by MJ Masucci
“Xander? Xander.”
Xander turned to see who it was and got the shock of his life. Jacob was coming towards him with his wife Sandra in tow. “Fuck, it's Jacob,” Xander softly said. They never expected to see him this far downtown on a weekend. Jacob lived near Central Park and could have easily gone there.
“Time to face the music,” Xander said.
Ava hid behind Xander as Jacob and Sandra got closer, she was hoping maybe he wouldn’t see her, but that was wishful thinking. She knew he was going to see her and stepped out from behind Xander just as Jacob shook his hand.
“Ava? What the fuck is going on?”
“JACOB!” Sandra exclaimed.
“No, Sandra, this is bullshit. What’s the matter, Wilder? Now that Abby is in Boston you are cheating on her with of all people, my baby cousin.”
Xander got defensive. “It’s not like that at all.”
“I don’t care what you do with your life, but you aren’t going to fuck around with Ava’s,” Jacob reached out to grab her arm, and she pulled away.
“Jacob, stop it. I’m not a baby, and you need to stop being so overprotective.”
“Ava, you do know he has a girlfriend don’t you? He figured he would prey on you while she is out of sight.”
Xander stepped in front of Ava and went toe to toe with Jacob. “That’s enough Jacob. You don’t know anything about my relationship. If you would stop yelling long enough for me to explain, I could tell you.”
Sandra stuck her arm in between the two men. “Timeout, boys. Jacob, why don’t you give him a chance to explain.”
Jacob knitted his eyebrows together. “I can’t wait to hear this one. Go ahead, Wilder, let’s hear it.”
Xander let out a deep breath. “First off, Abby and I are no longer together. SHE cheated on me in Boston, and she was the one that ended it. I tried everything I could to keep us together. Second, this isn’t just a fling for me. I’m in love with Ava.” Ava watched as Jacob’s features softened.
“How long has this been going on?” Jacob asked.
“We started dating last week, but she struck me like a lightning bolt a month ago.” Jacob looked at him and started to laugh so hard that tears leaked out of his eyes.
“Are you kidding me, Wilder? You fell in love with her when she started working for you?”
Xander smiled widely, “You have no idea.”
Ava stood behind Xander, and her heart swelled. She stepped out, “Okay, can you stop talking about me like I am a prize pig at the fair?”
“Who else knows? Does your dad?” Xander bristled at the thought of telling his father.
“No, I know he wanted me to marry Abby, and I haven’t had the balls to tell him we broke up. You know how he can be.”
Jacob did know how Peter could be. He had always been hard on Xander, harder than on any of his two other children and Jacob figured it was because they were girls. Xander was his only son and he expected more from him.
“Can I talk to you in private for a minute,” Xander said, putting his arm on Jacob’s shoulder. They walked several feet away and left Ava standing with Sandra. “I need to ask you not to tell anyone about this. I know this is inappropriate for the office, but I can’t be away from Ava. I want her to continue to be my assistant, but others might not think it proper.” Jacob looked at Xander and knew he had it bad for Ava. But Jacob was torn between doing what was right for the firm and what was right for his friend. If it went bad, then Ava could say that Xander forced her into a relationship.
“I won’t make you any promises, but I will keep quiet for the time being.”
Xander gave him a look “I don’t understand what you mean by that?”
“It means I need to make a decision based on what is best for the firm. If it goes bad and it got out that I knew, it would not look good for me, either.”
Xander rubbed the back of his neck. “I understand. You do what you think is right, but Ava and I would appreciate it if you kept it quiet.”
Jacob tightened his lips and nodded. They walked back over to where Sandra and Ava.
“So are you boys done passing secrets?” Sandra asked.
Jacob held out his hand to her. “I will see you two around the office.” He shot Xander and Ava a knowing glance.
“So what did you say to Jacob?”
“I asked him if he would keep quiet about our relationship.”
“And?”
“He said he is making no promises. He needs to protect the firm first and us second. He said if it were found out that he knew and said nothing, it would not look good for him.” Ava wrapped her arms around herself and suddenly felt cold. She knew what it meant if Jacob said anything to her uncle or worse, Peter. She would be removed from assignment with Xander, and they might be ordered not to see each other even outside of the firm.
The firm had recently enacted a policy of non-fraternization due to the situation with David Townsend. Few people knew, but the woman David had been sleeping with this time had slapped the firm with a sexual harassment suit. They were fighting it because she did not work directly for David and therefore was not forced into a sexual relationship. Jacob had submitted an affidavit since she did work directly for David. So he was sensitive to the relationship between Ava and Xander especially since Ava was family.
In fact, Ava felt that it was more so because of their familial relationship rather than the new policy. “I will talk to him. Maybe he will listen to me. If not maybe we should out ourselves and tell the partners.”
Xander shook his head. “That would be problematic for me since I have not told dad that I no longer am with Abby.” Ava started to get upset.
“When do you plan to tell your father? You need to tell him that she is no longer in your life.”
“Why are you getting angry?”
“Because I feel that you are not putting our relationship first. You are more worried about what your father will think.” Xander reached out for Ava, but she walked away. He chased after her and jumped in front of her.
“Ava, you mean everything to me, and you are right, I need to tell him. I promise that I will do it this week. I know he is going to be disappointed, but she was never the right one for me. You make me happy. I love you.”
Ava felt tears well up in her eyes. It was the first time Xander said he loved her to her face. He had told her that he was in love with her, but this was different. He said he loved her. She was pretty sure that she loved him too, but she wasn’t ready to say it to him.
“Are those tears? Don’t cry.”
“These are happy tears. This is the first time you said you loved me right to my face. And I will say it again. I love you, Ava Keene.” The rest of the day was spent enjoying the waterfront. When the sun started to sink, they started out for home. Xander suggested they stay at his place tonight, but Ava first needed to feed Riley. After his feeding, she went into her bathroom to pack up dirty clothing to wash at Xander’s, because if she didn’t, she would have no clean underwear.
Chapter 12
Ava stuffed all the clothing into Xander’s washer. She added detergent and set it for hot while he was busy making grilled cheese for dinner. When they finished eating, she cleaned the dishes.
After two glasses of wine and a day of fresh air, Ava was starting to fall asleep. She had positioned herself, so her head was on his thigh, her legs stretched out the length of the sofa. He stroked her neck and cheek with his fingers. Soft jazz music was playing, and the only light was from the small one over the kitchen sink. He had the drapes open, and the lights of the city dotted the skyline. It was the most relaxed Ava had been in a long time. She wanted to stay here forever, but Xander prodded her.
“You’re sleepy. Let’s get into bed. It’s much more comfortable than this couch.” When she didn’t move, he threatened to carry her over his shoulder. He slid out from under her head and stood over her with his hand outstretched. She defiantly laid there with him looking down at her.
“Okay, you had your chance.” In one swift move, he picked her up and swung her over his shoulder. She slapped at his back as he carried her into the bedroom and plopped her down on the bed.
“Now get ready for bed.”
“Is that an order?” He stood there with his hands on his hips.
“Don’t make me undress you.”
Ava’s eyes grew wide, “you wouldn’t?”
“I’ll give you five seconds to get up and change or else.” When Ava didn’t move, he reached for her, and she scuttled along the bed to the other side. He ran around the bed to grab her, and she scuttled back. By the third time she did this, he was laughing so hard he couldn’t breathe. He sat on the bench at the end of the bed until he was able to take a normal breath. Ava leaned on his back with her head on his shoulder and kissed his neck. He twisted his body and pulled her into his lap. She straddled him, and she gently kissed him on his lips, then his cheeks, and finally bit his chin. His stubble brushed her face. She eased out of his lap and started to get ready for bed. Xander went into the bathroom, and when he came back, she had already gotten into bed.
“Not brushing your teeth tonight?”
“I used the hall bath already. You take a long time. What do you brush each tooth individually?”
“No! I just like to do a good job brushing.” He slipped into bed, and they met in the middle to cuddle.
“I had fun today.”
“So did I.”
“Can I tell you something? I love you.” Ava could almost hear him smiling in the dark.
“I love you too, but you already knew that.”
12:21 in the morning and Xander was wide awake. They had only gone to bed two hours ago, and sleep was not coming. The conversation they had before she fell asleep ate at him. He needed to tell Ava everything. She was now in love with him and with each passing day, it would make it harder for her to hear. His first order of business would be to tell his father about Abby. Sleep finally claimed him sometime around three, but he was awakened shortly after by Ava thrashing around. He grasped her arms and shook her awake.
“Ava, you’re safe, I’m here.” He turned on the light which revealed her face was white as a ghost. “Tell me what happened.”
“I’m not sure. I do remember that it felt like I was being held down. I couldn’t break free, and I heard laughter. I’m sorry I woke you.”
He stroked her hair, “It’s alright. I was worried about you.” They both lay back down in bed, and he held her to him.
It was well into late morning on Sunday when they opened their eyes again. What Xander didn’t know is that Ava hadn’t slept much after she was startled from her old nightmare. The same one that had plagued her five years ago was now back. Why now? Did it coincide with her relationship with Xander? Did it coincide with a relationship with any man since she had one when she was with Liam? She wasn’t sure but if they continued she might have to go back to Dr. Newman. She watched as Xander exited his side of the bed.
She padded to the full-length windows and opened the drapes. Down below, she could see traffic moving on the streets. She pressed herself against the cool glass with her arms splayed. Xander walked into the room holding two cups of coffee and was mesmerized. The sun streamed around her petite body. He started to get hard thinking about her pressed against the glass while he was in her. She turned to the steps of his feet on the hardwood floor and noticed the growing bulge in his boxers. Oh my God, does he have an erection?
He handed her the cup and turned to sit in the chaise near the window, running his hand against himself to try to minimize the bulge.
“So what do you want to do today? It’s going to be another warm day.” He told her.
She sipped her coffee. “I need to do some cleaning. I haven’t done anything there in about two weeks.”
By the time they got back to Ava’s place, it was well past noon. She fed the cat while Xander folded her laundry. As he folded, he noted how many sexy under things she had. He had only seen a few of her bra and panty sets, but some of the ones he was folding were gorgeous. Is this what she is wearing underneath those business clothes of hers? The thought was a major turn on for him. He often thought of what it would be like to undress her while they made love.
“Are you staying here tonight?” She asked while she wiped the counter in the kitchen.
“ I thought we would stay at my place tonight, and we can go to work together.”
“I have some bills to catch up on before they shut off the electric and cable.”
He smiled wickedly. “It might be fun to sit in the dark with only candles lit!” He was hoping they could sleep in the same bed tonight, but he knew she had her obligations. She turned on her laptop and started going through a stack of bills. After she had completed them, she started cleaning around her apartment. By the time she had finished, it was later in the day, and Xander had fallen asleep on the couch with Riley in his lap.
“I’m done cleaning. So are you staying here tonight?”
“My bed is much more comfortable than yours,” he protested.
“Really? I think mine is pretty comfortable.”
“That’s because you are barely one hundred pounds and the mattress doesn’t sink.”
“How old is that thing?”
“It’s not old at all. I got it brand new when I bought this apartment.”
“I would prefer mine, so if you would get some stuff we can go over now.”
“I want to stay here tonight.” Ava stood her ground and crossed her arms.
“I don’t want to argue with you. If you don’t come with me, then I will sleep alone tonight.”
“Suit yourself. See you tomorrow then.” Xander wasn’t sure if he should leave or if she was going to give in once he made an attempt to leave. He got his jacket on and approached the door. She wasn’t moving to stop him, so he told her goodbye and left. Ava sat on the couch biting her lip and waiting to see if he was going to come back. When he didn’t, she ran to the door and looked down the hallway, but all she heard was the elevator doors closing. Dammit, why did I tell him no? I don’t want him to be angry at me. But he should have given in to me and stayed here. I was at his place last night. She felt irritated more than anything but soon realized how petty the argument had been. She regretted not compromising. Ava made a mental note to discuss with him sleeping arrangements for the week. That was if he even cared to discuss it.
Xander stalked into his building. He was upset that Ava would not be in his bed tonight. Maybe he should have just let her win and stayed there. He was always giving in to her. No, that’s not true. It’s not her. You were always giving in to Abby. Ava is nothing like her. You need to choose your battles better.
He sat down on the couch contemplating what his next move should be. It was everything, not just the argument with Ava. It was just a small piece of what caused him stress, a very small piece. He had so much to do to make his relationship with Ava stable. She was not the problem, he was. He felt sick thinking about sitting down with his father to tell him that Abby was out of the picture. The horrible thing was that he couldn’t even say he was dating Ava. They weren’t supposed to be dating each other and had to tell the partners. He poured himself a double scotch and sat down at his office desk to draw out a plan. There were several things that he needed to do:
Reveal everything to Ava
Talk to Dad about Abby
Talk to the partners about our relationship
Get an STD test
Number one and number four were very important. He needed to talk to Ava about his past as soon as possible. Number three might not matter after they talked. She might not want anything to do with him. He needed to take care of number four whether his relationship lasted or not. He had had a couple of one-night stands with women he didn’t know well. He needed to make sure that he was clean especially if he had sex with Ava. The last thing she needed was to get infected because of his stupidity. He finished his scotc
h and went to take a shower. His mind drifted to Ava and her sexy panties as he soaped his body. The spray heated his body; his thoughts heated his mind. Lower down those thoughts were having an effect. He was sporting a full erection. He wrapped his hand around his cock and started to stroke himself. It had been a couple of days since Ava had made him come. He wished it was her soft hand stroking him as she had done before.
BING BONG.
He listened, and he was sure that he heard the doorbell. He stopped what he was doing and stuck his head out of the shower. He heard it again. Xander quickly turned off the shower, wrapped a towel around his waist and hurried to the door. The desk hadn’t phoned him, and they usually wouldn’t let visitors up without calling a resident. He peered through the peephole and saw Ava with a garment bag in tow. Xander opened the door for her.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were in the shower. I should have called first.” She continued to ramble, “I don’t know why I got so upset about sleeping over. You are right, I should have…”
Xander held up his hand to indicate she should stop talking. “Ava, part of a relationship is compromise. I shouldn’t always expect you to sleep in my bed all the time. We should decide in which place we are sleeping beforehand.”
She kept babbling, “It’s just that I have Riley, and he gets lonely when I’m not there all the time.” Ava reached up to wipe some suds from his ear. “Did you want to finish your shower? It looks like you weren’t done rinsing off.” She gestured to the soap on his arm and shoulder.
“I guess I should finish.” He cocked his head at her. “How did you shower so fast?”
“I didn’t yet. I was going to shower here if you let me. I brought my clothes for work tomorrow,“ she held up the garment bag.