by Paisley Lang
“Wait up.” I laugh, moving through the water until I’m next to her. Her eyes are sparkling, and for the first time, I catch a glimpse of her unguarded. I reach out and wrap an arm around her waist, but she wriggles away.
“Hands off, Stud.” She pushes her hair out of her eyes. “Ready to go again? One, two…go.” She speeds off before I can respond and I chuckle, ducking my head in hot pursuit.
Later, worn out from racing, we sit on the loungers, sipping our drinks.
“You’re an amazing swimmer, Kitten. Were you on the swim team back home?”
She shakes her head. “No, we didn’t have anything like that. I got my practice in the sea.” She smiles, sipping her drink. “My mom, Sofia, was a great swimmer.” Her voice is soft, laced with sadness.
I let the silence sit between us momentarily. I’m not really into deep conversations, but she makes me curious.
“Can I ask what happened to her?” I glance at her long and shapely legs, my eyes traveling over her damp swimsuit until I reach her eyes. She’s staring into the distance and the silence is awkward. I’m about to change the subject when she speaks.
“She passed away three months ago.” Taking in a deep, steadying breath, she continues. “She’d been unwell for some time, the headaches kept bothering her, but she dismissed them. Finally, she passed out one day - I came home from school to find her unconscious on the kitchen floor.”
Fuck.
“When we got her to the hospital, they ran some tests. Unfortunately, she had developed a tumor and surgery at that point would have been too invasive. Had we discovered it earlier…”
She trails off, her beautiful features screwed up in pain, and I feel like a sack of shit for bringing it up.
She inhales an audible breath and exhales loudly.
“I’m sorry, Ava. I didn’t know…”
“It’s cool. I’m dealing.” She forces a smile on her face. “So, what about you, Jax Prescott? What’s your story? Obviously besides being a player?”
I almost spit out my drink. “What did you just call me?” I’m incredulous that she’s so frank with me. It’s actually quite refreshing.
Her hand flies to her mouth, a trace of panic behind her eyes.
“I’m sorry. Forget I said anything.”
I smirk and fiddle with my watch. “It’s cool, Kitten. I want you to be yourself around me. And besides, I’ve been called a lot worse.” I wink and visibly see her relax. “There’s not much to tell. I have a year left to finish law school and then I’m joining my father’s practice.” My words sound flat, even to my ears.
“Wow. So you’ll be practicing the same law as Mr. Prescott?”
“Corporate. Yeah, that’s the plan.” I look away, a muscle ticking in my jaw.
“Well…is that what Jax Prescott wants?”
I look into the distance, my chest feeling a little lighter.
“I want to spend time in India.”
“Like as in…you want to find yourself?” She makes air quotes.
I smile. “Something like that, yeah. But mainly, I want to join a volunteer program to help street kids.”
“Wow…so you have a real heart in there, huh?” She smiles playfully and I poke her shoulder.
“I plead the fifth.”
She’s thoughtful for a moment. “So, what’s stopping you from doing that?”
“My father says we have enough of our own first world problems to deal with.” I run a hand roughly through my hair. “I guess that translates to wanting more billable hours.”
I don’t want to talk about myself anymore so I change the subject, shifting my focus back to her.
“So, you have a boyfriend back home, Kitten?”
She snorts. “I kind of did. Except when the going got tough towards the end, he disappeared. I assumed we broke up, although it would have been nice to have been told.”
A surprising undercurrent of irritation runs through me at the thought of that asshole ditching her when she probably needed him the most.
“I’m sorry. He sounds like a prick.”
She laughs at that. “Yeah, guess he was.” She shrugs. “We were never serious anyway. What about you? Seems like you have your hands full with the ladies?”
“Just having a good time, darlin’.” I stretch against the lounger and adjust my shorts, pulling them a little lower on purpose and catching her staring from the side of my eye. “You know, I’d be more than happy to show you a thing or two…”
She shakes her head. “No thanks, I’m good, Stud. I’ll happily wait for the right man…not really looking for an STD.”
I throw my palm against my heart. “Ouch, Kitten. That hurts.” We end up laughing. “Just for the record, in case you’re feeling horny while waiting for your Mr. Perfect, I’m clean. You know, if you wanna-”
She holds her hand up, grimacing. “Thanks for the offer.”
My phone beeps with an incoming message and I ignore it. I’m too busy enjoying our conversation to be bothered with the interruption.
“You speak perfect English. Did you attend a bilingual school back home?” I pick up my drink and take a long sip.
“Actually, I did. My mother was an English teacher. She had me reading English books from a young age.” She pauses. “That’s about the only thing I brought with me when I packed up - my beloved books and a handful of photos.”
Mirroring my actions, she takes her drink and plays with the straw before finally taking a sip. I can’t help but stare at her mouth, desiring those lips against mine.
She shifts and glances at her watch. I’m disappointed as she begins to gather her things.
“Speaking of books…I’ve got a date with one in my room.” She stands and grabs her cover-up, slipping it over her suit. “Thanks for the swim…and the company. You haven’t been too insufferable after all.”
I almost choke at her smart mouth. Chicks dig me, can’t get enough and mostly, they’re grateful to be part of my inner circle. I find my lips inadvertently curling into a smile. Shielding my eyes with my hand, I run my hand through my hair as I check out her ass.
“Stop looking.”
“Just admiring the view, Kitten. See you around.”
Chapter 5
Ava
My days pass and I settle into a new routine. Even though I’m only employed on a part-time basis, I find myself working longer hours to assist Gaby. I seldom have other plans, and besides, I enjoy her company. We work well together and I’m getting accustomed to working my way around my section of the house, which includes maintaining the formal dining room and looking after three of the guest bedrooms.
Due to finish my shift, I realize I’ve forgotten to strip one of the beds. The room’s in the south wing of the house and is very rarely used.
Selecting another tune on my iPod, I stick my ear buds back in and make my way in that direction.
Turning the handle slowly, I peek around the door. And stop short. Gasping, I pull my ear buds out, my hand flying to my mouth to stop the sound escaping. Two bodies are moving under the sheets and I hear a distinct voice that I recognize well. My mind screams at me to get the hell out, but my feet are frozen and my eyes are glued to the scene in front of me.
Just as I finally manage to gather myself, a head peers out from under the sheets and catches me staring. Cold brown eyes narrow and I slowly back away, my heart pounding.
“Ava. Get back in here now and shut the door.”
Oh my God. I am about to get fired.
“Yes, Mrs. Prescott.”
She sits up in bed, drawing the sheets around her naked breasts.
“Christian. Give us a minute, please.”
“Sure.” The other man shrugs his shoulders. He throws the sheets off him, watching for my reaction. Heat rushes to my face and I avert my gaze as he pads butt-naked to the bathroom.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
I open my mouth to speak and quickly shut it again, trying to contain the
incoherent thoughts that are spinning through my mind.
“Answer me.”
“Um, sorry, Mrs. Prescott. I was just finishing my shift…and I, I forgot I needed to change the sheets in here.” My face is on fire as she scrutinizes me.
“You will never repeat what you’ve seen. Do you understand?”
I look down at my shoes. “Of course, Mrs. Prescott.”
“Let me make this very clear. You are my maid. That’s all. Don’t ever get above yourself.”
Indignation rushes through me, but I merely nod.
“I understand, Mrs. Prescott.”
“Good. If I ever hear that you have mentioned this, even voiced a tiny hint, you will be out on the street so fast you won’t know which direction is Mexico.” She smirks at my reaction. “And I’ll make sure you’ll never be able to find employment again in this town. After all, no one would take your word over mine, Ava. All I’d have to do is mention that a few things went missing…” she trails off, and a sudden coldness settles over me.
“Like I said, I understand, Mrs. Prescott.”
“Good. You seem like a bright girl. I’m glad you concur. Now go. Leave us.”
Fuming, I stomp off down the hall, pulling off my apron along the way. Tears of frustration gather in my eyes. How can people be so cruel? I had met Mr. Prescott on several occasions now, albeit very briefly, but he was a hell of a lot more pleasant than her. Did he know what was going on behind his back? I purse my lips. How dare she threaten me like that?
I get to my room and fling open the door, my only thought being that I need to get out of here.
Slipping on my bikini, I pack a bag with some books and decide to head down to the beach.
The sea always calms me.
The sun feels good on my body, warming me from the internal chill I’d experienced in the house. I pull out one of my classics and settle back into my towel, looking forward to the escape from my mundane life. Slipping on my sunglasses, I glance towards the water, seeing a bunch of people around my age playing by the edge.
Suddenly, I feel a pang of sadness. I miss my friends back home. Towards the end, I had pulled away from everyone, preferring to push people away rather than deal with their sympathy, which I couldn’t handle. I promised I’d keep in touch with a few of my closer friends, but what could I realistically tell them? That I’d had my dreams of working in communications taken from me and instead, my life plan was now to serve others? To help conceal affairs?
Sighing, I lay back against my towel, shutting my eyes. I think about Jax - did he know what his mother was really like? My thoughts move to him and a small smile creeps onto my face. He makes it clear that he’s interested in me, and so help me God, when he whispers his seductive lines to me, my heart pounds wildly. Small electric jolts shoot up my spine and settle in the pit of my stomach, causing an ache between my legs.
I drift off to sleep, the sound of the waves, like a gentle lullaby, soothing my troubles away.
I awake with a start. Rubbing my eyes, I glance at my watch, realizing I must have been napping for over an hour. Sitting up and stretching, I’m feeling hot and I wince at my red shoulders, which would need some attention later. I jump up and jog to the water’s edge, the gentle waves tickling my feet. The water feels beautiful and warm, and without any hesitation, I wade in and swim for some time. The current is a little stronger here than back home, but I’m a confident swimmer. Nonetheless, after a little while, feeling refreshed, I swim back to the shore. Stepping out of the water, I shake my hair out and towel myself off. I’d had enough for the day, and with my lack of options, I drag my feet back to the house.
After a long hot shower, I comb through my hair and lightly dry it off. My face is flushed from the sun and my shoulders feel on fire. I’m just about to grab a tube of moisturizer when I hear a knock on my door, so I quickly wrap the towel around me.
Leaning up against the frame, with his arms crossed, is Jax. As usual, he has a cocky smirk on his face. My eyes land on his biceps stretching across his t-shirt. I feel my body warming up and I’m sure my face is flushing even more as all I can picture is his naked back.
“Evening, Kitten.” His eyes darken as they rake over my body. “Did I interrupt anything? You’re looking very flushed.” His tone is playful, but there’s a certain edge to his voice.
“What? No.” I’m flustered at his words and drop the tube of moisturizer by his feet. Dammit. I crouch down to retrieve it and my head is almost level with his crotch.
“You know, you don’t need an excuse to be down there…”
I bite my lip and try to conceal my smile. He is the most arrogant man I’ve ever met.
“Unlikely.” I stand back up and slightly wince. My shoulders are really sore and I place my hand on the burn. Jax reaches for the tube and points to the seat.
“Sit.”
I do as he asks, his commanding voice sending a shiver of desire up my spine. Pulling my hair over to my other shoulder, I watch while he warms some lotion in his hand.
Instinctively, I close my eyes as he places his warm hands on my shoulders. My breathing becomes shallow as he slowly massages the cream into me until I feel heat spreading throughout my entire body. His hands apply just the right amount of pressure and they feel so good and relaxing. I can’t help the little sounds of appreciation as his hands work their magic over me. All of a sudden, his hands still.
“What are you doing? Why are you stopping…feels so good…”
His voice is thick when he responds. “So is the view.”
I slowly open my eyes. I’m mortified when I see that my towel has lowered on one side, fully exposing my right breast. My nipples are hard and I can’t do anything to stop him when his hand cups my breast. I moan at his touch and close my eyes as he lightly pinches my nipple, sending an electric current straight to my core.
“Ava…”
His voice hits me like a bucket of cold water. What the hell am I doing?
Breathing heavily, I push his hand away and roughly pull the towel over me.
I swallow hard. “What are you doing, Jax?”
I spin around and am taken aback by the look of desire written all over his face. His eyes are dilated and burning into me and I feel just as affected, though I’m trying not to let on.
“One day soon, I’m gonna make you scream in pleasure when I give you the best orgasm of your life, Ava Cortes.”
“What? That’s presumptive, don’t you think?” I back away, forcing myself to put the much-needed space between us.
“No, it’s not. It’s just a matter of time. You’ll see.” He winks and steps back from me, taking a seat on the bed.
I’m at a loss for words. The thought of him being between my legs is causing more heat to flood my face. I rush into the bathroom, and even though I know I’m acting like a child, I slam the door behind me. Placing my hands on either side of the sink, I look at my reflection and note my pink cheeks, my eyes sparkling back at me. I feel lightheaded and my chest is pounding from his touch. I’m so turned on right now, I can’t think straight. Splashing some cold water on my face, I get myself together and slip into a fresh pair of shorts and my tank top.
Focus, Ava. Focus.
I open the door to find him looking through the things I’d left on my bed earlier. Shit. I hadn’t put them away.
He glances at me and then back to the photos. “Is this your mom?”
I nod, walking over to the bed and taking a tentative seat next to him. “That’s her when she was around my age. She’s around nineteen.”
“Wow, you look really similar.” He pauses for a moment. “When are you nineteen?”
I look away and play with my bracelet.
“Kitten?”
I exhale before answering. “Next week, actually. Tuesday.”
He nods and consults the photos once again.
“Who’s the guy in the photo with her?”
Tensing, after only recently coming to terms with it
myself, I blow out another big breath. “I believe that’s my father. I found a few of them together after she passed.”
“He looks American?”
“Yeah.” I don’t offer any more information, as I’m not ready to share.
“Has he been in touch?”
I shake my head. “Jax, he doesn’t even know I’m alive.”
We sit in silence for a few moments while he thumbs through the rest of my photos. Then he places them neatly into a pile and turns to look at me, a serious look on his face.
“Would you be interested to find out more about him?”
I glare at him. “Why would I want to do that? I mean, sure, I’m curious, but I can’t imagine he’d want anything to do with me.”
He’s quiet, and I can almost see the wheels turning over in his mind
“What? What are you thinking?”
He shrugs. “Just that you can’t be sure of that, if in the first place, he doesn’t know, to paraphrase, that you exist.” He pauses. “I can help you find him.”
“What?” I stand and cross my arms, walking to the other side of the room. “How?”
“We have a lot of connections. It wouldn’t be too difficult for me to make a few calls and use these photos to run a facial recognition check.” He’s quiet as I process this information. “You just have to say the word.”
Chapter 6
Jax
I see a myriad of emotions crossing her face.
Placing her palms together, she tucks them between her thighs, looking away. Finally, after what feels like minutes, she answers in a soft voice, almost a whisper.
“You really think you could locate him?”
“I’m pretty sure we could. We can definitely try and do some background work to locate his whereabouts.” Odd, but scrutinizing the photos, there’s something familiar about him. “I don’t know why but…” I squint my eyes in concentration.
“But what?”
“It’s probably nothing, but I feel like I’ve seen his face before…”