Dangerous Desires

Nine

"You look like hell," my brother commented as he entered my office the next morning.

"Good morning to you too Ollie," I grumbled looking up from the presentation that filled my desktop screen.

"Good morning Tavin, you look like hell."

Oliver is younger than me by two and half years- same father different mothers. We weren't raised together until I was fourteen when dad married Colette, Oliver's mother and the woman my father cheated on my mother with and trust me when I saw I've been his biggest fan because he is incredibly arrogant and thinks he's special because dad gave him an office job just above entry level instead of making him start out as a laborer. "I haven't been sleeping well the last few nights," I informed blankly as he slumped into one of the chairs across from me.

"Is it prepping for the pitch or having Annabeth in your house that's keeping you up?"

My eyes narrowed into a glare as I looked across the desk at him. "One, it's the stress from landing this contract and two, don't talk about Anna like that."

He raised an eyebrow as he leaned forward placing his elbows on his knees. "C'mon bro, you can't tell me that you haven't been thinking about it. I mean, hell, she looks an awful lot like Elizabeth."

"Oliver," I growled, my hands curling into fists on my desk. "Shut the hell up."

Thank God for my assistant because before my brother could make another snide remark Max knocked on the office door drawing my gaze to turn from the little shit in front of me. "Analyse Ravenscroft is here to see you," my assistant informed and I nodded.

"Send her in," I sighed then looked at Oliver. "See your way off."

He rolled his mahogany eyes and stood then shoved his hands into his pockets as he left my office, I massaged the bridge of my nose then let out a sigh as Anna and Liz's mother walked in- Analyse Ravenscroft, formally Analyse Dyers, had been a looker once upon a time but now she looks like any other 'trophy wife' in California with her bleached blonde hair, fake tan and cosmetic wok she'd had done. "Analyse," I greeted and rose to my feet. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"Tavin, always the charmer," she gushed and reached into her designer tote bag on her arm to produce a cardstock invitation adorned with golden filigree and delicate script. "I wanted to drop off your invitation to our annual charity gala personally."

"I appreciate that but you could have left it to Max." I accepted the invitation and placed it on my desk watching as she wrapped her fingers around the straps of her bas. "Why did you really choose to pay me a visit?"

"I heard through the grape vine that Annabeth is in town."

Another sigh passed my lips and I lowered myself back into my chair crossing my arms over my chest. "Should have known," I grumbled shaking my head. "I asked Anna to come and help me with Estella."

"Why bring that into Estella's life? If you needed help you could have reached out to Edward and I."

It took everything in me to not snarl at her, she acts like Annabeth was no better than the dirt on the bottom of her designer shoes. What kind of parent tosses their child aside like trash especially after losing one child? "Having Anna around is good for Stella, I've seen her light up for the first time since we lost Liz."

"She'll never be Elizabeth and you know as well as anyone that she won't stick around, she never does."

I popped my knuckles as my hands rested on the arms of my office chair. "No one will ever be Elizabeth and by now you should know they are two completely different people."

"Take my word for it Tavin, bringing her into Estella's life is a huge mistake."

My blood boiled in my veins as I watched her breeze out of my office. "That looks like it went well," Max commented appearing in my doorway with his hands shoved in the pockets of his dress pants.

I glared at him dragging my hands through my hair. "Just Analyse trying to start shit," I replied.

"I take it she isn't a fan of Anna being in the picture."

I nodded slowly rubbing my jaw. "She still compares Anna to Elizabeth and thinks I'm an idiot for asking her to help."

He rolled his eyes leaning against the doorframe. "How can she be so icy toward the one daughter she has left?"

"Me getting Elizabeth pregnant and marrying her helped the Ravenscroft get their hooks into Kennsington Group while Anna got out of dodge when her parents basically threw her aside."

He was silent for a moment and rubbed the back of his neck. "How's Estella's feel about having Annabeth around?"

A ghost of a smile passed my lips at his question. "You should have seen Stella's face when Anna got out of the car the evening we took her to dinner. It's been so long since I saw the light in her eyes."

He gave me a smile of his own. "Fuck what Analyse says man," he commented then turned to return to his desk in the lobby of my office space. My gaze dropped to my phone as it buzzed with a text from Anna- feel up to a guest for lunch?

I chewed on my lips as I stared at the screen for a moment then picked up the phone- can't think of a better way to spend my lunch break

I'll see you in half an hour

Shit, why am I smiling at the thought of her bringing me lunch at work? Elizabeth had done it all the time. I rolled my eyes at myself, God I'm just as bad as Analyse by comparing the sisters.