Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight... but I own a look alike Nicki Minaj wig I'm pretty SM doesn't have that...

why did I buy it? I'll just keep that small tidbit to myself ... lol :)

Happy Reading!

Ch15:Let's Talk Business

Leah sat in her office, stunned. She had gone looking for Sam and was more than a little irritated to have to hunt him down in Jake's office of all places.

She so did not want to have to see Jake with all his I'm-sorry-I-didn't know crap. He had been calling her and trying to see her, but she had been doing a pretty good job of not seeing him. It hurt too much to see him, and now she really couldn't have him because he was in league with The Evil One.

She didn't know what she had done to Sam to make him hate her so much, but she did know that if Jake had ever really cared anything for her, he wouldn't be a friend to a person who despised her to the degree that Sam did.

She walked up to Jake's office. She could hear Sam's big, ugly, braggadocio voice clear into the hall. And what she heard shocked her to her core. Sam's vicious hatred spilling forth to a clearly listening and willing participant—Jake: That's the beauty of it. You can help me get rid of her and pay her back for wiping the floor with you during the election. Just think of her little prissy-know-it-all self out of a job in her thirties, in this economy. It would be a dish served cold for sure.

That was enough to seal the deal for her. Jake was in league with the devil. It was only after she got back to her office to calm her shaking body that she realized she was giving both of those pigs too much leeway. She wasn't going to take any more of Sam's crap, and she was going to confront Jake about his part in this. The least he owed her was an explanation.

She went back to Jake's office after contemplating what to do. The workplace was not the place for their confrontation.

She left a note on Jake's secretary's desk telling him they needed to talk. They needed to get this over with one and for all.

After work, Jake decided to go to the 100 Successful Businesspeople of Seattle mixer he had been debating whether to attend. He had been a member for the past ten years and found the networking beneficial, but he just wasn't the mood that night.

Leah was clearly still avoiding him, because he hadn't seen or caught her scent at all that day at work. Sam's confession still had him steaming, and he couldn't believe that Sam had basically used him as a weapon against the woman he loved.

He knew he couldn't allow Sam to continue using him to hurt Leah. He would have to leave Mainstay. Luckily, he was in the right place to get the ball rolling on that.

He turned from the bar area and smiled. He saw just the woman who would allow him to land another position and thus clear the way for him to right his wrongs with Leah. This fellow businesswoman owned one of the top import/export businesses in Seattle, if not the entire country. She'd been trying to get Jake to come into the large Quileute-based company for years. She had also been trying to get Jake to meet her sister in law for years. Jake wasn't interested in the sister in law, but he was interested in the job.

Jake held out his hand in greeting and the two of them shook hands.

"How's it going, Harrington?" Jake said as he shook hands with Keilani Harington.

"Things would be going a whole lot better if I could entice you to Harrington Enterprise, Black." Keilani hedged.

"Let's talk business then," Jake flashed his million dollar smile as they walked away to find a nice corner to negotiate in.

After having secured another job and given his notice to the higher ups at Mainstay, there was only one thing left for Jake to do… get his woman back.

That Friday morning at Mainstay started like any other morning, with an end of the week meeting in which all of the division heads met with the president of the company to discuss the week's events and plan for the following Monday's all company meeting.

Being in the same room with Sam was a chore, but at least he wouldn't have to suffer the chump much longer.

"I have one more thing I would like to bring up and I hate to bring it up right before the holidays. But something has to be done with Leah Clearwater. She just isn't cutting it in finance." Sam spoke like it pained him to be throwing Leah under the bus, but Jake knew differently.

Jake narrowed his eyes at Sam in warning.

Tyler Crowley, the president of the company, cleared his throat. "I know that you have had some concerns about Leah in the past, Uley, but you haven't said anything in a while, and she was a stellar employee before you came here."

Sam blew out a breath in irritation. "I know what her record was before I came here, and that is why I have kept her so long—"

"I think Leah Clearwater needs a more challenging position." Jake cut Sam off. "Since my position will be open again now that I'll be leaving Mainstay in the New Year. I would think that Leah should be considered for it."

Tyler Crowley nodded. "I wanted Clearwater for the promotion, since we usually try to promote from within. But once we found out that we would be able to get a shark like you in the tank, well…" Crowley laughed. "Sorry there just wasn't enough excitement here to keep you motivated, Black. If there was a VP slot open, I might be able to compete with your offer and come up with a counteroffer… But enough of that, I value your opinion, Black. You're a good man. Clearwater is definitely my pick for division leader in Mergers in Acquisitions. And since I'm the president, my pick holds weight."

Sam raised his index finger in the air as he spoke. "But, sir surely—"

This time Crowley cut Sam off. "There's no need to argue, Uley. You wanted to do something about Clearwater, and come the New Year, she'll be out of your division and out of your hair. This meeting is adjourned."

Jake walked out of Sam's office feeling just two inches shy of vindicated. He clearly needed to have one more conversation with Sam about Leah.

But when he walked up on Leah blasting Sam off, he began to rethink his original line of thought. Leah didn't need him to save her. She could very well take care of herself.

Leah had known the pencil wielding maniac was going to break free sooner or later. She tried to coax her back into the cage, but it was too much fun being up in Sam's face pointing her pencil at him. If anyone asked her he should be lucky he was only getting the pencil and not her canine teeth against his throat instead.

Sam had just come back from the division leaders meeting even more evil than his typically evil self. She had almost thought he was going to stop being such a bear, because he had been somewhat civil the past few days. But no… he was at it again.

So there she stood in front of him, waving her pencil and waging holy hell.

"And another thing." She sneered. "I am not incompetent. You are just impossible to please, and you would know competent and professional behavior if it smacked you in the face. I am good at my job, and you had better start treating me with some respect or I will file a grievance and I will keep filing grievances until I have your job. Are we clear?"

Sam didn't say anything. He just glared at her before turning his attention elsewhere.

She noticed that he was looking behind her, and for a moment she panicked thinking it might be another company higher up. She had tried to keep herself tamed, but the crazy wolf inside had had enough.

She sniffed lightly taking in Jake's scent, she fought the desire to close her eyes as she did so.

Oh good, the crazy side of her with the pencil thought, the other one.

After a few seconds she finally turned to have it out with Jake. She hadn't wanted to do this in the workplace, but since he didn't seem to want to come see her at home as she had asked him to in the note she left for him days ago, oh, well…

As she walked over to him, he walked around her and over to Sam.

"Hey!" What the hell!

Leah spun around and followed Jake.

"I suggest you heed her warning, Sam. Because if I have to tell you again not to mess with the woman I love, it won't be pretty. Leah can clearly take care of herself. But just in case I didn't make myself clear enough the other day, my woman is off limits. You harm her in any way and I will kick your ass. I might not be working here at Mainstay after the New Year, but trust and believe I will know if you do anything to her. And be clear, I don't make idle threats." Jake spoke his words in an eerily calm voice although his hands were balled up.

Leah's eyes were wide with shock. She certainly hadn't seen that coming. Even the crazy, pencil wielding wolf inside of her was quelled. Leah backed up as Jake turned and started walking away.

"Hey!" she followed behind him.

"You said you don't want to talk about our relationship at work, so we'll talk later, Leah. And just so you know, I'm taking another position at another company, so all your little no-fraternizing rules will be null and void." Jake dropped his declarations and kept right on stepping.

She kept right on following. "But I left you a note days ago asking you to come and see me at my condo, and you never showed."

Jake stopped then and gazed at her. After giving her a once over he seemed to calm down just a little.

"I never got your note," he said. He reached out and touched her mark that was beneath her turtleneck top, watching as she shivered under his caress. "We'll talk soon love." And he left.

Leah stood there dumbstruck at the fact that he just called her 'love' until Sam walked up behind her.

"I took the note you left for him, and ripped it up into tiny pieces and then I threw it in the trash." He chuckled as he boasted proudly. "You may have used his idiotic feelings for you to screw your way into the Mergers and Acquisitions division leader position once he leaves, but you're still a pathetic, sorry little… Ouuuchhhh! You. Bitch!" Sam grabbed his thigh in the spot where her pencil had jabbed him.

She looked down at her hand and waited for the moment of regret to come. When it didn't, she just beamed. "You should be lucky it wasn't my teeth. But really? Your acting like a baby over a pencil jab?" she shook her head with her wolfish like smile still on her face. "It was just a poke in the meatiest part of your thigh. Man up bitch!"

Okay so this chapter didn't turn out like I wanted it to but it's supposed to help next chapter flow better and we did get some info :D

I hopee..

As to why Keilani kept her maiden name for this chapter even though she's married to Seth... it's only for the business aspect and another reason but I won't give that away unless you already figured it out :)

But anyways this story is just about winding down, I'm hoping to give this a better ending than The Black Getaway. Then I'm going to buckle down and focus on the 3 other stories I've been neglecting.

The heels that I have in my possession are : Christian louboutin red open toe with lace, I can barely walk in em' but once I get the hang of it, it's a wrap :)

Did everyone hear about Kiowa Gordon's (the guy that plays our beloved Embry) warrant/DUI? :(

Anyways I'm getting carried away.

Jake & Leah time next chapter... Yay \(^-^)/

Review :)