Knocked Down

by Nikki Ash

  “Do you still hate her?” she asks softly.

  “No. I learned hating someone is a waste of an emotion. It hurts you worse than them, especially when the person you hate is dead. I made the choice to forgive her and moved forward with my life.”

  “Have you been in any serious relationships besides her?”

  “Not really,” I admit.

  “Instead you choose to have different flavors every month.” She smirks, and after a second I know what she’s talking about.

  Groaning and shaking my head, I say, “So, my son has been spilling the beans.”

  She giggles, nodding frantically. “Kids are so freaking honest and ay dios mio! It’s like he has no filter!” She throws her head back in laughter, and I smile at how happy she is when she’s talking about my son. “I don’t know about other kids since he’s the only one I’ve really been around but he knows a lot! It’s like he’s a ghost and hears everything!”

  I chuckle at how quickly she has nailed my kid. “He’s been around adults his entire life. Whether it’s at the bar or the gym or at home. We try to keep it G rated but sometimes he still picks up on it all.”

  “Oh yes, he does.” She gives me another smirk that implies she knows all my secrets.

  “How bad is it?” I scoot closer, my fingers entwining with hers. She looks down at our hands and frowns for a second before raising her eyes back up and attempting to give me a small smile.

  “Not bad. Just typical kid stuff.” Damn, it must be bad. For her to not even tell me what was said…

  “I can’t explain if you don’t tell me,” I point out, and her cute nose scrunches up, her head shaking.

  “I don’t want to get him in trouble.”

  “He won’t be in trouble. I promise.”

  She thinks for a few seconds before she gives me a tiny bit. “Without understanding, he insinuated you sleep around a lot. Do you do that because of what happened with Levi’s mom?”

  I go for honesty. “Yes, I have. I guess even though I moved forward, I still had trust issues, so instead of dating I kept things noncommittal. Then about a year ago I was dating a woman but it didn’t work out. Since we’ve broken up, I’ve been reevaluating what I want. The truth is I haven’t had sex in almost six months.”

  Her eyes go wide. “Maybe you should have kept some of my sex toys…might help.” She bites her bottom lip to stop herself from laughing at her joke.

  “Oh really? And what would I do with a plastic dick?” I play along.

  “Ha! Not the dildo, silly. There was massaging oil and lotion in there. Oh! And a cock ring and a bullet massager. You could use it while masturbating.” Holy shit! Who is this woman and how the fuck does she know so much about sex toys?

  When I don’t say anything, she continues. “I mean…you know, if you needed something while waiting on your next flavor.” She smiles cheekily, her cheeks blushing a soft shade of pink and her emerald eyes dancing with laughter.

  Taking full advantage of this moment, I grab her hips and pull her onto me so she’s straddling my lap. She squeals in shock and I laugh. “I don’t need a single one of those items to find pleasure, and if you were with me, you wouldn’t either.”

  “Maybe…but being with you comes at a price. One I can’t afford. Plus, when I use my toys, I’m always satisfied.” There’s a smile on her face but it’s not the same carefree one she was sporting earlier. Something is missing. There’s more to this and I’m going to figure out what it is.

  “Maybe you just haven’t found the right man, yet,” I point out and she throws her head back in laughter.

  “Oh, I’ve found the right man. His name is Bob and he’s capable of multiple speeds and functions. Orgasm guaranteed.” She smiles wide.

  I pick her up by her ass and turn us over so she’s under me. Her hair has fallen free from her bun and it’s splayed out across the lounge chair. With one hand at the side of her head, I hold myself up, the other hand running up her naked thigh and over her hip. Her breath hitches, telling me she’s turned on. When I get to her stomach, I lift her shirt up slightly, marveling at the feel of her soft skin. Ava stills, unsure of what I’m going to do, and then I go in for the kill.

  Dipping my head down so my mouth is almost touching her ear, I whisper, “I’ll show you multi-functions,” and then I tickle the shit out of her. Her eyes go wide, shocked at what I’m doing as she lets out a loud shriek.

  “Oh my god, Griffin! Para! Por favor Para! Please!” She wiggles and squirms, her body jerking back and forth as I continue my attack on her hips and stomach and ribs.

  “Griffin! Stop!” Tears stream down her cheeks and her face is flushed. She looks fucking beautiful.

  I stop tickling her and say, “You have the sexiest fucking accent. I don’t even know what you’re saying when you talk in Spanish but it turns me on.”

  She giggles, shaking her head. “I don’t have an accent!” She pushes against my chest. “You do! And I was telling you to stop!” She pushes harder and I back up, sitting on the top of her shins so she can’t get up.

  Pulling out my phone, I hit the camera button. “What are you doing?” She lifts her hands up to block my phone.

  “I’m taking a picture of you. Now move your hands.”

  Slowly, she drops her hands and tilts her head to the side. “I’m not even doing anything.”

  “Yes, you are. You’re laying underneath me and looking sexy as fuck. Your hair is messy and your face is flushed from being tickled. You look perfect.”

  Her mouth twists into a shy smile. “In that case, come join me.” I snap a couple photos of her then lay down next to her. Turning the camera to face us, I snap a few more. Ava laughs and smiles and sticks her tongue out. Then she turns her face to kiss my cheek.

  Just as I’m snapping the picture, Levi makes himself known. “Are you taking pictures?” he asks, crawling up the chair and situating himself in the middle of us. “I want to take a silly one.” I aim the camera so the three of us are in the photo and once everyone is making a silly face, I press the capture button.

  When I pull the photo up, Levi laughs, amused by himself and us. I glance over to Ava and she’s staring at the picture on the screen. “You okay?” I ask, her sudden change in mood worrying me.

  “Yeah, can you send me those pictures, please?” Her voice is gritty, full of emotion, and I want to ask her what’s wrong but I remember our conversation earlier and how Levi picks up a whole lot more than he leads on. Then it hits me, I asked her who hurt her and she never answered me.

  You might have won this round, Ava, but I’m going to win this game.

  Twelve

  Ava

  I’m browsing through The Clothes Affair, a trendy boutique owned by Faith and Chloe Cruz, Lilly’s best friends who she refers to as her cousins because she’s grown up with them. It is the most uniquely adorable shop I’ve ever seen and I literally want to buy one of everything.

  When we first arrived, Lilly introduced me to the women as, “Ava, the one I told you about with the sex toys.” I about choked on my coffee, but when Chloe and Faith got excited and said they couldn’t wait for the party this weekend, I didn’t feel as embarrassed.

  “My goodness! How did I ever live my life without this place?” I say to Lilly, as I grab garment after garment off the racks, refusing to think about how much damage this place is going to do to my bank account. I make a good living and I rarely spend any money, so you know what? Screw it! I deserve this.

  “I know, right?” Lilly agrees, grabbing a few items herself to try on. “Ever since Chloe and Faith opened this place a couple years ago, I’ve become addicted. I make them show me what they get in before they show it to anybody else.”

  “It probably helps that you spend more in here in a month than most people do all year,” Faith says.

  “I don’t know, her sister might have her beat,” Chloe argues playfully.

  “You better show me what you guys have before you show Bella
. Now that I’m living down the street from her, she’s always coming over and stealing my stuff. I swear I’m going to have Sean put a padlock on my closet door. I love my sister, but you know I love my clothes more.”

  The woman all laugh.

  “Guess who I saw last night?” Chloe asks no one in particular. “Griffin,” she says, answering her own question. “My mom and dad watched the babies so Cameron and I could go to dinner. Of course my sports obsessed husband wanted to go somewhere to watch the game, so we ended up at King’s. Anyway, I guess Griffin needed to stop by real quick with Levi to check on something…place an order…I don’t know,” Chloe says then smirks at me. “But what I do know is, while he was in the back, Levi had much to say about his new friend, Ava.” She tilts her head slightly to the side and giggles, and the other two women jerk their heads to me.

  “Are you and Griffin…?” Lilly asks, grinning from ear-to-ear.

  “No! I mean…ugh! I don’t know.” I sigh dramatically. Then feeling the sudden need to tell someone what’s going through my head, and having three women in front of me, I word vomit at the mouth. “I had sworn off men, and I was doing a damn good job at it! My last two boyfriends cheated. Not just one but two!” I hold up two fingers to emphasize my point. “I told myself, ‘No more men!’” I flail my arms out in frustration. “I was done. The last guy got the house and I got the dog.” The woman all listen intently.

  “That’s actually how I found Passion Kisses. What I would give to throw it in the last guy’s face that my toys do a better job at getting me off than he ever did.” The women all giggle in unison.

  “Maybe you just need to find the right guy,” Lilly points out, completely free of judgement.

  “That’s exactly what Griffin said!” I say, feeling exasperated. “But you know what? My toys aren’t going to selfishly get off first. They’re going to please me every time, and they aren’t going to cheat on me or run the risk of giving me an STD.”

  “Well, if Griffin is anything like his brother…and I’ve heard rumors they are both genetically gifted”—Lilly waggles her eyebrows—“He will know exactly how to use what God gave him.”

  “Yeah, rumors,” I fire back, “from all the women he’s been whoring around with. Just what I need is to be cheated on again. No, thank you. My toys are a sure thing and won’t break my heart, thank you very much.”

  Lilly frowns. “Griffin’s not like that, Ava. Sure, he’s had his fair share of women, but so did Sean.” She glances at Chloe and Faith.

  “Cameron was a huge player before he met me and settled down,” Chloe admits.

  “When Brad and I got together our senior year of college, I made him buy a new bed before I would sleep with him. God knows how many women he was with before me,” Faith adds.

  “I’m sure there are plenty of guys who don’t sleep around, but most of them, until they have a reason to settle down, do,” Lilly says. “I won’t throw Griffin’s business out there but he’s a good guy. He has had a shit hand dealt to him but he’s one of the most selfless, compassionate men I’ve ever met. He keeps everyone around him centered. He has a huge heart, and I don’t believe for a second he would cheat.”

  I nod in understanding wanting to believe her, but the last two guys I was with I honest to god thought they would never cheat and they did.

  Letting out a confused sigh, I say, “I’m safe with my toys. I have my dog and my job and I’m happy. I enjoy Griffin’s company and Levi is adorable. It’s better to keep it all separate that way nobody gets hurt.” I shrug and walk away toward the fitting rooms to try on the clothes I picked out.

  After Faith checks us out, we head over to the gym. I thought Pilates was supposed to be easy and relaxing, much like meditation, but I was wrong! Pilates is not for the weak. It worked several muscles I didn’t even know existed, but I really enjoyed it.

  “Want to grab some lunch?” Lilly asks after we shower and change back into our clothes in the locker room.

  “Sure, I don’t have much going on today.”

  “What do you do?” she asks as we walk to her car since she picked me up this morning, so we could ride together

  “Anything graphic or web design related. I design book covers, create websites...”

  “And sell sex toys,” she adds, smiling.

  “Yep! I make pretty good money from the parties, actually. You’d be surprised how many women are looking to spice up their sex lives.”

  We get into her car and she starts driving somewhere for lunch. “I believe it. I’m happy with my sex life, but…” I glance at her and her mouth is turned down into a frown. “Well, we’ve been trying to have a baby for the last year, and it’s been harder than we thought. It feels like our sex life has gone from fun and spontaneous to timed and regulated.”

  I nod, remembering what Levi mentioned. “You want to make it fun again.”

  “Yes! I think Sean would get a kick out of the toys. I’ve decided I’m not going to keep track of when I’m ovulating anymore. No more checking temps or dates. When it happens, it happens.”

  “It will happen,” I say unsure of what else to say.

  We pull up to a building I don’t recognize. It’s definitely not a restaurant I’ve ever been to. Lilly parks and we get out. When we walk around to the front the sign reads, “King’s Bar.”

  “Really? Griffin’s restaurant?” I shoot her a look but she simply shrugs and smiles.

  We walk inside and the hostess greets us. It’s lunch time on a Wednesday and the place is busy. “Hey Lilly! Two?”

  “Yes, please.”

  We’re shown to a corner booth and once we’re seated I start checking out the place. There are several large flat screen televisions lining the walls with various sports games playing. The booths and tables are a deep burgundy and the floors are a beautiful dark hardwood. The bar is toward the side, all the stools filled with bodies. The place is understated yet gorgeous.

  “I helped him renovate,” Lilly points out, pride shining through in her words. “I even made him hire a real chef. The menu is amazing!”

  My eyes roam the place as I look for Griffin. When I spot him, my heart plummets and my stomach feels like lead. Standing on one side of the bar, he’s leaning in toward a sexy, red-headed woman who is sitting on the other side. He looks serious, with his forearms resting on the bar top and her hands touching his arms. He looks up suddenly, almost as if he feels himself being watched, and backs up. Our eyes lock and his go wide. The woman follows his line of vision.

  “Like I said.” I nod toward Griffin and the redhead who’s now shooting daggers at me. “My heart is safe with the toys.”

  “Jesus,” Lilly curses under breath. “That’s just Holly. You have nothing to worry about with her.” The name is like a punch to the gut, Levi’s unknowing admittance of his father hooking up with her.

  “Gym Whore Holly?” I ask to confirm, and Lilly’s eyes bug out.

  “Griffin told you about her?”

  “Levi did. He didn’t mean to. He thought hooking up and getting hit on meant fighting, not fucking.” I sneak one last glance to Griffin who’s now stalking toward us. He’s wearing a white button-down shirt—sleeves rolled to his elbows—with suspenders and dress up slacks. His shirt is tucked in, and today he’s sporting sexy glasses. He’s dressed up, yet looks casual. Until today, I’ve only seen him in jeans and let me tell you, the man can rock a pair of jeans like it’s nobody’s business. But something about him being dressed up has the apex of my thighs clenching in need. In jeans, he looks casual. He’s a friend, a dad, a brother. In this outfit…he’s more. A businessman. Someone you take seriously. Take orders from.

  And my guard is up because there’s no way I can let him in. I would never survive it.

  “Griffin.” Lilly nods her hello.

  “Prim,” he says back, his eyes never leaving mine. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I say, looking down at my
menu even though I’ve completely lost my appetite.

  “Ava.” My name comes out like a plea but I ignore it. I’ve already been down this road and I know exactly where it leads. The only difference between Griffin and my exes is that they weren’t even the cheating types. They weren’t cool or sexy. They were average. They were safe…or so I thought. They didn’t work out at the gym. They didn’t have gorgeous women fawning over them. And still they cheated.

  To believe for a second, Griffin, the guy I’ve seen with not one but two stunning women, would have any reason to stay faithful, to be inclined to stick with one woman, would be ludicrous.

  “Are you taking our order?” I ask him, my voice cold and robotic.

  His fists clench at his sides, but when Lilly shakes her head, he nods once. “What would you like to drink?”

  “I’ll take a coke.”

  “I’ll have a lemon water, please,” Lilly says. Griffin nods again and stalks off.

  “Ava,” Lilly says softly, but I shake my head.

  “Please don’t,” I beg. “I really like you, and you’re friends with him. I don’t want to put you in the middle. Please.”

  “Okay, but—”

  “No.” I shake my head emphatically. “He might be a good man. The right man for someone. But he’s not the man for me.”

  She nods solemnly but drops it.

  Thirteen

  Griffin

  Fuck. Shit. Fucking motherfucking shit! Holly came to King’s Bar because she’s having a rough go at life lately, and I wasn’t about to kick her while she’s down. I haven’t touched the woman in close to two years, not since I promised Lilly I wouldn’t after Holly tried to cause issues between her and Sean. But judging by the hurt look on Ava’s face, it doesn’t matter what I’ve done…or haven’t done. I’ve already been tried, found guilty, and sentenced.