ALL FOR AVA 4

Seeing Reiss’s doppelganger had brought intense emotions out of me. It felt like I had fallen into a darkened cave where I was attacked by thousands of bats all at the same time, leaving me breathless, defenseless, mindless, all at a speedy rate. In seconds, it felt like I was in a time warp, transported back to the summer that had changed my life. The summer that had taught me the grandest lesson of all … And that was to never underestimate the power of love. It yielded such incapacitating power it could easily blind even the strongest and bravest kind amongst us beings. We were its muse and its victims, gambling our fates as it chose its next mark. I was one of the lucky lot chosen to be doomed by it. Chapter 4 Craig “Have the car ready, will you, Emily?” I directed my PA through the speakerphone, readying to leave the office. I was about to close the lid on my laptop when Emily’s clipped, refined voice came through the device. “There’s an Ava Westwood who refuses to leave, even though I insisted she make an appointment before being allowed to see you, Mr. Chambers.” Bollocks! “Why the hell did I have to give her my name,” I hissed, knowing well enough that the last thing I needed was to be polite at the end of this strenuous day. If Ava could surpass Emily’s glacial glares and dismissive attitude, it meant that she truly wasn’t going anywhere. Emily was a secret weapon, most handy when I didn’t want to deal with uninvited visitors. Resigned, I thought it better I deal with this right this moment. “Send her in, and you can take your leave right after. That will be all. Thank you, Emily.” “Thank you. Have a lovely evening, Mr. Chambers.” She sounded appreciative. I was almost certain she was relieved I didn’t ask it of her to stay in the office while I took care of this unexpected visitor. Reaching to squeeze the back of my neck, I closed my eyes for a brief moment to release some tension. I listened to the sound of high heels echoing down the hall before I heard the soft opening and closing click of the door then silence. “Ava,” I rasped out, unsure if I should open my eyes and admire her beauty or if I should keep them shut so she’d know she wasn’t welcome and couldn’t stay for long. In the end, my eyes opened when I heard her sweet voice. “Sorry. I’m not usually a bugger, but I had this random urge to make you something. It’s my way of apologizing,” she nervously said as she bit her lip and shifted her feet, gazing upon me with an expectant look. She held a gift box with a black bow, lifting it a little to indicate the purpose of her visit. There was something about her tone that made me thaw a little. Her random gesture touched something in me. When was the last time anyone had gone out of their way to do anything for me, may it be simple or complicated? And she had done it without expecting anything in return. Lovers, girlfriends—they all did things to accomplish something. Most times, those “gifts” showed up in the credit card bill at the end of the month. I hadn’t thought I’d be truly touched by this, yet I was. With my curiosity piqued, I gestured her forwards to see what she meant by ‘made something.’ A shy smile played about her lips as she came forward, heading to where I stood frozen, watching her every move. She wore a sleeveless, fitted, powder blue dress with pearls on her ears. She appeared demure, beguiling, and completely irresistible. “Here.” She shyly handed me the box, seeming quite pleased with herself. “I hope you like chocolate.” I’d devour anything you want me to eat, my wicked mind enlightened me just as my cock surged forth, clearly thinking of a different agenda, with chocolate icing and a lot of nipping and sucking. “This is very kind of you,” I rasped out, sounding a little rough. “Thank you for going out of your way to do so.” “Not quite going out of my way. I took your advice and Googled you, and since your office is just a walking distance from the hotel, I thought an edible treat would be a marvelous way to apologize for my behavior three nights ago.” She had a cute way of saying things, and I found myself smiling down at her. “The hotel let you use their kitchens?” I teased, finding it hard to resist when she blushed with her eyes sparking like it was Christmas morning. There was an air of gullibility about her, yet her coming here spontaneously had proved she didn’t follow the rules, even though she wore class and elegance with apparent ease. “My friend Allie took pity on me and let me use her kitchen for a few hours. It’s nothing much, just a small chocolate torte.” Ava openly stared at my face, seeming lost in thought as she gazed at me with longing in her eyes before I cleared my throat to snap her out of her trance-like state. “Sorry. I’m not usually odd like this. I’m quite easy to be around, I promise,” she apologized, blushing ten times harder than the last time. Smirking, I didn’t want to argue her statement. I was almost positive she was a lot of things. “I don’t doubt it.” “I swear … really.” Biting her lip, she seemed to ponder for a moment before she opened her mouth as her eyes sought mine, and she finally blurted out, “How about if you let me take you out for coffee? Perhaps even for a quick nibble?” I was about to decline when she interrupted me. “I understand if you’re busy tonight with prior engagements already, but I feel like I must explain myself fully or even just a fraction so you could have a better understanding about all of this. I swear I won’t bore you to tears.” Ava was right. I did have reservations for dinner tonight with Hilary, my current lover. She adored the process of beautifying herself so much she’d start to get ready about three hours prior to when I was due to get her. She was a stunning, sweet woman who sometimes had a tendency of being overly clingy. Apart from that, however, Hilary was compliant and didn’t make it a habit to know the ins and outs of my business life. The last thing I needed was to take my work with me when I was out playing and de-stressing my worries away. Declining Ava’s invitation didn’t seem appropriate, because she was the sort you didn’t want to disappoint. As much as I wanted to say no, my mouth had a mind of its own. “Would half an hour do?” “Yeah, half an hour is lovely!” She beamed, sounding breathless at my acquiescence. My left hand itched to run through my hair, which usually helped ease me when I was confronted with something I wasn’t so sure about. Instead of following my instincts, I resorted to slipping my hand inside the pocket of my trousers while the other hand held the box with her handmade dessert in it. 4/65***prbxselfnetwork***...........