by Lulu Pratt
The arrogant charisma of the card.
This worked for me once. So, here’s to doubling down. – Logan
It’s been five days since Logan’s assistant all but revealed his manipulation, and I’d received more calls and messages than I could count on his behalf.
Now, he is sending roses to my office again and I’m anything but pleased. I’d like to feel nothing. If I could forget everything I felt, this would be so much easier, but I can’t. Every kiss, every smile, every touch, every groan. They’re embedded in my brain, committed to permanent memory.
“Ava, I have Mr. Draper again. Take another message?” Melanie asks through the intercom system, and I hesitate before answering.
“No, send him through,” I say into the speaker.
“Really? Oh, okay.”
Then my phone begins ringing. Two deep breaths and a hard swallow later, I pick up the phone, keeping my eyes closed.
“This is Ava,” I answer professionally.
“I’ve been trying to reach you,” he says coolly. His sexy confidence oozes through the phone, but it’s not enough to sway me.
“I know,” I say flatly, irritated.
“Did you get the roses?” he asks, maintaining his calm tone.
“I did. You’re a one-trick pony, aren’t you?”
“I think you know that’s not accurate,” he whispers.
“Logan,” I sigh, unsure of what I’ll even say, and I’m grateful when he interrupts me.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. I know why you’ve been avoiding me.”
“You do?”
“Of course. I know we stepped over a boundary on that trip, and I know I can’t do that. I’m sorry it happened. Well, I’m not sorry it happened, but I’m sorry it’s put a wedge between us.” He sounds sincere and genuine, but he’s completely out the loop, giving me the advantage.
“Logan, why did you hire me?”
“What do you mean?”
“I want to know why you asked me to take you on as a client.”
“I, uh, I needed some assistance and you seemed like the right consultant,” he answers generically.
“You hired me because you wanted to date me. Didn’t you?”
Silence blares through the phone even louder than a denial or admission ever could.
“I believed you, Logan. I trusted you. I felt like an unethical and immoral professional, and it was always your intention to make me feel that way.” My feelings spill out as he all but confirms my suspicions.
“Ava, it was never–” He tries to continue, but I won’t have it.
“It was never what? Never that serious? Never that big of a deal? Was this all fun and games to you? Because it’s my livelihood. My reputation. My life. I can accept that I was nothing more than a conquest to you, but just so you know, your little act is very good, because I really believed your lies.”
“Ava, it was all the truth…” I hear his attempt of a rebuttal as I lay down the receiver, ending the call.
The phone immediately begins ringing, and without thinking, I grab my bag and make my way out the office.
“It’s Mr. Draper,” Melanie says, covering the mouthpiece with her hand.
“Tell him I no longer work here,” I say in stride, continuing out the door as Melanie smirks, but I’m not joking.
Putting all my clients on hold for Logan was a risk, and I knew that, but after what happened between me and him, I have no desire to pick back up where I left off.
On autopilot, I drive without any destination before arriving at Venice Beach. Stopping at a bike shop on the strip, I change into a tie-dye romper before making my way down the strip on my rented bicycle.
The sunny afternoon passes me by as my thoughts wander while pedaling down the boardwalk. My head is all over the place, but that’s only the beginning of the problem.
What hurts the most is the aching in my heart, the longing I still feel for a man who’s betrayed me. How could I be so stupid?
Petra’s words replay in my mind – how did I even think I was qualified to assist him in his life?
Truthfully, I’d thought we were making good progress on our sessions. It never occurred to me that it was all a joke to him. I was a joke.
The sun falls from the sky before I return my rented bike, and I’m sure I’ll be back tomorrow before I even leave.
Day after day, I report to the beach like it’s my new office, without so much as checking my voice mail. Petra and I are barely speaking besides strained pleasantries, but I can’t focus on any of our drama until I’ve worked through my own issues.
Maybe I’m not supposed to get over Logan. No matter how far I ride, or how long I think, my feelings never fade. Our memories together are still vivid in my mind, and even his true intentions fail to dim their light.
A full week passes by before I can check in with Melanie for an update on clients. While I’m still not ready to reschedule with previous clients, I refuse to bill Logan. I don’t want his charity.
He wanted to date, and that’s what he got. I’m not an escort, and I won’t ask him for money when I didn’t do my part professionally. I can sense her fear, probably from Petra being on her back about ‘milking him for money,’ as she continues to mention to me in every passing opportunity, but I’m not budging.
Melanie reads my messages over the phone. Logan has called countless times, leaving sixteen messages in my seven-day absence. A few clients have called to check availability and expressed their willingness to work around an adjusted schedule on my behalf.
It all feels like a mess I’m just not ready to face. After instructing her to continue to take messages, while keeping my schedule open, I rent a bicycle and ride until my legs are too weak to pedal any further.
That night, I sleep like a baby after a week of restlessness. My mind finally finds a peace despite not having it all figured out just yet. It feels good to wake up energized for a change, and stepping out of the shower, I feel ready to take on the world.
“Ava!” I hear from my bathroom. Peeking my head out of the doorway, Petra calling me like her life depends on it.
“There’s a courier here!” she yells.
“Just sign for it.”
“I can’t. He has your picture. It has to be you!”
Throwing a sundress on, I run down the steps, my hair still wet from my shower as Petra and the man stand waiting for me, a look of impatience on both of their faces.
“Hi,” I greet the man standing in our foyer.
“Ms. Batcher, please sign here,” he hands me a clipboard before removing a manila envelope from his small laptop bag, “here you are.”
Petra stands still, refusing to excuse herself, so I run back up the stairs, shutting my bedroom door before tearing open the envelope.
Bennett, Scholtz & Leinett
426 5th Avenue
New York NY 10020
Ms. Ava Batcher
We represent Mr. Logan Draper, in both corporation and person, and seek to resolve your current and past digressions regarding a misrepresentation on his behalf.
After thorough research, we have concluded that the Lean In, LLC, where you are a fifty-percent partner, is not only a thriving success in the life-coaching niche, but also a respected entity that Mr. Draper has no intention of negatively affecting.
Together, we have created what we find to be an amicable resolution on both parts. Mr. Draper has agreed to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (see attachment one) regarding his time as your client, as well as allowing you full use of his name and likeness regarding the promotion and marketing of your business in any way you see fit.
In addition to this priceless contribution of goodwill, Mr. Draper has also decided to contribute to your growing business financially, compensating your company the equivalent of two years’ gross income according to your IRS tax filings (see attachment two).
We all hope this leads to a resolution on your part, as Mr. Draper is sincerely apologeti
c and immensely regretful for any and all inconveniences, as well as distress (both emotional and physical) his actions may have caused.
Please contact our offices with any further questions, however, a response on your part is not required or necessary.
My mouth is dry and my hands tremble uncontrollably as I move between the two other documents, the mentioned non-disclosure agreement and the other a check for more money than I’ve ever seen in my life.
My heart is racing, blood boiling at his disgusting display of obnoxious wealth, presented as generosity.
Who the hell does he think he is?
And even more pressing, who does he think I am? Someone looking for a payout? As if my time or emotions can be bought?
I’ve yet to bill him for one dime, and have no intention of doing so, but he sends this? Two years of me and Petra’s income combined, as a consolation for ‘any and all inconveniences’ he may have caused?
Stuffing the letter, along with the non-disclosure agreement and check, into my jewelry box, I stomp through my room, gathering my purse, phone and car keys before running down the steps two at a time, racing out of the house as my anger begins to boil over.
“Who was that from, Ava?” Petra asks from the dining room, but I have no time to answer any of her questions, my mind is set on getting away from all of this, and making it clear just who I am to the person who needs to know most.
I’ve played nice, I’ve remained silent, I’ve done everything I thought I could to let this blow over without a fuss. But now it was time for him to be put in his place and I was overly excited to do just that.
Logan Draper has met his match. I will not be silenced by his money, and I will never allow him to belittle me because his bank account is bigger than mine. I know the real him, regardless of whether he wanted to admit it or not, and I was determined to set him straight.
Chapter 20
Logan
“This is the second plan in two weeks I’ve seen on my desk, and this is even worse than the first. There are only three strikes, Dan,” I growl into my Bluetooth ear piece.
I’ve been on edge for a week now, and this conference call is seconds away from pushing me over the cliff. With my hand on the annoying ear piece, I take a deep breath, trying not to break a third device in a week, but my temper is through the roof at the smallest of agitations these days.
Strangely enough, I wish stress was the root cause of my frustration. I’m used to that, and know how to handle a lagging business deal. Finessing a contract was my specialty. I could close a deal in my sleep.
What I couldn’t handle was avoidance, and that’s what Ava was forcing me to deal with. She’d shut me out. In over a week I haven’t heard a word from her. Rodrick assured me she hasn’t been to her office, which leads me to believe her assistant after she continuously told me she no longer worked at her firm.
Knowing I could be the reason for her walking away from a field she obviously loved was too much for me to bear.
She could at least talk to me. Let me know she’s okay. While what I did was far from perfect, it didn’t warrant this type of reaction. Some people would call what I did romantic. I mean, I did take the girl across the world to show her how interested I was, and our time together could never be discounted to anything beneath magical.
“Did you hear that, Mr. Draper?” Dan’s voice comes through the earpiece as I stand before the wall of windows lining my office, looking out over the busy city.
“What?” I bark.
“I said, we can only work with what we have, and you’ve been quite reserved with the authorization of resources for this project.” His response is curt, and far too combative for my liking.
My jaw is clenched as I prepare for a verbal assault when my office door swings opens, slamming shut just as I turn to the commotion.
Blinking in disbelief, the real reason Dan is seconds away from being fired stares back at me with as much hostility in her eyes as I feel in my chest.
Words are unnecessary as Ava’s stance and glare burn through me, but I’m too upset to back down, staring back at her with even more intensity.
For a split second, her eyes soften, her shoulders slightly relaxing as she continues to silently scold me. Anyone else might have missed it, but I know her enough to tell she’s still affected by me, and before I can second guess it, I walk to her, ending the conference call with a push of a button before throwing it so hard against the wall I hear it shatter behind me.
She takes two steps to me before I’ve made my way across the room, and she’s in my arms. Before either of us can speak a word, our mouths find each other, and her small feet climb me like a tree. Lifting her up, she grips my hair with both hands as her legs wrap around my waist.
With a press of a button, I lock my door and frost the glass windows of my office so I can see nothing but her. Cradling the nape of her neck with one hand, I use the other to clear my desk of everything but my monitor before gently laying her back on the glass surface.
“They’ll hear us,” is all she says. Her voice is even sexier than I remember. I’m so hard it hurts looking down at her beautiful body, her legs falling aside to make room for me.
“It’s soundproof. Nobody will hear us,” I assure her, leaning down to kiss her neck as she moans, still gripping my hair as I make my way along her body. Tugging at her nipples with my teeth, she arches into me, her groan mixed with a shriek.
“I want you,” she says.
It’s not a request, or a plea, it’s an order.
“I have to taste you,” I explain before lifting her short dress to find her pussy glistening with arousal.
Wasting no time, I slide my tongue deep inside her, tasting the sweetness I’ve missed so much. Her muscles clench around me as she tries to inch back on the desk, but I grip her hips, holding her in place.
“Please, Logan.”
“Please, what?” I ask after kissing her clit.
“I want to feel you.” She looks at me with a lustful hunger, and I quickly unbuckle my belt and pants, desperate to give her anything she could possibly desire in this world.
Her arms wrap around my shoulders as I sink into her wetness, and we shudder in unison as I still myself inside of her.
“I missed you so much,” I whisper into her ear as my hips begin to pump my length into her.
“Logan,” she whispers, her head falling back, exposing her neck and I take complete advantage, licking and sucking her soft skin.
“I missed you too,” she whispers in my ear and I have to clench my teeth to stop myself from exploding before I’ve pushed her to climax.
With my hands on each of her hips, I slam into her hard and rough, but still slow and sensual, as we grip onto each other with an intense longing and gratification I can’t even put into words.
“Oh, fuck, baby!” I growl, biting back my orgasm, while Ava swirls her tongue around my ear.
“Fuck me, Logan.”
Clenching my eyes closed and pushing down the urge to fill her with my cum, my hips surge forward, slamming into her again and again. Her tight pussy squeezing around my cock is the best feeling in the world.
“Yes! Oh, God,” she moans, pulling my hair while she rocks back and forth with me.
Our bodies are synced. When I move, she follows, chasing my cock for more at every turn. The vibrations in my body are building from my chest, riddling throughout with an intensity I’ve never felt before. In the time I haven’t heard from her, she’s owned my thoughts, and now she owns my body.
There’s nothing I won’t do for this woman, and the sex is so much more than physical, a sensation I’ve never experienced before. I feel her everywhere, and deep yearning to please her calls from every corner of my body.
“Ava, baby,” I moan, her sex feeling like home to me. In this moment, I am certain I never want anyone else ever again. She is it for me, and I’ll spend my life convincing her to forgive me.
“Oh, Logan,” she cries, her
limbs wrapped so tightly around me I can barely move.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, humping her body with every ounce of energy within in.
“Logan!”
“I’m sorry,” I groan as her pussy creams on my length, her orgasm just seconds away. Knowing she’s close to a climax arouses me further, and my own impending release forces my abdomen to flex.
“I’ll make it up to you, Ava,” I promise her with my words and my body, hoping she can feel the sincerity from my heart.
Our bodies race together, our collisions faster and harder as we near our respective explosions, and my body begins to unravel.
Animalistic instincts take over, and my hips lunge forward, thrusting my manhood so deep I can’t even keep my eyes open as my balls draw up and I fight my urge, slowing to stop myself.
“Don’t stop,” she begs, lifting her hips to increase the pace.
“No… slow… oh, shit,” I groan, unable to stop her or myself.
Gripping her waist to hold her steady as a last resort, I slow our rhythm, but she doesn’t seem pleased.
“Stop… I want to feel you.”
“Ava baby,” I try to reason, but my brain is lost to pleasure, unable to articulate one thought.
“I don’t care, Logan. I want to feel you,” she repeats, increasing our pace again as I hunch over, sliding in and out of her slickness, forgetting everything but my need to come.
“I’ll give you whatever you want,” I growl, humping hard and fast, my movements erratic without any finesse.
“Yes, Logan!” She yells loudly, and I feel myself lose it, unable to hold out another second.
My eyes roll back as my pleasure runs over, and her pussy grips me just as my semen shoots off inside of her.
“Logan!” She calls out as she comes for me, clenching down as she does every time I bring her to climax.
“Fuck!” I grunt loudly.
She’s milking me for every drop and I love every second of it, growling her name as I release all the pent-up frustration and anger from the past week, tension rolling off my back in beads of sweat.
Panting, still inside of her, Ava slowly drops her arms, and then her legs, as her limbs fall limp on my desk. Wrapping my arm around her waist, I pull her to the ground with me, our bodies exhausted from the release as we settle onto the thick carpet of my office.