Gavins POV Liza was mean. She was fiercely guarding her territory, like a lioness; brave, strong and unwilling to give in. Still, I couldn't help but find beauty in the way she was acting. She was beautiful in a way that made you want to be with her even though she was mean. When she saw me, I laughed. Mrs. Stone…I paused expecting a reaction from her but she stood frozen like she didn't expect to see me here. You're mean. Lizas face went black for a second before they returned back to the sly, fierce expression of the woman he knew. Am I? Why do people always tell me I'm weak and fragile? Weak and fragile?I scoffed. That was the total opposite of who Liza was. Liza laughed. Mr. Stone, you are inexperienced,she said with a serious but playful look on her face. You're not ready for what I can really do if you thought what you just saw was scary. I walked up to her, my hands in my pants pocket. Was that meant to scare me or what do you mean by calling me inexperienced? My body cast a shadow over her and my eyes turned dark with intimidation and power. Liza, I'm not sure whether to call you brave because you don't know what you're up against. Or should I call you naive for daring to challenge me? Liza didn't look a bit intimidated. She stood her ground with her chin raised in defiance. We kept staring at each other and she wouldn't even blink. When she spoke, she sounded so confident of herself. Maybe it's because I'm just so sure of myself. Don't they say brave people can't be defeated? Her answer was cheeky. And it made me wonder what could be going through this womans head. In the tough world of business, I had fought many opponents and came out on top many times but with Liza, she seemed to be on top all the time. She seemed to always want to win in every argument. I suddenly feigned anger, then I huffed and turned to leave. I can't reason with you. I expected her to follow me but she didn't. When I was outside the shop, I stopped and looked back. With a sigh, I lit a cigarette and leaned against a column to cool off. I was beginning to feel annoyed that she didn't follow me. My phone vibrated in my pocket and I pulled it out absentmindedly. The message on the screen sent by the mysterious Black Tide suddenly caught my attention. How do you get a man to do what you want? That was the message. A small smirk played on my lips as I bit down on the cigrate, typing a response. Just act cute and say nice things. Men are simple beings who are easy to please.I noticed Black Tide had read the message so I waited, expecting another one. When a minute had gone by without another message, I decided to also ask Black Tide a question that had been bugging me. Please help me too. How do you deal with a tough woman? What do you mean by deal with?Black Tide asked immediately. I mean, how do you show a woman you're in charge?I grinned as I tapped on sent. Really? You can't even hold your ground against a woman? Not very strong, are you?The jab of the message landed hard. I glared at it as my grip tightened in anger. I typed back furiously. And you can't get a man to listen to you! What kind of a woman are you? A tomboy? As soon as I sent the message, I realized what I had done. Did I just call Black Tide a woman? Was she a woman? I was still leaning against the column staring at the chat and hoping Black Tide would reply when I heard the hurried footsteps that drew my attention back to the entrance of the store. Before I could fully turn, someone grabbed my arm and shoved me against the column. To my greatest shock, it was Liza with a determined gleam in her eyes. Without a word, she leaned in, flung the cigarette in my mouth away and kissed me. The kiss was swift but intense, leaving me momentarily speechless as always. I tried to calm my nerves, and take my mind off the reason why she was suddenly kissing me so I could enjoy the moment. But before I could shut my eyes, she pulled back, her breathing slightly uneven and her expression calm as ever. She rested her chin lightly on my shoulder and whispered near my ear. Don't be mad anymore, okay? Her voice was soft and apologetic but I only blinked in stunned silence. Did Liza just apologize for annoying me? The almighty Liza Sinclair just apologized?With a smug smile on her face, she continued. It was my fault. I didn't know better and acted recklessly. I remain frozen, utterly speechless by the unexpected gesture. When she licked her lips while staring at me with a smile on her face, I decided there was only one thing I needed to do right now. I grabbed her roughly and slammed my lips on hers in a fiery kiss.