by Aya Mai
278 days…and counting
Aya Mai
This is a love story between a man and woman who rarely gets along, but when they come together like ice and fire something magical happens.
Grayson Montgomery was currently working at Campbell Publishing House as a favor to his brother, William, who was part-owner of the place. Grayson’s heart had set its sights on CPH’s publishing director and the sister of his brother’s wife. Ava Campbell. She was a pain in his ass, but in a good way. Grayson wanted her, and he was going to have her.
Ava Campbell lived her life following three rules: no love, no marriage, no kids.
She was a cancer survivor, but the ugly disease still ran in her family, having already beaten several of her relatives. She was the publishing director of Campbell Publishing House where she had to work together with Grayson effing Montgomery. He was a handsome, smug nightmare that refused to leave her alone. Still, no matter how angry she got at him, she couldn’t stay away from his office after office hours. He was an itch that never went away. He was an itch she kept scratching.
What happens when one of Ava’s rules goes out the window? Will the others follow? Or will cancer steal her life and a Spanish beauty her man? Read and find out.
#50.000words #DualPOV #SweetRomance #HEA-Guaranteed #NoCheating
#StoryIncludesSickness #Cancer
#ContainsSexualContents #Expletive/strong language #Aged18+
Chapter 1 - Grayson
Grayson Montgomery was never late. Today was no exception. He held two job positions and made it work. He was a partner in his and his brother’s tech company, Montgomery Inc. His brother, William, did all the creating and computer stuff while Grayson handled the business meetings and clients. Grayson was also currently employed at Campbell Publishing House, which his brother had invested in and now was part owner of. Grayson was a consultant for CPH, but he more or less decided his own hours.
Grayson had planned to come in early this morning, but a call from William had forced him to make a detour around William’s place that he shared with his wife, Nicole. She was the eldest daughter of Mr. Campbell, the now only part-owner of Campbell Publishing House. Nicole was eight months pregnant and beautiful. Her big, round stomach sent an electric wave down Grayson’s spine. He could easily picture both the Campbell sisters pregnant.
The younger Campbell siser, Ava Campbell, was a delicious pain in Grayson’s ass and the publishing director of Campbell Publishing House. She was amazing at her job. She knew how to modernize the company, the employees liked and respected her, and she had a good nose when it came to authors. Because of her, Grayson didn’t actually need to work at CPH any longer. Ava was more than capable of handling it. But it was also because of Ava he didn’t want to leave. The chocolate haired beauty with the kind heart, intelligent head, curvy body, and warm hands made Grayson come back to CPH almost every day.
It was safe to say that Ava Campbell hated him, hated that he got to her, hated that she always moaned out his name when he made her come while being sprawled out on his desk.
Grayson also hated Ava. He hated that she more often than not seemed immune to his charms. He hated that she called him out on his bullshit. He hated that she made him look forward to seeing her every day, and that his days were bleaker when he didn’t. He hated that she wanted absolutely nothing to do with him beyond their after office hours routine.
It had been Grayson’s intention of getting in early today, but his brother had railroaded that plan. He had wanted to confront Ava about last Saturday. The woman had had the gall to bring a potential new author as a date to the opening night of Nicole’s art exhibition.
That was why Grayson, now two hours later, was walking through CPH and toward Ava’s office. Employees were buzzing around the office like small bees, all doing their own thing.
Grayson felt Ava’s eyes on him the second he stepped out of the elevator. She always had her office door open when she wasn’t in a meeting. The glare she sent his way was cold, so cold it burned. He didn’t know what her problem was. He hadn’t done anything wrong, but he was most definitely going to find out what had gotten her panties in a twist.
With a big smile plastered across his face, Grayson moved expertly through the office, saying good morning to people on his way. He even gave old Mrs. Philip a wink on the way.
Before entering Ava’s office, he stopped at her assistant’s desk. Elaine was a beautiful red haired woman who was more than willing to do Grayson’s bidding. He hadn’t slept with her. He had considered it, but then he had met Ava. She was something else. By now, Grayson knew what pissed Ava off, and him talking to her assistant was definitely on Ava’s top-ten list of annoying things he could do to get a rile out of her.
Casually, Grayson bent over the table, complimenting Elaine's penmanship. He wasn’t lying, she did have a nice handwriting. It wasn’t something you saw very often these days due to computers and tablets taking over the world. As Grayson talked with Elaine, he heard Ava’s typing on the keyboard getting louder and louder.
Grayson smiled.
After another few minutes, he gave Elaine his goodbye and pointed a finger at Ava’s door, saying he would go in and try and tame the beast. Elaine chuckled under her breath. When he had shut the door to Ava’s office, an angry glare awaited him, but he just grinned.
‘’Tame the beast? Seriously?’’ Ava exclaimed. ‘’You can’t talk to my assistant like that about me. It’s disrespectful and unprofessional.’’
‘’I’m sorry.’’ Grayson moved closer, positioning his butt on her desk, one of his long legs grazing her bare one. Grayson loved the sight of her naked legs. ‘’Do you want me to kiss it better?’’
Ava shot up from her chair, pulling down her skirt, smoothing out the non-existent wrinkles. Grayson watched her hands move up and down her body, picturing that it was his hands instead of hers. When she stopped fidgeting, his eyes slowly traveled up her body until they came to rest on her face.
‘’What I want is for you to act professionally,’’ Ava growled.
‘’Where’d be the fun in that?’’
‘’I mean it, Grayson. Why can’t you be professional all the time? You are like a whiplash.’’
‘’What’s that supposed to mean?’’ Grayson’s smile dropped, his lips forming into a thin line.
‘’It means that when you’re in a meeting, you’re still charming, but you’re all business. But when you interact with me, you’re nothing but unprofessional and inappropriate.’’
‘’That’s rich coming from you considering you’re the one that brought a potential new author to your sister’s art exhibition as a date,’’ Grayson barked, moving threateningly closer, towering over her. ‘’Despite the fact that you said no to go with me,’’ he muttered dejectedly.
‘’It wasn’t a date!’’ Ava exclaimed. ‘’I’ve told you ten times already that me and Mr. Johnson arrived at the same time and walked in together. There’s nothing wrong with that. Nothing unprofessional about it.’’
‘’Well, you guys sure seemed cozy.’’
‘’You’re one to talk, you’re the one that disappeared with that blonde model.’’
Ava’s outburst stunned Grayson into silence while he racked his brain for an answer, but he didn’t have any. He had no idea what or who she was talking about.
‘’What blonde? What model?’’
‘’Are you seriously playing the ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about, I’m so innocent’-card? Do you think I’m that stupid? You spent the night talking to her at the bar.’’
Grayson shook his head. All he remembered fro
m that night was whiskey, amazing art, and Ava on a date with Martin fucking Johnson, CPH’s newest author, that was, if they could get him to sign with them.
‘’Was Martin such lousy company you had to spend your time keeping track of my movements?’’ Grayson asked, winking at Ava while inching closer to her lips. God, he wanted to ravish those lips. He hadn’t felt them on his since last Friday night in his office.
He had hoped Ava would have agreed to go to Nicole’s art exhibition with him, preferably as a date, but once again, she had told him no. He had dreamed of taking her home so he could take his time with her and her body.
He wanted to make her scream, make her claw her nails down his back, make the little tiger that was trapped behind her conservative exterior come out and play. He wanted to ruin her for other men. Settling down with a woman had always frightened the shit out of Grayson, but the idea of coming home to Ava didn’t scare him as much as it should.
‘’For your information, Martin was splendid company.’’ Ava held her head up high, pursed her lips, and placed her hands on her hips, challenging him. Fine, Grayson thought, if the kitten wanted to play, he’d play.
‘’So was my blonde,’’ he responded but immediately regretted his lie when Ava’s eyes fell. The untrained eye wouldn't have caught it, but when it came to Ava Campbell, Grayson caught everything.
‘’I’m happy for you,’’ Ava muttered weakly.
‘’Really?’’
‘’Truly. She looked just like your type.’’
‘’My type? What's my type?’’
‘’Beautiful, legs for days, curvy, blonde hair, a dress that left nothing to the imagination…’’
‘’So that’s what you think of me? That’s all you think I care about?’’ Grayson huffed in annoyance. He didn’t blame Ava for the way she saw him. He did have a colorful resume when it came to the female gender. But for some reason, it stung when Ava thought he was nothing but a flirt.
Ava didn’t respond to his question, her gaze fell to the floor as her cheeks became a lovely shade of pink.
When the door to her office opened, they both sprung apart. Their earlier closeness was definitely not professional. Elaine walked in with a smile on her face, holding a big bouquet of colorful roses. Grayson rolled his eyes, cursing himself for not locking the door, but that also didn’t seem like a professional thing to do. Ava would have his balls on a silver platter if he tried to pull a stunt like that in the middle of the workday.
‘’Sorry for the interruption, but these came for you,’’ Elaine exclaimed ecstatically, handing them over to Ava, who greedily took them into her embrace.
Awkwardness quickly arrived when Elaine remained standing in the room with Ava just gazing at her. Elaine clearly wanted to know who the bouquet was from, and so did Grayson for that matter, but three to tango was never the ideal solution. Eliane needed to go. When the phone at her desk rang, Grayson felt saved by the bell.
With the door once again closed, Grayson turned around to watch Ava place the bouquet on the corner of her desk, reading the card that was attached to it. Grayson flinched when he saw a smile spread across her lips.
Who the hell would be sending her flowers?
Grayson didn’t bother asking. Instead, he stomped over and tore the note out of her hand to read it for himself.
‘’I’d love to see you tonight. Osteria dei Mascalzoni restaurant at 6 p.m. Signed Martin Johnson,’’ Grayson huffed, glaring at Ava. ‘’This date seems real professional,’’ Grayson hissed, his tone laced with sarcasm as he threw the card in the wastebasket placed next to her desk.
‘’Well, that was real mature of you,’’ Ava responded, fetching the small note. ‘’And once again, it’s not a date; it’s a working dinner.’’
‘’Sure it is.’’
‘’I called Martin earlier, but only got a hold of his voicemail. I asked him if we could meet at Osteria dei Mascalzoni tonight to discuss his contract. We need for him to sign.’’
‘’How much are you willing to do to get him sign?’’ Grayson spat. Visions of Ava and Martin Johnson overtook his mind, and he didn’t like what he saw. He clenched his hands and squared his jaw, ready for battle.
‘’That was a low blow, Grayson,’’ Ava mumbled, her face sad and disconcerted. He wanted to cheer her up, to see her smile. He hated he was the reason for her frown, but then images of Martin Johnson and Ava in his favorite restaurant made him hard as stone again.
‘’Of all the places you could have taken him for this working dinner,’’ Grayson said, the words tasting sour in his mouth. ‘’Why take him to Osteria dei Mascalzoni?’’
‘’Why not take him to Osteria dei Mascalzoni? You’ve been raving on and on about the place for months. You said it was a great restaurant.’’
‘’Yeah, for a date. A romantic date,’’ Grayson exclaimed. It was his restaurant. It was the one he had wanted to take Ava to for a first date.
‘’Oh,’’ Ava responded perplexed. She clearly didn’t understand why he was so upset.
‘’Maybe I should join you tonight?’’
‘’No, that will not be necessary. I’m perfectly capable of handling the meeting myself. I don’t need a babysitter.’’ Ava looked down on her desk, rearranging her trinkets and several stacks of papers.
‘’Not as a babysitter, more like a backup to make sure he doesn’t try anything.’’
‘’Still no. I’m a grown woman who is more than capable of handling myself. Besides, believe or not, but some men are actually interested in talking to women and not just sleeping with them.’’
‘’You mean me?’’
‘’I think you should leave.’’ Nicole ignored his intense gaze. ‘’Please, Grayson. I have work I need to get done, and you’re distracting me.’’
‘’I love distracting you.’’ Grayson inched closer, his lips moving to her ear, his hot breath fanning over her. ‘’Come to my office tonight.’’
Ava shook her head.
‘’I want to see you in my office tonight,’’ Grayson demanded in a growl.
‘’I can’t. I have a meeting, remember?’’
‘’Woking dinners don’t last all night. I need to see you in my office tonight. I have some paperwork I need to go over with you.’’
In defiance, Ava ignored Grayson and moved away from him, taking her sweet strawberry scent with her. She sat down in her chair, positioning her fingers at the computer keyboard, silently telling him to leave.
Robotically, Grayson went to the door. For once, he didn’t know what to say or do. It wasn’t the first time Ava had said no to meeting him in his office after hours, but she had never actually meant it. She had always shown up. Their time together in the office at night was sacred. They lost themselves in each other, putting the constant war between them on hold. But tonight, Ava might not show up. Grayson didn’t like that, he didn’t like thinking of her being out to dinner with that Johnson-jerk.
For the first time in a long time, Grayson was actually worried about something and someone.
When his hand touched the doorknob, he stopped moving. He needed to say something, he couldn't let Ava have the last word. He had never lost a meeting in his life, and this wasn’t going to be his first.
He looked back over his shoulder, his hand still on the doorknob, watching as Ava was sitting still as a church mouse, waiting to hear the little click the door made when it closed. She was waiting for him to leave before she could breathe again and continue on with her day. Grayson wasn’t going to let her breathe; he was going to make her utterly breathless.
‘’By the way, not that you’ll care or even believe me, but for what it’s worth, that blonde from the art exhibition, I’ve no idea who you’re talking about. My eyes and attention were occupied with a gorgeous brunette all evening, and I most definitely didn't leave the party with some blonde. I left alone.’’
‘’Oh please, do you really expect me to believe that? I’ve known you for
almost a year…’’
‘’Not a year. It’s been nine months since we first met at Nicole and William's wedding.’’
‘’Fine, nine months then. But that’s long enough for you to know that I’m no fool. I know of your reputation, Grayson. Hell, the entire city knows of your reputation. Some women even call you Casanova. I get that you’re not only with me.’’
Ava looked down, fidgeting with her hands behind the computer screen. Grayson hated his reputation. He never had until now. It sure was coming back to bite him in the ass. He knew Ava would never believe him if he told her that he hadn’t been with any other woman since he started seeing her. She would just laugh in his face and call him a liar.
‘’278 days.’’
Grayson’s words must have intrigued Ava because she finally looked up at him.
‘’What?’’ she asked with her plum lips and her eyes soft as melted chocolate.
Grayson smiled.
‘’We’ve known each other for 278 days. That’s roughly nine months and three days. Trust me, I know exactly the first time I laid eyes on you. That’s something I’ll never forget.’’
Grayson left Ava’s office, not giving her time to come up with an answer to dispute his statement. He just managed to catch a sight of her eyes widening and her lips parting in shock. He couldn’t decipher if she was pleasantly surprised or not, but he didn’t stay around to find out. He had sworn he would make her breathless, and his admission had certainly done the trick.
Now he had to spend the rest of the day thinking about her and Martin Johnson being all cozy in Grayson’s favorite restaurant. He would remain in his office all night, hoping Ava would show up as he had asked her too, but an unpleasant feeling in his body screamed that, of course, she wasn’t going to show up when she had a date with a new, brilliant author. Why on earth would Ava Campbell choose him over Martin Johnson? If she had wanted to be with Grayson, she would have taken him up on all the offers of dates he had thrown her way, right?
