by Pinki Parks
Ava paused outside the entrance to Kellers and said, “What’s your deal? You want money? A job? Isn’t it a bit early for you to be looking for a job?” Ava shook her head, “If you want to be a realtor, why are you wasting your time at the University?” She scanned Tristan’s features, there was a freshness to his face that she hadn’t seen on her own since her last year of college. Every moment after she graduated was spent pounding the pavement, standing toe to toe with some of the scariest men in town, and working until her eyes literally couldn’t stay open.
“My mom would go crazy if I went into real estate,” he said. He took a big step to reach the door handle before she did. He pulled the door open and swept his arm out in front of him. The heels of Ava’s boots squeaked against the wood floor of Kellers, and she sent him an icy glare.
Tristan smiled and said, “She’s old-fashioned. No, she and my Father were adamant that I decided to go to school for something that they could brag about,” he shrugged, “you know how it is.”
Ava approached the counter with Tristan trailing behind her and said, “I’ll have my usual,” she turned to Tristan, “What will you have? Do you drink strong coffee?”
Ava’s eyes narrowed into thin slits, as if his answer would determine whether she’d waste another minute with him. Tristan turned to the barista and said, “I’ll have regular coffee.” He turned towards her and said, “I’m going to be a law student, of course I drink coffee. How else can I keep up?”
Ava winced and before she could hand her credit card over to the barista, he pulled out a ten-dollar bill. The law students that she’d gone to school with were some of the most intense people that she’d ever met. They were laser focused on being the next big, celebrity lawyers, and they were happy to take down anyone that stood in the way.
Ava led the way out of the coffee shop, and they moved onto the crowded sidewalk. “So, what is a soon to be law student from Sunnyside doing here? You still haven’t gotten to the point about why you’re here.”
Tristan blinked and wrapped his fingers around the lid of his coffee to secure it tight. He took a long sip of coffee and his eyes sent a thrill throughout her as they looked at her from over the lid of the coffee cup. He lowered the cup and ran his wide, pink tongue over his bottom lip and said, “I’m here for you.”
“For me?”
“For you. I want to see you.”
Ava’s eyes widened. He quickly shuffled his feet to press the button on the crosswalk before she did. “Me?” Her heart pounded in her chest, a part of her wondered if she’d given off any signals that would encourage this young man to pursue her. Did I stare?
Tristan grinned and said, “I think that you are amazing. You are smart and you’re sexy, and I just...”
Ava held up one of her long fingers as they walked across the street. “Do you know how old I am?”
Tristan opened his mouth to reply and Ava shook her head, “Never mind, answer that, and you’ll never work at any law firm within a thirty-mile radius of New York.”
Tristan’s laughter was disarming. For a moment, the crease between Ava’s eyebrows softened, and she said, “I’m…I’m a lot older than you. I’m confident that we don’t have anything in common.” Not to mention, humoring him will just be a reminder that I’m closing in on forty in a few years and my eggs are aching to be fertilized. Her eyes fell to the sneakers that Tristan wore, they were stylish, the kind of sneakers you’d see a male model wearing in a sneaker ad. They were also increasingly popular among people his age, Ava remembered the conversation that she’d overheard between two cleaning ladies in her building. They’d been bitching about the scuffs that those sneakers leave on linoleum.
Ava and Tristan stopped on the other side of the street and Tristan wore an unwavering smile. He pointed across the street, towards the snow-covered grounds of Central Park. “The park is nice this time of year. Do you want to go for a walk?”
His nervous wide-eyed look stared at her like a kid worried that Santa might not show up. He hurried to walk alongside her.
This is how it always starts, isn’t it? I fall for their sales pitch despite every reason not to, I humor them, and when things get too real, I’m suddenly too much to handle. I’d be making a complete fool of myself to consider crossing that line right now. Especially with someone his age. Ava shook her head. “You’re a bit too young for walks in the park.”
Tristan held his breath as though her response was a challenge that he would have to overcome. What can I say for her to come with me? He couldn’t take no for an answer. It was not an outcome that he could live with. “These legs have been walking in Central Park since I was a baby.”
A small giggle escaped from Ava’s lips. “Oh yeah? Were you some kind of miracle baby?”
“Oh, yeah. Hit all my milestones before everyone else,” he lowered his voice and said, “You could drink your coffee and just walk with me.” Ava shook her head. “I’ve got to get back.” He smirked. He knew not to push too hard or he would turn her off. He gestured to the coffee in his hand. “Nice talking to you, Ava. I’ll be around when you want to take that walk.”
Without waiting for a goodbye, Tristan headed down the street and Ava watched as he disappeared into the subway terminal. Her eyes flickered towards the coffee cup in her hand and then back in the direction that Tristan went. The cologne that he wore still hung in the air. He’s got a big pair of balls on him. Persistent. I’ll give him that. Persistent and adorable. Come on, Ava. There’s work to do. She dragged herself out of her reverie and reached into her pocket. The screen on her cell phone was bright with six different voicemails.
“Shit.”
Chapter 3
Ava winced at her reflection in the mirror as she pulled her slinky black dress over her breasts. She chuckled to herself. I think I’m the only woman in the city that hates having big breasts. Ava turned to the side to examine her outfit. She wore a snug black dress with dark pumps. A thin line of jewels ran up the side of her gown and glinted against the light from the pendant lamp that hung above her head.
Her wavy hair fell around her shoulders in loose curls. A heavy sigh fell past her lips as her feet slapped against the heated tile of her ensuite bathroom. She stopped in front of the wide mirror that stretched across the entire wall. Ava grabbed a tube of lipstick off the edge of the marble counter top and pushed her hips forward until her nose was a few inches away from the mirror.
Her eyebrows furrowed as she swept a thick line of rose colored lipstick across her top and bottom lip. She shook her head. Another business dinner with an old fart. Great. These types of business men use dinner as their foreplay. Ava had to play along if she wanted the business.
Ava’s heels clicked against the tile as she marched back into the bedroom. After her intriguing conversation with Tristan earlier this afternoon, she’d been greeted by a panicked Valeria.
Valeria’s shrill voice echoed in her ears, “You have so many missed calls! I thought you said that you were going to take them all! People are furious!”
Ava had waved her off and averted her gaze as she stomped towards the double doors of her office. She fed Valeria some story about being held up by one of the baristas at Keller’s and that she hadn’t bothered to check her phone.
Her eyes slid over to her bed, her phone buzzed and shimmied on top of the comforter. Ava snatched off of the bed and swiped her finger across the screen before holding the phone to her ear.
Eric’s voice slid through the speaker, “Ava, are you ready to go? Valeria sent me a text and said this guy that you’re meeting has been texting her non-stop to see if you guys are still on.”
Ava wrinkled her nose and her eyes flew across the room. They landed on a pair of silver and black dangling earrings that sat on top of the dresser. “It’s barely after seven, how impatient is this guy? He’s already making me dress up on a weeknight-” she paused, and her chest rose and fell as she took a deep breath. She exhaled
and said, “I’ll be down in two minutes. Tell Valeria to calm him down.”
“Alright.”
Her phone screen dimmed and Ava hurried across the room. She wrapped her fingers around the curve of a black clutch with a gold clasp and gold accents. Ava tossed her phone inside. Her breath came out in urgent, shallow breaths as she burst into the hallway and ran towards the front door.
A burst of pain shot up both of her calves, her heels were unforgiving, and partly to blame for her irritation towards this whole dinner. Ava shut the front door and stepped into the hall, she fanned herself near her forehead, where small beads of sweat had begun to gather.
The gray, curly strands of hair that hung from Mrs. Rhodes head became visible. Ava smoothed the front of her dress and said, “Good Evening, Mrs. Rhodes. Did you ever figure out that recipe that you were working on this morning?”
Mrs. Rhodes turned her gaze onto Ava, and Ava didn’t miss the way that her older eyes scanned the tight-fitting dress that she wore, and the cleavage that peeked out from the fabric. She grinned and said, “Are you off to a date?”
Ava scoffed and faced the elevator as the machine hummed as it moved throughout the building. “No, no, no time for dating. I’m going to a business dinner.”
Mrs. Rhodes nodded, and glanced at Ava’s exposed skin again. “Well, I hope that you get a lot of business done. In my day, we spent our evenings with our husbands.”
Oh, thank God. The elevator doors split apart and Ava raised her hand to Mrs. Rhodes in goodbye. “Have a good night, Mrs. Rhodes!” Ava hurried inside and jammed her thumb against the ‘close’ button. A deep sigh escaped her as she watched the doors close on Mrs. Rhodes’ face. She crossed her arms over her chest and watched the numbers move down on the elevator.
Ava stepped into the lobby a moment later. The giggles of the clerk at the front desk could be heard as she watched Ava struggle to run to the car, her heels tapped against the linoleum and her legs were pressed together from the dress.
Ava wrapped her arms around herself as she stepped into the cold air, she yanked the car door open and slid inside. Eric’s eyes connected with hers as she pulled the seat belt over her body.
“All set?” He chuckled and put the car in drive and navigated the nose of the car into the sea of traffic to the left of them. “Let’s go make some money.”
***
“Miss Lawrence, Mr. Bell is waiting for you at the back table, please let me know if you need anything,” The hostess said. She wrung her bony fingers together as she craned her neck to look at Mr. Bell’s table, almost as if she didn’t believe that he was actually seated there. The hostess returned her attention to Ava and offered her a pleading smile, “Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you need anything, or if you like your server, or-”
Ava held up one of her hands and said, “I’m sure that everything will be lovely,” she squinted and read the loopy swirls that were printed on the hostess’ name tag. “Becca,” she flashed her a warm smile and said, “I’m confident that everything will be fine.” And she knew that everything would be fine from her perspective. Over the years, Ava had realized that there was very little point in nickel and diming each part of the service that she received when she went out when she could just as well buy the restaurant and do it herself. Although her business had seen tremendous gains because of her perfectionistic streak, there was still a part of her that wanted to believe that wait staff is often trying their very best. Not to mention, she battled with residual guilt left over from having only spent a month in retail after she’d graduated from college.
Ava took slow steps towards the table. The pomp and ritzy panic that had flooded her mind less than twenty minutes before was beginning to fade away. Her eyes narrowed and the gears in her brain got a fresh coat of grease as she approached Mr. Bell.
Howard Bell looked exactly how she imagined a man his age would look. When Ava received his call this afternoon, Valeria had been eager to fill her in on all the details about him. He was one of the wealthiest men in the city, and he’d earned a reputation for going about his business transactions the way you would when you were looking for someone to marry. Her eyes scanned the crispness of the white dress shirt that he wore, and the way his finger slid down each meal listed on the menu. His lips were fixed into a frown, his salt and pepper hairs covered the outside of his mouth.
Ava took a deep breath and plastered her best winning smile on her face. “Mr. Bell, it’s so great to finally meet you!” She extended her perfectly manicured hand to him. Howard’s eyes lingered on the menu. He licked his lips and turned his head towards her, his eyes darted for her breasts first, and then her face.
He smiled and said, “Ava Lawrence? No one told me that you moonlighted as a beauty queen in your spare time.”
Ava kept her eyes locked in place, but she wanted to roll them badly. Howard ignored her hand and wrapped his arms around her instead. “I don’t do handshakes, dear. I’m more of a hugger.”
His scent reminded her of whisky and ink. Ava separated from him and slid into her seat on the other end of the table. Ava grinned and said, “I appreciate you setting up this dinner. My schedule has been a complete mess this-”
“Oh, it’s no trouble,” Howard said. He set his elbows on top of the table and said, “What do you like to drink? Chardonnay?” He grinned and leaned forward, “Bourbon?”
I bet that I could drink you under the table. Ava lifted her menu off of the table and said, “Well, Mr. Bell-”
“Howard, please.”
Ava’s smile was tight as she said, “I was told that we’re here to talk business over a lovely meal,” her voice was crisp as she said, “So, I won’t be drinking tonight.”
“Don’t insult me,” Howard teased. There was a lightness to his tone that suggested he was teasing, but the serious glint in his eyes told her that he would be more than insulted if she didn’t drink with him. But then again, his business would increase her 4th quarter earnings by 10%.
Ava’s smile grew wider as she reached across the table and set her hand on top of his, “I’ll tell you what, I will share a drink with you once you tell me what Lawrence Realty can stand to gain from the low offer that your company is offering us.”
Howard’s face was still as he lifted his own wine glass to his lips, then set it onto the table beside him. “There’s no reason we can’t be amicable while talking business. Everything doesn’t have to be so serious,” his eyes dipped to her cleavage, and he said, “Tell me, are you still attending these business dinners because you haven’t found Mr. Right?”
Ava blinked and drew out each letter as she said, “Excuse me?”
Howard shrugged and took a sip of wine. “I mean that I’m not used to meeting women like you. I could have saved myself a fortune on two expensive divorces if I’d met a career minded woman like you.”
At least he’s straight to the point. “Howard, are you looking for a business partner or a girlfriend? I’ve got billions of dollars behind my business experience, but I haven’t spent a lot of time being a girlfriend.” Ava’s words were the last thing to hang in the air as the waitress approached.
She carried the same nervous energy with her that the hostess did. “Can I get you guys an appetizer to share?” She tucked a loose, frizzy strand of auburn hair behind her ear. Her foot tapped against the hardwood floors beneath her feet.
The noise echoed in Ava’s ears, and the sounds of the restaurant flooded in with it. She could overhear the tentative questions being passed back and forth from a couple on a first date, men laughed about some colleague in their office. Ava gestured at Howard and said, “He can go first,” she turned her head to the right of her and took in the rest of the room. She’d grown used to having business lunches and dinners in restaurants like The Remi, but overtime she’d stopped leaning her head back and admiring the high ceilings, the detail that was put into every etching in the wall, the expensive tablecloths that sat o
n each table.
I can’t remember the last time I didn’t let my food get cold because I didn’t want to get sidetracked. Ava knew that other people in her position stopped to appreciate the small things, she knew that there were young women sitting in college classrooms that craved the opportunity to talk business in a place like this, and they’d probably photocopy the image onto the inside of their eyeballs if they ever got the chance. Ava drummed her fingernails along the top of the table. Maybe it’s not just young women. The corner of her lips turned up into a smile as her brain conjured up an image of Tristan, she surprised herself with how easily his name came to her. However, it was hard to forget a man with cheekbones that could cut glass and bedroom eyes that would make any of the girls in his class melt into a puddle of want.
“Ava?”
Ava blinked and picked up her menu, the expectant gaze of the waitress burned on her. “Um, I’ll have the baked duck,” she handed her menu to the waitress and said, “Thank you.”
The waitress hurried off and Howard leaned forward with his wolfish stare. “So, where were we?”
Ava’s mind wondered off again as Howard Bell tried to do small talk about his latest vacation. Something about St-Bart’s. She pictured herself sitting reclined beach loungers with a parasol above her head and a drink in her hand. And out of the water comes Tristan, running towards her while shaking off the specks of water glistening from his perfect body. Is he running up to me or to the hottie in the bikini next to me? I can feel my skin wrinkling as I look at her 20-year-old body. Snap out of it, Ava.
Chapter 4
Ava waved goodbye to Howard and breathed a sigh of relief as she slid into the leather seats of the car. Eric extended one of his long arms to the back, and a plain black pea coat dangled from his hand.
Ava grinned and took the coat out of his hand, her breath turned into a puff of cold air as she slid her hands inside of the sleeves. Her skin was greeted with the warmth and soft inner lining of the coat. “Thanks, Eric.”