her thighs in his Yale t-shirt. She rifled through his vast closet, plucking out a white Thomas Pink shirt.

"Can I wear this?" she asked, licking her lips and he fought a groan because whatever she was doing to him this morning was clearly working.

"Are you trying to turn me on?" he finally equipped himself to chuckle, his marvellous gaze fixed on her long legs.

"Hmm" she grinned sniffing his shirt.

"Maybe you should pick another one" he gestured to a striped cotton shirt.

"Why? "She smiled, her eyes whipping back to him "I like your man scent"

ooo

"Rico, what're you doing?" Sarita raised an eyebrow, lower lip strangled between her teeth.

"I believe they call this a foot massage" he muffled, his voice streaming from below the covers before he came out for air. He kissed his way up her honeyed body, lingering on her pert breasts.

"I need to get up," she sighed, eyes closed" I still need to run past my place for a change of clothes"

"Or you could finally accept my offer and take a drawer" he mumbled, tongue nudging into her ear. Sarita finally swatted a playful hand at him, wrenching herself away from his kisses and rolling off the bed. Rico groaned, hand fisting the pillow he was biting into. Lurching to his feet, he grabbed his bathrobe and shrugged into it.

"You wanna meet for lunch? "He grabbed her wrist, pulling her closer to him "I could give some more punishment, a bit of spanking" he said trying to sound debonair and failing miserably.

"Can't" she cocked her head, hooking her hands around his neck

"Can't or shan't?" he persisted, bumping his nose against her small nose.

"I can't, I have a lunch date with Lacey" Sarita squirmed with a giggle, her fingers tangled around his brown hair.

"I'm beginning to dislike this infamous Lacey Porter," he grinned, both arms swung around her shoulders" first Danny and now my girl"

"Point A, I'm not your girl" she pried his arms off her shoulders," and point B, Lacey has been my best friend since our Brooklyn days"

"Wish you defended our relationship with as much zeal as you do Lacey's"

"You know the firm's policy on professionals dating non-professionals" she shimmied into her high-waist flared jeans, ramming her Beatles t-shirt into the waistband.

"You make being a personal assistant sound like you got leprosy" Rico folded his arms across his chest, eyes skimming over her petit curves in the skin-tight jeans.

"I'm Vikram's second P.A," Sarita quickly corrected him, shooting him with a deathly glare" a step up from being a receptionist"

"I don't play by the rules," he smiled, loving her feistiness," I don't care if you're a non-professional" he caught her curly hand in his hands and kissed her nose.

"Said the analyst with an MBA" she scoffed, shrugging him off.

"What's this about, you wanna get into trading now?"

"I need to go" she gathered her things, stuffing them inside her leather tote.

"Sarita!"

ooo

Lacey ambled around the labyrinth of tables with brimming with customers. She combed the room, searching for Tyler's blonde hair. Quickly, she caught his eye as he waved to her. She clutched her Mulberry tote tighter and hurried to his table.

"We're meeting in public now?" she took a seat opposite him" What happened to our illicit affair?"

"It got weary of dank and dark rooms and bad takeaway," he said scooping up his creamy oyster soup topped with beluga caviar "besides, I hear they have a great bass here" he added with a wink.

"Why, Mr Lewis, you're full of surprises "Lacey exclaimed with a grin before her brow arched, chin gesturing to the laptop sitting on the table between them. Tyler flipped open the laptop, tapped some keys and swivelled it towards her.

"What's this?" she asked, eyes narrowed as a video filled the screen.

"That's Intel" he nodded with a grin, jerking his head at the film that was beginning to unfold in front of Lacey's widening eyes. She observed quietly as Vikram took Regina into his arms, thrusting his tongue deep into the redhead's mouth.

"Nice Porn, "she deadpanned, swivelling the skinny laptop back toward Tyler and jerking her head at the approaching waiter decked in black and white.

"One Pearl Manhattan, please" she told the server and waited until he was out of earshot before she said, "We have a problem"

"When do we ever not have a problem?" his eyes flicked from his bread basket to his glass of red wine.

"Oh this one is huge, it's Vikram"

"Obviously" he said, glancing up at her.

"The bastard's running for governor"

"What, Jack Taylor isn't running for another term?" Tyler exclaimed, eyebrows raised as he poked his pan seared wild sea bass.

"Darth Vader's probably using his influence to disparage his run for another term" she replied, leafing through the skinny menu. She made a mental note to order the artichoke salad and then set aside the wine coloured booklet.

"Well, cue in the fancy parties to reel in the donors" Tyler chuckled looking up as the waiter set Lacey's cocktail next to her. He quickly took her order before he disappeared out into the bustling restaurant again.

"Cue in the voter rigging and blackmail" Lacey pondered, chewing on her swizzle stick.

"What do you think he has on Jack Taylor?"

"I don't know but I intend to find out" she promised, discarding the flamed orange disk on a tiny saucepan.

Ooo

"Did you hear about the guy you had a heart attack on the trading floor?" Rico yelled, shooting the ball past Danny before it bounced against the wall and bounded back to them.

"Hazards of being a stockbroker" Danny shouted, snapping his wrist toward the cracking recoil of the squash ball.

"Sure puts a new spin on the term working stiff," he chuckled earning himself a head shake from Danny and not an expectant fist pump.

"Too soon?" he panted, sweat streaming down his face.

"Too soon" Danny exclaimed, chasing the whooshing ball as it shrieked past him.

"Let's talk about you then, shall we?" Rico hit the ball, the bounce catching him off-guard.

"What about me?" Danny switched the racquet from his left hand to his right and then back, feet square on the slick court.

"You and the notorious Lacey Porter" Rico huffed, the ball hitting him on his knee making him sink to the ground.

"What about her?"

"She's Samuel Porter's daughter right?" Rico was back on his feet, chasing the blue ball down the court, "Sam Porter, the original wolf of Wall Street, the guy who invented greed?"

"Don't let Vikram hear you say that, greed is his legacy"

"You gotta love Vik" Rico gave a mild chuckle.

"Yup, money is religion" Danny cracked another serve, the ball hitting the wall clean before bouncing back, a hard and fast comeback that had Rico diving for the glass wall behind them.

"So, uhm…about Miss Porter, I hear there nuptials set in place" he puffed, face tomato-red with his hair wilting unto his forehead.

"Yeah"

"And?"

"And nothing, it never happened"

"She bolted…or?"

"The firm caught her father stealing funds," Danny said then paused, his head dropping to examine his white squash shoes.

"The commission arrested him the day of the wedding so naturally…" his voice trailed off, he didn't want to discuss the matter any further and Rico, analysing the situation finally let it die.

ooo

"Danny?" Lacey exclaimed, tossing her tote on the table next to her front door. She placed her keys next to the bag and unbuttoned her coat, eyes fixed on him.

"How did you get in?" she asked, spotting the wine bottle in his hand.

"I figure if you can show up at my place anytime you like, I should be able to do the same" he said simply, cocking his head with a smile. She followed him into the kitchen where he took out a wine glass and uncorked the bottle.

"Well, I'm surprised"

"Good surprised?" he cocked an eyebrow, handing her a glass of wine.

"Good surprised" she nodded before taking a slow sip.

"Now, after you my lady"

"What's up?" she raised a brow, walking gingerly toward the bathroom. She noticed the trail of white rose petals on her wooden floor and grinned broadly. They stopped outside her bathroom and with a heavy inhale; she slipped inside the candle lit room.

"How did you manage to keep it warm?" Lacey's lips tightened, fighting the smile that had managed to creep across her face. Her heart pounded out of pace, swelling right up and pressing against her ribcage until she swallowed the growing lump in her throat. Her emotions were all over the place since she had returned from Tokyo. Lacey had thought that everything would run smoothly, that she would think rationally and put her revenge plan into motion. Her growing feelings for Danny were going to ruin everything.

"I kept draining it and then filling it up again" he placed his hands on her lower back, his thumb massaging her spine through various layers of clothing.

"My water and electricity bill is gonna be murder this month" Lacey chuckled, casting her eyes over the bathtub lined with flickering candles.

"Enjoy" he murmured, flicking her hair off her face.

"Enjoy?"

"What, you're not sticking around?" she raised an eyebrow and licked her lips" No scrubbing me down?"

"Don't tempt me, "he smiled, giving her chin a soft nudge "I'll see you at work"

She watched him leave, heard the click of the front door before she stepped closer to the warm water. Lacey shrugged off her red cocoon coat, hung it up behind the door and unzipped her grey shift dress before tugging off the suede ankle boots. Sinking into the warm, scented water, she sighed as she leaned her head back against the solid stone tub and pushed all her worries aside. The honey scented bubbles were silk as they slid over her brown skin.

ooo

It was an icy Sunday in Manhattan, worn sunlight braving past grey clouds and the real estate market was booming.

Lacey stepped inside the apartment, ten feet high ceilings swallowing her as her shoes clacked on polished oak wood floors. She felt the exposed red brick walls with her fingertips, a feeling of warmth rushing over her as her eyes coasted the place with its tall marble fireplace and wooden mantel.

She closed her eyes and felt the sun; it felt different through the gracious arched windows or maybe the sunlight was different in the Upper East Side, she thought with a chuckle. Suddenly she reminded of the first real house her father had moved them into after Judy left the family, Brooklyn, red bricks and spacious backyard. This apartment reminded her of that, what she used to have before it was all taken away from her. Lacey cocked her head, eyes screwed against the light flooding the space from every possible angle.

"It's a classic," the realtor said with a broad smile, her voice echoing in the cavernous space. She sounded exaggerated and overly dramatic and Lacey fought the need to tell her she didn't need to sell her so hard on the apartment. She already knew she was taking the place and it had nothing to do with the memories it evoked, the great light or even the vintage mosaic floor in the lobby. She was buying the damn place because of her neighbours who held the entire upstairs floor.

"I like the lofty feel of the place" Lacey offered, spying Central Park through a forest of rugged trees.

"There's a lot you can do with this space, "the realtor gestured "nursery upstairs, library downstairs and it has quite an extensive patio"

"Is it just you?"

"Yes, there's no unlucky Mr" Lacey shrugged her shoulders, catching the woman's sympathetic smile.

"Tell me about the upstairs tenants, they're not a bunch of noisy rascals are they?" she rubbed her gloved hands down her arms, wrapping the shearling biker jacket tighter around her chest.

"Hardly, the Desai's are the epitome of the Upper East Side"

"I bet they are" Lacey smiled, crossing her long denim clad legs as she sat along the massive windowsill "you can draw up the papers" she said, squaring her shoulders and starring out at the beautiful Upper East Side.