Well, I promised a Chapter this weekend, and here it is! Enjoy!

As the night wore on, Mercedes had to admit she hadn't had a horrible time. Hanging with her friends and watching as Sam's friends tried desperately to get their attention was actually kind of fun. Once the party died down, Sam offered to take her home, but since she and Quinn were going to the same place, she assured him she would be fine and would call him to go over the plan for Monday morning.

Monday was going to be Mercedes's first day as CEO and Jones Media's first day in Sam's building. She wanted to make a great first impression and show everyone that her father hired her for a reason, not just because she was a Jones.

Mercedes stepped into her apartment, her heels clicking against the hardwood floor as she tossed her keys onto the counter. The silence that greeted her was heavy, unusual for the space she shared with Quinn. The familiar coziness she expected felt oddly off. Her eyes scanned the living room, narrowing in confusion.

"Q? Does something feel…off to you?" Mercedes said, looking around.

"Off how?" Quinn asked, freezing in her spot. "Do you think someone is here?"

"No…I think… wasn't there a photo of me and my mom right here?" She pointed to the now empty side table. "And my flute was sitting right there."

Quinn's eyes widened. "It was!"

With a slight frown, she wandered further into the apartment, noticing more unsettling things. A few of her decorations were missing—framed photos, her favorite vase, and even the throw pillows she'd picked out herself.

"What the…?" she murmured under her breath, anxiety creeping in. She moved quickly now, heading straight for her bedroom.

The moment she opened the door, her heart dropped. Her closet, once overflowing with her favorite clothes, was now empty. Rushing to the dresser drawers, she pulled them open, but she was met with emptiness. Her jewelry, toiletries, makeup, all of it...gone.

Mercedes stood frozen in the middle of the room, her mind racing to make sense of what she was seeing. Who would've done this? Why take everything of hers?

"Q! Quinn, is your stuff gone too?"

Quinn rushed to her room, shaking her head. "No, all my stuff is still here… what's going on?"

"I don't know, but I have a feeling my father has something to do with this, " she said as she whipped out her phone and quickly dialed Rebecca.

"Hey, Merce."

"Rebecca, all my stuff is gone… everything, " she said, trying to maintain an air of calm, though she felt anything but calm.

There was a pause on the other end before Rebecca's calm but cautious voice came through. "Mercedes, your father had them moved."

Mercedes blinked, processing. "Moved? To where?"

Rebecca hesitated for a moment, then sighed. "To Sam's place. It's part of the agreement in the contract. You and Sam are expected to live together after the engagement. He just made it happen a little sooner than expected."

Mercedes stood there, dumbfounded, as Quinn mouthed what? She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks, the bubbling fury ready to explode. Her father had no right.

"Are you telling me that my father had everything that was mine moved without telling me, and now I'm supposed to live with Sam? Did he just forget that I was my own person?"

"That's the arrangement, Mercedes. It was in the fine print. Your father thought it best for you two to start getting used to the idea. I tried to get him to wait, but you know him."

Mercedes ran her hands through her hair. "I can't believe this."

"I know, but hey, you and Sam are getting along, right? What I saw at the party was two people who were feeling each other."

"I- No! No, we aren't, " she said, but neither Quinn nor Rebecca bought it.

"Don't let her lie; we all saw them together." Quinn teased.

Mercedes cut her eyes at Quinn. "So what am I supposed to do?"

"Go to your husband, or be uncomfortable," Rebecca said softly. I think it's a good thing, Merce. Just see if it works, and if it doesn't, then I will make sure that your dad sends the mover back so you can get your things."

Mercedes hesitated for a moment before she exhaled. "Fine, give me his address."

Sam walked into his house, dropping his keys on the table by the door as he kicked off his shoes and loosened his tie. It had been a long day, and even though he quite enjoyed spending time with Mercedes, all he wanted to do now was relax.

Pulling off his shirt, he walked into his bathroom and noticed something catch his eye. Bodywash. Cherry Blossom body wash. He raised an eyebrow and looked toward his closet, where he saw women's clothes.

Frowning, he moved closer to the closet and opened it. Inside, there were dresses, shoes, and bags—a lot of bags. And they were all unfamiliar and definitely not his. He took hold of a hanger with a purple silk blouse on it and smiled. He knew who the shirt was.

Moving to his drawers, he opened them to see that they were stuffed with more items, including makeup kits and accessories.

"What the hell…" Sam muttered, feeling both amused and confused. As he rifled through the clothes, he picked up a lacy pair of panties. Holding them up, a smirk tugged at his lips.

"Well, seems like Mercedes isn't quite as innocent as she lets on."

Before he could react further, the doorbell rang.

Still holding the panties, Sam made his way to the door, knowing only one person could be there. His family always called first; unless they had a code, no one else could come to his penthouse suite.

Taking his time and opting not to put his shirt on, he opened it, and there stood Mercedes, fuming and looking as beautiful as ever. Sam had already decided to enjoy the next two years with her, but the more he saw of her, the deeper he felt for the fiery beauty.

"Hey Mercedes, what brings you here?" He smirked.

Her mouth opened to speak but she stopped, her eyes immediately darting to his hand, the same hand that held her panties.

Her jaw clenched. "What the hell are you doing with those?"

Sam blinked, stepping back as he glanced down at the black lace in his hand. His grin widened as he dangled the panties between two fingers. "Oh, these? Just trying to figure out where to put them. You've got quite the collection, I must say."

Mercedes marched inside, her heels clicking angrily against the floor. "Give those back!" She reached for them, but Sam held them just out of reach, his grin now teasing.

"Come on, Tereso. You can do better than that?"

"Give. Them. Back." Her voice was a low growl as she jumped again, but Sam playfully swung the panties out of her grasp, still laughing.

"Must suck being so short."

"You're being ridiculous!" she yelled, stepping closer. "I don't even want to be here, and you're making it worse!"

"You don't want to be here?" Sam echoed, still holding the panties over his head. "Yet here you are, in my house, after our fathers went to all this trouble to move you in."

Mercedes huffed, trying one last time to grab them, but Sam easily stepped aside, smirking down at her. That's when she snapped.

Without thinking, she tackled him, her hands reaching for his arm as she knocked him off balance. Sam staggered back, surprised, as they both tumbled onto the couch.

He let out a low chuckle as he ended up pinned beneath her, the panties still clutched in his hand. "You're really fighting me for this sexy thing?" he teased, staring up at her as she glared down, breathless from her effort. "You know, if you wanted to have some fun, I would have obliged."

"Sto combattendo perché sei un idiota infantile!" I'm fighting because you're a childish jackass! she yelled, her hands pushing against his chest.

Sam looked at her, his grin fading slightly as he stared into her fiery eyes. She was mad, no, furious—but at that moment, all he could think about was how much more beautiful she looked when she was angry and how badly he wanted her.

Finally, he held the panties out to her, his expression softening. "Okay, okay. Truce. Take them."

She snatched them from his hand, glaring down at him. "You're impossible."

Sam laughed again, hands up in surrender. "Maybe. But I think we both know you like a challenge."

Mercedes rolled her eyes as Sam's hands rested on her hips.

"Tell me why you are really against this? You signed the papers, you agreed to this. Are you afraid you can't resist me?" Sam teased.

"Dont no one want you Sam. Get over yourself."

Sam laughed. "Come on, you didn't even try to sound convincing." Sam ran his hand up her back, pulling her down to him. "Gotta say, I am loving the feel of you on top of me."

Mercedes groaned, shaking her head as she tried to move from him, but instead, he held her in place. "Tell me why you are so against us living together? Why did this pissed you off so much?"

She frowned, looking away from him. "Sam…I just-I don't need to have a reason!"

Sam nodded, sitting up to get a better look at her. "Mercedes, if you are scared of me doing anything to you…I promise I am not that kind of man."

Mercedes frowned as she saw the look in his eyes. "I know you aren't that kinda guy, you proved it this afternoon."

They stared at each other for a long moment, Sam's hand moved to caress her cheek as she closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling. Staring at her, Sam couldn't resist the need to kiss her, just one more time. Leaning in he nipped her lips, causing her to open her eyes and stare at him.

Without any words, Sam pulled her closer to him, kissing her deeply as her hands moved from his chest, to his shoulders. Lifting her dress and shifting so they were both comfortable, Sam ran his tongue over her bottom lip before pushing it through her lips.

Mercedes moaned out, whimpering as Sam kissed her passionately. This feeling was just as powerful as earlier, and she found herself growing needy.

Sam let his hands roam her body, taking in the way she shivered at his touch. "Mmm I bet you taste so good."

"S-sam…"

Sam pulled back, staring at her. "Mmm just think, with you staying here we can do this more…a lot more."

Coming out of her fog, Mercedes groaned in frustration, stood up, and straightened her dress. "You're out of your mind if you think I'm staying here."

Sam laughed standing and leaning against the back of the couch, his eyes locked on hers with an amused grin. "Seems like that decision's already been made. And don't act like you didn't want to keep going. Besides, it's not like I had any say in this either."

"I don't care," Mercedes snapped, turning her back to him and pacing the living room length. "This is just… insane! My father had no right to—"

"To make sure we're ready for marriage?" Sam cut her off, his voice softening as he watched her. "It's not like we didn't see this coming, Mercedes. We agreed to this engagement. You knew things would change."

"This wasn't part of the deal," she hissed, spinning around to face him again, her eyes ablaze. "I didn't agree to have my entire life uprooted and be forced into playing house with you."

Sam pushed off the couch and stepped toward her, his expression becoming serious. "But you did. See, I get it, Mercedes, I really do. Believe me, I do." He shook his head. "But running from it isn't going to make it go away. We are in this together."

She clenched her fists, her frustration boiling over. "What do you know!"

"I know that you are standing here refusing to face reality," Sam replied, his voice calm but firm. "This is happening, Mercedes. We're getting married. We both agreed to it, and we knew what that meant."

Mercedes let out a bitter laugh. "Oh, trust me. I know we're getting married. It's just convenient that now you get to play the part of the hero while I'm left to deal with all of this."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Convenient? I didn't ask for this either."

Mercedes's eyes flared as she pointed at him. "No, but you're enjoying it, aren't you? The idea of having me in your house, where you get to be in control of everything."

Sam's lips quirked into a half-smile, his voice dropping to a low murmur. "Is that what you think? That I'm just looking forward to controlling you?"

She stared at him, her pulse quickening. The way his eyes darkened slightly, the teasing grin fading as his gaze softened, he made her feel things she didn't want to feel. She quickly shook her head, trying to push those thoughts aside.

Mercedes opened her mouth to retort, but her words caught in her throat when Sam took another step closer, his expression unreadable. "Mercedes, this isn't about control."

She swallowed, stepping back as he continued to move forward. "It's about us making the best out of a situation we can't change."

She hated how much her heart raced as he closed the space between them once she hit the wall behind her. She hated how easily he could make her feel vulnerable with just a few words, how he always managed to break through the walls she put up. And it frustrated her even more that part of her didn't mind it at all.

"I'm not going to make this easy for you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, but filled with conviction.

"I wouldn't expect you to; it's not in your nature," Sam replied, his tone just as quiet though there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. "But don't think for a second that I'm going to make it easy for you, either."

Mercedes felt a flush rise in her cheeks, her body tensing as Sam's nearness began to affect her more than she wanted to admit. She needed to get out of there; she required space before she said or did something she'd regret.

Sam added before she could step away, "You can be mad all you want, but this… this is really happening. And we're going to figure it out. Together."

Mercedes's eyes snapped to his, and for a moment, neither of them spoke. The moment's intensity pressed down on her, suffocating in its truth. She was starting to really like Sam Evans.

Finally, Mercedes broke the silence, her voice laced with defiance as she looked him square in the eye. "You are such a *testardo coglion!" a stubborn, cocky asshole.

Sam chuckled softly, shaking his head as she used Italian against him once more. "Maybe," he said with a smirk, raising his hand to caress her cheek. "But you're not as immune to me as you think."

Mercedes's lips parted in surprise, but before she could respond, Sam leaned in and brushed his lips over her cheek. "Let me give you a tour."