by MJ Masucci
He remembered how she smelled. She tried to pressure him into having sex with her, and he would have had he known she would dump him for that asshole. He would have been gentle with her the first time and then as time went on he would have made his demands. He liked it rough, but just enough to control and cause some pain. He would have made sure to mold her into what he wanted her to be. She would have been there to serve him and make him feel good.
He replaced the bustier and went to the file cabinet. He yanked the drawer out and riffled through the paperwork at the bottom. Some investment papers and what looked like a deed. He opened it and saw that it was a deed to a house in Lake George. He noted the address and that the date marked was a few weeks ago. He took out his phone and snapped a picture of the address. He would have to check the house for himself. Maybe this could be his place of operation.
He shoved the bottom drawer in and pulled out the upper drawer. This one had green hanging folders with tabs filled out at the top of them. He fingered through until he found the one marked Portfolio Statements. He located the latest date and read through it, whistling as he looked at the balance. This bitch had over seventeen million dollars in her account. She had a cash account worth almost two million. Her portfolio manager must be a moron to suggest that she have so much in cash. At her age, she should be aggressive in the market. If she were his, he would control this money and turn it into much more. He took a picture of the lead page of the statement.
Liam spent the next few hours walking through her apartment. He went through her panties as well as her other lingerie and bras, taking a sexy thong and shoving it in his pocket. It was much like the one he tore off her when he had caught her and her smarmy boyfriend in the parking garage. How he wished he could have fucked her that night. She would have loved it and forgot all about that asshole. He would have made her love him.
Liam took the freight elevator down to the bottom floor. There was a side entrance that had a locked double door, but it wasn’t an issue for him. He picked the lock and was out on the street in no time. The evening had turned cold, and it was drizzling. He pulled the collar up on the coveralls and shoved his hands in his pockets, not realizing that he had left something behind in her closet right near the file cabinet.
Ava cuddled up against Xander. They had spent the night snuggling by the fireplace. They sipped red wine, and he pulled her down to the carpet in front of the raised hearth. He slowly undressed and made slow passionate love to her while the rain assaulted the house. When they were finished he covered them with a blanket; where they fell asleep, legs and arms entwined.
Now she was wide awake listening to the soft even breathing of Xander. Her head was tucked under his chin, and she pressed her nose against his neck to inhale his scent. He stirred and she ran the tip of her tongue along the base of his throat. She heard a low rumble from his throat as she changed her licking to kisses.
“Ava.”
“Yes, my love?”
“Do you want to go to the bedroom or stay here?”
“I like this position and prefer here.”
“Oh? You like me twined around you like a snake?”
“Yes, I do.”
He quickly moved, and she was sitting astride his hips. Ava could feel his erection pressing against her, and as she moved over his length, he gasped. She smiled sweetly and ground her hips against him causing Xander to grit his teeth at the sensation. He smiled back and reached over to stroke her legs while looking at her with half-lidded eyes.
“What you do to me, sweetheart.”
Ava rose above him and positioned herself, then sank all the way to his base. He grasped her hips meeting her motion until they were both panting. His thumb rubbed her, and she threw her head back, loudly moaning his name. Xander tried to hold himself back but couldn’t, and he released into her, cursing. When he was finished, she laid on his chest. He stroked her hair and traced her ear with his fingers.
“You didn’t come. I’m sorry, I tried to wait for you.”
“You are always so generous to me in bed. I wanted to make you come, and I don’t always need it to feel satisfied. Just knowing you love me satisfying.”
She looked up at him, and he gazed into her brilliant green eyes.
“I love you, Mrs. Wilder-to-be.”
“I love you, my soon-to-be husband.”
She slid off him, and he curled his body around her, pulling the blanket over them. The untended fire had turned to embers, and there was no longer enough heat to ward off the chill of the room.
The next morning she woke up alone in the master bedroom bed. She had no recollection of how she got there, and Xander was not on his side. Then she remembered it was Sunday and he probably was taking a bath. The bathroom door was closed, and she listened closely to hear his soft humming. She left their warm bed and headed to the bathroom, quietly opening the door. Xander was sitting in the tub with a large tray across it. He had his sketch pad and was drawing with a charcoal pencil. She hadn’t seen him do this since he was back in New York and didn’t remember him packing his supplies.
She shut the door, and the clicking of the latch caused him to look up.
“There’s my muse.”
“What do you mean by muse?”
He held out the sketch pad he had been working. She looked at the sketch. It was of her sleeping by the fireplace. The blanket was tucked around her body, and her hair was haloed around her face. Her long thick eyelashes fanned across her cheeks, and there was a hint of a smile.
“When was I sleeping like this?”
“This morning just as it got light. I couldn’t resist, and I did a quick sketch thinking I would complete the rest in the tub. After I had finished, I carried you to bed and tucked you under the covers. The bed is much more comfortable than that hearth rug; I’m sure you’ll agree.”
“Yes, much more comfortable but I was hoping to wake up next to you.”
“I’m sorry. I just needed to get what I saw down on paper. You looked so beautiful. I could stare at you for hours while you sleep or any other time.”
Ava blushed. Xander looked at her and smiled, his eyes crinkling up at the corners. She knew how much he loved her because she felt the same way.
“I thought we could discuss some of the plans for the wedding. We haven’t talked about any details. I want your input.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Because I know you. You have a specific plan in your head, and I want you to do the things you want for our wedding.”
She sat on the edge of the tub. “What I want is to elope. I don’t want all the pomp and circumstance. I don’t want to be the center of attention. All I want is to start our lives together as a married couple.”
“Our families would never forgive us if we did that. I think they want to see all the pomp and circumstance. Don’t you want to give Brooke the opportunity to be your matron of honor, have one of your nephews be our ring bearer or Elizabeth be a flower girl? I know you do.”
She did want that, but she would hate to have everyone staring at her the entire night. Her shyness would get the best of her, making what should be a wonderful night into something painful. Xander looked at her and realized what she was thinking.
“Ava, why do you doubt yourself? You’re such an accomplished woman, intelligent, talented, beautiful. I know plenty of people that would give their right arm to be you.”
“I’m not sure of that.”
It seemed that the feelings of inadequacy from years ago were seeping into Ava, like a large blanket enveloping her. He wouldn’t let that happen. He wouldn’t let the ghosts of her past take away what should be one of the most wonderful days of her life.
“I’m making the final decision. We are having a big wedding, and I demand that you’re going to enjoy yourself. You have no issues with the wedding dress. You have one of the most fabulous designers a woman could want. We can be choosy with our venue, and
dare I say we can enjoy a debauchery-filled bachelor and bachelorette party. I don’t plan on letting you out of my sight or leaving my bed that often wherever we go on our honeymoon. Now, let’s start by planning an engagement party. I’m sure our families are expecting us to have one. Suzanne has graciously offered to let us use her home for the event.”
Ava smiled weakly at him, but deep in the back of her mind, the thought of Liam niggled at her brain. He was out there somewhere, and she wouldn’t be able to relax until he was caught and safely locked away.
The rest of the Memorial Day weekend passed without a ray of sun until they were preparing to leave on Monday afternoon. As the clouds parted, Ava groaned.
“Figures, just because we are leaving, the sun comes out.”
“Why are you upset? We can come here anytime we want. After all, we are the owners, and I plan on making love to you over every inch of this place, including the storage shed.”
She playfully slapped at his arm. “We are not having sex in the storage shed. You’re like a teenage boy sometimes.”
They got into the car, and he reached over to open the glove box. Inside was a small velvet box with a red ribbon tied in a bow. He handed it to her.
“Happy Birthday. Open it.”
She slowly opened the box to reveal a marquise cut emerald in a platinum setting with two small side diamonds. She put her hand over her mouth and inhaled.
“Oh, Xander. It’s beautiful!” She looked at him, her eyes shining.
“You didn’t think I forgot your birthday, did you?”
“My birthday is Wednesday. My last year of my twenties.”
Her face looked a bit sad.
“It’s just a number. This ring made me think of your beautiful eyes. I just had to get it for you.”
“Having you is enough of a birthday present.”
“But you will always have me. This is a token of my love.”
He plucked the ring out of the box and held it for her to slip on her right ring finger. After, she held it up both her hands and a large smile bloomed across her face.
“What?” Xander asked.
“Now I have remembrances of you on both my hands.”
He took both hands in his and kissed them, sucking on the tips of her fingers. She gave him a smoldering look.
“Do you want to leave later?”
He smirked, “You are insatiable. As much as I would like to do that, we’re going to hit traffic as it is. I want to get home before dark.”
She pouted, but he promised to make it up to her that evening.
The drive home wasn’t close to what Xander had expected as far as traffic. He encountered some on the New Jersey Turnpike and the Lincoln Tunnel. Ava fell asleep an hour into the trip as they were discussing wedding plans. He had asked her a question, and when he got no answer, he glanced over at her. She had fallen asleep with her chin on her chest.
He stroked her hair and tucked it behind her ear so he could look at her angelic face. She slept until they entered the city and he looked for a place to park near her apartment. He didn’t want to wake her. She startled him by letting out a large yawn and a groggy question.
“Where are we?”
“Practically home. You must have been tired since you slept for almost the whole trip.”
“I was. I didn’t get that much sleep this weekend for obvious reasons.”
He gave her a toothy smile, “Neither did I, but it was worth it, well worth it.”
He asked her if she wanted to be dropped off in front of her apartment, but she declined. He was able to find a spot two blocks down from her building. She was glad to be home because she missed the boys. Gage was recovering from surgery, and she had hired a pet sitting company. She hoped that they had been well taken care of in her absence. She tapped her foot as the elevator ascended to the fifth floor. When she slipped her key in the lock, it was slightly stuck, and she had to ask Xander to open it for her.
“I’m going to have to ask maintenance to take a look at this.”
“Your building should consider keycards. Much easier and they can be reprogrammed at any time.”
“We aren’t as swanky as your ultra-modern building.”
She entered the apartment and put down her bag, immediately looking for the boys who came bounding out of the bedroom to greet her. They rubbed against her and Xander as she petted them while promising treats. After they had been fed, they went to sleep at the foot of her bed while she and Xander unpacked their bags, separating the dirty clothes from the clean. Ava went to her closet to hang up a jacket, and it was then that she noticed the red steel box next to her file cabinet.
“Xander?” She said with alarm.
“Yes, sweetheart.”
“Is this yours?”
He came into the closet to look at what she was referring to as she reached for the box.
“No, don’t touch it,” he snapped.
All at once she started to panic. “He was here. You know he was, I can tell by the look on your face.”
“Ava, we don’t know that. Stop jumping to conclusions.”
She started to wring her hands and chew on her cheek.
“Stop it. You’re getting upset, and you’re going to make yourself sick.”
“There is no reason to believe that he left that. How could he possibly get into the building? He would have to get by the front desk and even if he made it passed, he doesn’t have a key to your apartment.”
“I told you, he is very clever. I wouldn’t underestimate him. He carefully planned the assault on us in the garage, so why not this?”
She fished her cell phone out of her purse to call the front desk manager, Pietro. The building recently installed a high-tech camera system in the lobby and elevators including the freight. However, if the staff were preoccupied, they would not have noticed the man on the monitors, but it would be saved on the digital drive. She explained the situation and Pietro told her to come to the security office.
“Who is that?” Ava pointed to the figure in the coveralls with the red tool box that was much like the one in her apartment.
“I don’t know, Ms. Keene.”
Pietro fumbled with a clipboard hung on the wall. It contained all the approved repair companies, dates of repairs scheduled and their completion.
“There was nothing on the schedule for this holiday weekend. There shouldn’t have been any repairs being performed.”
“Who was on duty at the front desk?” Xander asked, rather to gruffly.
“Devin. He is new and was on duty alone most of the weekend. He might have gone to the bathroom, and this person slipped in the front door.”
“This is ridiculous. So he allowed someone to slip into the building and enter a resident’s apartment unseen? Suppose he waited for Ava? He could have killed her.”
Xander was practically screaming at the man until Ava put her hand on his arm to calm him.
“Look, I’m sorry, but is there something we should know?”
Ava squeezed Xander’s hand, “Several years ago; a man attacked my fiancé and me. He was sentenced to jail time, and he has escaped. In court, he threatened to get revenge on us.”
Pietro stood up and grabbed the phone on the wall above his desk. He called the police, explaining the situation.
“You should have told us this. I need you to wait here until the police arrive.”
Hours later, the locks to her apartment had been changed, the police took the tool box as evidence and had retrieved a copy of the digital surveillance. As much as she loved her apartment, she couldn’t stay there knowing Liam had been there. She didn’t know what else he had done there. Xander left a message for his cleaning company so he could schedule a full scouring of her place. Even then, Ava wasn’t so sure she could live there until Liam was caught. It made her feel dirty that this man had invaded her privacy, their privacy.
Xander clung to her tightly. All the sexual energy between them had been deflated over the pas
t few hours. Now all they wanted to do was sleep in each other’s arms.
“Sweetheart?”
“What?”
“Maybe you should stay here for awhile and take some time off? The security is much tighter, and he isn’t going to get to you here.”
“I can’t do that. I need to work, to travel to and from work and live my life. I’m not going to allow Liam to make me fearful of going out. I don’t want to be his victim again.”
“I’m not saying that you need to shut down your life. I just want you to be safe. I couldn’t bear to lose you. Don’t you understand that?”
“You’re not going to lose me. I have no plans to exit this earth anytime soon.”
“Your plans have nothing to do with it. It’s his plans that worry me. All I’m asking is that you be careful. If you don't take time off, then maybe you should stay with me for awhile. I would feel better if we were here.”
“I know. I’ll consider it, but I don’t want to impose.”
“Ava, stop being silly. Months from now we’ll be married and live together somewhere. Why should living together here for awhile be any different.”
Ava sighed deeply, “I love you, Xander, and I appreciate the offer, but I think that we should just keep things the way they are. If you don’t want to sleep at my place, then we can spend a few nights together here and sleep separate a few nights.”
Xander felt a pain deep in his chest. It felt like she was trying to distance herself from him and he had a feeling he knew why. He had been injured once before trying to protect her, and he knew she still carried around tremendous guilt. He didn’t want to push her, and he kept his mouth shut, pulling her tighter against him.
As Ava spoke the words, she felt tears come to her eyes. She didn’t want to be separated from Xander anymore than he wanted to be away from her. She couldn’t risk him getting hurt again by Liam. She suppressed a sob, biting her lip as the tears dripped down her face.
Later, she snuggled against him, restless even though she knew she was safe in his apartment. They had gone to sleep hours ago, and he had wrapped his arms around her and drifted off to sleep quickly. She had stayed awake and wiped at the tears that had dampened her cheeks. She didn’t want Xander to know how upset she was and she was glad he had fallen to sleep so quickly. He would have felt her crying against his chest if he had not.