A/N: Sorry it took so long for this update! Had a lot going on with it being wedding season and writer's block on top of it!

Enjoy!

Chapter 16

Hawaii:

Part One

Marley walked off the elevator fully expecting to see Mercedes sitting at her desk but frowned when she didn't. She noticed Anthony, her new boss standing there waiting for her with a warm smile that made her internally roll her eyes but she plastered on a sweet smile instead.

"Good morning Ms. Rose." Anthony said.

"Mr. Rashad." She replied placing her things down on the desk he assigned her after hiring her on the spot which only made her assume Mercedes wasn't good at her job.

"Call me Anthony, are you ready for today? We're going to be working alongside Evans & Smythe for a few hours."

"Yes, I went over all the files you sent with me and I feel well versed in what I need to know and do to aid you." She replied confidently considering she knew the inner workings of Evans but not so much Smythe. She'd never met Sebastian so she felt confident about working with him considering he wouldn't know who she was based solely on looks.

"Great! We'll Mr. Evans won't be in attendance so it'll be Sebastian until he returns." Marley felt her blood beginning to boil because she wanted Sam to see her and to see how good she looked then dump that bitch and take her back.

"Oh? And where is Mr. Evans?" She asked coyly.

"Nashville or Hawaii, can't be sure but you should be meeting my personal assistant tomorrow as well." Anthony informed and that piqued her interest because that meant she wouldn't be with Sam while I was working in Hawaii. She remembered his family having there hands in some business down there but he would never allow her to travel with him.

"Mhm, well I can't wait to meet… what's her name again?" She asked feigning ignorance.

"Mercedes Jones."

"Mercedes, well I look forward to working along side her." Marley said with a sly grin.

…

Sam walked into his father's main office with one thing on his mind, setting things straight and if that meant him being disowned yet again then so be it but he was a grown man and he damn sure didn't need is his so called father dictating what he could and could not do. He smiled at Emma who had been his dad's receptionist since he was kid and she didn't look an age over forty-five, he used to think she was some sort of vampire and at one point she played along with that idea.

"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes." Emma said getting up and pulling him into a tight hug.

"Hey Ms. Emma, how are you?"

"I'm good but I have a feeling I won't be for long considering you are here and not over the phone. Why are you here?" She asked sitting back down with a huff.

"Time for me and dear old dad to have a conversation face to face." He said before walking towards the conference room and Emma didn't even stop him knowing that Dwight was indeed having a board meeting.

"This is why I move to remove-" Dwight said before stopping when Sam waltzed in looking directly at him and Dwight could tell his son meant business.

"Why don't we resume this meeting after lunch?" Dwight suggested earning confused looks from the other board members.

"No how about I let the board know how you've really been handling your business and who's really been turning over profits for their investments? What do you say? Wouldn't you all like to know how you're shares and money is being handled?" Sam said and Dwight shot him a look that would kill instantly if it could.

"We actually just went over the numbers and they look great, Dwight is doing a wonderful job." Shelby one of the board members said earning a nod from Dwight before Sam chuckled as he sat down his chair that no one seemed to notice was empty but then again it had been that way for years.

"Shelby do you even know where and what your money is tied into?" Sam asked and she started to say something but shook her head.

"Care to share?" Sam asked his father who was dangerously quiet. "Nah? Okay I will. Shelby remember how you wanted your investment to go to our nonprofit for helping rehabilitate teens addicted to drugs?"

"Yes, I donate every year on top of my investment." She replied proudly.

"Yea no, those donations are the only thing you've actually contributed to that organization. You see I had a trust fund that when I was disowned the first time was moved to fund the entire program, then he replaced said funds with your investments after I successfully secured a large portion of property in thirty-eight states that helped him expand his construction businesses." Sam said never taking his eyes off of his father who realized then that Sam was coming for the kill.

"Excuse me?" Shelby asked looking at Dwight angrily.

"Oh don't feel bad what he did with your money is small compared to what he did to yours Cooter. You know for someone who thinks he has a large share you're being cheated annually out of roughly two million. Oh and Holly that crazy resort you wanted to expand in Hawaii… yeah not happening actually I'm heading that way to ensure it doesn't. Is that right Dwight?" Sam informed before asking his father who just stood there nodding his head slowly.

"You might to move." Sam instructed the right side of the table before standing and removing his jacket right as his father launched at him but unlike when he was younger Sam already knew this was going to turn physical because that how his father responded to disrespect.

Dwight landed a hard blow right to Sam's jaw which Sam took without flinching before grabbing the man slamming him against the table restraining him before looking up at the other board members looking on in horror.

"The meeting is over." Sam growled out and everyone quickly removed themselves leaving them to handle a life long beef. As soon as the door shut Sam pulled his father up before slamming him again on the table earning a grunt from the man.

"You will regret the second you decided to cross me." Dwight said trying to get out of his son's hold.

"Listen and listen good Dwight, I told you to leave her out of this and you sent Stevie to do your dirty work. She has nothing to do with this company or this fucked up family but you didn't listen so I'm going to say two things Mary James." Sam gritted out before punching his father square in the face. Dwight visibly stiffen at the name and Sam knew he had him right where he needed to be.

"What? Why did you say that name?" Dwight said struggling harder now to get away from his son.

"You know exactly why I said my mother's name. You think I didn't notice the subtle differences in me and my siblings? How you treated them or how treated your fucking mistress? You must've forgotten that I caught you with her all those years ago and I was the one to tell mom."

"She- your mother is their mother." Dwight lied which resulted in him being slammed against the table again only this time it knock the air of him.

"You have been warned, you leave Mercedes alone and you tell your son that if he ever darkens my doorway again I will truly beat the breaks off of him." Sam replied and Dwight felt the promise in his words before he let him go and grabbed his jacket slowly putting it back on. He walked to the door and stopped before turning around looking dead at Dwight.

"You won't have much time to worry about my personal life now that you have to handle all the bullshit you made me cover up, so I'd heed my warning very carefully because I too have a lot of shares in your business and if I remove them you will lose everything." Sam said as his final words before walking out winking at Emma as he passed her, once he got outside he let out breath because he as officially on vacation and there was a certain someone that he wouldn't mind entertaining but he needed to check one last thing before he could.

…

Anthony was mid-way through his meeting with Sebastian when Marley walked in with Sebastian's assistant.

"Mr. Smythe I was instructed to deliver this to you in person." Kate, his assistant said looking worried.

"Okay hand it over." Sebastian said taking the envelope from her and nodded her off but she didn't move.

"I was also told to stay here until you opened it." Kate explained and he knew exactly who it was from and quickly opened it, he read over the files before nodding and handing them back to Kate.

"Well looks as if our business is concluded, Anthony it was a pleasure and I do hope you the best." Sebastian said standing grabbing all of the paperwork they'd completed before shooting him swift nod.

"What what's going on? We haven't completed this deal yet we have the final forms to sign." Anthony asked completely confused as to what was happening.

"Mr. Evans has backed out of this deal and with only half of the company, I can no longer proceed but again I hope you the best." Sebastian replied before guiding his assistant out and to the elevators.

"What the fuck just happened?" Anthony shouted before looking at Marley and sighing.

"Get Jones on the phone now!" He shouted slamming his hand on the table, he wasn't sure how but for some reason he blamed her unprofessionalism on the reason this deal just fell through because Evans stopped coming around after the second time she was present when he was. Marley smirked before going to call Mercedes but when she only receive her voicemail she opted to try calling again when Anthony told her to put it on speaker and it went to voicemail again.

Hi! You've reached Mercedes, sorry I couldn't answer leave a quick message and I'll get back as soon as I can!

"Jones you have twenty-four hours to call me back or so help me it's your job!" Anthony shouted into the receiver before hanging up.

"Is she usually this unprofessional?" Marley asked knowing she was stirring the pot.

"She has been increasingly unprofessional since the deal was struck with Evans and Smythe." Anthony replied absentmindedly and Marley just nodded wondering if Sam being with her was because she was a why in to Anthony's business. She remembered how he would take over other businesses and he would check into the staff before hand and make sure they were worth taking with him.

"Maybe she's working against you? Seeking other employment…" Marley retorted innocently and the made his blood boil because Sam had been very interested in her and now she was being defiant and-

"Oh that bitch." Anthony stormed into his office slamming the door behind him trying to rack his mind if what Marley suggested was true.

…

"Ms. Jones so good to see you, my name is Shannon and I'll be your pilot for the duration of the flight. It's about thirteen hours straight there so make yourself comfortable." Shannon said with a warm smile which Mercedes returned, she knew taking this trip was going to change a few things but she wanted to take this leap and she wanted to at least give herself a real chance at exploring things she'd always wanted.

"Nice to meet you and thank you." Mercedes respond politely before sitting down in the plush seat.

"Hi, I'm Harmony and I'll be your flight attendant. If you need anything just let me know!" Harmony said with a bright smile.

Making the decision to accept the trip wasn't as hard as she thought it was going to be, after she'd laid down in her bed for all of twenty minutes she knew she was going to take the trip. She hadn't had a vacation in forever and decided that no matter what happened she was going to enjoy this gift but a piece of her hoped that Sam wouldn't hold her past against her… assuming he was coming along.

After Shannon got the to a steady level she was allowed to remove her seat belt and move around the jet which had a bedroom in the back, she figured she needed to let Anthony know she wasn't coming back until next week but decided to wait until her layover in Dallas. She went into the bedroom where there was a beautiful bouquet of white and soft pink Hawaiian hibiscus flowers placed in the center of the bed.

She smiled and picked up the bouquet gently touching the petals before sighing because a piece of him had hoped she come which meant he wasn't turned off to the fact that she hadn't been completely honest about herself. She placed the flowers on small table in the room before kicking her shoes off and settling into the bed to get some much needed sleep, her nerves were everywhere and she'd barely slept so as soon as her body hit the plush surface she was out.

"Ms. Jones." Harmony said softly smiling when she started to stir.

"Yes?" She asked after remembering where she was and returning the woman's smile.

"Mr. Evans wanted to make sure you ate lunch." Harmony said before rolling in a tray of different foods and drinks, she gave her a final smile then turned to leave.

"Wait is he…?"

"No ma'am, he wanted you to have space. Please eat as we'll be landing soon, I'll be sure to let you know when to return to your seat." Harmony informed before closing the door behind her and she just realized that she'd slept her entire flight and still needed to notify Anthony, she grabbed her phone seeing there were several missed calls from him and rolled her eyes before calling him back despite not caring what time it was in Savannah.

"H-hello?"

"Mr. Rashad I had several missed calls from you, must be important." Mercedes said feeling slightly happy she managed to wake him up.

"That was hours ago Jones why the hell are you just now getting back to me?"

"I'm only calling to inform you that I won't be in until next week, I'm not in the state… far out of the state."

"WHAT! Do you know understand what has happened? Evans & Smythe backed out of their deal with me and you're not coming back for A WEEK!"

"It'll be two if you don't bring your voice down." She said nonchalantly.

"If you're not in the office by eight am, don't you dare bother coming back." Anthony spat and for a brief moment she panicked before letting out a sigh.

"Then I don't have a job." She said finally before hanging up, she let out a shaky breath before deciding to cross that bridge when she got back.

…

"Aloha a hoʻokipa! Hello Ms. Jones, my name is Akela and Mr. Evans asked me to make sure you settled in well before your vacation began." Akela, a beautiful woman said after placing a purple, green and white lei around her neck. She was guided into the very large home that made her feel incredibly small and slightly overwhelmed.

"Hi and thank you, this place is…"

"Nui?"

"Umm… yes?" Mercedes answered with a giggle.

"It means big or great but yes it is quite big for just the two of you." Akela agreed with a smile. "Let me show you where you'll be staying."

Akela told Mercedes everything about large estate that had eight bedrooms and bathrooms, three full kitchens, a separate pool house with caretaker quarters along with a massage room and two living rooms. There was a hotel sized pool, an outdoor theater along with rooftop entertainment deck and private access to the Kahoolawe island and the Molokini crater. After she showed Mercedes around, they ended up in a large room that literally took her breath away.

"This is where you'll be staying." Akela said noticing the stunned look on Mercedes's face.

"This is bigger than my entire apartment." She said after taking in the beautiful space. There was a large four post bed in the center with two beige wicker seats and a small coffee table between them, there was an en suite bathroom along with an unobstructed view of the beautiful waters that she could reach from the sitting area attached to her room.

"Well, I do hope you enjoy your time here and Mr. Evans scheduled you a massage at one forty-five. Aloha!" Akela said waving goodbye.

Mercedes let out an excited squeal before throwing herself onto the bed allowing herself to fully appreciate where she was in that moment. She'd always wanted to go to Hawaii and now she was here in this amazingly beautiful home without absolutely nothing holding her back from having fun. That's when the thought of having to tell Sam about her past resurfaced and she stopped her celebrating long enough to try to figure out how to gauge that conversation.

"You can do it, just tell him and if he cuts the trip short so what?" She said to herself feeling a bout of nerves coming on. She looked at the time on the clock on the end table realizing that she needed to change and head down to her scheduled massage. She wasn't entirely sure what to wear so she just took off her clothes and took a quick shower before slipping on a matching set of underwear and a robe before heading towards where she thought the massage room would be.

"Ms. Jones?" A very large man asked when she entered the room and she immediately felt tiny in his presence.

"Yes."

"I'm Hani and I'll be giving you your massage." Hani said and she just nodded before he held a hand out for her and she took it. He lead her to the massage table gesturing for her to remove her robe and turning so she could remove her bra as well. After a few moments she felt warm oil on her body before she felt his hands gently kneading into her skin making her moan.

"This is known as the Lomi Lomi or loving touch massage and it has a lot of healing properties including reducing stress." He said before moving his hands and hearing her giggle.

"Sorry I'm ticklish." She admitted and he just let out a chuckle but continuing the massage.

Mercedes wasn't sure when she dosed off but she she knew the hands that were touching her weren't any longer and she knew for a fact that someone else was touching her and based on how her body was currently tingling she knew it was Sam. She started to sit up but his hand held her in place before it slowly moved down her back slipping under the cloth covering her ass. She took in a sharp breath when she felt his hand slip under her lace panties and caressing her before she felt a finger slip between her wet folds making her moan which only got louder when said finger entered her making her whole body shudder.

"Sam…" Mercedes felt herself jerk awake before blinking her eyes to adjust, she was back in her room and in her bed. She looked around seeing that there were candles lit and a trail of petals leading out the sitting area.

"I see the massage did you some good." She heard from behind her and saw that Sam was standing there with a smirk.

"I… Hi." She said blushing.

"Hey baby, Hani told me you fell asleep so I figured I'd let you know I was here but I couldn't help but notice the soft moans, good dream I assume?"

"It was… starting to be." She said shifting when he started to move closer before he stopped right in front of her. She looked him over liking how relaxed he looked in his khaki linen shorts and button-up shirt that was only buttoned in the middle.

"Care to share?" He asked slipping a hand into her robe and moving it aside revealing her breast before looking in her eyes as he moved him head down taking one of her erect nipples into his mouth sucking lightly and making her gasp.

"Did you carry me in here?" She breathed arching her back into his mouth.

"I did." He muttered.

"I… we should talk before-" She started before he shook his head taking the other nipple into his mouth paying it the same attention to that one before pulling away to grab her robe and wrapping it around her.

"I'm giving you space, I'll be on the other side of the house but when you're ready and not nervous to tell me come find me." He said placing a lingering kiss to her lips before walking to the door.

"I was married." She blurted and he just turned to look at her. "I was in college and I thought I was pregnant… he was older than me and I thought I loved him. I don't need your brother to look into me and dredge that back up… I can't…" She said before trailing off.

"My brother will not darken your day again and if he tries I will make sure he is taken care of." Sam assured.

"You're not… upset?" She asked surprised.

"I have no reason to be but I do have a one demand." He said and the look on his face made her groan slightly.

"Okay…"

"In forty-eight hours when I come into here and crawl in between your legs, I want you to be sure that you wish to continue with me." He said before leaving her there feeling spent and wondering if they were spending those two days apart or together.

...

"Well aren't you a sight… what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Seems we have a mutual problem."

"Whatever you're trying to do stop and I don't want to be involved."

"Oh but you do… your brother just acquired a new company and his image needs to be maintained and with him in Hawaii with no connection to the news here…"

"I'm listening."

Soooooooo... There's a lot to unpack in this chapter but the next chapter will be centered around their time in Hawaii and yes they will actually get to know each other outside of the bedroom... (I say this with a smirk on my face) hahaha

Also who do we think is chatting at the end?

Also be on the look out for an update to The Break-Up, it's not a chapter more so me wanting to involve you guys in The Make-up!

until next time xoxo!