Okay, you asked for it, and you got it! I know you wanted it so I hope you enjoyed it!

Sam ran his hand through his hair, missing the long locks already, as he walked with his family to the front door of the Jones Estate.

"Rubbing it won't make it come back, Sammy." Stevie, his younger brother, laughed.

Sam cut his eyes at his brother as his father turned towards them. "It looks presentable. Let's go in there with our game face on and complete this merger."

"I spoke to Rebecca, and she said that Mercedes is really lovely," Mary said.

"That means she's a dog," Stevie whispered.

"Such a man thing to say." Stefanie, their oldest sister, said, making Stacey, the youngest, giggle.

"Ahem," Dwight cleared his throat, and the four siblings stopped goofing off.

Turning to the door, Dwight knocked, and almost immediately, they were let in and led to a sitting room.

"Hello, I am Carol; Mr. Jones will be with you in a moment. May I get you anything to drink?"

"No, thank you," Dwight said as he walked over to his wife.

Stefanie moved to Sam. "You sure you want to do this?"

"Ceo is my birthright; it's my dream. I'll be okay, Stef." Sam assured her.

"I know, but you never wanted to get married, let alone have kids."

"And I still don't. So why not do this to make mom and dad happy? I spent a year abroad because I could; spending two years being married doesn't seem like that much of a hardship. I work late and go in early; I will barely see her."

"And what are you going to do about the no-cheating thing?" His sister said, giving him a knowing look.

"I mean, I gotta get her pregnant, so I guess when I am hard up, I can put the charm on her."

"Sorry to tell you this, little brother, but not all women are smitten with you, Sammy."

"Dwight! Mary! Welcome." Julian said as he walked into the room. Sam was amazed at how his father and Mr. Jones seemed to live in suits, both wearing black suits, except his dad wore a sky blue shirt, and Mr. Jones wore an almost white-pink shirt. Both decided against ties.

He didn't bother dressing up, as he was forced to cut his hair, so he wore a pair of blue jeans and a Royal blue collared shirt that he rolled up at the arms.

"Julian, the pleasure is all of ours. May we present our children, Stefaine, our oldest, Stevie, and Stacey. And this is Samuel." Dwight nodded towards Sam.

Sam stepped forward and held out his hand. "Mr. Jones, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"You as well, Sam. Your father told me you graduated top of your class at Harvard?"

"Yes, sir, it was my father's alma mater, so there was no other choice for me; I wanted to make him proud," Sam said proudly.

Julian nodded. "Excellent choice. I wish my daughter felt the way you did." Julian sighed. "No, while Jacob opted to follow my steps and attend Harvard as a legacy, his sister did not."

"Oh?" Sam asked, intrigued; maybe his dad and friends were wrong, and she wasn't educated.

"You act as if she went to a Community college, Dad. Stanford is an Ivy League school, and she graduated top of her class." Jacob said, walking into the room. "Her mother went there, its why she chose it."

"Ah, my son has arrived. This is Jacob, my second-born and only son." Julian said, patting his back.

"Hey, Jj!" Stevie said as they fist-bumped.

"You two know each other?" Sam asked, surprised.

"Dude, I gotta know my competition, or JJ was til he married."

"JJ, could you ask Carol to move your mother and sisters along?"

"No need, we are here," Rebecca said, walking down the stairs with Nyla's arm and arm.

Sam looked up. The woman was beautiful but nothing like what his friends described.

"May I introduce my wife Rebecca and my youngest daughter Nyla."

"Mercedes is right behind us," Rebecca said, standing beside her husband.

Sam stood taller as they all shook hands, eyes going to the stairs, wondering who was coming. He was surprised at the beauty that slowly descended the stairs.

From the open-toed silver shoes she wore to the beautiful two-toned dress that clung to every curve she had, he realized how lucky he was. That is until he reached her gorgeous face. A face he recognized.

"Shit." He breathed.

"Evans family, may I introduce you to my oldest daughter, Mercedes."

"Damn." Stevie hissed, leaning into Sam. "When you hear thirty-five-year-old virgin, you don't think she would look like that."

Sam swallowed as her eyes roamed his family as her father introduced her. He was torn, and part of him was excited to see that his bride was indeed not a dog, as his brother suggested. But to find out the woman he met at the club, accused of being some stuck-up daddy's girl, was the woman who tried to pick him up had to be some joke on him.

As their eyes met, he could see a confused look grace her face before her beautiful honey-colored eyes went dark. She must have recognized him. Holding out his hand, he moved forward before she could speak.

"You must be Mercedes." He said, eyeing her to see if she was going to blow their cover.

"I am." She said, yanking her hand from his.

Julian looked at Sam. "Please don't be fooled by her red hair; I know it's not traditional, but she wears it in honor of her mother."

Rebecca nodded. "It was how her mother wore her hair until she got sick; I think it's a beautiful way to honor her; I always have."

Mary reached out and took Mercedes's hand in hers. "You look just like her. Your mother and I were friends before her passing, and I know she would be proud of the woman you have become."

"Thank you," Mercedes said, not wanting to cry. It was bittersweet being compared to her mother, knowing that she looked like her.

"Should we continue this in the dining room? Carol has prepared a delicious meal for us as we discuss things." Julian said, leading them out of the room. Mercedes turned from Sam, but he reached for her, stopping her from leaving.

"We will be a moment," Sam said, nodding towards them.

Dwight and Julian shared a smile as they ushered everyone out of the room. Once they were gone, she pulled herself away from him, stepping back as she eyed him.

While she didn't recognize him at first, she was greatly disappointed to realize that the man she was set to marry was the jerk who basically called her a stuck-up slut. She could admit that he did look hot with the short hair, too, but he was still an ass, and she wasn't sure she wanted to be stuck with him.

"Can I help you?" She asked, folding her arms across her chest.

Sam let his hand fall to his side. "Look, I know we got off on the wrong foot last night; I just thought we could clear the air."

"Is that so?" She asked, offering him a sweet smile. "Well, let's clear the air. You are an asshole, there are we done here?"

"No, we aren't. If we are going to be stuck together, I think we should let bygones be bygones." Sam said, stepping closer to her.

"How about you just be gone?"

Sam smirked; she had a bit of a bite to her; he was impressed, to say the least; most women around him usually had no issue with doing anything he wanted, and honestly, he figured she would be the same.

"Come on, Mercy, have a heart." He said, giving her the puppy dog eyes and a smile. That combination always won.

"It's Mercedes." She said, moving from him. "Get it right."

"We are going to be man and wife; shouldn't I be able to give you a pet name. Mmm, you don't like Mercy; how about Red?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh, after me rebelling against the man, right?"

"Right. I did say that… look, I can admit I was wrong, just like I can admit that you are beautiful, and we can help each other out here." Sam raised his hand to caress her cheek. "I can definitely make it worth your while."

Mercedes slapped his hand away. "Okay, look, I understand you think you are God's gift to women, and I understand that you aren't used to hearing the word no in your world. So I am going to say this so slowly that even you can understand." She moved closer to him, stepped into his space, and internally smiled as he faltered back, inhaling. "You …are …an …asshole…and I…am not interested."

Sam stared at her, swallowing hard. She smelled so good but clearly wanted nothing to do with him. "And you are not my type, but I could be stuck with worse, so what do you say?" Sam gave her a smile that usually had women falling over themselves to make him happy as he reached for her hand.

Rolling her eyes, she scoffed. "I say, if you touch me again without my permission, you will be pulling back a nub." She moved away from him, linking her fingers as she paced the floor. "Our parents have already made this deal; unfortunately, I have committed to it. I would have asked for more if I knew you were the man. But we are both in this situation, so here is the deal, you don't flirt with me, look at me, or even touch me. We do our two years and be done."

"That's gonna be kinda hard since we will be having at least one child." He teased, moving towards her. "And just so we are clear, I have every intention of touching my wife, so you need to get used to it." He turned to leave but stopped facing her again as she shook her head turning. He moved behind her, hands resting on her hips. "You should know that my love language is physical touch." He leaned into her ear. "And I can't wait to find out yours." He whispered before pulling away from her and walking towards the dining room.

Mercedes closed her eyes, hating that he affected her the way he did. This was going to be a battle, one she wasn't sure she was going to win.

"Ah, here they are; glad you two decided to join us." Julian smiled.

Mercedes wasn't sure why he was smiling so much, but she figured it was because he was getting exactly what he wanted. Moving to sit next to Nyla, she was stopped by her father, who cleared his throat.

"Mercedes, why don't you sit beside your future husband," Julian said, beaming.

"Yes, Mercy, come sit next to me." Sam gave her a knowing smile, and she huffed, shaking her head as she walked towards the chair.

"Of course." She said through gritted teeth.

"I am glad to see you two getting along," Dwight said. "This is going to make the transition go over smoothly. "So Mercedes, your father told us that you just returned from traveling abroad, Sam went to Europe for a year."

Julian looked at Sam, "What did you do there?"

"I spent my time learning about the culture and enjoying the whole continent and all the beauty it had to offer." Sam winked at Mercedes, letting her know precisely what he was enjoying.

Mercedes made a face at him as the staff brought out the plates of Chicken Alfredo. "Must have been…infectious." She said sweetly. "To answer your question, Mr. Evans, I have been out of the States a few times in the past few years, but I wasn't there for pleasure; I was there to help. I built homes and schools for the less fortunate."

"I always wanted to do something like that." Stefanie said smiling. "It must feel so rewarding."

Mercedes looked at the woman who looked so much like her brother. "Yes, it is. The people I helped, I know I made a difference, and that is why fixing Shelter of Angels is so important to me."

Mary's eyes widened. "You are reopening Shelter of Angels?"

"What's that?" Sam asked, looking from Mercedes to his mother.

"My mom started Shelter of Angels to help people from all walks of life in a bad way. I finally have the knowledge from what I learned over the years: the money I wanted to earn, and we have the new land."

Sam couldn't figure this woman out; it was clear that she was not the typical heiress, but now he discovered that she had goals and dreams meant to help others and not herself. It was odd.

"I would love to help out." Stacey beamed.

"We both would," Stefanie added. "And not just because we are going to be sisters."

Nyla smiled. "Mercedes is very determined and hard-working; she inspired me to follow my own dreams and made me realize I was more than just dad's money."

Stevie looked at Mercedes. "Is it true that you sucker punched Biff McIntosh? JJ said his big sister did."

"Stevie!"

"JJ!"

Dwight and Julian said at the same time.

Mercedes smiled. "I am not ashamed to tell my truth, Dad." She looked at Stevie. "Yes, I did. I was working late, and he tried to corner me, so I reminded him I was my own woman instead of letting him take what wasn't his. And I'd do it again. No one has the right to try and take what isn't theirs. Period."

"Badass," Stevie smirked. "You are so lucky.

Julian sighed. "I promise she isn't some angry woman out to hurt all men."

Mercedes looked at her father, who was clearly embarrassed that she was defending herself. "No, I am not some man-hating woman, but what I am is a woman who understands that she has a fundamental right to defend herself against entitled men who feel they are owed something just because they want it," Mercedes said, staring right at her father.

"Damn, you are my hero," Stacey said out loud.

Dwight cleared his throat as Mary smiled. "I think a woman who understands the difference between self-defense and self-preservation is an asset, don't you agree, honey?"

Dwight nodded. "I do. And our son needs that. As I have learned, I am only as strong as my wife. And well, I would expect nothing less from someone who is taking over as CEO of Jones Media."

Julian let out a sigh of relief as Sam looked at her, impressed at how she had no problem standing up for herself.

"Okay, I need to know if the rumors are true," Stevie said, shaking his head. "Because you have to have a flaw somewhere."

"Rumors?" Mercedes questioned.

"Yes, that you are a virgin." He said boldly.

"Stevie!" Dwight, Mary, Stefanie, and Sam all said at the same time.

Mercedes laughed, shaking her head. "It's okay. I am not ashamed of who I am. Nor am I ashamed to admit that I am."

"Why?" Sam breathed and didn't realize he said it out loud.

Mercedes looked at him. "It was a personal choice. I realized in school that men were, and I am sorry for my crudeness but collecting panties to add to their collection, and I refused to be used, so I focused on school and helping others."

"So nothing?" Stevie said, mouth hung open. "Like nothing?"

"No, when I make up my mind, my resolve is stronger than any temptation. I had no problem with it." Mercedes said with a soft smile. She knew that for people like Sam and his brother, the thought of being a virgin was like finding a Unicorn.

"As you can see, my daughter has a good head on her shoulders and will be a great asset for your son," Julian said proudly.

Sam looked at her. "So, say we are in a meeting since our companies are combining, I can count on you to have my back and support me?"

"Of course you can." Julian started.

"No," Mercedes said.

Sam tilted his head. "No?"

"You heard me, loud and clearly. I am not a yes sir, no sir type of woman, so if you are looking for someone you can walk all over, let me clear that illusion right up. I have a job to do just like you, and should I feel like you are doing something stupid, I will call you out. Now, I will be diplomatic and do it in private, but make no mistake, I won't be walked all over. If we come up with an idea that benefits us both, I will gladly support you, but if you think that you will walk all over me and control what I do and say, well. No."

Everyone was quiet as Sam and Mercedes stared each other down.

"You do realize that I am taking over as CEO of my family's business, it's up to me to take us to the next level."

"And you understand it's the same for me. I didn't just go to college for my health; I actually received these nifty little things called degrees." Mercedes vollyed back. "If you didn't know, let me educate you; I have my masters in Business and finance, and I have earned every accolade, every award, and everything that has led me to take over as CEO of Jones Media. I will lead my staff as I see fit, and if you get in my way, I will crush you like a bug."

Sam smirked. "Well, let me educate you. I have my Master's degree in Business and have been running things at my father's side since I was 12. I was made to lead us into the next generation, and I have no problem stepping on whoever I need to so I can get ahead."

"Sei uno stronzo arrogante!" You are such a cocky asshole.

"Non hai idea di quanto posso diventare arrogante." You have no idea how cocky i can get. Sam smirked.

Sam and Mercedes stared at each other as everyone else around the table looked at them, confused.

"What language are they speaking?" Stacey whispered to Stefanie.

"I dunno, but it seems Sammy has met his match."