

Hidden Agendas

By: Andrea Bills

Hidden Agendas

Copyright © 2017, Andrea Bills

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used factiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Editor: Tayler Bennett

Cover Art: Pro Ebook Covers

My dedication usually goes to my husband. Up until this point in my writing career he has been my steadfast companion. Sometimes, my only companion and supporter. He still is all of those things, and my love and appreciation will continue to be eternal.

However, this book goes to Tayler. You have been more than a friend. Honestly you wear so many hats at this point I've lost count. You're my editor, my sounding board, and biggest supporter. You also leave the best comments throughout my book to give me a good laugh in the midst of editing. I never dreamed I'd look forward to editing, but finding your funny commentary is now something I look forward to.

This book would never have seen the light of day without you. I was so frustrated with my storyline, and pretty much everything. I knew the story was worth telling but it wasn't until you took it, and found the missing pieces!

I can't thank you enough for all your continued efforts to help make me a better writer. I love you and will forever be grateful that you told me to send my work over.

P.S. I know you're proofreading this right now! :)

Until next time much love and happy reading!

# Chapter One

The day had come, for Ava's first day on the job. She had gone out the day before and maxed out her last credit card on a new outfit. Dressing for success, for her administrative assistant position, would hopefully keep her nerves in check. Her brother used to tell her if a person looks good they play good. Technically that was when she was in a youth softball league, but it still rang true. Anytime Ava had a lot of studying to do in college or if she was sitting at home sending out a ton of resumes, she'd get all fixed up. Something about going that extra length put a person in the right mindset to get things done.

Dust flew as Ava pulled into the gravel parking lot to the job site address she had been given over the phone. The office was a portable trailer, but it looked decent enough. It was a paying job, so she was less concerned about the office's foundation and more concerned about the job. The job was with one of the hottest construction companies in the area. The guy responsible for the company was quickly becoming one of the most talked about CEOs, and was even listed on Forbes, Thirty Under Thirty to Watch list. Ava couldn't believe her luck when they emailed her back and quickly hired her, after a phone interview.

Possibly one of the richest men in the area, let alone the state, was going to be her direct supervisor. She'd been up all night wondering how he was going to be. Everything she had read online had pointed to him being an arrogant asshole. Ava desperately hoped all the media jargon was blown out of proportion like usual, and that he was sweet. Ava knew it was a long shot though; sweet men didn't run companies. Men like Brian Simmons dominate them, just like they dominate everybody around them.

With a deep breath she pulled herself together, adjusted her cardigan, and made her way inside. She knocked several times, but nobody answered. With a quick jiggle on the door it flew open, so she wondered in.

"Hello?" She called, but nobody responded.

Ava started to worry that no had remembered they had a new hire showing up. She walked around the makeshift office. For as small as it looked outside, it was surprisingly roomy inside. There was a receptionist's desk out front, and then just off the left of that was a hallway with two offices. At the end of that hallway, another hallway cut straight back to a kitchen area, which had another hallway off to the left with more offices. It was a giant square with a huge conference room in the middle.

There wasn't a single soul in the entire place either. Ava impatiently checked her email and confirmed that she was in fact at the right place at the correct time. She made her way back to the reception area and waited. A half an hour later, a small woman showed up looking flustered.

"Ms. Thorne? I'm so sorry I'm late. My name is Kimberly Jones, and I'm the HR director. Let's go get you set up in your office. Has Mr. Simmons been in yet?"

"Nope, you're the first one here I believe."

The woman frowned then but didn't say anything. Ava couldn't help but think if anyone had the right to be agitated it was her. She had started to feel like she had been punked. Trying not to let her frustration show she gathered up her things and followed the woman down the hallway. Ava was going to be tucked all the way in the back corner directly down the hall from the receptionist.

"This is you. Mr. Simmons is next to you so anybody going to his office will have to walk past you first. We've set it up that way in hopes that people will stop at your office first. Mr. Simmons is a very busy man, and he doesn't have time to be disturbed. You will be in charge of weeding out people who don't need to continue on."

Ava was going to be the gate keeper. So she'd be expected to handle her workload, plus man the hallways. This was shaping up to look like Mr. Simmons was the asshole the papers led him to be.

"I'll do my best." She quipped when Mrs. Jones kept looking at her expecting a response.

"You'll get the hang of it. It won't take you long to learn who can go past, and who you need to divert. Mike is the project manager; he can take most of the diversions. His office is down the first hallway."

The day came and went just like that with Kimberly showing her the ropes. More people showed up around 9 am, and Ava learned that on days Mr. Simmons was going to be out in the field, most of his office employees snuck in late. She decided she wasn't going to be utilizing that sneaky trick for some time even though they all ensured her it was the norm. Ava wanted to make a good first impression so she just smiled and laughed them off. She would be showing up at the proper time from here on out. One thing about CEOs is that they can be unpredictable, inexpertly dropping by the office early in the morning before going to the job site. Ava didn't want to be caught sneaking in late if that ever happened.

Ava found that she genuinely liked all her new co-workers. The office was small, and everybody had been working with Mr. Simmons since he had started the company. She was the only new comer. Apparently with his recent business growth, the receptionist couldn't handle the incoming calls and other duties along with assisting Mr. Simmons' daily tasks.

Ava's first week came and went fairly quickly, considering she never even got to meet Mr. Simmons. Being the CEO apparently had some nice perks, one of which being that showing up at the office was optional. Into her second week, she saw movement outside her office. With Mr. Simmons, still not in the office she didn't bother to look up though. She figured with him not in the office, there would be no reason for her to tackle innocent people walking by.

Not but five seconds later, she heard the office door next to hers open. Ava jumped up nervous that somebody had barged into Mr. Simmons's empty office while she was supposed to be the hall monitor. Kimberly was going to kill her for letting somebody rifle through his things.

"I'm sorry sir, but Mr. Simmons isn't in right now. Is there something that I can help you with?"

The man turned around, and the air left Ava's lungs. He was hands down the sexiest man she had ever seen in her life. He was so tall he seemed just inches from the ceiling of the office. He had on a dirty white shirt that clung to his overwhelmingly muscular arms and chest. It was also tight enough that a hint of a tribal tattoo stared back at her from his chest. Ava was pretty sure at this point her mouth was open, and she was drooling.

His legs were long, and his tight jeans left little to the imagination. To top it all off, slung low on his hips was a tool belt with all the proper tools she could only assume a construction guy would need. Never in her life had she been so turned on just by looking at a man.

"Are you done?"

Ava's face flushed red as she realized she had just openly devoured him. He had a cocky grin on his face that left her feeling even more heated.

"I'm sorry. I'm Ava Thorne, Mr. Simmons's new assistant. He's not here, and I just wanted to see if I can be of some assistance to you."

"Ms. Thorne is it. Well I assure you I'm just fine. Thank you, though."

"Sir, I really must insist that you leave Mr. Simmons's private office. The project manager is in; let me take you to his office."

The man continued to grin at her, and then gestured with his hand for her to lead the way. She felt his eyes on her the whole time as she led him down the hall. Ava was pretty sure her legs were seconds away from collapsing. By the time she got to Mike's office she was surprised she hadn't fallen.

"Mike, can you help this gentleman?"

Mike stood up, and when he made eye contact with her gorgeous guest, he broke out in a wide smile.

"Oh good, you know him. There you are then. I'll leave you to it."

Ava hustled out of Mike's office confident that she had diverted a crisis. She breathed a sigh of relief. As she left Mike's office she had felt the man's eyes on her the whole time. When she was finally back in the safety of her office, she plopped herself down on her guest chair. Her palms were sweating, and her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest.

Kimberly popped her head in her office then, to let her know there was a meeting in the conference room. They usually met every Monday morning in the conference room for an update on what everybody was working on for the week. As the new kid on the block Ava didn't have much to add. Furthermore, she had yet to lay eyes on her boss. They still liked her to attend because a lot of times they needed access to Mr. Simmons's calendar. She gathered up her stuff, and headed in.

Ava took a seat at the far end of the conference table. When she looked around her eyes landed on the man from just moments ago. His eyes were a deep hazel, and they were staring back at her with an intensity that caught her off guard. She fidgeted under his gaze and set about adjusting her skirt and sweater to occupy herself. His intensity was overwhelming, and she desperately wanted to flee. Her co-workers all filed in, and then what happened next made her knees weak and the world spin.

"Hello everybody. Sorry I've been a bit of a ghost the past two weeks. We're finalizing things on our third build site, and we've hit a snag. I need all hands-on deck, so we can get this figured out. I can't afford to lose much time; we are ahead of schedule but only by mere days."

His voice faded out, but she could see him still talking. The gorgeous man with more muscles than Zeus was her boss. She had hounded him out of his office like an intruder, and then dumped him in Mike's office. They both probably thought she was a total twit. His eyes roamed over everybody as they all began to throw out ideas. His eyes locked on hers, and Ava felt hypnotized.

Her breathing hitched, and she was sweating like she just ran a marathon. Ava was thankful she didn't have to stand up any time soon as she was pretty sure if she would have tried, she would have failed. She berated herself for not reading any articles online that had been accompanied by a picture of him. How on earth was she supposed to do her job when he looked that good in a pair of jeans? Don't even get her started on the stupid tool belt.

"Ms. Thorne is it?" Ava straightened, realizing he was referring to her.

"Yes, Mr. Simmons?" She replied. It was more of a question to confirm who he was. Ava realized it sounded a bit sassy, and the way his eyebrow rose he misunderstood it as insolence.

"Brian, you can call me Brian. Everybody else does. Do you have anything to add to our conversation here?"

"Sorry, I'm afraid I wouldn't feel comfortable commenting this early on with the company," she stumbled through her response.

Even if she did know anything about a construction business she had been too freaked out over having a boss that made her panties wet just by being present and hadn't been listening to the conversation at all. He showed his displeasure at her response but moved on as Mike dove back into what he had been saying.

Ava blew out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding and tried to focus in on the conversation. Apparently knowing what the hell was going on in the company was important to him. She just assumed as long as she could handle his appointments and filing, he'd be pleased. Obviously pleasing him was going to be a bit tougher than she thought.

# Chapter Two

Ava listened intently, as she caught up on what the meeting was about. A local councilman promised them the final permits on a nearby building they wanted were going to be approved quickly and without any trouble. The night before at an open council meeting, a local pastor from a church not far from the building site expressed concerns for what the building would mean to his congregation. That was all it took, and the backhanded councilman shut it down. Now Brian would have to convince this pastor to be on board with his plan, or he would be out a quarter million dollars.

Mike was droning on about donating money to the church, which Ava thought seemed like a decent idea. When she looked at Brian though, he was shaking his head in disgust. He seemed to believe money wasn't going to be the deciding factor for the pastor. Ava was shocked that the pastor had so much clout he had been able to shut down the project with just one single comment.

Brian's gaze landed on her, and she felt her palms start to sweat again. She fidgeted more, and tried to feign interest. It wasn't that she wasn't interested in what was happening to the company, but she couldn't focus. Not with him in the room constantly turning his deep hazel eyes on her. She was starting to wonder if she'd ever be able to work for him.

He abruptly stood and dismissed the meeting. The ideas weren't what he was looking for to solve the problem, and she could tell he was frustrated. She liked the fact that he respected his team enough to value their opinions. He called them all in there because he welcomed their input. She knew she needed to get over his beautiful face so that she could continue working for him. She could learn a lot from him and be a big part of a nationally recognized company.

She decided to find out more about the pastor, his church and the community around them. The pastor wanted something everybody wanted something. If she could figure out what, then Brian would respect her, even if she did check him out all the time. She hurried back to her office, and began making notes of everything she wanted to follow up on. Simultaneously, she googled the pastor's name and the community Brian mentioned, trying to find any articles on them.

A few minutes later Ava could feel him standing in her doorway. For some reason she waited for him to identify himself before she would acknowledge him. He seemed to feel her acknowledgement should come first though as he just stood there watching her intently. His need for control already showed, and Ava knew she'd have issues with that. Working for somebody was no problem, letting somebody control every detail of her job, no way.

"Mr. Simmons, may I help you?" She tried to keep the defiance out of her voice.

"Brian, please."

"Okay Brian, can I help you."

"I just wanted to formally introduce myself. It seems I've failed as an employer, taking so long to make myself known to you."

"No apology needed, I should have asked before dismissing you from your own office. I just wasn't expecting you to be..."

She let her sentence hang unfinished. Her face blushed, and the rest of her sentence was lost. A sexy smirk crossed his face, and she didn't know if she wanted to hit him or kiss him.

"Dressed like a common construction worker? I get that a lot. Next time I'll try to meet your standards."

"Don't do anything on my account, sir. I'm just the assistant."

"Ah, yes so you are. How do you like it so far?"

She bit her lip before responding. She liked it, but she wanted more.

"I like it. Everybody here is very nice. I'd welcome some more work though now that you're here. If you have anything additional you'd like me to do."

He stared at her for a bit before responding, which made her nervously fidget.

"Yes, more work. I've already seen that you handle my appointments. You're doing nicely with them. I'm going to have IT add you to all my email correspondences. In times like now, when I'm on the project site more than the office, I don't have time to go through them all. You will handle what you can, delegate what can be passed off, and then make me aware of the ones that I need to be aware of. I actually have over a week's worth right now that you can get started on."

"Absolutely, anything else?"

"That should keep you busy for a while. Once you have that all caught up we'll go from there. That will also give you a chance to see how this company works. I'd like you to be familiar with how we do what we do, and why we do it that way. The goal is to have you take a lot of the load off me so I need to trust that you are competent and capable of that job."

"Yes, sir."

# Chapter Three

As soon as Brian left her office, Ava scrambled for her cell phone. With a quick S.O.S. to her best friend Tayler, she knew Tayler would demand drinks after work. If they had something to discuss Tayler always demanded it was done over drinks. Ava smiled at her friend's enthusiasm and was already feeling better about the day since she would be able to talk it over with Tayler in a few hours.

She kept looking out her office door desperately waiting for him to appear again. Aside from being embarrassingly attracted to him, she couldn't figure him out. Was he the asshole everybody made him out to be? It had seemed like it at first, but he had a point about her needing to know more about the business. Calling on her in the meeting had been a dick move. Then he stood in her doorway without making himself known. She had known he was there, but that was beside the point. It was like he expected her to read his mind, and bend to all his unspoken rules.

The more Ava thought about their interactions, the more she realized everything about him infuriated her thus far. At the same time, he sent chills down her spine with just one look, which was confusing. Aside from the fact that he was drop dead gorgeous, his cocky attitude actually seemed to make him more attractive. Ava lowered her head into her hands, feminism called, and wanted to know where the hell she was. Ava was unable to answer because she'd be too busy drooling over her sex-with-a-tool-belt boss who seemed like a total control freak.

She felt pathetic. Her computer dinged, bringing her back to reality. Brian had apparently made fast work of getting her blind-copied on his emails. Emails were coming in at warp speed, and he had been right about it keeping her busy for a while. Who in the world received over 2,000 emails in a week? What could people possibly be emailing him about? Don't people talk on the phone anymore?

Ava shook herself out of her nervous stupor. She took a nice deep breath to steady herself. It was her first real assignment from him, and she was already going into a full-blown panic attack. This was what she had signed up for, and she wanted to do a good job. She watched as the final emails downloaded into her inbox, and then scrolled all the way to the top. She decided to work from the top down. She made two new folders for the emails she would delegate to Mike or the secretary. The ones she wanted to tackle herself would stay in her inbox, and then finally the print button for Brian's portion.

By the time five o'clock rolled around she hadn't even made it halfway through the backlogged emails. More poured in throughout the day as well, only raising her stress level. She was fascinated at what people emailed him about. He had his hands on every single aspect of the business, from incoming invoices all the way to projection outlines for the bankers. As project manager, she knew Mike could handle most of the invoice approval process as he should know what was being spent and ordered.

Kimberly helped her out on some of them, and then the rest she flagged for herself. At first, she would definitely need Brian's help, but then she'd be able to relieve him of the duty going forward. Thankfully he hadn't stopped by her office anymore for the rest of the day. Her task needed her complete concentration, and he was a huge distraction.

After marking her spot, she powered her desktop down, and switched off the heater she had tucked under her desk. Even though it was summer outside, the guys in the office kept the air conditioning unit running full steam. After two days of being frozen she broke down and bought a personal heater. She double checked that everything was powered down, grabbed her purse and shut her office up for the night. Ava had barely made it to the corner when she heard his voice calling her name.

The way her name sounded coming from his deep baritone voice had goosebumps covering her flesh. She quickly made her way to his office.

"Yes sir?" She tried not to let her nervousness show. He was the boss, but something about him made her want to be a bit rebellious. Seeing how much she needed the job, Ava knew she needed to get her mind right. His smile indicted he knew she disapproved of being called into his office at quitting time, which made it even worse.

"Taking off so soon?" He purred, knowing he was annoying her.

"It is five o'clock sir, that's my quitting time. Is there something you need my help with this evening?"

"No, but from now on if I'm in the office please seek me out before you leave. I tend to lose focus on the time and may need you before you leave."

"Of course, sir. I'm sorry I should have thought of that," she said as she bit her lip to keep herself from rolling her eyes. Ava really needed to get over his control freak tendencies and quick, but they were annoying. They were also cutting into her happy hour session with Tayler.

"Exciting plans for the evening Ms. Thorne?" He growled as if he was irritated. She hadn't the faintest clue why her extracurricular activities were any of his business.

"No sir, just meeting a girlfriend for drinks."

"I see; no boyfriend to rush home to, then?"

She blushed with his question. She knew he wasn't asking because he was interested. More than likely he just wanted to see her blush for the thousandth time that day. Damn her inability to keep her cheeks at a nice, neutral color.

"No sir, no boyfriend. Is that all?"

"Yes Ms. Thorne. For now, that is all. Have a good evening. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow, then sir," she blurted out before rushing out of his office before he could affect her anymore.

# Chapter Four

As soon as Ava arrived at the Shimmy Shack, her and Tayler's favorite restaurant/bar in the area, she felt the tension leave her body. Tayler and she had been friends all through college since they had been paired as roommate's freshmen year. When Tayler moved home to New Orleans, Ava had decided to go with her. Ava had grown up in a small town in Ohio, and there wasn't much waiting for her in the run-down town. She loved New Orleans, it was full of culture, and animosity which Ava had craved most of her life.

Tayler's family was the epitome of southern charm, immediately welcoming Ava into their home. Ava and Tayler hadn't lived with her parents for long before they found a nice two-bedroom condo in Metairie, a suburb of the giant New Orleans. Tayler had a job waiting for her at her father's company when she moved home, so she footed the rent while Ava frantically searched for something.

"Hey girl hey!" Tayler called from the far end of the outside seating part of the deck. The great thing about New Orleans was the face that it was warm all year round. It was currently November, and Ava had yet to pack away her flip flops and shorts.

"Hey! How was your day at work?"

"Ugh, my father is all over me to secure a second location for one of our newest acquisitions. I'm just not sure where to put it; it's a small boutique shop. I had been the one to push for the acquisition, so now he's left it up to me to make it work. I'm so nervous I'll pick the wrong spot, and I suck at marketing research; it's a mess. I actually don't even want to talk about it. What about you? What was with the S.O.S.?"

"You'll figure it out, Tay. You have a good eye for things like that. Maybe just go out one day and actually look around some of the areas you're thinking about putting it. Sometimes a little old fashion leg work is all you need."

"That's a good idea. Up for some shopping and recon this weekend?"

"I wish, but I won't get my first paycheck for another week, and my credit cards are all maxed out. What little I have left in savings has to survive. You know me I can't be trusted in a store right now."

Tayler laughed, and motioned for the waiter to come over. She already had a hurricane, the city's signature cocktail, sitting in front of her. It was sweet and stout, a little too much for Ava's taste. The age old saying about taking the girl out of the country, but not being able to take the country out of the girl was true; Ava still preferred a good beer after a tough day. Her dad always drank Bud Light, and Ava had developed a taste for it when she got old enough to sneak her parents' alcohol.

"For you, ma'am?"

"I'll just take a Bud Light, bottle please."

"Of course. Do you need more time before you order?"

"No, we'll have the special," Tayler ordered for them both. It was Thursday, which meant they were serving red beans and rice with catfish as their special. She and Tayler never passed it up, so Ava didn't mind and nodded her agreement as she handed the menu back to the waiter.

"You have got to quit drinking beer like a man. Men don't like it when women do things they do."

"Oh, Tayler whatever. I'm not even concerned with that. If they can't stand that I drink beer they can go screw themselves."

"Feisty, now that they'll love." Both of the girls laughed then. Tayler dated a lot and being from the area, she knew a lot of the guys she was going out with in some capacity. For as big a city as New Orleans and its surrounding suburbs were, it sometimes felt more like a small town. Tayler and Ava could barely go anywhere without running into somebody Tayler knew.

"So enough stalling. What's up?"

Ava bit her lip and could already feel herself starting to blush. Tayler squealed with delight and waved her hands in a gesture to spill the beans.

"So I finally met my boss today," she finally blurted out, letting her sentence hang before continuing.

"And?" Tayler urged.

"He's quite possibly the sexiest man I've ever seen in my life. We're talking Chris Hemsworth looks like a turd next to him."

"Wow! I know how much you value the beauty that is Chris Hemsworth. This is serious. I can't remember the last time you got hot and bothered by a guy. For him to be your boss no less! You dirty little ho you!"

"Shut up! This is seriously a problem. I literally mentally undressed him and then he called me out on it. I need this job, but I can hardly focus when he's around. He knows it, too. Oh, and to top it all off he's like a super control freak. I have to check with him before I leave every day!"

Tayler didn't say anything, she just smiled. Ava sighed in frustration and leaned back in her chair. The waiter finally came back and dropped off her beer. She didn't waste a second before she took a long refreshing drink.

"You need to screw him. Get it over with, plain and simple."

Ava almost spit her beer all over Tayler. She couldn't believe that Tayler was even suggesting Ava sleep her with her boss. There's no way he'd ever want to sleep with her anyway. Ava took a second to realize the weight of her thought. If he was open to sleeping with her, would she consider doing the unthinkable and sleeping with him?

"No, it's completely out of the question."

"Apparently it's not. You're hot and bothered by him. Maybe some of his control freak stuff will roll over into the bedroom. Scratch that. You let me sleep with him, and I'll just give you all the deliciously dirty details."

"Nobody is sleeping with my boss!"

"That doesn't sound like very much fun for me."

His deep baritone voice penetrated her slowly. She felt all the air leave her lungs as the words sunk in. Tayler's eyes were wide, but they sparkled with laughter. Ava knew hers were mirrored with a look of horror. With her face red as a fire truck, she turned to face her boss.

# Chapter Five

"Mr. Simmons?" Ava asked in shock, her voice barely a whisper.

"Mr. Simmons!" Tayler whooped with laughter.

"Shut up, Tayler," Ava hissed as she turned back to glare at her.

"Did you need something, sir?" As many times as she'd come to the Shimmy Shack, she had never seen him there before. It had to have been a coincidence, but it seemed impossible.

"No, nothing Ms. Thorne. I came here for dinner, and just happened to notice you sitting here. I thought I would say hello. I'm glad I did."

"It's not really what it sounded like. I was just telling Tayler; I mean Tayler was saying something about..." Ava decided nothing she could say would justify her comment, so she shut up. She just sat there staring at him like an idiot. She couldn't believe he overheard her and Tayler's conversation. The way he was looking at her suggested he was thoroughly enjoying himself. Her embarrassment quickly turned to anger.

"Might I suggest the special today? It's amazing." With that she turned her back on him seemingly dismissing him.

Tayler looked at her like she had just grown a second head. Ava refused to back down. She was on her own time, and she could say what she wanted to freely, and he couldn't embarrass her. Well, he could embarrass her as he was currently doing just that, but she could at least try to ignore him.

Suddenly she could feel his breath by her ear. Her whole body seemed to come alive with his nearness. Her blood coursed through her body. It took every ounce of self-control not to lean back into him. She could feel the heat from his arms as they leaned on the chair trapping her in between them.

"Sounds fantastic," he breathed.

He looked up at Tayler who wiggled her fingers for a greeting. Then he pushed off of Ava's chair and walked off. Ava felt like she was missing a vital piece of her body when he walked away leaving her feeling cold. She shuddered and tried to get her breathing back to normal.

"Whoa, that was hot."

"That was absolutely miserable."

"He's just as into you as you are him. Boy oh boy he's a real man, isn't he? Look at him in those tight blue jeans and skintight shirt. I'm telling you, you better do that quick or I will."

Anger flared through Ava's body, even though she knew Tayler was just teasing.

"I cannot, will not sleep with my boss. I want this job, I need it. Besides he absolutely is not into me. I think he just enjoys teasing me since I can't keep my damn emotions off my face."

Tayler shrugged, but didn't say anything. The waiter showed up bringing them their food, but Ava had lost her appetite. Every now and then she could feel him watching her from the bar across the deck. She ordered another beer, and quickly knocked her first one back.

She and Tayler finished their meal, and thankfully the topic switched over to their weekend adventures. Tayler demanded that Ava accompany her to find the perfect place for the boutique. There was also apparently a new bar opening down the street from their condo that Tayler was interested in checking out. Ava had absolutely zero social life except for when Tayler dragged her out, so she finally relented into going.

Tayler motioned for the check, but the waiter explained it had already been taken care of. When Ava glanced in Brian's direction he caught her gaze and tipped his beer to her. She smiled and lifted hers in response.

"I gotta get home. I want to read through some of the acquisition jargon tonight before tomorrow. See you at home?"

"Yeah, I guess I better thank my boss for paying our tab. I'll be right behind you though."

Tayler took off waving to Brian as she disappeared around the corner to the parking lot. Ava drank the last bit of her beer and took a deep breath. She walked over to Brian and tapped him on the shoulder. He was watching Sports Center on the big screen behind the bar. He turned around and motioned for her to sit beside him without a word.

"Thank you for paying for our meal. You didn't have to do that."

"I'm aware of that. May I buy you another beer?"

She fidgeted wishing she would have just left without stopping. It would have been rude, but then she wouldn't have been put in another awkward situation with him.

"Did I say something wrong Ms. Thorne?" His eyes were unreadable. She decided just to be honest.

"No, I just feel like having a drink with my boss breaks some sort of company ethics policy."

"Okay. How about I buy you a drink, but we talk business."

Ava's heart dropped. She wasn't prepared to talk business with him. He was a business guru who had amassed a fortune, and he wasn't that much older than she was. She on the other hand was a lowly assistant with not even two weeks under her belt at his company. Things couldn't be any worse than they already were, so she plopped down next to him.

The bartender swung around, and she ordered another beer. Tayler's comment from earlier rang in her mind but she shook it off. She didn't care if he thought she was a redneck for ordering a beer. Beer was what she drank, and he could damn well get over it.

"I don't think I've ever met a woman who drank beer."

"We're a rare breed. You should consider yourself lucky to have met one," she replied as she tipped her bottle to him before taking a long drink.

He laughed out loud which made her blush. Everything made her blush, and she hated it. He took her in for a minute or so before getting down to business.

"So what do you think of my pastor problem?"

"I can tell you don't think money will buy him off."

"Very astute of you, I wish Mike would have picked up on that hint in the meeting. Anything else?"

"I think everybody wants something."

His eyes seemed to get a bit darker for a second. He flashed his cocky smirk then and took a drink of his own beer. Ava watched his throat as it pulled the liquid down, and it did weird things to her. A spark of desire shot straight to her core, and her breathing seemed to falter. At this rate she'd be lucky not to have a heart attack working for him.

He turned his attention directly towards her and leaned in closer. His eyes bore into hers making her feel faint. The chemistry between them flowed like electrical currents. Then he whispered for just her to hear.

"You're right about that Ms. Thorne. Everybody wants something. The real question is; what do you want Ms. Thorne?"

"Me?"

"Yes you. What do you want to get out of your job as my assistant?"

Ava quickly pulled her mind out of the gutter, and tried to conjure up a reasonable answer.

"Well, I just want to learn from you. I'm not looking to learn anything particular. Just anything and everything. You have an amazing resume. I was shocked when I got the job since I don't have much experience."

"I think we can accomplish those goals. Don't put yourself down. Everyone has to start somewhere. Do a good job as my assistant and there are plenty of ways to grow within my company."

"Thank you."

"Would you like another beer?"

"No, I better not. I have to get myself home still. Sorry again about earlier. Thanks for my meal and my beer," Ava rambled unable to shut herself up. The beer mixed with her nerves made her chatty.

He chuckled as she took another drink. She watched as the muscles in his forearm changed as he lifted the bottle and then put it back down. He noticed her watching him again, and he winked at her. She was pretty sure her stomach dropped down to her toes.

Ava gulped and mumbled a thank you for her beer that she was sure was barely audible. She stood up so fast her bar stool started to topple over. Luckily, she caught it and righted it before taking off. His laughter followed her out to her car. She didn't know how she was going to manage being his assistant, but she was determined to try.

First rule of being Brian Simmons's assistant would be, "do not have drinks with Brian Simmons."

# Chapter Six

The next day Ava nervously showed up at work. She arrived a bit early hoping to avoid any run ins with Brian. When she rounded the corner to her office her shoulders sagged in defeat. He was already in his office and on a conference call apparently. She could hear multiple male voices arguing, but Brian was silent.

She unlocked her door as quietly as possible and flipped on her lights and her heater. She usually headed into the kitchen for coffee while her computer booted up, but she didn't want to draw any attention to herself. She had been too worried about being late, and hadn't had any coffee at the house, so she was going to have to suck it up.

She wore a pink chiffon dress; it was form fitting but conservative enough to wear in the office. She smoothed it out, and made her way to the kitchen. The click of her heels sounded obnoxiously loud when the phone call went silent for a moment. She rolled her eyes at her own rotten luck. When she passed by his office she offered up a soft good morning smile but moved quickly by.

Her whole body relaxed when she made it to the kitchen without being ushered into his office. Ava set about making her coffee, little bit of coffee and lots of cream and sugar. Her father would have a comment to make about it. Thinking of her family, especially her dad, made her a bit homesick from time to time. They texted and called often; they even skyped when her dad insisted upon it. Ava desperately wanted them to visit, but the city intimidated her parents, and she wasn't sure if she'd ever get them down there.

"Good morning Ms. Thorne. You're a bit early," he eyed her suspiciously as if an early employee was cause of termination.

"I just wanted to beat some of the traffic this morning is all. You're in bright and early as well."

"Someone once told me that everybody wants something. I just so happen to want my business to excel, and that calls for a lot of early mornings and late nights."

"Smart lady."

"I didn't say it was a lady, now you're just making assumptions," he replied, leaning against the doorway looking sexy as sin in a suit. He had ditched the jacket, but the shirt and pants was enough to make Ava break out in cold chills. Between that and the halfcocked grin plastered on his face, he made her want to swoon.

"Touché, Mr. Simmons. Shouldn't you be participating in your conference call?" She could still hear voices coming out of his office as she approached the doorway. She didn't give a damn about his conference call, but trying to maneuver around his body in the doorway was sure to end up in them touching somehow. Ava was positive she would spontaneously combust if he happened to touch her.

"No, they're arguing idiot points that aren't going to get me the end result I'm wanting."

"Maybe you should tell them that instead of letting them waste time." The words were out of her mouth before she could think. A flash of anger crossed his face, and was replaced immediately with amusement.

"Yes ma'am. How are my emails coming along?"

"I haven't made it through them all, but I'm getting there. I will need some of your time to go over a few with me. It'll just be this once, and then I should be able to take care of them going forward. For this first round I'd like to see how you would respond, though."

"Perfect. How about over lunch?"

"Lunch?"

"Yes, I believe most people take a break halfway through the day and eat. We typically call it lunch."

"I'm aware of the process; I just don't understand why we would go over them during lunch." As soon as the words left Ava's mouth she regretted them. Never in her life had she been so snarky with someone, and he was her boss of all people. She decided it had to be his fault. If he wasn't so overwhelmingly good looking she wouldn't act like such a spaz around him.

"I'll have something ordered in, and we'll work in your office. Until then, Ms. Thorne."

Before Ava could respond or argue he was shutting his office door apparently going back to the conference call. She on the other hand was trying to figure out a way to get around having lunch with him, alone in her office. Wouldn't the rest of the office talk? She definitely didn't want to end up looking like the office slut.

She stormed back to her office making sure to glare in the general direction of his office. He may not have been able to see her, but she felt better all the same. Her computer was on and waiting for her when she returned, so she dove into organizing the emails. He had received another eighty-nine overnight. She groaned out loud. Emails were going to take up a big part of her day with that many coming in overnight alone.

Before she knew it Brian was knocking on her door with a giant box of what smelled to be amazing food. A quick glance at the clock told her it was well past noon. Her stomach grumbled on cue, and she decided to give in, and at least get a good meal out of the deal.

"Thank you, Mr. Simmons, I lost track of time and whatever you have in there smells divine."

"It's Brian, Ava, and these are po-boys from a café just up the road. I haven't been there before, but my driver told me they're hands down the best this side of the bridge. Care to help me be the judge?"

She laughed, and nodded. As he started setting things out of the box, she simultaneously made room for it on her desk. Along with the gigantic po-boys he pulled out two orders of fries, and a couple of Cokes. Ava wasn't one to normally watch her weight, but the meal alone looked like it was well over a thousand calories.

"Oh my goodness, I'm gonna have to take the rest of the day off after this meal. I'll be in a food coma," she laughed.

"Just don't let anybody else see you sneak out."

He was relaxed and casual as he pulled up one of her guest seats and started to unwrap his food. She stared at him for a minute before getting her own food out, and digging in. They had an odd comfort level with each other. Ava realized for somebody she just met the day before she was totally at home with the silence between them. She also wasn't shy at all while she ate with gusto. His driver had been right about them being the best po-boys. She moaned with pleasure after the first bite.

Brian's eyes snapped up to hers, and she felt herself blush. His eyes had taken on their darker color, which made her look away.

"I think your driver was definitely right. These are fantastic po-boys."

"Yeah they definitely are. If they make you make noises like that, I'll have to set us up on a daily delivery here."

She ignored his comment and continued to eat. Once they were finished, she pulled up the emails, and they went to work. Just as Ava had guessed, she learned more from thirty minutes of going through emails with Brian than she had in four years of business school. He had a hand in everything going on with his business, because he was good at it.

He answered the emails as she pulled them up, and if it was something he needed to deal with more in depth she'd flag it for him. Several times she stopped him, and asked him to explain a spreadsheet or invoice and he did so patiently. As if she wasn't already completely enamored with him; watching his passion for his company show through while answering emails pushed her that much further over the edge.

Everything he said or did had an exact purpose. Simply answering his emails, the way he would want them answered, was going to be daunting. Ava didn't want to disappoint him. The fact that he was relinquishing the control over to her was shocking. Kimberly had seemed completely astounded when Ava had first told her.

He must have felt her looking at him because he turned towards her. He had been leaning over her onto her desk reading an email which put them just inches apart. Ava knew it wasn't professional, but everything about him beaconed to her. Her breath caught, and she licked her lips in anticipation. She was positive he was going to kiss her. His eyes were dark, and time seemed to suspend between them.

Instead of kissing her, he cleared his throat and stood up. He walked over to the doorway before he turned back around.

"Good work, Ava. You're learning quickly. If you need anything else Kimberly should be able to help you."

Ava started to thank him for lunch, but he was out the door and once again slamming his office door shut. She slumped down in her chair mentally berating herself for being such an idiot. Who tries to kiss their boss at work while they're working together? It was her first project in her second week at work, and she was throwing herself at him. Ava decided she wouldn't be surprised if he fired her by the end of the day.

After a brief bout of self-pity Ava got back to the emails. They had made great headway, and she knew how to deal with a lot of them herself now. His stack was dwindling as she continued through them. By the end of the day, she just had couple hundred that were marked as necessary for him to deal with, and the rest of them had been taken care of.

As her work day ended, and she was about to shut her computer down, her email pinged. Her eyes felt like they were going to cross if she looked at one more email so she ignored it, and powered down anyway. Brian hadn't opened his office door since leaving hers, so she didn't ask him permission before leaving.

If he wanted something from her he'd just have to wait until the next week. She wasn't quite sure she was ready to face him yet anyway. It was Friday so hopefully after a weekend apart he'd forget all about her moment of temporary insanity. She prayed that she'd forget as well.

On her way out the door Kimberly stopped her.

"How's everything going back there?" Kimberly asked with a smile.

"Great. I'm getting the hang of those emails. Brian had to help me out some today, but I think I can do it myself going forward."

"Great. I'm glad you're figuring things out. Brian's needed an assistant for a while. If you need anything you know my door's always open."

"Thanks again; you've been a great help."

"That's what I'm here for. Big plans tonight?"

"A friend and I are going to go check out a new club opening I think. I'm not big on going out, but my roommate, Tayler, is."

"It's good to get out. You're young; go out and enjoy it while you can."

"Thanks. See ya."

"See ya," Kimberly said watching her as she walked out the door.

# Chapter Seven

Tayler didn't give Ava time to think at all. As soon as Ava walked through the door Tayler threw an outfit at her, and told her to get ready. Ava didn't argue; she was ready for a night out with her best friend to relieve some pent up frustration.

"Are you ready yet?" Tayler whined outside the door.

"Yes, I am. I just need to switch over to my clutch instead of this giant purse." Ava gave herself one final approving glance in the mirror. Tayler was a genius when it came to picking out an outfit that looked good on Ava. Ava wasn't skinny by any means. She liked her body though, she had thick thighs from years of running, and even though her stomach wasn't toned and tight it was flat. Her arms were slim and kind of muscular so they looked decent enough in tank tops.

Tonight, Tayler had her in a white spaghetti strap top that had most of the back of it cut out with smaller strappy designs woven in. It showed off her back, but still had ample coverage for a bra. Ava wasn't overly busty, but going without a bra was a definite no-no. She had on destroyed black jeans that stopped mid-calf. A pair of white lacy TOMS, and she looked cute but casual. Ava hated dressing up to go out. If she was going to drink and dance she wanted to be comfortable.

Ava grabbed her go to over the shoulder satchel for the night and tossed the essentials inside. Tayler was waiting for her by the door looking gorgeous. Tayler loved to over dress. She had on a similar spaghetti strap, with plain jeans paired with nude heels. Tayler's long black hair was wrapped up on top of her head in a sexy bun. Only Tayler could make a top knot look that good. She didn't have a lot of make up on either, but she had bright red lips that looked sexy as hell against her nude outfit.

"You look fierce Tay!"

"Back at ya, girl! We're going to be killing it tonight. Wanna grab dinner first?"

"I had a gigantic lunch so I can wait, but it doesn't matter to me." Ava thought back briefly to her lunch, and who she had shared it with. A shiver of desire sent goosebumps down her arms.

"I can wait. I really want to check out this new bar anyway before it gets too crazy packed."

"Sounds good."

Tayler had borrowed a driver from her company for the evening. Ava was thankful they wouldn't have to spend money on a cab, but she always felt pretentious using a driver. It was normal for Tayler who grew up in the lifestyle, but Ava had come from a blue-collar family. Not that she was ashamed of it, if anything she felt blessed to have grown up the way she did. Her parents were loving, and hard workers. Two attributes Ava always wanted to mirror in herself.

Once the driver dropped them off at the bar, it was just starting to generate traffic. She and Tayler could still easily navigate through the bar, but with the number of people already there it wouldn't be long before it was packed beyond comprehension. She and Tayler usually dipped out when bars got that crazy. That was when things usually erupted into violence of some nature. People in New Orleans knew how to party, but they still had some stragglers that always took it too far.

"This place is great!" Tayler yelled over the juke box. They had been on the dance floor dancing since they arrived. They each took turns going to the bar to buy the beverages.

"It is! I like it! It's not too far from the house either so that's convenient if we ever have to take a cab."

Tayler gave her a disgusted look over the thought of taking a cab. Tayler wasn't a snob, but it annoyed her when Ava insisted on not utilizing Tayler's money or connections. Ava rolled her eyes and laughed in response. Ava was on her third beer, and was starting to feel the effects. Even though her lunch had been big and greasy she was going to need to eat something soon if she didn't want to end up embarrassing herself.

"I either need to eat something or quit drinking. How about you?"

Tayler stopped dancing and looked down at her girly cocktail. She made a face that said she was thinking about how many drinks she had already consumed. With that and the fact that Tayler usually ate a salad for lunch Ava was sure she was going to need to eat as well.

"Yeah, I better as well. There's a diner literally right down the street if you want to try it? We can always come back to the bar after if we feel like it."

"Sounds good."

They finished their drinks, and danced to one last song before making their way outside. The evening sometimes wasn't any cooler than daytime in Louisiana, and it appeared as it was one of those hot, muggy nights. Ava was in need of an ice-cold glass of water, stat.

The diner called The Fat Hen, was just a block away. Once they went inside and sat down Ava was pretty sure it was going to be her new favorite place to eat. It reminded her of some of the diners around her home town. The waitresses were all in t-shirts and jeans, and booths lined all of the walls. It was decorated in all types of chickens, and funky paintings. They served breakfast all day as well as a full dinner menu which checked off all of Ava's wants in a favorite restaurant.

Louisiana had some fantastic places to eat, but Ava missed the food she grew up with. Good ole' down home cooking. The waitress quickly took their orders and delivered their waters.

"Now, this is a Friday night!" Ava exclaimed which made Tayler laugh.

"This is pretty great. I have a feeling after the carb filled breakfast platter I just ordered I'm going to be ready for bed after this."

"I couldn't agree more. The past two days have been trying to say the least. I'm ready for my pajamas, and a pint of ice cream."

"Did you have any more run ins with your sexy boss?"

Ava chewed her lip. Tayler was her best friend, but she was still a little embarrassed to tell her what happened at lunch. On the other hand, having another woman's opinion may make her feel better about it.

"I guess I'll just tell you. You can't laugh at me though, promise?"

"Oh no, Ava this sounds like maybe I shouldn't make any promises."

"Tayler, you can't laugh at me."

"Okay, okay. Just spill it already."

Ava went on to tell her everything that happened at lunch. After she explained the part about the attempted kiss Tayler didn't laugh. If anything, she looked annoyed.

"I can't tell what you're thinking," Ava said as she nervously chewed her lip.

Just as Tayler was about to open her mouth to respond her phone made an alarm sound that Ava had never heard before. Tayler looked shocked as well as she dug her phone out of her clutch. Tayler's eyes went wide, and she threw several bills on the table, and stood up.

"We've got to go, Ava. Our apartment's been broken into. Come on; the police will be there by the time we get there."

"Are you serious? How do you know?"

"We have a security system, and it was breached. The police will have received the same notification, as well as Calvin the driver. He should be close by to get us."

"Should we even go back until we know the police are there? Chances are if they just broke in they're still there looking for stuff to steal."

Tayler didn't say anything as she scanned the streets looking for the car. Just like she predicted the driver pulled up within seconds, and ushered them inside. Tayler immediately rolled the window down that usually separated them.

"Do you know anything Calvin?"

"Just what you know; there has been a breach in your security. The police are on site, and your father is on his way."

Tayler reached over and grabbed Ava's hand. Ava squeezed her hand in a gesture of comfort. If somebody broke into the house it was probably to steal stuff from Tayler; Ava didn't have anything worth stealing. Tayler seemed rattled, but not shocked.

"Has this sort of thing happened to you before, Tayler?"

"One time when I was younger, Daddy had given me an apartment closer to the private school campus I attended my senior year, and it was broken into. It ended up being some of my classmates that wanted to raid my closet. They were drunk, and it was pretty harmless. Needless to say, Daddy made me move back into the big house though. I was pissed."

"You had your own apartment when you were a senior? I never knew that."

"Yeah, I mean I was eighteen, and it was a tiny private school all the way across town. Daddy said it made more sense than having to wake up early and fight the deadly traffic on I-10 every morning."

"Well, I hope whoever this is didn't get away with too much of your stuff."

"Me, too. I feel so violated just thinking about it."

# Chapter Eight

Once they arrived back at their condominium complex, Calvin told them to wait in the car until he personally told them they could come out. Neither one of them said a word as they watched the scene from behind their tinted windows.

Calvin finally came over and let them out of the backseat.

"The policeman will take you upstairs to go through your things, and see what's missing. It appears that only one room was destroyed. I'm going to stay down here, and wait for your dad's arrival."

"Thanks Calvin." Tayler touched his arm before following the officer. Ava hung back a bit, knowing her room would have been left untouched. Nobody really needed to steal American Eagle clothes or thrift store shoes. The one thing she had that was worth anything was her laptop which she had conveniently left at the office for the weekend. IT was supposed to have called to set up Brian's emails onto her laptop and cell phone on Friday, but they never called, so she left it behind so she wouldn't have to remember it on Monday.

She stepped into their foyer, and what had once felt safe and inviting seemed cold and scary. There wasn't a lot tossed around in the kitchen or living room, but some of the drawers were hanging open in the kitchen. She peered through them, but couldn't imagine what someone would steal from the kitchen so she shut them all.

"Ms. Thorne we need you to come with us. We need you to think very carefully about what is missing form your room."

"Me? No, you must be mistaken Tayler's room would be the one they'd steal from. I don't have anything worth stealing."

"Apparently you do ma'am. Ms. Kline has already confirmed her room is fine, untouched even."

Ava looked at Tayler who was just emerging from the hallway.

"It wasn't my room Ava, it's yours. Come on, I'll help you."

Tayler looked at her with a worried glance.

# Chapter Nine

Ava walked down the hallway to her room in a trance. She couldn't imagine why anybody would go through her room. When she pushed the door open and looked her world felt turned upside down. Every last inch of her room was covered in something. All of her clothing, shoes and paperwork had been torn out and tossed about.

Completely unsure of where to begin Ava just stood there in shock. She knew the policeman was talking to her, and Tayler was comforting her by rubbing her back. It was all just background noise. She felt violated in a way she never dreamed. Everything in her room seemed dirty somehow. Looking through it to find what was missing seemed dirty and cruel.

She turned around and tried to push her way out of the room. Surely, they would let her do it another time. There was no way she was going to be able to deal with it right now. She made it to the front door before she slammed into someone's chest.

His scent overwhelmed her, and then his strong arms wrapped around her. After a few deep breaths to calm herself, she realized who was holding her.

"Brian?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

"Ava, are you okay?"

She looked around at all of the confusion and she wasn't really sure. That seemed like a loaded question. All of her possessions were currently scattered throughout her personal living space; done so by some unknown intruder for what reason she couldn't even fathom. Now to top it all off, somehow her boss was now at her house holding her close. She shouldn't love the way she felt pulled in close to him, but she did. It was all she wanted.

"Ava, you really need to try to go through your stuff. I know it's tough, but if you do it now then we can set about getting it straightened back up," Tayler stopped when she realized who was holding Ava.

"Bossman, what are you doing here?" Tayler was eyeing him suspiciously. Ava looked up at Brian to see his reaction. What was he doing there, and how did he even know where she lived?

"Ms. Thorne we must insist that you please go through your belongings," the policeman said interrupting them.

Ava bit her lip, and slowly nodded. She didn't ask Brian to come with her, but as she eased out of his embrace she grabbed his hand. He didn't say a word as he followed her back to her room. She took a deep breath before opening her eyes to see it all over again.

As positive as she was that she had nothing to steal, she needed to go through it. Maybe it would give her a sense of control to put it all back together. She kneeled down and started at the doorway. Her shoes were spilled out all over the floor there. Unlike Tayler, Ava only had a handful of shoes so she scooped them up; all accounted for, and she took them to her closet.

Scooting over clothes that had been torn off their hangers, she made a space to put her shoes for the time being. She continued in this fashion for over an hour. Silently picking things up and stacking them in their general proper place. Her filing cabinet and dresser had been over turned, and Brian righted those for her. Her bed side stand was flipped over, but she wouldn't let anybody in that area. She would be throwing her vibrator away effective immediately, but she didn't want to broadcast it to the roomful of strangers.

Close to two hours later Ava was done with her review. Just as she suspected there was absolutely nothing missing from her room.

"I know it had to be done, but I wish you would have listened. I know I have nothing worth stealing."

"It's all part of the procedure, Ms. Thorne. Your room was the only thing disturbed, so we have to assume it was for a specific reason."

"Could it be that the alarm tipped them off and they just happened to pick my room first? Then they had to leave before making it to Tayler's?"

"I would assume if they were just burglars they would have been able to look into the rooms and know with a glance which one had more valuables. No offense."

"None taken." Ava had hoped her idea would have been a lead. She desperately didn't want to think that somebody targeted her for a reason.

"Do you know anybody that would have a problem with you? Anyone at all, no matter how small the dispute?"

Ava looked at Tayler and Brian who were sitting on the couch next to her as if needing their approval. She didn't want to seem naïve, but she really didn't think she had any enemies. She shook her head, not sure how to respond otherwise.

"Ms. Thorne, I urge you to be aware of your surroundings going forward. We've dusted for prints, but we won't know anything for a while. Here's my card, please call me if you think of anything."

"Thank you, officer." Ava took his card, and turned it over in her hand nervously. Tayler stood up, and followed him out. Her father and Calvin had been waiting outside. The police had updated them on what was going on, and she assumed they'd leave once they found out Tayler hadn't been the reason for the break in. In true Kline family fashion though they waited so that they could offer their assistance to Ava.

"Ava, darling I'm so sorry. What a rotten mess. How are you holding up?" Tayler's father, Dexter said as he scooped Ava up in a hug.

"I'm not sure, Mr. Kline, just shocked right now. I don't have anything worth stealing, and I really can't think of anybody who has a reason to not like me. That sounds childish doesn't it?" She felt even sillier having said it out loud.

"No it doesn't darling. You're a good girl, and I would have to agree. I couldn't imagine you having harmed anybody in your life." Dexter had just noticed Brian sitting on the couch, and was eyeing him just the way Tayler had when he first arrived. Ava cleared her throat.

"Mr. Kline this is Brian Simmons, my boss."

"Your boss you say? You're not Brian Simmons's of Simmons's Construction are you?"

"One and the same, sir. I'm an admirer of yours, what you've done with Kline Industries is fascinating." Mr. Kline continued to study him, finally taking Brian's hand and smiling.

"Good to see you're a good man as well as a good businessman. Sometimes finding both in a person is impossible. What do you think of our Ava's situation?"

Ava wanted to go hide under a rock at the way Dexter had said "our" Ava. She was most certainly not anybody's Ava. More importantly the longer she sat in their condo the more anxious she felt. The urge to run was gnawing at her. Sitting in the living room knowing just a few feet down the hall was her space that had been invaded was disarming. She stood up, and made her way to the front door. She had blocked out whatever Brian and Mr. Kline were saying anyway.

"Where are you going, Ava?" Brian said, suddenly in front of her.

"I want to leave. I can't stay in here a second longer. Please let me pass."

"You heard the policeman you need to be aware of your surroundings. You can't just walk outside as you please. Let me go with you."

"Ava dear, Brian here is right. Why don't you come back to our place? Tayler is already packing some bags for you both. You're welcome at our house for as long as you like." Ava wanted to cry at Dexter's constant welcoming nature. They had done so much for her she felt bad bringing her problems to their doorstep. What if somebody really was targeting her for whatever reason; would they end up at the Klines' in their attempt to get to her? Maybe all those years of watching crime television was making her paranoid.

"Ava will stay with me," Brian said the statement so matter-of-factly that Ava almost felt compelled to agree. Where on Earth did he get off making decisions for her?

"I absolutely will not be staying with you." Her disagreement apparently had the exact affect she hoped it would. Mr. Control freak flashed her a dangerous look before trying again.

"Ms. Thorne you work for me, I feel it's my job to see to your safety. Please allow me to offer you the use of my home. It's quite large I promise I won't cramp your style."

Venom dripped off his sentence. She knew it sounded perfectly gentlemanly to everybody else listening, but she knew otherwise. She could tell by his stance, and the shade of hazel his eyes turned that he was still demanding that she go with him. Ava had a sudden urge to stomp her foot like a toddler and scream no.

"I appreciate the offer Mr. Simmons, but I can't possibly intrude. I think I'll simply get a hotel room." She regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. She didn't have the funds for a hotel room for one night let alone however long it took for her to feel comfortable coming back home. Her cards were all maxed out, and her savings was seriously depleted. She wouldn't get paid for another week so she wasn't even sure where she'd get the money.

"Nonsense, Ava dear, you're coming home with us. That's final. Calvin, please go help my daughter with her bags." With that Dexter glided out of the condo, and assumingly down to his car. He was a man that was used to his orders being followed without question. It seemed much less annoying, more fatherly, when he did it compared to Brian.

She turned to meet Brian's gaze. She could feel the heat behind it now that Dexter had left their presence.

"Ms. Thorne, I do not like to be told no. I also do not ask. You will come home with me. For all we know I could be the reason for all of this tonight."

Ava shook her head in confusion. Why would he have had anything to do with her room being tossed? She took a step back suspiciously. She still had never figured out how or why he had even shown up when he did.

"How did you end up here tonight?"

"You were at my bar earlier. I noticed you from the security footage, but by the time I made my way down to say hello you were gone. I tried the diner on a whim, and they said a woman matching your description had in fact been dining there just moments ago. They said you all took off looking frightened so I was curious. I had a guy ping your phone location, and ta-da."

Ava's mouth was hanging open by the time he finished his story. There was so much that she wanted to ask, but she just stood there in a stupor instead.

"Why do you own a bar?"

"Because I can, Ava. Calvin, please place Ms. Thorne's things in my car downstairs." Brian never took his eyes off of Ava while he spoke to Calvin. Ava fumed with how rude he was being to everybody.

"Brian, this makes absolutely zero sense. I'm just going to go home with Tayler. I'll be safe there, and I won't have to impose on you."

"Ava, you're pushing my patience. You're coming with me."

"Will I lose my job if I don't go with you?" The muscle in his jaw clenched which she should have found a bit scary, but she just found it sexy. Which then infuriated her even more because she was supposed to be pissed as hell at him, not ogling him. She crossed her arms and waited for his answer.

"No, but you'll damn well earn a spanking. Now get in the damn car Ava!"

# Chapter Ten

Ava stared out the car window as it crept through Friday night traffic in New Orleans. Her nerves were a mess after the evening's events. She couldn't even begin to figure out what Brian's spanking comment had meant. Or why on earth her body had responded with a hidden desire she had never known she possessed.

He was sitting next to her but he had been on the phone the entire trip. Apparently, he was amping up the security at his home for further protection for her. She didn't understand all the fuss. She didn't plan on staying with him for long. All she had wanted was a few nights to wrap her mind around what had happened before returning to her own room. Tayler had felt the same way, and her room hadn't even been touched.

Tayler had been furious when Brian halfway drug Ava out to his car. Calvin looked like he was prepared to step in if she would have asked. As much as she didn't want to go home with her boss, she knew she was safe with him. If anything were to ever happen to Tayler because Ava couldn't handle a little alone time with Brian, she'd never forgive herself. With a promise to call and a quick hug, Ava had smoothed over the situation.

"Are you hungry?" Brian asked bringing her back to reality. Her stomach growled in response. They had never got to eat their food at the Fat Hen so she was ravenous.

"I could eat."

"Okay." He rolled down the window separating them from his driver.

"Dave, is there a drive thru that's open between here and home?"

"Sure is, boss."

"Perfect. Please stop at the first one you see."

"Will do, sir."

With that Brian rolled the window back up, and directed his full attention to Ava. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat. The day's events were catching up to her mixed with all the alcohol on an empty stomach, and she felt her emotions getting ready to explode. She wasn't just scared; she was angry and confused.

"Do you really not know anybody that would feel the need to scare you?" He seemed incredulous that she didn't make a habit of pissing people off.

"I know it may seem strange, but no I honestly have no idea. I don't purposely go around pissing people off. How many people would you say would want to do something to get back at you?"

"The number is too great to even count."

She thought maybe he was joking, but a quick glance into his eyes told her he was very serious. She knew he was a control freak, which made him seem like an asshole, but surely, he didn't have so many enemies he couldn't count them.

"You seem shocked Ms. Thorne. I haven't got to where I am today by being nice. There have been business deals gone bad, scorned employees and companies I refused to bail out. Any number of those situations leaves people in the wake that don't have very fond opinions of me."

"Doesn't that bother you? Knowing there are people out there that you've stepped on to get to your success."

"I did not step on anybody to get where I am today. I worked hard, and I worked smart. If it wasn't a smart decision I didn't pursue it's as simple as that. It's business, some people just take it more personal than they should."

"You're kind of an ass."

He smirked then, and she felt like somebody had turned the heater on in the car. She desperately wanted to scoot farther away from him, but then he would know he was affecting her. Thankfully, Dave slowed and the car went over a hump indicating they were pulling into the fast food joint of his choosing. She leaned towards the window to look up and see those beautiful golden arches. Her stomach was rumbling out of control by this time.

"Do you spend every Friday night watching surveillance at bars you own?"

"No, I just happened to be there because it was our opening night. The bouncer was showing me the different angles we had covered via video surveillance, and I saw you. Do you typically frequent bars every weekend?" His voice had an edge to it that she didn't quite recognize.

"No, I actually hate going out. Tayler drags me out on occasion, though."

Dave pulled forward so that Brian could order. After they ordered what seemed like half the menu, and entirely too much food for two people they pulled forward.

"You could have at least asked your driver if he was hungry." Her snide comment didn't faze him, though.

"Do you think we're going to eat all the food I just ordered?"

"No, but you didn't even ask him what he liked."

"Dave's been with me a long time. I could order for him at most of the restaurants we frequent. I'm not quite the monster you'd like to believe I am, Ms. Thorne."

"I didn't say you were a monster. I just thought you were being inconsiderate. I'm sorry." She wanted to choke on the apology, but it managed to slip out.

Brian opened his wallet, and before Ava could look away her eyes locked on to how much cash he was carrying around. Ava was pretty sure that with the cash in his wallet he could cover her two weeks' salary, maybe even have some left over.

"What would you do if you were mugged?"

"I wouldn't be mugged."

"Oh for cripes sake you absolutely could be mugged. You'd never see that money again."

"Dave is always with me, and usually muggers don't pick on two men well over six feet tall. Also if someone would happen to get away with my wallet I'd just assume they went to all the trouble they must need it more than I do."

"That's stupid logic. That's your money, and you earned it. They don't deserve to just take it from you. If I lost that much money, I'd be screwed. I hardly ever carry cash on me anymore for that reason alone."

"Money is no object to me. Granted I don't want anybody to steal from me, but I wouldn't miss it should this wallet walk off, as is, anytime soon."

Ava blew out a breath. She and Brian were polar opposites. She couldn't imagine having so much money that if a large sum went missing the world wouldn't end. She was barely scraping by the way it was. Her credit cards hadn't been paid yet this month, and she wasn't sure she would even be able to pay for them next month. Every dime from her first check was going to have to go towards catching her car payment up as it was currently two months behind.

Her parents would freak if they knew the financial situation she was in. It wasn't that she wanted to be in it herself, but life happened. Graduating cum laude from college doesn't actually mean all that much when you're faced with car payments, student loans and credit card bills. They want cold hard cash, and up until landing her job at Simmons's Construction she never had enough to cover it all.

"Here you are; your very own heart attack in a sack." Brian said turning her attention away from her money troubles, and back to her growling stomach.

"Thank you."

She tore open the bag he had handed her, and immediately dove into her fries. They continued the ride in silence both munching away on their very late dinner. Finally, Dave turned into a gated community, and stopped just long enough to key in a code that made the giant gates creek open. Ava felt like she was having an out of body experience. The entire community was lavish beyond anything she had ever seen. Tayler's family lived well, but it was nothing compared to the oasis Brian called home.

After a few minutes of driving, Ava realized that they hadn't passed any other houses. She assumed Brian lived in a gated community; then the road turned into a dead end in front of a gigantic, beautiful plantation style home. He literally owned blocks of property in the middle of the city.

"Holy shit, this is your house?"

"That it is, Ms. Thorne."

"The gate is around your property; there's not like other houses in here?"

"That would be correct. I like my privacy; the gate provides me with that. I told you, you would be safe at my home."

"I imagine so; it would take SEAL Team Six to penetrate this fortress."

Brian laughed as they both got out of the car. Dave already had their bags in tow making his way up to the front door. Brian skirted around Dave and unlocked the door. Ava wanted to make a snide comment about having a butler or something, but she kept it to herself. With her luck she figured if she brought it up he'd confirm he did in fact have a butler; making the social class barrier just that much stronger between them.

His home had all the makings of a mansion. Beautiful tile floors, or maybe they were even marble, she had no idea what the difference was other than marble was more expensive. Brian probably had marble floors. There was a giant staircase to the left of the entrance with wrought iron spiral rods running the length of the wall up to a small loft style landing.

"Come, Ava. I'll show you where you may sleep."

Brian grabbed her hand and led her up the gigantic staircase. She tried to ignore the constant electricity flowing between them where their hands were joined. What she should be focused on is sleeping, and on what planet did some random person toss her bedroom. Instead she could feel her legs getting that weak feeling they always did when he was around. Her palms were sweating, and her stomach felt like it had a zillion metal butterflies in their pinging off of one another.

"Here you go. I believe it should have anything you could possibly need already stocked, but just yell if you need something, I'm simply two doors down that way." He pointed to the left, but her eyes didn't follow. She was staring at what must have been the most beautiful bed ever manufactured. It had four giant posts with a canopy top. Flowing down from the canopy were white chiffon curtains tied back with bows. Everything about the place screamed wealth and elegance.

Ava looked down at her clothes, which had come off the sales rack at TJ Maxx, and then back into the room. Around Tayler, there had been times she had felt inferior because of her social standing, but nothing compared to how she felt now. Standing in a room made for a princess, and she was the scullery maid. Brian cleared his throat interrupting her self-pity session.

"Thank you. This is absolutely breath taking. I feel like I should go buy new clothes to sleep in. Those sheets have probably never had 100% cotton on them before." She gave a nervous laugh to cover up her heightened vulnerability.

"I'm not sure of that, but I can promise they have never had anybody as beautiful as you on them before." He leaned down right next to her ear as he spoke. His breath caused her to shiver all over, and that spark of desire to flare. He gave her hand a squeeze before walking back in the direction they had just come from. After a minute of standing there staring after him, she finally made her way into the room.

Everything about the room seemed surreal. The events of the evening seemed unreal. Ava was overwhelmed, and instead of dwelling on all of the missing pieces that didn't add up, she sunk down into the bed. She groaned with pleasure; it was the most comfortable bed she had ever laid on. Within minutes she was sound asleep, and oblivious to the new world lingering outside.

# Chapter Eleven

The next morning Ava wasn't waking up by the normal car horns or loud music but by the silence. Things were too quiet. She ran her hands on the smooth sheets wishing she could wake up like that every day. Her home back in Ohio had always been quiet. She didn't realize how much she missed the silence until today. The sun was shining in the giant window making things seem happy and safe. Ava knew they were the opposite. She'd eventually have to come to terms with the break in. Maybe even go so far as to find out who broke in and why.

She glanced at her phone, and realized she had slept in. Brian probably thought she was a total bum sleeping in, even if it was the weekend. She jumped up, and headed to the bathroom to change. It shouldn't have been a surprise that the bathroom would have been completely over the top glamorous. Ava still had to double take to fully appreciate all of the grandeur.

Tayler had packed Ava's favorite yoga pants, and lounging shirt. It seemed silly to be self-conscious about what she wore, but she felt like she should dress up. The house seemed to demand elegance and perfection; two things Ava was not. She was ten-year-old yoga pants and a slouchy t-shirt. With a quick swipe of mascara and some lip-gloss, she padded downstairs to find Brian.

The sound of dishes clanking about and an intoxicating smell, led Ava to the kitchen. Ideas of an elderly lady cooking breakfast while Brian sat and drank coffee danced through her mind. What she found was quite the opposite. Brian stood in front of the stove shirtless flipping pancakes. She wasn't sure how he knew she was standing there since she was standing still in a stunned silence. He slowly turned towards her though, and his sexy grin greeted her; which made her want to groan. He was devastatingly handsome.

"Good morning, Ms. Thorne. I trust you slept well."

"Yes, your body is, I mean your house, your house is great." Ava felt her face blush, and she desperately wished she could kick herself. The grin on his face was just getting bigger which started to irritate her. If only she could make him feel the same way around her as she felt in his presence.

"Pancakes?"

"Sounds great."

He continued flipping pancakes and then placing them in the oven to keep them warm. She wandered around the kitchen, which happened to be bigger than her entire condo. Finally, amongst all the glory she found what she had been looking for. The coffee maker was of course the newest Keurig on the market. After a few minutes of troubleshooting, she finally had a warm cup of coffee in her hands. The smell was intoxicating.

"Do you happen to keep cream and sugar on hand?"

"You're one of those?"

"If you mean I'm one of those who like my coffee delicious then yes, I am one of those."

"Try it black."

"I don't want to drink it black. I'd like to drink it how I typically drink it."

"I'd like you to try drinking it black."

"Why on earth would I do something just because you would like me to?"

"Because it would please me."

"Has anybody ever told you you're a control freak?"

"It's been mentioned from time to time."

Ava was fuming. He seemed absolutely unbothered by the fact that he was commanding her around as if she was a child. If anything, he was very carefree about it all, not even bothering to look away from his cooking. She looked around to see if she could see at least a sugar canister anywhere handy. Even as she did so she found she did want to try to drink the coffee black. With no canister in sight, and her anxiety too high to just nose about his home, she took a sip.

"It tastes terrible like this. Now, can I please drink the coffee my way?"

"You barely tasted it."

"Oh my gosh; you're maddening. I just want to drink my damn coffee."

He turned around and his eyes flared with anger. He slowly approached her around his giant kitchen island. She tried not to take a step back when he finally stopped in front of her.

"I believe you need a lesson on manners, Ms. Thorne. Would you like me to be the teacher?"

Ava took a deep breath, but words seemed to fail her. She stared back at his deep hazel eyes, and tried to remain defiant and strong.

"I like my questions answered immediately, Ms. Thorne. Would you like me to be your teacher?"

"No." She whispered her response. Even though she desperately wanted to find out what his teaching methods consisted of, she couldn't. The way her body reacted to him was like a chemical equation; there was no stopping the explosions once the chemicals were together.

"Very well then." He turned away, but not before she saw a hint of pain mixed with anger flash through his eyes. She knew he felt it between them too, but he wouldn't be the one to end up hurt when it all ended. She would be. She'd also be left jobless on top of broken hearted. Her decision was the right one, even if it did feel all wrong.

"Sugar is in the far right cabinet, and there is creamer in the fridge." His voice sounded annoyed. As much as she didn't want admit it, she hated that she had disappointed him.

"Thank you."

Brian set a plate in front of her piled mile high with pancakes. His plate was equally as stacked which caused her to break out in a fit of giggles.

"Something funny, Ms. Thorne?" His smile indicated that playful Brian was back.

"Do you really expect me to eat all of these pancakes?"

He looked at the stack of pancakes and then back at her. He gave her a snort of laugher, and just shrugged. They both dug in and ate in silence. Ava wasn't sure how in such a short amount of time she felt so comfortable with Brian. Stuffing her face full of pancakes without shame was something she would only do with Tayler. She dared a quick glance over at Brian who seemed just as enthralled with eating his pancakes. It seemed funny to her that he ate pancakes. With the rock hard abs he was sporting, she assumed he was one of those health nuts. Her mom would approve if he were; she had been onto Ava for years to give up her junk food ways.

The thought of her mom made her feel guilty. With everything that had happened in the past few hours she hadn't even called her parents. Now that the excitement was over, or calmed down, she wasn't sure if she wanted to contact them. They were a thousand miles away and all they would do was worry. Brian touched her leg making her jump.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked.

"Whether or not I should call my parents."

"I take it they don't live around here?"

"No, Ohio. I don't like the idea of keeping something from them, but telling them seems pointless. They'll just worry, and nag me to move back home."

"I can understand your situation, but I'm not sure I have much input."

"Would you call your parents?"

"No, but that's irrelevant."

"Why?"

"My parents wouldn't care either way. Your parents seem like they would."

"Are your parents nearby?"

"No." He stood up and cleared the plates. His body language and tone told Ava the conversation was over. She had an overwhelming urge to push the topic, but decided she was probably pushing her welcome.

Her phone rang then giving her a much-needed distraction. Brian excused himself and walked out of the kitchen. Her caller id indicated it was Tayler calling giving her nerves a reprieve that it wasn't her parents. Tayler immediately launched into conversation, but Ava was busy watching a shirtless Brian walk out of the kitchen. His muscles were things that romance writers wrote about. There should be a portrait on display somewhere for people to worship. Everything about her started to pulsate.

"Ava, are you listening to me?" Tayler's voice rang over the phone.

"What? Yes, I'm sorry. I'm listening."

"Were you drooling over your boss again? Did you all hook up last night?"

"No! Tayler, oh my gosh, what kind of girl do you take me for?"

"The kind that wants to get down and dirty with her boss!" Ava could tell by the delight in Tayler's voice that she was having too much fun with the conversation.

"Tayler, you're ridiculous. Get to the point of your call please."

"Okay, I can see I've hit a nerve. Moving on. Do you think you're feeling up to staying at the condo tonight? Daddy said there's been no activity since we left, and he's sending Calvin back with us permanently."

"I hate for Calvin to get stuck on baby-sitting duty."

"Please, Calvin would rather be with us than anything else. Besides he's paid well to do what's asked of him. So, are we going home tonight?"

Ava bit her lip with indecision. She felt like a child hiding away from something she wasn't even sure was dangerous. In her mind, she was still convinced that somebody broke in, and had meant to go through Tayler's stuff but just hadn't had time. The idea of going back though still made her dizzy with nerves.

"Can I think about it for a few, and call you back? I actually haven't even been up that long to process everything."

"Oh, I see; still in a lover's paradise. Okay I'll let you go. Call me back when your blood flow is going back to your brain." Tayler hung up before Ava could respond. She stared at her phone before she slammed it down on the counter.

"Bad conversation?" A much more clothed Brian was back in the kitchen, and Ava wasn't sure if she was elated or sad over his shirt covered body.

"Tayler thinks were sleeping together. Oh, and she wants to know if I'm going back home tonight."

"Your response?" His eyes twinkled with laughter.

"No, obviously, to the first. As for the second, I have no idea."

He gazed at her intently, which made her fidget. She blew out a breath and tried to steady her nerves. She wished there was an easy button in life. The way Brian was looking at her right now, she wasn't sure how to break the silence. It was stretching out between them; almost tangible. Her nerves were wreaking havoc on her body. She was ultra-sensitive to his presence. He leaned in closer, and her breath caught in her lungs.

She wet her lips, and left her bottom lip between her teeth in anticipation. His eyes darkened even more. She felt her body lean forward to him as if it was completely under his spell. He closed the distance between them, but before he touched her lips he detoured to her ear.

"Don't go. Stay with me."

# Chapter Twelve

The rest of the weekend seemed to pass by too fast. Ava tried not to think about how amazing it had been to spend that much time with Brian alone. He was adamant about staying in for her safety, but she didn't mind because staying in with him all weekend was better than any night out she had ever had. They watched movies, cooked meals and walked around his property together. Of course, like any normal rich person he also had a pool, which they had also enjoyed after a quick Target run by one of his minions for her a swimsuit. How they managed to know her exact size, she'd never know.

After they got out of the pool, Ava was drying off and noticed Brian watching her. His eyes were dark, and she could feel the desire reverberating off of him. She tried to will her body not to respond the same. His chest was a multitude of wet muscles, and the damn tattoo was sexy as hell.

She took a deep breath and headed back in the house. She could hear his footsteps behind her, but she didn't turn around. If she did, she knew she would make a fool out of herself. The man was a walking God just begging to have women throw themselves at him. Ava was determined not to be one of them.

"Ava." He called when she walked in her room.

She shut the door quickly and leaned up against it. After a few minutes, she heard his footsteps go back down the hall. She quickly changed into some pajamas and debated going back downstairs. The ice cream she had seen in the freezer earlier was calling her name. Ava poked her head out into the hallway and listened for Brian. Usually this late in the evening he would be in his office working well past her bedtime. The man hardly ever took a break.

Quietly she made her way down to the kitchen and dug the ice cream from the freezer. Against her better instincts to eat it straight from the container she plopped some out in a bowl and dug in. There was a tv in her room, but it seemed weird to eat in her bedroom so she headed to the couch. Nothing good was really on, so she ended up watching a documentary on a man who was raising two bears.

"What is this crap?" Brian startled her. The man was talking about his late wife, and Ava had tears streaming down her face embarrassingly enough.

"This guy rescued these two grizzly bears when they were babies, and he's hoping to release them. It's actually a pretty good documentary."

"So good you're crying?"

"He lost his late wife. It's heart breaking listening to his story."

"Oh I see."

Brian sat down on the couch next to her. They watched it together in silence for a while. Ava wasn't sure how they ended up being so comfortable around each other so quickly. She usually would never let a guy catch her in her pajamas, eating ice cream, and crying over some late night show for at least a year. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't really ever let a man see that.

"I think he'll end up keeping them," Brian interrupted their silence.

"I think so, too. He can't get rid of them. They're like his kids."

"He loves them. If you love something that much, you should never let it go."

"Even if the old sayings tell you to?"

"Never." His tone was rigid. Ava wondered why, but didn't push him further.

"Maybe his friend will just let him keep them in this compound thing." She offered up to get back on topic.

Brian shrugged.

"You could offer him some of your property here. You have to have at least ten acres."

"I have close to twenty actually. I don't think grizzly bears would do well in the heat though."

"Oh yeah, that's true. I don't think anybody was meant for this heat some days."

"Spoken like a true northerner."

"You should come to my hometown and see it after a snowfall. It's beautiful, and the air's so fresh and crisp."

"Are you trying to convert me?"

"Absolutely. Us northerners aren't so bad. You seem to like me just fine."

"Oh, I like you well enough, Ms. Thorne."

Ava's heart fluttered. Every time he called her that she knew he meant it more of an endearment than a formal gesture. One minute he could be so controlling and then the next he was flirty and carefree. Sometimes it was like getting whiplash being around him. She decided two could play this game.

"I like you well enough, too, Mr. Simmons."

"That's good to know. Off to bed now. It's late, and we have work in the morning."

"Good night." She said, but didn't move off the couch. She knew his comment had been for her to go to bed as well.

"Ms. Thorne?" He asked hesitating at the hallway.

"Yes, Mr. Simmons?" She tried not to giggle.

He never said anything else, but she heard his aggravated sigh as he went to bed. The fact was she was tired, and did want to go to bed. Letting him think he had anything to do with her decision was totally unacceptable. So she continued to watch bad late night television for another hour before calling it a night.

Monday morning came, and it was more like the coming of the black plague than a workday. She desperately wanted the Brian from the weekend. She desperately didn't want to show up to work with him. Being deemed the office slut wasn't in her plans. He was being his typical control freak self though, and refusing to allow her to get to work any other way.

"You'll be right there behind me the entire drive over there. What could possibly go wrong?"

"Lots of things, Ava. Besides you just said yourself I'll be right behind you so you might as well just ride with me."

"You're not making any sense. You arriving after me in a completely different vehicle is the polar opposite of us showing up together. Please, Brian I cannot show up at work with you today."

"Damnit Ava, I will not allow you to be in harm's way. You're asking too much. Now, finish your breakfast so we can leave."

Ava stared at the bagel and fruit in front of her and wanted to throw it all across the kitchen island. She knew it was childish to want to act out, but she didn't care. He was being over protective and obtuse. It was a frustrating combination. She checked her phone and it was still early; which gave her an idea.

"Let's leave now; then we're bound to show up before anybody else in the office."

"What will you tell them when they ask where your car is?"

"A friend dropped me off because it's in the shop."

"What if they offer to drive you home?" His voice was condescending, but she tried to ignore it.

"I'll just say my friend and I have plans anyway so I'm waiting for her."

"So I assume we'll be leaving after everyone else then as well?"

"Don't you usually?"

He shrugged as if he was contemplating telling her no. She knew he always left after everyone anyway, so if he said otherwise she was prepared to slap him. She'd slap him right across his disgustingly handsome face.

"Please, Brian."

"Fine, grab your breakfast. I won't have you passing out over malnutrition. Let's go."

She snatched up her bagel and purse and ran after him. She knew he was annoyed, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She had won their disagreement, and she planned on sitting on her high horse for as long as she could.

They rode in silence over to the office. Brian remained focused on his phone for the entire car ride. Ava stared out the window. She tried not to over analyze every detail of the weekend. There were so many emotions swirling around in her mind. She knew that despite her efforts, she had feelings for Brian. The biggest concern she had was whether or not he had feelings in return. He flirted, and he could turn up the sexual tension in seconds, but feelings outside of that? She wasn't sure.

Professionally, she knew she would learn a lot from him so jeopardizing her job wasn't an option. Becoming emotionally invested in him was stupid. As they sat in traffic, she tried to convince herself that she was just having Stockholm syndrome because he came to her rescue Friday night. He had also sent out his cleaning team, which sounded rich and pretentious, but they did a thorough cleaning and organization of her room. Although she hadn't been over to see it, they had sent a picture of the completed work. That alone had made her feel better about going home.

She twisted her hands at the thought of going home still. Mentally, she knew she should just go back, apparently they figured out she didn't have anything worth stealing. There was still a part of her that thought maybe they would be back for Tayler's stuff. In a way she kind of hoped they would, so she would know for sure that she hadn't been targeted. She shook her head; that was sick thinking. She certainly didn't wish anything like that on Tayler.

The car slowed and turned into their gravel parking lot. Ava breathed a sigh of relief, thankful to see the office. Having something to keep her mind occupied would help her stop over analyzing. She dug in her purse for her car keys so she could unlock her office. Her keychain was obnoxiously large, which made them easier to dig out. After flipping through her keys twice she realized her office door key was missing.

She dug in her purse. There was no way the key could have slipped off the ring. She struggled enough getting those dang things on, no way they could just pop off. After a futile search in her purse, a sense of dread settled over her. Every cop show she had ever watched in her life always had a corny line about not believing in coincidences. It seemed that the break in and her missing office key would be the perfect point for such a line.

"Brian, I think I may have figured out why they broke into my apartment..."

"Really?"

"My office key is missing." She held up her key ring.

Brian didn't miss a beat; as soon as the car parked he flew out the door and tapped on the driver's window. He, too, got out of the car. When Ava slid out of the car the driver stayed beside her as she slowly made her way down the hall. Brian was already in her office by the time she got there. It too was trashed.

"Holy shit." She swayed just slightly; enough that the driver put his hands out to steady her. Brian's eyes locked onto his, and he immediately removed his hands. Brian stepped closer to Ava. She could feel the tears swarming in her eyes.

"I don't understand." She shook her head. Nothing made sense. She hadn't even worked for Brian long enough to have any important information in her office. Not to mention his office was right next door.

"Is anybody else's office like mine?"

Brian tossed the keys to the driver and motioned for him to check the offices. He turned back to Ava, and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Ava, this is serious. Can you think of any reason why someone would have torn through your office?"

"Brian, I've worked here two weeks; I don't have anything in here worth finding."

"Somebody must think so. At least now we know for certain you were targeted because of me. I don't like it, but it gives us a wider range of people to look at."

"I think it makes less sense than someone breaking into my room. I literally have less stuff here than there. I have a few files, mostly my stuff and log in information. I have some of your email stuff printed out that's about it."

"Look through the emails you have printed off, and see if you can tell if any are missing."

The driver came back in the room then, and simply shook his head. Nobody else's office had been broken into. Ava shrugged herself down into her chair. The tears she had been holding back were threatening to let lose any second. She didn't like crying in general let alone crying in front of people. There was no explanation for why someone would be digging through her stuff, though. She picked through the papers scattered on the floor then dropped them.

"Shouldn't we call the detective so he can come do finger print stuff before I do this?"

Brian ran his fingers through his dark hair making it look unruly. She could tell he didn't want to take the time to deal with the police. It was the right thing to do though on the off chance the criminal had left behind something. She hoped he had carelessly left behind a fingerprint, but she knew the chances were slim. If he hadn't left anything behind at her apartment, he'd be smart enough not to in her office either.

Brian tugged his phone out of his jeans, and dialed. After a few minutes of small talk he filled the detective in, and then hung up. He grabbed her hand, and took her into his office where he tossed his phone on his desk. He looked like a caged animal to her. He was so broad shouldered when he walked through the hallway it looked like his shoulders would brush both sides. His height was the same with the ceiling. She'd never known a man as built and beautiful as he was. His disheveled hair and predatory face just looked sexy.

"I'm sorry Ava. I'm not sure what's going on, but it's connected to me somehow. We'll figure out what's going on though, that I can promise."

"I guess I just don't see where I come into play. I know nothing; I'm just learning the job. Who would even know that I have this position besides those in this office?"

Brian seemed to be thinking over that realization. Her job was so new that she hadn't even updated her social media pages. Let alone for Brian's business associates to know he got an assistant. So whoever targeted her would have the information first hand. That circle of people was small and very close to him. Those people would also be the people who had access to much more damning information than the few emails Ava had access to.

"What about the pastor, boss?" His driver spoke from the doorway.

"Surely you wouldn't suggest a pastor would do anything criminal?" Ava was shocked that they would even say that.

"You're not from around here, Ava. Things are different in the city. People look to line their own pockets and further their own agenda. It doesn't matter what profession they're in."

"What does the pastor have to gain?"

"The pastor is blocking my project in his neighborhood. He could gain a lot from access to my direct files. He could be after anything really, especially if he could black mail me with it."

Ava took a deep breath. Nothing was making sense. A pastor set on blackmail, breaking and entering and goodness only knows what else. Her office and her apartment were broken into for no other reason than who she works for.

"Okay, can you back up for a second and explain the entire situation between you and the pastor?" She asked hoping information would give her some feeling of power.

"There is a vacant lot next to his church. I purchased it, and planned on building a small set of town homes on it. The pastor has been eyeing that property for himself for a while now, but he never had the funds. He and the councilman apparently have a handshake agreement that allows the pastor some say on which building permits are passed. I got shot down at the public hearing, and now I have to get the pastor on my side or the deal is a bust."

There were times since Ava moved to Louisiana that shocked her; times when she was reminded just how different cities were to the small town she was used to. The pastors she knew growing up were good men, who dedicated themselves to helping others. She desperately didn't want to believe this pastor was a part of anything that had happened to her.

"Have you tried contacting the pastor to figure out why he is so opposed to your town homes; aside from the fact that he just wants the property himself? He had to know at some point in time somebody would come around with the money to buy it."

"He says a lot of times people who rent are drifters, and they don't add anything substantial to the community. He's trying to take an area that already has its fair share of problems and make it better. He's afraid having another rental will make it just that much harder."

"I guess I see his point, but this city is made up of a bunch of renters."

"Exactly, and the property is mine. One way or another I'm going to build my town homes."

"Do you have any information in your emails that he could blackmail you with?"

"No. Not that I'm aware of. Where the hell is that detective?"

"I'll call and see, boss." He was pulling his cell phone out while he walked away.

Ava had jumped when the driver spoke again because he had been so quiet. She had completely forgotten his name. He probably thought she was another rich asshole. She made sure he was out of hearing range before speaking to Brian next.

"What's your driver's name again?"

Brian smirked before answering, "Driver, I'll have to refer to him as that he'll get a real kick out of it."

"Is he not your driver? He's driven us twice now."

"He does drive me, but he's more than my driver; he's part of my security team. His name is Dave."

"Oh, I'm glad I didn't say anything stupid in front of him." Ava turned and looked behind her just to make sure Dave couldn't have heard her.

"So Dave does your security. Do you have a large security team?"

"Fairly large. I have security at all of my work sites, Dave stays with me, and occasionally I'll have extra security around for functions if necessary. I'll be amping up security all across the board for the time being."

"Do you think you're in danger?"

"No, I think you may be though."

"I think they have probably gotten what they wanted from me at this point. They're obviously looking for information, and I doubt they will have found anything useful. I had already deleted a ton of the emails that I delegated to other people."

"Did you empty the trash bin?"

"Yep."

Dave walked back in. He and Brian started discussing the detective's arrival, and improving security. She focused on Dave more now that she realized he wasn't just a driver. There was a lot that she hadn't seen with her preconceived notion of him being a driver. He was built like a protector should be. He was tall, and muscular, but nowhere near as tall or as broad in the shoulders as Brian. It amazed her that Brian needed a security detail at all. His size alone seemed like a good enough deterrent. One thing she had learned over the weekend was that he took kickboxing pretty serious as well. He had turned one of the bedrooms into a make shift gym. She had caught a peek of him Sunday morning kicking the crap out of a punching bag.

"Ava would probably feel better with a female guard." She overheard Brian say.

"Whoa, wait. Ava doesn't need a security detail. I'm telling you, they're done with my portion of this process."

"I'm telling you, you will have a security detail. You will not argue."

She narrowed her eyes at him. His controlling manner made her furious. A security person tailing her was ridiculous.

"I assume from the argument we had this morning that you don't want to continue staying at my house permanently? That requires you to be out of my sight. Therefore, you will have a security detail. Now would you prefer a male or female?"

"Female."

Brian brought out feelings in her that she never dreamed she would experience. Not only did he seriously turn her on, he made her want to pout like a child, and scream at him in fury; and those weren't even half of the emotions she was feeling. She was a melting pot around him.

A knock on the door made them all turn their attention away from the tension. Detective Scranton had arrived. The men went about their discussion to fill him in. Ava tried to listen, but she was distracted. She watched Brian as he leaned against the side of his desk; one leg casually draped over the other. He had on blue jeans, and a plain grey shirt that showed off everything he had to offer. Which in Ava's mind was more than any man should ever be gifted with. It wasn't fair; she couldn't take her eyes off of him. She also needed to resist him, but that seemed unlikely as well.

"Ms. Thorne?" The detective had obviously been trying to get her attention.

"Yes? I'm sorry."

"We've finished finger printing. Just as with your room, I'm afraid we're going to ask that you take a look around. Please let me know if anything is missing."

"Okay." She straightened her pencil skirt, tugged her cardigan into place and headed towards her office. There wasn't nearly as much disarray, but she still hated seeing the finger print dust everywhere.

She crouched down and picked up papers, and started putting them together. Once she had all of it picked up, she organized it accordingly. Nothing seemed to be out of place, but she had to assume there was something missing. She kept flipping through the stacks. Finally, she looked up at Brian and the detective and shook her head.

"There's nothing missing."

"You're sure?"

"Yes, I'm positive all of my paperwork is accounted for. My laptop's here, too."

"Are your laptop and computer password protected?" Detective Scranton asked.

"Yes, both of them are."

"With the same password?"

"No, they're different."

"Let's boot them up, and see if anything looks different on there for you."

"Okay."

Ava booted them both up, and then plugged in her passwords. She wasn't sure what she was looking for. There wasn't much on either computer that pertained to Simmons's Construction. Her laptop was up first, but there was nothing weird. Then she checked the computer. That password was generic, and given to her by Kimberly so maybe that made it easier to hack. Nothing seemed weird. Just out of habit she opened up her outlook account. Just as she expected, hundreds of emails flooded her account. She started to glance through them, but nothing there seemed plausible.

"I'm sorry, there doesn't seem to be anything weird with these, either."

"Okay ma'am." Detective Scranton turned to Brian, and they spoke quietly for a while. The detective finally turned and waved before leaving. Brian waited until he was gone before he spoke.

"Keep thinking, Ava. Just because at first glance nothing seems off, doesn't mean there's not something missing."

"I will. I promise."

"The morning meeting is getting ready to start. I'm sure there's going to be lots of questions. I normally don't like to keep anything from my team. However, what you said earlier has me hesitant."

"What are you going to tell them?"

"I need you to be open minded about this."

"That usually means I'm going to hate what you're about to say."

"I don't want anybody to know about what's going on. The only way to explain what happened today is for me to fire you. I'll come up with a story about you possibly laundering information for a competitor, so we had your stuff searched. You won't actually be fired; I'll have you work from home until we know more."

Ava knew her mouth was hanging wide open. No, way in hell she was going to let him say she was some sort of traitor.

"Absolutely not, Brian. They'll all hate me. How can I do my job from home if they all think I'm fired? Part of my job is working with them for your schedule and handling your emails."

"I have a project you can work on. As for them all hating you, it'll only be for a short time. Once this is resolved, we'll explain and everything will be fine."

Ava felt helpless. There really wasn't anything else she could say. Brian had obviously made up his mind. He was also the boss, and he could put her wherever he pleased. She just hoped that once this was all over with everybody would welcome her back. Having people hate her wasn't something she felt she could handle. Instead of talking she just nodded. She grabbed her purse, and followed him down the hallway.

Everybody was already in the conference room, so she didn't have to avoid anybody's glances. Just as she was about to make it out unscathed, Kimberly popped out of the conference room. She was headed into her office, which unfortunately ran directly across Ava's path.

"Did you get what you needed?" Kimberly spat at her nastily.

Ava wasn't sure what to say. Not knowing what Brian had told them, she just kept her mouth shut. She kept her head up though. They may think they knew who she was, but she knew the truth, and once this whole ordeal was over they would know, too.

"You're a nasty woman. Coming in here and flirting around with Brian and making nice with all of us. Spreading your legs will only get you so far in this world; the rest of us women have done the real work. We're the ones that deserve the happy ending, not you."

Ava's mouth dropped open at Kimberly's hateful speech. The woman could go from nice to mean faster than a sixteen-year-old prom queen. Ava straightened her shoulders and picked up her pace out the door.

Once they were outside, Dave opened the door for her. Ava pulled her cell phone out to call Tayler. It started dinging like crazy with new emails notifications. Apparently, the IT guy had finally gotten around to having all of Brian's emails forwarded to her. Since she was no longer going to be able to handle that for him, she marked them all as read.

If life was simpler she would just send Tayler an S.O.S. text so they could meet up after work for drinks and a vent session, but life wasn't that simple anymore, and she doubted she was going to be allowed out for drinks any time soon.

She slid her phone back down in her purse. Dave was taking the long way around to the Eastbank. She liked that way. Most people tried to avoid the Huey P. Long Bridge because it was so tall and kind of scary. Ava loved it. Before they rerouted the entire thing and traffic would get stuck on it, she'd get stuck at the top. Up there she could feel the bridge swaying with the wind and the weight of all the parked cars on it. It was pretty scary.

Dave sailed over it today. Just like her life seemed to be sailing away from her control.

# Chapter Thirteen

"Are you serious? Oh my gosh, Ava, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I mean everything's a mess, but I'm doing okay. I just don't understand what I could possibly have that could hurt Brian."

"Me, either. I mean you've only been there for a short time. Was there somebody in the position before you that may have a grudge against you for getting the job?"

"No, I'm his first assistant. That's a good idea though, maybe one of the other applicants?"

Tayler hesitated over the phone. Ava knew it was a stretch, but it seemed better than some mysterious bad guy.

"No, I doubt that. Are you going to come home?"

"I don't know. Brian said something about me getting my own security detail, so I could go home. I haven't heard from him to know whether or not he got anybody. Dave's with me now."

"Well, Calvin will be there. I'll have my people call Brian; surely Calvin can just watch us both."

"That would be great. I love Calvin; he's so nice."

"Ugh, he's so annoying. As far as body guards go though, he's not so bad."

"What do you mean he's annoying? He's fantastic. What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it. I've got to go. I'll let you know what Brian says in case he doesn't tell you himself first."

"Thanks Tay. Love you."

"Love you, too. Bye."

Ava tossed her phone on the kitchen island. The steam from her coffee floated up into her face. She had made it just to calm her nerves, but she had yet to drink it. Community coffee with chicory in it was her absolute favorite, but she probably didn't need any more of it for the day. She perked up when she heard the front door shut. Immediately she jumped down from her bar stool, and ran into the foyer.

"Hey! How'd everything go?"

"Ms. Thorne, you are officially a traitor."

"Ugh, shut up."

"Is that anyway to speak to your boss?" The sparkle was back in his eyes.

"I'm a traitor remember? We're known to go rogue, and throw caution to the wind."

"Ah yes, I know. I've several ideas in mind if you'd like to throw caution to the wind right now?" His look turned intense, and Ava felt weak kneed.

Before she could respond Dave cleared his throat signaling his presence. She blew out a sigh of relief. Brian looked beyond irritated with Dave.

"Yes?" He barked.

"Sasha is here, sir."

"Okay, put her in my office. Ava and I will be right up."

"Who is Sasha?"

"Sasha is your new best friend; also known as your security detail."

"Did Tayler not get a hold of you? Calvin will be with her all the time, so can't he just watch over me as well?"

"No he can't. Tayler's dad pays his bill; that means if push came to shove her life is more important to him than yours. That's not the type of security I want for you. Sasha is under my employ, so she will guard you with her life; no exceptions."

"This is crazy. I really don't know why anybody would want anything from me. They've searched two places now, and come up empty handed. There's nothing left to search."

"That's what makes them more dangerous. They could be desperate since they're empty handed, and they may go after you. For all they know the information they're trying to obtain could be something you know off hand. What better way to get it than to take you and torture it out of you?"

"You watch too much day time television. Nobody is going to kidnap me. There's nothing for me to tell."

Brian sighed but took her hand to lead her to his office. Ava hadn't made it through the entire house, but she assumed it was close to four or five bedrooms. Brian seemed to have turned most of the bedrooms into something else, though. They went up the staircase, and down the other hallway to get to his office. It was a bedroom as well, but it was set up exactly like his office at work. A huge mahogany desk flanked on one side with giant leather chairs. A bookcase was on one wall adorned with rows and rows of books.

Dave was standing next to a giant bay window on the far wall, while Sasha was sitting in one of the oversized leather chairs.

"Good evening, Sasha. It's nice to meet you. I'm Brian, this is Ava."

"Nice to meet you, too sir, and Ava."

Brian rounded the desk and took his seat. Ava decided to stand at the doorway, feeling too nervous to sit. He motioned for her to sit, but she shook her head. His eyes flashed that dark color for a second letting her know he didn't like her refusal.

"Dave says that you have served time both in the military and as an undercover detective?"

"Yes sir. I was in the Army; I served for eight years. Then I was a part of the Colorado Police Department's undercover unit for six years."

"Why New Orleans, and why private clientele? From the looks of things, you have an exemplary record at CPD."

"I'm from the area. It just seemed right to come home."

"I'm glad you can offer your services to me."

"Yes, sir."

"Ava, will be your assignment. She is not to go anywhere without you. I'm sure you know the drill. Dave will take you through our security systems and answer any other questions you may have."

"Thank you, sir."

"Ava, do you have anything to add?"

Ava was startled by the question. She had never had a security anything before so she really didn't have any questions. Disgruntlements she had, but no questions. Without saying anything she simply shook her head. Sasha nodded in return and then left the room with Dave.

"Ava, I know this is overwhelming for you."

"I don't think anybody really knows what this feels like for me. Overwhelming seems like an understatement. I'm dealing with a lot right now, and I feel like it's all just spinning out of control. Like I'm just a passenger in my own life, but I'm not at the controls."

"I promise we'll get this figured out, and your life back to normal."

He paused for a second. She sat down finally, and slumped back. Her nerves were shot for the day.

"What is normal for you, Ava?"

"Normal for me? I'd say it's pretty boring really. Now that I'm employed that spices it up a bit. Otherwise, I'm dinner and movies, sometimes from the comfort of my home. I like my ten-year-old yoga pants and comfy shirts. Tayler drags me out every now and then, but I prefer a good book to a nightclub. I miss my parents."

"No boyfriends?"

"No, I haven't had a boyfriend in years; not since college."

"I find that hard to believe. Men must throw themselves at you?"

"Hardly. I couldn't even tell you the last time I was hit on. Well, besides you." She laughed at her joke, but his face stayed serious.

"I very much want to throw myself at your feet. I want to worship you the way you deserve to be worshipped."

Ava licked her lips, but suddenly her mouth was dry. She fidgeted under his dark seductive eyes. Never had she dreamed that he would have said something like that to her. They had flirted, and occasionally his flirtation seemed to get stronger than they were both comfortable with. Currently, she was extremely uncomfortable. With just a couple sentences, he had caused her to become wetter than any other man she'd ever known. Her panties were useless at this point.

"I make you feel uncomfortable, because you know you're dying to let me. You want to feel my hands caress every inch of your body, followed by my lips. Everything about you screams for me to give you release."

He was still sitting back in his chair as if they were discussing the weather. Ava was completely wrecked at this point. If she tried to stand her legs would betray her and buckle. She was absolute putty in his hands, and it petrified her.

"You, you're my boss, Brian." Her voice was husky with desire, and she immediately regretted speaking.

"Nobody knows that right now except us."

"Oh. Um." Everything inside of her screamed yes, but her heart knew different. It was more than just the fact that he was her boss; he lived in a completely different world than she did. He probably never worried about paying his car payment, or letting it fall behind. Beautiful women from wealthy families probably threw themselves at him all the time. He may want her now, but it would wear off soon.

His phone rang breaking their connection. Ava was thankful for the distraction as she hurried to get out of his office. Her legs thankfully didn't betray her, but they did wobble most of the way back to her bedroom. Once she was inside, she threw the door shut and tossed herself on her bed. Everything about the situation was wrong. Once Dave was done training Sasha, she would go home. Space from Brian was all she needed to break the hold he seemed to have on her.

# Chapter Fourteen

Ava spent the rest of her week working remotely. Brian hadn't lied when he said he would be able to keep her busy. Her days seem busier now, than when she worked in the office. Ava hadn't realized Brian had so many construction projects going on at once. He had her organizing permits for all his current projects by location. There were twenty different projects going on. Some were small renovations, but most of them were full on new constructions.

Sasha was a quiet presence always nearby. Ava was going home for the first time since the break in after work that day. The reason she hadn't went home sooner was because Sasha was still learning from Dave, and Brian didn't want her training rushed. Sasha announced today that whenever Ava wanted to go home they could. Part of Ava was still nervous about going back to her bedroom, but the other part knew it was time.

Brian had been so busy that she had only seen him briefly over the past few days. Their conversation in his office still remained unfinished. Every time Ava thought about it, her legs went weak. To make matters worse, just that morning she had walked in on Brian in the shower. The house had at least three bathrooms, and for some reason he had chosen to shower in the one next to her room.

His smirk at her red faced, open mouthed gaze told her it had probably been deliberate. His body was everything she had known it would be and so much more. She slumped back in her chair and groaned. She should probably be searching for another job. Working with Brian was going to lead to disaster.

Her phone vibrated on the desk beside her. Brian had offered her the use of his office until she could return to work. Tayler was texting her to make sure she was still coming home. Ava rolled her eyes and responded with a checkmark. Tayler was apparently going crazy being at the apartment with just Calvin. Since his job was to protect her, he hardly gave into Tayler's whims. Ava thought it was cute the way they argued like an old married couple. She had even mentioned to Tayler several times that they would be a cute couple. Tayler always rolled her eyes.

Ava turned back to her work. She was almost done with one location's permits, and once she had them finalized she was calling it a day.

"Knock, knock." Brian leaned against the door to his office. Ava took a deep breath when she turned around and saw him. He was in a dark pair of jeans with a blue shirt that made his eyes seem golden. To top it all off he hadn't taken off his tool belt yet. Just like a slap in the face, Ava was sure, now more than ever, that she needed to find another job.

"Hello Mr. Simmons, good day on the work site?" She hoped he couldn't hear her breathlessness.

"As good as can be expected. How are you coming along in here?"

"Good actually. I just have a few more projects to organize. I was finishing up the Jefferson Parish one before I called it quits for the day."

He pushed off of the door and strode over and took the file she had in her hand. His face showed his agitation for the site.

"Have you made any progress with the pastor?" Ava asked, distracted by his close proximity.

"No, I can't figure out what he wants. I also don't trust him, either. He could easily be the one behind the break ins."

"I really think that's a stretch. Besides if he was going to break into your office building why go through my stuff and not yours? I haven't a clue who is behind them, but the pastor doesn't make sense. What all have you tried as far as convincing him to let you move forward with your permit?"

"Money obviously, but he snubbed his nose to that."

"Anything else?"

"What else is there?"

"Brian, there's more to life than just money. There has to be something he wants; we just have to find out more about him."

Ava spun around in her chair and pulled up her internet browser. She started googling the name of the church and flipping through articles. Brian leaned over her shoulder. His closeness was distracting, but she tried to stay focused on her task. A cold chill rippled down her body and she shuddered which caused him to lean just a bit closer. Without even turning back she knew he was smiling.

A few articles later Ava thought she may have a good idea how they could win the pastor over.

"Look at these articles. What do you get from these?"

Brian started to read one.

"No, you don't even have to read the articles just read the headlines."

Brian scanned over the headlines and then gave her a questioning look.

"Really? They all talk about helping the local families. This one is about a scholarship program the church offers. The next one is about a food pantry they want to set up. All of the articles have something to do with the church either giving back to the community or trying to raise money for projects like these."

"So why didn't he take my money."

"I don't think it's that he doesn't want to take your money. I think he wants you to understand. Be a part of the community. You want to build a condominium complex, which could potentially bring in more negativity to the community than good. Maybe you need to come up with a way to guarantee that it won't."

"That's impossible. I won't be running the complex myself I'll probably sell it off to a realtor."

"See, that's what they don't want to happen. Maybe what we need is to find a local realtor that lives in the area, or better yet maybe someone who attends that church. Also, I think you should offer to donate food to the pantry, and help their scholarship program."

"I see your point." Brian stood up and she could tell he was still mulling over what she had said.

"Contact the church and extend our help with both of those projects. Whatever number amount you work out with them is fine with me. Also find that real estate agent."

"You want me to do this?"

"You're the one who came up with the idea, who better?"

"I don't know someone like Kimberly, maybe?"

"No. I want you."

She nodded, and tried not to think of the additional meaning of that statement. His eyes darkened for a flash, letting her know it wasn't lost on him.

"I won't let you down."

"I know you won't. You want to get dinner with me tonight?"

"Oh, well I was going to go home, Tayler's going crazy by herself at the house."

"I wish you wouldn't."

"I have Sasha to look after me, and Calvin is there, too."

"That wasn't what I meant. Eat dinner with me first,"

Ava sighed. He obviously wasn't going to take no for an answer. The last thing she wanted to do was be alone with him any more than necessary. Dinner seemed intimate and more like a date.

"Fine, but then I go home."

"We'll see. Let's go."

"Hold on I want to go freshen up first."

"Why? You look gorgeous."

Ava ignored his comment and brushed past him. She raced upstairs. Her hair was wild and crazy like usual, so she ran some product through it to no avail. Since she was working from home her clothes were acceptable for dinner as well. She fussed and picked at herself in the mirror until a knock sounded on the door.

Without waiting for her response Brian opened the door and came in. She started to tell him to get out, but he stopped her. His hands rested on either side of the vanity next to her hips.

"When I tell you that you already look gorgeous, I don't like to be kept waiting for twenty minutes. Now, we're going to dinner, as you are."

Ava opened her mouth again. This time Brian kissed her. His mouth took absolute possession of hers. His hands settled on her hips and yanked her against him. He was rough and possessive, and Ava loved every second of it. She kissed him back with equal fervor. Her hands gripped his shirt pulling him closer. They ravaged each other's mouth. Brian lifted her up then and set her on the vanity moving in between her legs. She grinded against him searching for relief that she knew only he could give her. She could feel his erection strong against her core.

He groaned at her touch. His hand threaded in her hair and turned her head so that he could plant kisses down her neck. She moaned, and wrapped her legs around his back and pulled him close. Suddenly he lifted her up again and took her into the bedroom adjoining the bathroom.

He moved on top of her as their hungry kisses continued. Ava wiggled and writhed underneath his touch. His hands roamed her body through her clothes. She wished it had been skin to skin.

"Easy, in time my Ava. First, I'm hungry." He stood her up and kissed her again. The kiss was quick and lacking. Ava tried to keep up with what was happening. When she didn't immediately follow him out of the room, he tugged on her hand.

"What just happened?" Ava whispered. She wasn't sure if he even heard her. He didn't respond and just kept walking through the house. Her legs were still shaky, so it took her full concentration not to fall.

# Chapter Fifteen

They rode in silence for a while. He glanced over at her a couple times, but she kept her eyes forward. Whatever had happened in the room, she was glad they hadn't finished. She needed to remain focused. If she slept with him things would get awkward and eventually they would end. Then she'd be out a job, and have burned a bridge she needed to get her foot in the door somewhere else.

"So where are your parents now?" Ava asked in hopes of calming her raging hormones with normal small talk.

"My mother and father live out west. Once I was grown and moved out, they took off in a camper; set on seeing the country."

"That's cool. Do they come back often?"

"No, we don't speak really. I'm not like them. No big deal; it's just better we go our separate ways."

"That is a big deal. They're your parents. Surely you miss them?"

"Not really. I'm mostly too busy with work to do much socializing."

"It just sounds so lonely."

"It's not. Ava you're reading more into this than what it is. I'm a grown man who's not close with his parents. That's not a tragedy; it's life."

"I guess it's just different than what I'm used to. I miss my parents like crazy. I'd give anything to have them come down for a visit."

"Fly them down."

"Well, Mr. Wealthy, we can't all just afford to fly people halfway around the country. Besides they're a bit overwhelmed by the city. I don't know if they would come."

"If money was no issue, would you ask them to come visit?" He asked.

Ava had to think on it. She always used the excuse of her country bumpkin parents not wanting to come, but they'd never flat out said no. Maybe she was more afraid of their answer than of asking.

"I guess if money was no option, I would ask them." She responded.

They fell back into an easy silence as Brian navigated them through traffic.

"Were you spanked a lot as a child?"

Ava was taken aback by his comment. She was pretty sure her jaw had hit the floor. It took her a good minute to recover before she could answer.

"No, my parents didn't believe in hitting. They always said it was more about the parents relieving anger than actually punishing the child."

"That's a good philosophy. If I ever have kids I think I'll implement that same policy."

"Really? Do you want a family?"

"Don't we all eventually want a family? I haven't really thought much of it, but maybe one day." He said vaguely.

She wondered what kind of husband he would be. His wife would probably end up with a whole litter. No way she was going to be able to keep her hands off of a man as sexy as Brian. That or they'd need some seriously fool proof birth control.

"A family would be good for you. Maybe settle down some of your controlling ways. Or it may make it worse. I'm not sure." She said half joking.

"There's nothing wrong with wanting to be in control. It's brought me great wealth and success."

"Your parents must at least be very proud of you?"

"I would assume not. Money's not important to them. It was to me."

"My family's kind of like that. My parents aren't poor, but we always seem to just be getting by. It never bothered my parents though. They're happy in their small house they've remodeled themselves, and their used cars."

"You weren't I take?"

"No, I was happy then. I had a great childhood, and my parents are supportive of me as an adult. I guess I just want more than that. I'm fine with the simpler things, I don't need Gucci or Prada stuff, but being able to pay my bills and have money to travel is important."

"I wanted more. My parents were hippies and we lived off the land, and all that bullshit. I needed more. I didn't stop until I acquired it. You can do the same, Ava. You're smart and young; there's no doubt you'll get what you want in life."

"You should cut your parents some slack. Maybe pick up the phone and call them."

He shrugged, and Ava could tell that was the end of their conversation. It may not have been everything she wanted, but she felt like she understood him more; his need for control, since he couldn't control his childhood. Hippies for parents would have been tough; having them not be a part of his adulthood, even if he said he didn't care, had to be difficult as well.

# Chapter Sixteen

Brian pulled up to Drago's a well-known oyster shack. Ava had yet to try oysters. Tayler loved them and constantly nagged her to try them, but something about the appearance turned Ava off. The valet welcomed them as Brian tossed him the keys to his truck. His hand found its way to her back as he led her into the restaurant.

Ava pulled away from him. Just as she did a gunshot rang out. Before she could react, Brian tackled her, and covered her with his body. She pushed against him unsure whether they should just sit still.

"Stay still Ava." Brian growled. She willed herself to still. Everything in her was screaming for her to run.

After a minute or so of no more gunshots Brian eased himself off of her. They had landed behind some landscaping that Brian was trying to peek out over top of. Ava righted herself and looked from side to side. She prayed nobody had been hurt. The news was filled daily with random shootings in New Orleans, but she had never been close to one. Her hands were shaking, and she could feel the tears brimming in her eyes.

She took a couple of deep breaths trying to gain control. Brian turned to her then.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah I think so. Are you?" She looked him over as best she could, and he was doing the same to her.

"Yeah. We need to get out of here." His truck was still sitting there. Brian eased them out of the brush and started towards the truck. He took a couple of steps and then stopped. Ava crashed into his back.

"Sorry. What's wrong?"

"We can't take the truck. Come on let's go inside. Where the hell is Dave?" He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.

"Why can't we take the..." her sentence trailed off as her eyes drifted into the cab of the truck. The valet boy was hunched over the steering wheel. Ava heard someone scream, and her heart wrenched.

More gunshots rang out. Brian shoved Ava in front of him and tried to make them as small as possible. He shoved through the glass doors to the restaurant as gunshots rang out everywhere. People inside the restaurant were scattering in full panic mode.

Brian pushed them through the kitchen doors as he dragged her through the restaurant. Once he was satisfied with where they were, he dialed Dave. Ava was shaking all over, and she felt like she was going to throw up any minute. Whatever Brian was saying to Dave wasn't even audible to her. Her ears were ringing from the gunshots. Brian had her pulled tight against his side, and he was trying to comfort her by rubbing her arm. He didn't seem the least bit out of sorts.

Brian stood up after he got off the phone with Dave.

"Come on. Dave's out front. Sasha cleared the place. Whoever was shooting is gone. Let's go."

Ava could only nod and followed Brian back through the restaurant. As soon as they made it back outside, Ava's eyes latched onto Brian's truck. She didn't have to look in the driver seat to remember what the poor boy had looked like. It was more than she could handle.

Brian was yelling something at her, but she couldn't figure out what he was saying. Someone was screaming, and it was drowning out everything else. She put her hands over her ears to ward off the noise. The tears she had been trying to hold back broke free, rushing down her cheeks.

# Chapter Seventeen

When Ava came to she heard voices all around her. The lights were blinding, so she couldn't make out anybody's face at first. She blinked to clear the spots away.

"She's awake. She's up, go get the nurse."

"You go get the nurse, I'm not leaving her."

Ava waved her hand for them to stop fighting. They must have gotten the message because they quit talking.

"Fine, I'll go but for her not because you told me to." The voice belonged to Tayler. She could only assume by the bossiness that Brian was the other person in the room.

She sought him out. His hand clasped around hers, and his voice purred.

"Hang tight, Ava; we're getting the nurses."

"What happened?" Her small voice surprised her, as well as the pain in her throat. How did her throat get so raw?

"You screamed a lot. That's why your throat hurts. Then you fainted so we had the squad bring you to the hospital to make sure you weren't going into shock or anything."

Everything came rushing back to her then. The valet driver had been shot.

"Did he die?"

"Yes."

"Why would somebody shoot him? It's so senseless."

Brian avoided her eyes then. That was more telling to her than any words he could have spoken. She had a bad feeling she wasn't going to like what he was trying not to tell her.

"Just tell me, Brian."

"Maybe we should have the doctor look you over first."

"I won't let him touch a hair on my head until I hear what you have to say. Spill it."

"The valet driver was an afterthought; meant to make it look like a random shooting. The first shot was meant for you. Had you not pulled away from me you would have taken the shot in the back; straight to your heart."

Maybe she hadn't wanted to know. The break in seemed unbelievable, but a shooting. She didn't know anything or own anything worth being shot at. The poor valet man lost his life for nothing. How could anybody do something so terrible?

"I just don't understand any of this. I'm telling you Brian this is all crazy. I own nothing; I know nothing."

"To somebody out there though you must know or own a whole hell of a lot. We'll figure this out, but until then around the clock security for you and me both. I was stupid to go ahead of Dave. I hardly ever drive."

Ava squeezed his hand to get him to calm down. What was done was done. As much as she had bucked about having Sasha around, Ava was grateful that she would be there going forward. To think that if Dave and Sasha had been there tonight it might have been them that had taken the bullet. Ava didn't like the thoughts of anybody taking a bullet for her.

"Maybe I should go back home for a bit. Surely whoever is doing this won't follow me to Ohio. I don't want anybody else getting hurt because of me."

"You're not going anywhere. That's entirely too risky. You don't know if they'll follow you or not. My guess would be that they already know where your parents live, and wouldn't hesitate to go there."

"Do you think they do? Give me my phone; I should call them and warn them."

"It's taken care of. I have a security detail trailing your parents."

"Thank you."

The doctor came in then. The nurse was right behind him. She started checking Ava's vitals saying them out loud to the doctor. When the nurse was done she stood back.

"How are you feeling, Mrs. Simmons?"

Ava shoots a glare at Brian.

"I checked you in under a fake name so that the shooter wouldn't be able to track you here." He shrugged indifferently.

"Yeah, because they'd never think to ask for your WIFE!"

The nurse looked back and forth waiting for them to finish. Ava felt juvenile arguing with him like that in front of her.

"I feel okay. Just a bit shaken I guess."

"That's understandable. Your vitals look good, and your blood work all came back okay. If you're up to it we'll get you out of here."

"That would be great."

"Okay. It won't take long."

They both left. Ava thought about her situation then; she wasn't really sure where she would go when she left. The plan had been to go back home with Tayler tonight.

"Where is Tayler? I thought I heard her?"

"I'm not sure. She went to get the doctor and the nurse, maybe she went to the cafeteria."

"Is Sasha here so that I can just go home with them?"

"Ava, I really want you to come home with me. It'll be much easier on security than moving you back and forth daily for work."

"I don't want to be caged, Brian."

"I can't let you get shot either. This isn't a topic of discussion. You're coming home with me, and you're staying put until we figure this all out."

"Hey, leave her alone. If she wants to come home, you can't stop her." Tayler showed back up just in time to poke the bear. Ava didn't want them to start bickering again, but she didn't want to be trapped at Brian's house indefinitely either.

"Tayler, I think what happened tonight shows that these people aren't messing around. The more she makes herself a target, the more opportunities they'll have to not miss. We got lucky tonight. I don't want to take that chance again. If you care for her, you'll agree with me."

"I do agree with you, but my family is just as capable of taking care of her. Surely you could get her work moved to our house?"

"Okay, listen. I'm sitting right here. I don't want to be locked up in my own home either. I understand the risks, but hiding away isn't the answer."

"Ava, if you want to go home with me just say the words. Boss man here doesn't scare me a bit."

Ava looked back and forth between the two. Tayler was coming from a sincere place, but Brian was right. She wanted to continue to work, and risking Sasha's life dragging her back and forth wasn't an option. Brian's property had additional security that might allow her walks outside where her condo wouldn't.

"Tayler, I love you. I appreciate you sticking up for me, but I think Brian's right. I don't want to put his people at risk driving me back and forth. It makes the most sense to stay there since I'm working out of his office right now."

Tayler eyed her closely. Then she gave Brian a glare as well.

"Fine, but I'm coming to visit. I might just come every day." Tayler leaned forward and kissed Ava's forehead.

"Love you, girl. Call me, okay?" With that Tayler left Calvin hot on her heels.

The nurse came back in with Ava's release paperwork. Against Ava's protests, they wheeled her down to the car. Sasha and another man Ava didn't recognize were right next to her the entire time; constantly on alert for a threat. Ava started to stand to get herself in the car, but Brian was faster. He picked her up effortlessly and slid into the backseat before she could protest.

"Damn it; I'm not an invalid. I just fainted. I am perfectly capable of walking."

"What did I say earlier about arguing with me?" His eyes didn't meet hers when he spoke, but Ava could hear the passion in his voice.

Ava realized she was still on his lap. When she tried to slide off of his lap he just held her tighter. She threw her arms up in frustration.

"So I can't even sit by myself now."

"When I'm done with you, you won't be able to sit period."

Ava's mouth dropped open. That wasn't the first spanking comment he had made. Based on those and his actions earlier she had a feeling there was some substance behind the threats. Against her own will a shot of desire ripped through her body at the idea of Brian taking her over his knee. She was losing her mind.

They continued the rest of the car ride in silence. When they pulled up at his house, Brian set her down outside of the car. Dave and Sasha were already there waiting. Their eyes were constantly scanning and the three of them made a walking shield around her. Ava's anxiety level was rising, and she felt like she wanted to scream. Nothing in her life was making any sense. The loss of control was disorientating.

Once they were inside the house, Dave and Sasha nodded to Brian and then disappeared back outside again. Ava wasn't sure what had happened to the third security detail, but at this rate she didn't care. There was probably way more floating around that she wasn't even aware of. Brian was taking extreme measures.

"Where are they going?"

"Sasha's going to do a perimeter check. Dave is going back out to the restaurant. He wants to check surrounding areas for cameras or any possible evidence left behind."

"Won't the police have all of that information?"

"Maybe, maybe not. Dave likes to be thorough. Come on; let's get you to bed you need to rest."

"I don't need to rest. What I need to do is figure out why in the world someone would shoot at me."

"At this point, I have to assume it's related to the preacher."

"Brian, seriously; we have been over this. A preacher who has dedicated his life to spreading God's word is not going to hire out a hit. I just refuse to believe that."

"Maybe he wouldn't, but what about a deacon or a church member. They feel very strongly against what I'm doing."

"Then why take it out on your assistant who you've only known for a few weeks. Surely there's somebody else they would go after to hurt you; if not going after you directly."

"There's no one else. Besides for all they know you are privy to all of my business information. You're much easier to get to considering I have a security detail."

"I have my own security detail, too."

"Not at first; and tonight we went ahead without them. They're watching you, and waiting for those types of opportunities. I can't believe I was stupid enough to play right into their hands."

"It's not your fault. We couldn't possibly have known this would happen. Don't beat yourself up over it. I'm safe, and now we know they're out there watching and waiting."

Brian's eyes washed over her. He checked over her from head to toe. Ava could feel the heat rising in her cheeks from his steady gaze. When his eyes landed back on hers, she could read his thoughts as if he spoke them out loud. He hesitated, though, giving her a chance to walk away. It felt like her legs were suddenly weighed down by concrete. No matter how many times her brain screamed move, her legs refused to acknowledge the command.

Brian took a step closer. Again, Ava struggled against her body. As much as her body craved his touch, and her heart stupidly agreed, her mind waged war. With everything else falling to pieces around her, she knew she needed to keep her distance from him. She opened her mouth to tell him no, and suddenly he was everywhere. One hand threaded through her hair, and his other hand pulled her so she was pressed against him. His mouth took possession of hers. Claiming her in a way she had never experienced before. All her thoughts of argument were lost.

Brian lifted her up, and she immediately wrapped her legs around his waist. Their lips stayed on each other's body all the way to his bedroom. He laid her down on his bed, and stood back. She reached out to him. He chucked his shirt on the floor and covered her body with his own. He kissed her again, and then set about removing her clothes.

Ava tried to remember if she had even bothered wearing matching bra and panties, or at the least a cute pair, but she couldn't focus long enough. Whatever she was wearing, Brian hadn't wasted much time looking at them because she was naked in seconds.

His lips picked up where his eyes had left off; kissing her body everywhere. She writhed under him trying to run her hands over every inch of his perfect body. When he finally brought a nipple into his mouth, she gripped his shoulders and shuddered against him. His hand found its way to her other nipple; pulling and teasing it as well. Ava couldn't stand the pleasure. She continued to hold him against her, but her hips were wiggling and pushing wanting him at her core most of all.

Brian continued to torture her by placing kisses all over her body. His hands roamed where his lips weren't. Ava tried to take control twice, but both times she was shot down. She finally did manage to drag him back up her body for another soul crushing kiss. Her hand slid down between them and brushed his arousal.

Brian didn't waste any more time; he spread her legs and pulled her hips up to meet him and then plunged inside of her. They both moaned at finally joining together. Ava met his strokes and determined the tempo of their lovemaking. He brought her knee up high against his shoulder giving them better friction. That was it for Ava; she crashed over her own climax squeezing him tight. Minutes later he joined her with a shout and final thrust into her.

Ava snuggled into Brian as he lay down next to her. She wasn't sure how what just happened would affect their relationship going forward, so she pushed the thoughts to the side. His hand gently rubbed up and down her side. The events of the day caught up to her, and his gentle touch lured her to sleep. The ugliness of the world was forgotten for the time being.

# Chapter Eighteen

The bed was empty when Ava woke up the next morning. Based on the amount of sunshine pouring into the room, she figured it must be late in the morning. She stretched and realized she was sore from the night before; both the romp in the bushes and the romp in the bed. The latter had been much more fun. She blushed at their antics in the bedroom.

A quick glance on her cell confirmed it was almost ten in the morning, and that Tayler wanted an update on how Ava felt. She sent a response that she was a bit sore, but fine. Tayler was hovering and even though Ava appreciated the sincerity of her friend's concern, it was becoming a touch annoying. Everybody was hovering around her like she was fragile and couldn't handle anything.

She wrapped herself in a blanket and peeked out of Brian's room to make sure no one was around before she dashed down the hall to her own room. Once she was inside, she hesitated at the shower. Her body still smelled like him, and she wasn't sure if she was ready to give that up. She sighed knowing how desperate that made her sound. With that thought she kicked on the shower and stepped in.

The hot water helped get her moving and ease some of her soreness. She dressed in yoga pants and a tank top and went in search of food. Part of her hoped Brian was still around the house, and the other part of her hoped he was already gone. Not knowing how he wanted to proceed going forward was wreaking havoc on her nerves.

"Good morning, Ava." Sasha piped when Ava walked into the kitchen. Sasha was sitting at the counter drinking coffee, and going through her phone.

"Good morning. Are the guys here?"

"No, they left early this morning. Mr. Simmons wanted to speak more with the detective on your case."

"Have they found anything else?"

"Not much that I know of. Dave was out most of the night searching for video surveillance from the surrounding businesses. He was pretty grumpy this morning, so I'm assuming that was a dead end."

"This whole thing seems like a dead end. I still have no idea what I could possibly have or know that anybody would want. I'm the most boring person I know."

"Boring isn't always bad." Sasha shrugged.

"I guess. Sometimes it feels that way, though. Especially living in this city where people are so unique and fun. I feel like a fish out of water sometimes."

"This city isn't all it's cracked up to be. I've seen the other side of it all too often. Just keep being you; it's what makes you so great." With that Sasha got up and waved on her way out to do a perimeter check. Sasha hadn't spoken that much to Ava since she had met her.

Ava went about making her coffee, and finding something to eat. She heard the front door shut just as she sat down with her English muffin and coffee. Her stomach dropped hoping it wasn't Brian, but at the same time, hoping it was him.

He walked into the kitchen and his eyes immediately zoned in on her. He looked her up and down, causing Ava's blush to deepen. She looked down at her breakfast, but her hunger had vanished.

"Ava." He stood across the counter from her, but she still hadn't met his eyes.

"Mr. Simmons."

"It's Brian, don't you think?"

She nodded; wishing she wasn't so awkward.

"Ava, look at me."

She did as he asked and could see the concern in his eyes.

"How are you feeling today?"

"Fine."

"Just fine? I think I may have to up my game if you're just feeling fine."

"I feel great. I'm just a bit sore is all."

A smirk spread on his face, and she wanted to smack it off of him.

"Did you find anything else out from the detective?" She was desperate to change the topic. He eyed her knowingly but gave in.

"Not much; Dave is going through video surveillance again today. We'll figure out what is going on."

"I wish I could help more. I keep racking my brain, and there's just nothing."

He picked her up and set her on the kitchen counter and then moved in between her legs. He started kissing down her neck, and back up to her lips. She felt like she had whiplash from the sudden change. It didn't stop her from kissing him back, though.

"What did you have in mind for today?" He asked in between kisses.

She pushed him back when he wouldn't stop long enough for her to respond.

"Well if you keep that up, I won't be able to keep a coherent thought."

"That's fine." He tried to lean back in, but she pushed him back.

"There's a banquet tonight at the church you're dealing with. They are holding it trying to get potential benefactors for their scholarship program. We need to go, and we need to be on that list of benefactors, if not the main one."

"I do not want you anywhere near that church or any member of it until this is put to bed."

"Brian, you still haven't convinced me that it has anything to do with what's going on right now. If you want that lot we need to find common ground. You put me in charge of that, and I'm telling you this is how we do that."

"You may be right, but it's not worth the danger."

"How do we know it'll be dangerous? If they are behind all of this, there's no way in hell they'll expect me to walk into their banquet tonight. Besides we'll bring Sasha and Dave."

"You were just shot at last night. Do you not have any self-preservation?"

"I do, that's why Dave and Sasha will be there. Come on Brian, we can't let this job go south on a hunch. What if I'm right and they have nothing to do with this, and we pass up a golden opportunity?"

"The answer is no."

He moved away from her and started to walk out of the room.

"Just because you're used to getting your way doesn't mean I'm always going to cave. I want to go tonight."

He turned around with fury in his eyes, and stormed back over to her.

"When it comes to your life I will absolutely get my way. Every. Single. Time." He growled.

She narrowed her eyes at him. Ava really wasn't sure why she felt the need to poke the bear. The way he just swooped in and started controlling her life was annoying. He took a step forward, so she jumped down off the counter and stood tall. She was still much shorter than him, but she felt stronger on her own two feet.

"I think and I know that I will continue to get my way if it keeps you alive. This isn't a discussion. Besides, you didn't seem to mind my controlling you last night." His eyes were still dark with anger, but she could see the desire starting to creep in. His voice caressed her body, and she had to grip her hands to keep herself from falling prey to the sultry tone.

"That's completely different and you damn well know it."

"Not really. I'll have you begging for it."

"I'll beg over my dead body. Last night was different; we were already in the moment. This is about you trying to control my life. You can't keep me from going to that dinner."

"We'll see about that. I'm still your boss, if you haven't forgotten. If you go to that dinner or anywhere near that church, you're fired." He turned on his heel and left before she could respond.

She wanted to throw something or scream after him. He could be an arrogant control freak when he wanted, but the most annoying part was how much it turned her on. She hated him and she hated her own stupid body. Somehow his control freak habits did seem to entice her.

Ava stormed to his office hoping that hadn't been where he had stormed off too as well. She really had no other place in the house to go to at the time. Even though she wasn't sure how she would get to the banquet if he told Sasha she wasn't permitted to go, she wanted to get the details on it just in case she could slip out.

# Chapter Nineteen

Thankfully he wasn't in his office when she went in. She had a childish urge to slam the door, but she didn't give into it. Instead she opened her emails and started flipping through them searching for the information on the banquet she had emailed to herself. She didn't want to mention to Brian that she had already been in contact with someone at the church. The lady she had been talking to had been open to Ava's ideas of trying to bridge the gap between Brian's company and the church.

She found the email, and realized there were only a few hours before it started. She glanced around the office as if Brian was somehow hiding and watching what she was up to. She flipped through a few more emails that Brian had received overnight. There was one email from the councilman that caught her eye. She hadn't seen an email come through from him before, but since she figured it had to do with the church she wanted to read it. When she clicked on his name, she must have accidentally clicked something different. The screen on her email flipped around and suddenly the emails organized by the sender.

Ava sighed in frustration. Her day wasn't turning out to be the greatest. She scrolled up the screen to try and change the settings and realized there was another email from the councilman. It had come through the Friday before her apartment had been broken into. Even though it was marked read she was positive she had never read it. Right after they had discovered her office broken into she had marked all of Brian's emails as read in frustration. She clicked on it to see if they may have missed something important.

When the email loaded she knew immediately why she had been shot at. If the email was the reason, then they weren't going to stop until she was dead and possibly Brian, too. She jumped up and took off out of the office.

"Brian!" She yelled through the house as she ran up to his bedroom. It was empty. She ran back down and into the kitchen, still no one.

"Brian!" Sasha came around the corner then.

"What's wrong, Ava?" Sasha's hand was on her hip ready to draw her gun.

"I know what's going on. We need to find Brian, where is he?"

"He left almost as soon as they got here."

"Where did he go? Call Dave; we have to get them back here."

"Just slow down, Ava. Tell me what you figured out."

"There's an email. He needs to see it."

Sasha pulled out her phone and called Dave. After a minute Ava threw her hands up. She went back into the office, and found her cell phone. Immediately she dialed Brian, but his phone rang on as well. She slammed the phone back down.

"Why did they leave again?"

"I'm not sure; Mr. Simmons just came and got Dave and said he needed to go check on one of the construction sites."

Ava paced in Brian's office. She desperately wanted to talk to him. Her mind was racing; trying to hold on to a solid thought. Then she realized she had the number for the detective somewhere. She ran up to her bedroom and dumped her purse out on her bed, but wherever his card had been it was gone now. Sasha watched her in silence.

"Let's go to the police station. Surely they'll have some way of contacting Detective Scranton if he isn't there."

"Maybe we ought to wait here for Mr. Simmons."

"Have you tried Dave again?"

"No." Both women pulled out their phones and called the guys; still no answer.

"I'm not waiting. I have no idea where Brian is or why he's not answering his phone. At the very least Dave should be answering his. We need to get in touch with the Detective and show him what I found."

"Can you at least show me before we leave?" Sasha asked motioning for Ava to follow her back down into the office.

Ava hurried back to the office and pulled up the email. Somehow Brian had been emailed from the councilman's email address. Ava was positive the councilman would never want anybody to see the email, though. It was pictures of him with numerous women. One could only assume they were prostitutes of some kind. The pictures didn't leave any detail to the imagination. There was a video at the end, but Ava didn't have the stomach to press play. Sasha stared at the screen, but didn't show any outward emotion. How had someone managed to get an email out from the councilman's email without him knowing? Was the councilman aware these pictures had even been taken let alone leaked?

"I didn't even see them until today; the councilman emailed Brian today, and I wanted to read it in case it had to do with the church banquet. When I clicked on it, I must have hit something that caused my emails to organize by sender. That's when I saw this email. They must assume that I have seen it, Brian also maybe, and that's why they want me dead. I received this email Friday afternoon and my apartment, and we can only assume my office, was broken into shortly after. When they didn't find anything that's why they took those shots at me yesterday."

Ava just kept rambling on, but Sasha still never said a word. She seemed awestruck.

"Come on we need to get this to Detective Scranton."

"No." Sasha finally spoke.

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"We're not going anywhere. You're going to forward the email to me and then delete it."

"Sasha, what the hell? I'm not deleting anything."

Sasha pulled out her gun and pointed it directly at Ava's head. Ava's heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest. She raised her hands in a futile attempt to appease Sasha. Sasha hadn't spoken much since she had taken the job, but Ava thought they had a friendship of sorts. She would have never dreamed Sasha had anything to do with what was happening to her.

"How long have you been in on this?"

"Does that really matter now? Sit down in the chair, and I want to watch you delete that email."

Ava backed into the chair and sat down. She turned herself so she could see the laptop but not have her back entirely to Sasha. She quickly deleted the email and then emptied her trash.

"Your cell phone, too." Sasha urged her.

Ava nodded and then began going through her emails on her phone until she found that one. Once it was deleted, she showed it to Sasha in the trash and then deleted her trash. Sasha nodded.

"Alright now we need to delete this from your boyfriend's computers." A part of Ava had hoped Sasha wouldn't have thought of that.

"I don't know his passwords or anything to his computers."

"I know them. Let's move. We're going to start with the one in his office."

Ava didn't say anything, but she moved towards the door. She kept telling herself over and over again to just keep Sasha happy. The longer she did that the better her chances were at staying alive. Sasha kept the gun trained on her back as they made their way out the door towards Sasha's car.

"You drive." Sasha said pointing her gun towards the driver seat. Ava didn't respond but walked over and slid in behind the steering wheel. Her hands were so sweaty she wasn't sure she could even grip the wheel tight enough to drive.

Somehow she managed to get them out onto the road and headed towards the office. The day was bright and sunny, and it seemed so odd to Ava. The day was beautiful, and more than likely she would die today for something she hadn't wanted to even know in the first place. Seeing an aging man naked having sex with multiple prostitutes wasn't something she ever wanted to see.

"How did the pictures get emailed in the first place?" She figured Sasha wouldn't respond, but she felt the strong need to ask. If she was going to die for something she at least deserved to know the specifics.

"Just drive."

"I think I have the right to know. I'm more than likely going to die because of some mix up. I deserve to know."

Anger was starting to fuel her body giving her confidence. She was no longer shaking in fear, but gripping the steering wheel tightly in fury. She wanted to grab Sasha by the throat and strangle her.

"Someone sent those out blackmailing the councilman. It's my job to retrieve them, and make sure nobody else sees them. I have no idea how they ended up getting sent out."

"That's it. Someone tells you to get these pictures, kill anybody who saw them and then just delete them? What kind of job do you have? You're like a monster for hire?" Ava didn't even care to try and filter her words; Sasha wasn't going to kill her until she got her onto Brian's computer. A thought came to Ava then: if Sasha had the password to Brian's computer then why bring Ava along?

"If you have enough money, you'd be amazed what kind of monsters there are out there willing to do your bidding."

"Hell is full of people who had lots of money. I'm sure they think it's worth it now." Ava spat. Something flashed through Sasha's eyes then for a split second that made Ava think maybe she wasn't a total monster. It was remorse. Ava turned back to the road and slowed down to pull into the parking lot. Whatever Sasha was planning Ava couldn't feel sorry for the woman's soul now. All of her energy needed to be focused on staying alive and keeping Brian alive as well. There was no doubt the only reason Ava was still alive was because Sasha planned on using her as bait to get to Brian.

Sasha had keys to the building and to Brian's office. There really was no reason for her to have waited for Ava for any of this. Sasha motioned with the gun again for Ava to sit at Brian's computer. Ava did as she was told, and then waited for her to give her further instructions. Every second she lingered was just more time for her to figure out how to stay alive.

"Come on, start up the computer. You know the drill."

Ava set about finding the email on Brian's computer. Sasha had to provide the password to unlock the computer. Like a divine intervention, it just so happened that Brian hadn't checked his email on his work computer for a while so the emails were trickling in slowly. Ava waited for everything to load. Sasha paced impatiently, but for once the gun wasn't trained on Ava.

Ava hurried up and pulled up a new email and frantically typed Dave's name. Just as she had hoped his email popped up. She typed in S.O.S. in the header and the word office and hit send. Sasha's eyes narrowed in on her at the sound of the keys tapping.

"I'm just running a search for the councilman's name to try and make this go faster." Ava lied. Thankfully Sasha didn't come over to double check. Ava found the email fairly quickly, and then waved Sasha over.

"There you go, it's deleted."

"Only one other place left. Make the call."

"What are you going to do if he still doesn't answer?" Ava asked stalling.

"Just call him."

Ava reached for the office phone and dialed Brian's number. It rang twice before he answered.

"Ava, where in the fuck are you?" His deep voice was gravely with anger. Ava wanted to close her eyes and soak in his tone.

"I'm at the office, obviously."

"What are you doing there? Ava, are you in trouble?"

Sasha waved the gun to move past the question. Brian's voice was apparently carrying in the small office.

"I'm fine. I just needed to check something. I actually need your help with this project; could you swing by?"

Her voice sounded shaky, but she was trying her best to sound normal. Sasha was back to holding the gun on her.

"I'll be there in five."

"Thank you. Be careful." Sasha slammed her finger down on the receiver button angrily.

"That's enough. Boyfriend will be here soon."

"Sasha, I wish you would explain what is going on. Those emails were sent to us by mistake. Brian hasn't even seen them so why involve him in this. I'm the only person who has seen them just kill me and let him go."

"You think he'd stop searching for why you were killed? I've seen him around you; he wouldn't stop."

"I think you have misunderstood my relationship with Brian. He just feels responsible for me since this all started when I began working for him."

"Really, so he screws all of his employees?"

Ava's face went red with the realization that Sasha knew what they had done last night. Her embarrassment quickly turned to anger.

"What do you get out of this Sasha? What do you want? You want Brian dead; you want me dead? Why fuck about then, why not just kill us sooner? I'm sure you've had plenty of opportunities." Ava slammed her hand down on the desk and stood. Sasha kept the gun trained on her but Ava didn't give a shit about the gun anymore.

"I needed to ensure the emails were deleted first."

"You knew his password, and you've had access to all of this. Why wait for me to find it at all. There's something more going on here."

"It's none of your business. Shut up and stay quiet."

Ava continued to glare at Sasha. As promised a few minutes later she heard the front door bang open. Brian's pace was quick and the footsteps following his were surely Dave's. Ava's fear spiked, and adrenaline coursed through her. Without a second thought she ran around the desk and knocked Sasha back. She ran out into the hall, shutting the office door behind her. It wouldn't buy her much time, but she may be able to at least get back around the corner.

"Brian, run!" Ava yelled as he rounded the corner. Dave immediately pulled Brian back down the hallway and ran towards Ava with his gun pulled.

Sasha came out of the door just then and reached for Ava, but Ava was faster. She lunged towards Dave as shots rang out. Brian hadn't stayed put long because he emerged from the other hallway again and grabbed Ava's hand and pulled her behind him. They ran like hell out of the office building and into Brian's truck.

"What about Dave?" Ava yelled as Brian threw the truck into reverse.

"Dave is a professional; this is what he trains for."

"We can't just leave him in there. She has a gun."

"So does he."

# Chapter Twenty

"What happened?" Brian questioned her as he drove furiously through traffic.

"I went to check my email right after our little argument today, and something happened, and they reorganized by sender. I found an email from the councilman that I hadn't seen before. When I opened it, I found a whole lot of naked and damning pictures. I tried to find you, but you had already left. Sasha rushed to my aid, but when I tried to go see Detective Scranton she pulled her gun on me. She made me delete all of the emails. The only one that's left is on your cell phone. That's why she had me call you." Ava rambled everything out so fast she had to take several deep breaths at the end. Her hands were shaking, and she felt like she was going to throw up.

"Deleting them from our computers won't actually delete them permanently. All of our emails are run through a server, and that server keeps emails stored for up to ninety days, so her attempts were futile. Surely she would know something like that."

"Well it's even stranger, because she had access to our computers and offices this entire time. Why then wait for us to find the email, when we clearly had never seen it before today? Also she wanted one forwarded to her email. It just doesn't make sense."

"That is weird. Hopefully once Dave detains her we can get some answers."

"How do you know she hasn't shot and killed him, and is on the loose right now? Don't you think we should call the Detective?"

Brian's phone rang then.

"Are you okay?" Brian answered in lieu of a greeting. Ava couldn't hear Dave on the other end, but the fact that he was calling was good news.

Brian didn't say much after that just some grunts and then he hung up.

"So Dave's okay?"

"Dave's fine. Sasha is dead so we won't be getting any answers from her. Dave's going to meet us downtown, and we need to see this email."

"Why are we going downtown?"

"There's no way of knowing who she was working for and if she alerted them or not."

"This is freaking crazy. I didn't ask for that email; why in the world should I be the one on the run?"

"I'm not sure those emails coming to us was an accident. I don't know why they would be sent to me, but there's a possibility someone out there knows without a doubt that you've seen it. That makes this an even more dangerous game to play."

Ava slumped back into the seat. The boring life she always felt was so mundane before sounded so good compared to being shot at and on the run. Her parents would demand that she move home immediately if they knew about any of what was happening. Tayler was going to go ballistic.

"Can I call Tayler?"

"Not right now. I'm sorry, Ava, I know she's your closest friend, and she'll be worried. However, we don't know if they have taps on her phone or in your apartment. I think it's safer for you, and for her, if we cut all contact until this is over. That goes for your parents as well."

"I haven't spoken to my parents. They're going to freak. My dad will probably drive down here to move me back home. I don't want to put anybody at risk. Are you sure my parents are safe?"

"We'll have Dave touch base with the guy he has watching them, but I'm sure they're safe. There's no reason for anybody to assume they know anything. Tayler on the other hand, I worry about. She lives with you, and you two share everything. People pick up on that quickly, so we'll have to call Calvin to make sure he has his guard up."

"If you can call Calvin, why can't I call Tayler?"

"Because Calvin won't ask a hundred questions; He'll understand that something's happened to raise our guard, and he'll do the same. Tayler, on the other hand, will want to know where you are, why you're there, and if she can come see you. You see where I'm going with this?"

Ava nodded. He was right; Tayler would want all the specifics, and she wouldn't stop until she had them. Ava felt bad for being annoyed with her earlier. It was comforting to know she had a friend who was so concerned.

Brian pulled into a fancy hotel downtown and parked his truck at the valet station. Ava's stomach turned at the thought of the last valet guy who had tried to get into one of Brian's trucks. Brian grabbed her hand and pulled her into the hotel without stopping. Once he was at the counter, a quick exchange with the guest services person, and they were immediately whisked up to the penthouse suite.

"You come here often?"

"This is where I stayed while my home was being remodeled."

"Fancy. I don't think I've ever been someplace this nice."

"I wish we were here for leisure; I would take you to my favorite restaurant around the corner. It's called the Pelican Club; their gumbo is the best in the city."

She smiled at him. The elevator immediately got a lot smaller when their eyes connected. Her adrenaline from earlier was starting to wear off and all of the emotions she had been fighting were surging forward. Brian must have realized that because his arms wrapped around her and pulled her close. She laid her head on his chest and sobbed. When the elevator doors opened, he simply picked her up in his arms and carried her into the penthouse. He never let go of her as he sat them down on the couch and covered her with a blanket.

"I'm so sorry, Ava. You're safe now. I'm not leaving your side again." He whispered in her ear and kissed her head repeatedly.

Dave showed up not long after. He was bruised and bloody, but none of the blood was his, thankfully.

"Sorry boss, there was nothing I could do about it. It was kill or be killed."

"I understand Dave, I'm glad to have you standing here with me."

"Ava, I know you've been through a lot, but let's have a look at this email. Then Dave can fill us in on what he thinks is going on."

Ava flipped through Brian's cell phone and found the email. While Brian and Dave looked through the photos, Ava wandered around the giant penthouse. When she heard muffled voices she headed back towards them. She hadn't watched the video at the end of the pictures assuming it had been a porno, but her curiosity was peaked with the sound of voices.

"Is that the video at the end?"

Brian nodded but never took his eyes off of the video. Ava walked behind the men and watched for herself.

"You just killed the girl, boss."

"I did no such thing. Who knows what kind of drugs she was on."

"Sir, we tested her before she came over tonight; there was nothing in her system."

"Well, quit staring at me. This is what I pay you to deal with. So go deal with it!"

The councilman was naked in the video and yelling at two men. Apparently they were his goons. One of the women from the pictures was lying on the floor sprawled out clearly dead. Ava gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. Even though the woman hadn't lived a life of purity, she didn't deserve to die that way. The councilman kicked her in the side, and then the video cut off.

"What is going on?" Ava yelled.

"Well, we know now why this email was worth killing for. Now we have to figure out why it was sent to us and how Sasha fits into all of this." Brian said as he stood. Dave continued to look at the email.

Dave got up and went down the hall in the opposite direction of the bedrooms. Ava gave Brian a questioning look.

"He's going to go research. He'll also more than likely be going back through Sasha's background check. He feels responsible since he cleared her. I'm not sure how she got through our security measures; Dave is very thorough."

"We can just add it to the giant pile of crap this whole thing is. I don't understand any of this. Why send you this file?"

"I'm very close with the councilman, and I can't say I'm shocked about the fact that he uses prostitutes. He's never been very subtle about his disdain for his wife. This certainly changes things for me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I do most of my business in his parish. It brings him revenue and numbers that look good for the polls. I can just as easily take my business away and go to one of the neighboring parishes. I could also back his opponent in the next election. Somebody wanted me to see this for these reasons."

"Who shot the video?"

"Huh?"

"You said somebody wanted you to see this for a reason. Well somebody took this video, and from the angle that it's shot from they are standing off to the side. The councilman never makes eye contact with the video feed either. He may not even realize he was being taped."

Brian yelled for Dave. He repeated what Ava had just said. A lightbulb seemed to go off in Dave's mind.

"I've already narrowed down that they're at the motel over behind the Brother's gas station over by the office. I've been in there before when I was NOPD and that carpet and those wall paintings match what I remember. I'll head over there and see if I can't figure out the room. If I can stage this I may be able to figure out who was running the camera. The quality suggests it was a cell phone."

"Maybe it was the other girl. There are two girls in the pictures, but only the one is in the video. If it were me, I wouldn't want to leave without my friend."

"Prostitutes don't have the same kind of loyalty as that. A lot of them are on their own or just with their pimp. Any other prostitute is just competition. It's a good theory, though." Dave said as he retreated back down the hallway. Ava hurried after him. She touched his shoulder to stop him.

"Dave, I hope you don't think that I would ever blame you for what happened. Sasha tricked us, and I'm not sure, but I think she might have been being blackmailed. For a second today she seemed to feel bad about what she was doing." She offered him a smile as well hoping to make him feel less guilty. He just shrugged in return.

"Thanks, Ms. Thorne. I wish I could say that helps me not feel responsible, but it doesn't. Your safety, Mr. Simmons's safety is my job. I failed at that by hiring Sasha."

"You also saved our lives. Thank you for that."

She turned and left him to his own thoughts after that. He was stubborn and obviously not willing to budge on his guilt. Ava did all she could do though. Brian was hovering over his laptop when she got back into the living room.

"Are you hungry? I think I'll order up some food."

"Not really."

"I'll get you something anyway. You need to eat."

"Fine." His controlling ways were back at it. She was too exhausted to care at this point though.

The food didn't take long to arrive, and once she smelled it she realized how hungry she really was. Her belly growled loud enough that Brian looked up at her. His smile annoyed her a little bit because he had been right. Once he set all the food up on the table she could barely contain herself.

Even in the midst of the chaos, Ava couldn't help but wonder if Brian would ever touch her again. The chemistry was still there between them, but he had definitely cooled off. Maybe just one night was all he needed to get her worked out of his system. Guys were like that. Once they got what they wanted they could just as easily move on. Ava, on the other hand, was hooked.

He had found ways to touch her all the time before, and now other than comforting her during her breakdown he hadn't touched her once. She watched him while she ate. He was eating, but still doing something on his laptop, so he hadn't noticed her gawking. Brian had ordered them both giant burgers with fries and salads. Ava ate every last bite. Brian still hadn't looked up from his work.

When she finished, she cleaned her stuff up. With nothing else to do she flipped the television on. It felt like ages since she had watched television. Nothing looked appealing so she ended up on reruns of Friends.

Brian joined her on the couch later. He turned the TV off and pulled her over his lap to straddle him. He pulled her shirt over her head and kneaded her breasts through her bra. She threw her head back in pleasure. Their light kisses and caresses soon turned frantic. She tugged his shirt off and kissed his collarbone and up his neck, stopping to nip him occasionally. He growled in response and then lifted her up and carried her into the bedroom.

Neither of them said a word. What was left of their clothes was easily discarded. Brian wasted no time as he lowered himself and kissed her core. She arched off the bed and immediately wound her fingers through his hair. He knew just where to touch and how much pressure to send her over the edge easily. As soon as her climax subsided, he eased himself inside of her.

"Every time you tell me you don't like the control I have over your body I get hard. Admit you like the control I hold over you.

Ava let her head drop to her chest. His touch was enough to set her on fire. His words were just added ammunition.

"Say it!" He demanded holding himself still inside her.

"Yes! I love it!" She cried.

Never in her life had any man ever made her feel half as good as Brian did. His hand wrapped around her hip and found her core again. He applied just enough pressure to send her over the edge again. He followed soon after shuddering into his climax.

They landed on the bed breathless and satisfied. Brian immediately pulled Ava onto his chest. Her emotions were swirling, and she had so many questions she wanted answered. At the same time, she was afraid if she got answers she didn't want, what it would do to her. Her experience with men had taught her that they rarely had as much invested emotionally as she did. It had never mattered as much to her as it did now with Brian.

# Chapter Twenty-One

"Boss!" Dave shouted as he pounded on the door. Brian shot out of bed, and threw on his jeans. It took Ava a minute to realize Dave was outside the door. Her traitorous face immediately blushed crimson. She was the only adult woman she knew that still blushed like a high school girl over everything. They were all adults, and her and Brian's relationship, whatever it was, wasn't any of Dave's business.

Brian slipped out the door without as much as a backwards glance. Ava tried not to read into his sudden departure, but it was impossible. Was he embarrassed for Dave to have caught them together? Had he kept the door mostly shut while he slipped out so Dave couldn't see her in his bed? Brian hadn't even taken the time to say anything to her or even give her a simple kiss on the cheek.

Ava shook her head. All of those thoughts were foolish school girl thoughts. She was a grown woman capable of having a fling. A fling with her boss at the job she desperately needed not only to pay her bills, but to help her establish a career. To top it all off her affair was right in the middle of her being shot at and chased by thugs after some naked pictures.

"Ugh!" Ava thumped her head down on top of her knees.

"Ava!" Brian's voice boomed from the main room of the penthouse. She scurried out of bed and threw her clothes on from yesterday for lack of anything else to wear.

"What's going on?"

"Dave's updating me on what he's found out so far. I thought you should listen in as well."

Brian was sitting on the love seat, and Dave was in one of the high backed chairs. She wanted to go and snuggle next to Brian, but decided the couch would be safer. He eyed her from the loveseat, but didn't say anything. Her heart pounded for a second as his words from the night before echoed in her mind.

"Go ahead, Dave."

"I couldn't trace the email back to the exact laptop that was used, but I was able to trace the Wi-Fi connection that was used. That Wi-Fi connection came from a McDonalds just down the road from the church. I thought that was a bit too convenient. I pulled the security footage from the McDonalds, and then ran that against the pictures the church has on its Facebook page of their events. I got a match."

Dave pulled out a grainy picture of a man at McDonalds, and then the same man at what looked like a church picnic. Ava picked up the picture and studied it. There wasn't anything overly threatening about the man.

"What makes you think this man didn't just stop in for a cheeseburger?" She asked.

Dave gave her a look for questioning his research abilities, but he softened it with a small smile.

"He has his laptop, and he stuck around for a while."

"Oh I see. Sorry, I'm new at this whole detective thing."

"No worries, every question could help open up a new break."

"Do we know how this man feels about my buying the property next to the church?"

"Actually, yes. His Facebook page isn't set to private, and he doesn't seem to care one way or the other. He thinks the church shouldn't be getting involved with politicians to try and muscle their way into what they want."

"How does he tie in with the prostitutes and the pictures, though? How does your average Joe get his hands on pictures and a video like that?"

"As it turns out he runs the outreach program at the church designed to help women living on the street get cleaned up. He and his wife are close with a lot of the women; even if they don't want to get off the street, they know they can trust him. I just got back from speaking with them, and he said he was given that phone from one of the girls. It's not the other girl from the pictures, though."

"Wow, this is great. Have we told any of this to Detective Scranton? He should be able to arrest the councilman today right?"

Brian and Dave exchanged looks.

"What?"

"That's where this gets interesting. Those girls don't have very nice things to say about Detective Scranton. In fact, he's been known to use and abuse several of the girls on different occasions."

"Oh my gosh; this is nuts." Ava felt like screaming. Would the web ever stop tangling?

"If I'm right, Detective Scranton has known this entire time who has been after you and why."

"What about Sasha?"

"I still have no idea how she ties into this."

"Good work, Dave. Keep me posted." Dave nodded and up and left.

Ava slouched down in the couch. Her head was pounding. Even though they had managed to answer some major questions in the past day, it felt like it led to more. Sasha kept playing over and over again in her mind. That look of regret that she had on her face in the car kept haunting Ava. She squeezed her nose and tried to relieve the pressure.

"You holding up okay?" Brian's voice caressed her. She looked up into his eyes. He was the biggest mystery of all. She knew her feelings were bordering on love, which terrified her. His feelings on the other hand seemed superficial. He liked having her in his bed, and working with him. As far as anything more she couldn't be sure.

"I'm doing okay. I know this is big progress, but doesn't it seem to open up more questions?"

"What do you mean?"

"Detective Scranton? Sasha? If the councilman was the root of the problem from the start couldn't he have just had Sasha get into our computers and erase it all from the get go. If Detective Scranton was in on it as well, would he not have known it was an email they were after and simply take our electronics?"

"Good points. Maybe we can rule out Detective Scranton being a part of any of this then." His facial expression was one of deep concentration.

"So shouldn't we call him and tell him what we've found?"

"That won't be necessary. He's here." Dave said as he strode through the foyer towards the door. He had his gun drawn.

Ava jumped up and looked towards Brian. He stretched his hand out, tucked her behind him and nodded towards Dave. Dave cracked the door as far as the chain would let him.

"Dave, it's Detective Scranton; please let me in. I need to speak with you urgently. Is Mr. Simmons available as well?"

"How did you know we were here?" Dave questioned him.

"I tried you at home and when there was no one there, I tried the office. There was a Mrs. Jones there, and she said you'd be here."

Ava and Brian looked at each other. As far as Ava knew Brian hadn't told anybody where they were. Brian looked over to Dave, and his face alone was confirmation that he hadn't told her either. Brian motioned for Dave to let Detective Scranton in. Ava realized it was also the weekend so there was no reason for Kimberly to be at the office.

"Detective." Brian said as he pushed Ava back down onto the couch. He sat next to her, but he didn't relax. He was on the edge of the couch like he would jump up any moment.

"Mr. Simmons, sorry to bug you while you're away but we've had a development."

"We've had some of our own. What have you found?"

Detective Scranton gave Ava a questionable look.

"Ms. Thorne."

"Hello Detective Scranton."

"Could I speak to you gentleman alone?"

"No you may not." Ava spat before either of the guys could say anything. Something about the way Detective Scranton was looking at her struck a nerve. He was up to something.

"Whatever you have to say you can say in front of Ms. Thorne."

"I'm sorry, but I have to insist that I speak to you without her present."

"You're going to try and pin this on me, aren't you?" Ava threw her hands up in frustration.

"Nobody's pinning anything on anybody. Detective Scranton, you have one minute to explain yourself before I throw you out."

"Ms. Thorne has substantial financial debt, and her family's in a bad way back home. We believe she has orchestrated this entire thing as a way to get close to you. She's obviously succeeded in gaining her way into your home, maybe even further. Your human resources director, Kimberly, said Ms. Thorne even asked you to help her with projects that Kimberly had already helped her with."

Ava's mouth dropped. She could feel her face flush with anger. She could feel all the eyes in the room on her.

"Ava maybe you should step out for just a minute." Brian suggested causing Ava to whip around to face him. His face was void of any emotions. There was no immediate denial that she would never do such a thing to him. He didn't try to reassure her; he simply told her to leave. She looked over to Dave who seemed frustrated, but he offered no voice of reassurance, either.

"That's fine." She yelled as she stormed off down the hall. She hadn't seen the entire penthouse yet, so she had no idea where she was going. All she knew was she wanted away from Brian, far away. He was actually entertaining the idea that she could have possibly been after his money.

She went through what looked like an office, and when she opened the door on the other side she was in a hallway. Without a second's hesitation she left and headed for the stairwell. She never stopped until she was outside. She flagged down a cab, and gave them Tayler's address. The other door on the cab opened then and before she could tell the person it was occupied everything went black.

# Chapter Twenty-Two

"Shut up."

"I will not shut up. This is not part of the plan at all."

"Forget the plan. This is the new plan. You're either on board or you're out. Trust me when I say you don't want to be out."

"Fine, whatever. Now, what do we do?"

"We just have to wait until night, and then we'll move her. We don't want to leave any evidence behind here."

"Jesus, this is a mess."

"Start cleaning things up as best as you can."

Ava tried to come out of the darkness. Her head hurt fiercely, but she knew she needed to try and focus, so she could escape. When she tried to open her eyes her stomach swirled, and she was afraid she'd throw up. She quickly closed her eyes again. She heard voices, but then she sunk back into the darkness.

# Chapter Twenty-Three

Ava felt herself being lifted. Her instincts were screaming for her to fight, but she willed herself to remain still. If she feigned unconsciousness long enough, her chances of escaping would be better. They hadn't bothered to tie her hands or anything. The humid air filled her lungs, and she wanted to cry out in relief to be outside. There was no traffic sounds though. Her fear was rising.

Whoever was carrying her hadn't said a word. They practically threw her into the car. It took even more will power not to catch herself. Thankfully her head didn't hit anything. It was still throbbing from her earlier hit. The footsteps sounded like they were headed back to the house. She strained to listen.

"Why the hell did you put her in the back seat? Put her in the trunk. If she wakes up, we can't risk her fighting us."

"Fine, whatever."

Ava wanted to cry. The idea of being put in the trunk petrified her, but she stifled her fear once more. Newer vehicles typically had pulleys in the trunk that would open them from the inside. She prayed whatever vehicle she was in had one, so she could use it to escape. Running for it sounded like a good idea too, but she knew she wouldn't get far. There were two of them, and they were more familiar with the area. She had no idea where she was, and the injury to her head also put her at a disadvantage.

The person tugged on her ankles to pull her out of the back seat. Then she was hauled up and slammed into the trunk. Her head thudded against something, and she saw stars. Ava tried to fight to stay conscious. Her eyes were watering from the pain, and her stomach threatened to purge its contents.

The car started and jerked forward. She rolled a bit with the movement, and struggled not to get sick. It was dark in the trunk, but there was a bit of light from the taillights. She fought through the pain and sickness and tried to find something that felt like a pulley. After a few minutes of struggling she had to stop. The spinning and sickness was too intense with the movement of the car. Music from the front of the car muffled into the trunk, which so strange to Ava for some reason.

She rested and tried to get used to the carsickness before she tried again. After two more breaks she finally found what she had been searching for. It felt just like she remembered seeing in her mustang the day she bought it. She rubbed her fingers over it again and again in relief. The car had been going straight for a while, but there was more traffic around her now. She was somewhere more populated. Now she just had to wait for her opportunity; jumping out at the speed they were at now would be suicide.

The car slowed then, and made a turn. There was lots of noise, but Ava couldn't figure out what kind of noise it was. It wasn't cars whizzing by though. She waited and tried to listen through the chaos to see if she could hear car doors shut. She couldn't pinpoint any particular noise so she decided it was now or never. She pulled hard on her lifeline, and the trunk flew open. She jumped out and started to move. Her eyes were struggling to adjust to lights and she couldn't seem to bring anything into focus.

Her head was swimming with pain, and her body wasn't responding to her instructions very well. She felt like she was dreaming. Everything was foggy. Ava just kept trying to move forward. No matter what speed, surely someone around would see her, and help her. She wanted to scream, but the sound never came out.

Her legs were moving though, so she just continued to move forward. It felt like she was moving slow, but no one had caught up to her and grabbed her yet, so she just kept moving. Finally, her eyes focused in enough to realize she was at a gas station, a gigantic truck stop type one. She turned her head enough behind her to see Kimberly behind her hot on her heels.

She screamed and this time it burst from her lips loud. Ava headed straight towards a cluster of eighteen-wheelers. She darted in and out of them until she felt she had a good enough head start that she could climb inside of one of them. Luck was on her side because the first one she tugged on was unlocked. She slipped inside and shut the door quietly. A quick glance around the cab told her it was empty. She set the locks and then moved back into the living area of the cab and hid.

Adrenaline had kicked in, and she wasn't feeling her injuries as much anymore. Her mind was starting to fire on all cylinders, and she had hope. Hope that she would get out of this alive.

Minutes ticked by, but it felt like she had been hiding for hours. Every time she heard a sound she wanted to cry. Her mind raced to try and put together why Kimberly would have come after her at all. She desperately wanted Brian, but she knew if she called him, he would probably have Detective Scranton haul her off to jail. The look he had given her told her he didn't fully trust her. He might not have hung her immediately, but there was enough distrust that he was entertaining the idea that she was part of a plot against him.

The tears she had been trying to keep at bay, finally fell. Ava had never felt so alone in her life. Then she remembered she had been headed to the one person she knew would never turn her away before she had been taken. Guilty or innocent, Tayler would never turn her away. She started looking through the truck for a phone. Her dad's friend had been a truck driver, and he had an old school phone in his big rig.

She squealed in delight when she found it. She picked up the receiver and the dial tone was music to her ears. She dialed Tayler's number. It went to voicemail. Tayler never answered for numbers she didn't know. Ava dialed again. Finally, on the fourth call, Tayler's voice filled her ears.

"Tayler! Oh my God, it's you. I need help."

# Chapter Twenty-Four

Tayler and Calvin had been Ava's knights in shining armor coming to her rescue in the big rig. She had no idea where she was so they pinged her location, and came in with the cavalry. Kimberly had been dumb enough to stick around and was arrested on the spot. Her brother had taken off though, and was still on the run. Someone at the gas station had grabbed the license plate on the vehicle when Ava popped out of the back and ran, so the state troopers were confident they'd find him before morning.

"Kimberly was after you from day one. The councilman actually didn't have anything to do with anything that happened to you. It was all Kimberly. She had her brother help her kidnap you. She apparently had her sights set on Brian, and when you started, she could tell he was attracted to you," Tayler explained.

"I don't understand why I was a threat."

"Because he wanted you. She had been obsessed with him for years. His money, his power; she wanted all of it. She was his right-hand woman until he hired you, and that pushed her away."

"So the councilman had no idea we even had those pictures of him?"

"Nope. He does now though, so does everyone else. He was just arrested."

"How did Kimberly come across gun men for hire?"

"Through her brother; he doesn't really run in the most savory of groups. It was all a set up."

"Does Brian know all of this?"

"Yeah, he went crazy when you went missing. He's down at the precinct handing over the evidence on the councilman."

They sat in silence for a moment.

"I thought the hotel industry had some serious hidden agendas. The construction industries got some drama of its own," Tayler said trying to lighten the mood.

"I knew this job would change my life. I just never dreamed in this way."

"What does that mean?"

"He thought I was after him for his money."

"No he didn't. He's crazy about you."

"You didn't see his face when Detective Scranton told him I was broke. And somebody paid my car off, too!" Ava jumped up when she remembered that.

"That was Brian. He paid it off. Detective Scranton is going down for some bad shit that Dave found on him as well. Apparently, Kimberly's brother owed Detective Scranton some money, so she promised once she snagged Brian to pay him off plus some. When you showed up you ruined that plan so they teamed up against you."

"What about Sasha?" Ava squeezed the bridge of her nose and tried to process everything that was happening.

"That's where this gets kind of messy. Sasha's mom was sick, really sick and in a nursing home. Sasha was scraping by trying to keep her mom taken care of. When she saw those pictures of the councilman, Dave thinks she saw an opportunity to not only blackmail Brian, but the councilman as well. Give her enough money to set her mom up real nice."

"What? She told me she worked for the councilman?" Ava rubbed her temples trying to keep up with everything Tayler was telling her.

"That's what Dave thinks. Nothing shows that Sasha had any contact with Kimberly or the councilman whatsoever. The only thing in Sasha's life was her mom. Dave thinks she was going to ransom you to Brian, and then blackmail the councilman with the email."

"Oh my goodness. Poor woman; she just wanted to help her mama, and now she's dead." Ava buried her head in her hands and gave into her emotions. She cried and cried while Tayler held on to her.

A knock on the door pulled Tayler away from Ava. His voice filled her soul before she ever laid eyes on him.

"Ava."

"Brian."

# Chapter Twenty-Five

"I'll just be in the other room," Tayler said as she walked out. Ava wanted her to stay, so she didn't have to face Brian alone. Brian walked around and crouched down in front of her on the couch.

"Do you know how badly I want to take you over my knee right now?"

Ava gasped and her eyes flew to his. His eyes were filled with concern, and they looked tired. Had he been worried about her?

"Ava, if you don't know by now that I love you, then maybe you're not as smart a woman as I thought you to be."

Tears streamed down her face. She tried to hide her face in her hands again, but he stopped her. He continued to look at her the way she had been yearning for since the moment she laid eyes on him. Her tears turned into hiccups. He scooped her up and placed her on his lap.

"I love you, Ava Thorne. If you ever take off on me again, you won't be able to sit for a month."

"I love you, too, Brian."

He stood up with her in tow and headed to the door.

"Wait, I need to tell Tayler goodbye."

"She'll know where you are."

"But!" She tried to argue, but he kissed her into silence.

"It's fine. I need to take you home."

When they walked into his house, Dave was there to greet them. He waved, and turned back towards his office. It reminded her of Sasha, and her sick mother.

"Brian, did they tell you about Sasha?"

"Yes, it's been taken care of." He never stopped as he led her up to his bedroom.

"What do you mean?"

"I've paid for her mother's care. She'll be taken well care of for the rest of her life."

Tears threatened to fall again as Ava stopped and stared at Brian. He turned back towards her.

"I would never do that to you." She whispered. "I am broke. I don't know if you know that or not, but I assume you do since you paid off my car."

"Ava, I never for a second thought you had anything to do with this. Detective Scranton was the one I was after. I thought if I let him think he had me convinced, I could get him to trip up. As for paying off your car, money is not an object to me. I'll pay off all of your debt, your family's as well. You're my family, now. You're the only person I've ever felt connected to. You understand me for me, not just my money. You're smart, and sexy as hell. I'll crawl through hell and back for you."

"I don't want your money. I don't really like that you paid off my car, but there's not much I can do about it now. I can't wait for you to meet my family. They're going to love you as much as I do. I just want you."

He lifted her up and carried her into the room and laid her down on the bed. He crawled into bed next to her and cuddled her on his chest. His hand stroked her back. Ava wasn't interested in sleeping though.

"You're not going to touch me?" She whispered.

"You've been through a lot; I think you need some rest."

After a few minutes of silence his voice washed over her.

"Unless you want me to?"

Ava chewed her lip. Her body had felt battered and abused earlier, but once he touched her all that had gone away. Now, lying on the bed under his gaze, her body grew wet at the thought of him touching her. She wanted to show him just how much he meant to her.

"Yes, please," she whispered.

"Are you sure?" His eyes danced with pleasure.

Instead of answering, she undressed and then got on the bed just as he had put her the first time. He followed suit and then trailed his hands down her body.

"You're so beautiful, Ava."

Her body hummed against him. He slid her underneath of him and planted hot kisses all over her body. They were both desperate to touch each other and reassure themselves they were together for real. This wasn't just a fling; it was real and tangible.

He made love to her slowly. Every touch and kiss was passionate. When he finally picked up her hips and sunk himself inside of her, Ava thought she would die from pleasure. She grabbed his shoulders and matched his pace. Their eyes never left each other's as they crashed into their climax together.

Brian rolled to the side and brought her against him. She laid her head on his chest and listened to his strong heartbeat. Her mother had told her that she would find love one day when she had quit looking for it. Ava hadn't been looking for it when she walked into his office all those days ago, but she had definitely found it. She kissed his chest. Brian tightened his arms around her for a second, and then placed a kiss on top of her head.

Ava fell asleep that night, finally excited for her future.

# Epilogue

"What are you fussing about, Tayler? It's just dinner. Can we please leave now? I look fine."

"You should really consider changing into this dress. Please?"

"No dress. I like my jeans I compromised with the heels. I'm leaving are you coming with me?"

"Fine. Let's go." Tayler huffed but followed Ava out of the room.

Ava's family had arrived earlier that day, but she hadn't seen them yet. Brian had flown them down for her birthday, but they had wanted to take a nap before going to dinner. Ava was anxious to see them. When she had told them everything that had happened, they had wanted to fly down immediately. Brian had held them off for her. She was nervous because her parents didn't know she was living with Brian. Her life with Brian was amazing, and she didn't want her parents' disapproval to ruin that.

She had gone back to work at the company, but Brian had promoted her to public relations. They had managed to find common grounds with the local pastor thanks to Ava's finesse. Brian had ended up conceding in the end and building onto the church for free. They had found another property two blocks down that he could use to build his townhomes.

Their relationship with the church had blossomed even further thanks to Ava's insistence. Simmons Construction was now the benefactor to their scholarship program. Brian hadn't wanted to do more than he had already done for them, but Ava pointed out the pastor had clout. Brian was friends with most council members, but the pastor had a large congregation full of voters, and the councilmen would never jeopardize that relationship. If Brian wanted to continue building in Jefferson Parish it was better to have the pastor on their side.

Kimberly was in jail along with her brother. It all seemed like a bad dream to Ava now looking back. Brian had taken months to agree to let up on security. Dave was still around as always, but Ava was finally able to go see Tayler without a body guard. Tayler still had Calvin close by, which seemed to annoy her more than it should. Ava asked her if there was something more going on several times, but Tayler shot the idea down every time. Ava still wasn't convinced.

Brian still refused to call his parents. Ava had given up. The man knew who he was, and he didn't have any apologies about it. She knew if his parents ever called and needed him, he would help them. He cared, he just didn't see the point in trying to force the relationship. Ava knew when to let a sleeping dog lie. She hoped one day in the future though she would get to meet them.

When they walked into the restaurant, Tayler immediately excused herself to the restroom. Ava followed the hostess back through the empty restaurant to the private room Brian had booked. Brian's money still overwhelmed Ava, and she was constantly telling him to back off when it came to buying her outrageous things.

"Slow night, tonight?"

"I'm sorry, Miss?"

"There's no one else here."

"Oh that. Mr. Simmons rented the entire restaurant."

"He did what?"

Ava rolled her eyes. She wasn't sure why she was even surprised. The hostess opened the door, and Ava's jaw dropped. The room had been completely filled with flowers and twinkling lights. Brian stood in the middle of the room in a suit. She immediately wished she would have worn the dress Tayler had picked out.

Brian hit one knee then, and Ava could hear movement behind her. She assumed it was her family and Tayler. As much as she wanted to greet her parents her eyes were locked on Brian. His hand extended out with a small box. Her knees felt like they would buckle at any second.

"Brian?"

"Ava Thorne, love of my life. I never dreamed I would have a partner like you to spend my life with. Your love and your spirit make me a better man. Would you do me the honor of spending the rest of your life with me?"

Ava walked the rest of the way over to him. Through tears she nodded. He picked her up and spun her around, laughing the whole time. Once he had the ring secured on her finger, her family and Tayler swarmed them.

"Mom, Dad! Did you two know about this?"

"Yes, he took us today to help pick out the ring, and ask your father's permission." Ava could tell her mom was already head over heels for Brian.

"Hey baby girl. It's good to see you so happy!" Her dad pulled her into a big bear hug. Tears sprang to Ava's eyes; she was so overwhelmed with joy.

Tayler poked her in the back then." I told you, you should have worn that dress." She teased.

"You didn't tell me why!" Ava pulled her into a hug.

Tayler just shrugged. Her smile was bright, and Ava could tell she was genuinely happy for her. Ava was so thankful to have a friend like Tayler. She hoped one day Tayler would find a man who made her as happy as Brian made Ava.

Then another couple stepped into the room. For a split second Ava didn't know who they were. She looked over to Brian then, and instantly realized it was his parents. Brian didn't seem overly emotional about seeing them, but the fact that they were there was huge. Ava hugged him tight before she went over to introduce herself.

"Hello. I'm Ava Thorne."

"Miss Ava we've heard so much about you. My name is James, and this is my wife Vicki."

"It's so good to finally meet you."

Brian joined her, and his mom hugged him tight while his dad gave him a few affectionate whacks on the back. Ava could feel the tears in her eyes as she watched them all together.

"It's so good to see you, baby. My how handsome you've become." His mom said in a hushed voice.

"This place looks fancy. Did you build this one?" His dad asked as he looked around.

"Actually I did." Ava hadn't known that, so she started looking around as well.

Everybody sat down at the big table, and conversation and wine flowed freely. Brian's parents were so carefree that Ava couldn't help but love them. Their stories of the adventures they had been on were fascinating. Ava's parents hit it off with his parents as well. The entire evening was probably Ava's favorite night of all time. It was definitely a story she was going to tell their children about.

After dinner everybody was still standing around talking in the parking lot. Apparently, Brian's parents had decided to stay in town for a while, and would be parking their camper van on his property. Ava's heart felt like it would pop out of her chest. She was so excited to get to know them better, and have them be a part of Brian's life. Her own parents were staying in town for almost a month.

When Ava finally stepped back Brian was watching her again with all the love and desire she could ever want from a man.

"I love you, Brian."

"I love you, too, Ava."

Keep flipping for a sneak peek into Tayler's story...Hidden Enemies
Sneak Peek of Hidden Enemies

Tayler's Story

# Chapter One

"Go blow yourself dirt bag!" Tayler yelled as she slammed the door on yet another lousy date.

When she walked further into her apartment Calvin, the bodyguard her father appointed to her from time to time, was standing in her kitchen making himself a sandwich. It had been a while since her dad had assigned Calvin to her so seeing him aroused her suspicions. Her day had been shit followed by her even shittier date, so she decided to blow off whatever reason her dad had for moving Calvin back into her apartment.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, knowing he'd never give her the reason.

"Your dad's working some new big deal. You know how paranoid he gets during negotiations. Lucky you; I got assigned to babysitting duty again." He said with a smirk.

She flipped him the bird in response and then headed down the hall to her bedroom. Calvin would have already set his stuff back up in her second bedroom. She much preferred her old roommate and best friend, Ava, to be there, but Ava was off with her new husband playing house. Tayler was happy for Ava; she deserved her happily ever after.

She didn't mind Calvin as far as a security detail. He was far better than some of the security details the rest of the family got. The bigger problem was the fact that he was dangerously sexy. He had blonde hair that laid perfectly against his tan skin. The muscles on his body were something straight out of an Abercrombie and Fitch magazine- but bigger and so much better. He knew it too, which annoyed Tayler to no end.

In the mood to pick a fight, Tayler turned around and made her way back into the kitchen.

"Do you normally just let yourself in and then eat people's food?" She asked, slamming her purse down on the counter.

"First off, it's my job to be here and have access to your place. Second, this is my food. I brought it because you never have more than just makeup in your fridge. Who pissed in your Cheerios tonight?"

"No one you'd know. And I'll have you know that helps preserve my makeup. This humidity wreaks havoc on it."

"No judgement, just defending myself."

"I can cook." She said defensively. Nothing made her more defensive than Calvin acting like she was some spoiled rich girl without any skills or intelligence.

"Never said you couldn't." He responded neutrally.

"I don't need this crap tonight!" Tayler said, turning to go back to her room.

Calvin held his hands up in surrender, but didn't say anything. Tayler took in the goofy but sexy smirk on his face and then looked down at his sandwich. Since she hadn't been able to stomach dinner with her awful date she was starving. She snatched up his sandwich and ran like hell to her room.

"Hey Brat that's my sandwich!"

Tayler kicked the door shut and hurried to lock it. She took a big bite of the sandwich as she walked victoriously over to her bed. Her phone pinged from her bag, so she dug it out. Ava was texting her to see how her date had gone. Tayler rolled her eyes again at how horrible a person the guy had been.

She typed out a quick reply.

Terrible, we didn't even make it to dinner. I'm currently eating Calvin's sandwich.

Her phone pinged with a response almost immediately.

Calvin? Sorry about the date, love.

Yeah, he was here when I got home. Apparently, Dad wants him to play bodyguard again while he works out the new hotel deal he's got going. No biggie, you know me, I like the single life.

Tayler didn't really prefer the single life, but letting on that she did helped people not feel sorry for her. Now that she was pushing thirty and still single, people seemed to think she was miserable. Tayler wanted to find a lifelong partner to share her life with, just like every other person on the planet. However, she wasn't miserable. Her life was full of great people and things to be thankful for.

Her phone pinged again.

Okay, let me know if you need anything. I'm off to bed. Love you.

Love you too. Spank that hot boy toy's perfect ass for me.

Ava sent back the eye rolling emoji, and Tayler laughed. Brian was the epitome of a husband, and Tayler loved to tease Ava about it, mostly because Ava was so easy to rile. The least little thing said, and Ava usually blushed.

As Tayler finished Calvin's sandwich, she tried to picture the type of man she would end up with. He'd need to be tall, Tayler figured. She liked to wear heels so dating someone too close to her height was out of the question. Preferably he'd be established with a career, home and a retirement account. Not that Tayler was looking for a sugar daddy, but a guy who was saving showed maturity. Tayler preferred blonde, with a nice body and a good sense of humor. Most importantly she wanted a man who would be able to have fun with her.

So many of the men she dealt with at her job were too stuffy. They were all suit and tie men. There was nothing wrong with that, but Tayler needed someone a bit more lax to keep up with her carefree nature. Just like she had stolen Calvin's sandwich; she wanted her future husband to be able to laugh and joke with her.

At the thought of Calvin, she pictured him making himself a new sandwich and she couldn't help but laugh. Then she realized Calvin had blonde hair, a nice body and they were always laughing together. Then she laughed a little harder. If there was one thing she was certain of it was that she and Calvin were more like siblings. They'd been through too much together over the years that he had worked for her family.

Tayler undressed and flipped her lights off. She drifted off to sleep to the sounds of Calvin watching television in the living room. The habit annoyed her. More times than not, Calvin annoyed her. Just like she assumed an older brother would.

# Chapter Two

"Where are you going with this, Tayler?" Calvin asked as he navigated them through early morning New Orleans traffic.

"All I'm saying is, if you're going to watch tv at least make it something I would enjoy listening to."

Calvin didn't have to respond or be visible for Tayler to know he was rolling his eyes. She smiled to herself. Annoying him was one of her favorite hobbies. Her phone pinged with an email alert. The project she had just finalized was set for its grand opening at the end of the week, and the caterer needed the final head count. Tayler blew out a frustrated breath.

With her dad off in another country, she wasn't sure who he had invited. She forwarded the email to Emily, her father's assistant, with a note that she needed her dad's guest list for the event. Being project manager mostly meant ensuring all of the hotels being built stayed on budget and were finished in time. The crap that came after was public relations fluff that got passed off to Lacy.

After her phone swished with the confirmation of her email being sent, Tayler looked out the window. Having grown up in New Orleans, there wasn't much of the city she hadn't seen. Things changed from time to time, but the city was mostly always the same. There was the Quarters downtown full of crime and tourists. Old Metairie where all the old families lived that wanted to keep to themselves and preserve the old way of life. Then there was East Jefferson, which was the mainstream business district. West Jefferson housed most of the industry and had its fair share of crime.

Tayler lived in an overpriced apartment in East Jefferson. After Ava's room had been broken into in her last apartment, she hadn't been able to sleep. With a quick call to her real estate agent, she had found her new, yet still overpriced, apartment overlooking one of her favorite shopping plazas. Aside from Calvin living with her whenever her father got paranoid, she loved her new place.

Calvin slammed on the brakes after being cut off. A few unsavory cuss words flew off his lips as he maneuvered around the culprit. Tayler giggled. Calvin was normally laid back and quiet. Seeing him lose his shit while driving was one of Tayler's favorite things.

"You laugh, but we could have died."

"You're such a baby. We didn't die. Now, how much longer until we get there? I have a meeting at nine."

"Then you should have gotten up earlier. You know how long it takes if we don't leave before seven."

"You're always whining," she mocked.

Calvin finally slowed down and pulled into the parking garage of her father's very first hotel. It was also the location for their home office. Tayler loved working out of the hotel. There was something inspiring about being where it had all started. Her father, and their company, Kline Industries, now owned over twenty-five hotels nationwide and three internationally. If her father, Dexter, got his way they would double those numbers in the next five years.

"Thanks for making me late, jerk," Tayler joked as she hustled through the parking garage to the elevator.

"Hey I'm your bodyguard. You can't just go strutting off without me. I'm supposed to open the door for you, too. You know how this works, Tayler," Calvin scolded.

"Oh please. You said yourself this is just my dad being paranoid," Tayler shot over her shoulder.

Calvin caught up to her in the parking lot elevator. They both reached to hit the button at the same time, touching fingers. A jolt of electricity shot up Tayler's arm causing her to yank it back. Calvin hit their floor and then took his normal spot in between her and the doors.

Tayler took in Calvin's relaxed dress. He had on a plain black t-shirt that looked like it had been custom made for his body. It was tucked into his dark jeans that hugged everything he had going for him from the waist down. He always had on a pair of tennis shoes. Nothing annoyed Tayler more than his tennis shoes. A man should have three sets of shoes at the least; tennis shoes for the gym, dress shoes for work and functions, and something for summer either some kind of sandal or flip flops.

Calvin had none of those things. All he ever wore was tennis shoes. She had berated him many times over it, but he never changed. That was one thing Tayler loved about Calvin. He never changed. He was always there, always reliable, and always able to make her laugh.

The elevator jolted to a stop. Tayler grabbed the handle to steady herself.

"That was a rough stop," she said.

After a few minutes of the doors still not opening, Calvin hit the button.

"I don't think we're on the right floor. Something must be going on with the system. Let me page Gary."

"Maybe just try to hit the floor button again. I hate to bother Gary," Tayler suggested.

Calvin did as she suggested, but nothing happened. Then Calvin hit the call button, but that too went unanswered. Tayler dug her cell out of her purse, but she didn't have any service.

"Well I guess we're stuck here until Gary answers our page, huh?"

"Something's not right," Calvin said still tense.

"Don't overreact. This building is old; I'm sure it's fine."

Calvin put his ear to the door, and gestured for Tayler to be quiet. She rolled her eyes, but didn't say a word. Then he pulled out his cell phone and started typing.

"Hey, you have service?" She asked taking a step closer to him.

He didn't answer, but she watched as he accessed the security cameras to the hotel. Two men dressed in black with hoods over their face ran down a stairwell. They stopped several times pulling something from a bag and leaving them in various hallways.

"We've got to get the hell out of here!" He said, shoving his phone back in his pocket.

# More Books by this Author

Hidden Enemies

Exchange of Power (Book 1 of the Power Duet)

Weight of Power (Book 2 of the Power Duet)

Retribution

Hardwired

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