As the taxi came to a stop outside of Underworld, Carla was murderous. Having time to let all these intense feelings grow and rudiment, Carla was now maniacal, laughing herself silly inside. How could she have been so stupid? Usually Carla was very confident in her own judgment. She thought she could read people well enough for the most part. Everyone was a closed book, guarding a few secrets, as that was only normal. But Carla lived by a code; if books were closed sometimes you just opened them out. It really was that easy. There was no need to beat around the bush and make things more complicated than need be. That was why she was seething even more...he couldn't even be a man about his underhanded sneakiness. If he had just put all his cards out on the table and been upfront about his nature instead of acting all sanctimonious, then Carla might not be so angry. The thing that bothered her most was the fact that he had managed to get under her skin, make her believe he actually cared about her. She had thought she knew herself well enough that she would never do anything without thinking things through. But there was a first time for everything and his name was Liam.

Liam…

He was leaning over his desk, shirt sleeves all rolled up, looking all hot and bothered over that ever growing mounting pile of work. Looking at him a bit longer than she needed to—Carla couldn't help but notice how nicely toned and muscular his arms were as he reached for a compartment overhead pulling out a few files. Sensing her presence, Liam's head slowly turned. What at first was a look of surprise and even shock, to downright fear at the possibility of being found out, quickly slipped away as Carla gave one of her signature Queen Bitch stares, icy and cold upon delivery. He stood rooted on one spot still, the files he had retrieved ready to fall out his hands and onto the floor.

"What?" she said boldly stepping into his office and sliding the door shut in one go," No 'hello kiss'? " Carla was quick to lock the door as well, her free hand toying around with the handcuffs concealed in her purse.

"I wasn't expecting you…we talked. I told you I was busy today. But," he paused making full eye contact, holding her stare for a moment longer before continuing, "I'm glad to see you…I'm always glad to see you."

Carla's eyes lingered over that incredibly sexy body of his. Looping her fingers through the cuffs still concealed in her purse, Carla thought how soon enough he'd be changing his tune. Her hands worked quickly, concealing the cuffs in her inside coat pocket when his eyes drifted elsewhere for a moment. Now taking a few sultry steps towards him, Carla was intent on cornering and trapping Liam in this office, "Hmmm," she mused, her eyes still ice cold as she grabbed at his tie, pulling Liam just inches from her lips.

Liam's lips quivered with tension as Carla's covered them, tasting all the familiar flavors that came along with their softness. She explored the outside of his mouth with her tongue, trailing it along his jaw trying to get Liam to come out from under the spell of tension. He was nervous, trying to get into it, but she could tell his mind was not all there.

"Relax Liam," Carla said breathlessly. Right now when she kissed him there was no passion on his end. She figured that perhaps the games he had been playing with her were finally weighing on his conscience. Perhaps he could no longer carry the burden of being a double agent. There was no passion, but there would be. Over her dead body would Carla ever let the handsome bastard walk away without paying for what he did.

"Sorry…I'm trying to, I really want to—I want this…us…I just— I'm just distracted—"

"—Shut up Liam," Carla interrupted his moaning on with her wishes disguised in the form of a sultry command. He tried to interrupt again as Carla went in for more kisses. This time they were more forceful, ramming her tongue into his mouth, forcing his teeth apart. His mouth became a little more responsive. Still there was reluctance, as though he was not willing to let Carla be in control and it irked her. Carla needed to make it perfectly clear he wasn't getting out of this. Her fingers struggled with the buttons on his dress shirt. Again Liam tried to stop anything more from happening, but Carla held him in place, "shut up Liam. Why don't you just shut the hell up?" Moving her lips along his chest, Carla got rougher, almost biting into the skin…tasting blood, bringing him out of any hope of relaxation.

"Ouch!" Liam was taking off guard in a daze as Carla looked up at him from down below, icy cold before breaking into what could be mistaken for a borderline psychotic grin.

Carla smirked inside before asking innocently, "What's the matter?"

"You're too rough."

"I thought you liked to play rough, Liam."

"I do," he said staring at Carla hesitating but trying not to let the pain from her bites show, "Just bring it down a notch…alright?"

Carla kissed his mouth ravenously, suctioning at his lips, turning them raw and Liam breathless but too weak to fight anymore as she went along devouring his neck and earlobes, "Do you wanna feel shitty?" Carla whispered in his ear, finally pausing as she ran her fingers through it mounds of darkness. She could very well pull out clumps of it with her grip and hold on him. Not giving Liam a moment to process her freakiness, Carla again ran her tongue along the edge of his jawbone before saying yet again, "Do you wanna feel like absolute shit right until the moment I tear your clothes off Liam?" There was no joking around anymore, no pretending that this wasn't what they were all about. Constantly degrading one another by sneaking around and stalking—at least Carla was honest about it.

"What?" his stare had suddenly gotten dangerous, gone from bemused, to turned on, to down right frustrated. Finally he was catching on that this was just another one of her games, and in a split second he gained the upper hand, "Oh I see how it is," the glint was back in his eyes and a newly formed smirk on those lips as he threw Carla off of him. Now he was the one doing the backing into corners.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Carla feigned innocence. She was trying to make sure her voice didn't crack under his smouldering hot stare.

"It's all a game to you…it's play or get played."

"You're crazy—"

"—Why are you here?"

"Because I want you—don't pretend like it's anything else."

"I don't have to pretend," Liam said his voice almost a growl as he forced Carla up against the window.

"Well if you somehow decided that you wanted something else from what we have—well then—that's news to me."

"I've always wanted my money, Carla. Make no mistake…you stole from me—don't pretend like it's anything else."

"What are the options then?" Carla was getting angry now. What the hell was up with him being so honest all the sudden?

"I'm sure you've already made up your mind."

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

"You're feigning innocent is starting to lose its charm sweetheart," Liam was ready to laugh. Quickly he grabbed for her mobile, "Now lets see…recent contacts," biting at his bottom lip he scrolled down, "oh will you look at that," Liam smirked, "Leonna the solicitor. My solicitor Leah was smart enough to send out that fake email to her, saying I would be pressing charges. I wasn't quite sure whether you'd fall for it but I thought it was well deserved since you are planning on making it seem like I'm some psychotic stalker in court. Anything to not pay for your crimes, hey Carla? I thought you'd come waltzing in here soon enough with some petty scheme for revenge. You played right into my hands," letting it all sink in Liam went in for the kill, "What's the matter Carla? Cat got your tongue?"

"You bastard!" Carla didn't know what the hell was going on but this was clearly another mind fuck set up and yet again she had been bested by the likes of Liam Connor. She could kiss him for all his genius plotting if she wasn't well aware he was a complete enemy. She couldn't make that same mistake again no matter how secretly in awe and extremely attracted she was of him, "I am tired of this!" Carla practically pouted; ready to head for the exit and just dump the whole revenge plot behind her and hope he'd consider a truce, "Get off of me!"

"Or what?" Liam said pressing up against Carla. Their legs intertwined in a power play.

"I'll scream," it was an empty threat though, her hatred though still strong was slowly being taking over by all those familiar feelings again. She violently pulled her hand from his grasp.

"Go ahead," he smirked, quickly grabbing hold of her wrists again and forcing her hands and arms up over her head and against the window.

Carla wanted to cry and throw one of her infamous pouty fits, "Argh!" she was furious with his blocking her.

Now Liam was the one laughing almost hysterically, gripping her wrists, before his voice broke and got deadly serious, "See, this is what I like about you Carla, you know?"

Carla did not know.

"You're always beaten but you've never bowed…just hate to lose, don't you?"

"You arrogant son of a bitch—"

Loosening his grip, only for a second Liam leaned in silencing Carla with a passionate kiss. When his lips met hers, Carla couldn't stop the trembling that coursed through her body. Carla clung to Liam tightly as he nibbled at her mouth, barely registering his fingers undoing her skirt. Then his hand was inside her underwear, his rough fingertips circling her sensitive bud while pushing the skirt from her hips. He dipped one long finger into her wetness, then another, catching her cry in his mouth. She told herself to break free of this, to save herself the humiliation but it was too late. She wanted to feel shitty, so bad that it felt good and right. It was the only way to be, the only way Carla knew how.

Letting him rip apart her blouse, his hands igniting every part of her; Carla then let her own hands slide down Liam's chest. She mapped his muscles all the way down to the clasp of his pants before unbuckling them and releasing him. Holding her tightly with one arm, Liam let her shove his boxers out of the way, entering Carla in a long smooth thrust. Her body tightened as his thrusts came faster and more insistent. This extreme amount pleasure exploded out from her core with a shocking intensity as she felt him come inside her. For a few moments she was in the thralls of ecstasy, in a dream like state as the tension drained away before forcing her back into reality.

"I'll let get everything go," Liam said fixing himself afterwards, "I'll forget everything if you do one thing for me."

"And what's that exactly?" Carla said sliding back into her panties and flattening out her skirt. It was no surprise Liam wanted something else from her again.

"Divorce Tony. Marry me instead."

Carla knew earlier that she had been very upset, thinking Liam didn't have any real feelings and was just using her. But even now with this bold declaration on his part about wanting to marry her, Carla finally realized that whether it was lust or love between them, the one thing that remained constant was a bunch of mind games; the type of games and fun that didn't work when the two parties in question were married. She just couldn't trust him. He was much too cunning for her liking.

"Lets get one thing straight Liam," Carla said grabbing for her purse. Her hands found the familiar rings of those handcuffs in her coat pocket again and the sweet scent of revenge was born once more, "We are done. I might not be able to control myself around you but that does not mean I don't see right through you and your little games. You think you can just set me up and mind fuck with me, get me on my own for your own amusement? Nope, I am done. If you're gonna fucking sue me then do it already!" The look on his face was pure gold. He had no cards left to play, nothing to use against Carla anymore, "Go and tell Tony for all I care. But don't you ever," and stepping close Carla pointed her finger in Liam's face, "don't you ever think you can buy me with marriage. Don't pretend this is anything else other than what it is- a good fuck. We are done, Liam."

Stomping out of the office just as the Underworld staff was coming back from a very long lunch, Carla smirked. Although not the fuck she had planned originally with the handcuffs and the humiliation it was still a pretty damn good mind fuck. Two things were obvious to Carla as she walked away. She was still, God help her, in love with that arrogant bastard but that didn't matter. As long as she messed with him and made Liam believe otherwise then she could very well come out on top. He was likely to do whatever it takes to win her back now that he thought things were over between them. And if Carla was lucky enough he would be making all proof of her criminal ponzi scheme disappear from his files ASAP. If he loved her, he'd have to work for her and earn her, period.