Spark: Book 1 (The Heat Series)

by MJ Masucci

  “I’m going to change into something a little less formal,” Ava said.

  She went to her bedroom and closed the door. What should she wear? What does a girl wear to have a casual dinner in her own apartment? She chose a pair of her favorite worn in jeans and an NYU t-shirt. She often went braless because her breasts were so firm and she decided not to wear one now. The dress she had removed had built in cups, so she hadn’t worn a bra to the club.

  When she came back to the living room, Liam had set up the table next to the couch with plates, forks, and glasses.

  “I hope you don’t mind that I went through your cabinets and drawers to find these things.”

  “Not at all,” Ava said. She felt nervous, and anxiety started to creep in again.

  She asked Liam if he wanted to some wine.

  “I think I will stick to soda if you have it. If not then water is okay, too.” He was right, the last thing she needed to do was drink more. It would make her giddy, and she wouldn’t be able to focus. She dug around the refrigerator for two cans of Sprite. She noticed he had also relaxed a bit by removing his tie, opening his collar and removing his shoes. They sat down, and she piled her plate with honey walnut shrimp. Liam had ordered large of everything, enough so she would have leftovers the entire weekend and into next week.

  They slowly ate making little conversation. Her shyness was getting the best of her, and he didn’t seem to sure he should press her. When they were finished eating, he helped her clean up, and they settled back on the couch when Liam started to speak.

  “So where did you grow up? I notice a bit of an accent.”

  “My family is from Sandy River, Georgia. It’s a small town about twenty miles from Atlanta. My father is from New York and met my mother at Columbia. They dated for the last two years of college, and he asked her to marry him just before graduation she said she would say yes if he would move back to Georgia with her. He was so in love with her that he said absolutely, and they moved back shortly before the wedding.”

  “How long have your parents been married?”

  Ava grimaced with what he asked.

  “This May would have been thirty years. My mother died when I was fourteen.”

  “I’m sorry,” Liam said, with a sincere look on his face. He put his hand on hers and stroked it. Now in the light of her apartment, she could see how handsome he was. His eyes were very expressive, and she stared at them. He took that as a cue and reached up, put his hand on her cheek and moved in to kiss her lips gently. She hadn’t kissed a man for some time, but she became heated as his soft lips moved over hers.

  He placed his other hand on her face, and his tongue pushed its way into her mouth. As their tongues darted around together, she felt her nipples grow hard and her sex clench with desire. He inched closer and moved his hands to her shoulders, stroking her neck with his fingers. His hands moved lower until his thumbs were stroking her nipples. She moaned into his mouth as he continued to rub them. Then panic hit her, and her anxiety exploded. She pulled back from him, and his hands dropped from her breasts.

  “I’m sorry, is that too much?”

  When she didn’t answer him, he said, “I better go.”

  She finally answered him as he was rising from the couch, “I just wasn’t expecting that. Please don’t go.”

  Liam sat back on the couch hesitantly, and she turned on the TV. The late show was on, and she got up to use the bathroom. Her panties were a bit damp from their encounter, and she was pretty sure that he had also felt the effects. However, Liam seemed like the type of guy that would be patient with her and maybe she should give him a chance. She didn’t want to keep running away from potential mates.

  She felt chemistry with him. She couldn’t group Liam in the same category as the man that had hurt her and made her leave her home. When she went back to the couch, Liam was asleep on the chaise. He looked so peaceful that she didn’t want to wake him up. She was sure he would rather stay here for the night then go back to Samantha’s and hear drunken sex most of the night with Justin.

  She got a blanket out of the bathroom closet and covered him with it. She stared at his face and saw that his features had softened in sleep. She asked herself why was a man this good was not taken already?

  She went to her bedroom and closed the door. She thought about locking it but decided against it. She changed into the only sexy pajamas she had, a pair of baby dolls that Samantha had purchased for her as a gift, a year ago. She climbed into bed, but sleep did not come easy. She was horny, and normally she would use her vibrator, but she didn’t want to for fear that Liam might hear it. So she did the next best thing. She slid her fingers down into her panties and guided them over her clit. She was still wet, and her fingers lubricated as she rubbed herself. She came almost instantly, and within minutes she was asleep.

  Ava woke to noises in her kitchen and the smell of coffee. She grabbed her cell to see the time, and it was well after 9:00 AM. She almost jumped out of bed but realized it was Saturday. Then she remembered that Liam had spent the night, and he must have made coffee. He softly knocked on her door and called her name.

  “Come in.”

  Liam entered looking handsome with his tousled black spikes of hair. He had a cup of coffee in his hand, and he asked if he could get her one.

  “Yes, can you put four teaspoons of sugar in it?”

  He turned to get her coffee. He brought it to her just the way she liked it and sat on the corner of her bed.

  “I want to apologize for last night. Sam had told me that you don’t date very often, and I’m sorry if I scared you.”

  Ava felt mortified. Ava made a mental note to kill Sam the next time she saw her.

  “It wasn’t that; I was just surprised. It’s true that I haven’t dated much, but I wasn’t scared. It’s just that Sam is right; I haven’t had very much experience dating, but it’s by my own choosing. I don’t take having sex lightly and haven’t found the right person to do it with yet.”

  Liam looked at her with a shocked look on his face. “You’re joking, right?”

  Ava looked down, and Liam realized he had made a mistake.

  He tried to make it right. “It’s just that you’re beautiful. I would never expect someone like you to be a virgin still.”

  Ava gave him a weak smile. “Well, surprise; I am. Don’t get me wrong; I want to do it, but I want to find someone I have a connection. I don’t want to do it just to do it.”

  “Ava, your virginity is special. You shouldn’t give it away until you feel you are ready.” Liam shifted where he sat feeling uncomfortable, so he decided to change the subject. “I would like to take you to dinner sometime if you would like to go with me?”

  Ava smiled brightly. He raised his eyebrow waiting for an answer, but none came, so he prompted her.

  “Yes, no, tell me to go to hell?”

  “Sorry, yes I would like that.”

  “I will be busy for the rest of the week, but I would love to take you out next Saturday?”

  Ava was a bit disappointed that they wouldn’t be spending the day together. She didn’t want to have to wait a whole week see him again. She decided not to make her disappointment visible and kept a smile on her face.

  “What is the dress code?”

  “Dress to impress; I’ll be wearing a suit. I hate to cut this short, but I have to leave to catch the train. Can I call you later?”

  She nodded, feeling elated that he wanted to call her so soon.

  He kissed her on the cheek and left her room. She heard the apartment door slam shut, and he was gone. Without him here for the day, she would have a normal Saturday (and clean her apartment).

  She plumped up the couch pillows where he had slept and smelled his cologne. Riley was rubbing against her, and she remembered he needed to be fed when she noticed that Liam had fed him already. Boy, that man is making a quick friend in Riley.

  She heard her phone chirped. It was Sam bombarding her with questions
about whether she had sex with Liam. She explained that they had gone to get dinner and ate it back at her apartment. Liam had been the perfect gentleman and slept on her couch. Sam told her it was time to have sex before her vagina shriveled up. She let out an exasperated sigh and told her she had things to do, then put down the phone.

  Chapter 2

  Ava tried to concentrate on work throughout the week, but her mind kept drifting to Liam. In just a week, she had grown quite fond of him. He worked in the city, but because of his schedule, he was not able to spend much time with her. Often he would arrive at his office in the Financial District at 7:00 AM and leave after 9:00 PM. Of course, that also depended on if he had clients to entertain. He was trying to build a career for himself, and if that meant toiling in the trenches, then that is what he had to do.

  He had sent her flowers on Monday and a small bear with candy in a mug that had printed on the side, “I’m a sucker for you.” A little cheesy but to her it meant the world to her. He had called her several times leaving sweet messages on her voicemail. It meant he was thinking about her as much as she thought about him. By Friday, she was anticipating her date.

  Rachel had already said she had the perfect dress for her, and she would do her hair. Rachel had started her career taking cosmetology courses in high school before switching to fashion, where her talent with hair and makeup still shone.

  The phone on her desk rang, bringing her back from her thoughts.

  “Ava, this is Maggie in HR. I would like to discuss your newly assigned attorney. Can you please come down at 3:15? Thanks. Don’t be late. Goodbye.”

  Ava was a bit taken aback at Maggie’s abruptness. Usually, she was pleasant, but today she seemed frazzled. She chalked it up to the extra attorney new hires. Maggie probably was swamped with paperwork and she had just lost her assistant when the woman had gotten married and moved away.

  Ava busied herself with work that David had left for her. Her workload had been light this week since he wasn’t taking many new cases. Most of her things entailed filing and typing some edited briefs. She wished she were busier so her mind would stop drifting to Liam. She didn’t want to anticipate what would happen on Saturday, but she couldn’t help it. She had a bad habit of running scenarios through her mind. It almost never came out the way she had thought, but the distrust of people had made her suspicious.

  At 3:10, she made her way down to HR. Maggie gestured for her to come into her office. “Sit, please.” She riffled through her papers and pulled up a folder with a name on it.

  “We have a new attorney coming from your neck of the woods. Her name is Victoria Carter.”

  Ava had heard the name before, but she could not place it. “Did you say she was from Georgia?”

  “Yes, she worked at a law firm in Atlanta previously. She is a real estate attorney, and since we just lost Philip Bradshaw and Julia Sandoval is on maternity leave, we are short in that department. Your uncle wanted me to assign you to another department so you could have exposure to a different area of law. He said you are planning to attend law school soon; is that true?” Maggie didn’t wait for her to answer and just continued speaking. “Will we be losing you soon, too?”

  Ava hesitated then answered. “I haven’t decided yet. I have until May to make my decision before they give my spot to someone else.”

  Maggie seemed annoyed that she wasn’t able to give her an immediate answer. “Please let me know well in advance so that I can fill your position.”

  Ava felt her stomach tighten. She wasn’t sure she wanted to attend law school anymore. School ramped up her anxiety, and by her senior year of college, she had been popping anti-anxiety medication daily. Dr. Newman, her therapist, had taught her some relaxation techniques, and she was able to cut it down to two times a week. The medication made her feel loopy, and her concentration wasn’t as focused when she took them. Her grades slipped in her senior year from As and Bs to a few Cs by mid-semester in the fall. By working round the clock, she was able to pull them back up to mostly As.

  Her family was putting pressure on her to go back to school, but she just wasn’t sure it was what she wanted. She thanked Maggie and went back to her desk, finishing out her day.

  Ava spent all day Saturday cleaning, but her mind kept drifting to that evening when Liam would be there. Rachel had promised to be at her apartment by three with some of her newest creations in tow, and she was as good as her word.

  Rachel spun her around, giving her a last minute check. She had dressed her in a knee-length cobalt blue dress. The front showed just enough cleavage to intrigue. It hugged her hips and legs in all the right places. Ava had to hand it to Rachel; that woman knew how to come up with something perfect in a pinch. Rachel had this in her inventory but admitted that she had made alterations to it to fit Ava. Even so, the dress fit like it was made for just her.

  “Rachel, I love it. You are a genius with design.”

  Rachel took a bow. “It does look good on you. No, it looks fantastic.” Rachel was a fashion designer, but her taste for herself was a retro vibe. She often trolled the consignment shops for items she could alter. She wore horn-rimmed glasses that framed her light brown eyes. Because of the time she spent bent over a pad or sewing machine, she also kept her blonde hair in a tight bun to reduce distraction from pushing it away from her face. She was all of twenty-seven and was making a big splash in the fashion world. Ava loved her confidence and hoped that one day to be so confident. As she stared in the mirror, she started to chew on her lip.

  “Stop it!” said Rachel. “I know that look, and you just messed up your lip gloss. Why can’t you just accept that you are a gorgeous woman and men find you attractive? Don’t let the demons of your past bring you down.”

  Rachel knew plenty about past demons. She had been sexually assaulted her first year in college. She refused to let it define her and became an activist on campus. Her attacker had drugged her at a party, and he was never punished. He claimed she was consenting, and it became he said/she said situation. She had to live with what happened, but she never let it tear her down. Ava loved her strength and being in Rachel’s presence always bolstered her self-esteem.

  Rachel never knew the full scope of what had happened to Ava, though. She was too embarrassed to tell the full story. She blamed her stupidity and naïveté for what had occurred. Maybe one day she would feel strong enough to tell the full truth, but for now, her family only knew a few details. Her sister might have known what truly happened but she was traveling around Europe and for the last four years, so there was no worry about her telling. Ava was just a blip on her sister, Brooke’s radar.

  “I’m going to get out of here,” Rachel said. “You don’t need me cramping your style.”

  Ava reached out to pull Rachel into a hug. “You always take care of me. What would I do without your wonderful designs?”

  Rachel started to blush at the compliment. “What are fashion designer cousins for? Enjoy your night, and I expect a full report on how it went.”

  “Will do,” Ava said as Rachel opened her apartment door. “See you later.”

  Ava went around her apartment nervously straightening up even though it was always tidy; she just needed something to do. It was nearing seven, and her anxiety was starting to pique. She could feel her chest tightening, and her breathing was becoming shallow.

  Stop it, she told herself. Dr. Newman had said that she needed to talk herself down rather than take a pill. Nonetheless, sometimes it got so bad that she took it just to calm her nerves. She didn’t want to tonight, and she kept using the affirmations he had taught her. Gradually she started to feel better, and her cell phone rang. It was Liam.

  She planned to go downstairs, but Liam had something for her; roses, as it turned out. She put them in two vases because the two dozen long stems would not fit into one.

  As she put the flowers in water, he told her he had made reservations near her apartment, but he wouldn’t tell her the name. She tried
to guess since she knew a lot of the places in her area, but she didn’t know. It was warmer this evening than the past few nights, and he had asked her to walk. They traveled five blocks up and stopped at a building on Fourteenth Street. She didn’t see any restaurants in front.

  “Come, here we are.” Liam pulled her by the hand into the building and greeted the concierge by name. He gestured to the elevators, where Liam pressed the button for the fourth floor.

  “What is this?”

  “Shhh,” as he placed his finger over her lips. She could smell his intoxicating cologne. “Just trust me…Please.”

  She smiled at him, but her anxiety was starting to build again. They exited the elevator, and he led her to 4F. He took out a set of keys and opened the door and gently pushed her inside the foyer. The apartment was warm and inviting, with a delicious aroma in the air. It was a large apartment with a view of the street.

  “This is my friend’s place. Paulo is a chef at Vincente Trattoria in midtown, and he owed me a favor. I sometimes stay here when I work late, and the company suite is not available. When I told him that I had my first date with you, he insisted on cooking for us.”

  As if on cue, a heavyset man with closely cropped curly black hair and dark eyes came into to the foyer. Paulo had a deep Italian accent.

  “Ciao, Bella. My name is Paulo.”

  He opened the foyer closet and hung up their coats, then kissed her hand, holding onto it as he led her to the table. He held the chair for her, and when she was seated, he took a lighter out of his pocket to light the candles on the table. The table was set beautifully with a thick white linen tablecloth, cloth napkins, china and silver were all set out before them. Paulo had prepared a feast, and her stomach was growling from the smells emanating from his kitchen.

  Over two hours later they were full from the three-course meal.

  “You want dessert?” Paulo asked. “I made delicious dessert including Tiramisu or rather my pastry chef, Victor did. Would you like?”