When I woke up, I immediately knew that I was back in Jacobs penthouse, the smell, the lighting... and the bed. But instead of waking up on one of the numerous guest beds, I was back in his ever so familiar one. I look over to the digital clock that I know is on the nightstand. It's 1:22 am. I pad over the extremely large room to the bathroom, and begin to dry heave over the toilet. Looking sleepy, and in one pair of pyjama bottoms, Jacob comes in swiftly and holds back my hair and rubs the small of my back. Sounding raspy from sleep and concerned he says to me, "You shouldn't drink like this. It's irresponsible." Annoyed by his righteous attitude, I try and shrug out of his hold. But he's strong, and in this moment, I am weak. When my stomach feels a little more settled and I no longer feel nauseous, I flush the toilet and go over to his basin. Then I wash my hands place some toothpaste on my finger and brush my teeth. Feeling too tired and sick to care, I tread back over to the bed and fall straight back to sleep.

The next time I woke up, the room was still dark, but I could tell that it was morning as golden rays seeped through the small gaps in the side of the blinds. Sitting next to me wearing nothing but his iconic black pyjama pants, was Jacob, who sat on his laptop and worked. "Good morning, Mi amor."

"Don't call me that," I grumbled.

"You didn't mind me calling you that the other night," he spoke, but his attention still unwavering from his work.

"Why, am I here?"

"You drunk called me, fainted on me and then threw up on me."

I place my heavy head in my hands and rub my eyes. "Where did you sleep?" I ask him. He points to the spot his is currently sitting in. "We didn't?..."

He sets his laptop aside, looks me in the eyes and says, "No Emma, I didn't fuck you, while you were unconscious." I move my legs off the side of the bed, but he places his hand on mine. "Emma. Stay."

"I'm not a dog." I say through clenched teeth.

"I have a proposition." He says changing into business mode.

"Awesome," I say sarcastically, "tell it to someone... but not me."

"But your my private council," he says coyly.

"Wrong. I'm the intern to your private council, and that's in work hours... which are until 6am to 10 pm."

"I want to have you," he instructs.

My mouth goes dry and I say, "Excuse me?"

"I want your body and I want your time."

"So you want a relationship?" I ask smugly, "Because that's never going to happen between you and me."

"Well, a relationship would be putting it simply." This time I have no words. No response. His tone softens and he touches his knuckles to my cheek, "I have never wanted anything more in my life. Never been so holistically consumed by a single person. I haven't been able to think about anything else than the other night, and you."

What's worse than anything, is that I want this too, and I shouldn't... I can't... I couldn't... I wouldn't. Would I? No, I can't. "Jacob," I whispered agonising, "Becky." One word says it all.

"She doesn't have to know at first," he begs.

"She's more than my best friend, she my sister. I couldn't do something so awful to her."

"Whats awful is regret. Could you honestly tell me right now that you don't want the same as myself? If we were to walk away from this and never speak of it agin, would you regret it?"

"Yes," I breath. His hand moved from my cheek to my jaw, he pushed it up so that I was looking at him. "But I'm afraid I would regret it more if we did this."

"No you wouldn't."

"Jacob. Even though it's cliche, we live in two different worlds. Yours is cushy and public. I'm very private and difficult. I'm not interested."

He glanced down, "Don't try and lie to me Emma."

"That's not a lie. So what if I'm attracted to you? Most women are. But I'm not interested in doing anything about it."

He faced me then, turning in a leisurely pivot, that ghost of a smile softening his sinful mouth. His ease and unconcern aggravated me further. "Attraction is too tame a word for" - he gestured at the space between us - "this. The other night-"

"Was a huge mistake."

"No it wasn't."

I nod my head adamantly, more trying to convince myself than him. "Yes it was. I can't believe that I lost my virginity to you. I'm crazy. There was supposed to be order and a plan. Date, then sex, marriage, kids the lot of it."

"Your not crazy," he said. "But I don't have the time or the inclination to date."

"Well I do. So that really works out well."

He stepped closer, his hand lifting to my face. I forced myself not to move away or give him the satisfaction of seeing me intimidated. "We will happen." A shiver moved through me, followed by a heated ache between my legs as I imagined licking chocolate off his lethally sexy body. His gaze darkened and his voice lowered intimately. "Romance isn't in my thing. But satisfying you certainly is,let me show you."

"I'm really not interested."

"I have to go back to school."

"And I have a meeting now. The sooner we work this out, the sooner we can both get back to business. Now, sit down."

"What do you think we're going to work out?"

Sighing, he scooped me up like a bride and carried me over to the sofa. He dropped me on my butt; then sat next to me. "Your objections. It's time to discuss what it's going to take to get you beneath me."

"A bloody miracle." I pushed back from him, widening the space between us. I tugged at the hem of my skirt, wishing I'd worn pants instead. He contemplated me with narrowed eyes. "Look Jacob. I slept with one person. It was incredible but it was wrong. The whole casual sex thing, I don't like it. It's not who I am and I don't want to make it who I am."

"I told you already I don't do dating anymore."

"That's fine, I'm not offering anyway. You're not my boyfriend so you don't own me any explanation, I just can't do what you want-be want you want. I respect myself too much."

"Oh Emma."

"It's fine. We're done here anyway."

"How are we done?!"

"I've said everything I had to say."

"Which is what?"

"I'm a girlfriend girl, I want boyfriends not casual hookups."

"Ahhh,"

"I think it's best if we just stay friends."

"Or maybe we become boyfriend and girlfriend right?" he paces in frustration.

"What! No!"

"I get it. I get what your doing."

"I'm not doing anything."

"If that's what you want they just come out and say it okay. But you pretending like your not issuing an ultimatum."

"I'm not issuing an ultimatum!"

"That's not what I heard."

"I said lets be friends."

"That's not what you meant."

"Aghrr! You are so frustrating. Why would I ever even want to be in a relationship with you. Exclusively sexual or otherwise."

"Alright fine, I'll be your boyfriend."

"What! No! You can't be my boyfriend."

"Why the hell not?"

"Becuase 5 seconds ago you said you can't be my boyfriend."

"Well now I can."

"No you don't. You want to sleep with me and manipulate me into thinking it's more."

"You said yourself that we would just have to be friends. Well if being your boyfriend is your condition, then fine."

"No."

"What do you want then."

"I actually want a person to want to want to date me. Not do it becuase they want me to want to have sex with them."

"No. Your right. I want more than a friendship with you, but also more than just something sexual. I want you to be mine."

"It just wouldn't work Jacob."

"Yes it will!"

"Jacob-"

"Emma. Do you really want to just be friends."

"No but-"

"Because I don't want to go on like nothing happened."

"Okay but-"

"So just accept what I'm saying. Please, just try."

I stare at my feet, shifting my weight from leg to leg. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to put this," I gestured between us, "on a trial run." There is an all consuming silence between us for several moments until I say, "I don't want you saying all this to just fuck me again and then leave. Because I know eventually this isn't going to work out-"

"Shush, Emma." He said sternly. "Your not giving up that easy."

"No. Listen, if we do this, there are ground rules. 1) we stay private, 2) this one's obvious, and non-negotiable...don't tell Becky, 3) this isn't a rule, but something you need to understand about me, becuase you really have to consider this...I am an extremely, possessive, jealous and temperamental person, and I'm sure no person wants that baggage in a relationship. So I'm going to ask you again... do you want this?"

Instead of responding, tilting his head, he sealed those beautifully sculpted lips over mine, stroking his tongue against mine. His fingertips flexed on my back and our kiss grew wild, the weight of his powerful body, pushed me back on to the bed and he caged me like his prisoner. In the midsts of the passion, my phone began to insistently vibrate on the bedside table. He groaned, telling me to ignore it, so instead, I chose to grab the phone and answer it. He sees this as a challenge, and staring into my eyes with a boyish grin, he lifts up the business shirt he changed me into last night because my other clothes were covered in vomit. I swat at his hand playfully and answer the phone, "Hello," I say with bemusement in my tone.

"Hi Sweetheart," My mother replies joyfully. Jacob now begins to work on the buttons. Slowly, one-by-one, undoing them, teasing, and enjoying every moment of bent-up sexual frustration his brings upon me. "I just called to check in, and tell you that I missed you."

I was struggling to concentrate, as his cool hands began to slowly slide their way closer to my exposed breasts. "I'm good," my voice hitches at the end as he applies a sudden pressure to my nipple, "I'm working as an intern to the lawyer who actually now works for Jacob."

"Oh, that's wonderful! Did you plan that?"

He removes his hands from me, and sits up, but I instantly pounce on him, straddle him and push my chest into him so that he continues the gentle assault on my body. For the first time, our physical closeness wasn't enough to calm the desperate wanting inside me. Answering my mothers question I said, "No, it was quite unplanned."

"Well that's a perfect coincidence. I hope you work hard for him."

I can't help but stifle a laugh, and say, "Oh yeah, I going to work so hard for him." Both of us smile wickedly, and Jacob lowers his mouth and sucks hard on my aroused nipple, taking care and precision with each lick, sending shivers down my spine. With eyes hot with lust, he'd spread my legs and eaten me with an insistent demand that robbed me of the ability to think or move. He'd licked and sucked my cleft endlessly, until I lost count of how many times he made me come around his wicked tongue. I placed my hand over the speaker, and cupping his jaw, I tilted his head up, "You have to chill." I nipped his jaw with my teeth and reached down with my free hand to grip his perfect ass, tugging him tighter against me. Uncovering the speaker, I made a few generic phrases that made my mom presume I was still listening. Eventually I asked her, "How are you and the special guy in your life?" Depite having miles between us, I could tell she was blushing, by the way she responded like a giddy teenager.

"How about you, Emmy. Have you made any new friends? A male friend perhaps." I told her about Spencer, Felix, Leah and avoid all areas involving Jacob. Annoyed by this, he kissed me, loud, passionately and fierce. "What was that?" Mom asked exasperated.

I shot him an angry look, "Oh, I'm just eating."

"Oh, ok, well I won't keep you then, I'll call you soon ok. I love you so much honey."

"Love you to mommy." We hung up the phone, which Jacob grabs out of my hand and throws off the bed. "HEY!" I yell at him annoyed, "That better still work, I payed a lot of-" he stops my ranting as his lips touched mine, softly and endearing. With a lovesick sigh, I pull away, "I have to get to campus," I whisper. He groans, I get off him and make my way over to his closet, somehow I was going to have to make something in here work to fit me. I end up grabbing a pair of blue jeans which I rolled at both the waist and ankles and paired it with a loose back T-shirt which had the letter 'R' stuck on in the middle.

When I walked up of the closet Jacob sits up suddenly, "No. Change. I can literally see your tits through that."

I laugh, "That's becuase you were looking for my tits, plus, I don't have a bra."

He gets of the bed, picks up my phone and walks over to me, "Here you go Mi amor."

"Thank you," I murmur, looking into his eyes.

An alert sound comes from the phone over on the nightstand, he walks over and picks it up. Quickly his facial expression change as he reds whatever notification flashes across the screen. "Ok, thanks Emma, I'll see you later," he quickly says pushing me towards the door.

"Ok? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he answers typing on his phone. He gives me a quick peck on the cheek, and we walk over to the private elevator. When the doors open, out walks a tall, thin blonde, with perfect skin and a light dusting of freckles over her nose on her glowing tanned skin. She was wearing loose fitted white pants and a tight black top. I recognised her instantly, from the society pages to national tv, her name was Ava Bronson. Jacobs Ex-girlfriend. They had dated for about 3 years, it was serious, but when she wanted more from the relationship and he didn't, she broke it up with him. This was about a year ago, and to my knowledge I had presumed they had split ways. Compared to her natural model like beauty, my messy hair and scruffy clothing was incomparable. She was tall and slender, with big dark eyes and a cascade of straight blonde hair. Her lips were lush and red, her cheekbones high and sculpted.

"Oh, hello," she smiles tightly, displaying her perfectly aligned white teeth.

"Hi," I spit out looking at Jacob. Once again he slipped on his inscrutable mask, but I could see past it, and he was busted. "What are you doing here," I asked Ava fishing for information.

"Jacob and I are going to a charity gala tonight, and we agreed to meet up today and he's going to coordinate his tux with my dress."

With a chillingly tight smile I look towards Jacob, "Well then. I better be going, I have school, thank you for letting me stay the night, I believe I'll see you again at your family's Christmas." I nod towards Ava and make for the elevator.

"Emma, where the fuck do you think your going," he says angrily. He grabs my wrist spins me towards him.

"Let me go," I say matching his tone. His arm doesn't budge as I try to pull away.

"The hell your going anywhere. What the hell is your problem!"

I'm aware and uncomfortable that Ava was still here, so deciding on a common language we both know I yell in French, "You wanna fuck around? Fine, but I will not be your 'girlfriend' when you do. I will never be your girlfriend!"

Replying in the same dialect he says, "You are driving me crazy! I made plans with her, AS FRIENDS, to go to a gala, TWO WEEKS AGO, when we hadn't even, you know," he gestures to us, "I don't want to fuck her, in fact you are making me so angry, I want to take you over my knee, tie you up and ram my dick into you until you can't walk." My breath leaves me in a blow, obviously I was aware he was very sexually active, but what surprised me was my initial desire to do the things that he said. Converting back to English he turns to Ava and says, "I'm so sorry to do this two you Ava, but I won't be able to make the event tonight, Peter is downstairs and can take you home." I look over to Ava, concealing a smile, while Jacob ignored the clear hurt in her face, I very much noticed the spite she shot me.

"It's completely fine," she says in her warm milky voice. Being nearly as tall as Jacob, she leans forward and lays a kiss on his cheek, which he neither reciprocates or turns away from. This received a large eye roll from me and I again made towards the elevator, but he again catches me by the wrist. When Ava steps into the elevator, and once again the brass doors conceal our privacy, he spins me "Mi amor," he whispers, "you were right, you are wildly jealous, and it has made be incredibly hard."

"Well that's your problem," my voice is small and wavering, tear drops forming in the corners of my eyes.

"Don't," he breathed, pulling back to cradle my jaw. He looked into my eyes. "It shreds me when you cry."

I caught the waistband of his sweats and tugged, even though I couldn't budge him. "I'm crying because I'm happy." I smile at him and rub the tip of his nose against mine. After several moments go by, I whisper to him, "I do still have to get to school."

"Ahhgrrr," he growls.

Tilting my head back, he pressed my lips gently to his, "Why am I so addicted to to you? Give me 5 minutes."

"What!" I ask exasperated. Without another word, he dives towards me, picking me up and I wrap my legs on his torso for balance. "Baby!" I shriek and laugh.

He takes me over to the couch, leaning on one arm, the biceps thick and beautifully defined, he squeezed my breast in his one hand lowers his head in between my legs. "Jacob," I whimper.

He removes his head from between my legs and he whispers, "Call me baby, babe whatever. It makes me so hard for you." My belly quivered at the rasp in his voice, and it still awes me how openly he can say these things. Jacob had me under siege, seducing me with his stunning male perfection and intimate expertise with my body. And I was surrendering.

My sex was wet with anticipation, and I couldn't breath from the pleasure. He tongued my cleft both aggressively and passionately. His tongue pushed on my entrance, and his mouth began to do despicable things to me. He swept over me like a fever. His thumb pressed to my clit, skilfully massaging me inside and out. Shamelessly, I began to ride his face, pushing myself into him, and increasing the maddening pleasure. "Please don't stop," I moan.

"I couldn't even if I tried," he mumbled against my now soaking sex. The vibrations of his voice sending shockwaves like chills up and down my body.

"You are literally the only guy who can make me angry and horny at the same time."

"I wish I could control myself when I'm around you, but my dick throbs, every time you speak, look at me, hell even when I think about you I get hard." It thrills me how easy it is for him to manipulate my pelvic movements from this position and it stirs an unfamiliar hunger inside me. He usually likes to watch me react to his ministrations but now his eyes are closed and rapture is what I read on his face. Instead, his face contorts with pleasure as he devours me, and the penetration of his smooth tongue propels me deeper into his control. When he hits a spot that makes me squirm and whimper with pleasure, I place my hands in his hair and pull possessively on the tendrils, and I use it to much myself harder onto his unforgiving tongue.

"No stop, I can't take it anymore," I gasped, but he only pushed harder. My core began to clench, my haring faded slightly and white sparkles blurred the corners of my vision. Before I knew it, waves of roaring pleasure rolled through me, and my entire body went stiff and then numb. Jacob flopped down next to me, and I curled into his side and he stroked my head.

Jacob had asked Roger to pick me up some clothes, as due to our activities from this morning, I wasn't going to make it back to the dorms. He ended up getting an outfit that was defiantly styled together by professional, and exceedingly expensive, the jacket alone would have costed more than than what an average person makes in months of work. The outfit was a dior three piece number, that was beige coloured and matched with a pair of louboutin shoes. Jacob insisted that he drives with me back to school, of course, he wasn't the one driving, but nevertheless he was with me. The urban jungle around me still amazed me, as it promised both adventure and discovery. The entire journey he held my hand and rubbed the back of it it with the pad of his thumb, while he focused hard on whatever he was reading on his laptop. "Hey Peter?" I release Jacobs hand and lean forward to the driver that I have known for many years, "Could you please drop me off at the carpark three blocks from school?" He looks into the rearview mirror as if to confirm with Jacob, and agrees after receiving confirmation from his boss. This patriarchal display of double standards pissed me off, so, I decide to play with Jacob a little. I slowly close the laptop, so that his scorching gaze is on me. I undo my seat belt and straddle his lap. He places his hands steadily on my hips, and I bring my mouth close enough to his so that he can feel my breath on his skin. "Baby," I coo. The car stops and Roger gets out. We are now in the open carpark, despite the tinted windows, we were vulnerable to the outside world.

I lean back, and a look of confusion by my withdrawal fall over his face, "Ahh, Kiss?" he says more of a command than a question. I give him an air kiss and open the door. There weren't many cars in here, and unfortunately the rolls royce which we drove in, stood out like a sore thumb. Pedestrians had started to slow 10 meters away, as they walked past, and I quickly shut the door and got off Jacob's lap. "Mi amor?" he slide over to me and cups my face.

"Oh My God," I mumble and start to panic, "We can't do this, I can't do this."

"Emma, What are you saying?" he asks concerned.

"It would never just be you and me," I speak up and look at him, "I keep telling myself that this is normal and that it could go somewhere, but we are never going to fully be comfortable in this relationship-"

"Comfortable is boring," he interjects.

"Yeah, it is, but it's better than fake. We would always be fake, people can never know we're together, and if they do find out, then it would unintentionally be everybody business, people would hate me for being with you, hate you for being with me, Becky would never forgive me and we would never get any privacy. Hell, you don't get any privacy if your just running in the park with your shirt off. I can't do that, I can't be like you!" I start to hyperventilate.

"No. Jesus." He scrubbed at his face. "I promise it won't be like that with us."

"I need air. And space," I get out of the car and begin to walk towards the direction of the school, when I hear the other door shut and Jacob yelling for me to come back, I increase my speed and eventually run.

But of course, he catches up to me, and spins me to face him. He glanced at me with cold eyes. "Don't be catty. It doesn't suit you."

"Screw you."

"Is that a promise?" he seethes.

"Let me go, people will see" I whimper and pull the shades that rested atop of his head, onto his eyes.

"So what," he exasperated, "so what if people see us together! I doesn't matter."

"Everything matters! Your not giving me time to think." A silence draws over both of us, and I sigh. "This is to much drama. It has been less than 12 hours and I am exhausted."

Taking on a softer tone he says, "You can't end it...please. We haven't even started."

"That's exactly my point. We have tried a relationship for not even a day, and I have been bombarded with drama that far exceeds what I can handle. I'm not asking to break up yet. I need to re-evaluate everything."

"Damn it. Do you think I want to micromanage you? I don't. I want to be with you and I want you to want to be with me."

"I get it," I try and console him.

"I don't think you do. This"—he gestured impatiently at himself—"is just a fucking shell. You're what drives me, Emma. Please, can you you please just try and understand that? I'm not asking for you to love me-"

"Thats the bloody problem! I am falling in love with you. Me asking for space is goddamned self-preservation! I know how you are. This," I gesture to the space between us, "will last until you get board. Then you will find someone prettier, funnier, smarter, whatever, someone better than me, and I'll be heart broken. Until two days ago, I hadn't even had my first kiss, and now I'm in a relationship. I can't handle change, I can't handle any of this." I place my head into my hands and sob.

"Damn it," he growls and pulls me into his chest. "I know this has gone fast. Don't be scared to fall in-love with me, I'll catch you, God knows I already love you. I have never felt the way I feel about you with anyone else. Plus, your acting like we fell in-love two days ago. I didn't realise it, but I've been falling in love with you for a while."

I look up at him, and nuzzle my nose into his throat. We stay like this for a while until I mumble, "I missed my class."

"Thats, what you're thinking about right now," he muses.

"I think I'm going to drop one or two, now that I've got my internship and everything."

"Your an enigma Emma," he laughs.

I surged into him, knocking him off-balance. I kissed him hard, my heart pounding and blood roaring in my ears. God I prey that this works out, becuase I am undeniably falling for him. When we separate I notice in the corner of my eye a flash. Someone has taken a photo. My worst fear has come about, and I can tell Jacob is concerned for me. He signals Peter to go over to the woman. "Hey, Hey, Baby," he says, and holds my face, "it's ok, I'll fix that." I nod, and he gives me a hug where he practically holds me up, my legs weak and numb.

"I hate to freak you out," I muttered in our embrace, "but you've got it real bad for me."

"Don't I know it," he said in a mocking annoyance tone.

"Bye," I coaxed.

"Bye," he replied, reluctantly letting me go.

--

When I arrive to school, I head back to the dorms. Oddly, the dorms now feel foreign and strange. When I get back to my room, I look into dropping down to three classes, as the internship could be considered extra credit and potentially can be seen as a substitution fourth class, so, I can still be considered a full-time student. Finally, I drop to English, Business and Political science. Just as I had finished changing into a pair of jeans and scoop-neck white T-shirt, Spencer texts me. 'Hey, I was supposed to be watching my niece and nephew today but my class got re-scheduled. Pleaaaaaase can you watch them?' I think for a moment, I really wanted this time to work on my assignments. Eventually I give in, 'Yeah sure. What do you want me to do with them?' He reply's almost immediately, 'Whatever you want for five hours.' Five hours! I think to myself.

About 20 minutes later, I meet Spencer at the park just around the corner from the school. "Hey! You're an absolute life saver," he praises.

"Ahh, It's no problem."

He calls over two young children from the playground. The girl had short brown hair that was tied into plats on her shoulders, and wore a white t-shirt with a pair of denim overalls. The boy on the other hand, looked much more like Spencer, and wore a green T-shirt with a dinosaur and cute little brown cargo shorts. "Emma, this is Tabatha, she's 5-"

"And a half," the little girl interjects.

Spencer chuckles and says, "Of course. And this is Rafe he's 7."

"And I don't need a babysitter," he mumbles and rolls his eyes.

"Well that's perfect!" I chirp, "Because I'm not your babysitter."

"You're no," he questions.

"Nope. I'm actually... No I can't tell you."

"What!" they say unison.

"Fine. I'll tell you. But you aren't allowed to tell anyone else." They nod eagerly. "I'm actually a secret agent, sent on a mission to find the next generation of secret agents. You're on the list."

They both gasp and grin widely towards each other. "Thanks Em," Spencer reiterates and runs off.

"Have you guys had lunch yet?"

The restaurant was full. I looked around at the busy tables. An old couple eating side by side, one glass of wine each, studiously bent over their meals. A group of teenagers, both men and women collapsing in a helpless laughing fit, and a stern woman dining alone nearby looked on and frowned. Businessmen in their grey suits lighting up what I assume are cigarets, tourists, trying to decipher the menu. A family and their adolescent children.

The noise level was high. There was a salivating smell, that flooded the restaurant and the noses of people who were in it. We sit down at an empty table to the back left. While Rafe pretends to read the menu, Tabitha just sits there. "Do you want anything Tabitha?" I ask.

"Yes please," her response is drowned out by the noise of other customers.

"Alright," I look to the menu and I ask, "How does pasta sound?" She smiles widely, as does her brother.I order pasta and water for them, Rafe starts recalling events from his school and the interview his parents had with his teacher. From what I deducted, his parents were young, not together, and I assume, it has something to do with their financial and social differences. His mother was a microbiologist, who's currently in a quarantine, and his father is a teacher. With the help of google, the mother's side, also Spencers, came from old money. Going back to an energy company established just under 100 years ago. Once their food arrives, Tabitha becomes more talkative, and the crowd around us dies down quickly, until there is no more than 10 people in the restaurant.

However, Tabitha is interrupted by a women who turns around and says to me, "Hi, excuse me, excuse me. How do you know these children?"

"I'm their babysitter." I answer confused.

"No she's not, she's... Oh wait she told me I can't tell anyone who she is." Tabitha says and giggles.

Shit. I saw where this was now going. "Yes I am." I say and start to panic.

She turns to the kids and says, "Does your mommy know that your with this woman?"

"No," Rafe said trying to help.

I quickly follow up, "Their mom doesn't but their uncle does. But I really don't see how any of this is your concern."

She pulls out her cellphone, "I'm going to take a picture of you with these kids, so that I have a record of this."

"Are you serious right now?"

"Sorry. But this just seems like a very odd situation." she attempts to justify.

"I just feel that someone who looks like you shouldn't be looking after kids who looks just like them."

"Are you kidding me! Does it look like their being harmed? Does it look like they don't know me? I'm black, so what. This is terrible."

Clearly the waitress caught part of this conversation, so she goes up to the women and says, "We have a zero racism policy in this restaurant. I'm going to have to ask you to pay your bill and leave."

She huffs, "Why, becuase I'm protecting two innocent children? I want to speak with your manager."

"That's fine," the waitress signal over a woman from behind the counter.

"Hello," the woman says, "Is there a problem here?"

"Yes there is a problem, I'm being kicked out for being a decent citizen."

The manager raises her voice and says, "From what I heard, you were profiling this young woman here, and I have no room for racists in my restaurant."

The lady rolls her eyes and says, "Unbelievable." She removes 20 from her purse, slams it down on the table and storms off.

The manager turns to me and says, "I extremely apologise for her behaviour."

"It's no problem," I assure her.

"Please, your meal is on the house," she sighs, and both her and the waitress excuse themselves. Luckily, the kids seem to have been oblivious to what just happened, and so after sitting through the rest of their conversation and the awkward vibes which flooded the room, we left. Just as we re-enter the busy streets of New York Jacob calls me.

"What?" I answer annoyed. Tabitha is pulling on my hand towards the direction of the ice-cream vendor and her brother is dangerously close to traffic.

"Are you ok?" he asks concerned.

"Why wouldn't I be? Did you call for a reason or not?" He says something inaudible to a person in the background, so I say, "Fine, don't waste my time," and hang up the phone. He tries calling back, but I just silence my phone and put it into my pocket. I notice Rafe stumbled from the curb onto the road, and watch in horror as a cab comes rocketing in his direction. Releasing Tabitha's hand, I run onto the road, pull Rafe back onto the safety of the sidewalk, and feel the hard impact of the bumper on my skin. The world spun in a blur of flashing red and white lights. The hiss of tyres screeching on the smooth tarmac, indicating to the hard engagement of car breaks. I am fleetingly aware of the bloody taste in my mouth, like metal and salt. My eyelids fluttered and I thought I must be at home in bed because it was so dark. Then came the cold, and blurry sounds? Screaming and yelling and crying. Then there was silence. And then there was nothing.