C.J. just rolled her eyes as she saw Delilah standing next to Chris and a couple of other secretaries holding the letter opener in her hand. She supposed she should be a little bit worried that Elizabeth's choice in maids of honor packed what could be a weapon in some circles but mostly, she just felt hormonal.

Pregnancy took some getting used to after all. What with the fatigue, the weird hunger pangs and the rise and fall of certain hormones. She forced a smile on her face because after all, she was a professional.

"Hello Delilah, what are you doing here?"

The other woman wearing a sleek red dress and a boa around her neck just held the opener in her hand and threw her a disinterested look.

"I'm here to see Matt but he seems to be among the missing."

C.J. folded her arms.

"He's not missing, he's busy… probably out climbing something," she said, "That's usually what he does when he's working on a new project."

Delilah sniffed.

"Well he's going to have a new project," she said, "My newspaper is doing an expose on the city's wealthiest bachelors and he does belong to that category."

C.J. nodded.

"Yes he does…seems his last engagement fell through."

Delilah's face darkened.

"Through no fault of my own," she said, "They both got a case of cold feet."

C.J. wasn't sure it was their feet that had gotten cold all of a sudden but she didn't want to get into it with this woman. She wanted to get to her office to snack on some chocolate cookies that Chris had left for her from the bachelorette party she had helped arrange for a friend. The cookies were the most decadent of cocoa mixed with butterscotch with just a touch of brandy in them…only they were shaped like…oh never mind, she had to get this woman out of the office first.

"Delilah…isn't there some place you need to go?"

The other woman slunk over to Chris's desk and sat on it, crossing her legs and looking at C.J..

"No…no not at all," she said, "I'll wait until Matt returns. I have a list of questions for him to answer."

C.J. sighed.

"Didn't he threaten to sue you?"

"Oh no…not at all," Delilah said, "It's not personal at all. I'm a business woman after all. My pursuit of the journalistic truth has nothing to do with him breaking my best friend's heart."

C.J. doubted that was the case but she knew better than to challenge a woman welding a letter opener. At least while pregnant, damn there were quite a few things she was going to have to change in her active and unpredictable lifestyle. At least she hadn't been forbidden or limited in her sex life. She could handle anything other restrictions if she could just have that.

"Really, I thought you were trying to help Elizabeth get back together with Matt," C.J. said, "Even if it meant extorting him out of his company."

"No, no….that's not what's going on at all," Delilah explained, "Elizabeth's entitled to get a piece of him after what he did to her."

C.J. rolled her eyes at her, not being able to help it. She just didn't get women like Delilah who just came off as crazy when they tried to hold onto men who didn't want them. Or in her case helping her friend extort a man who didn't want to marry her…and it's not like Elizabeth had been the best of fiancées as witnessed by her drunken dancing at her own bachelorette party.

"Look…Delilah…I don't think that Elizabeth even wanted to marry Houston," C.J. said, "as I recall, she didn't appear to want to marry anyone else at the party…she just wanted to get into the exotic dancer's pants."

Delilah shrugged.

"They were coming off anyway."

C.J. had to give her that because the dancer who had wrapped up his hot looking package in some tight clothes had been removing each item one at a time to the yells of approval by the female guests.

Including…no led by the bride to be Elizabeth. She had shot back a couple glasses of tequila and then tried to shimmy with the dancer before running her hands over his body. C.J. didn't get it because yeah the guy was great looking and sexy to boot but she had sat there watching the spectacle wondering what it'd be like with Matt instead.

So you had the pre-nuptial party where the bride to be was salivating over a hired stripper trying to work his way through grad school and C.J. had been fantasizing about the groom stripping in front of her.

But she wasn't going to share that factoid with the woman sitting in front of her with a split dress and a letter opener.

"So what is wrong with Elizabeth having a little bit of fun before she gets married?"

C.J. pursed her lips.

"She's about to marry Houston who's a great guy and she's trying to get into the pants of a hired stripper…what's wrong with that picture?"

Delilah just stared at her not blinking.

"Nothing at all…just some harmless fun," she said, "You don't think the groom to be wasn't getting it on with some big breasted scantily clad hussy in heels before he walked down the aisle?"

It was all moot because the wedding hadn't ever taken place and maybe Elizabeth's antics at the bachelorette party had been a harbinger of doom in that the engagement had been doomed. But C.J. knew for a fact that Matt hadn't been drooling over an exotic stripper at his bachelor party because he and the groomsmen had gone skydiving instead.

"So what's good for the gander's good for the goose right?"

C.J. just sighed tired of the conversation already, wishing Matt would return. Then on second thought…maybe it'd be better if he stayed away until she got this hussy out the door.

But looking at Delilah just sitting there, C.J. could tell she wasn't in any hurry to leave.

Matt left Roy and started to head back to the office, thinking about what his uncle had told him. But then he started thinking about C.J. instead and hoped she'd be at the office waiting for him.

Dressed in her conservative attire but not for long if he walked into her office and closed the door behind him. He'd take off as much as his clothes as he could and she'd do the same and they'd come together forgetting the world around them. Their lips touching, tasting each other while their hands wandering, stroking each other's skin…gently at first and then more fervently.

Matching the tango between their mouths.

He didn't know why it had taken him so long to figure out that the hottest woman had been in front of him the entire time. Getting together with her in and out of the bedroom had definitely tempered the news that his ex-fiancee was trying to take his company away from him.

Traffic stalled not too far away from the office building, and he sat in his car and waited for the light to change.

Then the phone vibrated in his pocket so he reached for it and saw it was Elizabeth. He decided to answer it against his better judgment. Maybe he could get her to see reason in that she really didn't want his company.

"This is Matt…"

A pause and he wondered if she were on the line.

"Elizabeth…?"

"Oh yeah Matt…it's me and I know what you're up to so don't act all casual with me."

Matt felt mystified at her words. What was she getting at now?

"Elizabeth…I have no idea what's going on with you except you've tried to extort me to marry you by threatening my company."

"Oh that…I'm just doing what a woman's got to go," she said, "I don't mean anything by it…really and besides it's just a company."

Hardly, Matt thought, he'd worked hard with C.J. to build it up from scratch with only a concept and some ideas to get them started.

"I just wanted to make it clear to you Matt that I intend for us to be married," she said, "I know we can work out our…differences and get headed on the right track."

He sighed looking out as the traffic light finally changed.

"Elizabeth…that's not going to happen," he said, "I'm never going to marry you. Whatever we shared between us, it's over."

"Matt…you can't really mean that…"

"I do Elizabeth and if you want to go take your best shot at getting my company go right ahead," he said, "I…we'll fight you in the courts."

She snorted.

"You and your….assistant?"

"She's my partner and we'll prevail because we still have controlling interests."

She paused. Maybe she was reconsidering her stance but then he heard her take a deep breath.

"Not for long Matt…in about an hour that'll be me and then I and my partners are going to take over."

Matt felt shock fill him at her pronouncement. He figured she had partners working with her but so far they'd been both invisible and silent. Maybe if they did make such a bold move, it would force them out of the shadows and into the spotlight….

He rubbed his forehead as the traffic stalled again.

"Matt are you still there?"

He looked at the row of cars in front of him and thought he'd be here for quite a while.

"I'm here but like I said if you want my company, take your best shot," he said, "but I'm not going to marry you. Not tomorrow and not in 10 years."

"You sound very sure now Matt but when I've got your company and am changing the locks on the doors."

"Goodbye Elizabeth…"

He clicked off the phone and continued driving to the office. If C.J. were there, maybe they could get together and discuss strategy on how to stop Elizabeth and her partners from moving in.

Delilah looked at her watch and then back up at C.J. who stood in front of her.

"How much longer do you think he's going to be?"

C.J. didn't feel like answering her question and just shrugged to return to her office. If Delilah wanted to sit out in the lobby and wait for Matt, then she'd leave her alone to do that. Her stomach grumbled and she knew that she needed to snack on something.

"Hey where are you going?"

C.J. arched her brows at her.

"Back to my office," she said, "I have work to get finished."

Delilah harrumphed.

"I thought you might want to be here when I talk to Matt."

"Why?"

Delilah's mouth curved into a knowing smile.

"Because I think that underneath that repressed exterior of yours, you have a thing for him."

C.J. tilted her head.

"No…I think I'll just leave you two to talk together," she said, "Like I said, I have work to do."

She planned to go into her office and continue her research to figure out how to get rid of Elizabeth and Delilah in one sweep. There had to be a way to do that without too much bloodshed.

She didn't plan on doing anything to get arrested but she did plan on doing something. With that, she turned on her heel and walked away from Delilah back to her office to think of a plan.

C.J. sat in her office, feeling hungry again. Ever since she'd gotten pregnant, she found that her appetite had increased in leaps and bounds, not to mention that some of her cravings seemed just a bit…weird. Like how right now if she didn't get her hands on some ritz crackers and marshmallow cream but between her and the nearest convenience store stood Delilah who had threatened to raise a ruckus in the office…if she didn't get her own way.

God, she had hoped that Elizabeth would have just given up after Matt had made it clear that she could threaten to extort his company away from him but that didn't mean it was going to happen. She knew Matt enough to know that Elizabeth had gone after the wrong ex-fiancé.

But with Delilah in the mix and C.J. still couldn't figure that mess out, it just complicated matters. She sighed as she reached for her bottled water, feeling she needed something a bit stronger but wasn't taking any chances with her pregnancy.

Suddenly someone knocked on the door and she saw Chris standing there, with what looked like a black plastic bag.

"What's up?"

Chris smiled and approached.

"Just some…aids for you know because just because you're pregnant doesn't mean you can't…have fun with your man."

C.J. knit her brow, stuck on the first part of her statement.

"What…how do you know?"

"I just do…okay so let's just get down to business here…"

"What?"

"I'll show you some of the products that will greatly enhance your life during this most special time."

Chris placed the bag on the desk and started taking items out.

"Here's some massage oil…it's jasmine and lavender, it'll help the muscles relax that become stressed from carrying that weight around."

C.J. arched a brow.

"What weight…oh you mean later on…"

She picked up the bottle and inspected it diligently, pulling the cap off to smell it.

"Mmmm…that smells nice."

Chris pulled out the next item which looked like a…

"Is that a…"

Chris nodded sagely.

"This is where I'm going to share with you some information about body paints…complete with samplers…"

C.J. listened as Chris continued with her sales pitch.

Matt drove through the city thinking about C.J. and hoped that she'd be in the office working so he could have a talk with her about Elizabeth's latest threats. He had no intention of ever giving up his company or caving into this forced marriage with her. But he still hadn't come up with the perfect plan to get rid of her or at least divert her attention elsewhere.

He parked his car in the garage and headed to the elevator knowing that more than likely Delilah would be up there waiting for him. But he wouldn't give in to her demands either even if her poison pen continued to try to push him towards Elizabeth…seriously he didn't know what Delilah's angle was in this whole deal. Most matrons of honor wouldn't be so dedicated to helping the brides and he seriously doubted that Delilah truly cared about anyone besides herself. So somewhere in this situation, she had staked out an angle for herself probably apart from Elizabeth.

It was just a matter of figuring out what that might be and perhaps using it against her to stop Elizabeth.

The elevator door opened and Delilah sat there on the empty desk. He didn't see Chris anywhere.

"Took you long enough to get here."

"I work here…I own the building, what are you doing here?"

She shrugged.

"I am here to work on that article about how you cruelly and mercilessly walked out on the woman who loved you…the one who would marry you."

Matt sighed.

"It was her decision too…"

Delilah folded her arms.

"Only because she felt that you'd walk out on her at some point," she said, "or you'd be married more to your business than her."

Matt clenched his jaw.

"So that's why she wants to take my company away from me or hold it hostage until I do agree to marry her?"

She shrugged again.

"Something like that…I'm not an expert at figuring out Elizabeth…but that might be close."

"It's not going to work," he said, "I'm not marrying her and she's not getting my company. If you're her friend then maybe you should go back and explain that rather than waste anymore of my time…"

Delilah just looked at him.

C.J. examined the body paints much more closely…raspberry, cherry, sour apple and her favorite margarita.

"If you breathe on them first, they'll heat up," Chris instructed, "increases the sensations."

C.J. just sat in her chair wondering when her sex life with Matt had been everyone else's business. Now everyone would know that he'd knocked her up and it would spread like wildfire through the building. She'd worked so hard alongside him to gain respect as an intelligent and professional business woman and now everyone's going to think she had gotten where she was in between the sheets.

"Okay so it looks like you like the margarita," Chris said, digging into the bag, "here's some more but you have to try the pina colada too."

C.J. took some of those packets and stuck them all inside her drawer. Chris looked up suddenly and looked towards the door.

"Looks like Matt got here and I'm sure Delilah's not left but it's time to get rid of her."

Chris reached into her bag and pulled out a leather whip with a gemstone adorned handle which she uncoiled to its full length with a quick snap of her wrist. Obviously the woman had some practice.

C.J. groaned and she sat there as Chris left the room to deal with Delilah.

She looked up in a moment and saw that Matt stood in the doorway of her office. When he saw her puzzled look, he smiled, leaning against the door jam.

"Chris persuaded her to leave," he said, "painlessly, she was too startled to make a fuss."

C.J. nodded…pushing her door closed but not everything had been tucked away and when Matt's eyes widened, she knew why.

She'd forgotten about the massage oils and the body paints. He picked one of the paints up, arching a brow at her.

"Is this what I think it is?"

She tilted her head looking up at him.

"Yeah sure is…in all different flavors."

He handled it and then put it on the desk.

"Well we'll just have to check them all out later on," he said, "but in the meantime…I've got other tools to show you."

She smiled up at him as she stood up out of her chair to walk towards him…sliding her arms around his waist as she drew him close. He accepted her invitation by brushing his mouth against her slightly parted lips, nipping at them with his own lips…hugging them.

When his tongue traced the seams of those lips, she gasped unable to help herself. His mouth consumed her so it burned…the scent of his power surrounded her as he hoisted her onto the desk in one swift move…before she saw it coming. His body parted her thighs with another deft movement and she hugged his legs with her own as he caressed her hair off of her face and tasted her mouth again, this time sliding his tongue inside her mouth…tracing the insides…so her body shivered and she found herself suckling his tongue.

Then reason caught up with her. Matt was about to lose his company to Elizabeth and Delilah was about to ruin him in her rag, not to mention she'd been toting a letter opener.

"Houston…I think we need to talk."

He looked up at her, clearly out of breath.

"What about…?"

"Your company and how we're going to stop them from taking it."

"Oh that…," he said, smoothing her hair back, "Don't you worry about that. We can always build a new one. I'd rather talk about this impending development we've got…"

Her skin flushed at the tone of his voice but first things first.

"Later…I think I've got an idea…."