*Ava*Of course the “house” Liam rented is actually a mansion.A mansion with more than one private chef, it turned out, and all three of them tried to outdo each other at breakfast, much to Liam’s and my delight.I confess I was a little unfair to Liam this morning, letting my robe drop open just enough to show a lot of cleavage when the staff left us to eat.Liam’s eyes twinkle, and I know he plans to get me back for that later today.He does grope me back in our bedroom while I’m changing, and I’m surprised he leaves it at a single breast squeeze.“You must have something special planned for today,” I remark as he pulls on a nice, black cashmere sweater over a pair of khaki-colored pants.I’m especially sure of it when I help him with his belt and all I get is a pointed clearing of his throat.“I thought we’d explore the city. I want to see Chicago through your eyes,” Liam says.I blush. “What a sweet thing to say.”Liam circles his arms around me. “I mean it.”
*Ava*Liam smooths his hands over my hips, looking at me in the mirror. The skirt is already hugging me perfectly, but I know my boyfriend just wants to touch me. I smile at him as I hook in my earrings.“Do you like it?” I ask, meaning the pencil skirt.“It’s good enough to eat,” Liam replies, meaning me. He leans in and kisses my neck, and I find myself giggling and swatting him away.“We’ll be late!” I whisper-yell at him. “We can’t be late for Dad’s trial.”Liam sighs and skims one disappointed hand over my ass, then raises his hands in surrender.“Good boy,” I grin, patting him on the head.“Oh … we’ll be discussing THAT later…” Liam rumbles, his eyes smoldering.My throat goes dry. Yes, I’m sure we will be.Liam shrugs into his suit jacket, then holds out his arm to me.I place my hand in the loop of his arm and go down to the town car with him.I’m glad I wore a pencil skirt once we’re sitting side-by-side in the back seat because as much as Liam wants to p
*Catherine*“Well, that’s … disappointing,” I seethe at the television screen.Joseph Williams hugs his daughter, that brat Ava, on the courthouse steps in Chicago. Standing next to them…I lick my lips. Standing next to them is my new target. James Kincaid is not nearly as big a fish as Liam Johnson, much as he likes to grandstand about his position. I might not have been able to swim with the whales, but Ava’s sure doing a good job climbing the ladder.It baffles me because she’s not even pretty. She doesn’t take care of herself like I do.I’m the one who should be getting all these men. But now, well, my youth is behind me, and it’s clear men like Liam Johnson and James Kincaid are only interested in women half their age.Bitterness swamps me. I was still better looking than Ava Williams any day of the week, and back in my heyday, I was fucking gorgeous. Seeing these men falling all over themselves for that scraggly little brat was just … infuriating.They’d never t
*Liam*The plane finally touches down, and I’m relieved to have made it to New York. I hope Ava can finally relax now that her father is safe and we can find ourselves a sense of normalcy.My phone starts ringing as soon as I walk down the steps of the plane, one foot touching the tarmac. I immediately take the call, calling hello into the phone to a number I don’t recognize. I get a lot of business calls from people so it could be anyone. But I am not expecting the voice I hear on the other line.“This is your last chance. I’m offering you one final out, your chance to walk away from Ava and let her be with the better man.”Noah.My nostrils flare, but I quickly put on a façade when Ava looks over at me.“Who’s calling?” she asks, her breath airy. I can tell the weight that has been lifted off her shoulders is making her much happier. Her father being found innocent on charges that so obviously were set up should make her feel as though she’s floating. I know how much h
*Ava*It feels good to get ready for work. I may still be staying at Liam’s, but it’s all temporary. I’d love to discuss staying here, but only if he wants to. I’m not sure how to broach the subject, honestly. But I wouldn’t have been able to get through any of this without him. So, somehow, I’m going to have to figure out my way to the question.Once I’ve reached the building, I look around for Noah. Since I’ve been in Chicago, I haven’t worried too much about him. But now that I’m back, I can’t stop wondering if he’s lurking around every corner. I don’t spot him anywhere. I check over my shoulder and try to notice anything suspicious periodically. Nothing. Maybe Liam really did scare him away. I wasn’t sure it could be done, but I’m glad I finally have a moment to exhale. One less thing to worry about. I get back into the swing of things, chatting it up with my co-workers, enjoying the work I’m doing. I’m feeling myself thaw little by little. It’s a great feeling, one I
*Ava*Once I’ve gotten ready for work, I say goodbye to Liam.“I’ll have a tail on you while we figure all of this out. We’ll figure out this entire thing once and for all, put it all behind us,” Liam tells me before I’ve left the house. “I love you.”I kiss him, telling him I love him, too. Feeling more secure now, I head out to work feeling lighter. I don’t notice the tail Liam put on me, thankfully, which made it easier to concentrate on my work. If Lilian knows anything about my ‘tail,’ she doesn’t say anything. She treats today like any other day, which is … nice. I don’t want my job to know I have a stalker.Maybe I’ll meet Liam for lunch today. It would be nice not to eat alone.As though summoned by my thoughts, my work phone rings, and a familiar voice that seeps through me like warm honey comes on the line.“Hello, my love,” Liam says and I find myself blushing at my desk. “How is work going today?”“Liam!” I hiss into my phone, looking up to see Lilian just
*Ava*“Ah, Ava,” Catherine says, a bite to her tone. She’s wearing her Louis Vuitton heels, which I know from the flashes of red I can see when she walks. She wears a black tank top and a pair of black jeans to match, looking much more put together than Noah does in his dirty t-shirt and jeans. “It’s not nice to see you, but whatever.” Of all the people Noah could have brought into this, how did it end up being Catherine? They’re from completely different walks of my life. What would have brought them together in the first place?Even though I have no idea how she got here, I’m genuinely not even a little bit surprised Catherine has found a way to insert herself into something in my life that might benefit her. She was always very good at that.She continues talking, looking off to the side as if pulling from a memory. “But, I’m very happy you’re here. Now instead of trying to use your nothing father, I can use you. I mean, he was never worth anything to me. Good riddance to h
*Liam*Ava’s gone.The man I had guarding her didn’t notice anything. But when I went to pick her up, she didn’t answer my texts, didn’t show up, nothing.Now I’m on the verge of having an aneurysm, no clue if Ava’s safe, or…I swallow, knowing dwelling on the what-ifs is dangerous.The cameras in the lobby of her building have been tampered with. I spend a solid five minutes screaming at the man who’s supposed to be protecting her, but he just stands there, stoic, taking the insults and anger.It’s not very often I raise my voice like this. Keeping something of a cool head around others is important to me. Ava’s really been one of the only people I’ve allowed to see me lose even something of a temper.But the tail, Victor, just listens. He understands the severity of the situation, and when I finally take a breath and have nothing left to say, I point to the building. “Go find her!”He does what I say, and I groan, running my hands through my hair. I can’t believe this