Danger Line.

@ foREVerYours.

Brian smirked when he saw that Cora left that loser to come meet up with him. He waited until she was sitting in one of the private booths in the VIP lounge. Brian requested the bartender to make Cora's favorite drink and when it was made, he picked it up and headed to the VIP lounge. When Brian got there, Cora's back was facing him. He admired her beauty briefly before clearing his throat to get her attention. "Hello, sweetheart."

---

When Nico went to order another round of drinks for himself and Raquel, the bartender denied his request, telling him that he was cut off. Raquel saw Zacky standing around the corner with a smirk pulled onto his lips. She instantly knew that Zacky was responsible for this and knew what he was trying to do. "Don't worry about the drinks, Nico. My ex is being an ass. We'll just go to another place." She said loudly enough for Zacky to hear.

@ Bam.Bam

Cora sat in the booth, waiting anxiously to see who it was. Her entire body tensed when she heard Brian’s voice. She stood up and turned to look at him, “You have got to be kidding me...” Cora crossed her arms over her chest, “So you’re one of the owners, what else weren’t you telling me.” It was more of a statement than a question, Cora wasn’t surprised by Brian keeping things from her. “Well, now that I’ve wasted more time, I’m going back to the bar.” She shook her head slightly as she went to walk past him.

---

Zacky decided to take the opportunity to try and talk to Raquel again. He walked over and stood on the other side of her, “Raquel, just talk to me.” It had been long enough, Zacky was getting to the point where he was starting to consider begging her to come back. He knew he couldn’t do that in front of an entire club full of people, “Just give me a chance to talk to you and if you’re still not satisfied, I’ll back off. Can we go talk in the VIP lounge?”

@ foREVerYours.

Raquel sighed in annoyance. She wanted Zacky to get the hint and leave her alone. She looked at Nico, who looked back at her with a raised eyebrow. "You only have five minutes to say what you need to say and then I'm out." Raquel said to Zacky before following him to the VIP lounge. She sat down in one of the booths, which was very comfortable. She looked up at Zacky and waited for him to speak.

---

Brian grabbed her wrist, preventing Cora from leaving. "You're not leaving until I talk to you first. So sit down." He demanded. He watched her roll her eyes at him before obeying his orders. "Look, I'm sorry. Okay. I shouldn't have lied to you and I shouldn't have cheated on you. I obviously didnt know how good I had it until you left. You had done nothing but be a loyal and wonderful girlfriend and I didn't appreciate you like I should have. You know I am not a man who shows a lot of affection or is emotional, but I want and need you back. Home is not the same without you."

@ Bam.Bam

The last thing Cora wanted to do was listen to Brian. “Do you realize how awful I felt? When I confronted you about cheating on me, you complete denied it and dismissed how I felt,” Cora told him. She sighed and looked down at the table, “I spent the first few weeks away from you questioning why I wasn’t good enough for you. I know that’s not true at all, it had nothing to do with me, it was your choice to cheat and lie.”

---

Zacky followed Raquel to one of the VIP booths, once she sat down, Zacky ran a hand through his hair. “Alright, you know I’m not good with stuff like this. I have been absolutely miserable without you, I didn’t realize how good I had it until you walked out that door. Cheating on you was the biggest mistake I’ve ever made and I know there aren’t enough ways for me to apologize that could make it right. You put up with everything and when I told you about all of this,” Zacky motioned to the club, “You stayed with me, I need and want you to come home...”

@ Bam.Bam

Raquel rolled her eyes and crossed her arms against her chest as she listened to him explain, although she didnt want to be anywhere near him. "So it took you this long and after I left your ass to realize how great I was to you after you fucked up?" She got up from the couch, pushing his hands off if her when he reached out to touch her. "I told you Zacky at the beginning of our relationship that I don't forgive cheating. I should have left you the first gut feeling I had when I thought you were cheating on me, but I listened to your lies instead." She said to him before walking towards the door. "I appreciate you finally owning up to your mistakes, but I cannot and will not get back with you." Raquel said and left the VIP room and out the club entirely, deciding to go home.

---

"I know and I am such an ass for making you feel that you were not good enough for me, when you were truthfully everything and more." Brian said and pulled a chair in front if her and sat down. "You didn't deserve the hurt that I caused you to feel and I didnt deserve your love and loyalty, knowing that I was cheating on you. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness." He paused as he reach out for her hand while the other hand cupped her cheek. "And I definitely don't deserve a second chance from you, but I can let another man thay is most likely better than me to have a chance with you. I need you to come back home."

@ foREVerYours.

@ Bam.Bam

Cora was hesitant to listen to anything Brian said, “I’m glad you realize what you had, but I just don’t think I could ever really forgive the fact that you cheated on me.” She gently pushed his hands away before standing up, “I need time to think, Brian.” She grabbed her purse, “I’m glad we got to talk, I’ll get a hold of you in a few days.” Cora left the lounge and decided it was time to head home. Her head was spinning with everything Brian had told her.

---

Zacky watched Raquel leave, he sat down in the booth and ran a hand through his hair. There was no way he was going to let Raquel just walk out of his life. He was going to do everything in his power to prove to her that she meant the world to him. Zacky got up and made his way back to the office, he got in contact with an ally at the police department and had him run Raquel’s plates to get her new address. Once he got it, Zacky walked out to his car and drove to Raquel’s place, parking a few blocks away. He walked close to the building, staying in the shadows.

@ Bam.Bam

@ foREVerYours.

Raquel returned back to her apartment about two hours ago and was now sitting in the living room couch, enjoying her cup of strawberry flavored Italian ice while watching tv. She put the spoon to her mouth, enjoying the sweet strawberry flavor dessert on her tongue, before letting an annoyed groan escape her lips when she heard a knock on her apartment door. Raquel put the dessert cup and spoon down on the coffee table before getting up from the couch and to the door, figuring it was her brothers that were coming to visit unannounced. Opening the door without checking the peephole, Raquel was about say something slick but her words got caught in her throat when she saw Zacky instead. "Zacky...H-how did you find me?" She managed to get out.

---

Brian sighed, it wasn't what he wanted to hear from her. He wanted her to forgive him, give him another chance, and move back to their house, but the response she gave him was better than nothing. "Promise?" He asked for assurance. Brian wanted Cora to keep her promise of contacting him soon. So, when she agreed before leaving the lounge, Brian felt a little bit of hope for them to work out their issues and be together again.

@ Bam.Bam

Once Cora arrived home, she went and changed. Cora walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle wine and poured a glass before going to sit on her couch. Everything was stuck inside her head, the anger towards Brian and his apology, it all was so conflicting. There was no way she would be able to sleep anytime soon. Cora went and grabbed a photo album from the closet, sitting down, she started to look through it. There were pictures from her first date with Brian and other little things from their relationship. Cora sipped the wine as she flipped through the pages, just thinking about how their relationship could heal from what he had done.

---

Zacky wasn’t going to go to her apartment, he had no intention of knocking on her door. Against his better judgement, Zacky was standing in front of her door, he turned and went to walk away. Sighing, Zacky went back to her door and knocked. Zacky hadn’t expected her to answer and he was ready to walk away again until he heard the door open. “I have connections, I just wanted to make sure you were somewhere safe,” Zacky told her, he honestly didn’t know why he had tracked her down after she very blatantly told him no.

@ foREVerYours.

Raquel rolled her eyes as her arms were now crossed against her chest. "I'm safe Zacky. I am a grown woman, I know how to take care of myself." She said and then noticed his eyes were roaming her body and her lingerie undergarments. Racquel closed her robe and tied it to cover herself. "My eyes are up here, Zachary James Baker." She said, using his full name. She was annoyed that he used his dirty work to find her. "What do you want Zachary? Because I'm sure you're not here to make sure I'm somewhere safe'." She said, using aid quotes as she repeated his earlier statement.

---

Brian had spent the rest of the night in his office at the night club, trying to keep himself busy, not caring what what was going on outside of his office. As long as the clients were enjoying themselves, the money was still pouring in and everything else was running smoothly, Brian could stay in his private space without having to monitor everything. Sighing to himself, he was glad that he and Cora were able to talk things out, but he knew that he wasnt out of the water just yet. However, he had hoped that Cora will completely forgive him and allow him one chance.

A knock rapped at his door. Brian sighed but got up reluctantly before opening the door. It was one of his security guards. "Here's her address." The guard said, handing Brian a piece of paper. Brian took it, forgetting that he told the guard to run her plates. Now that he and Cora talked, he knew it was not wise for him to to show up at her place, but he came up with an idea. "Do me a favor. I want you to stop by the store to get her favorite flowers and chocolates and then take them to her." He ordered, taking out more than enough cash for the purchases. "Keep whatever left over change."

@ Bam.Bam

Cora was three glasses of wine into the bottle when she heard a knock at the door. Huffing, she placed the glass on the table before getting up and walking to the door. She had assumed Brian had found out where she lived. “I really meant it when I said I nee-,” Cora stopped talking when she opened the door to see one of the security guards from the club holding a bouquet of lilies and a box of chocolates, “Mr. Haner wanted me to bring you these.” Cora took the flowers and chocolates before looking at him, “Tell him I said thank you and he’ll hear from me tomorrow.” She smiled slightly, before shutting the door. Placing the flowers in a vase, Cora sat back on the couch and ate a few chocolates as she had one last glass of wine before bed.

---

Zacky looked at Raquel, “I really wanted to come and check on you. I know you can take care of yourself, but I’m still going to worry.” He sighed when she questioned why he was there again, “I know you don’t like when I use my dirty work when it comes to you, but you should know I’m not going to give up on trying to get you back. Deep down I know I should let go, let you find someone better, but I can’t fight the nagging feeling that there’s even the smallest possibility that if I keep trying I just might get you to come home...”

@ foREVerYours.

Racquel sighed and rolled her eyes. "You don't need to worry about me anymore. I can handle myself and I have my family to help me if I need it." She ran her fingers through her hair as she decided against her better judgement to let him into her apartment. She figured that maybe after she told him what she needed to tell him, he would stop bothering her. Racquel closed the door to the apartment and locked it once he was inside before heading to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea while brewing some coffee for him. "If you know I hate when you use your dirty work against me, then why do you continue to do so? You're the one that chose your work and the whores that work for you over me one to many times. Now that I'm not with you it's like you are trying to not only destroy my independence, but also my happiness." he said, not facing him. She poured the coffee into a mug and put creamer and sugar in it just like he likes it before facing him to handed the mug over. "You know I've never asked a lot from you. You knew what happened with my last relationship before getting with you and yet you do the exact same thing. Why should I give you another chance when I know you could and probably will cheat on me again."

---

Brian was now back at his nearly empty home. He hadn't bothered trying to replace the things that Cora took to her new place. He didn't see the point and he was just desperately hoping that Cora would give him another chance for them to work on healing their relationship and moved forward. He grabbed a whiskey glass and poured himself some some bourbon. He took a swig of the brown liquor before hearing the ringtone of his phone blaring, knowing that someone was calling him. Answering the phone without checking the caller ID, he grunted a brief hello.

"I dropped off the flowers and chocolates to Cora, boss. She told me to tell you that she will call you tomorrow."

Brian sighed softly in relief, feeling better now that there's hope between him and Cora. "Great. Thank you for updating me. You're did your job, you can go home." Brian said before ending the call. He went into the gallery in phone, finding a picture of Cora. He stared at photo, mesmerizing her beauty while he finished his drink before going to bed.

@ Bam.Bam

Once Cora finished her wine, she took care of the glass and put the photo album back in the closet before making her way to the bedroom. Taking her robe off and hanging it on the hook next to her closet, Cora climbed into bed and pulled the covers up around her. She flipped the switch on the lamp and shut it off, letting herself relax and eventually fall asleep.

---

Zacky watched as Raquel moved around her kitchen, “I don’t know, I guess it’s just a habit and convenient, but I know I need to stop.” He took the coffee mug from her, it hurt him to know that Raquel thought he was trying to ruin things for her. Zacky took a drink of the coffee as he looked at her, “If I could go back and stop myself from those mistakes again, I’d do it in a heart beat. You were supposed to be it for me, but I was stupid. I haven’t done anything besides sleep, barely eat, and work from home, tonight was the first night I had been anywhere near the club since you left...” He knew it wasn’t going to do any good, no matter how hard he tried, “I just, I want you to know that if you ever really need help, and I mean with anything, you can call me.”

@ foREVerYours.

Raquel sighed softly after she finished her tea, putting the mug next to her on the counter. "You were it for me, too Zacky. If you weren't, I would not have accepted all of the shit that came with you. I was so in love with you that when guys would flirt with me or ask me out, I would always turn them down. Even when I knew they would treat me better, I still said no because I only wanted you. Yet, you didn't do the same for me." Racquel looked away, feeling herself get emotional. She tried to blink away the incoming tears away, she didn't want to show any sign of weakness to him. Clearing her throat to keep the sob that was threatening to come out, she faced Zacky again while fanning herself with her hands. "It wasn't easy trying to move on from you because you stole a piece of my heart that I can't get back. There were times I almost decided to forgive you and come see you, but I wanted to be strong for myself." She admitted, while looking away.

---

Brian woke up the next morning and immediately checked his phone to see if Cora had texted him, but nothing. He sighed to himself tossing his phone to the side before rolling out of the bed. Brian was anticipating for her to contact him, but he knew that until then he had to keep himself busy. So he decided to spend the day at home and relax, instead of working himself the death like he had been since she left him. After showering, followed by his morning routine, Brian decided he was going out do himself today by making breakfast. Although he was supposed to wait on her call, he didn't think it would hurt to ask Cora over to have breakfast with him since he knew that she loved it when he made it for her. 'Sorry, I couldn't help myself, but I'm making breakfast and I can make enough for two, if you would like to come over.'. He sent the text before putting the phone down.

@ Bam.Bam

Cora had just stepped out of the shower when she heard her phone go off. Wrapping a towel around herself, she read the message and thought about it for a moment. Sighing, she started typing her response. I’ll be there in 20. Cora locked her phone and put it back on the counter as she got dressed. She figured breakfast would be a good chance to talk to Brian, even though she wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted to say. Once she was ready, Cora grabbed her purse and keys and left the apartment, going to her car. Arriving at Brian’s, Cora got out and walked to the door and knocked.

---

Zacky sighed, looking down at the floor. He couldn’t put into words what he wanted to say to her. He knew Raquel wasn’t just going to forgive everything he had done and Zacky couldn’t blame her. “I’m just glad you gave me the chance to talk to you, I’m not going to keep repeating myself and sounding like a broken record, but I needed you to hear me out,” Zacky said. He looked at her as she looked away, Zacky moved closer and gently grabbed her chin, making her look at him. “I don’t blame you for being angry with me, but I love you and nothing is ever going to chance that,” Zacky spoke softly before kissing her forehead gently, “I am so sorry.” He let go of her and took a step back.

The moment Zacky pressed his lips to her forehead, Raquel felt herself go weak. The most simple gesture from him made her miss him and his lips on her. She had to mentally stop herself from wanting to fist his black buttoned down dress shirt and crash her lips to his, wanting to feel his lips on hers and his tongue explore her mouth while fighting for dominance. Shaking the thought of her head while she nibbled on her bottom lip, Raquel checked the time and it was really late and she could see that Zacky looked tired. "I forgive you" She said so softly before pushing herself off the counter. "Its late and you're exhausted. You can crash on the couch." She offered, going against her better judgment for the second time within the same hour.

---

Brian smiled, happy that Cora agreed to come over for breakfast. Although, he secretly knew that she would agreed, because she never turns down breakfast especially when he is making it. He just finished cooking the bacon and put in the oven with the pancakes to keep them warm and was about to begin to make omelets for the two of them. The doorbell rang, causing him to smile more. Brian wiped his hands off using a towel before going towards the front door. "Morning gorgeous." He greeted Cora, who looked absolutely stunning. He stepped back and opened the door wide to let her in. "Breakfast is almost ready. I'm about make us omelets. You want your usual toppings?"

@ foREVerYours.

@ Bam.Bam

“Morning,” Cora said as she stepped inside the house. Hearing him mention omelets, Cora nodded, “That sounds good.” She followed Brian into the kitchen, “Thank you for the flowers and chocolate last night, it was a nice surprise.” Cora sat down at the counter and watched as Brian started cooking again.

---

Zacky hadn’t expected Raquel to forgive him, it took a moment for him to process what she had said. “I, alright, thank you,” Zacky said as he went to the living room and sat on the couch. He was glad Raquel was letting him stay the night because he was exhausted.