Illicit Affairs

by Dixon

  Gasping, she tugged her foot and began to ask, “What are you—”

  “Your feet must ache wearing those heels every day,” Nate wondered aloud but didn’t require an answer as he trailed his thumb down the delicate curve of her instep. His grip tightened around the sides of her bare foot, his thumbs pressing deeply into the fleshy pads beneath her toes and eliciting a hiss from between her teeth as he massaged her worn out sole. When she resisted and attempted to remove her foot from his lap, he tugged harder and kept her in place as his thumbs pressed deeper and deeper into her tired tissue until she slowly surrendered and sank back into the sofa.

  His intentions had been innocent, even if the wine was clouding his judgement, but as Ava began pressing her thighs together and soft whines left her wine-stained lips, those intentions steadily became more and more sinful. He found his hands moving of their own accord as he squeezed at her heels, his fingertips running up her calf beneath her work slacks and eliciting more of those delicious noises from her lips that were causing his skin to prickle with heat.

  Ava’s lashes fluttered closed and she found herself submitting to his touch. Nate’s fingers expertly knew just where to apply pressure, his assertive grip listening to her body as her mind told her to retreat and her body begged her to stay. However, Ava knew this was like sipping fine red wine—one taste of that high and you wanted more and more. She felt like she was melting from the way his fingers brushed against her flesh, edging higher up her trouser leg. A steady pulse found its way between her legs, demanding attention that the pressing of her thighs could not tame this time.

  “Fuck,” she moaned, biting down on her lower lip before suddenly remembering just who was giving her this intense foot massage, her leg abruptly recoiling with her knee bent up. “I don’t think this is a good idea,” Ava cautioned, glad that there was some sobriety left in her brain despite her erratic heart pumping the alcohol around her body. “I think I best go,” she announced, swinging her legs over the sofa and standing.

  “No, wait—” Nate panicked, jolting upright as his hand reached forward and gently took her wrist. “I won’t stop you, it’s just that…I don’t want you to go…yet.” The amount of neediness in his tone made him feel uneasy, but he couldn’t deny the level of comfort Ava had brought him tonight, a type of solace that he hadn’t found in another for so long. However, as he looked up and saw the troubled expression on the young woman’s face, his stomach sank as he let her go and sheepishly looked down at his shoes. “I’m sorry, that was very rude of me,” he uttered, shaking his head and trying to come up with an excuse for his dishonourable conduct. “The wine, it’s—”

  “A lovely bottle,” Ava interrupted, causing Nate to look up at her with dazed eyes. She was like a bee to honey in those eyes and couldn’t stand to see him upset, especially when she knew that his actions were not unwarranted. Ava could have any man she wanted with just a bat of her lashes, but with Nate, he was off-limits out of principle and that drove her insane. She had everything but she couldn’t have him.

  To ease his feelings of guilt and to reassure him, she settled back down on the sofa next to him, her legs safely tucked beneath her as she diverted away from the awkward train wreck and asked, “You mentioned earlier that your family have a vineyard back home?” Nate was like a deer caught in headlights, staring at her as though she may well disappear into thin air. “Why don’t you tell me more about it?”

  Fifteen

  Waves crashed upon a shore in the distance, pulling Nate back towards the familiar sound of home. His eyes fluttered open as he rubbed the sleep from them and peered down to the warm weight pressing up against his side, sat on the chesterfield sofa in his office.

  Ava.

  He quickly realised the sound was her soft breathing, every heavy exhale like that of frothy white waves as she slept peacefully, curled up next to him like a resting kitten with his large suit jacket draped around her petite body. She was serene in this state, like seeing the sea calm down after a turbulent storm.

  Nate couldn’t resist, let alone miss his opportunity, as his fingers ghosted down over her nose, tracing the little button tip turned up at the end, before tenderly brushing across her petals and sighing quietly—her lips were as soft as he imagined. However, his touch disturbed her slumber as her eyes creased, lips pouted, and the bridge of her nose wrinkled in the most adorable frown he had ever seen. Staring down at her in curious fascination as her eyes blinked into consciousness, he knew then that he could watch a billion sunrises and would never find one quite as beautiful as her eyes opening in the morning.

  White light flooded Ava’s retinas, her mind foggy and body heavy as she stared up into the hazel forests that she had walked through in her dreams. A sleepy sigh left the slight curve of her lips as she closed her eyes, pulling a blanket around her and draping her arm over the warm pillow next to her. However, when that so-called warm pillow began jiggling beneath her and the husky noise of Nate’s quiet laughter came from above, her hand felt across her pillow, over the hard ridges of Nate’s chest until her eyes snapped open in alarm as she realised she wasn’t dreaming and wasn’t in her own bed. Gingerly, her eyes peered up at Nate to see his lazy smile.

  “Good morning, Ms. Archer.”

  I fell asleep in the office with my boss. Shit, shit, shit!!

  Ava squeaked in a panic and recoiled away from Nate, rolling backwards off the couch and landing between it and the coffee table with a large thump.

  “Shit! Are you alright?” Nate gawked, peering over the edge of the sofa and down at the tangled body of his assistant, laughing when she flapped and struggled under his suit jacket like a wild animal caught in a net.

  “I’m fine!” she squawked in exasperation, tossing the suit jacket from her and blowing the stray strands of hair from her eyes. Ava turned to look at the takeout cartons, the empty bottles of wine, and the plastic coffee mugs before glancing at her watch. “Fuck, the time!”

  “It’s fine, I don’t mind if you are late today.” Nate rolled his eyes, bemused by how flustered she was over, yes, a little unorthodox situation, but a harmless and innocent one at that.

  “Perhaps you don’t mind but I don’t want people thinking that I slept with my boss!” she berated, jumping to her feet and picking up her heels before running to her desk outside.

  Nate’s eyebrows jumped at this.

  Did she mean sleep as in sleep or sleep as in…?

  Either way, she had a fair point; considering their dishevelled appearance, the fact they were in yesterday’s clothing, and the odd scene in the office, one’s imagination could easily come up with an explanation for what went down.

  “Where the fuck is my phone?!” Nate heard Ava hiss, saw her cell on the floor amongst the paperwork, and took it out to her. “Thank you.”

  “Don’t mention it.” He smirked, perching on the corner of her desk and watching her hurry about, looking as though she were trying to escape a burning building.

  Ava hopped as she quickly pulled on her heels and turned to look at Nate to say goodbye but froze on the spot when she saw him leant against her desk.

  Sweet heavens above, she thought.

  He looked irresistible with no tie, his shirt untucked and unbuttoned just enough for her to see the dark wisps covering his chest, and his hair unruly and sexy in an undone and natural way.

  Oh, to sit on that man’s fa—no, shit!

  She shook the thoughts from her head and rushed towards the elevators before those thoughts could manifest into physicality, tossing over her shoulder a brief, “See you in a bit!”

  “Ava! Wait up!” Nate called after her, chuckling as he caught up to the frantic blonde, his hand slipping around her waist and coaxing her to turn and face him. Her dazed eyes found his and Nate would be lying if he said he didn’t adore the way her stare dipped to his lips expectantly, that once confident fire in her gaze now diminished to a flickering flame and giving light of her desires. “The Forbeses have invit
ed me to a charity auction at their estate this weekend. Do you wanna tag along?”

  Is he asking me on a date?

  “Sure, just forward me the invite,” Ava replied.

  Nate grinned down at her, catching her by surprise as he grabbed a hold of her wrist when she abruptly went to turn away again. “Wait! One more thing…” he said in a lower register, raising his hand as his knuckles delicately brushed over the sweet blush upon her cheek and tucked a single spiral of gold behind her ear.

  Ava didn’t dare move, her heart in a state of frenzy as her breathing was heard through her lips. His touch was magnetic and had a way of jamming all her thoughts. Her lashes fluttered upon feeling his caress across the burn in her cheek before Nate pulled something from her hair and waved a rogue piece of paper from a fortune cookie in front of her face.

  “You forgot this,” he teased, chuckling as she snatched it from his fingers with a squeak, crumpling it into her jacket pocket and dashing into the elevator.

  Ava stared at her reflection in the elevator mirror as her mind drifted to the previous evening. After the awkward encounter, Nate and she had talked long into the early hours, trading secrets and embarrassing tales, showing each other their biggest scars, reminiscing about their childhood memories, and laughing at times gone by. Ava couldn’t remember a time where she had spoken to a near stranger without running out of things to say, but Nate was as full of stories as he was an exceptional listener. She never tired of his company.

  A smile toyed at her lips as she remembered his mannerisms, the way he spoke with his hands when he was passionate about a subject, the way he’d pinch his nose when he laughed, his attempt at a British accent that had her ribs aching from laughter.

  Seeing that side of Nate, that part of him that no one else she knew had access to, felt like having backstage tickets to a gig. It made her feel high on life, a feeling she couldn’t get enough of. However, as the dopamine slowly faded and her attention focused back on her starstruck reflection, she became gravely aware of the dangers associated with what she was feeling. Ava had felt a similar sensation throughout her active sex life, and yet last night felt more intimate than any one-night stand she had ever had. Nathaniel Brooks touched her in ways that hands couldn’t.

  Sixteen

  Autumn days faded towards the inevitable colder weather ahead, each nightfall coming sooner than the one before. However, on this autumnal Saturday, the foliage awaiting Ava’s gaze out of her bay window was like that of an infinite dream of scarlet and gold with branches taking root into a cloudless azure sky.

  The shrill buzz came from the phone mounted to the wall as she cursed under her breath and took one last look at herself in the mirror. She wasn’t sure what to wear to a charity auction so ebbed on the side of caution and went with a long, pleated, tan skirt with a tucked-in black sweater and a pair of heels to add some class.

  “Bloody heck, Brooks! I’m coming,” she growled, the buzzer going off repeatedly as she finished tidying the stray curls of gold tied up into a braided bun.

  Stepping out into the crisp air, she breathed in the gold and felt it extend throughout every part of her before peering down at the silver executive car and climbing in.

  “You don’t bloody have to take your time, ol’ girl!”

  “Peter?” Ava’s nose scrunched up as she slid into the rear seat next to him. “Where is Mr. Brooks?”

  “Must be meeting us there.” Peter shrugged, idly picking lint off his green peacoat.

  “Oh.” Definitely not a date then.

  “Everything alright?”

  “Yes, splendid,” Ava said with a tight smile.

  “Rightio, time to go!” Peter grinned, giving her knee a quick pat before chapping on the chauffeur’s window.

  Fortunately, Ava didn’t have to listen to Peter’s obnoxious droning for too long as the car pulled into the Forbes estate. They drove up a long avenue of trees that decorated the rolling green hills on either side and made Ava feel as though she had stepped inside a Jane Austen novel.

  “It’s quite impressive really… I’ve been sat here for twenty minutes and my resting heart rate is 25 bpm, see!” Peter thrust his arm across Ava’s vision, obscuring the picturesque countryside and catching her by surprise. “Oh look, 24!” He beamed down at his fitness watch as Ava gave him a quick yet pained smile. “You should really consider coming out running with me; it’d do you the world of good, ol’—”

  “This is as far as I can take you,” interrupted the driver from beyond the partition.

  Ava peered through the small window up front and saw a sea of people gathering within the long driveway that was lined on either side with vintage cars.

  “That’s fine!” Ava blurted as she abruptly opened her door before the car had managed to crawl to a stop. She had made her way into the small crowd by the time Peter caught up with her and casually linked his arm through hers. “Mr. Forbes certainly had a lot of cars,” she mused as they sauntered up the aisle of collectable vehicles going up for auction.

  “Old fellow is barmy selling all of these if you ask me! I wouldn’t be letting any of these beauties go… I mean, these aren’t just cars, Ava, they’re—no bloody way!” Peter slid to a stop and gawked at a particular black and white car that looked like something Cruella de Vil would drive. “He surely can’t be getting rid of this?” He turned and looked at Ava’s blank expression. “Ava, this is a Rolls-Royce Phantom!”

  “And…? Gah!” Ava squawked as her hand was pulled forward to stand in front of the antique lump of metal.

  “You don’t just get rid of gems like these!”

  “Well, it’s not like he’s going to need it anymore…” Ava blurted and received offended looks from the people peering into the windows of the vehicle. “Swell… I’ll just be heading on inside now and grabbing some of that lovely free champagne.” She excused herself with an awkward smile before scuttling up the long driveway.

  The Forbes manor was deceivingly large as it hid behind majestic oak trees. It was a red brick building wrapped snugly in green ivy, the perfect backdrop to an Agatha Christie mystery.

  Ava stepped inside the opulent foyer that was littered with London’s upper-class socialites as a caterer handed her a glass of champagne. She meandered her way through the many rooms showcasing various pieces of Holden Forbes’s life that were up for grabs. His wealth was shown in the randomness of some of his possessions—an obsession with vintage arcade games such as pinball and penny machines, a creepy wooden fortune teller, and a retro pro-boxer machine.

  She sipped idly at her flute before stopping short inside an empty room and peering up. Hanging shamelessly upon the wall was a grossly large oil painting.

  “Oh, dear God,” Ava scoffed, rolling her lips inwards to suppress her laughter at the gauche family portrait. Dressed in white, the Forbes family posed classically with expressionless faces, apart from Charlotte Forbes, who held the slightest of smirks—the type that held a secret.

  “How long do you think they had to stay still like that for?”

  “Fuck me!” Ava’s squeal reverberated off the high ceiling, her shoulders jumping as her attention snapped back to the imbecile who snuck up on her.

  “Ms. Archer,” Nate greeted her with a smirk teasing his lips, his honey gems staring up at the artwork rather than her.

  Ava huffed and faced forward again, ignoring his proximity to her back as she shook her head up at the painting. “What I find most impressive is how one could hold their poker face for that length of time,” she quipped.

  “Meh.” Nate shrugged behind her before whispering coyly into her ear, “I think the Botox helps with that.” His mouth lifted into an accomplished grin as bubbly giggles left her lips, his eyes down upon her as she slowly turned around and peered up at him from beneath those long lashes. He felt as though someone had reached inside his chest and squeezed the air from his lungs.

  “What, is there something in my hair?”

  “No
! It’s nothing…you just look”—he paused, deliberating over the correct word as his eyes drank in her effortless beauty—“casually remarkable.”

  “You’re not so bad yourself, love,” Ava joked, hoping her snide tone would cover the blush upon her cheeks. It baffled her how a man could make dressing in suits look as though it were his staple outfit. The stone-coloured suit jacket hung easily from Nate’s broad shoulders, his crisp white shirt unbuttoned to show delicate tufts of dark hair, a belt securing his dark tight jeans that drew the eye to his well-framed package.

  “Love?” Nate challenged with a raise of his brow, his heart secretly flip-flopping with the term of endearment from his subordinate—even if it was said in a cheeky tone.

  “Shall we?” Ava swerved with a grin, holding her elbow out and causing Nate to shake his head and chuckle as he escorted her towards the civilised garden party out back.

  The air was perfumed by fresh petunias, the well-groomed lawn stretching out as far as the barley hills in the distance. Upon the opaque green sat a large white marquee housing the main auction event.

  “Ah! There you both are,” Peter cut in as he made his way over to them and casually took Ava’s other arm, much to Nate’s distaste.

  The trio sauntered across the formal garden, a string quartet growing louder the closer they got to the large tent where the crowd was congregating. Despite being from money herself, Ava felt incredibly insecure around these money-thirsty snobs who drooled over a dead man’s possessions.

  “Oh, good, you made it!” Charlotte Forbes cooed, excusing herself from a group of ladies and dragging her stepdaughter with her as she joined them. “You all look absolutely darling! Don’t they look darling, Freya?” She motioned to the quiet girl on her arm who nodded her head and sipped upon her orange juice from a champagne flute.