My dear little broccolis💚💚💚

💚 Give Me The Daddy, I'll Give You The Sugar 💚

"The best investment I ever made, was when I lost fifty million dollars and met the love of my life as a result of that."

‼️Rated M - {Out Of Characters/All Human/Alternate Universe}‼️

‼️Romance/Angst/Drama/Lemons‼️

‼️Clace/The Waylands/OGs/Magnus Bane/‼️

💚 READ & REVIEW, DON'T BE A SILENT READER 💚

Chapter 2: Treats & Red Wine(5,9K)

Jace remained by the country during Clary's whole shift, working on his laptop, and leaving the Idris a couple of times to make phone calls. They barely talked, not that Clary minded, she liked that she was able to focus on her work, even though she was curious about what Jace wanted out of her. A part of her, the one down to Earth and used to life, was telling her that it was pretty obvious what he wanted, but the part of her who had learnt to know a bit more about the man over the past few months, felt that Jace would be confident enough to tell her straight away if he wanted her in his bed.

More than once, Magnus had tried to pull her out of the bar, so he could ask her about the golden-eyed man relocation, not used to see him by the counter. If anything, it was obvious that Jace was used to be waited on, and he usually sat by his table, working and barely aware of the waiting staff. Unless it was Clary, according to Magnus.

But she had managed to skilfully avoid her boss, not wanting another lecture from him. After all, why shouldn't she enjoy a nice piece of cake when life thrust it her way. Especially since that particular cake seemed to be more than well proportionated in certain areas. After all, she had enjoyed more than once seeing him in a towel, and towels did very little to hide the important things.

When her shift was over, Jace escorted her outside, keeping a reasonable and friendly distance with her, and once in the streets, he opened the door of a rather expensive looking car. She knew it wasn't his because he had told her on more than one occasion that he only used cabs in New York since he hated driving in this city. She looked at the car, feeling that it was much too expensive to be an Uber and therefore assuming that it was probably a private chauffeur, and she glanced at the driver who had his eyes in front of him, waiting for them to get in.

She narrowed her eyes, her throat slightly tightening with an ounce of panic and she said as lightly as she could,

"You know, we could walk. It's not snowing anymore. I don't mind walking."

"Well, I do. We're going to a different part of town, and as much as I like your company, I don't want to be hassled in the streets whilst I'm with you. Get in the car."

She nervously bit her lower lip, not finding anything to retort to that. After all, Jace fucking Wayland was worldwide famous for being one of the rare few to become a self-made billionaire before he was even thirty. And ever since, his fortune only ever grew. Even when he lost fifty million dollars deals.

She made a tiny step closer to the car, still feeling uncomfortable going in the car of a man that she didn't know that well. After all, so many of the crime stories she liked to listen to whilst showering or cooking started like that. Every girl now knew better than to get in a stranger's car. Ted Bundy would have no chance nowadays. Or she liked to think so.

"Where did you say we were going? I don't recall," She said, pretending to be naive, when in fact she was just making sure that she would see the next day.

"You don't recall, because I never told you where I was taking you."

"And yet, you want me to go in a car with you?"

Her voice showed much more panic than she had ever wanted to admit to Jace, but it earned a chuckle from his part, as he pointed out a fair point,

"If I wanted to kidnap you, Clary, I would have done so long ago, and no one would have ever known about it. Trust me."

"And that's supposed to reassure me?" She retorted, taking a step back, no longer caring on putting on a brave face in front of him, anymore. He had just admitted that he could kill her and get away with it. Sure, she was paraphrasing, but it wasn't far of.

"What happened to that sassy girl with a smart mouth I met four months ago?"

"Well, she happens to like the idea of living!"

He smirked, forgoing the car's door for a moment, only to lean and whisper in her ear, "I happen to also like the idea of her living." Then, he put a more reasonable distance between their faces as he added, his golden eyes looking behind her, back at the Idris

"Don't worry, if I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't take you out for all to see. I mean, I am sure that your friends over there would be more than happy to attest that I was the last person seen with you if you were to ever disappear tonight."

Clary glanced back, seeing that Magnus and Mary were blatantly staring at them. And whilst Magnus looked slightly worried, his brown brows furrowed, Mary was all smiles, winking at the brunette with a wide playful grin.

"So, how did you meet Jace Wayland?" Ann asked as Clary brought her and her friend their usual drinks.

Before she could even think of stopping herself, she glanced in Jace's direction who was working on his laptop, his brows strongly knotted before he bluntly got up, taking his phone out of his pocket and walking toward the backdoor where customers went to go smoking.

She wasn't surprised that her couple of old ladies knew who Jace was, after all, the whole wide world knew who Jace Wayland was. And Clary was pretty sure that the two grannies kept informed well enough to know who were the big moguls and tycoons of nowadays.

"Working. How else? I told you, girls, I don't have time for myself, let alone to meet people outside of work."

"Oh, so it's a torrid affair that started in scandal," Mary winked, making her friendly grin. Clary rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she informed the two older women,

"There is no torrid affair. He's just a nice customer, just like yourselves. I don't see you trying to get me in either of your bed."

"Oh, sweetheart, we know when a cause is lost. We're too old for you. Maybe a couple of decades ago, we could have seduced you," Mary said, and once again, Clary shook her head.

She loved how the two ladies never failed to have a comeback, and more often than not, a come back that would make any decent person blush. Luckily for her, Clary was not a decent person. After all, no decent person in their right state of mind wanted to become a lawyer.

"But in all seriousness, Clary, if, when I was younger and a guy looked at me the way this guy looks at you, I would have brought him home and cooked him breakfast long ago. Don't tease the man for too long and give him some sugar."

As her eyes met with Magnus, her friend made a subtle move, silently asking her if she wanted him to come to her rescue, and she shook her head. After all, she had agreed to go out with him, even though she had assumed he would take her to his penthouse suite, back at the Alicante.

Magnus nodded, not without making sure to make a very obvious 'call me' motion, making it obvious to both Clary and Jace that he was expecting news from her, and that, as Jace said earlier, he would not hesitate on telling the police all he knew about Jace whisking Clary away for the evening.

And this was exactly what Jace commented on, "Your friend seems to think that I am up to no good."

"Well, in his defence, all men are. He's a man, and he knows how your species thinks."

That small snide comment ripped a pure genuine laugh from Jace, and though she knew she shouldn't base her decisions on a sparse moment like that, it was that simple laugh that convinced Clary to stop being paranoid, and simply get in the car. Jace followed her, still slightly shaking with laughter before he told the chauffeur to drive away.

Clary still had no idea of where he was taking her, and when Jace's phone rang, she checked on her own phone, blocking out his conversation. She saw that Magnus had sent her a text that made her fondly smile.

Have fun. Don't forget, I'm just a phone call away. Magnus

I know. You're the best. I will text you as soon as I know where I am going. Clary

And Clary, if you do get him in bed, I want all the dirty details. My nights have been lonely lately, give me something to dream about. Magnus

Clary shook her head, shoving her phone back in her back pocket, a small smile creeping on her lips. As much as he liked to pretend that he didn't want her to have sex with Jace, Magnus was still writing their so-called love story as time passed. Even though his version was much more worthy of a telenovela than of real life.

Jace was still on the phone, talking in what Clary assumed to be Chinese, and she observed him from the corner of her eyes. He looked as handsome as usual but then again, when hasn't he looked handsome? But there was something a tad more different about him. He still wore one of his ridiculously expensive suits, still had his dishevelled hair, still had this strong aura around him that commanded respect, but something was not like the other days.

And finally, she pinpointed it, he had a slight stubble. She had never seen Jace with anything but a clean-shaven face. Even when she caught him out of the shower, his face was always as smooth as a baby's butt. But today, his five o'clock was there, shadowing his face, and she was inching for nothing more than to run her fingers on his strong jaw and feel the pleasant bite of his tiny hair beneath her palm.

Swallowing, she looked through the window, still debating if she should put out or not. After all, Jace was a really attractive man, and he made it clear very earlier on that he would like to have a piece of her cake. And though she didn't miss sex per se, she was sure that he would give her a night to remember. But on the other hand, that would mean that she would have to give up their nice conversations afterwards as they would each go on their merry lives.

She started to wonder if the past four months had just been a game for Jace, that she had made interesting by not putting out straight away. Maybe she was just a challenge. A challenge that he was obviously about to conquer since she doubted that she would refuse to jump in his bed.

The car pulled over in front of the Masa barely a few seconds after Jace finished his phone conversation, and Clary congratulated herself for being dressed somewhat appropriately. Though she had never been to that place (for obvious reasons), she knew that the Masa had a waiting list long like her arm and that the food was known to be exquisite and expensive.

As Jace put his hand on her lower back and walked them to the restaurant, she did not comment on the fact that he had managed to get them a table there, or that he even thought that this was appropriate to bring a girl he barely knew in such a restaurant. This was a place for someone to propose, not for someone to bring their casual hookups. Or, in her world it was. It Jace Wayland's world, this was probably the standards.

As soon as they got in, the waiter smiled at them and walked them to a private room, but still, Clary felt a bit conscious about her outfit. She was wearing black skinny jeans with a white blouse and ankle boots heels. She could pretend that she was part of their game if she just held her head high, and her shoulders square.

As the waiter opened the door of their private room, Jace dismissed him and pulled a chair for Clary to sit, whispering to her ear as she sat, "Welcome to Japan."

She smiled, though it was a bit forced. She wasn't used to so much attention or even efforts. When she had been with Henry, he had always been the one who wanted to go out for food, but it always fell on her shoulders to find out where they should eat and pay at the end of the meal. But of course, that was expected, she had been the one working, and he had been the one 'struggling' to find a job.

As Jace opened the drinks menu, Clary looked on the table for the food menu, but when it appeared obvious that there were none, Jace told her,

"I took the liberty to ask for Chef Masa's special. Just so you can have a real taste of Japan."

There was a bite on her tongue about how feminism commanded her to protest, but it's not what came out, "So, is this how you woo women, Wayland? You give them a fine wine and dine so they give you a fine time?

Jace didn't even look up his menu, assuring her, "Trust me, Clary, if I were to woo you, this would feel like a McDonald's to you."

She laughed because this was such a 50MIL answer. Often over the past couple of months during their frequent conversations, Jace would say something over the top like that. Just like the time he gave her that Cartier bracelet as an over-exaggerated tip, or the many times he talked about his private jet, even though he didn't use it all the time, or even the time he told her he went to Honk Hong, just for the pleasure of yelling in person at someone.

"I was thinking of a nice bottle of Petrus. You like red wine, don't you?"

"I do, but I have school tomorrow. So just a glass if you please."

It was true that she loved red wine, and she wasn't surprised that Jace had picked up on that. Even though he always alternated his drinks, often letting her chose for him, she always stuck to her one glass of red wine when they talked together.

After the waiter came and took their drink order, the two of them stared at one another, Clary doing her best to be more classy than she usually was, and not blurt everything going through her mind. She watched as Jace's eyes often went to the bun on her head, and for a moment, she wondered if she should have let her hair loose. But she thought that, if the restaurant had judged her attire inappropriate, they would have found a way to notify her.

She had noticed that Jace liked to look at her hair, but she never lingered on it. She hadn't let her hair loose in over a decade, and she was so used to have her hair tied up, that she was sure she would feel weird otherwise.

"No phone, tonight?" She remarked, glancing at the empty space by his right hand.

More than once, during their little encounters, he had had to take a phone call or to answer an email whilst talking to her. Clary didn't mind, because she knew this was who he was. He didn't do it to spite her or disrespect her, he did it because he was running a multi-billion dollars company. She was even surprised he had spare time to spend with her, to begin with.

"No. I want all my focus on you, tonight."

"Well, that was not ominous at all," She joked, though she was quick to add, "But deeply appreciated. Just give me a minute to do the same."

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and quickly typed in a text to let Magnus know of where she was and that she would call him in the morning on her way to school. Then, she slipped her phone back in her pocket, not waiting to read all about Magnus squealing about Jace's choice of restaurant.

The waiter brought them their glasses of wine, and once they are once again alone, Jace asked, "I have a question. You mentioned a while back that we didn't play in the same league. Now, I wonder why that is."

Clary couldn't help but snort, repressing herself from rolling her eyes as she pointed out the obvious, "Don't be thick, Jace. You're you, and I'm ... me."

"So ... it's just an issue of social status," He insisted, and this time, she couldn't help but roll her eyes.

Just an issue of social status. Didn't he live in the same world as her? Wasn't he aware that social status was everything in their world, and especially in their country? Living in an ivory tower didn't mean being that ignorant. But then, something in the way he asked the question made her feel that, maybe, he had interpreted her world differently back then.

"Wait. What did you think it was?"

"I thought that we were literarily not in the same league. Or perhaps, you could say that we were in the same league, hunting the same kind of prey."

She burst in laughter, so glad that they were in a private room and that she was not making a fool out of herself.

"I live with my time, Clarissa," He defended himself, obviously not liking being laughed out. Clary regained her calm, and seriously told him,

"It is true that girls are much more attractive than guys. They have this ... appeal that is so much more interesting. And in an objective point-of-view, they are more beautiful than men in general. That's why museums are filled with all shaped women in paintings and sculptures, but just only one shaped kind of man, the muscular one."

Jace rose an eyebrow, clearly not seeing why she was talking about pieces of arts when he basically asked her if she was gay. So she let him out of his misery, and told him,

"Though I dabbled that way for a while, I realised that girls were missing something crucial that I really like. I'm sorry to kill your fantasy, but I won't go back that way. If you want two girls in your bed, doing all the hard work and giving you all sorts of pleasures, you'll have to seek elsewhere. Now if it were two men ..."

She mostly said that to rebuff him, because though men were always excited at the idea of being with two girls, they always chickened out at the thought of another man in the mix. However, Jace's face slightly darkened as his features hardened and he told her,

"In case you haven't picked up, I can be quite a selfish man, Clarissa. I don't like sharing, especially when it comes to the woman I have in my bed."

It was twice in a row he was calling her by her full name, and so she understood that she had hit a sensible cord. But this wasn't the reason why she looked down, mindlessly sipping on her wine. He had just said it. He wanted her in his bed. This dinner was just a way for him to make sure she would loosen up and follow him back to Alicante.

The waiter brought them their food, and she waited for him to say something, but when he didn't, his eyes still on her as he started eating, she looked back up, and bluntly said, "So, you did bring me here so you could take me to Alicante later and get me in your bed..."

"No. I brought you here because I have a business proposition for you."

She dropped her chopsticks, looking at him with shock. Who did he think he was? Who did he think she was?! There was a huge difference between having a hookup because it felt good, and getting paid for it. She wasn't that desperate for money!

"Excuse me?" She asked, hoping that she might read too much into this. Jace shook his head, understanding the double meaning of his words and quickly said,

"That came out wrong."

"No shit."

"Let me rephrase it ... We both agreed that neither of us has the time for a traditional relationship. I know that you said you wanted to focus on your studies, and I can only push you to pursue your dreams. But for myself ... you have to understand, my business is my first, second and third love.

It brought me lots of sorrows, lots of tears and sweat, but it also brought me the comfort I wanted in life. I know very few people believe me, but I am happy with my life as it is. I like working, and I love doing what I do. And I love even more the lifestyle I now have. Bluntly speaking, as you know, I need for nothing."

Clary did not say a thing, as Jace basically told her what she already knew. It was obvious that he liked being rich, or he wouldn't permanently have a room at the Alicante or take her out at Masa for dinner.

And in general, Jace had never been seen with a woman in his arms. He had never been portrayed as a player by the media, because of that very fact. Whenever Jace made a public appearance at a gala, or charity events, or whatever other fancy things rich people liked to spend their money on, he had always been alone. And as he grew older, the title bachelor started getting attached to his name more and more often when an article was written about him.

Jace kept his eyes on her, as he continued,

"And though I need for nothing material, I wouldn't mind some peace and quiet. Let me explain, I don't want a romantic partner, because I don't have time for one. I tried, long ago when I was building my company from scratch, and I ended that search quickly. I just ... I don't have the time, nor the will, to take care of someone's feelings. Someone who is going to whine because I had to leave in the middle of the night to take care of a crisis, or someone who will be mad at me for cancelling yet another date because of an impromptu meeting. I don't want to mClaryge another person's feelings when I have to fly out of the State or the country for a couple of weeks. I am CEO of a very big company, with thousands of lives depending on my every move, I don't want to be bothered with the same feeling at home.

And in all honesty, I like being on my own. I like the peace and quiet it gives me. Unfortunately, we live in a world full of snakes. You have to understand, there are two kinds of snakes. They are both really pretty, but only one is harmless. This one is the everyday girl who happens to meet my way and is just interested in a random night of sex with a billionaire, hoping that, maybe, I will give her something nice at the end of the night. I can actually deal with those because as harmless as they are, they are easy to thwart off.

The real issues are the venous snakes. They belong to the high society and know the ways to slither into my life. All they want is to lure me into their beds, get knocked up, so I would be stuck taking care of them and their offspring for the rest of my life."

Jace paused a little, to eat, and Clary simply looked at him, feeling slightly conflicted. She felt some sympathy for him, but in the meantime, it was hard feeling bad for someone who literally had so much money, women couldn't stop throwing themselves at them. Moreover, though she never had the money problem, Clary couldn't help but feel that, at least, Jace now knew the problem that most women faced every day when men kept pestering them for more than they wanted to give.

Still, Jace's little narration didn't explain why he wanted to take her out, or why he wanted to discuss some 'business proposition'. If anything, he just told her that she was a harmless little snake.

"So, where do I come in that?"

"I want you to help me thwart off the snakes. Venomous or inoffensive, just so I won't have to endlessly turn them down. I want you to give me my peace and quiet."

She burst in laughter once again, shaking her head as she retorted, "Haha, Jace ... I am not a knight in shining armour, nor am I a fairy godmother. I can't help you with that."

"Snakes mostly attack when they see me alone at some social events or charities."

And finally, she understood what he was expecting of her, the blood leaving her face at the speed of lightning. She suddenly found it difficult to swallow, her earlier glee replaced by a cold shiver coursing through her whole body, and all she could do was say in a low whisper was,

"I'm not a whore, Jace."

"I never said that you were!" He retorted, looking insulted by her words, which she found ironic. He was literally asking her to be his private prostitute for the world to see, and he was the one who felt insulted.

"You just said that you wanted me to escort for you."

"And how does that word mean that I am expecting sex out of you?"

He was so calm, but she did not let it deter her. Everyone knew that the word 'escort' was just a classy way to say prostitute. And though she had nothing against that profession, it just wasn't for her. She wasn't detached enough to have that sort of sex with other people.

Jace seemed to read her thoughts and took a long breath through his nose, before saying,

"I won't lie, if you had been one of the innocent snakes, I wouldn't have rejected you. In fact. I would have loved nothing more than being acquainted first hand with your body and have a sweet and passionate one-night stand with you. Maybe I would have even pushed it into a weekend. After all, you're gorgeous, and I'm pretty sure you know how to keep one entertained through the night with that beautiful body of yours ..."

His eyes hungrily ravaged her body, making her really self-conscious, though she did not shy away from his gaze, waiting for him to look back at her with his golden eyes, seeing an ounce of lust before he regained his usual impassible face.

"But it did not happen. And in a way I am glad. I never would have gotten to know you if we just had sex, and I never would have gotten the opportunity to enjoy your company for more than just your body. I actually like spending time with you, Clary. And if my fairy Godmother could be someone I actually like, well, I'm definitely going to do everything I can so she can accompany me at those godawful functions."

Clary bit her lower lip, finally seeing the situation for what it was, just a friend asking a friend to help him out a few nights a month. Of course, since Jace Wayland did not know how to interact with normal people such as herself, he had to put this in words that could lead anyone to wonder. But she had to make sure about that 'business' side of his deal.

"So ... no sex?"

"Disappointed?" He asked with a smirk and Clary rolled her eyes, still trying to clarify his words,

"So, you just want me to show up and pretend that I'm your girlfriend. When no one is looking, we're back to normal, no mushy feelings, no sweet little texts or any of that stuff? I'm just ... some eye candy for the world to see, so you can enjoy those parties and they can stop speculating that you're gay?"

Jace chuckled at that. Even though she never mentioned it to him, she was pretty sure that he knew about it. The absence of women by his arms over more than the past decade had many tabloids speculating on whether or not he was still hiding in the closet.

"Aren't you speculating?" He asked.

"Gay men don't look at me the way you look at me."

"I'm sure they don't.

She looked down at her plate, resuming her eating as she thought of his proposition. What difference would it make? Instead of stealing her time after her shifts at the Idris, he would bring her at some boring event. She would get to dress nice once in a while and eat something else than noodle pots as she would do so. Though she knew she had no appropriate clothes for high-class functions, and there was no one in her entourage she could ask clothes from.

"What if I say no?"

"You won't say no," He confidently countered. She rose an eyebrow at his cockiness. "You wouldn't ask that if you wanted to say no."

This was definitely the businessman in him talking. She sighed, trying to figure if she could add Jace into her busy schedule. After all, it would be a time-consuming thing, and she already had so much on her sleeves. This was why she stopped the hotel, and now she was considering taking his offer.

And, she had her own charity work. Sure, it was nothing as fancy as what Jace was proposing, she was just serving soup to homeless people on Sunday evenings. She had had the chance to only be homeless for brief periods of time because she would often run away from her foster homes when she was a kid, but she was doing all she could to help those who hadn't been as lucky as her. And she enjoyed her Sunday evenings, mostly because she got to spend them with Seb who happened to be a very funny and entertaining guy.

But on the other hand, if urban legends were right, and most of the high society would be present, it meant that she was more likely to meet hotshot lawyers for whom she would be able to intern later on in her studies if she formed a proper network. And it was with that thought in mind that she agreed.

"Okay."

"Really?"

"Disappointed?" She mocked, echoing his words from earlier on. "Did you hope I'd say no, so we could end the night in your bed?"

Jace shook his head, "Good then. I need you Saturday night. We have a gala for a charity in Africa."

"So bossy. I need to check with Magnus first if someone can cover my shift Saturday night."

"Aren't you quitting? I thought you agreed you can't have it all, that's why you quit the hotel."

Clary snorted as soon as the first words left his mouth. "Jace, not everyone is like you. If I don't work, you will need to start a charity for me."

"Did I not mention that this was a business transaction?" He coldly said, apparently annoyed at the idea of her keeping her job at the Idris. She frowned, unsure to understand what he meant.

"I am paying you ten thousand dollars a month for as long as you stay with me."

She opened her mouth to argue but shut it immediately. Fifty million dollars. Only someone who lost that amount and only drunk an expensive scotch to make himself feel better would not blink an eye at the idea of spending the price of a car a month on a girl, just for her to show up with him once in a while.

"I'm still keeping my job."

"Is it not enough? Because I can up the amount."

"No! It's just ... a backup plan for myself. What if you give me the boot in a couple of months, and I struggle to find another job because I'm a student?"

It wasn't entirely true. She was pretty sure that Magnus would help get a job if that happened, or even Madam Dorothea. But she didn't want to financially depend on someone else, and this sounded much like it would be the case.

"This is a business transaction, Clary. I don't back down from my deals without giving notice. But, if it makes you feel better, we can have a written contract."

"And now, I feel gross."

"Why?"

"Because it will be written black on white that I am renting my body to you."

"And how is that different from other jobs? Don't you use your body as the Idris or Alicante? The difference is, I'm paying you to be pretty and rescue me from unwanted conversations, instead of you mixing cocktails or bringing room service."

"You have an answer for everything, don't you?

"I come prepared for my business meetings, that's all."

She bit on her lower lip again, still not liking this whole depending on him financially. Sure in one month, she would make enough money to pay for a semester and save up all the while living and no longer surviving, but still ...

"I still need to talk to Magnus. I want to make sure he would take me back in case ... you go bankrupt, or something."

"You have trust issues," He noted, his tone slightly annoyed, and she didn't reply to that. Because he was right. She did have trust issues.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere before I read and sign that contract of yours. And I'd like you to add something to it."

"What?"

"If we ever end up fucking, this would be a breach of contract. Which means we would stop seeing each other and would go on our merry ways, making sure not to annoy the other again. No more contacts"

He longly looked at her, his eyes carefully studying her face. If she was honest with herself, she was mostly testing the man, trying to see if he had been expecting for her to put out whilst she was on his payroll. But Jace never gave her this vibe, and instead graciously nodded, as he agreed to her condition.

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💚Your thoughts and opinions are always welcomed💚

💚 Cassandra Clare owns the names of the characters from the Mortal Instruments franchise, everything else is mine.

Love, Mina💚💚💚