“Rick is a beast,” Marlene said with a smile. “A human one, but ferocious nonetheless. He has this charm about him that tends to woo clients in his favor, even if they’ve already committed to other people. I’m sure Cruz was one of the casualties in this war they call business.”
Avery gave her mother a look at the unnecessary and inappropriate comparison. Instead, she picked at the pasta that had gone lukewarm during their conversation. “He insinuated that Rick blackmails potential clients,” she said. Now she did whisper, afraid someone might overhear and assume her father supported such tactics.
“Honey, please!” Her mother’s fork clattered to the plate, causing a couple of nearby restaurant patrons to turn and look at the two. “You can’t possibly tell me you’re actually going to give credence to what he’s saying? He’s trying to intimidate you. He’s trying to get into your head and he’s doing it by using Rick against you. Sexist, let me tell you. Do you think anyone even questions his love life? The number of partners he’s had? The women he’s stolen from nice, human boys? No. And you’re letting him. Avery, my dear, don’t fall for his tricks. And don’t buy into his sexist intimidation. Stand your ground. Has Rick given you any reason to doubt him? To doubt his abilities?”
Avery shook her head. She couldn’t quite believe it, but her mother was actually making sense.
"See? Don't worry about what that mutt is saying."
"Mom." Avery felt her face turn an unseemly shade of red. Her mother was making sense, yes, but that didn't mean she had to call him derogatory names. It made her stomach queasy with discomfort. Avery didn't think she had ever said that word in her entire life. She had never said leech before either, except when in science class discussing the actual bug and not the vampires.
"What?" Of course, Marlene wouldn't get it. She took a sip of her mimosa and shrugged her shoulders. When she finished, she gave her a blank look. "Well, that's what he is, isn't he?"
"Mom, you can't say that."
Avery's mind flashed to Lucas Cruz. He had nice eyes and a warm smile. But something about him was cocky. Something about him was predatory. He was Somerset's darling, a resident bachelor the media outlets were waiting for to finally start dating someone steady. He looked sharp in his hand-made suits tailored perfectly to his five foot ten frame. It didn't even matter that he wasn't particularly tall. It didn't even matter that he wasn't full of muscles. The guy was a masterpiece. Even thinking about him made her face flush and her heart start beating faster than it normally did. He was a celebrity in his own way and she wasn't good at hiding her swoon. Except once he opened that mouth of his, her swoon vanished and she was annoyed. Dazzled, but annoyed. Regardless, he didn't deserve to be called a mutt. There was no reason for that nastiness.
"Mom, can I ask you a serious question?" Avery asked. She could feel the tips of her ears turn red, staring at her plate rather than looking at Marlene. She could not believe she was going to ask her mother this question but she needed to talk to someone about this and her mother actually knew what she was talking about when it came to this sort of thing.
"Of course, dear," she said with a smile. "You can ask me anything."
"Mom, when you and dad got married, were you..." Her face turned redder and she couldn't get the words out. She was a grown adult, a graduate of a prestigious college with honors and multiple recommendations and a trust fund that made Bill Gates pause. Why was it so hard to say the words?
"What, Av?" Marlene asked.
"Were you a virgin?"
Avery felt her face catch fire and she took a quick sip of her drink in hopes it would help cool her down. She couldn't look her mother in the eye yet, not right now, and she needed something to distract herself with.
In all honesty, she felt exposed. Vulnerable. Like one of her deep dark fears had come to play out in front of her. This was the last thing she wanted to speak to her mother about. It was the last thing she wanted to admit to. She didn't like thinking being a virgin was a flaw but the way Lucas made it seem, Rick would definitely think so. She was nearly twenty-five and the most she had done was make out. Nobody even tried feeling her up. Maybe they were intimidated by her father and his wealth. She didn't know and that was what she didn't like. She didn't like this not knowing, this inexperience. She had always been the type to study a subject thoroughly, especially if said subject piqued her interest. The problem was, sex demanded on-hand experience in order to thoroughly conduct research regarding what sex was, why it was so good, and what she could do with it. And Avery had not found anyone worthy conducting such experience with.
"A virgin!" Her mother looked around, worried somewhat might overhear. Avery furrowed her brow. It was odd to her that she had no problem using a derogatory term in polite company but god forbid someone insinuate she was a virgin. "Of course I wasn't a virgin." She looked at her daughter. "Are you still a virgin? Honey, you cannot go into a marriage without some sort of sexual experience. Rick will be expecting it. He doesn't want to spend his honeymoon teaching you how to please him."
"What about him pleasing me?" Avery said without thinking.
"Avery, if you're a virgin you need to please yourself first," she said seriously. "You'll need to learn about yourself. A man will not be able to do anything for you unless you can do it for yourself. I'm being serious. Figure it out. It will make your first time all the better for both you and Rick." She leaned forward, being careful not to knock over her drink. "I'm not advocating cheating, darling, but do consider the benefits in being fluent in the art of making love, hmm? I know your father certainly enjoyed our honeymoon. And you know what? So did I."
She took her flute in her hand and tipped it toward Avery.
Avery chewed her bottom lip and let her mother's words sink in. As much as she hated to admit it, her mother actually made sense.
3
Avery was actually nervous during her next business meeting. Instead of meeting at the small office space, they were going to a small restaurant with food priced moderately rather than too expensive and too cheap. Avery preferred restaurants like these – she frequented Stanford’s pub as often as studies would allow and got addicted to their bar food – it allowed for a more casual dress and she knew the food would be reasonably priced and delicious.
What was causing the lightning striking the inside of her body was the knowledge that Lucas Cruz would be there, sitting across from her at the table, feasting on barbeque ribs and looking at her while he did so. It wasn’t even that he was a werewolf – though she could admit that the knowledge of him being paranormal both thrilled her and scared her simultaneously – but he knew how to intimidate people. During their last encounter, he got her to look away during the typical stare-down business rivals tend to have. Her father used to tell her all about that.
“Never, ever look away,” he would say, pointing his finger in the air to emphasize his point. “Looking away is akin to weakness and Montgomerys are never weak. At least, we are not perceived that way.”
But she looked away. She couldn’t help it. His stare caused her cheeks to set on fire and if she hadn’t, her skin would be crawling with ugly red blotches. It was why she could not go out into the sun without some sort of protection. It was why her skin was so pale and would probably remain that way.
And then he smirked. She saw him smirk from the corner of her eye because he knew, he knew he had this deal in the bag. Because some flimsy girl had no idea what she was doing. It didn’t matter that she had a Masters in Business. It didn’t matter that she interned at her father’s company every summer since she started high school and knew it like the back of her hand. As a female in the business world, she would have to fight for her footing, and even then, the likelihood that said footing was equal was slim to none. And she had handed Lucas Cruz that stereotype on a silver platter by looking away.
She could not let that happen again.
She dressed for success with a feminine flare. She refused to pretend to be masculin
e despite the domination men had in business. Avery wanted to embrace her femininity and did so by choosing a power dress – a tastefully cut sleeveless suit with a grey skirt that rested two inches above her knees. The white blouse had a teasing amount of lace that ran vertically down her center, emphasizing her breasts and making them appear bigger than they were. On her feet was a pair of black pumps. She felt good. She felt confident. She felt powerful. She felt like a woman who would not look away.
Her mother’s words rang throughout her mind as she walked from her car to the restaurant – a popular west coast chain that served grease with a side of food and attire was casual – and reminded her not to put up with his intimidation tactics, especially when they made her feel like a woman out of her element. She clenched her teeth together and took a deep breath. She opened the door herself, and the hostess led her to a table in the back where Lucas Cruz was already waiting, wearing a pressed grey suit and white shirt. His eyes had been fixed on the baseball game playing above the bar but rested firmly on Avery when he realized she had arrived.
Immediately, he stood and offered her a chair next to him. He said nothing, not until the hostess left.
Avery slid into the offered seat without hesitation. Before, she would have sat across from him, needing space. She didn’t want to be too close to him. She already knew he affected her in a way that wasn’t professional and actually played into the stereotype she was so desperately trying to avoid.
Lucas looked at his silver Rolex then at Avery’s profile, his brown eyes searing into her skin like he was branding her. Her insides screamed in agony and she prayed that she wasn’t blushing. She couldn’t be blushing. It would only give her away. Instead, she focused on the cloth napkin folded over the silverware placed in front of her and ignored his gaze.
“Right on time,” he said. He didn’t seem perturbed by the fact that she was obviously ignoring him. “I like that in a woman.”
“Yes, well, I aim to please,” she said, sarcasm dripping like the diamonds hanging from her ears. Which happened to be a gift from her fiancé. Another reminder that she could not let Lucas Cruz get to her.
“Do you?” He seemed surprised, and from the corner of her eye, she watched as he cocked his head to the side, narrowing his eyes at her. He was studying her, taking her in. She wished she could maintain that confidence she felt this morning. She wanted to pretend not to care, to urge him to continue to stare because that was the closest thing he was going to get to her, but she could feel herself blush and she hated herself for it.
“You get uncomfortable being the center of attention, don’t you?” he asked. His voice had grown soft, almost husky. The hairs on her bare arms stood straight up and she swallowed again, trying to get control over her traitorous body. “I don’t understand why, though. You’re beautiful.”
“Enough.” Avery hadn’t meant to snap but she couldn’t help it. He sat back in his seat, surprise clearly littering his face. His brows were pushed together, his lips were pursed, but his eyes – those penetrating eyes that seemed to root her in place – were still locked on her, an inquisitive look on his face. “I know what you’re doing, okay? And, quite frankly, I’m appalled that a respected businessman such as yourself would resort to such tactics.”
“Tell me, Ms. Montgomery,” Lucas said, “what, exactly, am I doing?”
“Would you call a man beautiful?" she asked him, pressing her brows together and turning her upper body so it faced him directly.
Lucas shrugged his shoulders. "It depends," he said. "Is the man in question beautiful?" Avery growled in frustration. Lucas chuckled. "Careful, Ms. Montgomery. You almost sound like a wolf."
"You're being sexist," Avery said. "Again."
"How is this sexist?" Lucas asked, and he seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say. It did not seem as though he was trying to get a rise out of her. He was interested in what she had to say. "Did you know that only four percent of women are CEO's of Fortune 500 companies? Did you know that my management staff is compromised of sixty-five percent women? My VP is a woman. I run a non-profit specifically geared toward integrating business in the community and offering low-income communities the chance to take college accredited business classes that could go toward their degree for free? Many of those students are women - stay at home moms, entrepreneurs. I'm very woman-friendly."
"Then why do you feel the need to call me beautiful?" Avery asked. "Why not take me seriously as a businesswoman?"
Lucas crossed his arms over his chest and cocked his head to the side. "Just because you're a woman does not mean you're entitled to my respect," he said. "You have to earn it. Like I said, nearly half of my company is women. More than half of the managerial staff is women. I know businesswomen. I know they've worked their asses off to get where they are and they're still held back because of the fact that their women. You should take it as me being completely equal, non-sexist that I haven't already clapped you on the back and welcomed you to the club. You still have to prove yourself to me. Many of the women I work with didn't have their daddy's company to intern at or a blank check at their disposal and they still somehow managed to get where they are now."
Avery clenched her jaw from saying anything stupid. He made a point and she did not want to admit it. That didn’t mean he had a right to comment on her appearance, however. There was no need for that. It had nothing to do with business and more than a little unprofessional.
"Then why did you tell me I'm beautiful?" she asked. Her voice had gone soft and she didn't know why.
Lucas looked at her for a long moment. The inside of her cheeks burned under his heavy gaze. She had to look down, had to make sure she was wearing clothes due to the intensity of his dark eyes. They made her feel exposed. Vulnerable. Naked. Finally, he said, "Because you are. And I feel compelled to let you know, just in case you didn't."
“It’s not relevant,” she managed to get out, and to be honest, she was proud her voice came out as steady as it did.
“No,” he agreed, his eyes lingering on her lips. His fingers twitched, almost as though he was restraining them from touching her. “Your beauty has nothing to do with business.”
I want him to touch me, a voice said, popping up without warning. Avery bit the inside of her bottom lip to keep from screeching in disagreement.
The hair on her arms stood up and she clenched her jaw to try and control her physical reaction to his words. People had called her beautiful before. People complimented her face and her legs, her body and her eyes. But no one said the word where it actually made her feel beautiful as a whole rather than as an individual body part. Like her whole soul, the very essence of who she was, was beautiful.
"You know," he said, cocking his head to the side and looking at her with half-hooded eyes. "If you ever need any help" -
"Do you know who my father is?" Avery asked. She hated saying the phrase - in fact, she didn't think she had ever said the phrase in her life - but it came out of her before she could stop it. Once it was out, there was no going back so Avery decided to run with it. "I can go to him should I need any education concerning business."
"It's not just business," Lucas said. His eyes were locked with hers and once again, her breath voluntarily left her. "I can educate you in other things that you can use in business. It will make you a stronger business woman. The way you use your feminine wiles to your advantage. The way you can smile, how to dress. Not that there's anything wrong with the way you dress." He bit his bottom lip as he looked her up and down. A thrill went through her. She had never felt a burst of excitement in her body before. "You can integrate different aspects of your life into business and it will make you better in business."
"And what aspect of your life do you integrate into your business?" Avery asked with a raised brow. She looked at him with a skeptical look on her face, deciding to ignore his educational offer and the offense she took to it.
"My pack mentality," he replied. "My leadership skill
s. My sex life."
Avery felt herself blush at the word sex coming from his mouth. He caught onto it quick.
"Are you..." he said and his eyes suddenly widened. "You are, aren't you?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"A virgin," he said.
Avery was ready to deny it but her face turned even redder and gave her away. She crossed her arms over her chest. "My sex life is none of your business," she said.
He gave her a knowing smirk. "Perhaps not," he agreed. "But the offer still stands. I'd be happy to teach you whatever it is you would like to know."
Was it wrong that she was tempted by the offer?
4
“So tell me,” Rick said as he pulled out Avery’s chair. “How’s this whole business venture going? I hear you have some pretty stiff competition.”
Avery nearly choked on her wine as she slid into her seat. That was one way to put it, she supposed. He took his seat across from her and she took a generous gulp in order to buy her some time to think about how to respond to his question.
Lucas Cruz was unlike any man she knew. He caused flares to soar across her stomach while simultaneously dragging the very essence of her soul to her core, making her feel like she might choke, like she was gasping for air and he was the only one who could provide such a thing for her. If he decided she deserved it. He was gorgeous and gorgeous men made her nervous because she never knew what their true intentions were. Were they speaking to her because she was rich? Beautiful? Because they wanted to be seen speaking with her? Because they wanted to sleep with her?
Avery was a good judge of character. It was one of the few things she knew she was for sure good at. She could read men like the back of her hand. It was one skill she picked up from her mother and actually helped rather than hindered her. Every now and then, she was wrong about someone. Her heart would break, she would learn from it, and move on. But for the most part, she was on top of who to trust and who not to. It was why she was so certain of Rick.
An Education in Business: A Somerset Novel (Somerset Series Book 3) Page 2
