by Lulu Pratt
Glancing around, I’m shocked by his lack of neighbors. I remember thinking that it seemed as if this was two properties the first time I saw it, and from the looks of its seclusion I think I may have been right. The Hollywood Hills are known for their views, but typically the homes are very close together. Logan, however, has more space than he knows what to do with, as well as privacy.
Wandering back inside, I go from one room to the next before hearing his voice far off down the hallway. Following his low tone, I find him in his office, as he stands facing the window shirtless, his naked back enticing me as his muscles flex.
“I need the background check. Something doesn’t make sense. That’s the only one from the list of suspects, right?” he asks, glancing over his shoulder and doing a double take when he sees me standing in the doorway.
“I… I don’t know. I’ll call you later. Ava’s here,” he says quickly before hanging up the phone.
“Good morning,” I smile nervously.
There a look of panic on his face and I’m almost certain I wasn’t meant to hear his conversation, which makes me feel a bit anxious. Logan has never hidden anything from me, even when it had to do with business or the theft from his house. His secrecy is disconcerting, especially considering my role in Petra’s deceit, and my stomach drops at the possibility of my betrayal being exposed.
“I missed you,” I saunter over, placing my hand on his chest, a gesture that typically starts another round in the bedroom between us, but today, his hand removes mine, as his eyes stray from looking directly at me.
“I have to go into the office,” he says before glancing down at me.
“Oh, okay. I can call a cab.” The embarrassment is apparent in my voice and I can sense his regret as I look away before heading to the door of his office.
My heart skips a beat when I feel his hand reach for my wrist, stopping me from leaving.
“You know I’ll take you home, Ava. I just have to handle something.” He pulls me to him and I lean into his touch. The fear of his love being snatched from me is so great I often feel like I can’t breathe from just the possibility.
“I thought we were going to spend today together,” I say, referencing a comment he made when he picked me up yesterday.
“I planned to, you know that. I just had something come up,” he explains, running his nose along my collar bone.
“Don’t be a tease.”
“You’re getting spoiled, you know that?” he jokes, following me out of the office.
“I told you from the beginning – the only thing you can spoil me with is time and parts of you,” I say, glancing over my shoulder.
“Well, there’s one specific part of me you can’t seem to get enough of,” he smirks when I look back in horror.
“Logan!”
*
After throwing my clothes from the previous night on, I make my way to the living room, where Logan is studying something on his laptop.
The second he notices my presence, he slams the computer closed, jumping to his feet before quickly escorting me outside. Unlike most days, Logan decides to drive me home himself, in the same LaFerrari he drove on our first date.
I replay the morning’s events in my head, trying to decide if I should be worried. My stomach is in knots just thinking of what he could have discovered. I’ve seen Rodrick in action – he’s not someone to play with, and I can’t imagine Petra being able to hide her crime forever.
I replay every joke and smile we’ve shared since I walked in on the strange call this morning he didn’t want me to hear. Deeming his kindness as evidence that we’re okay, I try to focus on those moments, convincing myself that it’s all just a coincidence, and there’s nothing to worry about. that there is something else that he is worried about.
But the look on his face when I stumbled into that office, and the living room as he looked on the laptop, were obviously frantic. There’s something going on – I mean, I heard him ask about a background check and suspects, it doesn’t get any more obvious than that.
We arrive at my house so quickly, I don’t realize we’re here until the car stops, my eyes nervously darting across to Logan as I try to read him.
“Okay, I’ll call you,” I try to sound casual, but he frowns at me with confusion.
“You’re not going to invite me in?”
“Are you serious?”
“If you’re not ready for that, I understand. I just thought… you know, I showed you my house.”
“First of all, you showed me one of your homes, there’s a difference. Second, I’d be happy to show you my place, but just keep in mind, I only stay here when I’m feeling airy, you know. It’s more of my artistic haven,” I begin, looking up at the roof of his car as if I’m in deep thought as he smirks at my mocking him.
“Now that I think about it, I don’t think I told my maid I’d be here, so the place could be completely abandoned, but you can see it,” I shrug, as I try to look as casual as he does talking about all his homes.
“Are you done?” he asks with a smile, pulling his key from the ignition.
My nerves are jumping, and butterflies flutter in my belly as I walk him into my foyer. I can’t remember if I made my bed before I left with him last night, so I try to take him around the ground floor first.
“Ava?” Petra calls out as I walk into the living room.
“Yeah?”
“We need to talk about your billings. You haven’t brought in anything this quarter because you–” Her voice abruptly cuts off when her eyes land on Logan, and she rushes from the room so awkwardly the two of us just stand there in shock.
“Your roommate is… interesting,” Logan says after a long pause.
“You have no idea,” I shake my head, before showing him the rest of the place.
“This is a nice place,” he pulls me close to him as we reach the landing at the top of the stairs.
“Yes, the non-Hollywood Hills real estate can be quite alluring without those gaudy views they have up there,” I joke.
“You know I don’t care about any of that, right?” he says, and for the first time I realize that while it may have been done without malice, I’ve been making fun of him, and it’s probably grown old.
“I’m sorry, I was just teasing because your place is so nice. I didn’t mean to bother you.”
“Trust me, Ava. No one gets bothered about having a nice home. I just don’t want you to feel the need to downplay your life because you’ve seen mine. None of that type of stuff matters to me,” he looks deeply into my eyes, erasing all of the doubt I had about his love for me and the strength of our relationship.
“This is my room,” I announce, waving my arm around as we enter. My stomach relaxes when I see my bed perfectly made and my room is clean enough.
“Hmm… so, this is where you sleep, huh?” he whispers seductively as his teeth graze along my neck.
“Didn’t we just discuss you teasing me?”
“Who said I’m teasing?” he asks before kissing my neck with his tongue before nibbling on my skin.
“You said you have to get to work.”
“Mm-hmm… but I’ve got,” he glances down at his watch before continuing, “at least ten minutes.”
“And I can have them?” I turn to face him, pressing my lips to his before he can answer.
“You can have whatever you want, Ava baby.” He deepens the kiss, sliding his tongue past my lips as he lifts me up and lays me on the bed.
This time, he undresses me completely, admiring my body before slowly diving into me fast and fully clothed. It’s exhilarating to rush since we’re usually never short for time with each other. Unlike his usual need to make me climax more than once, he works me up quickly, and comes right along with me, which has always been my favorite.
Logan leaves me with my thoughts after our quickie session, and I can’t help but wonder why Petra was so strange when she saw him. And it’s not the first time. She did the same thing
when he showed up at the office and I’ve yet to figure out why.
The more I debate it, the more I’m sure there’s something I don’t know going on. The two of them have both been strange today, and I know I can’t ask Logan anything without looking suspicious, so that just leaves Petra.
Reaching for my phone, I decide to set up a meeting with her as I heard her leave the house as soon as I went upstairs with Logan, but I don’t want to scare her away, so I decide to play it smooth, sending a casual text.
Hey, I got tickets to this thing called lunch tomorrow – wanna go? My treat!
After a deep breath, I press send and wait for her response, already plotting how I’ll go about confronting her. My mind tries to think like her, imagining every possible way she can deny the obvious truth, when my phone vibrates.
Yeah
Her response is short, but all I need, and my plan is officially set in motion. The rest of my day is spent planning the lunch – from what I’ll wear to how I’ll broach the topic.
My friendship with Petra has undoubtedly been on the rocks since I found out about her deceit, and I honestly cannot see how we could ever come back from her lying about it if she denies her involvement. While I can believe she may have only played a role in the crime, she must return the jewelry to Logan if there’s going to be any hope for our friendship.
By the time I lay down for bed that night, my heart is racing, ready for tomorrow. Logan never calls me after leaving the office, which only makes all my insecurities resurface, as I fear what he could have possibly learned from Rodrick.
When I call, Logan’s phone goes straight to voicemail, and I lie awake so long, just looking at the ceiling, silently praying that I can fix everything tomorrow. Hear Petra’s confession and then come clean to Logan.
Chapter 35
Ava
My nerves are shot, and have been since I woke up. Today is the day I finally get answers and clear my conscience, no matter what it takes. Petra has been acting so strange, and while some of it makes sense, considering she stole from the man I now love, it doesn’t explain all her behavior.
From my point of view, there’s no way Logan could know what she’s done, so her running away every time she sees him is more than awkward. Petra’s always stressed the importance of ‘acting like you’re supposed to be there,’ whether we’re walking along a red carpet she snuck us onto, or cruising backstage at a concert without passes.
She’s done anything but act casual around Logan, and considering her theft, it’s not how I would expect her to behave.
I’ve just gotten dressed when I hear my phone buzzing, and my heart skips when I see it’s Logan calling.
“Well, hello there,” I smile, happy to hear from him.
“Sorry, baby. I got your message,” he answers, his voice dry and deep.
“What’s wrong?”
“I just woke up. Didn’t even realize I fell asleep,” he says.
“Well, you’ve been expending a lot of energy lately.”
“It’s worth exhaustion, trust me,” he says bluntly and my stomach muscles tense hearing him speak about our unbelievable sex life.
“I missed you,” I confess.
“I know, I’m sorry. Next time, call the office.”
“You were there late?”
“I’m still here.”
“Logan, you’re working too hard.”
“No such thing,” he assures me, and I hear him stand up.
“Okay, I know you have to get up and get going, you don’t have to appease me,” I try to rush off the phone before he needs to go.
“Stop, Ava. What are you doing?”
“I’m getting ready to go meet Petra. I’m nervous,” I admit, knowing I can’t share the entire reason why.
“I thought she was your friend?”
“Yeah, so did I. There’s just been a lot of strange things happening and I need to know what’s going on. I suck with confrontation, so I’ve just let it fester, but today it’s ending,” I say confidently, trying to psych myself up.
“Well, don’t let her get you rattled.”
“What do you mean?”
“Whenever I’m forced to have uncomfortable conversations, I take a deep breath, and expect the other person to just go completely left. You never know how people are going to react, so just be prepared for anything,” he explains and I nod my head, wondering if he can possibly know how fitting his advice is for my situation.
“Okay, don’t get rattled,” I repeat.
“It’ll be fine, Ava,” he laughs softly like I’m overthinking it.
“Yeah, it probably will. I’m going to head there now, so I’ll call you later.”
“Call me as soon as you finish,” he says sternly.
“Why?”
“Because you’re stressed, baby. I need to know you’re okay once it’s over.”
“You’re at work, so don’t worry about saying it back, but I love you, Logan,” I say softly as I settle into my driver’s seat.
“I love you, Ava,” he responds, shocking me, because I can hear voices in the background.
My drive to the restaurant is short, because I’ve picked our favorite Mexican place right on Wilshire Boulevard. After finding a parking space, I’m a little late, but I still don’t see Petra, so I get a table, ordering two margaritas, while eyeing the door with my heart beating through my chest.
“Don’t let her rattle you,” I repeat quietly to myself over and over until I see Petra walk through the door, looking like her normal carefree self.
Waving my hand, I call her over to my table and she plops down, taking a deep sigh before wiping her forehead with one of the napkins from the table.
“Sorry I’m late, I had to park on Fairfax.”
“Oh, it’s fine. I’m just glad you could make it. I ordered us margaritas,” I smile, trying to look and sound as casual as possible.
“Cool. So look, what did Logan ask you about me?” she leans across the table, looking anxious and desperate.
My nerves shoot through the roof, and I can feel sweat pooling on my back. So much for staying cool and not getting rattled, because she came in with a blow I was not expecting. Of all the possible scenarios I rehearsed, none included her bringing up Logan first, and now I feel pushed on my heels as I struggle to gather my composure.
“What do you mean? Why would Logan ask me about you?” I try to flip the question, but she doesn’t budge.
“Okay, so he didn’t ask. He just looks at me weird whenever you bring him around.”
“He looks weird? Petra, you literally ran out of the room the two times you saw him.” I rationalize his behavior as opposed to hers, because he did act a bit peculiar the first time he saw her at the office.
“What’s holding you up on cashing the check, Ava?” she asks dryly, completely ignoring my point.
“I haven’t invoiced him for anything and I don’t plan to. What work I did for him isn’t going on the books, so don’t worry about that,” I clear that up, not wanting to hear her gripe about billing Logan ever again.
“He wrote you a check for two years of our revenues. Are you seriously not going to cash it?” she says.
I never told Petra about the offer Logan made when I was avoiding him after discovering his manipulation. She asked, but I was so mad I couldn’t answer, and then I left the next day and didn’t see her. From the time I got back from Fiji, things between us were so rocky, it just never came up.
I am also sure I never mentioned the check to her as I knew she would want to cash it immediately. Besides, things with Logan were at a much different place and the letter and the check were irrelevant.
“What is your problem with him?” I try to understand her change in attitude. Ever since I met her, she’s never behaved so foul or aggressively to anyone. She treats Logan like he’s done something personal to her, but from their interactions I can’t see them having any history.
“What’s my problem?” She laughs
.
The waitress returns, placing our margaritas on the table, but I can’t even begin to consider drinking now. I need all my faculties to deal with Petra and her unbelievable behavior.
“Logan is a fucking prick,” she begins, sipping her margarita as my eyes widen with shock, my teeth clenching defensively as she insults the man I love.
“He comes from a disgusting family who will do anything for money. All he cares about is how much he’s worth, and he thinks everyone is for sale – including you!”
“Did you sleep with him?” The question falls from my lips before I can stop it, but she’s just so bitter and scorned it’s the only thing that makes sense.
“Are you fucking kidding me? Logan knows the type of women he can get, and I’m not one of them. He just uses people, taking what he wants before discarding them like trash. I bet he’s wining and dining you, flying you on corporate jets and the whole nine yards. He’ll have fun until he’s tired of you. Just remember that while it’s special to you, it’s not to him. You’ll never be more than a peasant to Logan, trust me on that,” she nods as if she’s just said something so profound that she expects me to double back in understanding.
“Petra, you don’t even know him,” I say as I shake my head in disbelief of her anger and behavior over a man she’s never even had a conversation with.
“What makes you think you know who I know and who I don’t? Listen, I’ve taken you under my wing, I’ve introduced you to the city, but you’re still green, baby girl. You’re getting used by one of the biggest users in LA. Logan is a playboy – known for being one. You think you’re the first girl he’s taken on a business trip so he can fuck you when he wants? You had a successful career and you were respected, but he comes along and asks to buy you. He asked to buy your time like you’re a prostitute so you can be on his beck and call for him whenever he wants to drop a load off inside you. He probably doesn’t even wrap it up when he fucks you, because he doesn’t give a fuck about anybody but himself.”
She looks away as if she’s completely disgusted with me, and I feel small. She’s made me feel very stupid, because she knows so much about me and has used that knowledge to prey on my insecurities.
