Josiah

"Do you think I'm boring?"

Lena paused typing on her laptop, looking up at me from over the rim of her glasses. "I'm sorry?"

"Do you think I'm boring?" I repeated, resting my hands on my hips.

She giggled, resuming her task. "No, Josiah. You Kings couldn't be boring, not even if you wanted to."

I fell on the couch next to her, leaning my head back against the cushion. "I'm just remembering all the eventful things we did when we were teenagers."

She smiled, gently stroking my cheek with her free hand. "Our bodies were wired a little differently back then."

"No, see," I said, sitting upright, "I'm in better shape now than I was when I met you."

I lifted my shirt, my eyes round. She grazed her nails against my skin, her eyes still fixated on her laptop. "Mm hmm."

I leaned my head back, groaning. "See? I'm so boring, I can't even take your focus off of work."

"Well, that's because I'm writing about you," she said, her mouth pulling up into a smile.

I dropped my shirt. "I know the problem. I used to walk around shirtless. That's where I need to st- wait, what?"

She giggled. "I'm writing about you. On my blog."

"Well, what are you writing about?"

"Our honeymoon," she responded, furiously typing away.

I smirked. "I didn't know those were details we were sharing with the world."

"It's PG," she said, "thirteen."

I rested my head on her shoulder. "What are you saying?"

"Mm mm mm," she said, shaking her head, "you'll have to read yourself."

She gripped my chin, smiling up at me before pressing a kiss to my lips.

"I do support you walking around shirtless, just so you know," she said.

"I support you walking around shirtless, as well," I said, nodding.

She giggled, nodding. "I'll keep that in mind."

I rubbed her thigh, biting down on my bottom lip. "We should make a tape."

She froze, looking over at me.

"When I have to travel," I trailed off, shrugging.

She laughed. "Jo, didn't we try that in college?"

"You were also still a baby," I said, nodding.

She leaned back against the cushion, looking over at me. I finally had her undivided attention.

"So I'm not a baby anymore?" She asked, trailing her fingertips down my abdomen.

"No," I whispered, rubbing her jaw, "I've taught you so much."

She closed her laptop, climbing into my lap. "Well, you can't take all the credit."

I lifted an eyebrow. "I'll be sure to credit the other two guys you've hooked up with in your lifetime."

"Three," she said, holding up her pointer finger.

I plugged my ears. "Not the time to be talking about our past sexual encounters."

She giggled, wrapping her arms around my neck. "Well, if it's any consolation, those other three guys didn't matter at all."

She pressed a kiss to my neck, looking at me for approval before smiling and slipping her hands up my shirt. I leaned my head back, closing my eyes as she pressed kisses to my neck, which she knew was my weakness.

I gripped her backside, moving her hips against my own. "Really not a wise choice on your side if you don't want this to lead where it's going to lead."

She smiled against my cheek. "That's the whole point."

~*~

Jo

"Knock knock."

I looked back at Lena, smiling as she opened my door.

"Hey," I greeted, spinning around in my chair.

"Hi," she said, pressing a soft kiss to my cheek, "how's your day been?"

I shrugged. "A day."

She sat on the edge of my desk, biting down on her bottom lip. "What if I had something that could make your day better?"

"What if?" I asked, folding my hands in my lap.

She placed a folder of papers on my desk, making me grab it and open it.

"I know it's a big thing," she said.

I sighed, flipping through the numerous pages of home listings in the area. "Seriously?"

I knew my distaste was loud.

"I've just been thinking, Jo," she said.

"About what, Lena?" I asked, dropping the folder on my desk.

She shrugged. "I don't know. Settling down."

I chewed on my bottom lip, rubbing my jaw as I looked up at her.

"You love dogs," she said, looking down at me.

"I can have a dog in my penthouse," I said.

"Jo," she said, tilting her head over.

"What?" I asked, standing up.

"Settling down," she quietly said, chewing on her bottom lip as she watched me walk around my office.

I leaned my head back with a sigh. "Lena, we got married. I don't know how much more settling down we can do."

She cocked her head over. "What the hell is your problem?"

"I don't have a problem," I retorted, shaking my head.

"You're throwing a tantrum because I'm working on a future for us."

"We can have a future in the penthouse, Lena."

I knew she could sense my tone. I was being snappy, but it wasn't intentional. It had just been a long day.

"That's not the point, Jo," she said, shaking her head.

"Then what is?" I asked, my voice raising.

My heart dropped when I saw the defeated look on her face. "I don't really know."

She stood up from my desk, rubbing the nape of her neck.

"Very selfish of me to think that you'd be willing to give up the place that you took all of your thousands of hookups from twenty-two to twenty-five," she said, grabbing her purse.

"That's slut shaming if I've ever heard it," I muttered, leaning against my window.

"Jo, that's not funny, and this isn't, either," she adamantly stated, shaking her head.

"Yeah, tell me about it," I said, matching her adamant tone, "but what is funny is that you think my reasoning is because I don't want to let go of all of my hookups."

"Really?" She asked, nodding.

"Really," I said, pushing myself off of my window, "that penthouse was the first taste I had of success. I watched Dad have it for himself, but it was the first thing I got for myself because of my work."

"I never said we had to give it up, Jo," she said.

"Well, you sure as hell didn't make that clear," I said, shoving my hands in my pockets.

She let out a sigh of defeat, shaking her head. "I hope your day gets better."

She grabbed her purse and reached for my door, but I reached for her arm. "Lena."

"Please don't touch me," she said, ripping her arm away before I could grab it.

"I don't know what you want," I said, shrugging.

"I want to start a family with you!" She yelled, spinning around to face me.

I leaned my head back with a laugh. "Lena, you're joking. We don't want that-"

"You don't know what I want!"

I gripped my hips. "And how is that?"

"We don't talk, Jo!" She said, obviously angry as of now, "we wake up, we have sex, you leave. You don't get home until ten o'clock, we have sex, we go to bed."

"Wow, you're living the nightmare, I must say," I said, "I'm sorry marriage is so underwhelming for you."

"That's really what you had to say to that?" She asked, instead of angry, defeated.

I shrugged, biting my lip.

She walked over to my desk, grabbing the folder. She threw it in the trash, never giving me a second glance as she opened my door. "I'll see you tonight."

~*~

Fred

I could tell Josiah was off. He was usually even halfway sociable in meetings. Maybe today just wasn't his day.

"I'm extremely stoked to be working in relation to you guys, I really have to say," Giovanni Ricci said, chuckling as he rolled his sleeves up.

"We're just as elated to be working with you and your family," I said, leaning back in my chair with a smile.

"Your father and grandfather really paved the way," he said, nodding, "and I see you two are following in their footsteps."

"You started young, my friend," I said, chuckling as I picked up my glass of whiskey, "I mean, twenty-two? I remember what I was focusing on at twenty-two, and this wasn't it."

He smiled, nodding. "I had my fair share of irrelevant priorities, no worries."

"Didn't we all," Jo sighed, smiling a forced smile as he took a long sip of his whiskey.

"The two of you should come to Milan," Giovanni offered, "see my father and I, spend loads of money that you don't have a need to spend."

I laughed, nudging Jo's arm. "Don't mention Milan around this one, he'll get too excited."

He pressed two fingers against his temple, cracking a very fake smile as he traced his free pointer finger around the rim of his glass.

"He and his wife went there on their honeymoon recently," I explained, my eyes glued to Jo as I tried to figure out what the hell was wrong with him.

"Ah," Gio said, "it's beautiful. I'm sure she loved it."

Jo chewed on his bottom lip. "I think she enjoyed it."

"Do you live in Milan?" I asked, folding my arms on the table in front of us.

"I actually split my time between New York and Milan," he said, nodding, "the New York Branch is run by my uncle."

"Oh, nice," I said, "I thought it was just you and your father."

"Poorly run by my uncle," he corrected, grinning.

I chuckled. "I see."

My phone vibrated in my pocket, making me pull it out discreetly. Alexis was calling, and I knew it was urgent, considering she knew I was in a meeting.

"Hey, I apologize," I said, standing up, "but I need to take this."

"No problem at all," Gio said, and I left the two in the room.

"Hey," I answered.

"I'm sorry, I know you're in a meeting," she said.

"It's okay, are you okay?" I cautiously asked, chewing on my bottom lip as I leaned against the closed door.

"I-I-can you come home?"

I lifted my eyebrows. "Lex."

"Please, Fred, I really need you to come home."

I flexed my jaw. "O-okay. I'm on my way. Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," she said, "just get here as soon as you can."

"Okay," I said, jogging into my office to grab my coat, "I love you."

"Love you, too."

I slipped into my coat, turning off my light. I jogged back into the conference room. "Hey, Jo?"

He looked over his shoulder at me. "Hm?"

"I need you."

He stood up, shooting Gio a smile. "I'm sorry, man."

"No problem," he said, "I'll pour us another glass."

I pulled Jo out of the conference room. "I need you to cover for me."

He slipped his hands in his pockets. "Why?"

"Alexis called, she said she needed me to come home-"

"Then why aren't you on your way?" He asked, patting my shoulder, "I've got it."

"Hey, are you good?" I asked, before I could run off.

He nodded. "Yeah."

I realized he wouldn't budge even if he wasn't, so I jogged over to the elevators. "I'll be back, Cecilia."

"Got it," she said, and I stepped into the elevator. I rode down thirty floors, which felt like an absolute drag. I was worrying too much.

I jogged past the receptionist's desk and ran outside, getting in my car as quickly as I could. I, surprisingly, had a free moment to back out as soon as I turned on my car.

I sped the entire way home, going through every possible scenario in my head. What if someone broke in? What if she fell and broke a bone?

I came to an abrupt stop as soon as I made it to my driveway, stepping out of my car. I ran up to the unlocked door, my eyes going wide. "Alexis!"

She turned around to face me, chewing on her thumbnail. "Hi."

"God, don't scare me like that," I said, "and why was the door unlocked? You know-"

"I'm pregnant, Fred."

TO BE CONTINUED

~*~

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