The Closer (18+) ✓

| 14.3 | closing the deal

"Please?" The desperation in my voice was quite evident and that's what prompted him to stop and stare at what he'd reduced me to. A wolfish grin begun to grow on his mouth, and it was smiles like those coupled with the roguish scar that cut across his right brow, that made him look more like a smug teenage bad-boy than anything else.

"Well," he brought his lips to my ears, "I can't say no to daddy's little girl, can I?"

I nearly died.

To my greatest horror, Hans noticed the way my face flushed and the involuntary bite of my lip. I didn't give him much time to make something of my overly flattered reaction to that name and twisted the knob behind me, causing us both to tumble into our apartment into what I hoped would be darkness. What I was met by, however, permanently scarred me. Because standing on the other side of the door, listening in to the spectacle that Hans and I had been putting up the whole while, were none other than the people I held dear to my heart, including (oh dear God) Hans' father.

"You should really sound-proof this place. Or get a thicker door," Tim murmured, looking as red as I felt. Rina, who stood by his side, turned her face away but by the shaking of her shoulders I could tell she was laughing. Hard.

"Are you kidding me?" Helena snorted, downing her flute of champagne in one second. Her eyes lit up like a mad - slightly horny - woman's as she wiggled her eyebrows at Hans and I. "That was the best porn ever." Turning to Jasper who was shaking his head to himself in disappointment, she held her palm open to him and wiggled her fingers. "Cash it in, Jazz."

My mouth fell open as I saw Jasper slip out his wallet and take out a mint green dollar bill. Benjamin Franklin looked as scorned as Jasper did when he slapped it into Helena's open hand, shooting us both a very defeated glare.

"What exactly were you two betting on?" Hans asked, sounding on the verge of laughter.

"On how long you'd be able to keep it in your pants," Jasper snapped. "Helena said you'd have your hands on her before making it to the door. I thought you'd have a little more self-restraint. Shame on the both of you."

The fact that my former boss and possibly future father-in-law were here to see this was enough to embarrass me for life.

"Surprise!" Helena hooted, passing her empty glass to Tim who looked like he needed the distraction. She stepped through the small gathering of pink people and crashed into me, her short arms enveloping my body in the tightest hug yet. Standing on her toes, she whispered, "And happy birthday, ya little minx."

"What now? Whose?"

Helena plopped back down and looked up at me with a wide, coyote-like grin.

"Yours, of course. You're twenty-seven and you're ripe, so let's get you good and drunk, shall we?"

She hooked arms with me and steered us away in the direction of the dining table which, I just noticed, was filled with unopened bottles of wines, packed gifts and delicious finger-food platters. It took me a while to realize that these preparations were all for me. I twisted around from our locked arms and looked at Hans. A gentle smile graced his features as he leaned against the back of the couch, little Nozomi settled and purring contently in his arms. My gaze flickered to Tim who was next to him, saying something that I couldn't quite catch but had the effect of making their faces break out into full grins. Hans and Tim...they had planned this to be a surprise, to catch me off guard.

It all made so much more sense to me now. Why Tim had insisted that I get out of the office, today of all days, and how Hans had been suspiciously free from work. They wanted to make this day all about me, and they sure delivered.