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 5: Truffles & Champagne (11,0K)

Though Clary had never been in a plane before, she couldn't help but appreciate the experience that was given to her. She was perfectly aware that she might have not enjoyed her plane ride as much if she had flown in economic place, but Jace, being the 50MIL that he was, had sent her first-class tickets. She had so much room that she was sure that another her could fit in her designate set. She had been offered champagne and delicacies, and even if she wasn't used to this kind of treatments, she knew that she could easily get used to it.

After all, being pampered and looked after was a nice feeling that she was experiencing for the first time of her life.

On the day of Christmas, Jace had sent her an email with her flight information, as well as the number of nights she would be staying in her hotel room. There had been no 'Merry Christmas' note with the message. Just a simple little phrase wishing her good luck on her studying, and letting her know that a man called Jordan Kyle would pick her up at the airport to drive her to her hotel. He did make a joke though on the fact that, for once, she would have to put her trust issues aside and climb in a stranger's car.

For a moment, it did make Clary squeamish. According to the email, Jordan Kyle was the head of Jace's security, but he was still someone that she didn't know. She tried to argue with Jace, saying that she would cab it and that he shouldn't part with his security, phrasing it all in a nice way that made it seem like she cared, but Jace countered that cab or Kyle, it would still be a stranger, and at least he knew Kyle.

So this was how Clary found herself at Seatac with her beanbag, looking for that Jordan Kyle. Jace had sent her a picture of what he looked like, but there was a lot of people at the airport, and Clary doubted a military-looking man would standout. Of course, that was without thinking of the white cardboard with her name written on it that a tall muscular man was holding.

She walked to the man, slightly embarrassed to be picked up like that, though she quickly dismissed the thought when she saw that Jordan Kyle was not the only person holding a cardboard with a name on it. As soon as she was at a reasonable hearing distance, the man rose an eyebrow at her, and asked,

"Miss Fray?"

She was tempted to make a sarcastic comment, pointing out that she wouldn't approach him if she wasn't indeed Miss Clarissa Fray as the cardboard said, but she held her tongue. After all, that man was only doing his job, and she didn't want to be one of those people who belittled others. She had been on the wrong end of those situations and always swore to herself to never be that girl.

So she simply nodded, and he downed the cardboard, reaching for her bag as he said, "Follow me."

"I can carry my bag," She said a little too hastily and coldly. She felt bad for the man, sure that he was just following his job procedure, and cleared a bit her throat as she gave him a white lie,

"I mean, I have some very fragile things in it. I'd feel more comfortable carrying the bag myself."

He did not argue and simply walked them out to a black Mercedes SUV. She rolled her eyes, though she was not surprised by the car. It was so 50MIL. The car breathed wealth, despite its simplicity. Maybe it was because of its brand, or maybe it was because of the tainted windows, or maybe it was because she had been expecting this kind of car, to begin with.

For a good thirty minutes, Jordan Kyle drove in absolute silence, and Clary wondered if this was standard procedure, or if she was supposed to be the one to start of any sort of conversation. She slightly cleared her throat, and when Jordan Kyle glanced at her through the rearview mirror, she said,

"So, Mr Kyle —"

"Just Kyle," He cut her off, though his tone remained professional.

"Kyle. How long have you been working for ... Jace?"

She had been meaning to call him Mr Wayland, but she didn't know if Kyle knew about the real nature of their arrangement, and if he didn't, it would appear as strange for her to not call Jace by his first name. In fact, she doubted that Kyle knew anything about her. After all, Jace and she had signed a contract stating that they could not talk about the true nature of their relationship with other people.

"It will be eleven years when April comes."

"That's a long time," She commented, somehow relieved to see that stability. After all, if the man had stayed that long with Jace, it meant he wasn't that bad of a boss. Or that he paid very well.

"Any dirt on the boss?" She jokingly asked, and all Kyle did, was glance at her through the rearview mirror, his eyebrow up with a small twinkle dancing in his eyes. She leaned back against her seat, and muttered under her breath, more to herself than for Kyle's benefit,

"Yeah, yeah, you'd never tell. You want to keep your job."

He did not respond anything to that, and so she took her phone out and texted Magnus, as she had promised she would so she could update him on what was happening between Jace and her. Even though he was really well aware of the true nature of hers and Jace's relationship, Magnus still saw an inexistent love story blossom between the two of them.

So, I was right, Jace did not come to pick me up, because we did not agree to that. Your sixth sense is definitely broken. But on the plus side, I had a first-class treatment all the way. I even have a stick in the mud to drive me to the hotel. Clary

I still don't understand why you're not going to his place. I mean, it is very shady that you guys are 'dating' and when you come to visit him where he lives, you go to a hotel, and not his place. Magnus

You're thinking too much into this. No one spends that much time thinking of us, not even tabloids. Besides, we're saving ourselves for marriage. XD Clary

She laughed at her own joke, perfectly aware that, though she had nothing against the girls who waited to be wed to bite into the forbidden fruit, she was not one of them. This ship had been sailed long ago, and she liked sex too much to decide to indeed wait for marriage. In fact, since she had been single and unable to mingle for almost a year, she had a couple of toys that she enjoyed playing with from time to time.

Once in front of the Olympic Fairmont, Clary got out of the car, hoping that Kyle was not going to follow her inside and would just go back to his boss. She grabbed her bag, politely smiling to the man as she glanced at the front doors of the hotel and let him know,

"I think I can manage from here. Thank you, Kyle."

He did not argue, simply closing the door and going back to the driver's seat, which led Clary to believe that Jace had probably told his driver to just driver her, and not get her literally into her room. She had a funny feeling that, if he had been instructed otherwise, she could have protested all she wanted, he would have done what Jace told him to take her all the way to her room.

Still, she quickly removed a Tupperware from her beanbag and gave it to Kyle who rose an eyebrow at her as she asked,

"Could you please give this to your boss?"

"Mr Wayland has asked me to inform you that I would pick you up at 5 pm so the two of you can spend the evening together."

Clary frowned, unaware of this change of plan. It was barely midday, but since she wasn't supposed to see Jace until Wednesday, she had planned on barricading herself in her hotel room, and to study until the last second. She was sure she was ready for her exams, but now that she had the time, she wanted to be ahead of her classes.

She grimaced a little, slightly taken aback by this disturbance in her scheduled day, but still thrust the Tupperware in Kyle's hands, telling him,

"Nonetheless, give him now. I can't keep it in my room."

Kyle suspiciously looked at the box, making Clary slightly laugh as she reassured him, "Do you really think the airport would have let me walk through with a bomb."

He allowed himself a small smile before taking the box and putting it on the passenger seat. Clary was about to walk into the hotel, before she turned and informed Kyle, "Oh, and tell Jace to share. If he doesn't, he'll never get any again!"

And on those words, she walked into the lobby, giving her name to the reception, though she already knew which room she was in. Even though he knew that she had only planned on studying, Jace had booked her a suite, which she found ridiculous. She had all this space when all she needed was good lighting and a desk. But when she saw the room with her own eyes, she certainly didn't complain.

It was spacious and luxurious, with a beautiful view. It had nothing on Alicante because, in Clary's eyes, no city could beat a view on Central Park. But it was still a view she enjoyed. For a brief moment, she wondered if Jace always chose his hotel rooms according to the view. With a big smile on her face, she let her beanbag down, feeling a bit ridiculous to not have one of those classy suitcases in such a classy hotel; and she let herself fall on the conformable bed.

For ten good minutes, she did nothing but appreciate the fluffiness of the bed, wondering if she could smuggle the mattress out of the hotel and back to New York. She thought of how strange it was that Jace never mentioned that he wanted to see her in the evening. She didn't have anything fancy for dinner since she had planned on staying in her room and do nothing else but study. She only had her skinny jeans and a few tops. She also brought her running outfit, but that was anything but appropriate to meet with Jace 50MIL Wayland.

She took her phone out of her pocket, checking her emails to see if Jace had mentioned something, but she did not read properly the information, but it seemed that this evening was something that sprung to Jace. She didn't care much, figuring out he probably wanted to let her know how he expected her to behave at his company party and that they would probably either stay in his car, either come up to her room.

With her smile still on her face, she took a selfie, and sent it to Magnus with the text,

I'm never leaving this bed. #Blessed. Clary

This was the kind of pictures she would have put on her Instagram, but that was before. Ever since that article about her being Jace's girlfriend, she had stopped using her social media. She was bombarded by friend requests of people she didn't even know, by DMs of brands asking her to collaborate with them, by pseudo-reporters asking for a scoop. So she stopped using her Instagram altogether.

Why do YOU have to be the one with the rich fake boyfriend? I want one as well. Magnus

Haha. Well, you can have Jace. As I said, I'm not leaving this bed. It's too comfy to be left alone. So now, he's in need of a fake date again. Clary

Yeah, but it won't work. He's not gay. No one will buy that I'm his boyfriend. Though ... are you sure he's not gay? I mean, he never made a move on you? What kind of man looks at the cake, but doesn't try to take a bite? Magnus

Clary couldn't help but laugh when she saw Magnus's reference to cakes. She had never shared with her friend the little game that Jace and she had about cakes.

He says he's not interested, and I'm okay with that. Sex complicates things. Clary

It did. This was exactly how she fell for Henry. Because he was a charmer and he knew what he was doing in bed. At least, in the beginning. Or maybe it had been that she had been in need of a good fuck when she met him, and he delivered a decent job, making her believe he was much better than he was. Or maybe again, she was just bitter about their relationship, and couldn't be objective enough to know anymore if he had been good in bed, or not.

"I have to go, Henry," Clary said, without any sort of conviction in her voice. Sure she had to go to work, but she would much prefer to stay with her boyfriend and keep on making out.

It was a warm September night, and after a rocky start in which Henry almost ghosted her because he had lost his phone, they were finally together. He spent as much time as he could with her, taking her out in bars and cafes, which made her feel guilty because she knew he didn't have a job at the moment. But every time she mentioned something about paying, he would get offended, as if she had insulted him and all his family. He was the man, so he should pay. That's what he would say.

They still hadn't had sex, because Clary wasn't that confident on taking him home, and he still lived with his mother because of her health issues. He said he didn't want to pay for a hotel, because he respected her too much, but now, every time she was leaving him, she was feeling like she was on fire.

And today was no exception. He was kissing her passionately, tackling her against the bus stop, and rubbing his bulge against her crotch. Her sweet moan escaped her lips, and his lips left hers to travel to her neck, making her grip his hair. Her neck had always been a very sensitive part of her body.

"I want you," He sensually whispered in her ears, though it was useless to say, she had the proof dry humping her against the glass of the bus stop. So all she did was moan in response, she was too lost in the moment.

"My Mom is going to visit her sister for a month in Florida. Maybe you could come then."

Clary blinked a little, shaking away the memory of Henry. She didn't like thinking of him, especially when she was happy. She looked back at her screen and saw that Magnus had replied to her.

You make it sound like sex is all bad. Sex is great. It makes you loosen up. Takes the tension away. It makes your insides tingle. And it helps you burn calories. Gosh, I need a guy. Or a girl. I need someone in my bed. XD. Magnus

Well, didn't you say you were going out for New Year? Why don't you find someone then? Clary

You bet I will! I've been single for too long, my balls are about to explode! I'm going to wear them out. They won't be able to walk for a week! Magnus

Well, now that I have the lovely image of your blue balls branded in my brain, I will leave you to it. I want to study before Jace picks me up. Clary

I thought you didn't see him until New Year's Eve? Magnus

So did I. But apparently he wants us to meet this evening. I have no idea why. All I know is that I have to get out of this lovely bed and study a bit before he comes in. Clary

.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.

Clary spent the rest of the day with her nose in her books. She didn't even take the time to eat, only stopping once in a while to use the bathroom, before going back to her books. She had taken from the University's library a couple of exams of the previous years, and so far, she had managed to do well. But of course, she wasn't aiming for well, she was aiming for excellence.

She was already very motivated by her personal reasons, but the fact that now she wanted to prove Jace and Valentine Morgenstern that a low school could be as good as their IVY league schools gave her extra motivation. It was more than her goals that were in the line, it was her pride as well. Her pride in being a nobody with no connection and no money.

She was in the middle of highlighting important points from her book on Constitutional Law when the room's phone rang. She eyes it suspiciously, tempted to ignore it when she looked outside and saw that it was getting dark outside. She cursed under her breath, and picked the phone up, just to hear a lady from reception telling her that a car was waiting for her.

She dashed to the bathroom, looked at her reflection and redid her bun to make it look a bit less dishevelled. She made a quick braid and turned it into a bun, before swapping shirts and quickly putting on some deodorant. She had planned on looking a bit more classy but had lost track of time.

Without further ado, she grabbed her heels and headed out of the room, her book still in her hand. As the elevator went down she looked once again at herself, scowling at her flushed cheeks. She only had mascara on, because she had never been a fan of foundation. For her, it was messy and a waste of time. She quickly looked through her bag and took her red lipstick out, applying it on her lips to make her look a tad more prepared.

Once in the lobby, she saw Kyle waiting for her, and followed him to the black SUV where Jace was nowhere in sight. She presumed they were going to pick Jace at his workplace, and she congratulated herself on taking her book with her. Since Kyle didn't seem to be one who liked to talk, she would be able to study a bit longer.

She didn't pay attention to anything during the ride, focusing on those little details that created loopholes in the Constitution, and before she knew it, Kyle stationed the car in from of Wayland Enterprises. Still, she didn't notice it at first, solely focused on her book. She only looked up when Kyle got off the car to open the door to Jace.

She closed her book, rolling her eyes at the fact that Jace couldn't simply open the door by himself and made his driver come out of the car to do that simple thing. But her eyes quickly averted from Jace to look at the building in itself.

She had never researched Jace. First, because she had no interest in what he was doing, second because Magnus was all but too eager to do it for her. She knew he lived in Seattle and had started his company there because both Jace and Magnus had told him. But she had always thought that Jace shared a building with another big company as many did in New York.

But the tall building had Wayland Enterprises written in the middle of the building, not letting anyone confuse that someone else could be working in there. It was so tall that Clary was sure that it was classified as a skyscraper and she tried to count how many there was per floor when Jace's voice tore her out of her staring,

"Impressed?"

"I definitely wouldn't want to work in here," Was the first thing that she said, turning her head to face a smug-looking Jace.

"Why not? I'm a very fair boss, I can assure you."

"Who cares about that? Don't you remember Wall Street? What if there is something like that or a fire? I'd be dead for sure if I were working on the top floor."

"You really let your mind go to dark places. I work on the top floor, so you wouldn't have to worry about that."

She shrugged, not convinced, though she wasn't that surprised to hear that he had the top floor to himself. Jace seemed to like having a nice view. His room at Alicante, the room he had for her, his workplace.

"Do you rent out the empty offices to some low profile companies?" She asked, still not believing that the entire building was solely occupied by Wayland Enterprises.

"We're actually looking to expand because we're starting to lack space," He told her, and finally she looked away from the building.

Jace, though looking smug by his latest statement, looked slightly tired. His golden eyes were circled by bags of restlessness and his usually well-kept face was harbouring a five o'clock beard. Her fingers itched to travel down his face, she had always had a thing for men with facial hair, but she kept them on her book, clearing her throat and looking in front of her as Kyle started driving away.

"Thank you for the truffles, by the way. There aren't any left," Jace said jovially, and though she didn't see him talk, she heard his smile.

She looked back at him, seeing that his eyes were solely on her. She had made him truffles for Christmas, mostly because she knew she was a darn good cook, but also because she had no idea what billionaires liked to have for presents. She had been slightly worried that TSA would not let the baked good thought the border, but it went through without any trouble, though the agent did ask to have a bite.

"Did you share?" She asked with a playful smirk.

"I gave one to Kyle because he said you threatened to not make more if I didn't." He seemed more than displeased to have had to share his truffles with anyone but himself. Clary scolded at him, glancing at Kyle in the front who was slightly grinning, keeping his eyes on the road.

"One? That's not sharing! That's finding loopholes!"

"Well, they were too fucking good and too few to be shared, to begin with. You should have made more. Two boxes for me, and one for him."

Clary rolled her eyes and leaned forward so she could talk to Kyle, slightly tapping his shoulder to get his attention, "You give me your address, and I'll send you a proper box since some people don't understand basic human decency."

"Don't forget to share, kyle," Jace joked, clearly determined to get more of Clary's truffles.

She smiled, shaking her head as she looked at Kyle's reflection in the rearview mirror. He once again had a small twinkle in his eyes, though he did not utter a single word. With a small sigh, she looked through the window, and Jace asked, his eyes falling on her book,

"How is the studying going?"

"It was going well until I got interrupted midway through it. I thought you didn't need me until Wednesday. We're Monday, in case you didn't notice."

"I thought you'd rather pick your outfit this time," He simply said, taking his phone out of his pocket and going through a text.

"And there I thought you were one of those control freaks who liked picking how a lady should dress and how she should look like."

Jace looked at her from head to toe, like he always did when she could catch him out of his shower when she was working at Alicante, and she suddenly felt very naked under his eyes. She felt that, even if she had been wearing a whole ski outfit, she would have felt naked under his gaze.

"I know exactly how I'd like you to look. But as I told you before, I am not one to share."

On those words, he brought his phone to his ear and starts talking in what she assumed to be Chinese over the phone, his eyes still on her. She refused to blush, simply rolling her eyes at his not so subtle innuendo that he would like to see her naked, and she reopened her book to learn more about Constitutional Law.

Twenty minutes later, Kyle parked at the entrance of a plaza, and Jace ended his phone conversation, before turning to Clary. "I'd like to take you to dinner after our little shopping session."

"Your kind of dinner, or mine?" She asked, feeling underdressed for either occasion. He was wearing a three-piece costume, and she was just in jeans with a blouse. Just his coat cost ten times more than her whole outfit.

Jace glanced at his phone, frowning at what he saw on the screen as he informed her, "My kind of dinner. I'm pretty sure we will get a mosquito on our trail during our shopping session, and I'd rather be in control of their content."

"Mosquito?"

"Mosquito, leech, vampire. They're all one and the same," He explained. Clary glanced once again at her outfit, swallowing with a bit of difficulty as she pointed out the obvious,

"I am kind of ... common, aren't I?"

"Trust me, there is nothing about the way you look. You're ..." He cleared his throat and looked expectantly at her.

She nodded and Jace got out of the car. Before she even had the time to get out herself, Kyle was opening her door and she followed Jace to the plaza, regretting leaving her coat back at the hotel. She kept her head high, repressing her shivers of cold until she felt warm envelop her shoulders.

Jace had removed his coat and put it over her shoulders, though he was scowling at her, "You do know that Seattle is as cold as New York, don't you."

"Well, first of all, it's freezing cold in New York. We had a white Christmas and all. second, I didn't expect us to go out out. I thought we would stay in the car or something."

Jace looked at her as he slipped her hand in the sleeves of his coat, her fingertips unable to show once she did, and he barked a laughter of pure joy. "You really are ridiculously short."

"And you really are a ridiculous ass."

He shook his head and offered his arm before they visited a couple of boutiques where they found nothing that sparkled the slightest interest in Clary. That, and the fact that the boutiques Jace was taking her to were all big brands where dresses started with four figures.

As they left the fourth boutique in the row, Jace asked, "Am I the reason you can't find what you're looking for?"

"No. Not at all. It's just ... nothing."

"You do remember that I am meant to provide for your outfits every time I ask you out. Don't look at the price."

She did not retort anything, because she knew he was right. Even if it made her slightly uncomfortable to see the price of several months of rent on a dress she might wear, it was in their contract and she had agreed to it. So she sucked it up, and turned her head to Jace, deflecting the topic from dresses and their outrageous prices,

"How was your Christmas?"

"Busy. I'm on the verge of closing a deal with Qatar."

"I meant family-wise, Jace. What did you do with your family? Did you get drunk? What did you get? You know, Christmas."

"I haven't celebrated Christmas with my family for over ten years. I don't have the time. They're used to it."

"No, they're not. They just pretend not to be to not hurt your feelings. You're being such a Scrooge," She said, incredulous.

This was the one thing she couldn't understand, especially around Christmas. how, some who had a loving family, could not do anything in their power to spend that precious time with them. If she had a family of her own, she would do all she could to spend as much time with them, especially on those big occasions.

Jace carefully studied her face, making her feel like she had said more than she should have, and he dismissed the salesgirl who tried to help them, asking for another one by name.

"How was your Christmas?"

"I spent it with Magnus, and we both had a nice hangover the next day," She brightly said, putting a bit more cheer in her tone than necessary.

"What about your family?"

"I told you, I spent my Christmas with Magnus."

Before he could try to ask more about her family, she pulled a dress from the tray, grimacing when she saw that it was beyond hideous. She quickly put it back on the rail, giving extra focus on her search of a dress, when the salesgirl Jace had requested appeared, all smiles to both Jace and Clary. Clary read Michelle on her name tag, and Jace whispers in Clary's ear, in a way that may appear as intimate for the rest of the world,

"I am going to leave you in Michelle's very capable hands for an hour or so. I have somewhere to be."

.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.

It turned out that Jace had been right to ask for Michelle, because not even five minutes after he was gone, she had helped Clary to find a dress she liked. Something that put emphasis on her curves, without being any sort of vulgar. In fact, the dress was still very classy, despite the fact that it could easily be qualified as sinful.

Jace had left one of his cards with Clary so she could pay for whatever she would find, so, after her purchase, she aimlessly wandered amongst the boutique, slightly curious as to where Jace had gone. An hour later, she received a text telling her that he had made a reservation in some pompous restaurant and to meet him there if she was done, otherwise, he would meet her in whichever shop she was at.

She made her way to the restaurant, not surprised in the slightest to see that it had a long queue. For a moment, she wondered if she should queue as well, or simply go to the reception and let them know that she had a reservation, but her thoughts were interrupted by a voice she never would have expected to hear in Seattle,

"Clary! Whohoo, Clary!"

She turned a surprised head to Ann and Mary, both waving at her from the queue, all smiles. She joined them and hugged them as well as she could with Jace's big coat over her shoulders. At least she didn't have to worry about the dress, it would be delivered to her place tomorrow morning.

"What are you doing here?" Clary mused, doing her best to emerge her hands from Jace's overlarge coat. "Aren't you supposed to be in sunny LA?"

"We are, but we've been spending Christmas in Seattle for the past ten years since our grandkids decided to bury themselves in this ever rainy city. What about you? We've been missing you at Idris, lately," Mary explained. Clary scrunched her nose a little, before giving them part of the truth,

"Well, I ... I just want to focus on my studies right now. You know, Law is much more complicated than I thought."

"That's the shirt. we'll need a good lawyer when we'll be arrested for public indecency," Ann said, making Clary laugh with them. She had missed her tow old ladies and their never-ending banter.

Mary eyed her coat, a playful smirk spreading her lips, and Clary was sure that she and Ann had heard about that article depicting her as Jace's girlfriend.

"What about the delicious young Jace Wayland? Does he still get to see you?"

"Oh, he got his end of the bargain, don't worry about it," Jace suddenly said, sliding his hand on Clary's waist as he miraculously appeared by her side out of nowhere.

Clary turned er head to him, seeing him smile at her before eyeing the couple of old ladies who awed at his sudden appearance, though Mary was quick to be her usual self,

"Don't be shy, youngsters. A kiss amongst lovers won't turn us to salt."

Jace chuckled as Clary politely smiled. He gently kissed her cheek, which obviously made the old ladies humphed with disapproval. Ann shook her head, but she told Clary with a wink,

"I see that you finally decided to cook the man breakfast."

"Actually, I'm still waiting on that part. But at least, I got my Christmas treats."

"I'm sure you did," Mary said, wiggling her eyebrows and making Clary's innocent truffles sound much dirtier and kinkier than they actually were.

"We have a reservation, do you ladies care to join?" Jace proposed, keeping his hand still on Clary's smaller back.

She whipped her head up, surprised by the invite, though she was far from complaining. She just knew that Jace was a really private man, and she had figured he would have tried to get rid of the two old women as soon as he could.

Mary and Ann gladly accepted, not without winking at Clary, their eyes full of sexual insinuations, and as they followed the waitress to a table, Clary couldn't help but smirk. Jace had no idea what Mary and Ann were capable of. She had seen it back in Idris, people, and especially men, were often uncomfortable because of little things they would say. As Mary said more than once, they were old, they didn't care anymore about propriety, they want to enjoy life as it came, and if it meant making grown men blush beet red, it was exactly what they would do.

Throughout dinner, Clary found herself more and more grateful that Jace had invited the two ladies. Because she knew them and liked their banter, it made her feel less out of place, no matter how fancy the restaurant was, to begin with. To be fair, Jace stayed mostly in retreat, leaving the three women to share what they did for Christmas and how much they appreciated the holiday.

Unlike Jace, it seemed that Mary and Ann knew not to ask about Clary's family, simply taking in that she had spent Christmas with Magnus, and thinking it was enough for them to know. More than once, Jace used his phone to text or email people, but Clary didn't mind much. This was the relationship she had always had with Jace. She actually noticed something about it when he excused himself towards the two grannies as he emailed someone. He had stopped apologising long ago to Clary because he knew that she understood. She had told him again and again that she didn't mind, and now, she felt that Jace knew her well enough to know that she wasn't offended by the fact that he was a businessman before all.

As they were in the middle of dessert and he put yet again his phone down, Ann turned her head to Jace and crookedly asked, "So, what did your Santa give our sweet little Clary?"

"She hasn't opened it, yet," Jace replied with a small grin, which made Clary furrow her brows.

She hadn't expected anything from Jace because he was already giving her so much. But also because Jace was not someone who was into Christmas. She couldn't expect a present from someone who did not celebrate. Moreover, given the nature of their relationship, it would feel too ... personal. The truffles did to count, she made truffles for everyone. Anything Jace would give her would obviously be only for her, and she wasn't sure how she felt about that.

"Planning on giving her some of your own sugarcane?" Mary added, with a grin worth of the Cheshire Cat.

Jace, who had been drinking on his champagne, swallowed the wrong way and glanced at Clary for a little bit of help. But all Clary did was smirk, all too happy to see the almighty Jace 50MIL Wayland squirm and be embarrassed. Jace loved this teasing game, earlier in the car was example enough, he loved teasing her. But he obviously was not used of being teased by eighty years old ladies.

"Don't be so prude, young man," Ann admonish, shaking her head with disapproval. "You know, in our days, men took pride in satisfying a woman. It's what made a man, a man. None of that rubbish about making the big bucks and having a bimbo fake all the way through to make you feel like the king of the world. You, youngsters, need to remember, a happy life starts with a happy woman by your side."

Jace did not reply anything, once again looking at Clary, his cheek slightly red with embarrassment as she did her best to not appear too smug. Jace was always so eager to make her squirm with just his words, but now that he had worthy opponents, all his wit seemed to have disappeared. She definitely needed to get private lessons with Mary and Ann. she loved the way they managed to make Mister 50MIL/king-of-the-world blush.

Ann turned a desolated head to her, gently resting her hand on Clary's shoulder as she worriedly asked, "Oh, honey, please don't tell me that you're settling down for a boring missionary guy. Because you deserve someone who can rock your world. You know, I have a very good friend of mine who has a charming grandson. He works in Wall Street. I'm sure Simon could show you how it's done."

Clary burst in laughter, though she felt Jace slightly stiffen next to her. She swore she saw his hand twitch toward her, but he never did anything as she asked, still laughing, "And how would you know how he is in bed? I didn't peck you for that sort of cougar."

"No, I need a man with much more experience honey. A man who knows that the performance is not about the duration, but the intensity ... But, every time I have seen Simon with a girlfriend of his, she had been limping that limp ..."

Clary shook her head, still laughing, but Jace had stopped eating, sipping on his champagne as his eyes were lost in space. Ann glanced at the man by Clary's side, grinning evilly as she added,

"You know what, next time I will be in New York, I will introduce you to him. I'm sure he's a real man. Wouldn't you agree, young man?"

"Simon Lewis is just a boy, and he has nothing on me. He just wishes he does. He may be able to make a woman limp because he doesn't know how to use his cock, but I can make a woman use her voice because I know how to use mine," Jace let out, in something that came out as a snarl to Clary.

The two ladies snickered, and Clary finally understood that she had been missing something. Jace obviously knew this Simon Lewis, and it was obvious that he had no tender feelings toward that man. Mary and Ann had just been taunting Jace, and though she liked the banter, she couldn't help but reproachfully shake her head at her two elders.

She hesitated to take Jace's hand in hers, but after all, he knew that she wasn't going to flirt with any other man, especially not a man who seemed to be his competition, or at least someone he quite disliked.

"Oh oh oh. Competitive, are we?" Mary said, making her friend chuckle even more.

"Factual," Jace simply retorted, his hand taking Clary's over the table.

The two ladies noticed that little gesture, and all playfulness left their eyes as they seriously winked at Clary, apparently seeing their hand-holding as proof that their relationship was something real and strong. Clary smiled because she couldn't really prove them wrong, and the three of them started a new conversation in which Jace excluded himself once again.

For another hour, Jace worked on his phone whilst Mary and Ann were trying to convince Clary to come with them next time they would go to Broadway. They were appalled by the fact that Clary had been living most of her life in New York, but had never seen a musical in her life, and they were determined to remedy this issue.

They decided that they would show the young girl something rather modern, Mamma Mia! to start with and show her proper classics if she enjoyed the show. They exchanged numbers and parted ways, though Mary took the time to whisper in her ear that she shouldn't forget to let her hair down when she was at it with Jace.

"And sweetie, don't let him bedazzle you. Learn what he really is on the inside before making any real life-altering decisions."

Clary joined Jace in his car, driven by the ever-present Kyle, and she immediately noticed that his phone was in his pocket. She smiled at him, and said,

"Thank you for dinner. And for Mary and Ann."

He had paid for everyone's meal, in a rather sneaky way, pretending to go to the bathroom and paying for them. Mary and Ann had argued, of course, and in the end, said that it meant that Jace owed them a dinner.

"You have ... interesting friends."

"They're my role models," She let him know, her eyes sparkling with mirth. The restaurant wasn't far from her hotel, and in fact, if she had had a proper coat, she would have walked back there.

"Any plans for tomorrow?"

"Studying."

"No sightseeing?"

"Maybe some other time. I really want to ace my first semester."

"You never said which branch of law you want to specialise in," He said matter-of-factly as Kyle took the final turn that led to the Olympic Fairmont, and she eluded his hidden question,

"You never asked."

"I am asking, now."

"Goodnight, Jace," She said, gathering her book that she had left in the car. She could of course just tell him, but she felt that Jace was sometimes a bit too perceptive to her liking. Like the way he seemed to know when he asked about her family that it wouldn't be a pretty story to hear. She was sure that if she told him she wanted to specialise in children, he would make conclusions, and they would be more likely than not, right.

He gently took her wrist in his hand, preventing her from leaving the car as he told her, "You do realise that nowadays, with the resources that I have, I could just snap my fingers and have all the information I want about you."

"And I'm pretty sure you already did before you gave me this business proposition. But I still have this faint hope that you are one of the rare gentlemen left on this Earth, and you wouldn't go prying into my life without my say so."

"Gentlemen are boring, Clary. Your friends spent a considerable amount of time saying so."

"No, they said gentlemen were boring in bed. Otherwise, they're always appreciated."

He gave her a heated look that would make any girl melt and throw herself at him. "Do you really think I want to be a gentleman after a statement like that? Maybe I should just be anything but, and ... what did Ann say? 'show you how it's done'?"

Clary smiled, opening the door though she did not leave the car yet. She had done what she wanted, stirred Jace away from her personal life.

"Haven't you ever heard of the saying a lady in the streets, a freak in the sheets. Well, you should apply that with a gender swap. It will work wonders on you, you'll see."

"Does that mean you're a freak in the sheets?" Jace asked with a smirk of his own. He had slightly leaned closer to her. She mysteriously smiled and left the car. When she closed the door, she leaned through the open window, and whispered in his ear, making sure her lips slightly brushed his lobe, "You will never know..."

And on those words, she walked to the lobby of the hotel, perfectly aware of Jace's eyes on her ass as she walked away from him.

.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.

During the two days that followed that Monday, Clary barely left the room. She buried herself in her studies, only looking up her books to sleep and eat. On Wednesday morning, Magnus sent her a text telling her to let loose a little and make sure she was all night and pretty for Jace when the night would come. Which was why, when it was past four in the afternoon, she went to the spa that the hotel proposed, and had a manicure there. Though Jace had left her his card, saying that she should keep it so he wouldn't have to go shopping with her every time, she felt weird using it.

Of course, as soon as she gave her room number, the beauty technician informed her that the room included beauty treatments that were already paid for. still, as the lady was busy making her nails look flawless, Clary couldn't help but feel like she was wasting her time. Her brain felt inactive. It was different when she was running in the morning because she could listen to podcasts and audiobooks whilst running. She couldn't decently do that at the salon without being rude.

She had started running in the morning a week ago, mostly because she felt relentless after stopping both Alicante and Idris. Idris especially had been a place where she would walk a lot, and now that she no longer had the job, she wanted to still keep some sort of exercise.

After her nails were done, she went up to her room and did her hair and makeup. She didn't do much for makeup, especially since it seemed that Jace appreciated her more natural approach in the matter, but she still some extra glitter on her eyelids, because it was New Year's Eve after all.

The dress was a long dress that touched the floor, even with her heels on. She had chosen red because Jace had mentioned a couple of times that he liked this colour. After all, she was supposed to be his girlfriend, so she was supposed to have these sort of attentions for him. She kept her hair up, spending half an hour making something decent, just because Jace had decided to be a caveman about it. Not that she would ever complain, she didn't like having her hair down outside the comfort of her own home.

The dress in itself was rather simple, it was all chiffon and had a low V-cut on the from and in the back, but the sinful beauty of it was the slit on the side, which would reveal Clary's leg as she would walk. She looked at her reflexion in the mirror, her eyes lingering a second more on the necklace that Jace had delivered in the morning. It was the same collection as the bracelet he had gifted her a few months ago, a white gold lace with a panther, accentuating the low cut of her dress.

In the box, she had found her payment, which she deeply appreciated. She didn't like that much the idea of receiving an envelope in a hotel room. Even though she knew it was all in her head, she still felt weird about it.

Jace picked her up shortly before eight. When she got in the car, with Kyle gallantly keeping the door open for her, Jace was emailing someone. He then called someone to speak to them in Spanish, and though Clary could understand, Spanish being the only foreign language that she had mastered, she blocked his voice to give him some sort of privacy.

She took her phone out of her purse and saw that Magnus had replied to her picture.

😍 Woman, you are going to turn some heads tonight. If he doesn't crack tonight, I'm calling it, he's asexual. Or, he's a eunuch. Magnus

Or he simply knows that we're in business, and he's professional. Quality deeply appreciated. Clary

Oh, come off it. We both know he's hot as hell. Don't lie to me and pretend you wouldn't tap that if it wasn't for that stupid contract. Magnus

Well, the contract is here. No point talking in ifs and whens. Clary

Well, I want you to tell me how he reacted when he saw you. And if he does make a move on you, no matter how subtle, you owe me dinner. Magnus

As Kyle pulled out in front of Wayland Enterprises, Jace put an end to his conversation. He opened the door and kept it open for Clary, his eyes finally seeing her in her outfit. He did not even try to pretend that he was ogling her, his eyes gleaming with lust when they landed on the slit of the dress.

Clary pretended as if nothing, walking away from the cold of the outside and to the lobby of Jace's enormous building where she knew she would find a bit of warmth, and she asked,

"Do you even know ten people working for you?"

"The head of every department,' He smugly answered, his eyes still on her.

He put his hand on her smaller back, directing her toward the elevator. There were a few people in the lobby as well, all dressed to party, but no one seemed to dare to get in the elevator with them, or with their boss seemed like a more likely story.

As soon as the doors closed, Clary did point out that small but important detail that seemed to have escaped her until then, "You scare people."

"No, I like being on my own, and they know it. You have no idea what some people are ready to do to climb the ladder. I am giving them as little opportunity as possible."

Clary nodded, though she was still convinced that several of Jace's employees were scared of him. She paid more attention to him, trying to see him as a boss, and not as someone who could become her friend. Outside of their little conversation, she had never seen him smile. It was actually one of the first things Magnus had told her, that there were no pictures of him smiling in the media. He was tall, always well dressed and knew how to stand to emanate a strong aura.

It was intimidating. But in a way, it was also sexy. Maybe it was the alpha male that came out of his aura, or simply the fact that he was powerful without having to prove it, but despite his good looks, Jace was sexy. Of course, tonight, in his navy blue tuxedo, he was more than sexy. He was sex on legs as Magnus would say. Tonight, as Magnus said, she wouldn't have minded going further if it wasn't for the contract.

His golden eyes were steady on her, making her wonder if he even looked away once since they got out of the car. She cleared her throat, just so he would stop making her feel like she was naked, and his eyes drifted once again to the slit of her dress, as he cracked his knuckles. He also cleared his throat, though not looking away as he informed her,

"I'm glad I did not pay attention to you in the car."

"Oh? Do you have some troubles with your blood circulation?" She teased, biting her lips, and in a sudden movement, Jace reached for the panel and stopped the elevator.

His eyes were blazing at her, his breath heavy and ragged as he caged her against the wall, and at this right moment, as her heart hammered against her ribcage and her insides melted under his gaze, all Clary could think was 'Fuck the paperwork. Fuck the party. Let's get back to Fairmont, and fuck like rabbits through the new year.'

Jace slowly tore his eyes from her, looking down at the slit of her dress. He looked back up, but she shivered when she felt his finger on the bare skin of her thigh, going up in a painfully slow motion. It seemed to last forever, though Clary knew her legs were not that long. And finally, Jace met the beginning of the slit. His hand went flat on Clary's side as he asked with a sultry voice,

"Are you a lady, or a freak tonight? Because I can swear you're not wearing any underwear."

"Wouldn't you like to know ..." She answered with the same tone. She bit her lip, looking at the way his tongue briefly darted out of his mouth to moist his own lips, and she glanced down, seeing the obvious proof that he was thinking something in the same lines as hers.

But all he did was smirk, before leaning in and whispering in her ear, "Do you know how long it's been since I've had the pleasure of making a woman cum with me, Miss Fray?"

"A couple of months?" She ventured.

"Try years."

Clary snorted, shaking her head and not believing him. And just like that, the spell was broken. A minute ago, he could have told her jump, she would have asked how high, but now that she heard that ridiculous statement, she was back in being herself. She was back being flirtatious and a tease, knowing that nothing more would ever occur.

After all, Jace was more than a simple handsome man, he was a billionairehandsome man. He had so many women throwing at him that he had to ask her to step in so he could thwart them off. And now, he expected her to believe that it had been years since he had taken a woman to his bed. As if he couldn't have made them sign NDAs before fucking they're brains out and make sure they wouldn't breathe a word to the world.

Jace stepped back, though he did not make a move to release the elevator, and he asked her with a more controlled and business-like voice, "Have you ever heard of the no-fap theory?"

"No."

"You should look it up. But if I have to make it plain, I just like going to the museum, even though I know I can't possess the piece of art, I still like watching, especially when the piece of art is as beautiful as you are."

Clary burst in laughter, shaking her head as she let him know, "If you charm girls like that, you won't be single for long. Unless you're picturing a Picasso, then the museum line to yourself."

Jace smiled, and reached for the stop button, finally resuming their assent to the party as he said, looking at the doors,

"I think even Botticelli's Venus should worry if you go in a museum."

.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.

As the party started dying, Clary looked at Jace from afar, talking to his second in command. She had expected an old grumpy and greedy man, but Aline Penhallow was anything but. First, aline was a woman, who seemed to have an iron grip. From what Clary could tell, she was really loyal to Jace and if the company were to ever sink, she would stay by Jace's side, no matter what.

She had explained to Clary that Jace had taken a chance on her, despite the fact that he needed someone with experience when he was building his company, and that she had none. She had the qualifications, but in a business world led by men, she was struggling to be anything but a glorified PA. though she assured Clary that she wouldn't want Kaelie's position for anything in the world.

Kaelie was Jace's personal assistant, and though she didn't get the chance to actually talk to the blond girl, Aline told Clary that Jace was a very demanding boss. Sure he paid Kaelie more than well, but she barely had a life. She was always on call, and her only moments of freedom were when he was on the other side of the globe, with a completely different time zone.

Though it seemed that Kaelie had decided to forget that she had a demanding boss that night. She had spent most of her night dancing with a guy with a long beard, sucking his face from the first minute of the year, until they eclipsed themselves a couple of hours later.

Aline had left shortly after with her wife. Clary would have loved to go as well, she was tipsy because of the amount of champagne that she drank and she was tired, but she couldn't decently ask Jace to leave his own party. So she patiently waited until he would tell her that it was time for them to go.

She was actually surprised by the number of Jace's employees who made a move at him, subtly, or not so subtly. It had become so embarrassing that Clary had decided to settle it once and for ally dragging her 'boyfriend' to the dance floor and dance with him to a slow reggaeton. Though it had been more her moving against a stiff Jace. She had no idea if he genuinely did not know how to dance, or if he didn't want to do it in front of his employees.

She had managed to avoid the awkward kiss moment the New Year by disappearing to the bathroom just before the countdown. Jace hadn't said a word, probably because she gave the perfect excuse as to why they hadn't kissed when every other couple did.

Finally, Jace told her that he would drop her back to her hotel, and as soon as they were alone, Jace let her know as she sing-sang to herself Lady Marmelade, "I definitely like tipsy Clary."

"When am I going to see tipsy Jace?"

"When he won't be working."

She snorted, translating his last statement in common language, "That means never."

They got in the car, and she removed her shoes with a sigh of relief. Dancing in new heels was never a good idea. Jace's eyes were on her feet as Kyle drove away, and he cautiously said,

"I guess it's time for me to ask about 'I' again."

"Nope. I'm tipsy, not drunk. And we don't have any tissues."

"You shouldn't cry over an ex," Jace said sympathetically

"'I' is not an ex," She let him know, rolling her eyes. She already had that one ex to feel sorry about, she didn't need Jace conjuring another one out of thin air.

He looked at her expectantly, and she closed her eyes, leaning her head against the headrest as she let the memory of Izzy come back to her.

"I am so happy to have met you. I am so happy that I finally have someone in my life that I can call a friend."

"Me too, Clary. You're the only one I can trust because I know you won't judge. The social worker won't understand. Praise me we'll always be friends."

They both raised their pinkies, linking them in the most sacred of sermons before they resumed eating their ice-cream. Clary looked at Izzy, feeling overwhelmed by happiness. They might be runaways, they might have terrible skeletons hidden in their pasts, they might be just two teens against the world, but they were together.

She glanced down at her ankle where the bright new ink was still shining, the proof of their eternal friendship, and she jumped when Izzy surprised her by jumping by her side. She was holding a camera. The two of them grinned at each other before looking at the lens and immortalising their bond.

She was definitely tipsier than she thought because she opened up, "'I' is Izzy. She was the only friend I had growing up. It was short-lived but intense. We lost touch long ago."

"'I' is a girl?" Jace said, a hint of relief echoing in his voice.

"Is, was, I don't know. As I said, we lost touch long ago."

"How did you lose touch?"

"We were still teens. Stuff happened," She eluded, not really eager to go down that road. She didn't like thinking of Izzy, and she didn't like talking about the fact that she was brought up by the system. Especially to someone like Jace.

"What did she look like?"

"She was ... the sweetest girl there was. She had such a bright smile. One could think she was a random girl, just like me. Brown eyes, brown hair, nothing extraordinary, but she was ... like an angel. And she had a birthmark on her left temple that looked like a star ..."

She deeply breathed in, and opened her eyes, shaking her head. She couldn't believe she had been telling Jace about Izzy when she didn't even allow herself to think about her. She had tried to find her several times, thinking that the birthmark would help her, but she never found anything. She liked to think that she was living in another State or country. It was more reassuring than the other option.

"Do you have any resolution for this new year?"

Jace longly looked at her, as if debating whether or not he should keep on trying to make her talk about Izzy, before he told her, "Not really. I actually think it's ridiculous to wait for the new year for new resolutions. I have a set of goals that I renew every time I achieve one of them."

"Let me guess, they're all business-related."

"Of course."

"I think you need some sort of balance in your life."

"You are my balance."

She rolled her eyes at the stupidity of this statement and remained quite. Jace was probably one of those people who lived for work and nothing else. It was quite sad because he would never have someone to share his successes with, but if this was who he was, she had to accept it.

"But you are, Clary. I don't go out. I don't have friends. I don't Netflix and cill. You're the only person I don't talk business with."

She snorted in a very unladylike way, "Do I have to remind you that we have an arrangement together?"

"But we don't really talk about it, do we? We talk about all and nothing, and I actually quite enjoy it."

"Still, you need more balance in life. We don't see each other that much for this to be considered healthy for you. You need to learn to socialise with normal people. If not for you, for your future family."

"What future family?"

"Wife, kids, you know..."

"I told you, Clary, my company is my first, second and third love. I am not interested in having a wife, and even less, children."

"Then why are you building this empire?" She mused, not understanding why anyone would build a legacy if they had no one to leave it to.

"Because I can."

She rolled her eyes, only realising then that they were in front of her hotel. Jace got out of the car to open her door, and he told her that he would walk her to her room, just in case her tipsy self found her way to another man's room. As the elevator ascended, he said,

"Can I ask for a personal favour?"

"It depends."

"I know you're supposed to go home tomorrow, but I'd ... appreciate if you stayed a couple of days longer and went back to New York with me."

She could just say no and go back to New York to the comfort of her home sweet home. But she just chastised him for not being social enough. He had just told her that she was his only human touch, so she couldn't refuse him that. Especially when she could work on a few more test online. Especially when she had to wait in such a comfortable and luxurious room.

"Well, I'll wait for you, if you go and see your family. Even if it's just for an hour. It's the New Year, you should wish them good fortune in person."

"Kaelie already sent them something."

She knowingly smiled, starting to see the hardship of Kaelie's job. "And yet, you appreciated the truffles. You showing up to see your family is the same than me giving you truffles. You don't have to do it, but it will be very much appreciated if you do."

❌PLEASE DO NOT COPY, DOWNLOAD OR SHARE THIS ANYWHERE OTHER THAN HERE❌

.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.

💚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💚💚💚