In My Arms (Philadelphia Series)

by Plendl, Taryn

  “Shit Trevor, I was afraid you were gonna hit me for a second there! Reel it in. Don’t get pussy-whipped before you even get the pussy.” He laughed.

  “Seriously Nick, don’t talk about her that way.” I warned as I headed over to the table.

  Ava and I discussed some of the key points we saw in the club, after all, we were here for work right?

  Tom went to the bar to get us another round of drinks while Nick and Talia were taking on the dance floor. It didn’t take long for them to come back. It seemed like they couldn’t help but be at each other’s throats. It was actually quite comical.

  “I may be wrong, but you ain't right.” We heard Nick tell Talia as they sat down.

  “I am right.”

  “How do you figure?”

  “Because….I have a vagina.” Talia stated confidently as she finished off her drink.

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Nick asked.

  “It means that I would know better than you if they were real or not. You think with the wrong head, and girls like that depend on that.” Talia shrugged, looking bored. “Plus, I’m a nurse. I know the human body better than you.”

  It didn’t take long for us to figure out what they were talking about as a blonde with huge fake boobs walked by our table, clearly flirting with Nick. We all busted out laughing at him.

  “Are you sure?” Nick asked after she passed and we started laughing again.

  “It doesn’t matter.” Nick jumped up to follow the blonde just as Tom came back with drinks.

  “Here Talia, Cosmo right?” Tom set the drink in front of her as he sat down.

  “Thank you Tom, that was very nice of you.” Talia smiled as she took a sip of her new drink.

  “Want to dance Talia?” Tom asked.

  “Sure!” She was up and back on the dance floor with Tom following behind her.

  “She’s a trip.” I chuckled, shaking my head.

  “Yeah, she is.” Ava agreed. “She has been like that for as long as I’ve known her, but as wild and crazy as she is, she is loyal to a fault. She is the closest thing I have to a sister.” Ava smiled sweetly, and my opinion just rose for Talia. If she was good to Ava, she was fine in my book.

  The night flew by. Before I knew it we were at the front of the club saying our goodbyes. Nick had decided to go home with the blonde. Some things never change. Tom gave Talia a hug and thanked her for dancing with him all night, and I gave Ava another one of my all—too—platonic hugs.

  “Call me when you get home so I know you are safe.” I asked her as she and Talia climbed in her car.

  Twenty minutes later my phone rang.

  “Hi.” I smiled to myself, feeling excited to hear her voice again. I was a so pathetic.

  “I’m home. Thanks for a fun night.”

  “You’re welcome. Goodnight Ava.”

  “Goodnight Trevor.”

  Chapter 6

  Ava

  The next two weeks were filled with late nights at work for Trevor and I as we finalized our proposal for the Daniel’s night clubs. We had focused on certain aspects of the clubs that would really appeal to younger professional women.

  One thing I liked about the clubs was how professional the staff was dressed. I know guys like the idea of a scantily clad bartender showing off her cleavage as she’s serving up drinks, but women don’t, and without women, a club is just a testosterone gathering.

  The lighting is very important too. It might seem minor to most men, but women want to look their best at all times, and harsh overhead or fluorescent lighting that is popular in most clubs can wash out even the most attractive woman. The lighting at the Daniel’s Clubs was LED light and sconces on the walls. You look your best with lighting coming from the sides.

  “I guess I never thought about that.” Trevor was going over my lists of appeals to women.

  “Exactly! That’s why I’m here. To see beyond the bartender in the bikini.” I sipped my coffee as we continued to work across from each other.

  “Hey Ava? Have you ever thought of being a bartender?” He wiggled his eyebrows at me.

  “Uh no Trevor.” I giggled. I loved that he could make me laugh!

  I leaned back in my chair, stretching my arms up over my head. These late nights were beginning to wear on me. When I looked back down I locked eyes with Trevor. I saw something there that he was usually very careful to mask. Desire. Oh my!

  It was obvious that he was attracted to me—hell—it was all I could do to keep myself off of him too, but I just couldn’t go there—not yet. I still needed to deal with my own little demons left over from my relationship with Kyle. It was important to me to see that I was fully capable of standing on my own feet, making my own decisions, and even making my own mistakes. I didn’t want to drag Trevor through any of that until I was sure. He didn’t deserve that.

  This friend thing was a good decision, even if my body continued to betray me at every turn. And oh boy did it ever!

  “It’s late Trevor, let’s call it a night.” I stood and started to pack up.

  “We’re not ready Ava, we still have a handful of things to work through before Monday.” I could hear the concern in Trevor’s voice. I knew he was right, but I was drained tonight. I had nothing left.

  I pulled my hands through my hair, combing through some of the tangles. “How about we have dinner at your place tomorrow night and work through the rest. If we need more time still, we can meet up again on Sunday.”

  “That works. Come on. Let’s get you home.” Trevor and I had started riding together to work. With us only living blocks away from each other, it didn’t make sense to drive separately when we arrived and left work at the same time. It was kinda fun running out to his car. It was a great start to the day.

  We locked up the office and headed to the elevator. We had been the last to leave several nights now.

  “Ladies first.” Trevor smiled as he motioned to me when the doors opened.

  “Oh come on, the only reason ‘Ladies first’ was made is so guys could check out a woman's ass.” I raised my eyebrows at him. He looked me up and down. Look away Ava!

  “Like I said, ‘ladies first’.” Trevor laughed as I smacked his hand down when I walked through the doors, shaking my hips a bit more than usual for his benefit.

  I settled into the soft seats of Trevor’s car. If the drive hadn’t been so quick, I’m sure I would have fallen asleep right there in his car.

  “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” Trevor pulled me into a hug and kissed the top of my head. It was a gesture he started recently, and although it kind of blurred the lines, it felt nice, so I went with it.

  “Goodnight Trevor.”

  “Goodnight Ava.”

  ***

  The half empty cartons of Chinese food littered the coffee table in Trevor’s living room where we had been working for the last three hours, right up until the food showed up.

  Groaning, I lay back flat on the floor and rubbed my tummy. “I ate too much!” The couch was suddenly looking pretty appealing to me. I wanted to just curl up on my side until I digested my dinner. I crawl over to it and climbed up.

  “Let’s watch a movie. We’re almost finished with the proposal. We deserve a break.” Trevor climbed on the couch and pulled my feet onto his lap as he searched through the on demand movies.

  At this point, I honestly could’ve cared less about what movie he chose because Trevor was absentmindedly rubbing my feet as he scrolled through the movies and it felt absolutely amazing!

  He had respected the lines of friendship that I’d drawn. Well, kind of. He didn’t pressure me for more than I could give, but damn if I didn’t want to cross those lines often. Stupid lines! He was a very hard person to resist. Put aside the fact that his body looked like a Greek God that was chiseled out of stone, he was just genuinely a good person.

  I watched the way he interacted with people at work. He gave everyone his undivided attention whenever they talked. He
would listen to Gail in the lunch room go on and on about her grandchildren and laugh at the silly things they would do. He brought Chelsea a coffee every morning as well as me, double shot caramel macchiato—which he learned was my favorite without asking, and he was a riot to watch with his friends.

  He was the same man with all of us, never feeling the need to be someone else. Any guy who treats you the same in front of their friends as when you are alone deserves some respect. Right? Kyle had always put me down in front of his friends and then acted nice when we got home to make up for it. Again I ask myself why the hell I stayed with him for so long?

  I vaguely recall being carried to Trevor’s bed, but I was so tired that I couldn’t even open my eyes. Besides, it felt too damn good! I wanted to snuggle up closer to him, but he laid me in the bed and covered me up.

  “Sleep my sweet Ava.” He kissed me softly on the forehead before I heard the door close. I nuzzled into his pillows to get closer to his scent. His bed was so comfortable and I must have been completely exhausted because the next thing I remember is waking up in a strange bed. Well that was a first!

  After stumbling out of Trevor’s bed, I made a stop at the bathroom, rinsed my mouth out with the mouthwash I found on the counter, borrowed a brush for my tangled hair and washed my face. It wasn’t pretty, but it was going to have to do.

  Trevor was standing in the kitchen in nothing but a pair of pajama pants that sat—oh so low—on his waist. The muscles in his back rippled as he lifted a pan to the stove, and when he turned around and caught me staring, I couldn’t even mask my appreciation.

  “Wow.” Did I just say that out loud?

  His mouth quirked up on one side. “Good morning sunshine. How’d you sleep?” His hair was slightly messy and his face a bit scruffy. If I didn’t think he was hot before, I was practically drooling now.

  “Too good, considering I was in a strange bed.” I smiled, trying to not focus on his stomach. “I’m sorry I took your bed.” I slid into the chair at the breakfast bar, watching him move easily around his kitchen. He stopped and walked toward me. “I’m not. You were exhausted.” He put his hands on the counter directly in front of me. I could see his muscles flex as he placed his weight on them. It felt like his eyes are looking right into my soul. Those green eyes alone could make a girl drop her pants.

  “Well, thank you Trevor.” Breathe Ava! My voice sounded a little too husky. Friends, friends, friends! I repeated this mantra in my mind.

  “You can occupy my bed anytime Ava.” He turned around before I could reply, but boy my body reacted, straight to my core, and now I couldn’t get the image of myself in that bed with Trevor!

  He placed a plate of French toast and bacon in front of me, dished up his own and brought two cups of coffee to the breakfast bar and sat down next to me.

  “You’re spoiling me. I may show up every morning for breakfast now that I know what you’re capable of.” I grinned.

  “Oh god, I hope so Ava!” I had to look away first before I would do something I might or might not regret. I’m drowning here!

  We ate silently, and then decided to get back to work to put the final touches on our proposal.

  “I think it’s good.” Trevor sat back, looking over everything we’d done.

  “I think so too. We might make a pretty good team after all.” I nudged his shoulder in a friendly gesture, not so I could just feel his amazing arm muscles. No, not at all!

  “I think you might be amazed at just how great of a team we could be.” He was staring at me again.

  “Are we still talking about work Trevor?” I asked softly.

  “What do you think Ava?” Oh my god! Was he leaning towards me? Oh my god, was I leaning too?

  “I better go.” I jumped up more quickly than I anticipated, leaving me feeling slightly light-headed. It sure as hell didn’t help when Trevor wrapped his arms around my waist.

  “Are you okay Ava?” He laughed.

  “Um, I really should go.” I whispered.

  “Why? Can’t resist me?” Trevor smiled, cocking his head to the side and wiggled his eyebrows.

  “Funny. Our platonic lines are starting to really blur Trevor.” I smiled back. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” I turned and walked out the door, needing to take matters into my own hands, if you know what I mean.

  ***

  I was a bundle of nerves as I walked into the building on Monday morning. I felt good about our presentation, but I guess it was just the excitement of finishing work on one of the biggest accounts of my advertising career that had my insides all tied up.

  “Good morning Ava.” Chelsea greeted me with her sweet smile. She already had her coffee in hand, so I knew Trevor was already here.

  “Good Morning Chelsea, wish us luck!” I smiled at her nervously.

  “You guys are going to knock them dead. You two seem to be a good team.” She winked at me. I wasn’t sure what she meant by that, but I didn’t have time to question it, so I just nodded and smiled.

  “Hey.” I stood in the doorway. Trevor turned around in his chair to face me as soon as I walked in. His smile was huge and it instantly made me feel better.

  “Good morning Ava. I brought you your coffee, and one of those chocolate chip muffins you like.” He was so good to me!

  “Yum! Thank you!” I sat down and took a sip of the coffee. “So, are you ready for this?” His eyes were so soft as he looked at me. I don’t know how I would be able to handle this without him. Even though I was always a little weak and out of sorts when I was around him, he was very calming to me right now.

  “We are ready Ava. This is good. They’re going to love it.” He motioned to the files and information we would be presenting in just minutes. “Come on.”

  We grabbed everything we needed and headed to the boardroom to set up. Working flawlessly together, we moved around the room, setting up the media equipment, getting the computer set up and ready and passing out the folders with additional information for the executives to look over.

  As I stopped to take a look around the room before anyone had shown up, I noticed Trevor looking back at me. His mouth turned up slightly in that half smile that I’ve become so enamored with. “Come here.” He motioned with his hand.

  Without even thinking, I walked to him and paused, waiting for whatever it was that he needed. I was about to say something when he pulled me into an amazingly gentle hug and pressed his lips t the top of my head. He didn’t say anything, and suddenly I didn’t feel the need to either.

  His arms made me feel safe and cherished. It was hard to place all of the emotions I was feeling. It had been so long since I’d felt like this with anyone. Maybe it was time for me to re-evaluate my hesitation with something more with Trevor. What exactly was more? He had been so good to me over the past couple of weeks. He never pressured me, but always seemed to still let me know that he was interested. Shit Ava, keep your head in the game! This was obviously not the time for this.

  Trevor released me just before Mr. Jameson walked into the room with several other men and women in suits. With a subtle wink, we dove into our presentation, giving it everything we had.

  Chapter 7

  Trevor

  We barely walked through our office door when Ava turned and threw herself into my arms. God she felt so good!

  “Whoa there!” I laughed as I stumbled slightly.

  “We did it!” She pulled away, sauntering over to her chair and dramatically dropping herself into it. Her smile was contagious.

  “Excuse me.” I turned to lock eyes with a very serious looking Mr. Jameson. “May I see you both in my office please?”

  I glanced at Ava, seeing the smile she had worn just seconds before, slowly disappear from her flushed face. She tucked a stray hair that had fallen from her low ponytail back behind her ear as she stood up and followed Mr. Jameson without question. Her posture showed confidence, but if she was feeling at all what I was, it was just for show.

  I pulled
back my shoulders and followed her into the hallway as we silently followed Mr. Jameson down the hall.

  “Please sit.” He motioned to two chairs in front of his desk as he rounded to the other side, taking a seat in the impressive dark brown leather seat. Leaning forward, he placed his elbows on in desk. “How do you think the presentation went?”

  I looked at Ava and couldn’t help but smile as she tilted her chin up slightly and sat up straighter. “I believe I can speak for both Trevor and I when I say that we were both pleased with the outcome of our work.”

  “Is this true Trevor?” Mr. Jameson asked looking directly at me.

  “Of course it is. Ava and I both worked hard with this account.” I could see Ava smile out of the corner of my eye. I slid my foot closer to hers and gently tapped it, trying in whatever way I could to let her know that we were in this together.

  “Well,” He folded his hands and looked between both of us, “I was hoping you would feel that way.” My stomach did a nervous flip.

  “I’m confident that I can speak for the entire company when I say that I have never been as impressed with an outcome of a team effort as I was today.” He leaned back into his chair and continued. “Often when we bring two talented and creative people together like you both, we have disastrous results. The individual competition usually takes away from the project, and in turn the company suffers.” He took a drink from his water glass.

  “Ava, I have been impressed with your work for quite some time now, but it always seemed to be missing that extra spark.” He turned to face me, “Trevor, your portfolio was also very impressive and that is why we brought you on board, but again, something was missing.”

  I looked at Ava, not really sure where all of this was going. She looked confused too.

  “Not only did we land the Daniel’s account today, they have requested that no one but the two of you work on it.” I couldn’t contain my smile as I looked back at Ava. Her beautiful smile almost took my breath away.