CHAPTER 4

Neal went back to Tessa's house. She wasn't downstairs yet. Probably still sleeping, he thought.

He was wondering whether he should go check on her or not. He decided to wait for a few minutes. He tried to make some noise moving some chairs around but still nothing. Tessa wouldn't come downstairs. He thought it would be best to go upstairs and see if everything was alright.

He knocked on her door and called her name. Still nothing. He paused before knocking again.

"I hope you're decent… I'm coming in," he said as he gently pushed the door open.

To his surprise Tessa was very much awake, sitting on her bed in a very sexy position wearing some sexy lingerie.

"Oh," was all Neal managed to say.

He was not ready to see that!

"Didn't you hear me knock?" he asked.

She smiled and touched her lips with her finger in a very seducing way.

"Of course I did. Come on in, I was waiting for you."

"I should go," Neal replied yet his eyes couldn't leave Tessa's body.

"Nonsense," she said as she placed her hands on her lingerie.

Neal was very uncomfortable. He couldn't hide it. She noticed and loved it.

"You should feel how soft it is," she added as she ran her fingers on her lingerie.

"Tessa, please, can you just get dressed and come downstairs?"

"Not before you feel how soft it is," she teased.

She licked her lips and didn't stop staring at him for a second. He couldn't believe it.

"Alright, I'll be waiting downstairs," he said and was quickly on his way out.

He bumped into someone in the hallway. Tessa's father. He had come home early for a little bit to check on his daughter himself and was not ready to see how far the situation was getting. How close the protection was turning in a way he didn't want to see.

"Oh my God! What's happening here?" he yelled as he saw his daughter wearing that and Neal just leaving the room.

His imagination didn't take long. Thoughts and images were playing in his head. He was fuming and not far from hitting Neal. Neal noticed and tried to remain as calm as possible.

"Sir, I can assure you it's not what it looks like! It's not what you think!" Neal said.

"You. Out!" Tessa's father yelled.

"Daddy!" Tessa yelled back. "Please, no, I like him!" she complained.

Not what you should have said, Neal thought.

"Tessa, please, can you tell your father that I was just coming here to check on you, that I didn't…"

"He's lying, daddy, it's exactly what you think!"

What? Neal shot her a killing look.

"He loved the way my lingerie felt under his fingers," Tessa went on.

Neal could see her father's fists clench.

"Oh my God, Tessa, why would you say that?" Neal asked irritated. "You know it's not what happened!"

"How could you?" Tessa's father said coming closer to Neal.

It's like he could only hear what his daughter was saying. Neal shrugged, didn't know what to say next. It was obvious that the guy would always believe his daughter over him.

"I trusted you with my daughter and this is what you do? You… and her? You better leave before I hit you!"

"I didn't do a thing!" Neal said once again.

Neal was still standing there trying to ease the tension and make Tessa's father understand that nothing had happened.

"I can assure you I haven't touched her!" Neal said.

"Are you calling my daughter a liar now?"

"No Sir, I'm just trying to explain the situation here. I was waiting downstairs and just came up here to check on her. I was worried. I didn't touch her, I swear. I was on my way back downstairs, waiting for her to be decent and..."

"And nothing, I want you out, now! And trust me - your boss will hear from me!"

Oh great! Neal thought. Just what I needed! I'm gonna be in trouble again and I haven't done a thing!

He left and it didn't take five minutes for his cell to ring. It was Peter.

"Well, congratulations, Neal! It didn't take long! You screwed up again, that's just great! Didn't I tell you to stay away from her?"

"Peter, it's not what you think, I"

"Just get your ass over here!" Peter ordered and quickly hung up before Neal could say a word.

Neal did as asked and went back to the office.

Everyone starred at him and not in a good way. Sometimes news traveled fast, very fast.

"What have you done now?" Peter asked angry as soon as Neal set foot in his office.

"Nothing."

"It didn't seem like nothing when Tessa's father called me."

"And of course you believe him?" Neal said.

"Oh don't you start with me!" Peter replied.

Neal sighed. He was tired of people not believing him. He looked kind of sad. Sad that Peter didn't trust him.

"I swear, Peter, I went upstairs to check on her, she wasn't answering. I was worried that maybe something happened. So I went upstairs, knocked on her door and when I heard nothing I came into the room and there she was wearing almost nothing. She was teasing me, asking me to touch her lingerie... I swear I did not touch her."

"That's just great!" Peter said as he threw his hands up in the air.

"You don't believe me?" Neal asked, sadness in his voice.

Peter didn't know what to think. He asked Neal to go on.

"I bumped into her father as I was leaving the room and he got the wrong idea and she didn't do a thing to explain the situation. She made it worse."

"Now why would she do that?" Peter asked confused.

"She was upset I didn't want to play along and touch her lingerie. She's into me," Neal explained.

"But of course!" Peter rolled his eyes.

"How is it my fault now?" Neal wondered out loud.

Peter shot him an unpleasant look.

"And YOU told me to charm her, remember," Neal added.

"Oh, ok, I get it, so it's MY fault now?" Peter replied.

"Peter, it's not what I mean. I just mean that if you would just listen to me… I mean c'mon don't you believe me? Don't you trust me by now?"

"Sometimes you make it hard, Neal."

"Do you really believe that I would do such a thing? That I would get my hands on her?"

Peter was pacing. He was mad. He was trying to be rational and listen to Neal. Deep inside he knew that Neal wouldn't do that.

"Okay, maybe I'm too hard on you, at the moment anyway," Peter finally said.

Neal smiled.

"I believe you, Neal."

"Thank you, Peter."

"I guess she's young and into you, as you said, and wanted to see how far you would go, or how far she could drive you crazy."

Neal didn't want to comment on that. He just nodded.

"So, what do we do now?" Neal asked. "And how's it going with her father, the gambling and everything?"

"It's going okay for now. I lost some money, met with that Sam guy. He offered the usual deal. Ten thousand bucks. Gotta pay back 2,500 a week for five week. So 12,500 in the end."

"That's a good start," Neal said.

"So, of course I won't be able to pay back in time and when he sends his guys to kick my ass we make a first bust."

Neal was smiling for some reason.

"What are you smiling at?" Peter asked.

"Don't know… 'Kick my ass' ," he repeated. "The way you talk sometimes surprises me," he teased.

"I see," Peter said confused. "I'm not that old, you know?"

Neal raised an eyebrow. And Peter noticed.

"Hey, I saw that," he complained.

"Let's just say I'm younger," Neal went on.

Peter faked a smile. Neal's sense of humor was different than his.

"And about Tessa?" Neal asked.

"I'll meet with her father and explain everything. I'll try to make you look like an angel."

Again, Neal smiled.

"Gonna be a hard job," Peter teased.

… TBC …

Again, thank you for reading :) Sorry it took a while to update, there was my 28th birthday then I hurt my shoulder real bad.