Damn

Sorry it has taken me so long to update. Life just popped up and bit me right on the rear. I hope it doesn't confuse too much. Believe me it is definitely going somewhere! Thanks for reading and all the feedback. Also many thanks to angelicsounds for editing this chapter for me!

FightFireWithWater('Chi)

"Hey Alec." Kayla turned and saw Dylan's smiling face.

Oh that asshole.

"It would be a pleasure if we could sit with you," Dylan said, acting way more gentlemanly than Kayla ever thought possible.

"Oh trust me, the pleasure's all mine," Alec responded, gesturing to the seats, his eyes never leaving Kayla's.

Here we go again,

Kayla thought as heat rushed through her body.

Round three, here I come.

-------

Kayla sat down quickly next to Becca, fearing if she were any closer to Alec she'd either have a major panic attack or she would just molest him. And her thoughts were leaning towards the latter.

"Hi," she said breathlessly to Alec.

Oh hell, didn't I say that already? I don't know. Oh God strike me down now!

"Soooooo," Dylan started after a long period of silence. Kayla kicked him swiftly under the table. "Ow! What? No one was talking and it was awkward."

Becca smiled and stifled a giggle.

The silence continued even after Dylan's attempt to strike up a conversation. It wouldn't have mattered to Kayla if anyone had been talking; all she could do was watch Alec's throat contract every time he swallowed. She licked her lips and cleared her throat nervously, drawing Becca's attention away from her food and onto her.

"So Kayla, what is it that you do? And how did you manage to meet my dearest Scruffy?"

"Uhhmm, Scruffy? Well, we met when he hired me. I'm a designer."

"Really? Oh this is perfect, another art fag," Becca replied, smiling and clapping her hands jovially. "This means we have more than Scruffy in common."

"Art fag?" Kayla asked. She wanted to be offended, but the smile on Becca's face didn't make the phrase seem like that big of an insult.

"What is it that you design?" Becca waved off the question, asking one in its place.

"Well, Alec hired me to do some interior design...." Kala trailed off as Becca turned towards Alec.

"Ooohh, this is good! An employee, Alec? Whoda thunk? And what could you possibly need an interior designer for, mate?"

He cleared his throat and shifted awkwardly. "She's redesigning some rooms in the manor."

"Oh... so your house is getting redone?" Becca asked her brows knitting in confusion. "I wouldn't think you would charge that work on company time."

"No, if you recall, I don't live in the manor, or a manor, or anything that resembles a manor."

"You're shitting me." Becca chuckled darkly, causing Kayla to study the pair more closely. "Oh, that's beautiful. How's your mum handling that one?"

"Well..."

"No way!" Dylan exclaimed, cutting him off. "No way in hell is Kay working for or around that...person you call mom."

Becca snickered. "Actually he calls her mother, she detests the word mom."

"I don't care what he calls her, there's just no way."

"You know, that's exactly how I felt about my mum working for her," Becca responded, feeling her level of respect for Dylan rise.

"Shut UP!!" Alec and Kayla said simultaneously, looking at their respective friend.

"Damn, D. You'd think I was 5, the way you're acting. I'm taking the job. I need it."

Dylan glared at Kayla and she whispered, "I want this job."

"We'll talk about this when we get home," Dylan stated, dismissing her.

Kayla let out a soft snort and glared at him. "No we won't, D. My mind is made up."

She kicked him hard underneath the table, smiling when he winced. She pressed two fingers to her head, using the code they made up together so the other knew not to push any further. Dylan snarled and glared at her, but kept quiet. An angry Kayla meant a bruised shin and some surprise ipecac in his food.

Alec turned to Becca. He bet it was payback for talking about the 'love of her life'.

"What's with you, Bec? Has something happened in fantasy love land that's made you such a b—?"

"Stop, ok. I'll stop teasing."

Alec raised an eyebrow and Becca glowered. "Fine, I meant being a complete arse."

"Great now that's that settled. You," Kayla pointed to Dylan, "shut up, just in case you didn't get it the last time. And you," she pointed to Alec and almost sighed as she watched him visibly gulp. "How long will I have to work with her? Do I actually have to see her or talk to her, or hell, be within smelling distance of that nauseating perfume of hers?"

Becca snickered. "And you, stop laughing. Honestly, I feel like the only adult in a room full of children."

This is it. I feel it. I'm about to be fired

, Kayla thought.

Obviously the universe is out to get me. I must have been a terrible person in a past life.... I wonder if you can get fired before you even start.

"Oooh, somebody's cranky," Becca whistled softly.

"It's too early for this crap," Kayla said, shyly ducking her head as Alec's eyes perused her body.

Dylan checked his watch. "It's almost 11, sweet. Sorry to say you've been munching on food for hours now."

"Well, I just had cheesecake. It's too soon after that for any anger."

"Why can't I get cheesecake for breakfast? I asked and you said no," Becca whined as she chucked a piece of egg at Alec.

Alec sputtered and was saved by Dylan. "Because, sweet over here can kick my ass up, down and around town. Plus, she just got a job. That calls for two days of spoiling."

"Three."

Dylan grimaced at Kayla's sly smile.

"That angry face you had on earlier tacked on an extra day, my dear," Kayla informed him.

"Oookay, three days, I guess."

Alec watched the banter between the two friends desperately trying to keep a soft smile on his face. He shifted uncomfortably and sighed.

That's one.

As continued to shift, he realized that, surprisingly, it wasn't to adjust himself. He watched the smiles spread across Kayla's face, lighting up his world. Just once, he wanted her to look at him that way. Hell, he would even settle for a smile at someone behind him, just so he could get the full glow. That guy...er, Dylan, he mentally chastised himself, seemed like a decent guy. Alec wondered if he could snag a few ideas about winning Kayla from him, well, if Dylan didn't want her for himself.

---

Janet was excited as she headed back to the table. Who wouldn't be, with that attractive man sitting there? Her pace slowed as she got closer.

Two more people,

she thought,

I should get more menus.

She came to a stop when she realized exactly who the extra two were, her mind reeling. She poured her heart out to friends of Dylan? That was just her luck.

She reached the table and plastered on a huge fake smile.

"Is everything alright? Do you need anything?" she ground out through clenched teeth.

"Oh, it's fine, thank you," Becca replied.

Janet had turned to walk away when Becca spoke again. "Oh, sweetheart, it was the truth."

Janet's back stiffened and she walked quickly towards the back. She

couldn't

deal with this shit any longer. She headed into the break room and slammed the door behind her. She let out a frustrated scream as she plopped into a chair.

No more of this crap.

She went to her manager and turned the table over to someone else. She headed out the door and snagged a cigarette from her purse. Before she could reach for her lighter, a man held one out.

"Here ya are, gorgeous." The man peered down at her as she inhaled deeply and let out a billowing cloud of smoke. "What's got you so down?"

Before she knew it, she was ranting and raving about her day. She barely even noticed when the man snarled as she mentioned Kayla and Dylan's names. When she finished, he handed her a card and smiled. It was then that she realized how gorgeous he was with his buzz cut blonde hair, brown eyes and chiseled face.

"I know just the remedy for that." He looked her up and down and licked his lips. "There are plenty of ways to make him pay."

She smiled and looked down at the card. "Rick?"

"That's me, baby doll, and you are?"

"Janet." She sighed as he brushed his lips across hers.

"Always nice to put a name with such a gorgeous face. Don't worry Jan, I know just the thing to bring Dylan to his knees."

"Well... I'll.. I'll call you," she said breathily and walked towards her car. She hummed as she pulled out of the parking lot; her day was starting to look a whole lot brighter.

-------

"What was that all about?" Dylan asked after watching Becca smirk at Janet's exit.

"Nothing," she said smiling, her gaze rolling over him.

If she weren't currently seeing Richard, she'd probably fall all over Dylan. "So Kayla's an art fag... then what do you do, Dylan?"

Other than being fine...

Dylan cleared his throat. "Uh.. A little bit of this, a little bit of that. You could say I'm a connoisseur of sorts."

"And that means?"

"I'm into several.... business ventures."

"Oh, so you work the stocks and the like?"

Dylan cleared his throat again. "Yeah... that's it. So, Becca, what..." A phone ringing interrupted him.

Becca's hand snagged her phone and as she looked at the caller's name, she smiled dreamily. Alec stared at her harshly, feeling the desire to vomit rising. It was the douche bag, he'd bet his life on it. He could tell by the way her eyes twinkled and the right side of her mouth curved slightly into a smile.

"Don't answer it, Bec." He hoped his voice lacked the pleading tone he heard in his own head. He sighed when she rolled her eyes at him and placed the phone to her ear.

That's two.

Alec stabbed angrily at his meal. His hands gripped the utensils tightly as he heard her promise to meet him in an hour. He was shaking his head fervently by the time she hung up.

Kayla looked from Alec to Dylan and mouthed, "What?"

Dylan shrugged and rolled his eyes, giving her a look that said, 'How the hell should I know?'

"Seriously?" Alec sighed after Becca hung up.

That's three.

"Did you just make plans with someone else after you woke me up at bumfuck o'clock?"

Becca shrugged and seemed to shrink into her seat. Kayla squirmed uncomfortably; she knew that look. It was the same look Dylan gave her every time she gushed about Richard. She glanced at Dylan, hoping to catch his eye so they could leave. But his undivided attention was on Becca.

"I haven't seen him in a couple of weeks," Becca said defensively. "You can't possibly hate him that much."

Alec's hands clenched tighter around his utensils. The pain of the metal biting into his hand kept him from jumping over the table and smacking the mess out of her.

"I swear, Alec, he's not that bad. Ri---"

Alec's glare cut her off. If she said that douche really truly loved her one more time, he was going to go beyond thinking up inventive ways for him to die and actually kill the son of a bitch. And while he was at it, he would knock some much-needed common sense into Becca. Hell, that would be a headline he would keep in his cell, 'Prescott heir murders one and beats the other'.

"I can't fucking believe you would do that. Aren't you going to be here tomorrow and the day after that?" His voice dropped an octave and had a hint of deadly calm.

For that moment, it seemed like the entire world stopped to brace itself in anticipation of the immediate explosion. Kayla found herself holding her breath, and wondering if the others were as well.

"You haven't seen me in months and now you're going to run off with...." Alec took several deep breaths, his voice seemed as quiet as a whisper as he strained to maintain his calm. "You're really going to leave and run off with the biggest douche this world has ever seen?"

"Leave it alone, Alec," Becca's stern voice slapped at him.

Her eyes and mind pleaded with him to take the hint and back off.

How dare he humiliate her in front of Kayla? Screw Kayla. How could he do that in front of Dylan?

Her thoughts slowed. Dylan? Now how'd he slither his way into her thoughts?

"Why?" Alec asked harshly. "Captain...." He took a breath and rethought his words. "Captain Douche can wait."

The sound of a masculine snort jolted him out of his angry haze. He turned and looked in the direction that the noise had emanated from. Shit! How could he have forgotten that Dylan and Kayla were there?

Well, I just took a giant leap in the opposite direction,

Alec thought as he watched Kayla shift awkwardly.

"Thanks for breakfast, Scruffy," Becca said shoving back from her seat, and heading swiftly to the exit.

"Fuck." Alec watched the door swing shut behind Becca.

"Captain Douche, you say?" Dylan asked after he watched the angel leave.

Alec snorted in response. "Captain Douche is probably the dumbest, albeit nicest, thing I've ever called him. She tends to get more upset when I call him the cock-sucking scum of the universe."

Dylan chuckled darkly. "I know how you feel," he said as he jerked his head towards Kayla, "She used to date the biggest prick on the planet."

Kayla smiled uncomfortably.

Please, if there is a God let me spontaneously combust.

Her discomfort heightened when Alec cocked his head to gaze at her, as if he was gauging whether she could really bring herself to date some lowly asshole, like Becca had. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as he turned away.

"I swear if Becca talks about him one more time..." Alec broke off and growled deeply, the corners of his mouth twitching as he imagined Richard in several deadly scenarios, ones that pleased him to no end.

"Trust me, when I see that prick..." Dylan trailed off as well.

What the hell?

Kayla thought to herself. She hoped this wasn't some sort of freakish, male bonding time where they just bash their friend's exes or, in Becca's case, current boyfriend. If it was, she needed a leave fast.

Now would be the time for a movie-style get away. All I need is the Knight Rider car to crash in through the front, do a 360, and swing its car doors open so I can dive in.

As the silence continued her thoughts progressed, or digressed, she couldn't tell. Before she could rationalize her thoughts, Dylan's phone rang. The shrill noise startled them out of their silent reveries, and as he rose, he cast a hopeful glance at Kayla and wiggled his eyebrows. He retreated to the shadows, his voice a low fading hum.

"She'll get out of it," Kayla said softly after Dylan left. Her heart broke as she watched the emotions play on Alec's face before he schooled his features. She'd seen that look, all those looks, whenever Dylan talked to her about Richard.

"Yeah," he sighed.

That's four.

He felt the tension ease from his shoulders when she smiled. "But it's how she'll get out of it that I worry about."

In that moment, Kayla felt a warmth surge through her. What she wouldn't give for someone to love her as fiercely as Alec loved Becca, but in a less platonic manner, and for that someone to be Alec.

She watched his fingers slide nimbly around his fork, toying with it. God, he had great hands. She wondered if they were slightly rough. Would he run his fingers down the inner parts of her thighs, teasing her before they delved into her depths? She let out an involuntary moan, catching Alec's attention.

"Are you ok? You look a little flushed."

Mortified, she looked around for Dylan and let out a sigh of relief to see him coming back. God bless his timing, saving her from trying to come up with another terrible lie.

"Oh no," Kayla groaned as Dylan walked back towards them, his face downcast.

"What?" Alec asked, glancing from Kayla to Dylan.

"He's pissed. This is not a good sign. It's way too early for anyone to be angry, or awake for that matter."

Alec checked his watch.

11:30 is too early?

Before Alec could respond, Dylan came and slammed his hand down on the table. He picked up a spoon and started twisting it angrily between his hands. Alec gulped.

Note to self, never piss off Dylan...ever.

"Damn it, I have to go." Dylan stated. His face was flushed and his eyes flashed angrily. He placed the spoon back on the table in a deformed state.

"Then let's go, D." Kayla pushed back her seat and started to stand.

"NO," he growled, startling her so much that she fell back into her seat. "I can't take you to go get your car. Fuck. I ... I can't take you with me. I gotta go."

Kayla and Alec watched in disbelief as Dylan practically charged out of the restaurant.

"I'm not even going to lie," Alec said as he glanced at the mutilated spoon, "a pissed off Dylan is really intense!" Alec let out a breath and smiled as Kayla chuckled softly.

"Yup." She smiled, thinking of all the guys Dylan had scared off just for her. Slowly, the grin faded away.

"I've never seen him like that before. God, I hope..." her voice trailed off.

Please don't let him kill Richard today, God,

she thought.

"So, you got any plans for today?" Alec asked.

Please don't let her say no to going out with me.

Kayla chuckled richly.

So, she's laughing at me. I'll take that as a no.

"Well, darling," Kayla leaned in conspiratorially and said in a stage-whisper, "seeing as our other plans fell through, I think we should have a crap-ton of fun to spite them."

Alec bit back a groan as his gut clenched. The way the word darling rolled of her tongue made him wonder what it was about Bambi that made it sound unmanning. And sweet mother of God, she said yes. He placed down some bills and reached for her hand.

Oh shit, she said yes. Where do we go? What do we do? Don't panic... Breathe!

He inhaled deeply.

Alec led her to his car and Kayla let out a startled laugh.

"What?" he asked, his eyebrow lifting in confusion.

"Why, Mr. Prescott," Kayla drawled as she looked from his car back to him, "now I know you're just a regular person. You drive a Toyota?"

"Get in the car," he growled playfully. "And keep your eyes closed till I say so."

He shut her door and practically skipped to the driver's side. Alec slid into the front seat and exhaled deeply.

Please God, let the rest of this day go by smoothly.

The engine turned over and he pulled out of the parking lot.

"Why must I keep my eyes closed?" Kayla asked, her hands covering her eyes, as she felt the car smoothly pulling onto the road.

"It's a surprise." As he spoke, Alec racked his brain.

Oh God, oh God. Where can we go? I have no clue. I did not think this through.

"What if I hate surprises?"

He inwardly groaned. Now why didn't he think that was an option?

Think fast.

"Not this one," he said as he figured out where they were going.

Alec turned up the music a bit and continued to drive. Kayla leaned back into the seat and shut her eyes. The silence wasn't as disconcerting as she thought it would be. It gave her time to think and check things off on her mental list.

Caring.... check... Funny.. check... Good taste in music.... check... Attractive...

she peeked to look at him. C

heck and check.

She settled back into her seat and enjoyed the ride.

-----

"Don't open your eyes yet," Alec said as he pulled the car into a spot. He reached in the backseat and pulled out a tie. "Turn a bit."

She did so without hesitation and gasped slightly as the silk slid across her eyes.

"What's this for?"

"So you can't cheat... wait here for a second and let me get your door."

Alec bolted out of his side and gave himself a pep talk as he slowly walked to her door. "Be a gentleman... be a gentleman." He glanced down at himself. "That means you too. No sudden appearances."