Chapter 9

He kicks the door shut behind him, placing me between the sinks on the marble vanity unit before returning to lock the door. My dress is still bunched around my waist, my legs and knickers completely exposed.

I gaze around the vast room that I’m so familiar with, my eyes falling on the gigantic, cream, marble bath dominating the centre of the room. I smile, remembering the trauma of having to organise a crane to lift it in through the windows. It was a nightmare, but it does look spectacular. The double, open ended shower on the back wall is made up of a floor to ceiling sheeted glass and beige Travertine tiles, and the vanity unit that I’ve been placed on is cream, Italian marble, with two sunken sinks and large waterfall taps. A thick, gold framed, intricately carved mirror spans the entire width of the unit, and a chaise lounge sits at an angle in the window. It really is luxury embodied.

I hear the lock click into place, snapping me from admiring my work and pulling my eyes to the door, where Jesse is watching me closely. As he saunters towards me, he slowly starts unbuttoning his shirt. I watch him gain on me, his mouth lax, his eyes hooded. Anticipation has my stomach churning and my thighs clenching shut. This man is absolutely stunning.

With his final button unfastened, he stands before me with his shirt draped open. I can’t resist reaching up and running my finger down the centre of his hard, tanned chest. He looks down to follow my trail, placing his hands on either side of my hips, nudging his way between my thighs. As he looks at me, his lips tip at the edges and his eyes sparkle, the slight creases at the corner softening the usual intensiveness of them.

‘You can’t escape now. ’ he teases.

‘I don’t want to. ’

‘Good. ’ he mouths, dragging my eyes to his lovely lips.

I trail my finger back up his chest, working my way past his throat until my finger rests on his bottom lip. He opens his mouth, biting my finger playfully. I smile, continuing upwards and running my hand through his hair.

‘I like your dress. ’ He drags his eyes down my front.

I follow his stare to the bunched up material around my waist. ‘Thank you. ’

‘It’s a bit restrictive. ’ He tugs at a piece of material.

‘It is. ’ I agree. The anticipation is killing me. Rip off the dress!

‘Shall we remove it? ’ He cocks a brow at me, the corners of his mouth twitching.

I smile. ‘If you like, ’

‘Or maybe, we leave it on? ’ He breaks into a full on smile as he holds his hands up.

I melt all over the vanity unit.

He slides his hands around my back. ‘But then again, I have firsthand knowledge of what’s under this lovely dress, ’ He reaches up, grasping the zipper, breathing into my ear as he does. ‘And it’s far superior to the dress. ’ he whispers, pulling it down slowly, teasingly. I’m panting hard and desperate. ‘I think we’ll get rid of it. ’ He lifts me off of the counter, placing me on my feet before pulling my dress away from my body and letting it drop to the floor. He kicks it to the side without taking his eyes off of me.

I frown at him. ‘I like that dress. ’ I couldn’t give a toss about the dress. He could have ripped it off and cleaned the windows with it, for all I care.

‘I’ll buy you a new one. ’ He shrugs as he places me back on the counter, resuming position between my thighs. He presses his body up against me and grabs my bum, pulling me in towards him so we’re locked tight together. He grinds his hips while staring at me.

The throb at my core is bordering on painful, and I’m at serious risk of falling apart if he continues with that alone. I want to tell him to hurry up; I’m struggling to control myself here.

Reaching behind me, he unclasps my bra, pulling the straps down my arms and flinging it behind him. I lean back on my hands, exposing my breasts to him.

Looking into my eyes, he lifts his hand and places it, palm down, under my throat. ‘I can feel your heart hammering. ’ he says quietly. ‘You’re so affected by me. ’

I’m not going to challenge him on that statement. He’s right, and I’m not even bothering to try and fight it anymore.

He glides his palm down between my breasts until it rests on my stomach, as he looks at me – all smoldering and delicious.

‘You’re too fucking beautiful, lady’ he grinds firmly. ‘I think I’ll keep you. ’

I arch my back, thrusting my chest forward, and he smiles before lowering his mouth and taking my nipple deep, sucking hard. When he brings his hand up to massage my other breast, I moan, letting my head fall back against the mirror. Oh, good God. The man is a genius. His arousal is as hard as lead, pressing between my thighs, causing me to roll my hips to ease the throb on a long, drawn out moan. I don’t know what to do with myself. I want to soak up the pleasure because it’s so good, but the need to have him is getting the better of me, the pressure in my groin near exploding point. As if reading my mind, he skates his hand up the inside of my thigh, finding the edge of my knickers. One finger breaches the barrier, lightly brushing the tip of my clit.

‘Shit! ’ I cry, throwing myself up to grab his shoulders, digging my nails into his strained muscles.

‘Language, lady. ’ he tusks, then slams his lips against mine, plunging two fingers into me.

My muscles grab onto him as he works them in and out. I might, literally, die of pleasure. I feel the fast buildup of an impending orgasm, and I know it’s going to blow me apart. Holding onto his shoulders for dear life, I moan into his mouth as he continues his assault on me.

Oh, here it is.

‘Come. ’ he commands, applying more pressure to the top of my clit.

I fall apart in an explosion of stars, releasing his mouth and tossing my head back in a complete frenzy. I cry out. He grabs my head, yanking it forward to tackle my mouth, catching the tail end of my cries. I’m in pieces. I’m panting, shaking and boneless as I disintegrate all over him, completely inhibited and unashamed of what he does to me. I’m delirious with pleasure.

His kiss softens and his thrusts slow, easing me gradually down as he scatters tender kisses all over my damp, warm face. Too good, just too, too good.

I feel him brush a stray tendril of hair from my face and I open my eyes, meeting a sludgy green, satisfied stare. He plants a soft kiss on my lips. I sigh. I feel like a life’s time of pent up pressure has been extinguished, just like that. I’m relaxed and sated.

‘Better? ’ he asks, sliding his fingers out of me.

‘Hmmm. ’ I hum. I have no energy for speech.

His fingers drag across my bottom lip and he leans into me, watching me closely as he runs his tongue across my mouth, licking the remnants of my orgasm away. His eyes burn straight through me as we gaze at each other in silence. My hands, instinctively, reach up to cup his face, smoothing down his freshly shaven face. This man is beautiful, intense and passionate. And he could break my heart.

He smiles lightly, turning his face to kiss my palm before returning his eyes to mine. Oh Lord, I’m in trouble.

We’re both cruelly snatched from the intensity of the moment when the door handle of the bathroom is jiggled from the other side. I gasp and Jesse slaps his palm over my mouth, looking at me in amusement. He finds this funny?

‘I can’t hear anything. ’ A strange voice comes through the door, followed by another rattle of the handle. My eyes bulge in horror.

He removes his hand, replacing it with his lips. ‘Shhhhhh. ’ he mumbles against my mouth.

‘Oh God, I feel cheap. ’ I whine, leaving his lips and dropping my head to his shoulder. How am I going to walk out of this place without burning bright red and looking as guilty as sin?

‘You’re not cheap. Talk crap like that, I’ll be forced to kick your delicious backside all over my bathroom. ’

I snap my head up from his shoulder, looking at him in confusion. ‘Your bathroom? ’

‘Yes, my bathroom, ’ He smirks at me. ‘I wish they would stop strangers roaming around my home. ’ he muses.

‘You live here? ’ I’m puzzled. He can’t live here. No one lives here.

‘Well, I will do as of tomorrow. Tell me. Is all this Italian shit worth the outrageously expensive price tag they attached to this place? ’ He looks at me expectantly.

Does he actually want me to answer that? ‘Italian shit? ’ I splutter, completely insulted.

He laughs, and I think I might slap him. Italian shit? The man is an ignorant arse. Italian shit?

‘You shouldn’t have brought the place if you don’t like the shit that’s in it. ’ I fire at him, completely outraged.

‘I can get rid of the shit. ’ he quips.

My eyebrows shoot up in a, you-didn’t-just-say-that expression. I’ve spent months breaking my back sourcing all of this Italian shit and this unappreciative swine is just going to get rid? I’ve never been so insulted, or pissed off. I try to wriggle my hands from under his, but he tightens his grip. I shoot him a scowl.

He grins. ‘Unravel your knickers, lady. I wouldn’t get rid of anything in this apartment, ’ He kisses me hard. ‘And you’re in this apartment. ’ He’s taking my mouth again, possessively, greedily.

I won’t read into that statement too much. My libido has just jumped to attention and I’m happy to comply. I attack him with equal force, thrusting my tongue into his mouth, circling his with mine as he lifts his grip from my hands. They impulsively fly to those taut, rippling shoulders that I love so much.

Wrapping his arm around my middle, he releases my lips and lifts me up from the counter, leaving me hovering above the surface as his other hand finds my knickers and yanks them down my legs. He rests me back down, removing my shoes and letting them tumble to the tiled floor on a loud clatter. I join him in his stripping party, reaching up and pushing his shirt down his broad shoulders, revealing his bare chest in all of its glory. He’s cut to complete perfection. I want to lick every square inch of him.

As I trace my eyes down, I recoil slightly at a nasty scar that’s running across his stomach and rounding onto his left hip. I never noticed it before. The light at The Manor was dim, but that is one hefty scar. It’s slightly faded but bloody big. How did he get that? I elect to not enquire. It could be a sensitive issue, and I don’t want anything to upset this moment. I could just sit here and gawp at him forever, even with the scar that looks so sinister, he’s still beautiful.

I scrunch his shirt up between my hands and chuck it on top of my dress. He raises his eyebrows at me.

‘I’ll buy you a new one. ’ I shrug.

He smirks and leans forward, bracing himself on the counter and capturing my lips – all brooding and careful. I reach for his trousers and begin unfastening his belt, whipping it out of his loop holes in one swift pull, instigating a snapping sound to erupt around us.

He pulls back on an arched brow. ‘Are you going to whip me? ’

Huh? ‘No, ’ I answer uncertainly. Does he like that sort of stuff? I throw his belt to join the pile on the floor and slide my hand between his tight narrow hips and the waistband of his trousers. I wrench him forward so we’re nose to nose. ‘Of course, if you want me to…’ Did I just say that?

‘I’ll bear that in mind. ’ he says on a half-smile. Obviously, I did. What’s got into me?

Keeping my eyes firmly on his, I start to undo the button on his trousers, my knuckles brushing over his solid erection, causing him to jerk. He squeezes his eyes shut. I slowly undo his fly, sliding my flat hand into his boxers, grazing across the mass of dark blonde hair. He shudders, looking up to the ceiling. The muscles on his chest are rolling and undulating, and I can’t resist leaning forward and flicking my tongue up the centre of his chest bone.

‘Ava, you should know that once I’ve had you, you’re mine. ’

I’m too drunk on lust to take any notice of that statement. ‘Hmmm. ’ I mumble against his skin, circling his nipple with my tongue and withdrawing my hand from his boxers. I grasp the waist band and ease them down over his tidy, narrow hips. His cock springs free.

My God, it’s huge! The head is swollen, moist and pointing right at me. The involuntary gasp that escapes my mouth is an indication of my shock. Flicking my eyes to his, I find a small smile tickling the corner of his mouth, which is all the mortifying evidence I need to tell me that he’s picked up on my reaction.

He steps back, kicking his shoes and socks off before removing his trousers and boxers. I’m instantly drawn to his powerfully lean thighs. I’m dribbling at the magnificence stood before me in all of its naked glory. I can’t help it.

Gathering some of my shattered confidence, I reach forward slowly, and gently circle my thumb over his tip, watching him as he watches my hand explore him. When I tentatively wrap my hand around the base, I see him struggle with the contact.

‘Shit, Ava. ’ he gasps, resting his hands on my hips. I jerk, and he smiles. ‘Ticklish? ’

‘Just there. ’ I gasp. Oh, it drives me mad!

‘I’ll remember that. ’ he says, taking my lips and working my mouth urgently as I begin slow, even strokes of his hardness, increasing the pace when I feel his mouth getting firmer against mine. His hand disappears between my legs, and with one skim of his thumb over my beating clitoris, I’m suddenly catapulted to Central Jesse Cloud Nine. I gasp into his mouth. He bites my lip.

‘You ready? ’ he asks urgently. I nod, because speech has completely evaded me.

He rips his hand from the apex of my thighs and knocks me away from his throbbing arousal. In one measured movement, he moves his hands to my backside, lifts me and impales me onto his waiting length.

OUCH! Oh my God and fucking hell!

‘Okay? ’ he pants. ‘Are you okay? ’

‘Two seconds. I need a few seconds. ’ I wrap my legs around him, crying out at the mixture of pleasure and pain. I know he’s not even all of the way in. Jesus, but the man is enormous.

I’m swung around and thrust up against the wall, the coldness of the tiles not bothering me in the slightest as I try to adjust myself to Jesse’s hugeness. He rests his forehead against mine, my hands slipping over his sweat drenched back as he holds still for a few moments, giving me time to adapt to the intrusion.

He pants as he slowly withdraws from me, re-entering on a deliberate, steady thrust. This time he’s in further and the fullness is making my head spin.

‘Can you take more? ’ he asks urgently.

More? How much more is there? I can do this, I can do this. I repeat the mantra over and over as I adjust to his size, taking some calming breaths. When I know I’ve got a handle on it, I kiss him slowly, arching my back and pushing my breasts into his chest. I thrust myself forward, deepening the connection.

‘Ava, tell me you’re ready. ’ he breathes.

‘I’m ready. ’ I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life.

With my prompt, he extracts himself and drives back inside of me more forcefully. I sigh, tilting my hips forward in acceptance as he growls in appreciation and repeats his swift thrusts, again and again.

‘You’re mine now, Ava. ’ he breathes on a deep, delicious plunge. My head drops forward to rest on his. ‘All mine. ’

In one fast move, he pulls back and pounds home. I scream. I’m full to capacity and loving every wonderful bit of it. I grip his shoulders as he increases his thrusts, slamming into me, hitting my womb every time. I yelp in pleasure when he finds my lips, plunging his tongue into my mouth in a desperate claim as our damp, sweat riddled bodies clash and slide together. I’m about to splitter into a million pieces. Holy shit! I’ve never come during penetrative sex!

‘You’re going to come? ’ he gasps against my mouth.

‘Yes! ’ I shout, sinking my teeth into his bottom lip. He moans. It’s animalistic, but I’m losing control here.

‘Wait for me. ’ he demands, pounding harder.

I scream, desperately clenching my muscles around him to try and hold off, but it’s not working. How long will he be? I can’t hold on.

After three more hard strikes, he shouts, ‘Now, Ava! ’ And I burst at his command, throwing my head back and screaming his name as I feel hot liquid shoot into me.

He grips me hard, pulling me as close as he can get me and holding me there, burying his face in my exposed throat.

‘Oh, fucccckkkkk! ’ he groans against my neck. The long, satisfied moan falling from my own lips is symbolic of how I feel right now. I’m totally satisfied.

He slows his thrusts to ease us both down from our incredible highs, and I hold him tight, my inner muscles contracting around him as he lazily circles his hips.

‘Look at me. ’ he orders softly. I pull my head down to look at him, sighing happily as he searches my eyes. He rolls his hips again and plants a kiss on the end of my nose. ‘Beautiful. ’ he says simply, cupping the back of my head and pushing me towards him so my cheek rests against his shoulder. I could stay like this forever.

My back peels away from the cold wall behind me and I’m carried to the vanity unit with Jesse still buried deep inside me, pulsating and twitching. He slips out and settles me on the counter, clasping his palms on either side of my face and bending to kiss me, his lips lingering on mine in a total display of affection.

‘I didn’t hurt you, did I? ’ he asks, his frown line appearing on his forehead.

I dissolve on the spot. I want to smother him in my arms, so I do. I wrap my whole body around him, arms and legs, and cling on to him like my life depends on it. He buries his face in my neck and strokes my back. It’s the most calming sensation I’ve ever felt. I can’t even muster up the energy to feel guilty.

Sarah who?

We remain entwined, a bundle of arms and legs, breathing heavy and holding each other for an age. I want to stay exactly where I am. We could – it is his bathroom. I can’t believe he’s brought the penthouse.

After far too short a time, he leans back, running the back of his knuckles down the side of my face.

‘I didn’t use a condom, ’ he says with genuine regret in his eyes. ‘I’m sorry, I got so carried away. You’re on birth control, right? ’

‘Yes, but the pill doesn’t protect me from STD’s. ’ I’m such a numb-nut. This man is a God with some serious moves. I dread to think of how many women he’s slept with.

He smiles at me. ‘Ava, I’ve always used a condom, ’ He leans forward, kissing my forehead. ‘Except with you, ’

Huh? ‘Why? ’

He pulls away and has a little chew on his bottom lip. ‘I don’t see straight when I’m near you. ’ He puts his boxers and trousers on, and then reaches over me to grab a washcloth from the shelf. I’m about to protest, but then I remember…it’s his. Everything in here is his, except for me. Well, not according to him, but that’s just an impending orgasm talking. The throws of passion can make you say some funny things. He doesn’t see straight? That makes two of us.

He runs the tap, passing the cloth under it and returns to stand before me. I feel exposed, sat here completely naked. This isn’t equal ground. I close my legs to conceal myself, suddenly uncomfortable with my state of undress, but he looks at me, a perplexed look flitting across his handsome face as he pouts, reaches between my legs and spreads them gently.

‘Better. ’ he mutters, lifting my arms from my lap and placing them on his shoulders. He rests the warm, damp cloth on the inside of my thigh and begins sweeping it up and down, cleaning the remnants of him away from me. It’s a tender act and extremely intimate. I watch his face in fascination, noticing the slight crease across his forehead as he concentrates with his procedure of cleaning me up.

He gazes up at me, his green eyes soft and twinkling. ‘I want to toss you in that shower and worship every inch of you, but this will have to do. For now, anyway. ’ He leans in and kisses me, lingering briefly. I don’t think I could ever tire of those simple, affectionate kisses.

His lips are so soft, his scent divine. ‘Come on, lady. Let’s get you dressed. ’ He lifts me from the counter and helps me into my underwear and dress before zipping me up. My entire body convulses when he rests his lips on the nape of my neck, his warm, soft mouth having the hairs on my neck rising. I don’t think he’s out of my system – not at all. This is bad news.

I pick his pale blue shirt up from floor and shake it out before handing it to him.

‘There really wasn’t any need to screw it up, was there? ’ He flicks me a grin as he pulls it on, fastening the buttons and tucking it into his navy trousers.

‘Your jacket will cov…’ I abruptly remember tossing that on the floor in the bedroom. ‘Oh, ’ I whisper, all wide eyed.

‘Yes. Oh, ’ He arches a brow as he snaps his belt, making me flinch and him grin. ‘Okay, you ready to face the music, lady? ’ He holds his hand out to me, and I take it without a thought. The man is a magnet. ‘I’d say quite loud, wouldn’t you? ’

I gape at him as he gives me a full on dazzling smile. I shake my head, quickly glancing in the mirror. Oh, I’m flushed. My lips are distended and pink, my hair is still up but with random strands curling down all over the place, and I’m creased. I need five minutes to sort myself out.

‘You’re perfect. ’ he reassures me, as if sensing the panic rising in me.

Perfect? Perfect wouldn’t be a word I would use. I look thoroughly fucked! He tugs me to the door, unlocks it and strides out, devoid of wariness, while I’m more cautious. What if our visitors where still hanging around? I see his jacket still sprawled on the floor, and he scoops it up as we pass.

When we hit the curving staircase, I suddenly register my hand still in his. I try to ease it from his grasp, but he squeezes it tighter, flashing me a scowl. Shit! He has to let go. My boss and colleagues are down here. I can’t go prancing through them holding hands with this strange man. Well, he’s not very strange to me now, but that’s beside the point. I attempt to free my hand again, but he refuses to let it go.

‘Jesse, let go of my hand. ’

‘No. ’ he shoots back, short and firm, and without even looking at me.

I stop, abruptly, half way down the stairs and scan the room below. No one is looking at us, thank God, but it won’t be long before someone clocks us. Jesse turns, looking up at me from a few steps below.

‘Jesse, you can’t expect me to parade through here holding your hand. That’s not fair. Please, let me go. ’

He looks at our hands locked together, suspended between our bodies. ‘I’m not letting you go, ’ he murmurs sullenly. ‘If I let you go, you might forget how it feels. You might change your mind. ’

There is absolutely no chance of me forgetting how we feel flesh on flesh, but that’s not the part of his statement that’s bothering me. ‘Change my mind about what? ’ I ask, totally perplexed.

‘Me. ’ he says simply.

What about him? My mind hasn’t been made up on anything, so there’s nothing to change. I need to focus my attention on persuading him to release my hand before someone spots us. I’ll file that comment, just like I’ve filed the other strange comments he made upstairs.

Holy shit! I nearly fall down the stairs when I see Sarah breezing across the terrace. Reality has just come crashing down around me. Surely when he sees her he’ll stop being such an unreasonable fool. She’s heading back inside. I don’t have time to fuck about. I narrow my eyes on him and use brute force to yank my hand from his, nearly dislocating my shoulder in the process, but it works. He scowls at me, but I don’t hang around long enough to take much notice. I take the stairs fast, down to the vast openness of the penthouse. Even if she spots us together, she’ll be suspect. The woman has made it obvious that she dislikes me. I can hardly blame her. She saw me as a threat and as it turns out, her fear was warranted.

I hit the bottom of the stairs and see Tom come running through the crowd of people, waving his arms about frantically.

‘There you are! Where have you been? Patrick has been looking for you everywhere. ’ He clasps my shoulders, checking me up and down, ever the drama queen. Noting my disheveled state, he eyes me suspiciously. I feel the heat rise in my cheeks.

‘I was giving Mr Ward a tour. ’ I offer, rather unconvincingly, while waving my hand over my shoulder in the general direction of Jesse. I know he’s close behind me; I can still feel him brooding. And I can smell him too. Mind you, that could be his scent all over me. I feel like I’ve been marked…or claimed, even.

With his hands still clasped on my shoulders, Tom looks past me. He gasps, yanking me closer, so his mouth is at my ear. ‘Darling, who is that divine being growling at me? ’ he asks, sniffing me.

I struggle out of his hands and turn to see Jesse drilling holes into Tom. I roll my eyes at his pathetic behavior. Tom’s the gayest gay man in London. He can’t possibly be threatened by him. Not that he should be feeling threatened by anyone.

‘Tom, this is Mr Ward. Mr Ward, Tom. He’s a colleague. He’s also gay. ’ I add the last bit sarcastically. Tom won’t care – not that it isn’t bloody obvious anyway.

I look at Tom, who’s grinning widely, then cast my eyes over to Jesse, who’s stopped growling but doesn’t look any less pissed. Tom prances forward, grabs Jesse’s shoulders and air kisses him. I stifle a laugh, watching as Jesse’s eyes bulge and his shoulder tense.

‘It really is a pleasure, ’ Tom sings in Jesse’s face while stroking down his biceps. ‘Tell me, do you work out? ’

A burst of laughter falls from my mouth and, rather immaturely, I decide to leave Jesse to cope with Tom’s outrageous flirting on his own. I catch his eyes as I turn to leave, seeing I’m being thrown daggers. I couldn’t care less. He’s being stupidly unreasonable.

I find Patrick in the kitchen, chatting with the developer. He waves me over and hands me a glass of champagne. It looks like the car will be staying here tonight.

‘Here she is, ’ Patrick announces, draping his arm around my shoulder and hugging me against his big body. ‘This girl has transformed my company. I’m so proud of you, flower. Where have you been? ’ he asks, his blue eyes twinkling brightly and his cheeks bright red – a clear sign that he’s had too much to drink.

‘I’ve been giving a few tours. ’ I lie, smiling sweetly as I’m squeezed against him.

‘I’ve just been talking about you. Your ears must have been burning, ’ Patrick says. No, not my ears! ‘I was just saying to Mr Van Der Haus, you’ll be more than happy to assist on their new venture. ’

Mr Van Der Haus? Oh, he’s the other partner. I’ve not met him.

‘My partner insisted on it. ’ Van Der Haus says, smiling broadly. He’s very classy – all tall and white blonde, with a bespoke suit and dress shoes. He’s quite handsome…for a mid-forties man – Another older man.

I blush. ‘I would be delighted, Mr Van Der Haus. What have you got in mind for the next project? ’ I ask eagerly.

‘Please, call me Mikael. The building is nearly complete, ’ He broadens his smile. ‘We have settled on traditional Scandinavian. We’re going back to our roots. ’ His mild Danish accent is really sexy.

Traditional Scandinavian? Okay, this most definitely panics me. Does this mean I’ll be hijacking Ikea? Shouldn’t they employ someone Scandinavian for this? ‘It sounds exciting. ’ I say, turning to place my glass on the worktop, spotting Jesse across the room with Sarah as I do.

Oh God. He’s drilling holes into me, and Sarah’s stood right bloody there. I swivel back to face my audience. The panic must be clear on my burning face.

‘I think so, ’ Mikael agrees. ‘Once I’ve discussed a favourable fee with Patrick, ’ He points his champagne glass at my boss. ‘We can start building a specification, then you can get started on some designs. ’

‘I look forward to it. ’ I shift on the spot. I can still feel Jesse’s eyes burning into my back.

‘She won’t disappoint you, Mikael. ’ Patrick chirps.

He smiles. ‘I know she won’t. You’re an exceptionally talented young woman, Ava. Your vision is impeccable. Now, if you’ll excuse me, ’ I feel the colour deepening in my face as he shakes Patrick’s hand and then mine. ‘I will be in touch. ’ he says, holding my hand in his, a little longer than necessary, before releasing it, strolling off and greeting an Arab man.

I’m still tucked tightly under Patrick’s arm as Victoria approaches us and leans against the worktop on a huff.

‘My feet are killing me. ’ she exclaims.

In unison, Patrick and I look down at her six inch leopard print platforms with blood red piping. They’re ridiculous.

Patrick looks at me, shaking his head, before releasing his hold and declaring his departure. ‘Irene will be waiting for me downstairs. I’ve got all the photographs, ’ He waves his camera at me. ‘I’ll see you on Monday morning. ’ He kisses each of us. ‘You’ve both worked hard tonight. Well done. ’ He takes his big body out of the kitchen, staggering slightly as he does.

Worked hard? I cringe.

‘Oh, I nearly forgot, ’ Victoria drags my eyes away from Patrick’s swaying body, back to her. ‘Kate said she couldn’t wait around for you anymore, something about ice cream. ’ She shrugs. ‘She said that she hopes you’ve had fun and she’ll see you at home. ’

Hopes I’ve had fun? Sardonic cow!

‘Thanks, Victoria. Listen, I think we’re done here. ’ I pick up one more glass of champagne as the waiter passes. I can’t drive, so I may as well make the most of it. And damn, I need it. ‘I’m heading home. Go when you’re ready. I’ll see you on Monday. ’ I kiss her cheek.

‘I’m going to hang around for a bit with Tom. He wants to go to Route Sixty for a dance. ’ She shakes her bum.

‘Be prepared for a late one. ’ I warn. Once Tom’s on the dance floor you need a bulldozer to get him off.

‘No! I told him, I can’t stay late. I’ve got too much to do tomorrow. And I can hardly walk in these stupid shoes. ’

‘Good luck with that. Say bye to Tom for me. ’

‘I will when I find him. ’ She limps off in her ridiculous heels, leaving me to finish my last glass of champagne.

I glance around the kitchen, but I don’t see Jesse or Sarah. I’m relieved. I don’t think I could look Sarah in the eye. I need to go and kick my loser arse around the house for being so weak and easy.

I reach the penthouse elevator and punch in the code. It’ll be changed tomorrow for the new owner. I huff a little burst of laughter. Of course, Jesse Ward is the new owner. It’s been one hell of a day. And now that I’m alone, I can feel the foreseeable guilt begin to tumble over me. Oh, what a foolish, desperate woman I am.

‘Leaving so soon? ’

My shoulders raise and I wince at the cold, unfriendly voice of Sarah. Straightening my expression, I turn to face her. ‘It’s been a long and tiring day. ’ I offer, inwardly cringing at my own double meaning statement. If only she knew how long and tiring.

She sips her champagne while eyeing me suspiciously. ‘You’re quite a surprise. ’ she purrs.

She seems genuine. Is that a compliment? Oh God, don’t be nice to me. I’ve just screwed her boyfriend in his new bathroom, and now she’s being nice? Or is it her bathroom as well? Oh heck! I want to crawl inside myself and die. I’m deplorable.

I really don’t know what to say. ‘Thank you. ’ I utter, turning back to the elevator when it opens. I need to get out of this place.

‘It wasn’t a compliment, ’ she says categorically.

‘I didn’t think it was. ’ I retort, without looking at her. Obviously, I was mistaken.

‘You know Jesse owns this place, right? ’

I want to ask her if she’ll be living here too, but, of course, I don’t. ‘He mentioned it. ’ I say casually, stepping into the lift and punching the code in. ‘It was nice to see you. ’ I smile. I don’t know why I said that, it wasn’t nice at all. I still don’t like her, and she’s made it perfectly clear how she feels about me. I can’t blame her.

The doors close and I fall back against the mirrored wall.

Shit!

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