Annabeth's POV

Sugar? No sugar?

I couldn't remember if Nico took it with his coffee. He would never dare ask me to bring him coffee. We had just hired a new inter, Tracy Alexander, who made all the morning caffeine runs. But, after running all over London for a series of quick face-to-face meetings with investors this morning, I was desperate for an early afternoon dose of espresso. And being the kind-hearted employee that I was, I thought Nico could use one, too.

I made my way through the Jackson Hotel Group's main offices and towards Nico's door, carrying a steaming latte in each hand. I knocked with my elbow, and after a moment, the door opened. But it wasn't Nico standing in front of me. Instead, it was a pretty brunette woman with a swollen, pregnant belly.

"You must be Reyna!" I said. "Nico talks a lot about you."

"Well, he better," she laughed. "I'm having this little one with him."

Nico made his way over to us. "Yes! This is my fiancée. See? I didn't make her up." He chuckled, and gave me a wink. "And Reyna, this is Annabeth. My MVP!"

His eyes scanned the coffee in my hands. "Are you trying to butter me up? Did you fuck up an investor meeting?"

"Of course not," I said, reddening. Though, I am thinking about doing some other fucking. "What's the occasion?" I asked, motioning to the fact Reyna was here. And trying to change the topic.

"Rey came to surprise me for a lunch date," Nico explained, reaching for a latte. "Sugar?"

"Yes," I exhaled, impressed I got it right.

"After the hour of online baby furniture shopping the light of my life just put me through, damn, do I need a break," Nico said, sounding exhausted.

Reyna shot him a look. "Because baby shopping is by far the hardest part of this," she said, rolling her eyes. I laughed, enjoying her sense of humor.

"You should join us for lunch!" Reyna suggested. "I heard about everything you did for the company. We should celebrate!"

I looked at Nico for approval who quickly replied with, "Yeah! You should join us!"

"We can try that little eatery a few blocks down," Reyna said. "Are you in?" Reyna beamed at me. I could tell it was genuine. They wanted to include me, which I found rather surprising.

But hey, if your boss invited you to a fancy lunch with his pregnant wife, you accept.

"I'm in!" I replied, smiling back at them. "That sounds nice."

"Okay ladies, after you then," Nico gestured for the door.

As we walked out of the building and into the afternoon sun, I was feeling at ease, excited to get away from the office. It lessened an opportunity for a potentially awkward run-in-with—

Percy!

As if emerging from the corners of my mind, Percy climbed out of a limo that had approached the curb seconds before. My heart jumped into my throat. I wasn't sure if I was ready to handle being around Nico and Percy at the same time. I could feel myself blush as he approached us. I hoped nobody noticed.

"Nico! Reyna!" Percy embraced them both warmly, before nodding in my direction. " ."

"Mr. Jackson." I nodded back.

"Shouldn't you be in the office doing my job?" Percy said with a smirk.

I didn't have time to respond before Nico cut in. "We're taking Annabeth to lunch. A little celebration of her excellent crisis-management skills."

"Great! Where are we going?"

Oh, no…

"Don't worry, . I understand if you're too busy to join us." I said, in a tone that tried to convey what I really meant: please, please, please tell them you're too busy to join.

"I'm not busy. I'm hungry! Let's go."

And so, we set off on the world's most complicated double date.

Reyna's POV

The sounds of clinking glasses, forks and knives against plates, and light-hearted conversation filled the room. One of the perks of being with a Jackson brother was that we always got seated immediately, no matter how crowded the restaurant. We all crawled into a booth, the boys on one side, and Annabeth and me on the other. I was excited to sit next to Annabeth, as I had developed a new interest since we ran into Percy outside the office building. I couldn't help but notice, when he appeared out of the limo, Annabeth's relaxed composure changed drastically. I was sure I even saw her blushing.

Is something happening between these two?

After we placed out orders, I started to ask questions, secretly hoping my suspicions were right. Percy had such a tough year. He deserved a little fun.

"So, how was Tuscany?" I asked Annabeth, who quickly snapped her eyes down to the menu she no longer needed.

"Tuscany was marvelous." Percy answered for her, looking between us. "Annabeth and I had a good time."

I'm sure you did.

"Oh, yeah?" I asked, nudging Annabeth with my elbow.

"Yep. The food was great," she said.

I looked up at my fiancée to see if he was catching on, but he was mid-bite of a slice of warm bread the waiter had brought in a basket for the table.

Completely oblivious.

"Sounds nice, doesn't it Nico?" I asked, trying to get his attention.

"Personally, I thought these two may rip each other's heads off out there. I'm just glad they made it back in one piece," Nico laughed.

"She nearly did take my head off," Percy said flatly.

Innuendo?

I looked at Annabeth, who was redder than the Argentine wine she was nervously sipping.

"You two fought?" Nico asked, still half-chewing.

"Very much so," Percy confirmed.

Nico chuckled and pushed the bread basket away, making room for the entrees that were arriving. "Annabeth is good at what she does. She'll grow on you eventually."

"I do hope so," Annabeth finally replied, in a forced tone.

Yep. Something is up.

And I was going to find out what it was.

When everyone was nearly done with their food, I had an idea. "Why don't you leave me your black card and head back to the office with your brother, baby?" I suggested, turning to Nico. "Give Annabeth and me a little girl-time before she goes back to work."

"I'd like that," Annabeth added, far too quickly.

"Works for me. I should get back anyways," Nico said, pulling out his wallet. "Let's give the ladies some time, Percy."

I took the card from Nico's hands and watched Percy closely as he stood up, fixed his jacket, and sent a discreet wink in Annabeth's direction.

"See you both later." Nico kissed my cheek, and with that, the two brothers left the eatery. I waited until I could no longer see them before turning to Annabeth.

"So," I said, wasting no time, my inner gossip from uni rearing its head. "What's going on between you and Percy?"

Annabeth's POV

WHAT?

Did I hear Reyna correctly? How did she know? Did Percy say something to Nico after I explicitly asked him not to?

"Sorry," Reyna replied, realizing I was getting flustered. "It just seemed like you got a little uncomfortable around him, so I thought maybe something happened between you two."

"Oh…" I finally regained the ability to speak. "No, nothing is happening. Nothing happened."

I feel terrible for lying to her. She had been so nice and welcoming to me. But I wasn't ready for anyone to find out.

"It's just, Nico keeps making me shadow him so I can take over his job," I continued, trying to create a realistic excuse for my behavior during lunch. "And Percy doesn't like a babysitter."

"Yeah, that must be hard for him. Both of the Jackson boys love control. But I think Percy needs it."

"Is that right?" I said. I was never very good at acting, but I was hoping she couldn't tell.

"I mean, his ex-wife was clearly twisting the truth in the media reports, but the BDSM stuff is true. Nico told me Percy and Red were pretty freaky." She gave me a sly smile, like she was trying to pull a reaction out of me.

Poker face, Annabeth!

"Really?" was my only reply.

"Mhm. He's a good man though. And a good dad. You should get to know him more. I actually think you two would make a good match."

I shifted in my seat, trying not to betray that it made me really happy to hear her say that. "What makes you say that?" I asked in my most casual tone.

"Nico says he goes for no-nonsense women. Have you ever met Red?"

"No. I haven't. He's mentioned her a few times."

"She's definitely that type. And so are you."

My joy was quickly soured into anger, or jealousy, or both.

"Not in a bad way," Reyna said. I swear, this woman should have been a detective. It was like she could sense even the slightest change in my mood. "You're just strong-willed. You have to be if you work for Nico." she added with a laugh.

"I guess you're right," I replied. "Nothing is going on though, honestly. It's strictly professional."

"I know, girl, just an idea," she said, waving over the waiter.

I think I convinced her.

I booked it toward my office, excited to be alone again and out from under Reyna's scrutiny.

SHIT!

That was far too close. My mind was racing. Why did he have to show up at lunch? Did this man have a GPS tracking my every move? I exited the elevator and headed down the hall. How could Reyna sense I was a good fit for Percy? We'd only just met!

Is it really that obvious?

I flung my office door open and took two steps inside before a pair of strong hands grabbed my waist.

Percy.

He kicked the door shut behind me as I tried to get my bearings.

"Welcome back, mio piccolo topo," he growled. "That lunch was torture for me. I just wanted to sit next to you. To touch you again."

I was so nervous the whole meal, my racing mind left little room for dirty thoughts. But pressed up against his body, his hands gripping my waist, I was eager to continue what we had started on our last night in Italy. He hoisted me up onto my desk, and I wrapped my legs firmly around his hips. I was just feeling his hardness begin to grow when I felt a different unwelcome sensation: my cell phone buzzing.

"Hold on," I said, fishing it out of my pocket.

Malcolm: Annabeth, come to the hospital on 4th street. NOW.

Malcolm: Something happened with Mom.

Malcolm: An incident at the facility. Dad's here too. It's not good.

Malcolm: Hurry.

"Annie," Percy whispered, full of sympathy. But then, his grasp on me hardened. He wasn't comforting me anymore; he was holding me upright. He guided me to the door and I let him.

"I'll call the car," he said, and this time, I had no qualms with him taking control.