by Claire Raye
“Yes,” I say, nodding my head and extending a hand to the man in front of us.
“I’m Oliver,” he says, stepping aside and letting us walk into what I assumed was his house, but as we walk farther in, I notice it’s a tattoo shop.
“Oliver’s my tattoo guy, but he’s also my mate and helps out around the pub when I need it,” Lewis says, clarifying where I had heard the name before. He was the one who let V into the building on the day we met.
“Back so soon?” Oliver says, walking over to a small couch and sitting down. “I figured I wouldn’t see you for a while since we just did a new tatt last week.”
“Yeah, well, I need you to do a quick one. You got time?” Lewis asks and for a second I wonder if he’s going to tattoo my name somewhere on his body. The thought is terrifying and exciting all at the same time.
“For you, of course. What are we doing?”
“A wedding band,” Lewis announces, Oliver being the first real person to know we’ve just gotten married. Lewis’ deep eyes take me in as he watches for my reaction and my heart kicks up a few notches, thumping faster in my chest. I swallow hard, but smile at him knowing this is the best way for him to announce our marriage: a tattoo of our life together on his body.
“Well, holy shit! Congrats, mate to you and your stunning new wife.” He nods his head in my direction and when he looks at me, I make a decision.
“Would you be able to do me too?” I ask and the panty-dropping smirk that appears on Lewis is face is worth the flush that creeps across my cheeks. Oliver lets out a rowdy laugh in response to my words.
“I think you may have met your match, mate,” Oliver says, tossing an elbow into Lewis’ side.
“You have no idea,” Lewis replies, shaking his head as he steps closer to me and says, “Oh you fucking dirty girl.” His arms slip around my waist as he pulls me to him. With his mouth close to my ear so only I can hear him, he growls, “I’m the only one who is going to do you. Your arse will be pink for that comment.”
Well, that was a turn of events and something I had no idea I was into, but clearly my body loves the idea of being punished by Lewis because I feel like I need to find a bathroom and rub one out.
Oliver motions to a chair that resembles something you would see in a dentist’s office, and asks, “Who’s first?”
I saunter over to the chair, my hips swaying as Lewis watches my ass.
“Me.”
I sit down, extending my arm along the armrest, my hand falling onto the small table at the end. My fingers are splayed out and ready. There’s no turning back now.
Let’s do this shit.
Chapter Seven
Lewis
The alarm rings out signaling the literal end to our honeymoon phase and our forced re-entry into the real world again.
Ava groans as she reaches over to silence it and I roll over, my front pressed against her back as my body curls in behind hers. Half opening my eyes, I see her arm outstretched on the bed, her phone at the end of her fingertips. I slide my fingers down her arm, threading them through hers, our matching inked wedding bands now side by side.
Fuck, I love how they look together.
It had surprised the shit out of me when Ava had said she wanted one too. She had no other ink, no other marks on her body except for the piercings in her ears. I liked it though, a hell of a lot. It was fucking sexy to think she wanted this made permanent like I did. I still gave her the diamond band I had waiting back at home for her though. I wanted her to have it and somehow it just looked right on her.
She ended up buying me a ring too, wanted to give me something, she said. We both wear them most of the time, but even if we don’t, the ink is still there. It doesn’t come off.
The alarm sounds out again and Ava slaps at her phone to silence it.
“Maybe you should just be a kept woman,” I murmur, my mouth at her ear.
“What?” she mumbles, half asleep still.
I snuggle closer to her. “A kept woman, it’s far too early to be awake.”
Ava chuckles softly, turning her head a little. “Not too early for some.”
I grin, lifting my head to brush a soft kiss across her lips. She presses against me, her fingers sliding into my hair now as my leg slips between hers. She groans as my dick pushes against her, shifting slightly so I can slide inside her.
“Always awake around you, baby,” I whisper.
It’s been like this every morning for the last two weeks and it’s been nothing short of fucking perfect.
Ever since she came back, we’ve barely come up for air, only leaving the flat to get food or walk Daisy. I haven’t gone to work or seen any of my friends, V included and we haven’t even told our families yet. Instead, Ava and I have spent the past two weeks getting to know each other.
“God, I love waking up with you,” I moan, slowly thrusting inside her, my hand gripping her hip, her head twisted back to kiss me.
Ava smiles against my mouth, but doesn’t say anything. She doesn’t need to.
After these past two weeks with her, I feel like I’ve known her my whole life. Everything between us has been intense and magnified, as though we’ve crammed a lifetime together into fourteen days. And everything I’ve learned has only convinced me more that marrying her was the greatest thing I’ve ever done.
“Lewis,” she moans into my mouth, pulling my hand from her hip and moving it between her legs.
I smile, slipping my tongue into her mouth as I tease her with my fingers, my hips moving against hers, my strokes slow and deep. She groans as we move in perfect rhythm together, our bodies so in sync it’s like we’ve been doing this forever too.
“Fuck, Ava,” I breathe out, pushing inside her again.
“Yes,” she murmurs, her fingers joining mine.
I thrust inside over and over again, a little deeper each time, her body taking mine, her hips rocking back to meet me. It feels fucking fantastic and it doesn’t take long until we are both moaning each other’s names, until we are both coming, our hearts pounding and our breathing ragged.
I must fall back to sleep because the next thing I know I’m woken to the sound of heels tapping on my hardwood floors. When I open my eyes, Ava is walking into the bedroom, dressed in a tight black dress, a red belt around her waist and the most amazing fucking stilettoes I have ever seen in my life.
“For you,” she says quietly, putting a cup of tea on the side table.
I reach out a hand for her, pulling her closer so she’s sitting on the bed. “God, you look fucking gorgeous,” I say, my eyes running over her.
She smiles, her hand brushing against my cheek. “What are you going to do today?”
I shove a hand through my hair, knowing there is one thing I have to do. Go and see V. I haven’t actually seen her since the whole breakfast incident. I tried calling her twice after she stormed out, but she didn’t answer either time. I had a pretty good idea that she was avoiding me and it pissed me off.
I knew she was pissed at me too, the curt text telling me she was skipping breakfast again this week a clear indicator of that. And while I didn’t relish the thought of going to see her only to listen to her rip me a new one over what she thought was the biggest mistake of my life, I knew if I wanted to maintain my friendship with her, I needed to see her.
“Try and catch up with V.”
Ava gives me a sad smile. “Are you going to tell her about us?” she asks, knowing that the last time I tried was before we actually made things official.
I prop myself up on my elbow. “Of course I am,” I tell her. “I would never hide this.”
Ava nods, but looks away, her eyes staring down at our joined hands. “What do you think she’s going to say?”
I take a deep breath, tugging on her hand a little. “Ava,” I say, pausing until she looks at me. “I don’t really care what V thinks about us,” I tell her. “But I do care that she’s being bitchy about all this. She needs to know that you’r
e important to me, the most important thing to me.”
Ava nods now, a small smile on her face as she leans in and kisses me. “Okay,” she whispers. “I guess we should tell our families too.”
I smile and nod, pulling her in for another kiss. “Yes, absolutely we should.”
Ava sighs, as she pulls back. “I have to go.”
She stands and I once again take her in. “Babe, you can’t go walking to the Tube in those shoes. I mean they’re sexy as all fuck, but your feet?”
Her grin widens. “They’re sending a car for me,” she says, smoothing her hands down her dress. “It’s okay, the shoes can stay.”
I sit up now, my hand moving to her hip and pulling her back toward the bed. “I think the shoes should stay when you come home tonight too,” I murmur, resting my chin on her stomach as I look up at her. “I wanna fuck you while you’re wearing them.”
Ava blushes shaking her head as she smiles at me. I grin, tugging her closer and moving her hand between my legs. “Unless of course, you wanna hitch that dress up and come for a ride now.”
She laughs, her mouth at my ear as she says, “I’ll see you tonight, dirty boy,” before kissing me once more and moving out of reach.
I watch her grab her bag and things, blowing me a kiss before disappearing out the front door.
And just like that, we’re back in the real world.
A couple of hours later, I’m showered and dressed and putting a lead on Daisy. We head downstairs and out onto the street, the sun shining. I take her down to the park again, letting her run around for a while as I throw a ball for her to chase.
Eventually, I put the lead back on and head back to my flat to drop her off before I head over to V’s.
When I get there though, I find V, sitting at the top of the stairs, her phone in her hand.
“Hey,” I say, surprised she’s the one that’s started this.
Her head snaps up, her eyes meeting mine. She gives me a small smile, but it feels forced as she stands. “Hi,” she says.
“So you are alive,” I ask, moving to unlock the front door.
V follows me in, not responding to my comment as I feed Daisy, before putting the kettle on. When I turn around, I watch as she stands in the middle of the living area, her eyes moving over all the boxes of Ava’s clothes that got delivered and are now piled up in a corner.
She takes in other things too, like the new coffee machine on my kitchen bench, because Ava prefers coffee over tea, the two phone chargers now plugged in side by side, a pair of Ava’s earrings on the coffee table. When she finally looks back at me, her face is like stone.
“What?” I ask.
“So she’s really staying?” V asks, her voice cold.
“Staying and living with me,” I reply.
V takes a deep breath, exhaling long and slow as she continues to stare at me, her face unreadable. “Right,” she eventually says. “And you think this is a good idea then?”
I roll my eyes, hands out as if to say what the fuck as I reply, “I wouldn’t have asked her to move in if I didn’t, would I?”
V moves to the table, throwing her bag and phone on it before turning back to me, hands on her hips. “You don’t think this is maybe a little too much too soon, Lewis?” she asks, as though I’m a fucking child.
“No, Victoria,” I reply, the same harsh tone in my voice. “I don’t, obviously.”
“You barely even know her.”
I flick the kettle off as it starts to boil, but don’t bother making tea, instead walking toward V. “I do know her,” I say.
V scoffs. “What, in two weeks, you’ve found out everything about her?”
I take a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm. “It hasn’t been two weeks, V. We’ve known each…”
“Oh please,” she says sarcastically, as she cuts me off. “You were fuck buddies for what, a couple of months and then she just disappeared. Poof,” she adds, clicking her fingers. “Left you and disappeared for Three. Fucking. Months. How much can you possibly know about each other, Lewis, seriously?”
My hands move to my hips and we stare at each other. I can see in her eyes how pissed off she is, but right now, I don’t care. “You have no fucking idea what it was, what it is, between us,” I say, my jaw tight. “You haven’t even tried to get to know Ava.”
V’s hands fly up as she rolls her eyes. “Come on, Lewis!” she shouts.
“What?” I yell back at her, hands up as though I have no idea what she’s talking about. “What the fuck is your problem with her?”
V opens her mouth to speak but just as she’s about to, she sees it; the thick silver band on my ring finger. I watch as her jaw drops, her eyes flicking to mine, fury written all over her face.
“Oh you have got to be fucking kidding me,” she bites out. “You’re married?” Her words are laced with disgust, as though this is the worst thing she’s ever seen in her life.
I nod. “We are.”
“When?”
I drop my hands as I say, “A week ago, and yeah, we’re really happy, thanks for asking.”
V shakes her head at me, ignoring my sarcastic comment. “I hope you made her sign a pre-nup.”
I let out a half laugh, but it’s humorless as I shake my head at her. “Of course you would say that.”
“Did you?” she presses.
I exhale. “No, V, I didn’t. Not that it’s any of your business, anyway.”
“Are you fucking stupid, Lewis, how could you not?”
I take a deep breath as my blood starts to pulse in veins, anger coursing through me. I cannot believe what a judgmental bitch she’s being. She has no idea what Ava is like, no idea how I feel about her or what’s happened between us.
“Because, Victoria,” I say. “I didn’t feel the need to. I love her and I trust her and I know she feels the same way about me.”
Now it’s Victoria who lets out a harsh laugh, fingers pinching the bridge of her nose as she shakes her head again. “Right, because that’s worked out so well for you in the past now, hasn’t it?”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“Jesus, Lewis,” she says, arms wide. “Joanna? She was…”
“She is nothing like Ava,” I shout, seething now. “Don’t even fucking mention her name to me.”
“Right,” V says, her jaw clenched as she nods at me once and then moves to gather up her things. “Fine, if that’s the way you want to be, go for it,” she says, slinging her bag over her shoulder. “Just don’t come crying to me when this all goes tits up and she screws you to the wall.”
I feel like something inside me snaps at her words. As though every single nerve is tingling, every muscle twitching, and my body is on the verge of short-circuiting. I walk straight past V and to the front door, yanking it open.
“Get the fuck out,” I shout, gesturing out to the hall.
V smirks at me, but it’s bitter and angry. “Oh trust me, I’m going. I have no desire to hang around…”
“Don’t,” I shout. “Don’t say another fucking word. And don’t come back until you’re ready to stop being a bitch and apologize.”
V stares at me for a few seconds as though she can’t believe what I’m saying to her. Her eyes search mine as though she’s trying to work out if I’m being serious. I don’t look away, refusing to give her a single inch as I stare back at her, even as a nagging guilt starts up in the pit of my stomach.
Eventually she walks past me and out into the corridor. Just as I think she’s about to walk away without saying anything more, she stops, looks back over her shoulder at me.
“I hope for your sake, she’s the real thing,” she says. “Because I really don’t want to have…”
I slam the door in her face, not bothering to listen to the rest of her comment. As I fall back against it, I hear the loud thud of her shoes as she walks down the hallway. Sinking to the floor, I find myself sitting on my arse as Daisy walks over, shoving her nose into m
y hand.
“Hey girl,” I say, grabbing her head and giving her a pat. “I glad you love, Ava,” I say, smiling when she licks my face.
Fuck.
Chapter Eight
Ava
I’m nervous as I walk onto the set, which is a totally foreign feeling to me. I’ve been in this industry for a while and even though I didn’t start at the top, I eventually worked my way there. With my last job being for Julia Harris, Oscar-winning actress, I’ve been around the elite in this industry.
But my newest employer is none other than Noel Robinson, a notoriously difficult big shot director who made his mark on the film world by taking a defunct and dying comic book character and turning him back into a superstar. His talent is unmatched by anyone his age, and to make things even better he’s married to Sadie Washington, writer and the queen of dark comedies.
They’re both intimidating as hell and I don’t know if it’s their age, their experience or their clout in the industry, but they’re like no one I’ve ever worked for.
While I won’t necessarily be working for Sadie, she will be on the set since they’ll be dually directing this latest flick.
I make my way to the production office that is housed at the back of the set knowing this was where Noel asked me to meet him at this ungodly hour of the morning.
I hated to wake Lewis as I was leaving, my shoes far too noisy on the hardwood floors, but he stirred in bed as I left him a cup of tea on the nightstand. Hopefully our jobs don’t interfere too much with our relationship. It’s an unfortunate downside to us working in different careers. Lewis owning a bar and working into the night and me, well, working at the crack of dawn till far beyond midnight sometimes. It’s what usually kills a relationship.
I knock on the production office door and a female voice calls for me to come in. I expect to walk into a room full of people working on re-writes, but what I find is Sadie Washington dressed in a hoodie and leggings sitting cross legged in a desk chair hovering over a keyboard.
