The Philadelphia Series: The Complete Collection Boxed Set

by Taryn Plendl

  “I need you to be my friend.” Yeah ... I’m pretty sure that sounded even more pathetic out loud than it did in my head.

  Chapter 5

  Trevor

  She wanted a friend? Well shit!

  I could feel her body’s response to me. She wanted me as much as I wanted her. That son-of-a-bitch, Kyle, really did a number on her. How could he take for granted the wonderful woman he had?

  I knew she was scared. Hell, I was scared! I couldn’t remember ever wanting someone as much as I wanted Ava. I was hoping to get a night with her, just to get her out of my system. Who was I kidding? Ava wasn’t a casual fuck. Was I honestly considering something more with this girl? Come on Trevor, man up!

  I kissed her softly on the head and pulled back so I could see her face. “I can do that.” Good luck with that, Trevor.

  The relief I saw in her face made me feel good about my decision. I twirled her around as a new song started.

  She threw her head back and laughed as we continued to dance for several more songs. She was carefree and having fun. It made my night.

  “Ready to go?” I finished my drink and set it on the bar.

  “Yeah, it’s getting late.”

  We didn’t talk much on the way back to my place, but it was a comfortable silence. She seemed content. Me? I was a bundle of frustrated sexual energy. It didn’t help that she smelled fucking unbelievable!

  “Thanks for a great night Trevor. I really had fun.” She smiled so sweetly.

  I leaned over and gave her a hug. “My pleasure, Ava. See you in the morning.”

  I needed a very cold shower!

  ***

  “I think that’s it.” I set the last box in the middle of the living room of Ava’s new apartment.

  She really didn’t have too much to move, and her new furniture was going to be delivered this afternoon and put together by the delivery people, so we didn’t have to worry about that; although, I would have loved an excuse to stay longer. I had one hell of a time convincing Nick and Tom to do this for me on a Saturday morning. It looked like Talia wasn’t feeling it any more than my two friends.

  Ava had pulled out a bag of chips and salsa, and we all gathered around the breakfast bar. I tossed the guys each a beer as we settled against the counter for a much needed break.

  “You look familiar—you sure I haven’t seen you before?” Nick popped a chip in his mouth, looking Talia over.

  “I don’t know, maybe … do you watch porn?” Talia asked innocently. Ava and I cracked up when Nick started to choke on his chip.

  “Nice.” Tom nodded and chuckled.

  “Not funny. I could have died, damn it!” We were all laughing at Nick now, and he seriously tried hard not to join us, but in the end, he was smiling, too. It looked like he’d met his match in Talia.

  We all decided to part ways until later that night at the club. Ava would be driving herself and Talia, and Nick, Tom, and I would be driving together.

  “Thanks for your help today. I really appreciate it.” Ava reached up and hugged me tight for a brief moment. Much more brief than I would’ve liked, but considering we were friends, it was perfect.

  I shut the door and walked to the elevator where Nick and Tom were waiting, holding the doors open.

  “So, what’s the deal with you two?” Tom asked as I pushed the one on the elevator panel.

  “We are friends,” I groaned, leaning my forehead against the wall.

  “Last time we saw you two together, you looked a little closer than friends to me.” Nick wiggled his eyebrows.

  “She’s coming off of a two-plus year relationship with a guy who is a total prick. You remember the asshole at the club? I don’t think he was very nice to her, and that night at the club, the motherfucker left bruises on her arm.” I shook my head. “He better hope I don’t see him again.” They both nodded, knowing I was dead serious.

  “Hey, thanks for helping me today. I’ve got the first couple of rounds tonight.” My friends were good guys. They had my back like family—there was no doubt about that.

  “Come on, let’s go eat.” I owed them a meal, too.

  ***

  The club was packed by the time the guys and me showed up. Ava had texted me to say that she and Talia found a table next to the dance floor.

  I looked around, but it didn’t take long for me to find her. It was almost as if I was drawn to her, and God, she looked hot tonight! Her long dark hair hung in soft curls over her shoulders and down her back. She wore a fitted red sweater with a black skirt and boots that did sinful things to her legs. This friend thing was going to kill me!

  “Wow, man. Did you see Ava? She looks hot!” Nick nudged me. “Hey, with you all being just friends, mind if I take a stab at her?” I whipped around, glaring at him until I saw the smirk on his face.

  “Shit, Trevor, I was afraid you were going to hit me for a second there! Reel it in. Don’t get pussy-whipped before you even get the pussy.” He laughed.

  “Seriously, Nick, don’t talk about her that way,” I warned as I headed over to the table.

  Ava and I discussed some of the key points we saw in the club; after all, we were here for work, right?

  Tom went to the bar to get us another round of drinks while Nick and Talia were taking on the dance floor. It didn’t take long for them to come back. It seemed like they couldn’t help but be at each other’s throats. It was actually quite comical.

  “I may be wrong, but you ain't right.” We heard Nick tell Talia as they sat down.

  “I am right.”

  “How do you figure?”

  “Because ... I have a vagina,” Talia stated confidently as she finished off her drink.

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Nick asked.

  “It means that I would know better than you if they were real or not. You think with the wrong head, and girls like that depend on that.” Talia shrugged, looking bored. “Plus, I’m a nurse. I know the human body better than you.”

  It didn’t take long for us to figure out that they were talking about a blonde with massive fake boobs. She happened to walk by our table, clearly flirting with Nick. We all busted out laughing at him.

  “Are you sure?” Nick asked after she passed, and we started laughing again.

  “It doesn’t matter.” Nick jumped up to follow the blonde just as Tom came back with drinks.

  “Here Talia, Cosmo, right?” Tom set the drink in front of her as he sat down.

  “Thank you ,Tom, that was very nice of you.” Talia smiled as she took a sip of her new drink.

  “Want to dance, Talia?” Tom asked.

  “Sure!” She was up and back on the dance floor with Tom following behind her.

  “She’s a trip,” I chuckled, shaking my head.

  “Yeah, she is,” Ava agreed. “She has been like that for as long as I’ve known her, but as wild and crazy as she is, she is loyal to a fault. She is the closest thing I have to a sister.” Ava smiled sweetly, and my opinion just rose for Talia. If she was good to Ava, she was fine in my book.

  The night flew by. Before I knew it, we were at the front of the club saying our goodbyes. Nick had decided to go home with the blonde. Some things never change. Tom gave Talia a hug and thanked her for dancing with him all night, and I gave Ava another one of my—all too platonic—hugs.

  “Call me when you get home so I know you are safe,” I asked her as she and Talia climbed in her car.

  Twenty minutes later my phone rang.

  “Hi.” I smiled to myself, feeling excited to hear her voice again. I was so pathetic.

  “I’m home. Thanks for a fun night.”

  “You’re welcome. Goodnight, Ava.”

  “Goodnight, Trevor.”

  Chapter 6

  Ava

  The next two weeks were filled with late nights at work for Trevor and me as we finalized our proposal for the Daniels nightclubs. We had focused on certain aspects of the clubs that would undoubtedly appeal
to younger professional women.

  One thing I liked about the clubs was how professional the staff was dressed. I know guys like the idea of a scantily clad bartender showing off her cleavage as she’s serving up drinks, but women don’t, and without women, a club is just a testosterone gathering.

  The lighting is very important, too. It might seem minor to most men, but women want to look their best at all times, and harsh overhead or fluorescent lighting that is popular in most clubs can wash out even the most attractive woman. The lighting at the Daniels Clubs was LED with sconces on the walls. You look your best with lighting coming from the sides.

  “I guess I never thought about that.” Trevor was going over my lists of appeals to women.

  “Exactly! That’s why I’m here—to see beyond the bartender in the bikini.” I sipped my coffee as we continued to work across from each other.

  “Hey, Ava? Have you ever thought of being a bartender?” He wiggled his eyebrows at me.

  “Uh, no Trevor.” I giggled. I loved that he could make me laugh!

  I leaned back in my chair, stretching my arms up over my head. These late nights were beginning to wear on me. When I looked back down I locked eyes with Trevor. I saw something there that he was usually extremely careful to mask. Desire. Oh my!

  It was obvious that he was attracted to me—hell—it was all I could do to keep myself off of him, too, but I just couldn’t go there—not yet. I still needed to deal with my own demons left over from my relationship with Kyle. It was crucial to me to see that I was fully capable of standing on my own feet, making my own decisions, and even making my own mistakes. I didn’t want to drag Trevor through any of that until I was sure. He didn’t deserve that.

  This friend thing was a good decision, even if my body continued to betray me at every turn. And oh boy, did it ever!

  “It’s late Trevor, let’s call it a night.” I stood and started to pack up.

  “We’re not ready, Ava; we still have a handful of things to work through before Monday.” I could hear the concern in Trevor’s voice. I knew he was right, but I was drained tonight. I had nothing left.

  I pulled my hands through my hair, combing through some of the tangles. “How about we have dinner at your place tomorrow night and work through the rest. If we need more time still, we can meet up again on Sunday.”

  “That works. Come on. Let’s get you home.” Trevor and I had started riding together to work. With us only living blocks away from each other, it didn’t make sense to drive separately when we arrived and left work at the same time. It was kinda fun running out to his car. It was a perfect start to the day.

  We locked up the office and headed to the elevator. We had been the last to leave several nights now.

  “Ladies first.” Trevor smiled as he motioned to me when the doors opened.

  “Oh, come on, the only reason ‘ladies first’ was made is so guys could check out a woman's ass.” I raised my eyebrows at him. He looked me up and down. Look away, Ava!

  “Like I said, ladies first.” Trevor laughed as I smacked his hand down when I walked through the doors, shaking my hips a bit more than usual for his benefit.

  I settled into the soft seats of Trevor’s car. If the drive hadn’t been so quick, I’m sure I would have gone to sleep right there in his car.

  “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” Trevor pulled me into a hug and kissed the top of my head. It was a gesture he started recently, and although it kind of blurred the lines, it felt nice, so I went with it.

  “Goodnight, Trevor.”

  “Goodnight, Ava.”

  ***

  The half empty cartons of Chinese food littered the coffee table in Trevor’s living room where we had been working for the last three hours, right up until the food showed up.

  Groaning, I lay back flat on the floor and rubbed my tummy. “I ate too much!” The couch was suddenly looking pretty appealing to me. I wanted to just curl up on my side until I digested my dinner. I crawled over to it and climbed up.

  “Let’s watch a movie. We’re almost finished with the proposal. We deserve a break.” Trevor climbed on the couch and pulled my feet onto his lap as he searched through the On-Demand movies.

  At this point, I honestly could’ve cared less about what movie he chose because Trevor was absentmindedly rubbing my feet as he scrolled through the movies, and it felt positively amazing!

  He had respected the lines of friendship that I’d drawn. Well, kind of. He didn’t pressure me for more than I could give, but damn if I didn’t want to cross those lines often. Stupid lines! He was an exceptionally hard person to resist. Put aside the fact that his body looked like a Greek God that was chiseled out of stone; he was just genuinely a good person.

  I watched the way he interacted with people at work. He gave everyone his undivided attention whenever they talked. He would listen to Gail in the lunch room go on and on about her grandchildren and laugh at the silly things they would do. He brought Chelsea a coffee every morning as well as my double shot caramel macchiato—which he learned was my favorite without asking—and he was a riot to watch with his friends.

  He was the same man with all of us, never feeling the need to be someone else. Any guy who treats you the same in front of their friends as when you are alone deserved some respect. Right? Kyle had always put me down in front of his friends and then acted nice when we got home to make up for it. Again, I ask myself why the hell I stayed with him for so long?

  I vaguely recall being carried to Trevor’s bed, but I was so tired that I couldn’t even open my eyes. Besides, it felt too damn good! I wanted to snuggle up closer to him, but he laid me in the bed and covered me up.

  “Sleep, my sweet Ava.” He kissed me softly on the forehead before I heard the door close. I nuzzled into his pillows to get closer to his scent. His bed was so comfortable, and I must have been thoroughly exhausted because the next thing I remember is waking up in a strange bed. Well, that was a first!

  After stumbling out of Trevor’s bed, I made a stop at the bathroom, rinsed my mouth out with the mouthwash I found on the counter, borrowed a brush for my tangled hair and washed my face. It wasn’t pretty, but it was going to have to do.

  Trevor was standing in the kitchen in nothing but a pair of pajama pants that sat—oh so low—on his waist. The muscles in his back rippled as he lifted a pan to the stove, and when he turned around and caught me staring, I couldn’t even mask my appreciation.

  “Wow.” Did I just say that out loud?

  His mouth quirked up on one side. “Good morning, sunshine. How’d you sleep?” His hair was slightly messy and his face a bit scruffy. If I didn’t think he was hot before, I was practically drooling now.

  “Too good, considering I was in a strange bed.” I smiled, trying to not focus on his stomach. “I’m sorry I took your bed.” I slid into the chair at the breakfast bar, watching him move easily around his kitchen. He stopped and walked toward me.

  “I’m not. You were exhausted.” He put his hands on the counter directly in front of me. I could see his muscles flex as he placed his weight on them. It felt like his eyes were looking right into my soul. Those green eyes alone could make a girl drop her pants.

  “Well, thank you, Trevor.” Breathe Ava! My voice sounded a little too husky. Friends, friends, friends! I repeated this mantra in my mind.

  “You can occupy my bed anytime, Ava.” He turned around before I could reply, but boy, my body reacted, straight to my core, and now I couldn’t get the image of myself in that bed with Trevor!

  He placed a plate of French toast and bacon in front of me, dished up his own and brought two cups of coffee to the breakfast bar and sat down next to me.

  “You’re spoiling me. I may show up every morning for breakfast now that I know what you’re capable of.” I grinned.

  “Oh God, I hope so!” I had to look away first before I did something I might or might not regret. I’m drowning here!

  We ate silently, and then de
cided to get back to work to put the final touches on our proposal.

  “I think it’s good.” Trevor sat back, looking over everything we’d done.

  “I think so, too. We might make a pretty good team, after all.” I nudged his shoulder in a friendly gesture, not so I could just feel his remarkable arm muscles. No, not at all!

  “I think you might be amazed at just how great of a team we could be.” He was staring at me again.

  “Are we still talking about work, Trevor?” I asked softly.

  “What do you think?” Oh my god! Was he leaning toward me? Oh my God, was I leaning, too?

  “I better go.” I jumped up more quickly than I anticipated, leaving me feeling slightly light-headed. It sure as hell didn’t help when Trevor wrapped his arms around my waist.

  “Are you okay, Ava?” he laughed.

  “Um, I really should go,” I whispered.

  “Why? Can’t resist me?” Trevor smiled, cocking his head to the side and wiggling his eyebrows.

  “Funny. Our platonic lines are starting to really blur.” I smiled back. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” I turned and walked out the door, needing to take matters into my own hands, if you know what I mean.

  ***

  I was a bundle of nerves as I walked into the building on Monday morning. I felt good about our presentation, but I guess it was just the excitement of finishing work on one of the biggest accounts of my advertising career that had my insides all tied up.

  “Good morning, Ava,” Chelsea greeted me with her sweet smile. She had her coffee in hand, so I knew Trevor was already here.

  “Good morning, Chelsea, wish us luck!” I smiled at her nervously.

  “You guys are going to knock them dead. You two seem to be a good team.” She winked at me. I wasn’t sure what she meant by that, but I didn’t have time to question it, so I just nodded and smiled.