by Katie Dowe
*****
He stood in front of the mirror in his apartment and stared at his reflection. His heart was racing like a horse at the thought of seeing her Avia. He'd thought about it for a very long time and had decided to come and take in the show. He would sit in his usual seat and observe her from a distance and just enjoy the show. After it was over he would come back to his apartment and be on his way to Europe. He wasn't going to have sex with, her that was for sure! But the very thought of her lush body, her velvety brown eyes, those long legs wrapped around his waist was making him very hard. With a tortured groan he stepped away and tugged at the tie he had decided to wear. He took it off and went with the moss green sweater over his grey shirt. He'd planned to take his mother the next time he was in town but he would feel uncomfortable with her there while trying to hide what he was feeling.
He'd called her and told her that he was in town on business and he would see her before he left.
“Why don’t you come by and spend the night, darling?” she had asked him.
“Mother, I'm not sure what time I'll be done.”
“You know you're welcome any time darling.”
“I'll swing by in the morning and have breakfast.” He promised her.
The thought hit him that he would much rather be having breakfast in bed with a certain sexy songbird.
*****
Avia rushed to the bathroom and got there just in time. The entire meal of shellfish and creamy salad came rushing out of her mouth and into the bowl, leaving her weak and trembling. “Come on now, darling,” she whispered as she leaned back against the tile. “Mommy has commitments she has to deal with and an entire room full of people she has to entertain, now is not the time to be contrary. This is supposed to happen in the mornings when I'm at home. Not while I'm at the club ready to go on stage!”
Chapter 4
She saw him the minute she went on stage. It was the Valentine’s Day show and the house was packed to capacity. Her dress was a dazzling red one with a diagonal white stripe down the middle of it. It was close fitting and snug especially around the chest area. Her hair was pinned on top of her head and made her neck appear even longer.
Avia tuned him out, she had to. He was such a distraction sitting there confident and handsome with that body that had brought her so much pleasure. He'd planted his seed inside her and that seed was now growing into a child, a child that she wanted fiercely. Of course he was much more than a sperm donor. If only she was into a relationship.
She closed her eyes and crooned out the love song in a haunting melody which added more depth to her sultry voice. There was a hush in the crowd as the song continued, as she continued to haunt them and titillate them with her voice. When it was over there was a standing ovation and thunderous applause and demands for more, which she gave them.
“Tonight is the night for lovers and for those who are single to find love,” she told them in her sultry voice with a smile on her lips. “Liberate yourselves and forget about the issues arising in your relationship. Forget everything else but each other and let go.”
She bowed at the end to the thunderous applause and wearily made her way to her dressing room, only stopping to acknowledge Selena who was waiting for her at her door. “You were wonderful out there,” she said with a beaming smile.
“Thanks Selena. Could you give me a few minutes? I need to lie down for a little bit before I take off.”
“Are you ill?” she asked in concern.
“A little under the weather. I'll be fine in a few minutes.”
“I left a bottle of champagne in the dressing room for you.”
“Thank you.”
She pushed the door open and went straight to the sofa to ease her shoes off and lay down. Her stomach felt queasy and she felt drained. She was going into her second month but is was as if a roller coaster had been set off inside her stomach. “Maybe I'm too old for this,” she thought ruefully as she closed her eyes. She must have drifted off a little bit because she never heard when the door opened. She just felt when he stood over her. She opened her eyes and stared up at him. “Hi,” she smiled slowly as she looked up at him. He sure was scrumptious, she thought as her skin heated up and her nipples hardened.
“Selena said you weren't feeling well and I was wondering if you wanted to be disturbed.” He went down on his haunches and stared at her.
“By you? I wouldn't call it disturbance,” her slim, graceful hand drifted to his face and then down to his neck. He was wearing a tie, she thought whimsically as she fiddled with it until it was loose. “How are you?”
“I didn't call—”
She placed a finger on his lip to stop him from talking. “Don’t go there,” she whispered. “We didn't promise each other anything.”
His mouth opened and her finger went in. She closed her eyes as he sucked on it hard, pulling at the emotions in her lower body. “Darling,” she murmured throatily as she arched her body. “We need to leave.”
“Are you sure?”
“Am I—” she broke off as she swung her legs off the sofa and sat facing him. She slipped the shoulders of her dress off and his eyes smoldered as he saw her bare breasts with their stiff and ready nipples. “What do you think?”
“I think we should leave.” He leaned forward and took a nipple inside his mouth. Hot molten fire shot through her body and it was all she could do not to scream. It was unbelievable. She moaned softly as he continued to feed off her nipple but then she realized that if he didn't stop now they were going to be in danger of having sex right there in her dressing room where someone could easily come in and catch them at it. “Darling,” she said raggedly. “We really have to go.”
He left her nipple reluctantly and got to his feet. “I'll wait out front.” He stared down at her for a moment before leaving swiftly. With a trembling sigh she got to her feet and undressed hurriedly. In record time she'd dressed in her street clothes and almost flew outside. He was already leaning against a shiny red convertible. She forgot about her raging desire long enough to admire the sleek lines. His guards were standing to one side discreetly and she wondered if they were going to follow them. “You're dismissed,” he told them with a nod. They looked at each other for a moment before going into a nondescript black car.
“Shall we?” she asked with an engaging grin as her car was brought around by the valet.
*****
Morgan felt as if she was being torn in two. Kyle hadn't been coming around for the past two days and when she called him he wasn't picking up. He'd asked to borrow money from her and the warning signals had sounded loud and clear in her ears. She'd hesitated and then she'd asked what it was for.
“Why?” he had asked her insolently. “I'm in trouble and I need help. That’s all you want to know.”
“I'm afraid I'm not that stupid Kyle.” She'd told him, feeling as if the world was crashing down around her. She'd told Avia that she didn't care as long as they were good for each other but she had gone ahead and fallen in love with him. And now he was proving to be like all the others. “Is that all I am to you? A bank?”
“Why are you tripping?” he'd asked her impatiently. “You have money and I need a loan. I didn't say I wasn't going to pay you back.”
“Real men don't ask the women they're seeing for money,” she had told him with a wobble in her voice.
He had laughed at her insolently. “Which century are you living in, girl?” he'd asked her as he got off the bed and put his pants back on. He had just brought her over the edge and she was hoping he wouldn't run off and now it was spoiled.
“Where are you going?”
“Home,” he had told her coldly. “When you grow up, give me a call.” He'd gone without another word. She hadn't told Avia because her friend would tell her that he'd turned out the way she had expected. What the hell was wrong with her? Why did she keep sleeping and marrying the same losers over and over again? She missed him so much that she'd been tempted to call him
and offer him the money but something had held her back.
She let herself into her apartment and went straight to her liquor cabinet and grabbing a bottle of wine she went into her elegant and lonely bedroom.
*****
Avia and Grayson fell into an exhausted sleep in the early hours of the morning. There was no conversation between them and the minute they were in the apartment they were at each other. She'd torn his shirt in her haste to get to the muscled warmth of his chest and he had almost fallen in his haste to take his pants off. She'd sobbed and curled her fingers into his chest and he'd held her to him as if he had no intention of letting her go. She woke up at nine and realized that he was still there. She eased away from him slowly, and resting her face on her hand she stared at him. His skin was rugged, as if he spent a lot of time in the sun. His burnished hair was shiny and had a tendency to curl. She smiled as she saw how long his lashes were, and his mouth! She sighed softly as she remembered what he did with it and the way it felt on her body. She wished she could tell him that they could be in a relationship of sorts, but she didn't want anyone underfoot. And besides, he was Grayson Whitfield and his type usually marry their type. She climbed off the bed and reaching for a robe she covered herself and went to the kitchen. She was feeling queasy again and the only thing to settle her stomach was some herbal tea. Valentine’s Day had fallen on a Saturday so it was Sunday morning and that meant she was free. She put the kettle on to boil and made the tea. Her phone rang just as she was drinking it and she saw that it was her mother.
“Mom what is it this time?”
“Did I wake you again honey?”
“I just got up. How are you?”
“I'm good honey. Ian and I are headed to church.”
Avia smiled into her cup. “So I take it you guys are good again?”
“I asked him as you told me to and he is totally devoted to me. There is this woman where he works who is stalking him but I confronted her and she's going to be leaving him alone.”
“Listen to you my bad ass mother,” Avia said with a laugh.
“I'm learning from you honey,” she said with a pleased note in her voice.
She looked up suddenly and saw him framed in the doorway dressed and ready to leave. “Mom, I have to go.”
“Okay honey I'll say a prayer for you at church.”
“Thanks,” she said with a laugh as she hung up the phone. “Hi, there.”
She slid off the stool and came towards him. “I would offer you some breakfast but I don’t really cook.”
“I have to go anyway.” He stood there looking at her as if he wanted to say something else. She walked over and slid her hands around his neck. She was tall but he topped her by more than a foot in bare feet.
“A pity. We could have spent the entire day in bed,” she nibbled at his lip, sending sparks through his body.
“Avia,” his deep voice sounded strained as he wrapped his hands around her slim body.
“Hmm?” she was busy nibbling and using her tongue to soothe the slight sting. With a groan he lifted her and took her back to bed.
*****
“What’s wrong?” Avia asked Morgan the minute she let her into the apartment. Grayson had ended up leaving sometime in the afternoon and after he did she'd been as sick as a dog. “Perfect timing my sweet,” she had said weakly as she leaned against the toilet bowl after puking her guts out. She would have had to try and explain why she was so sick. She would have to be careful from now on. She wasn't going to start showing until maybe her fifth month so she had a little time but she was getting sick all the time. She probably had to forgo seeing him until she was ready to let him know. He had told her he was going to Europe for a few weeks anyway so that gave her a little time.
Her friend looked haggard as if she had woken up on the wrong side of the bed. Her usually glorious reddish blonde hair was bedraggled and her eyes looked puffy as if she had been drinking or crying. Or both.
“I just want to die,” she said miserably as she went into the kitchen to get a glass of water. It was late in the afternoon and she was still wearing her pajamas.
“No you don’t,” Avia said sharply as she followed her into the kitchen. “What did that son of a bitch did to you?”
“I wish I was as strong as you are,” Morgan said disconsolately as she took her seat on one of the padded stools.
“Darling, it has nothing to do with strength but everything to do with not allowing anyone to get the best of you.” Avia put the kettle on, suspecting that the girl had not eaten anything. “He's not better than you. You gave each other mutual satisfaction. What did he do?”
“He wanted to borrow money and when I told him no he left.”
“Darling I'm proud of you.”
“I'm in love with him.”
“You're in love with his large penis.” Avia corrected her as she took out cups and went to get some orange juice from the silver fridge.
Morgan looked at her brutally frank friend, startled for a moment, and then burst out laughing. Avia grinned in relief at the sound and poured her a glass of orange juice. “Repeat after me: I Morgan Weatherly do solemnly swear never to let the physical side of me get the better of my commonsense and I will wait until the right man comes along. In the meantime if I want to use one of those scum bags I will go ahead and do so to satisfy my baser needs.”
Morgan doubled over with mirth as she stared at the girl in front of her. “I'm not repeating that.”
“That’s okay darling. I'm sure you'll remember all that I said.” She smiled and went over to hug her friend. “That’s not how it works Morgan. You don’t give anyone the upper hand where your emotions are concerned, and we don’t lend men money.”
“We don’t.” she said as she hugged her friend back. “Thanks.”
“You're welcome.” She kissed her friend's smooth white forehead. “Now let’s get dressed and go to one of those expensive salad places and gorge.”
*****
Grayson sat at the dining table as the maid served them lunch. He'd promised his mother that he would be there for breakfast but hadn't made it out of Avia's apartment until late afternoon. He had business meetings to attend and had called them off. He'd turned his phone back on to see several missed calls from Claude. Now he had to scramble to meet his deadlines.
“Darling you haven't heard a single word I just said,” his mother said in reproof as she handed him the salad bowl.
“I'm sorry Mother,” he took the bowl and served himself. He wasn't particularly hungry. Well, not for food anyway. He was thinking about her. He was hungry for her and he wanted to call her. What the hell was wrong with him? “Work.” He said briefly.
“Or is it a woman?” Grace asked him, staring at him curiously.
“I'm not going to grace that with a reply.” He told her mildly.
“Why not?”
“Because you're my mother and it's none of your concern.” He picked up his wine glass and sipped the wine in order to give himself something to so.
“Evading the question. Who is she darling?”
“Mother, please.”
“Okay fine! Don’t tell me. I'll find out eventually.” She said ungraciously. “You're a Whitfield darling and nothing remains secret for long where we're concerned.”
He was silent at that and wondered if there had been photographers lurking around. He hadn't been to the club in weeks and was planning to pay a visit there when he went north. He'd spoken to Ryan and Patrick a few days ago and Jeremy was planning some sort of tournament for March. “There's nothing to find out.”
“We'll see,” Grace said, not in the least bit convinced. “I've started seeing someone.”
Grayson looked at her sharply. “This is unexpected. Who is he?”
“Douglas Sylvania.” She played with the stem of her glass and then looked up at him. “I told myself that when your father died that would be it for me, but I get lonely and he's quite a nice man.”
&nbs
p; “He's bankrupt.”
“Please don’t make this about money.”
“Maybe he is. Have you checked him out?”
“You are your father’s son,” she said with a sigh.
“We have to be careful Mother. You were the one who told me that people tend to take advantage of the very wealthy.”
“I have known him for twenty years. When his wife died ten years ago he didn't take it well and that was part of the reason his company went belly up. He's trying to rebuild and he hasn't asked me for a cent.”
“Yet,” Grayson said grimly, determined that as soon as he left the house he was going to ask Claude to put someone on it. “He's just waiting for the right moment.”
“You're too cynical darling.”
“I'm cautious,” he corrected. “And you used to be.”
“I enjoy being with him. We talk for hours on end, we do stuff together and have fun together. I'm not going to allow you to spoil it.”
“Mother I'm looking out for you.”
“I know darling and I love you for it.” She leaned over and touched his hand briefly. “I want you to let go of that responsibility of yours and somehow find love.”
“I have several companies to run.”
“And none of that will keep you warm at night.”
*****
Avia rummaged through her vast closet. She was going to have to get rid of some of the clothes as soon as she got bigger and she was looking forward to it. She smiled as she held up a shimmering silver dress that she hadn't worn in some months. She stripped and pulled the dress over her head. It slithered over her skin like the caress of a lover’s hands. It was like a shift and barely covered her crotch. It was going to have to go because she was cleaning up with the anticipation of becoming a mother. She was going to be an example to her child. Not that she was going to become old all of a sudden but she was going to dress less showy. She grinned at her reflection. Who was she kidding? She wasn't going to change, maybe she would give away the very revealing ones but she had no intention of changing who she was. She liked who she was and she had a feeling that she was going to make a very good mother. She put the dress away and stared at her flat stomach in the mirror. It was strange that a baby was growing inside her. There was no indication yet but she could feel the slight stirrings there. The doctor had told her that the fetus was healthy and she was making sure to drink up her milk and eat up her fruits and vegetables. She wanted a healthy, beautiful child and she was going to love her fiercely.
