The Boss's Daughter

Chapter 6: A Week In Tokyo (9,7K)

Chapter 6: A Week In Tokyo (9,7K)

.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.

Jace's PoV

Over breakfast, Clarissa explained to Jace her plans for the day, letting him know that she was no longer interested with the idea of going clubbing that night and that she would rather spend a traditional Japanese day. Jace didn't argue, mostly because he knew that no matter her program, he was bound to follow her anywhere she would go. Of course, his disinterest on her whereabouts was suddenly shaken when she told him that they needed to go shopping, once again.

"What? Didn't you shop all day long yesterday, already? Can't you put at least one day between shopping sessions?" He couldn't help but ask.

He knew that this liberty of speech wasn't due to the fact that they had just spent the night together, but more to the fact that he knew his patience was wearing thin when it came to endlessly go from shop to shop for hours, checking every item on display. Whether they had shared a bed or not the night before, Jace would have had stopped Clarissa from shopping twice in a row.

"Yesterday was barely a warm-up, trust me," She retorted with a smile that Jace qualified as evil. The idea that she could put him through even more shopping was simply evil. "Besides, we can't decently go to a temple dressed as Occidentals. I refuse to be that sort of tourists."

"So you'd rather be the tourist who steals the country's culture and pride?"

Clarissa rose her eyebrows at him before she refocused her attention on her breakfast and told him with a very calming tone as if she was talking to a simple-minded child:

"No, I'd rather be the kind of tourist who respects enough the country's culture and traditions to bend to them. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. I'm just abiding by that saying. Had I had gone to Saudi Arabia, I would have worn a hijab, and certainly wouldn't have worn mini-skirts or trousers. Being a tourist doesn't mean you get to scorch on the traditions of the country you're visiting because it's not your way of life. You are the one who is welcomed in this country, it's like when you enter a house, you respect the rules of the said house."

"So, if you ever go to France, you'll wear a beret and a marinière?" Jace joked, making the redhead in front of him roll her eyes as she got up and instructed:

"Stop stalling, we have kimonos to buy and places to go to."

Then she left to go back to her room, Jace shortly on her heels, not that he wanted to, but because he didn't have a choice.

For the most part of the day, Jace didn't have to complain. Actually, except for the first hour of the day spent shopping for kimonos for the two of them (because Clarissa was really tenacious as to have them both dress according to tradition), they had a day rather enjoyable. Mostly because Jace saw what Magnus had meant when he told her to take those two weeks as vacations at the boss's expenses.

If he was forgoing the fact that he was around Clarissa for her security, and talking to the girl, Jace realised that Magnus was right. She was a person he would enjoy spending time with outside of work. Sure as they visited the Sensō-Ji Temple and the Imperial Palace, Jace clearly felt like he was a lost child and she was the responsible parent. It was more than she was fluent on the language, it was that she had clearly done her research before coming and that she knew exactly what she wanted to do, and where she wanted to go. But except for her vast knowledge of the Japanese culture and history, Clarissa was a pleasant person to talk to.

Of course, at first she had to ignite every conversation because Jace didn't want to cross the line even more than he already did; but at some point, the line disappeared on its own. Jace still couldn't tell how exactly it did, it was somewhere between them having lunch, and walking in the gardens of the Imperial Palace, but it still happened. Jace found himself asking her how come she knew so much about Japan when he doubted that he knew that much about his own country.

Clarissa explained to him that Japan where her mother was born. Apparently, her two parents (Clarissa's grandparents) worked there when little Jocelyn came into this world; and they only left the country of the rising sun for the US when Jocelyn was eighteen. Clarissa didn't much linger on that topic, closing the conversation by saying that Japan had been on her to do list ever since she was little and that she had always known that she would have to go on her own. Jace didn't push her, though the thought lingered in his mind.

Valentine had only mentioned twice to Jace his late wife. When he recruited him and referred to the Fairchild's as his in-laws, and when Jace saw the glimpse of a picture in his boss's pocket watch, Valentine had told him in a very firm tone that wasn't allowing any conversation, that it was his late wife. Jace barely knew that her name had been Jocelyn because Magnus had told him much. For all the times Jace went to the mansion, he never saw a picture of Clarissa's mother, even though he had already paid visits to Valentine in his private chambers.

And this made Jace wonder why Valentine was so closed concerning his deceased wife. He knew it wasn't a question of intimacy, because Valentine never hesitated on talking about his daughter to Jace, so it had to be something else. But he didn't think too much about it, a part of him deciding that he would definitely ask Magnus about it when they would get back home.

When the day was over, they returned to the hotel, with Clarissa mocking Jace for he was complaining that never again he would be caught wearing setta sandals again. After a copious dinner, they went each back to their rooms, and as soon as he was out of his Japanese clothing, Jace washed his feet before sitting on his bed and taking his laptop out of his bag.

When he had packed his bag, Jace mostly took it to watch movies and pass time while waiting for Clarissa to wake up, because he knew that he didn't sleep as much as other people did. He was one of those lucky people who could go to bed late, and wake up early, without it damaging their system, and he never went against it for it always came naturally to him.

But as he switched on his laptop, he had no intention of watching a movie. For a second, he hesitated, realising that during all his years of services, he never researched anything about his boss. He knew who was Valentine Morgenstern. He was a crime lord, a kingpin, a man not to meddle with if you cared for your life and the life of those you held dear. So he never got the point of looking even more into his boss's life. But something about the way Clarissa talked about the way her father's reactions toward Jocelyn's death was nagging Jace. He couldn't tell what exactly, but over the years, he had learnt to always trust his instincts over his logic.

He looked for articles concerning Jocelyn Fairchild/Morgenstern but barely found anything. He found an article mentioning that she died in a fire incident during a charity event, and another article saying that she was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery, and that Valentine didn't attend the funerals, unlike the other members of his family.

Suddenly, Jace was startled by a knock on his door, which made him frown because he didn't like being surprised, especially when he was out of his element. He took his gun, not taking the time to put a shirt on and checking through the peephole who could be disturbing him in this country where he knew no one.

But he saw that it was only Clarissa, and he opened his door to her, keeping his gun hidden from her by only revealing half of his body to her. He had caught the way she looked at the gun the night before and figured that guns made her uncomfortable. Whether it was the weapon in itself or the fact that he was the one in charge of it was still a mystery to Jace.

"What can I do for you?" Jace asked, an eyebrow up as he took in her clothing. She too had changed into occidental clothes, but it was a bit more elaborate than Jace's simple pyjama trousers. She was wearing denim shorts with a pale yellow tank top and sandals. Jace could smell that she took a shower, and he could also tell that she wasn't wearing a bra.

"Did you change your plans concerning clubbing?" Was the first question that came to his mind, though he wasn't sure since her face was makeup free.

Clarissa seemed slightly taken aback, before she shook her head at him, squinting a bit her eyes as she told him: "We aren't going clubbing as long as you hang around wearing those damn trousers that give the impression you're just out of a funeral."

Jace smirked at her, her words echoing what Jordan often reproached him. Even when going out, he never let loose enough, and it showed just in the way he dressed.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" Clarissa said with a tone that almost sounded innocent if it wasn't for her long lashes batting luxuriously at him.

Jace barely hesitated a second, stepping aside to let her in, before he swiftly went to his laptop to close it. He heard the redhead chuckle behind him, and when he turned to ask her what was funny, she asked: "Were you watching porn to close that laptop so quickly?"

"If I were watching porn, you would already be on this bed, on your back, screaming my name," Jace retorted, putting his gun on his nightstand under Clarissa's very steady gaze.

"Then maybe you should have been watching porn, instead of … doing whatever you were doing."

Jace smirked, putting his laptop back in his bag, and then fully facing the small redhead. He kept his eyes on her face, while her own eyes ravaged his exposed torso, lingering a bit longer on his waistband before she looked back up at him.

"So … Do I always have the one to make the first step?" She challenged, and Jace made a step to close the distance between them.

She immediately lifted her head, closing her eyes, ready to receive a kiss, but he did not deliver. Instead, he brushed her lips with his thumb, making sure their bodies were close enough to feel each other's warmth, but still not touching. He leaned a little until his lips were at the level of her ear; and then, whispered:

"Maybe I like it when you pursue me. Ever thought of that?"

"Who knew that a big guy like you, could be such a girl inside," She teased, tiptoeing herself in an attempt to kiss him. But Jace didn't help, straightening up, and keeping just the right distance to infuriate her just a little. "Come on, don't tell me I just wounded your male ego, and I got all flustered for nothing."

Jace rose an eyebrow at her, refraining himself for laughing, and she let herself fall back on her heels, her lips sweetly pouting. Jace tugged a little on her chin to erase the put form her face before he reminded her of something crucial: "As I recall, you kept the condoms we bought this morning in your room. And I don't want to get all … flustered right now, only to have to run back to your room when the moment comes."

Clarissa's eyes opened wide, her mouth forming an 'o' of comprehension. "Well, in that case …"

She took Jace's hand in hers and started walking to his door when he stopped her and went to take his gun. He used the opportunity to put a shirt on, not really eager to strut in the hotel's corridor shirtless. As he secured his gun in his back, between his trousers and skin, Clarissa furrowed her brows and asked:

"Is this really necessary? We're not even leaving the building."

"Where I go, the gun goes."

His tone was impervious, not allowing any debate on the matter, and Clarissa loudly sighed, before the two of them left to go to her bedroom. She barely had a second to close the door that Jace was taking her in his arms, crushing his lips against hers. She didn't seem to mind the slightest, wrapping her legs around his waist as he moved them toward the bed, never leaving her lips.

Once she was laying on her back, Jace started grinding against her, making her moan against his lips before she gently nibbled his lower lip. Without ever separating their lips, Jace removed his gun from his back and put it on the nightstand; before bringing his hands to her body. He was about to remove her tank top when she stopped him and pushed against his chest so he would give her some space. Which he did, only to be assaulted a second later, and finding himself on his back with Clarissa on top of him.

She smiled at him, slowly retrieving her tank top. She was about to finally reveal her breast to him when she frowned and quickly got up. Jace upped himself on his elbows, a question hanging on his lips, but that was quickly answered when she switched off the light. Then she came back, retaking her place on Jace's laps, but as she was about to kiss him again, he asked her:

"Why did you switch off the light?"

"No girl likes to be fully exposed to artificial light. I thought you'd know that by now or were you a virgin?"

"And all guys are very visual. How about we compromise?" He proposed, switching on the faint light of the nightstand.

She seemed to think about it for a second and nodded. Jace smiled and removed his shirt as she did the same with her top. Once he had full sight of her breast, he stayed motionless for a moment, simply staring at them. They were what he would call the perfect size. Unlike Jordan, he had never been a boobs kind of man, he had always been interested in the assets girls had on their back, rather than on their front. But Clarissa's breasts were just the right size. Not too small, not too big, just ample enough to fit into his hands. That added to the fact that they were firm and perky, standing on their own, it was all Jace could ask for.

Before Clarissa could chastise him for staring too long at her, and that 'no girl would like that', he dove his head and took one of her n****e in his mouth, while his hand went to take care of the other, just so there wouldn't be any jealousy between them. Clarissa sucked in a sharp breath, throwing her head backwards, and making the ends of her hair tickle Jace's laps.

She gripped his hair, arching to him when his suction became a little more intense. Jace let his other hand travel on the wonderful curve in her back, a part of his brain wondering how he never noticed this curve before when he caught himself more than once staring at her ass. He bucked a little his hips, just so his bulge would be touching her crotch, and when the fabrics of her shorts and his trousers met, Clarissa moaned a little louder, pressing Jace's face against her chest.

In an expert move, Jace resumed his position on top of her, switching breast in his mouth, as his free hand unbuttoned her shorts. Slowly, he kissed his way downward, but not without warning her: "I want to hear you scream Clarissa. I want to hear you scream my name."

She nodded, though Jace was sure that she would have agreed to almost anything at this right moment, and then he threw her trousers out of the way, taking her panties along the way. She bucked her hips to him, but Jace only kissed her inner thighs, blowing his breath between her legs and consciously playing with her nerves. Several times he brushed her sweet nub with his thumb, putting just enough pressure to earn shaky breathy whimpers from her.

After yet another one of his tease, Clarissa bucked yet again her hips to him; and said with a voice heavy with lust: "Jace, please."

"Please what, Clarissa?" He asked with a smirk.

"Don't be a d**k. Please, Jace."

"I thought you wanted a d**k," He chuckled, before giving her exactly what she wanted.

Jace had always liked going down on women because he liked being the cause of them letting completely go. Over the years, he observed that women let loose more easily when he went down on them. It was as if a woman had two different persons in her. One that would still be in control of herself during the penetration, no matter what; and one that could completely become undone when he would go down on them.

As Clarissa's breath became more and more ragged, Jace introduced two fingers in her, nibbling her inner thighs when her wetness enveloped his fingers. He relished when she moaned a little more loudly and used his thumb to rub her little nub, kissing his way back up. Gently, he tempted a third finger, reaping a victorious 'yes' out of her, coming out deep and throaty.

When he was finally back to the level of her face, Jace watched her bite her lips as his fingers kept on making her feel good. He kissed her to release her lips, and then told her in a husky voice:

"Let go, Clarissa. Scream for me."

He watched her attempt to keep a little control as his fingers thrust in her faster and faster, and his thumb added a little more pressure to his strokes; and finally, she screamed out his name, opening her eyes widely as her whole body tensed. Jace helped her coming down from her high, his fingers still slightly playing inside of her. When she was again in control of her breathing, Clarissa turned her head to Jace, all smiles with her hair dishevelled, and her eyes glossy with bliss; and suddenly her happy smile turned into something devious.

She sat on top of him, her hands playing his waistband, as she asked with a pretence innocence: "Maybe I should return the favour."

Jace sat to kiss her and kept on going with the events the night was promising. He knew he was well endorsed, and often, it scared women. Which was one of the reasons why he always made sure to prepare them well enough during foreplays, and also why he more often than once refused a blowjob.

But before he could distract Clarissa from her task, she pushed him back so he was laying on his back; and kissed her way downward, just like he did a few moments ago. She played with his waistband, and Jace used this opportunity to try and dissuade her one last time:

"You don't have to do it. I went down because I like it."

She was about to retort something when she finally pulled down his pyjama trousers.

"Holy s**t! How did that fit inside me?!"

Jace let his head hit the pillow, refraining himself from heaving and simply closing his eyes and clenching his teeth when she added:

"I figured that it was big, but … It's bigger than me! How in the Hell did you manage to fit that in me? Are you some kind of magician?"

Jace didn't answer, clenching his teeth a little harder. He only reopened his eyes, when he felt that Clarissa had sat up and that her face was back to his. He kept his face void of emotions when their eyes clashed, and Clarissa told him with a small voice:

"You know, usually guys are embarrassed to have a tiny pecker. Usually, when they have a monster-c**k like yours, they brag and can't stop talking about it."

"I am not embarrassed by the size of my d**k. You're the one making a big deal out of it."

A smirk grew on her lips, and she retorted with a tease: "Well … there is something big about this deal, indeed. But … I was just surprised. I mean … it is anything but average, and I wasn't prepared to meet something bigger than me in your pants."

"I told you not to go down. If you had listened to me, you would be on your back, screaming through another orgasm as we speak," Jace admonished her because he was far from liking how this conversation was going. It felt like she was talking like a kid needing reassurance, and that all the lust from earlier was slowly fading away.

"It can still happen," She said, wiggling her eyebrows at him, but Jace sat up, reaching for his trousers as he reasoned:

"I think it would be best for both us if I went back to my room."

He knew that the first thing he would do was to take a cold shower, that would probably last a long time given his state of arousal, but he figured it was better than having a girl laughing every time she would look down to his groin.

"God, why are guys so self-conscious about their d***s? Seriously! I didn't complain, I didn't laugh or run, screaming like a banshee. I just stated the truth. You have a monster-c**k. What's so wrong with that? I mean, I was more than happy yesterday night when that monster-c**k was pounding inside me!"

"Why are girls so self-conscious about their bodies?" Jace retorted with an eyebrow up, knowing that she was right. He was mostly annoyed that she was doing a fixation on his 'monster-c**k'.

Clarissa opened her mouth to quip like she seemed to like doing so much; but when no comeback came to her, she simply got up for the bed, with as much dignity as her naked self allowed her, and walked straight to the switch, to light on the room.

"Happy?"

"Very," He replied with the same snappy tone; and when he saw a smile grow on her lips, he knew she would yet again comment on his member.

"It's even bigger with the light on."

Jace rolled her eyes, throwing Clarissa on the bed; but when he hovered over her, she stopped him from kissing her. "I want to be on top." She said with a small pout that very few men would be able to resist.

Jace rolled them both so she would be on top, and she reached to take the condoms on her nightstand. When she had a little foil in her hand, Jace smirked at her as he told: "You want to be on top to have a better peak."

She smirked back, opening the foil as she stated: "That too."

Then, Jace took the condom out of her hands to put it on himself, kissing Clarissa while doing so; and when the protection was on, he guided himself to her entrance. He watched her close her eyes of anticipation, doing exactly what he had wanted to avoid; and so he told her:

"Relax, Clarissa. Or we will never have a repeat of yesterday night."

"I am relaxed."

"Don't think about it," He reassured her, as his thumb rubbed her c******s to stimulate her again. "Just think of the pleasure I will give you."

When he felt that she was no longer thinking of how he would manage to fit inside her without tearing her in half, Jace slowly penetrated her, making her moan and him revel once again that he could go so deep without causing her to feel discomfort. It was as if she was made for him. She wasn't even too tight like a few girls had already been for him, she was just perfect.

They barely slept this night, Jace discovering that Clarissa's libido was as high as his stamina could endure. They tried different positions, and from the way her body reacted to each of them, Jace could tell that the one she liked the most was when she was on top of him, laying against him as he would ram inside her, his pelvic bone hitting her c******s as each thrust. Well, at least it was when she had her most Earth-shattering orgasm, and fell deep into slumber afterwards.

.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.

A few days after their visit to the Imperial Palace, Jace and Clarissa had already found their routine. During the day, they would visit Tokyo, and do all the crazy things Clarissa had planned to do while in Japan (getting traditionally tattooed being one of them though she kept that for her last day in Japan), and when they would go back to their hotel, they would go back to Clarissa's room.

They didn't automatically have s*x, there were a couple nights when she was too tired to lift a single muscle, and they simply laid one next to the other, talking about everything and nothing. It was during those nights that Jace learnt that Clarissa was more emotionally layered that she appeared to be.

Often, when stuff would get too personal, she would change the topic. Mostly when they started talking about family. Which Jace understood at a certain extent. He didn't like talking about his family either. Valentine had proposed him a few years ago to look for his parents, but Jace refused. Younger, he would have jumped on that golden opportunity given to him; but shortly after having to survive on his own, Jace had buried his parents in his heart. He didn't want to know anything about them, because to him, they were dead.

But Clarissa had a living father who adored her above anything else. Jace knew why Valentine was so paranoid about his daughter's security. He knew it was because Valentine was perfectly aware of two things. Anyone who wanted to destabilise him, to make him weak, to make him waver on his way of life, only had to kill Clarissa to do so. Jace was sure that Valentine would never survive his daughter's death. Second, Valentine would give away his fortune and empire in the blink of an eye if anyone were to kidnap his daughter and ask for ransom. Jace knew that because every time Valentine had told Jace to always detach himself from the job, and from life in general, he used Clarissa as an example of what not to do.

So Jace couldn't understand why Clarissa was so reserved on talking about her familial life. Still, she wasn't shy about the Lightwoods, the family of her best friend who was living in the same building as him. Maryse Lightwood and Valentine were friends who came from the same neighbourhood. Jace didn't know how they kept contact, and Clarissa never talked about it, but he learnt through this discovery that Valentine owned the whole building he was living in. He gave a whole floor to Maryse when she married Robert, and now that their children had grown, each had their own apartment.

There was Alexander (Alec) who was the same age as Jace. According to Clarissa, Alec was the best of the best. Of course, she admitted that her opinion was completely biased since her first crush had been on him. She was fourteen, he was nineteen, always so nice to her, and so well built. She said that he looked like a movie star with his dark ravenous hair, and his crystal blue eyes, and his muscles under his shirt. Clarissa also said that Alec had always been a gentleman about her following him everywhere in the hope that he would kiss her; and that her infatuation with him quickly faded away when she learnt that he was gay.

Then, came Isabelle (Izzy), Clarissa's best friend. Clarissa and Izzy were born the same year, at exactly six months difference, to the day. Izzy was the sister Clarissa never had. She did everything with her. From their first pitiful attempts of makeup to gossip about their first crushes (when Izzy made fun of Clarissa for crushing on her brother) and their first times. Izzy made Clarissa feel wild when they were together. She was, as Clarissa would call her, her little devil on her shoulder. Except that she was a devil wearing designer clothes and walking around in seven inches heels.

And after Izzy, came the benjamin, Maxence (Max). From what Jace could tell, he was Clarissa's favourite. She was talking about him as if he were her own child. Proudly telling him about how he was doing well in school, and how he was growing up to be handsome, that one day he will be even more handsome than his brother. Clarissa was proud of Max and not afraid to let the whole wide world know it.

Clarissa also talked about Jordan and Magnus a lot. She liked them, because unlike the other guys her father always had hovering around her, they treated her as a person, and not just as a job. She liked Jordan best because he always had a joke ready for her, especially when she had been lazy and wasn't training as good as usual. She was sure that she would get a few quips from him when they would go back home.

"You know, to avoid any comments from Jordan, you could keep on training while being on vacations," Jace proposed to Clarissa as they were waiting in line for a ride at Disneyland Tokyo.

They had been spending most of their day there, and this was the last ride Clarissa wanted to do, mostly because she had decided that they would go clubbing that same night and that she wanted to take a small power nap before doing so. More than once she wondered out loud if Jace was even human for sleeping so little, making inevitably Jace smirk at her each time she complained about his ability to sleep less than the average person.

"Do you actually know the meaning of the word vacation?"

"Well, you're the one who's complaining about being mocked," Jace carelessly reminded her, before he leant to her ear and added: "Besides, exercising would help you not to be sore and cramping in the morning."

Clarissa playfully elbowed him, a small smile on her lips, because every morning she would complain that her whole body was aching for too much s*x. Not that she wasn't the first one asking when the night was coming.

"Exercise has nothing to do with that. All of this pain is due to your monster-c**k!"

Jace shook his head because he knew that no matter how many times he would tell her to not call it that, Clarissa would endlessly call his member his 'monster-c**k'. He was about to bring the conversation on the first topic they broached when Clarissa did it by herself by stating as if nothing:

"Besides, I don't want to bruise your poor male ego by kicking your ass to the ground. I mean, you're almost twice my size, it would such a shame for you. And don't forget, we are in a country that works on shaming people when they fail …"

Jace burst in laughter at the idea that this small tiny person could even think of putting him to the ground. He knew that she trained since she was a toddler, but … like she just mentioned, he was twice her size. Besides, he knew that Jordan was now training with him to keep fit, not because he felt he could still teach him something.

Clarissa narrowed her eyes at him, trying to look angry, but her smile betrayed her, and after fighting it for a couple of more seconds, she too burst in laughter as well. The two of them shared this moment of simple and pure glee and only stopped laughing when the line moved a little bit forward. They stepped up, and in a natural impulse, Jace wrapped his arm around Clarissa's shoulders.

She immediately froze at the contact of his skin, and Jace retrieved his arm as suddenly as he put it there. None of them said a word about it, all their previous exhilaration went in the blink of an eye as Jace was cursing himself from ruining this moment they shared. Even though they never agreed on anything, it was implicit between them that what was happening in the bedroom was for the bedroom only. If Jace were to define their relationship, it would be as casual, or as s*x buddies, because he doubted they could even be called friends.

During the rest of the day, Jace questioned himself on whether this arrangement between them was a good idea or not. After all, at some point, they would have to come back to reality. No matter how much they both said that those two weeks in Japan were simply a fantasy for the two of them, reality was still coming, and would soon knock them out into the real world. Maybe it would be for the best if they stopped this thing before it went further than any of them planned, or wanted.

And this was why, when they got back to their hotel and Clarissa asked Jace if he wanted to join her for her nap, Jace refused, claiming that he didn't need to sleep and that he would occupy himself otherwise. When he was in his room, Jace was tempted to call Magnus for some advise, but stop himself from doing so, because he knew he couldn't tell his friend about everything that was going on in Tokyo.

Instead, he laid on his bed, closing his eyes as he purged his mind of any thoughts, only focusing on his breath, longly inspiring through his nose, and slowly exhaling through his mouth. It was a tactic that Magnus had taught him long ago, to help him stop overthinking about everything, even if it was just for a minute, and after months and months of practice, it finally had on Jace the wanted effect.

Just when his mind was finally free of any thoughts, Jace's phone rang, making him frown before he took the call without opening his eyes. Which he did a fraction of second later, sitting up straight as he heard his boss's voice on the other end:

"Hello, Jace. How are you doing?"

"Fine, boss. Is everything alright?" Jace urgently asked, wondering why was Valentine calling when he said he would wait for news, instead of fishing for them. There was a small pause that made Jace worry, even more, wondering if something had happened while he was away.

"Everything is fine, Jace. I just wanted to know if Clary had shared her program with you concerning tomorrow."

"She wants to visit some district in Tokyo. Apparently, she wants to try a restaurant there."

"She wants to go to Ebisu?"

"Yes. I think that's the name," Jace said, wondering if Valentine was psychic, or if he knew his daughter that well to know exactly where his daughter would go, and when.

"I figured." There was something off and familiar about Valentine's voice, but Jace couldn't quite place it. And then it hit him. The tone Valentine just used was the same tone Clarissa used when she was talking about her Mom.

Jace took a deep breath, and crossed a line he never crossed before with his boss: "With all due respect, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Valentine answered, though his voice was showing curiosity.

"Why am I the one here with your daughter?"

"We talked about it. Because you're my best man, and I completely trust you to take care of her."

"No, I mean. Why didn't you come with her?" Jace specified, and his heart stopped beating during the whole time it took Valentine to answer. He knew he was crossing a line here, he knew he was talking about a part of Valentine's life that his boss never shared with him, but it still seemed to Jace that Valentine should be here with his daughter, telling her what kind of woman her mother was.

"Did she tell you about her mother?"

"Not really. She let slip a few things now and then, and I connected the dots," Jace eluded because he was certainly to not going to tell his crime lord of a boss, that his daughter and he had pillow talks, or that he did research on his dead wife.

"Tomorrow would be Jocelyn's birthday if she were still alive, and she grew up in Ebisu, which is why Clary wants to go there," Valentine said with a voice that Jace would qualify as broken if he didn't know his boss better. He waited for a little, before insisting:

"Which leads back to my question, why didn't you come with her?"

Once again, there was a small silence before Valentine spoke again: "Did Clary ask you to ask me that?"

"Clarissa doesn't have any idea that I put any thoughts into it. I'm just asking because —"

"Then, we'll talk about it when you will get back. This is not a conversation I am inclined to have over the phone," Valentine stated with authority, making Jace forget all about crossing the line. If anything, he felt that he just sentenced himself to death, or at least to go back down on the hierarchy ladder he hardly climbed.

"Just make sure Clary doesn't get too drunk in the next couple of days. Unlike you, she doesn't say no to liquor, and last year was a terrible disaster for Magnus."

And on those words, Valentine hung up, not even waiting for Jace to affirm his assignment; and Jace started to wonder if he went too far. He sat in his bed, thinking of how Valentine had never remarried, and that Jace had actually never seen another woman at his arm. He wondered if Valentine ever fully mourned his wife, which would explain why he wouldn't accompany his daughter to this trip.

But another part of Jace, the suspicious part of his mind wondered if Valentine wasn't responsible of his wife's death and if this wasn't the reason why he wouldn't talk about her to his daughter. After all, he did not attend the funeral, and there were very few mentions of the incident that killed her. Apparently, there wasn't even an investigation afterwards. And Jace knew how powerful Valentine was, and how influential he could be over the press, or even the police.

He was torn away from his speculations by someone knocking on his door. With a sigh, he got up, perfectly aware that it was Clarissa; and when he opened the door to reveal a redhead all dolled up and ready to party. She was wearing a short black skirt that was winded up all the way to her upper thighs, and a pale pink crop top that was going a sort of 'X' on her chest with the fabric. She had let her red hair loose, her scarlet curls falling in cascade on her shoulders and chest. Her green eyes were circled by black, and her naturally red lips were painted with a dark red that was making her pulpous mouth stand even more than usual.

She frowned when she caught a glimpse of him, and told him with a little scowl obscuring her face: "You could at least pretend like you want to go, and change shirt."

"I lost track of time for a moment."

"Watching porn, again? I think I am going to have to be offended at some point if you keep taking care of your monster-c**k by yourself instead of asking me to help," Clarissa said with a smirk on her lips as she unceremoniously entered his room.

She looked around, looking for something before straddling to the wardrobe and opening it as if it was her own. "Do you intend of dressing me up?"

"You got that right. I'm not going clubbing with a guy who looks like he just walked out a Nobel Prize Ceremony."

'What's wrong with a little brain?"

"I said look. You only look like a Nobel Prize contester … or a very classy waiter. You pick."

Jace walked to her and stopped her from rummaging through the clothes he brought, as he told her: "I don't need a fashion designer. I need five minutes to slip into a pair of jeans and a random shirt."

"We'll never pass the door if you look average," She whined, letting herself fall back on the bed. Jace glanced at her, appreciating the way her dress winded a little bit more up, and he picked random cloths as he told her:

"I never look average, even in prison jumpsuit, I still stand out."

"Well, of course, you'd stand out! Who doesn't stand out in that ugly orange? I miss the days of black and white. At least it wasn't sore to the eye."

Jace shook his head, taking off his current shirt and catching how Clarissa was not having any sort of decency, blatantly staring at him and eating him away with her bright green eyes. He smirked, removing his trousers, and dressed in more club-fitting cloths as he told her:

"And anyway, I doubt the bouncer will look at me with you standing next to me dressed like that."

She beamed at his words, getting back up when she saw that he was already ready to go. Her eyes looked at him from head to toe, as if she was evaluating him; and then she said that they should get going, claiming that she was already late on being tipsy.

As Jace predicted, they did not have any trouble getting inside the club, though Jace wondered if it was because it wasn't in the culture to filter the entry of a club, or if it was because Clarissa was beyond hot in her outfit. As soon as they were in the club, Clarissa beelined to the bar, ordering a Margarita before she expectantly turned to Jace.

"I don't drink."

She narrowed her eyes at him, taking her drink once it was served to him, and already starting to gently sway to the music. Jace was sure that she was thinking that he wasn't drinking because he was on call, and that made him wonder if indeed he would have refused to drink, had he been drinking.

Once her drink was empty, Clarissa ordered a second one, asking for it to be drier and she went to look for a table. She found one that was rather far away from the dance floor, on the second floor; and they sat there, Jace looking everywhere around them as Clarissa was longingly looking at the dance floor.

"I guess you won't dance with me, either," She said, clearly annoyed with him, but Jace didn't answer anything, his eyes set on an illegal transaction that was occurring a few tables away. He had done enough of those to know when to spot something illegal going on.

He heard her heave and get up, and from the moment she walked away from the table, Jace's eyes were solely on Clarissa. He followed from afar as she went downstairs, took a shot of clear alcohol and then entered the dance floor to bounce with the mass. No matter any people there were around her, Jace never let the redhead out of his sight, and from what he could tell, she loved to dance. She was clearly enjoying moving her hips to the sound of the music, and she wasn't feeling awkward by the surrounding crowd.

A few guys tried to dance with her, but all left after one song, probably because she was so lost in her world. Though it somehow bothered Jace to see guys with their hands all over her, he didn't dwell on it. Mostly because he knew that no matter what, he would be in her bed when they would leave the club. But that thought quickly faded away when he saw a blond guy dancing with her for more than a couple of songs.

At first, Jace didn't give many thoughts into the guy, but when Clarissa and he stopped dancing to get a drink, and then resumed dancing; Jace examined the new up-comer with more attention. Unlike what he first thought, he wasn't a Japanese who had dyed his hair, he was an Occidental, and from the look of it, he was a natural blond. He was taller than Clarissa (which wasn't difficult, to begin with) but definitely shorter than Jace. He was dressed like any other man in the club.

But his appearance wasn't what was troublesome to Jace. It was his presence in itself that bothered Jace. He had been that guy. The guy who dances with the girl for several songs, the guy who buys her drinks when she was thirsty, and the guy who ultimately ended up with the girl trashing in his bed as he pounded into her. And here came the problem. He didn't want Clarissa to bring that man to her bed.

He knew that all throughout the past week, Jace had been conflicted on whether their agreement was a good idea, or not; but seeing before his eyes the possibility of having to see her share her bed with someone else made him sure of one thing: he wanted to be the only one to enjoy her body beneath his. Even if it was only for the duration of one more week, it was his prerogative to have her only for him.

He knew that they never really discussed their agreement. They never set boundaries or determined rules, but he still decided that exclusivity was a rule for him. He was trying to think of a way to split the couple of dancers, without having to pass for an ass, but nothing came to him. He knew he couldn't use Valentine's words of having Clarissa to go to bed alone, as it was working against him. He couldn't either go straight to them and break them apart because Clarissa would have his head for that.

But then, the blond man gave Jace the perfect opportunity to intervene. He tried to kiss Clarissa as any man would after a few drinks and a few torrid dances; but she stepped back, clearly avoiding his kiss. At first, he shrugged it off, dancing with her some more, but when he tried once again, Jace strode to them, all too happy to teach the guy some manners.

When he got to the couple, the guy was defending his case to Clarissa, saying with a British accent that she was giving all the signs, and so Jace imposingly placed himself behind the petite redhead as he enunciated with an ominous voice:

"I believe the lady said no."

"What is it to you? Get lost, we were having a conversation!" The guy responded without even glancing in Jace's direction, his eyes solely on Clarissa.

Jace smirked a little, putting himself between the stranger and Clarissa as he let the blond man know: "It is to me that we came together. So when you bother the lady, you bother me as well." As he said those words, he purposely played with his muscles, imposing his massive presence to the frail-looking guy.

"Now if you want to insist, I might break several of your bones. So please, make my day, insist."

Jace watched the guy evaluate him, judging if he could win a fight against him, his eyes lingering on Jace's muscles, before he turned on his heels, doing his best to keep his head high as he did so. Jace looked at him with satisfaction as he disappeared through the crowd, though a part of him had hoped that the man would start a fight with him; and then he turned to Clarissa.

She was glaring at him, but Jace didn't let it bother him, as he told her with a very commanding voice: "We're leaving."

Unlike what he expected, Clarissa did not fight him on this and docilely followed him outside. Still, it was very clear from her attitude that she was annoyed with him. She did not address a single word to him in the cab, and only unleashed her anger when they were in her bedroom:

"You had no rights to intervene!"

"Excuse me?" Jace asked dumbfounded, not sure of what he did wrong to make her so angry at him.

"I can handle a guy getting too touchy all on my own. I don't need you hovering over me and plaguing me!"

"Well, in that case, next time, handle it better and faster. If you have to repeat yourself, it means that you weren't clear enough on what your intentions really were."

Clarissa widely opened her eyes, her face slowly turning to a shade of red before she put her hands on her hips as she vehemently defended herself:

"So if a guy doesn't understand the meaning of the word 'no', it is my fault? It is our fault if you guys never understand the first time around when we tell you something?"

"Don't try to turn this into something that it's not. It has nothing to do whether a guy listens to a girl but that I came to help you with a jerk," Jace imperially said, not willing to let Clarissa drag him on a feminist conversation that he was sure to lose. He wanted to get to the bottom of this and to know why she really was mad at him when he did nothing to deserve it.

"I don't need you, Jace! I don't need you to come and rescue me, whenever you see fit."

Jace opened his eyes as widely as she did before, trying to see a hint of logic in her words, but only seeing pure and utter nonsense. "You're mad at me because I helped you get rid of a guy?" He asked with utter shock.

"I don't need you," She repeated, before clarifying: "You're not my boyfriend. I don't need you to help me get rid of guys."

For a moment, none of the said a single word, Jace looking down at Clarissa, who herself was looking down her shoes. Jace was torn between simply leaving because their argument was looking more like a couple fight, than like two adults arguing; and shaking sense into the girl, letting her know that sharing her bed at night should at least let him get rid of whatever annoying person who was trying to do the same.

Instead, he chose the thin line in the middle: "I know very well that I am not your boyfriend. I know very well that us having s*x at night doesn't give me any rights concerning whom you see outside this bedroom. But that doesn't mean I have to like it.

Now, I didn't go after that guy because of our arrangement. In truth, I staid back longer than I should have, because of our arrangement. I only went after that guy because he was off limits. It could have been any other random girl in the club, I would have done the same. Sure, maybe with a little less pleasure into it, but I still would have gone after him.

That being said, if you want to be mad at me because I am not a jerk, so be it. I can't stop you, no matter how ridiculous it is. So, goodnight."

And on those words, he turned his heels on her, still seeing the shock on her face as he did so; and he walked to the door. As soon as his hand was on the handle, he heard her exclaim with dismay:

"We're in the middle of an argument, here!"

But he didn't give her the pleasure of prolonging it. He didn't see the point of staying in the same room and keep ranting at one another when it was obvious that none of them would change their opinion on how they felt.

When he was in his room, he went straight to the bathroom in order to take a cold shower; and as he let the water droplets fall on his body, he couldn't help but be angry himself at this whole situation. He was angry that downsides of this arrangement between them were already showing their faces when it had been supposed to be a perfect two weeks until they would go back to the US ground.

In his mind, Jace had made a sort of peace with the fact that he was probably enjoying his last moment. Because even though if Valentine didn't seem to know what was happening between his daughter and Jace, Jace still knew that as soon as Valentine would ask him if he had anything to report, Jace would come clean to his boss. He liked to think that his honesty would help him survive, but he wasn't giving too much hope into that.

When he finished showering, Jace simply put on his night trousers and laid on his bed, his gun secured under his pillow and he stared at the ceiling, wondering what tomorrow would be made off. Would Clarissa act as nothing happened, or would she keep bickering on what Jace considered as a closed topic? And if she pretended that nothing happened, would they resume where they went with their arrangement, or would that be off?

He was there, trying to predict all the possibilities that could come when someone knocked on his door. Jace suspiciously glanced at the clock wondering who it could be at this hour, knocking on his door in a foreign country. He highly doubted that it would be Clarissa, sure that the young redhead was still brooding in her room, ranting to herself about how much she hated him at this moment.

He took his gun from under his pillow, and after checking through the peephole, he let Clarissa in, doing his best to keep his surprise to himself. She entered the room, her eyes glancing at the gun in Jace's hand before she mumbled a very small: "I'm sorry."

Jace didn't say anything, even if he knew that propriety would want him to let the young girl know that she was forgiven. He looked at her wet hair messily falling around her face, her pink skin proof that her shower must have been boiling hot, her blue nightgown covering everything but her legs. Now that he was thinking about it, this was the first time that Jace saw her wearing a pyjama. Usually, she went to sleep either naked, either in her underwear.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you. I was just so angry at you because … well, you were being all professional back at the club, when we were supposed to have fun. And … I don't know I started thinking a lot of things when you intervened, and … well, I overreacted."

"Well, I shouldn't have walked out on you like that," Jace admitted, scratching the back of his head as his eyes couldn't tear themselves away from her. She made a small step toward him as she lifted her head up:

"So? You won't get all professional on me when we're outside, anymore?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that you can touch me in public, or have a drink with me, and even dance."

For a second, Jace was tempted to argue that she was the one who froze when he put his arm around her shoulder earlier during the day. But then again, maybe he shouldn't have been so quick to remove his arm either. Maybe she had just been surprised by his gesture, and he didn't give her enough time to properly react.

But instead of trying to justify what happened during the afternoon, he went on another direction: "I never drink, Clarissa. It has nothing to do with you. I just simply never took a single drop of alcohol in my life."

"Never?"

Jace shook his head while Clarissa was looking at him as if he was an alien. "Not even in a cake?" Once again, Jace shook his head, and she tried to find a flaw in his reasoning: "You never had tiramisu?"

"I'm not really into sweet food, to begin with."

"Life in your shoes must be boring. You don't drink, you don't take sugar …"

"Maybe. But I have other fields to play in," He told her, closing the distance between them, and making her chuckle against his chest.

He kissed her, cupping her face with one of his hand as he directed them to the bed. Once he had Clarissa laying on her back, he slowly peeled her out of her clothes, his eyes never losing contact with her green emeralds. He watched her as he brought her to her orgasm and he revelled as she became undone beneath his fingers.

He loved how her pupils dilated when she was reaching cloud nine, how her breath would catch in her throat, how she would arch his body, while all her insides would tense for him. He loved watching her climax, especially since he was the source of her pleasure.

He was alining himself to her entrance, having rolled a condom on as she was coming down her high (since they had to buy another pack of protection); but when he was about to thrust in her, Clarissa stopped him, asking: "Jace, please. I want to be on top."

Her voice was so sweet at that right moment that she could have asked him anything else, he would have done it for her. So he turned and helped her get comfortable on top of him. She laid on top of him, their bodies horizontal to the bed, and Jace gently thrust upward to make his pelvic bone meet with her c**t. He knew that this was her favourite position, that her orgasms were never as powerful as when she was in that exact position, riding him, even though she was more laying on top of him than sitting.

Usually, when they were in this position, Jace would still try to have a little control by grabbing her hair, or spanking her a little; but this night he didn't. Even though he had learnt over the past week that Clarissa was one of those girls who liked when s*x was a bit rough, he still didn't try to take control, and she didn't try to speed the moment.

They simply shared this sweet carnal moment, each slowly bringing the other to their climax.

.

.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.