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 11: Cheesecakes & Rosé (8,2K)

PART 1

When Clary woke up the next day, it was to a buzzing sound that she quickly dismissed. She was far too comfortable to think about trying to locate the noise and stop it. But her comfort was quickly dismissed by a breath of fresh air made by someone quickly exiting the bed, and throwing up the covers.

And that's when she came back to reality, snapping her eyes open. She had kissed and slept with Jace Wayland.

In fact, what woke her up more than anything wasn't the covers being thrown up, but the hand missing from her breast and the warmth of his body no longer against hers. She closed her eyes, trying to get back to that sweet moment she had before Jace's phone rang and he rushed out of bed to answer it, but that magical moment was gone.

Jace's angry voiced burst in an angry whisper that was not so concealed, "Just contain the situation! That's why I pay you, in the first place!"

She sat up, knowing that she should face the consequences of her actions, and though she was still wearing her underwear, she brought the covers up, to make sure that very little of her skin could be seen. Jace was standing by the window, looking at the view she had over the city, though she was sure t was nothing compared to the hotel room he had booked for himself, wherever that might be.

Though she had stripped him all the way down to his boxers, he had his trousers on, showing his naked back to her. She could help but blush a little when she saw the few scratches there, hoping that he wouldn't notice them, even though the memory of putting them there was branded in her brain.

After she had lured him in her room, they hadn't been able to keep their hands off from one another. They had kept on kissing, passionately, savagely, feverishly. Until he laid her on the bed. There had been a slight hesitation on his part, but her alcohol fogged brain didn't really care. She had reached for his shirt, kissing his neck as she did so, and the fire had resumed from his part.

In fact, she wasn't really sure what made them stop. They certainly didn't talk about stopping. Just, when they had been both in their underwear, in some silent common accord, they didn't try to push it any further. And Clary was ever so grateful to that. Especially as she was hearing Jace scream at the person on the other end of the phone about contracts and loopholes. Having sex with Jace would end her contract with him, and there were no loopholes that would make it so she could remain her friend after that.

"I don't give a fuck, Roger! Deal with it! I am not doing a press conference to debunk some stupid rumours, I already told you that. My personal life doesn't affect my business, so I don't address it as such."

He turned, his free hand reaching for his shirt when his eyes fell on Clary. He ravaged her face, his golden eyes lingering a second more on her hair that probably looked like a cuckoo's nest, before he held his finger up and put his phone down, letting the other person know,

"She's here. You're on speaker, now."

He mouthed to her that his PR was the man speaking to them, as Roger used his most professional tone to explain to her,

"Oh, hello, Miss Fray. I hope you had a good morning. I was just trying to explain to Mr Wayland that it would be best if he held an interview with you by his side concerning your outing of yesterday night."

She frowned, not understanding what her birthday had to do with anything, and she glanced up at Jace who had switched on the TV, looking for a gossip channel. When he did so, Clary's mouth dropped open, and though the TV was on mute, the subtitles spoke loud enough.

Billionaire tycoon Jace Wayland flies to Vegas to get hitched on the fourth of July.

There were several pictures of the two of them dancing or kissing on the dance floor. But the picture that kept going over and over again was the one where the two of them were in the streets, on their way to the club. Clary remembered how Jace stopped her before going in and had cupped her face, how she had leant to whisper something in his ear, how Jace had made it clear that when he first saw her, he had thought of fucking her. But what she hadn't realised at the time was that the club was next to a wedding chapel.

She blinked, looking over at Jace and childishly hoping that he would yell 'April's Fool' or 'Feliz Dia De Los Innocentes'. She had only meant to take her friend out, yesterday night, not for the whole wide world to think that they eloped in Vegasof all the places.

"I told you, Roger, I'm not doing that."

"Mr Wayland, both the press and social media are ravenous when it comes to your personal life. You give them too little, which makes them greedy every time you give even an inch. This is the best solution to keep those rumours at —"

"Then do your fucking job, and find a better solution!" Jace barked at the phone, glaring at it with anger.

Clary brought her knees up, praying with all her heart that Roger would find a good and viable solution. She didn't want to even start thinking of the worst-case scenarios. What if they asked her to pose as his wife? It was one thing to pretend they were dating, but she would not pretend she was married to Jace Wayland.

"I could ..." Roger started as if anticipating Jace's reaction to his proposal. "I have a contact in vegas that could photograph the two of you out and about. At lunch, or shopping.

It would just have to be something simple and casual, Miss Fray. Nothing more than what the two of you are already doing. But you would just need to make sure you are not wearing any jewellery of any kind, so the media can't misinterpret them. If you are t this, Miss Fray, I could have the picture out by tonight."

Clary rose an eyebrow at Jace who gave her back her smirk. He too had understood that his PR felt it was safer to pitch her the idea, rather than do it to Jace. He was counting on her changing his mind afterwards.

"No," He said, quite adamantly, and finally, Clary talked.

"I don't mind, Jace."

It was his turn to frown, and he muted the conversation, so Roger couldn't hear them, and before he could try to reason her with any logical argument he would give and make her change her mind, she said,

"I'd rather that, to be fair. I don't want people thinking I was crazy enough to marry you. And ... you can't do that to your poor mother. Imagine how she must feel, thinking you got drunk and married without inviting her."

"I'm not asking you to pose because people are too stupid to believe anything they see in tabloids."

"I know you're not. But your PR seems to think this is the best option. And this is what you hired me for. This is what a girlfriend does when her man needs her, she stands by his side. So let's show the world that, though I stand by your side, we are not married."

He looked deep in her eyes, seeing for the first time his CEO persona when it was only the two of them, and he nodded, unmuting the phone as he told Roger,

"Tell Andrew to send him an agreement that he can't sell the pictures to anyone but the media of our choice. We'll be in at The Top of The World in ... two hours?"

His eyes were on Clary, asking for confirmation. She confidently nodded, though she just recalled she had planned to have lunch with Magnus and Karl. She would just need to let them know of the situation.

"It's going to be hard for him to snap a 'discrete' photo if you're eating at the top of a building."

"Well, he better do his job right, or I'm not paying him. We're leaving the Bellagio at 12 o'clock. Either he's that good of a photographer, either you think of a better solution and do your job, Roger!"

He then hung up with temper, passing a hand in his hair before retaking the phone and scrolling to call another person. Clary turned her head, to look at the clock by her bed, only to see that it was already ten in the morning. She furrowed her brows, surprised to have slept in, and even more, than Jace slept in when it wasn't a day off for him.

As she heard the tonality of the phone ring on speaker, whilst Jace was putting his shirt on, she finally extracted herself from the bed, struggling to bring the sheet with her. She tiptoed her way to the bathroom, when Jace's voice stopped her, "Clary?"

She turned just like the person he was calling picked up, "Well, well, well. You go buy a hotel, and you end up married."

"Don't be ridiculous, Aline. Is everyone here?" He asked, his eyes still on Clary, preventing her from moving.

"Of course, they are. The only person late for this conference call is the man giving it. I guess marriage makes you human," She teased, unknowingly angering Jace as he clenched his jaw and his fists as he always did when his temper got the better of him.

"Give me fifteen minutes. And make sure to tell them that I'll take no shit from anyone. I don't have time, today?"

"Aren't you supposed to be in post-wedding bliss?" Aline teased once again, but he didn't bother answering her, simply hanging up, glaring at the phone.

Then, he snapped his head to her, and for the first time in their relationship, Clary truly felt intimidated by Jace. She had already seen him angry, or annoyed, and she had already seen him half-naked, or in a towel. But this was the first time that she was seeing a combination of all those elements and that she was half-naked herself, waking up in his arms after having savagely kissed him.

She cleared her throat, slightly sliding closer to the bathroom door as she let him know, "I'm going to grab a shower."

"Clary ..."

"We ... we ... we will talk. Definitely. I just really need a shower, and you have a conference call waiting for you. See you at lunch."

She dashed to the bathroom, locking it behind her and not giving Jace the opportunity to say a single word. Once there, she let the water run, changing her mind for a bath, and she leaned against the door, to listen if Jace left the room. As soon as she was sure he was no longer in her room, she went back inside to grab her phone, and when she was in the warm water, she called Magnus.

Of course, when he picked up the phone, he was already aware of what the word thought happened last night, as he sang the nuptial march to her.

"So how was the wedding night?"

"Magnus! Please tell me you don't believe —"

"Of course I don't. But I do know that there was a lot of sexual tension between you two yesterday night. Especially after that little dance, you did for him. Who knew you were that flexible?"

"It was just a split."

"That's what flexible people say. They dismiss it as if it was nothing. But anyway, what happened? The two of you disappeared after Karl told me some asshole almost got punched by Jace."

She stared at the water, trying to understand how they had passed from dancing to kissing and then to going back to her room. But she still couldn't find any logical explanation, except for the fact that she had been drunk, and he had been intoxicated.

"I slept with Jace, last night." She said with the smallest voice she could conjure.

"Why do I feel like this isn't what I think it is?"

"Because it isn't. We just ... slept together."

She didn't want to tell him of the kissing that happened before going to bed, because she knew that he was going to make a big deal out of it. Magnus was in this fantasy world where Jace and she would get married and ride off to the sunset, and she didn't want to give him any munitions for him to keep hammering her with his delusional dream.

"So what? Didn't you sleep together when you went to his parents' house?"

"We didn't really have a choice back then. Yesterday ... I asked him to come."

"Awww, alcohol made you see reason."

"It's not funny Magnus! What am I going to do? Jace is a businessman. All he cares about are his contract and having them enforced. I heard him shouting at his PR this morning, reminding him that he was on a payroll, and all. And ... that's all I am. Just an employee. Maybe a bit friendly than that, but I'm just an employee."

"Maybe he wants to be more than your employer. Ever thought of that?" Magnus argued with reason, but she shook her head, remembering the way Jace had looked at her earlier.

"No. I told you already, Magnus. All he cares about is his company. And I understand, he is a businessman, le lives, thinks and breathes business. But ... our contract clearly says no funny business, and I don't want to end it now because of a drunken night."

"Well, tell him, then. You said so yourself, he's always been open to listening, even if he doesn't always apply."

Once again, her eyes got lost into space as she thought of what Magnus just told her. It was true that she was freaking out over nothing. Nothing happened, so, technically, Jace had no ground to break the contract. She had told him that they would talk because it had been obvious that he wanted to talk about last night, but she could also explain that she had been drunk and that she did not intend on repeating her actions again.

"You're right. I'm overreacting, as usual. Sorry for laying it on you, once again."

"That's what I'm here for, Biscuit. Though, Karl got worried. He didn't want you to lose your virginity to a drunken night."

"Haha, you still didn't tell him that that ship has been sailed long ago?"

"Not yet. It's just so funny to have him being all chevalresque about it."

She rolled her eyes, relaxing a bit more in her bath. Now that she had talked to Magnus, she felt that, just like he had told her, she had been overreacting. All she should see last night as was her spending time with a good friend to whom she was attracted, and getting a bit carried away when she consumed too much alcohol.

.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.

As she was finishing getting ready for her lunch with Jace, her phone rang up, for the umpteenth time of the morning. She had to screen her calls once again, ignoring all her classmates, and the people with whom she volunteered at the soup kitchen. The only person with whom she had really bonded there had been Seb, and he had texted her a message that clearly showed he didn't believe the bullshit the media was feeding the world.

Actually, all the people that were important to her all texted her messages letting her know that they knew she had just been out with her boyfriend during her night out, and didn't think for even a second that she had decided to get married on a limb. All except Alec.

Alec and Clary had been in contact once a week since Jace's birthday, so she could talk to the boys who always insisted on calling her and letting her know of what was happening in their lives. She had expected him to ask for answers as soon as the news hit, at least on behalf of his mother, but he did not try to contact her whatsoever.

And this was why she was not so surprised when she saw that it was Alec on the other side of the line. He was FaceTiming, which wasn't abnormal, so she could see the boys. still, it wasn't Alec's face that she saw, but Jason, who seemed to struggle to keep the phone still so his face could be in the frame.

"Clary? Are you there?" He whispered, making her smile as she sat on her bed, leaving her hairbrush aside as she answered with the same tone.

"Yes. Why are we whispering?"

"I stole daddy's phone," He giggled, making her shake her head.

"And why would you do that."

"I wanted to show you my drawing for your birthday. But daddy says I have to wait until we come to your place."

"Oh, I get a birthday drawing. I would love to see it." He grinned, but just before he reached for what she assumed to be the picture in question, she pondered, making a point of showing a pensive face,

"Although ... maybe I should wait as your daddy said. You know, it's like Christmas. Santa already knows what he's getting for you, but you're always really happy when you open your presents, aren't you?"

Jason furrowed his brows, nodding his head and admitting that surprises should be kept as such until the right moment, and she heard Alec calling for his son just as someone knocked on her door. She kept her phone in hand as she opened to Jace, who frowned the exact same way his nephew did just a second earlier.

"Hey Jason, say hi to your Uncle." She positioned next to Jace so Jason could see him, and the young child timidly waved his hand before giving the phone to his father and running away by the sound of it.

Alec seemed taken aback for a moment, before smirking at the couple and beaming, "Congratulations! Mom is ecstatic."

Jace glared at his brother, especially when Alec added, "What happened, Clary? I thought we were supposed to elope to Vegas together?"

"Shut up, Alec."

She rolled her eyes and Alec wiggled his own at her. Jace walked away so he wouldn't be on the screen anymore, and Clary sat back on her bed, letting Alec know,

"Not to be a snitch or anything, but you have a little someone who likes to ruin surprises."

"Oh, that's why he called you. He has been going on and on again about how he made that drawing for you and all. Oh well, I guess it's in his genes. I'm not the best at keeping secrets. So when you decide to give my kids little cousins, do tell me last."

Once again, she rolled her eyes, glancing up at Jace who was standing by her window, just like he had been in the morning. It was obvious he was waiting for her to end the call so they could talk, so she looked back at his brother, waving him goodbye, as she told him,

"We were actually about to go out when Jason called. So I'll speak to you soon. Say hi to Julian from me."

"I will. Bye Jace!" He called out. "By the way, you should let your hair down more often. It suits you."

He hung up, and though she did not look up in Jace's direction straight away, she could feel the glare cast upon her. The thing was because she had washed her hair, she had let it hair dry a bit, and was in a middle of doing it when Jason called.

When he kept on silently looking at her, she got up and walked to the looking glass mirror so she could braid her hair, as she told him, "You could have texted me, Jace. I would have met you wherever you are staying, instead of you doing all the back and forth."

"The back and forth is just between floors. I'm staying on the top floor here."

"Oh, I didn't know.

"I could give you a tour if you want. You could even stay there."

She snickered, rolling her eyes as she went to the bathroom to grab a hair tie and tie the end of her braid. "ii doubt that."

"I'm pretty sure the hotel will let you stay where you want, Clary."

She narrowed her eyes at him before it dawned on her. Aline had mentioned in the morning that he had bought a hotel. She hadn't been surprised, Jace had always told her that he didn't like keeping all his eggs in one basket, and he had already bought several hotels across the world, especially in Asia. But still, the Bellagio was one of the most famous hotel-casinos in the world.

"You bought the Bellagio?" She couldn't help but muse, and he shrugged, looking out the window again.

"Part of it. 49% to be exact."

"I ... Why would the Bellagio sell?"

"Because I made an offer they couldn't say no to."

She nodded, not really interested in knowing exactly what Jace had done, but she still thought that this was such a 50MIL move. Normal people couldn't go buy a hotel on a whim, because they wanted it. Not even regular millionaires could do that. Just the 50MILs of this world.

She turned back to the mirror, and applied mascara and lipstick in dead silence, waiting for Jace to come out of his trance. He was looking through her windows, his eyes lost into space as his mind was clearly preoccupied with something.

When she was done, she turned, but Jace still seemed lost deep in thoughts, so she cleared her throat, and he startled back to reality, though he did not turn to look at her as he started, his tone far too professional for Clary's liking,

"About last night, —"

"I'm sorry. I was clearly drunk, and it turns out I can't behave myself as well as you when you're drunk. I never planned to lure you into my room. It was just ... the alcohol talking."

Finally, he turned to look at her, his golden eyes scanning into her soul as his own face was not showing a single emotion. And finally, she saw the businessman in him. The one who knew the cards he had in his hand, and which one to play. She felt really clueless at that instant as if Jace had always known exactly what was on her mind and had gotten her exactly where he wanted.

So she deeply inhaled and put her cards on the table, laying out what she had on her heart, "I just don't want our contract to end yet. Especially because of my acting silly. I think, in this case, we should apply Vegas's most famous law. 'What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas'."

He kept his eyes on her for a second more, before nodding, and presenting his arm to her so they could leave her room. She took his arm, feeling somewhat relieved that there waste going to be any drama between them, and as they exited her room, she realised that she hadn't warned Magnus about her change of plans.

"Just a moment. I need to cancel on the guys," She warned him, knocking on the door next to her room.

Karl opened the door, all smiles, though his eyes slightly narrowed when he spotted Jace behind Clary. She sheepishly smiled, and let him know,

"I forgot to tell Magnus this morning —"

"That I'd like for you two to join us for lunch. If that's alright with you," Jace cut her off, resting his hand on her smaller back, and making her slightly stiffen.

Magnus appeared in the frame, surprised to see Jace before he quickly repressed a smug smile as he noticed his hand on Clary's back, and Jace explained, "I do have to warn you that this is a publicity stunt. My PR thinks that Clary needs to show she's not wearing a ring, and he has been telling me for some time that I needed to be seen with Magnus to shut down the rumours about him and Clary. You can say no."

Magnus briefly glanced at Clary, and she shrugged as discreetly as she could, letting him know that it was up to him and Karl. still, he grinned, and asked, "Depends, where are you taking us?"

"Top Of The World."

"Well, in that case, I can make the effort to be seen publicly with you."

.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.

As Clary had predicted, Jace kept their lunch really professional doing his best to avoid answering any personal question. She saw how Karl noticed the way he always managed to elude any question, and she gave him a reassuring smile when he glanced at her with concern. In all honesty, she felt weird lying to Karl like that, when all he ever did was care about her, but in the meantime, her letting him know that Jace and she were not a real couple meant that she would breach the contract.

So, despite the good food and sweet rosé, Clary was relieved when Jace said he had business to attempt and left them on their own. They still had four more days in Vegas, and today, it had been decided that they would mostly spend the day gambling, assuming that they would be too hangover after their night of partying.

So, for the rest of the day, they went back to the hotel, staying in the casino and trying their hands at everything. Magnus liked the improbability of roulette, whereas Clary and Karl were more interested in the card games. She stayed for a few hours at a blackjack table, hating that the casino kept tempting her with a delicious strawberry cheesecake. She was sure that she ate the equivalent of a whole cake, even though she only had small individual pieces each time.

It was only when he realised that she had won two thousand dollars that it occurred that she was winning too easily. She played a couple of other games, with that in mind, and realised to her horror that she had been unconsciously counting cards. She quickly stopped playing, not wanting to be thrown out of Jace's hotel just a day after he had bought it.

She knew that there was no law against counting cards, she had actually made a paper about gambling and Nevada Laws. But she also knew that casino owners were not taking too lightly someone counting their cards. And she actually enjoyed Vegas, she didn't want to be blacklisted of every casino for doing something she didn't even realise she was doing.

So, after checking on Magnus who had moved on to the craps table, she went to one of the poker rooms, where she knew Karl was. She sat next to him, with no intention to play at first, impressed by the small jackpot in front of him. She watched for a couple of games, and when Karl won with a smug smile, she asked to be in the next round, just like other people did.

"It's not because it was your birthday yesterday, that I'll be nice to you. I have a boyfriend to think of," Karl told her, with a teasing smile, and she just shrugged. Truth was, she had won more than once enough money for a room by playing poker.

So she sat where the dealer told her to sit, and played with Karl and the other men interested in playing. She noticed that she was the only girl playing, despite the fact that she wasn't the only girl in the room, and she wondered if, had Jace decided to come to play with them, that was the way he would have expected her to act.

She dismissed the idea, knowing that Jace never asked her to act like a foolish bimbo, but rather like herself, and she played on, holding on her smirk as the other players understood that she wasn't as clueless as she looked. Karl didn't seem that surprising, his smug smile sometimes showing some pride when she would best some other player.

Their game lasted much longer than she had anticipated, most of the players out, but Karl, Clary and some man with a British accent and a pretty lady by his side. She had to admit that she had always thought she could read Karl like a book, but when it came to poker, he was as difficult to read as a book of quantum physics written in Chinese.

Magnus joined in at some point, cheering for his boyfriend and saying that, whoever won better buy him an amazing birthday present in September with all the money they would win. It was only then that Clary realised that she was the only person with no supporter. And as if the managers of the casino had just noticed as well, a young man appeared by her side, all smiling and charming.

She wondered if he was the male version of those hostesses she heard about that were employed by casinos to make sure that players kept on drinking and gambling, and the smug part of her hoped that he was. If he was, it meant that the casino thought of her as a player big enough that they could dry.

When it was down to only Karl and her, Karl said, before the dealer could ever deal, "How about we make this last hand, the winner takes it all. Just so we can get some fresh new blood back on the table."

"Okay. I just hope you're alright with having a boyfriend in debt for your birthday, Magnus."

"Don't rip him off! I lost all my money. If he does too, we'll have to move in with you."

She smiled, and they took their last cards. As Clary looked at them, the young man leaned in to ask in a whisper if she fancied a drink afterwards, and she looked up to see Magnus rolling his eyes at the guy. She politely smiled at the man, waiting for her next card, hoping it would be the one that would turn her bad hand into a winning hand.

When the last card was dealt, Karl laid his cards on the table, and she grinned as she did the same, showing the red hearts all over her cards. Karl made a face but still lost with class, tilting his head to her, as he admitted, "You got a mean poker face, Fray. I'm pretty sure you bluffed more than once."

"You'll never know," She smugly said, dividing her winning, and giving Karl back the money he had when they started playing. He opened his mouth, and she said, "I don't want my bestie to have a crappy birthday from his boyfriend."

"And the bestie has very expensive tastes to being with," Magnus added, kissing his boyfriend's cheek, not without looking in Clary's way, silently thanking her just with his eyes.

"So about that drink?"

"How about you go find another prey? One that is single, preferably," Jace's voice suddenly said, putting a threatening hand on the man's shoulder.

Clary smiled to him, not having expected to see him again during her trip in Vegas. He had told her that he was here for the week, but with some businessman from China. And so, she assumed that the man next to her was the man in question, given his facial features and appearance.

Jace sat next to Clary, signalling to the dealer that he and his friend were planning to play, and he grinned at Clary, though he did not look at her in the eyes, "So, how about I get to test those poker skills, Miss Fray?"

She turned to Magnus, hoping that he would come up with an excuse for her to leave with Karl and him; but that was without counting Magnus's disillusion when it came to Jace and her. He got up and kissed her cheek,

"Well, Karl and I do have some plans for tonight. And I'm afraid, you can't partake without burning your eyes. so, see you tomorrow. And don't wear her out, Jace. We're going out early tomorrow morning."

He was about to leave, when Jace hailed him, "Go through reception before going up."

She looked at him with her eyebrow up, but all he did was smirking at her. He expectantly looked at her, waiting for her to join the game or not, and she was tempted to refuse, sure that his partner and she had much higher bets that she could afford when the Chinese man intervened,

"Play with us, Miss. If I do not beat Jace, gallantry will make him lose to you. I am tired of always seeing him win."

She smiled, not seeing how she could get out of this one, and they started their game. It was in fact much faster than the game she previously had, probably because they were only three, and to Jace's greatest surprise, she kicked him out of the game first.

Half an hour later, Mr Cho (that was his name) won, and went up to his room extremely happy, whilst Jace walked Clary to hers.

"You let him win, didn't you?" He said as they got in the elevator, and she innocently smiled.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

She did have had several winning hands, but folded each time to Mr Cho for it seemed so important for him to win. She couldn't really say that she didn't care about the money, but she still had her winning from the blackjack table, and nothing could replace Mr Cho's expression when he was the last one standing.

When the elevator stopped at her floor, he put his hand on the doors, and asked her, "Do you care for that tour, now?"

Had she been drunk, she would have refused, but she barely had three glasses of rosé throughout the whole day, so she knew she was lucid enough to not do anything stupid. So she followed him up to his room, not surprised that he had opted for a penthouse, like the one he had in New York, and her eyes fell on the bay window, mesmerising her instantly.

She walked like a zombie, admiring the city in its gown of lights and the fountain cascading over and over again, and she wished she could go to sleep to that sight every night. She barely felt Jace stand behind her, as she couldn't get enough of the view, overlooking Vegas in its most glorious state.

"I've been thinking," Jace started, and she turned her head to him, giving him her full attention, even though he was looking through the window, and not at her.

"About this whole 'what happens in Vegas' business ..." She nodded, waiting for him to continue. "I don't want what happened last night to make it awkward between us."

"It won't."

Finally, he snapped his head to look at her in the eyes, and it seemed to her that it was the first time since they had talked shortly before lunch.

"Then, don't freeze when I touch you. You know I like touching you, and you never had any issue about that before."

"Well, don't avoid looking at me in the eyes, then," She snapped back, and he seemed caught off guard. still, he quickly recovered, and said, with a tease in his tone,

"That's because you were ripping me off. How come you're so good?"

She grimaced, turning her back on the beautiful view in front of her, and she sat on the sofa, removing her shoes from her aching feet and cursing herself for dancing so much during the previous night.

"You don't want to know."

"I thought we were friends."

"We are. But you also get annoyed over the most ridiculous things. Like your brother seeing me with my hair down."

He sat by her side, taking her feet in his hands and closing his eyes as he started massaging them and reminded her, "And you told me not to hold your past against you. I can't prove to you that I won't if you don't share said past."

"Fair enough. Though I learnt poker to survive in the streets, I developed my skills and poker face later in life, playing strip poker and doing my best to protect my dignity."

For a moment, he interrupted his massaging, though he didn't open his eyes. But then he resumed his sweet ministrations, saying with an even voice,

"Fair enough."

"What about you? Where did you learn poker?"

"My parents taught us. Friday nights used to be game nights whilst growing up. Mom has always been a good poker player. Alec sucks, though. But he destroys us at Scrabble."

"And you? Were you the king of Monopoly?"

"What can I say, some people are naturally talented."

He grinned, his eyes closed and his hands still applying the perfect pressure on her feet. She leaned so her head would be resting on the armrests, her feet still massaged by Jace's expert hands, and she closed her eyes, appreciating the moment.

She asked Jace what was his favourite things growing up, listening to his answers, all the while letting her brain wander to a smilier and yet different situation.

"Come on, Henry, you always say we don't talk enough about ourselves," She said, pouting a little as she was trying to get him to tell her about his childhood.

He always wanted her to tell her about her life and her whereabouts, but as soon as it came to their past, he would change the topic. And apparently, today was no different when he watched a girl pass, shaking his head with disapproval,

"Yet another girl who's going to complain that she gets raped."

This ought to send some cold shivers down Clary's spine, and she repressed a sigh. They already had this conversation, and each time, she was hoping that he would see clear and would stop being so chauvinistic. But most importantly, each time, it made her congratulate herself for keeping to herself what had happened to her during her youth.

"I told you this already, Henry. The way a girl is dressing has nothing to do with the way men act."

"It has everything to do with it. Don't go dressing like a slut, and then go crying when you get treated as such. It's asking for troubles to dress like that."

"This is ridiculous. Does that mean that someone getting mugged was asking for it as well? I mean, they should have money in the first place?"

He shook his head with condescendence, looking at her as if she was a child, "You're comparing things that shouldn't be compared."

"And you're judging on grounds that are wrong. If the way a woman dressed was the main factor, women in the army wouldn't get raped. Or the ones wearing a burka. Or the ones leaving in cold countries where they always have to wear warm clothes. Men need to be educated on how to act in society. Do you realise that we are one of the rare species that commit rape?"

He rolled her eyes, kissing her cheek, "Once again, you're comparing things that shouldn't be compared. Why are you comparing us to animals? You know I'm right. I'm not saying every victim deserved it, but it is in the natural order of things. Just like women have this natural inclination to tend to others, men ... will be men."

She started dozing off, listening to Jace tell her what he liked about Vegas, and why buying parts of the hotel wasn't just a business decision. She wasn't sure if she even slept for a little, but at some point, she felt too comfortable. She blinked her eyes open, seeing that she was in Jace's bed and that he was about to put the covers on her, and she brusquely sat up, saying as her head spun,

"I should go back down."

"Or you could stay."

She stared at him, about to remind him what they had agreed on in the morning, "Honestly, Clary. If I didn't take advantage of you being drunk and willing, I won't try my luck with you being sober and reasonable. I am just applying what we agreed on. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. And, well, we're still in Vegas."

She stayed seated, and Jace simply walked to the other side of the bed, switching off the light and already assuming that she would stay. She watched him strip to his boxers and put on pyjama bottoms, and when he got in, she got up. He rose his eyebrow at her, and she inquired,

"That's a loophole, isn't it?"

He smirked. "I am a businessman, Clary. Loopholes are my speciality."

"I don't have my PJs."

"It didn't bother you last night. Nor me, for that matter."

"Yeah, you're obviously not a girl. It's uncomfortable sleeping in a bra."

He longly looked at her, not moving from the bed, before laying in properly and telling her, "If you want to go back to your room, it's just on the floor below. I asked reception to upgrade you and your friends, free of charge. But if you want to stay and keep talking, you can grab one of my shirts in the wardrobe."

For a moment, she didn't move, trying to decide what to do. But then, she had to admit that he was right. If they hadn't done anything whilst completely drunk, they would certainly not do anything whilst sober. So she went to the wardrobe and looked for one of his shirts, before going to the bathroom to change.

It felt so weird to make that conscious decision of sleeping with Jace, but she rationalised herself, thinking that she was already falling asleep with her feet on his laps. So, she slipped in the bed next to him, still keeping some distance between them as he typed in an email on his phone.

He did not comment on it, not even turned his head to her, but she still saw the little smirk on his face as he asked as if nothing strange just happened between them,

"So, why did you decide to celebrate your birthday in Vegas?"

"I don't know. We were talking about it with Magnus, and we just decided to go. He's never been either, and it's something we wanted to experience together."

"Have you travelled a lot, before?"

"Yeah. I went to Queens, and Brooklyn, and Harlem."

Jace turned his head to glare at her, not appreciating her joke, and she grinned, not able to stop herself from acting childishly and sticking her tongue out to him.

"I'm not even going to ask you. You've probably gone to every continent on this planet."

"No. I haven't been to Africa, yet."

"Don't you have business in South Africa?"

"And other African countries as well. But Aline always takes care of that. Her wife is from Kenya, so every time they can go on the continent, they take a weekend to visit her family there."

Clary nodded, learning a bit more about Jace, and she repressed a yawn. She wanted to keep on talking, but her brain was already in the land of Morpheus, telling her to switch off and just go to sleep.

"Didn't you say you were from Philadelphia, though?"

"Yes. But I don't remember much of it. I was still young when we came to New York."

He switched off the light, laying in bed next to her and turning so he could face her, as he inquired with curiosity, "You said you lived in the streets. How was it?"

This ought to wake her a little. No had ever asked that. sure, she never really told anyone about her unusual upbringing, but even when people guessed, they stayed away from that topic. The only person who never seemed awkward about it was Magnus, but she knew it was because he had similar experiences growing up. Henry, for instance, always did his best to quickly change the topic whenever she wanted to talk about her life before him.

"I ... It's not a pleasant story, Jace."

"I didn't ask for a bedtime story. I asked for your life story. I think it is fair enough, given the fact that you already know mine."

"Actually, I don't."

He frowned, surprised. "You don't? Didn't you google me the first chance you got?"

"Nah. You're not that interesting. Sorry to disappoint."

"In that case, why don't you ask me a question and I'll ask you one in return?"

"Why didn't you decide to open another office in Seattle instead of coming to New York? I mean, all this travelling is probably trying."

"ii was expecting something more personal."

"I am just hoping that you'll be a gentleman and return the curtesy," She said with cheek, but she immediately regretted it when she saw his grin widen as he reminded her,

"But you said yourself, gentlemen have no business in a bed." She held his gaze, though clearing her throat, and he kept on grinning, answering,

"This is my philanthropic side. I'm offering more job opportunities across the country, all the while leaving some little space for competitors in Seattle. My turn ..."

He seemed to think for a moment, lost in his thoughts before planting his eyes in Clary's, and saying, "In fact, you never really answered my question."

"Which one? You should know by now that love eluding your questions."

"Yes, I've noticed. That's the lawyer in you, always ready to poke its ugly nose out."

"You think I'm ugly?" She asked, pretending to be offended, and he chuckled, slightly shaking his head as he brought his hand to her face so he could trace her nose with his finger.

"Here you are again, getting me off tracks."

She smiled, not minding that he left his hand on her cheek afterwards. "What was your question, Jace?"

"The first time you mentioned your childhood, you alluded to bad things happening to you ..."

"Jace," She said in a warning and yeah wary tone. The magic and jovial mood that had been between them disappeared instantly, and he removed his hand, feeling that it was no longer welcome on her face.

"Just tell me, Clary. It won't kill you. You agreed to answer the fucking question."

"Well, it's not what you think. I've never been sexually assaulted."

He snorted, his eyes hard on her, clearly not entirely believing her statement, before he turned on his back, and put his hand behind his neck, pushing the issue a bit further,

"How about physically?"

"Jace," She couldn't help but whine. They were having such a great time, and he had to ruin it by asking questions he wouldn't like the answers to. She could see that he took her silence for what it was, affirming his assumptions and she watched his clench his jaw, his face suddenly hard as if he had just taken a decision.

"I don't care anymore, Jace. It's in the past."

"Are you always that this cavalier when people treat you wrong?"

"There is no point in moaning about it. It's in the past, nothing you do would ever change that."

"Watch me," He retorted, and she turned in the bed, facing away from him.

She felt him move behind her, hesitating to touch her, and she hated the whole situation. She hated that she was in his shirt, in his bed, in his room. She hated that she was so affected by his reaction. But most of all, she hated that this felt so much like a couple's fight.

For a moment, she looked at the wall in front of her, resisting her instincts to grab her clothes and go back to her room. The only reason why she stayed, was that she didn't want to make this disagreement seems more like a couple fighting by storming off. So she deeply breathed in, and admitted with a small voice,

"I don't want to fight."

"Me neither," He said from behind, and when she turned on the bed, he was anxiously looking at her. His eyes flew to her lips, before he reached for the remote, and switched on the TV, saying,

"How about we fall asleep in front of some men saving the universe by punching and kicking, all the whilst wearing Spandex?"

She turned back, slightly getting closer to him, and smirked, "Is there any other way to save the universe? Spandex all the way!"

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.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.

💚Your thoughts and opinions are always welcomed💚

See, no cliffies, but that's because we are in the middle of a chapter ...

💚 I'm always curious about your favourite part, and what you think will happen next, so let me know.

💚 Well, the world thinks they are married ... What do you think about that?

💚 And do you think Clary loves Jace?

💚And Jace? Basically, I will ask this question until we get his PoV, which will come when you won't expect it ...

💚 So ... What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas ... And we're still in Vegas as Jace pointed out ...

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

Love, Mina💚💚💚