by Taryn Plendl
“Trevor, Ava will show you your office, and you can go over the company profile together after the meeting.” Mr. Jameson was oblivious to our exchange.
“Thank you, sir.” He continued giving out assignments.
I honestly didn’t hear much more of the meeting after that. A bad move as a new employee, but I found myself just watching Ava and waiting for the chance to be near her again.
It wasn’t until everyone started milling around the room that I realized the meeting was over, and Ava was headed my way.
“Hi, Trevor. Welcome.” She shook my hand. Ever the professional.
“Hi, Ava.” Taking her hand, I leaned in so nobody else heard the exchange, and gave it a squeeze. “It’s so very nice to see you again.” I noticed a slight blush rise over her cheeks. This was going to be fun!
“If you come with me, I’ll show you our office.” She straightened up and let go of my hand, turning away from me.
“Our office? As in we share?” Now this could be even better than I could have hoped for!
The glare she shot over her shoulder made me laugh. What was it about this woman that made every part of me seem to feel excited? I felt like a kid waiting in line for their first roller coaster ride. My stomach was nervous, but excited. My palms were sweaty. Shit! I needed to get myself under control.
I walked behind her, taking in her sweet backside that gently swayed from side to side as she moved. As she checked back over her shoulder to make sure I was with her, she looked almost defeated—sad. As much as I wanted to say something to comfort her, I couldn’t think of the right words, and knowing the little amount of information I did about her, I had a feeling those words wouldn’t be welcome anyway. She was stubborn as hell!
“Here we are. You can have the desk right there.” I looked around the small office as I put my bag on top of the desk that lined up directly across from Ava’s. It was a cozy space, and the way the room was set up, I would be facing her as we worked.
“Hey Ava, I want to apologize for …” I started, but she cut me off before I could finish.
“Trevor, please don’t.” She held up her hand. “Listen you did me a favor, nothing more. I appreciate it.” She opened her laptop and sat down. I didn’t want to push the topic yet, but damn it, I was determined to explain to her. I needed her to know that I thought the kiss we shared was amazing—not just a game. But without a doubt, if it was a game, it was one I wanted to keep playing!
“Okay Ava.” You win for now. “Let’s look at the company specs.” I pulled my chair around the desk to share her computer screen. This was going to be harder than I’d thought. Being this close to her just might kill me. I could smell her hair. It smelled like ripe Strawberries. It made me want to grab a fist full and just bury my face in it and breathe deep.
She was more beautiful than I’d remembered—average height; long dark hair; creamy skin that looked flawless. I was in so much trouble, and from the looks of it, she wasn’t fairing much better. I could see the rise and fall of her chest with each breath, and if the way she was pulling her shirt away from her, she was having trouble being this close to me, too. I scooted even closer, still looking at the computer screen. She could deny it and play it off like it had been nothing, but there was no way she didn’t feel a connection, too.
I was going to have a little fun with her—see just how far I could push her. Now I leaned in, looking closer at the website she had pulled up, pretending to be intensely interested. I positioned my elbow on the armrest of her chair, brushing her arm with mine. Even through her blazer, I could tell she felt it, by the way she froze.
She pushed her chair back and quickly stood up. “Is everything okay, Ava?” I used my most innocent voice and look.
“Um, yeah. It’s just hot.” She shuffled out of her blazer, hanging it on the chair before pulling the chair over a bit and sitting back down.
“Okay, let’s take a look at what we’re working with.” She leaned in toward her computer.
“What the hell, Ava?”
“What?” She looked shocked. I hadn’t meant to yell, but when she sat back down and put her arm on the armrest of her chair, I noticed the bruises on her arm—clearly four finger marks wrapping around her forearm.
“Son-of–a-bitch!” I growled as I gently lifted her arm to get a closer look. She pulled her arm away from me, covering the bruises with her other hand.
“Its fine, Trevor, it doesn’t even hurt,” she said softly.
I closed my eyes, trying to compose myself. I didn’t want to scare her. “I’m sorry Ava; I didn’t mean to startle you.” I took a deep breath, trying hard to reel in my alpha male mentality. “I just didn’t expect to see that. If I had realized he grabbed you that hard …” I stopped, relaxing the fists I had automatically made. I couldn’t allow myself to get so worked up over this, but I knew right then and there that if I ever saw that prick, Kyle, again, it would take every bit of training I had to hold back and not kill him.
“Trevor?”
“Shit, Ava, I’m sorry. Are you sure it doesn’t hurt?” I asked, looking deep into her eyes.
“I’m fine, please, let’s just try to forget that night ever happened.” That was the last thing I wanted to do. Hell, I couldn’t forget that night if I tried, and believe me … I did try this whole past weekend. I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be forgetting much about this woman.
“I’m not sure I can,” I mumbled. Her breath caught for a moment before she shook her head and focused back on the screen.
The rest of the day was spent going over the company profile and image. We both had several ideas of the direction we would like to take it, but in the end, we needed to go visit some of the clubs to get a feel of things.
“So, there are three clubs in the Philly area, right?” I watched Ava finish chewing the bite of her sandwich before answering me.
“Yes. We should try to visit a couple this week and the other one next week.” She started making notes.
“How about Wednesday and Saturday?” I asked.
“Wednesday is fine, but Saturday, I’m moving.” She smiled slightly. It was obviously something she was happy about, and it made me want to know more.
“Why are you moving?” I couldn’t help it, I was too curious. I needed to know more about her.
“Um, I was living with Kyle until three weeks ago.” She looked away, and I could tell she didn’t want me to push the subject.
“Do you need help? We could help you move, and then all head to the club after.”
“We?” She smiled. “You’re volunteering people now?”
“Yeah, my friends Nick and Tom, and of course, myself.” I wiggled my eyebrows. I was going to have to owe them big time for this, but I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to be with her this weekend.
“Okay. My friend Talia is going to help, too, and as you probably remember, she is always up for a good time, so I’m sure she will be happy to go clubbing after.” She raised her eyebrows, almost daring me to make another comment about her friend. I was not going down that road again.
“Great! Then it’s settled.” I smiled at her, and for the first time today, she smiled back.
Chapter 4
Ava
“That is just crazy!” Talia shook her head in disbelief when I told her at the gym on Wednesday about working together with Trevor. “What are the odds, huh?” She slowed from her run to a walk on the treadmill, blotting her flushed face with a towel.
“You’re telling me! You should have seen my face when Mr. Jameson introduced him. I about shit my pants!” I exclaimed.
Trevor and I had been working the last couple days together, and to be honest, I was kind of enjoying his presence in the tiny office we shared. He was funny and light, and I was finding myself more and more relaxed around him. Of course, it didn’t hurt that he was some major eye candy either. Yummy! He was also fitting in quite well at the office, too. Everyone seemed to like him, especially the women. I was not
jealous … not one single bit!
There hadn’t been any more discussion about the night we met, and I could only assume he’d taken what I’d said to heart and was letting it go. I wish I could follow my own instructions. The last thing I needed right now was to get involved with someone again, but every time I looked at him, I had a hot-flash-fan-myself-toe-curling kind of flashback of the kiss we shared.
“You have to admit, Ava. He is hot!” Talia fanned herself, and I wasn’t sure if it was because of her workout or the thought of Trevor. He certainly had affected me in that way.
“Trust me, I know that. I have to sit across from him every day!” I groaned. “If things stay this way, pretty soon I’m going to need to excuse myself during the day for a little alone time if you know what I mean.”
“Well, it shouldn’t be anything new for you. You had to take care of yourself like that the entire time you were with Kyle. Selfish bastard!” Talia grumbled. I should have never told her that Kyle couldn’t give me an orgasm.
“So, are you coming to the club with us tonight?” I slowed down my own treadmill and took a drink from my water bottle, changing the subject.
“Sorry, baby girl! Not this time, I have a date!” I watched Talia stop her machine and wipe her forehead again with her towel.
“A date? With who?”
“Some guy I met at the club on Friday night.”
“You can’t be serious? Do you even remember any of the guys you met that night?” I laughed. “How do you do that? You are nuts!”
She laughed and nodded. “Amen sister! I run with scissors, too, because I’m a rebel like that—yeah! Keeping it real. You underestimate me, my friend. It’s a gift.” She winked at me as she headed for the locker room.
Never a dull moment with her!
***
Me: Looks like it’s just me tonight.
Trevor: Me too.
Me: I can pick you up.
Trevor: Sounds good. 8:00?
Me: Sure.
Trevor: 2247 Ridge Rd. Text when you get here, and I’ll come down.
Me: K
I dropped the phone on my aunt’s guest bed and searched through the plastic totes that currently housed my clothes. I couldn’t wait to have a closet again. I was so sick of having to iron everything I own.
I finally decided on an outfit and headed across the hall to the bathroom for a quick shower. I couldn’t help but feel excited for so many reasons. I’d been looking forward to working on a big project for years now, and I finally have the chance to do something that could prove my worth to the company. Granted, I am working on it with a partner, but I guess if I had to work with anyone, Trevor is about the best bet. Oh yes! Brains and looks wrapped up in a tight little package!
In just the short couple of days we have been working together, I could see enough to know that he and I think through a lot of things the same way. Our styles are complementary of each other’s, and the things we differ on, have not been deal breakers.
I pulled my hair up and stood in front of the mirror. Knee high boots—Check! Short skirt—Check! Form fitting shirt with a great bra—Check! “Well, Ava, this is as good as it’s going to get,” I tell myself.
I scribbled my aunt a quick note to let her know where I was going to be, just as a courtesy, and headed out.
Traffic was light, and I made it to Trevor’s apartment building within ten minutes. With a quick text to let him know I was there, I settled back and watched the door. I don’t know what I expected, but I can honestly say I was slightly taken aback at just how attractive he looked tonight. Okay, not just attractive, he looked amazingly hot!
“Hey!” Trevor buckled his seatbelt and stared at me.
“What? Is something wrong?” I asked.
“No, something is so not wrong; in fact, everything is just right. You look amazing!”
His gorgeous smile made my stomach do little flips. It had been so long since I’d felt really good about myself, and Trevor had a way of making me feel complete with just a look or a smile.
Looking back now, I realized just how destructive my relationship with Kyle had been. It wasn’t always that way. Of course, in the beginning, he was charming and sweet, and even after I moved in with him. But with me trying hard to move up in my job and him doing his thing—whatever or whoever that was—I had pulled back, and he became downright mean.
Kyle never physically hurt me—well, until the bruises he’d left on my arm last weekend—but he was verbally abusive. Everything was my fault, and he was never happy with me. I knew it was coming to an end, even before I caught him with his couch slut. I guess sometimes you just need to have a little push to remember that you are strong enough. It still amazes me that I allowed myself to remain in that situation for that long. I was never that type of girl. I was strong, fun, and so driven, but I still allowed myself to be broken down by a blatantly insecure man. I can tell you that I won’t be settling for a relationship like that again. In fact, I was not going to jump back into any type of relationship. I should take some lessons from Talia on how to have casual flings.
“Thank you, Trevor, you look pretty good yourself!” I pulled out into traffic and headed for the club.
“My new apartment is only a few blocks from yours.” I pointed down the cross street that led to my building.
“No kidding?” I laughed at how quickly he turned and looked out the window.
“So ,Trevor, what type of things are you looking for tonight at the club?”
“Are we talking about work or something else?” He wiggled his eyebrows at me. I tried not to laugh, but he was so cute!
“Of course, I’m talking about work. I’m not saying you can’t have fun, just take mental notes as you are wooing the women.” I shook my head as we pulled into the parking garage across from the club.
“I’m not planning on wooing random women tonight. I’m here with you.” He sounded annoyed, but I didn’t want to dig deeper. I could already feel my walls coming down when I was around Trevor. I needed to guard myself, so no asking questions that I didn’t want the answers to.
“Wow.” The club had a brilliant color scheme—red, blue, and yellow with exposed brick and dark wood floors. The bar was enormous with an ample bottle display, and there was an upper loft area where you could sit and watch the party below. This was totally somewhere that I could see my friends and me coming.
“Let’s get a drink.” I followed Trevor through the crowd. I almost lost him, but he grabbed a hold of my hand and pulled me with him.
Trevor handed me a pomegranate martini that was supposed to be one of the club favorites, and we turned, leaning up against the bar to watch the crowd, forcing myself into work mode.
There were approximately two males to every female, and I could see why they wanted a woman’s perspective. This club had the potential to be an enjoyable place for professional young women with the proper marketing. Bring the women in and the men tend to follow.
“Ready?” Trevor took my empty glass and set it on the bar. Wow, when did I drink that?
“For what?” I asked.
“Dancing.” He smiled, cocking his head to the side.
“Trevor, you must remember that I don’t dance, right?” I could feel my body heating up, both from the drink I’d just downed and the thought of being that close to him on the dance floor again.
“Sure you do. Come on.” It was obvious he wasn’t taking no for an answer, so I did what any self-respecting woman would do … I begged.
“Please, Trevor, my dancing is not pretty. You’re going to have to trust me on this.”
“Ava, there isn’t any part of you that’s not pretty; besides, I’ve already danced with you. Remember?” He cocked his brow at me. I swear, I was in fight-or-flight mode. I wasn’t sure what to do. Turns out, he wasn’t giving me time to decide. “Let’s go.” He took my hand and pulled me with him.
By the time we reached the dance floor, “Pound the Alarm” by Nicki Minaj had
started. Oh God, here we go, kill me now! Trevor started to move, and I was quite amazed at how natural he looked. Could he be any more perfect?
He put his hands on my sides, right above my hips and started to move them, making me sway with him. Before I knew it, I was feeling the beat and letting go, hoping like mad that I wasn’t making that weird duck face.
Trevor turned me around so he was pressed up against my back, still moving to the rhythm of the song. He slid his hands up along my sides, raising my arms when he got to them and then gently placing them back around his neck, so I was leaning against him, all the while still holding me tremendously close.
I laid my head back against his hard chest, lost in the music and the feel of his arms around me. I could feel his warm breath against my neck, and it made my stomach flutter as well as other key places. Holy quivering loins, Batman!
He spun me around and pulled me fully up against his hard chiseled body. I could feel his impressive erection pressing against my stomach, and I let out an involuntary groan. Trevor smiled at me and whispered in my ear, “Tell me what you want Ava.” Oh God, was he serious? What did I want? Besides him pressing me up against a wall and taking me right now?
I had a delicious taste of his kisses before, and it was unbelievable, even if it was just a farce to get Kyle away from me. The idea of letting myself go again scared the ever-living shit out of me!
Trevor had brought to the surface so many feelings that I thought I was incapable of feeling anymore. My body came alive with him, and my mind seemed to take the back burner. Shit, what am I doing?
“I can’t,” I whispered.
“You can’t what, Ava?” He gently kissed my temple as we continued to move with the music.
“It’s too soon. I can’t go down this road again.” I tried to think back to when I’d met Kyle, trying to remember if I’d ever felt this passion with him. I don’t think I did then—maybe not ever.
“Tell me what you want, Ava. I’ll give you whatever you want. Just tell me,” he demanded.
I couldn’t breathe. I felt like I was drowning. My body was screaming take me, but my mind was screaming run. I so wanted to give in—just to feel good. But I couldn’t do it. Not with him. If the reactions of my body were any indication, I wasn’t going to just walk away with the experience with him. Maybe I couldn’t do casual. Not with him anyway.
