“This is the meeting.”
“You have some nerve, you arrogant ass! I see nothing has changed,” I rolled my eyes.
“Watch what your language, Ava,” he gritted through his teeth. “And you’re right, nothing has changed. You’re still stubborn and defiant as hell. And you’re also, still mine.” His eyes penetrated my shielded heart as he slowly moved forward to close the gap he had put between us.
His? Oh hell, no. I stepped back, glaring at him. My anger boiling to all new levels. “Let me be perfectly clear,” I paused for effect, “Whatever you think you’re going to accomplish here, you won’t. You may have forced me into having to work on this project with you, but that is all this,” I pointed between us, “will be. Strictly professional.”
His body stiffened at my words. He stopped his approach, studying me instead. We stood silently, examining each other. Both trying to predict what the other was thinking. It was minutes before he finally let out a resigned sigh, “Okay.”
I looked at his eyes, trying to figure out if he was really going to accept defeat or if he was just letting me win for the moment. I was afraid it was the latter.
“Okay?” I asked, questioning his intentions.
“Yes, beautiful. Okay. We’ll do this your way. For now,” he added. “I’ll pick you up at eleven tomorrow morning.”
The “for now” confirmed I had only temporarily won this battle. But it didn’t matter, because I would keep on fighting until the war was over.
“No. This is not a date. I’ll drive separately.”
“We’ll see about that,” he smirked his threat, while starting to approach me again. With each deliberate step he made towards me, I took one back, making my way to the door.
“I need to go. You will email me the address.” The inflection in my voice was weaker than I intended. He was getting dangerously close to me, and I was running out of space to retreat. He didn’t respond. He just smiled his roguish smile as my back landed against the closed door.
“I’ve missed you, Ava,” he whispered huskily as his intense, beautiful blues stared into mine. I reached behind me, grabbing the door handle for stability as I tried to maintain my self-control. I could feel the chemistry between us ricocheting through my body, causing a heat to pool between my legs as I watched his masculine body prowl towards me.
“Mr. Blackwood,” I cleared my throat, trying to sound professional, “It was good to see you.” My words came out squeaky and shaky, exposing my vulnerability. He grinned pleased with himself, stopping only inches from me as he stared down into my eyes all the way to my soul.
“Ms. Conner,” he crooned as he leaned in closer, bringing one arm above me, resting it on the adjacent wall as his other hand skimmed my cheek lightly. “It’s always a pleasure running into you.” His voice was gravelly as he started to dip his head to kiss me.
I bit my bottom lip, fighting the urge to press my lips to his. I turned the door knob, flinging the door open. I forced my body to retreat quickly, leaving him alone in his office. I could hear him chuckling to himself as I ran away. Bastard. He was not going to make these next few months easy on me.
I sifted through the closet of my one bedroom Santa Monica apartment, looking for something to wear. I was feeling rebellious and determined. I was intent on putting Rhett’s wicked smile out of my mind. I was going to have my first one-night stand tonight, even if it killed me. And I was going to look sexy as hell doing it.
I chalked up my moments of weakness to one thing. The one thing Rhett had been right about in the elevator. It had been too long. I hadn’t had sex with anyone, since Rhett, and I concluded that was the only reason my body responded to him the way it did.
I pushed the dresses I wore for work aside on the clothes rod, revealing a dress I had hidden in my closet and never worn. I bought it on a whim after Lizzie had come to visit for a weekend. We had went on a shopping spree, and after much internal debate, she had convinced me to buy it.
It was a stunning, soft, gray dress with spaghetti straps connected to two pieces of material that loosely folded at the top, forming a V-neck cut. The skirt of the dress was form fitting, stopping at my knees with a revealing split over the left thigh. The pale gray dress complimented my Californian sun-kissed skin. It made me feel elegant and womanly, putting it on.
I decided to wear my long, thick, brown hair down in big, loose curls. I wore my makeup natural, using bronzers and light shades of pink on my lips and eyes to help my blue eyes pop. I put on my black, ankle-strap stilettos and then stood to give myself the once over in my full length mirror. I looked hot and I felt a sense of payback, even if Rhett wouldn’t see me dressed like this. I grabbed my black clutch and headed out the door to the car where my Uber driver was waiting.
We were meeting at The Grand. The bar wasn’t our usual scene with its masculine décor and extensive list of whiskeys, but I guess if the mission was to meet a man, then this was the place to do it. The bar was lively and crowded with younger clientele. It was obviously a hot spot for the young professionals to come and drink their week’s stresses away.
I squeezed through the multitude of people in search of Joce, taking in the scene as I went. Besides the deer heads hanging on the walls, I liked the vintage sophistication of the place. It was like stepping back in time where “the boys” would drink whiskey and smoke cigars. The dark woods and dim lights were inviting and comforting, making me immediately relax ready to enjoy the night.
I spotted Joce at the end of the bar, already being hit on by a suit. She seemed like she was politely trying to ward off his advances, so I did what girlfriends do best and blocked him, pulling her attention away from him. She thanked me before complimenting me on my sexy ensemble as he walked away. A cute bartender approached us, smiling and flirting while making our drinks. We paid for our drinks and then moved away from the bar, finding a table to sit at.
I wasn’t much of a whiskey drinker, but the old fashion cocktails were going down easily. I was enjoying myself as Joce and I chatted and scanned the room of good-looking men. I looked at my nearly empty glass, deciding to get another drink.
“You need one?” I asked Joce, glancing at her glass.
“No, I’m good for the moment. You go. I’ll hold our table.”
“Okay. Be right back,” I stood.
I navigated my way to the crowded bar, squeezing between two men to get the cute bartender’s attention. He immediately saw me. He finished making the drink he was working on before he sauntered his way over to me.
“Same thing?” he asked with a flirtatious smile.
“Yep,” I innocently flirted back.
“Coming right up,” he winked and then walked away to make my drink.
“Wow.” I heard a deep voice next to me say. I looked over at the suit standing beside me, who was giving me his cute smile, revealing a lick-able dimple. He had dirty blond hair, green eyes and a handsome face. “I swear I’ve been standing here at least twenty minutes, trying to get his attention to order a drink. I don’t blame the guy. It’s hard not to notice a beautiful woman, like you, even in a crowd of people,” he continued.
I smiled at him embarrassed, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cut in front of you.”
“No apologies, necessary,” he grinned, making me flush more.
“Let me make it up to you. What are you drinking? I’ll order it for you, when he returns with my drink.”
“I would be forever in your debt if you did that,” he pretended to think it over. “I’ll agree, as long as you let me pay for your drink,” his smirk made my stomach do a tiny flip.
“Deal,” I smiled back at him. “My name’s Ava,” I offered, wanting to continue our conversation.
“Ava, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Owen.” He put out his hand to shake mine.
When the cute bartender approached, I ordered Owen’s drink as we continued to talk for a few minutes. I didn’t want our exchange to end, thinking he may be just what I ne
eded for my one night stand. He was kind and easy on the eyes, but I realized it was still early in the night. I didn’t want to abandon Joce. I also had a little bit of cold feet.
Instead, we exchanged numbers. I made my way back to Joce while he went back to his group of co-workers he had come with. The night went on, and Joce continued scoping the bar for “Mr. Right” while Owen and I kept making eyes at each other from across the room. I wasn’t as instantly affected by him as I was Rhett, but his attention didn’t make me feel uncomfortable. It made me feel sensual and sexy and that was good enough for me.
Joce and I were cracking up about something Drew had done and said the other day, when she suddenly stopped laughing, grabbing my arm with a tight grip. She looked like she had seen a ghost. Then her face softened, and her cheeks turned a bright red that rivaled her hair.
“Ava, I think I just saw Mr. Right,” she whispered conspiratorially, looking past me. I started to turn to see who had caught her eye. “Don’t look!” she squealed, yelling at me in a panic, stopping me from continuing to rotate my head. “He is looking this way. I don’t want it to be obvious.”
I rolled my eyes at her childishness.
“Okay, now look,” she gave me the go-ahead. I slightly twisted, casually glancing over my shoulder, panic instantly shooting through me.
Riley was standing feet from us, beaming recognition right at me. Shit. He started to make his way to me as Joce fluffed her hair. “He’s coming over,” she squealed. I turned to her, wanting to explain to her who he was. But before I could, he was at our table.
“Ladies. May I join you?” he asked with his panty dropper smile.
“Sure,” Joce purred before I could respond.
He smiled, winking at me, taking a seat next to Joce. She turned up her flirtations. I glared at him. What the hell he was doing here? I knew if Riley was here, Rhett couldn’t be far behind.
“I’m Riley,” he introduced himself to Joce, putting out his hand.
“Jocelyn,” she took his hand while she batted her eyes, oblivious to the fact that I was still sitting here.
I turned from the two of them as they continued to flirt, watching for Rhett. I found his back turned to me at the bar, ordering drinks with a skanky blonde draped on him. I instantly felt jealous and possessive of him. I had no idea where it came from. Okay…I had some idea…but I shouldn’t have those feelings anymore. He’s not mine. I tried to control it.
Her hand was on his shoulder, and she was inching it up his neck as she threw herself at him. My fists clenched under the table as my heart aggressively pounded against my chest.
I watched him gently remove her hand from touching him as he politely dismissed her advances. I hated the relief I felt from that small gesture. He turned from the bar, holding two drinks, catching my eyes as he walked towards us. He strode through the mob of people effortlessly, dominating the room.
I felt the need to flee, but I was chained to my seat. Held captive as I watched his muscular body move forward. He was a force of nature. It was like watching a tornado come at me, knowing I needed to take cover to protect myself from harm, but I couldn’t help watch it spin in all its destructiveness.
When he arrived at our table, Riley turned to Rhett, taking the glass of whiskey from him, breaking his conversation with Joce.
“Ava,” Rhett smiled at me as he placed a glass of water in front of me, silently commanding me to drink it. Tough shit. I gave him a glare, silently refusing it. His glare matched mine as he took in my dress, perusing my body. I felt a small triumph as I watched his brow pinch in frustration.
Joce, catching onto our exchange, looked between us. “Do you guys know each other?” she asked confused.
“Yes,” I intercepted her question, before Rhett could respond. “This is Mr. Blackwood, our new client Tom and I met with today,” I said as professionally as possible. I knew at some point Joce may meet him for work, and I did not want it getting back to Tom that Rhett and I already knew each other.
“Oh!” she exclaimed. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Blackwood. I’m Jocelyn. I work with Ava.”
“Call me Rhett, please, and it is a pleasure to meet you Jocelyn.” He turned on his charm, smiling his sexy smile at her. She melted as all women did.
“I assume you know Riley, then? Since you brought him his drink,” she concluded.
“Yes. Riley is a good friend of mine. We just stopped in for some drinks after work.”
“What a coincidence!” she smiled.
But I knew damn well, it was no coincidence. I just wasn’t quite sure how he knew I was here. Then it dawned on me. He must have looked at my phone in the building lobby. The sneaky bastard!
They continued to talk for a moment until Rhett pulled his phone out of his pocket, feeling its vibration. I glanced over at the screen, seeing it was Valerie calling. He excused himself as he took the call and Joce excused herself to run to the ladies room to freshen up for a moment. I was about to go with her when Riley caught my arm, silently pleading for me to stay behind. My curiosity kept me seated as Joce left us at the table. When she was out of ear shot, I turned my anger on him.
“What the hell are you guys doing here?” I was beyond annoyed they had shown up to ruin my night.
“Why do you think, Ava?” he snorted.
“Well, you two need to leave or I will.”
“Why don’t you just hear him out?” He pleaded with me. I turned my head away, not wanting to see the desperation on his face. I had always liked Riley, and I hated that their unwanted presence here was making me feel differently. “Ava, he’s a fucking mess without you. He has been for years, since you left. I’m surprised he waited this long to come and get you.”
“Well, it’s a little too late for that, Riley.” My voice started to shake. The memories of the night we parted spun uncontrollably in my mind, making me an emotional hurricane. I felt the tears brimming in my eyes. “He wasn’t there when I needed him. He chose her over me.”
I didn’t need to clarify who “her” was. We both knew I was referring to Serena.
He looked at me confused and then shocked. “You have no fucking idea, do you?” His own anger spiking. “I guess your little prick friend, Stephen, never told you.”
Now it was my turn to be confused. “What are you talking about?”
A sudden wave of fear came over me that I didn’t understand. But before he could answer, Joce came bouncing back up to us, taking her seat next to Riley, silencing both of us. He gave me a meaningful look before turning back to Joce, continuing their flirting.
I suddenly couldn’t breathe. I needed some air. I needed to get out of here. As Rhett started to walk back towards our table, I grabbed my clutch, quickly telling Joce goodbye and that I’d call her later. She seemed unfazed by my sudden departure, happy to be alone with Riley.
I started squeeze my way through the horde of bodies, aiming to bypass Rhett. He cut me off before I reached the door, pulling me into his warm, familiar body. Mine instinctively melded with his. I looked away from him, keeping my eyes on the exit.
“Ava, calm down,” he soothed, feeling my heavy breathing. How the hell did he expect me to calm down, when he was holding me this close? “Look at me, beautiful,” he spoke softly. “Where are you going?”
“Home,” I managed to say, still not looking at him.
“I’ll take you.”
“No,” I said, gaining some fight back in me. I saw Owen glancing over at me as he shook his friends’ hands goodbye. I had a sudden surge of adrenaline and pushed my hands against Rhett’s chest, breaking free of his grasp. I took off, shoving my way through the crowd as fast as I could before Rhett caught up to me.
I intercepted Owen at the door. He smiled brightly upon my approach.
“Can you take me home?” I asked franticly. The panic still swarming me as I looked at Rhett who was closing in on us. There was no way I had time to call an Uber.
“Sure,” he responded cautiously wi
th a concerned face as he looked between Rhett and me.
“Great,” I grabbed his arm, leading him out of the door. I rushed us both down the narrow staircase to leave, before Rhett could stop me. When we made it outside, I gasped for air, letting it fill my lungs.
“Are you okay?” he asked, guiding me to his car.
“Yes. I’m sorry. I just…thank you….” I trailed off, not knowing what to say.
“No worries,” he gave me a sympathetic smile. He unlocked the car and opened the passenger door, allowing me to get in. As we drove off, I didn’t bother looking back to see if Rhett was coming after me.
When we made it to my apartment complex, I suddenly worried that Owen may have gotten the wrong idea. I had intended to have a one-night stand, but after the night’s events, I couldn’t go through with it. Owen walked me to my door and I turned to him after unlocking it.
“Owen, I’m sorry…I don’t think…”
“Ava, don’t apologize. I don’t expect anything,” he said sweetly, his smile consoling. “I just wanted to make sure you got inside safely.” I nodded my appreciation giving him a weak smile in return. “Would you mind if I called you?” he asked, “I would like to take you out sometime.”
“I would like that, too.”
“Well then, I’ll talk to you soon.” He leaned in, giving me a kiss on the cheek. “Have a goodnight, Ava,” he smiled before turning to leave.
CHAPTER 3
I have no idea what time I finally fell asleep. I tossed and turned all night, reeling from Rhett’s unexpected appearance back into my life. I woke at seven in the morning. The anxiety churning in my stomach from the thought of our impending meeting today. I didn’t know how I was going to get through it. I was having a hard time maintaining control of my emotions when he was around.
I hated how weak he made me feel. I went for a morning run along the beach, stopping at the Santa Monica Pier to rest and process everything going on in my head. I had taken up running regularly when I moved to California. It helped clear my mind, release the emotional stress and relieve the panic attacks I often felt.
The Only One Page 3
