Chapter 2 : An Unexpected Change

After crawling out of bed I head to the bathroom. My feet slap against the slate floor as I walk with my eyes half closed. I don’t know if I got too much sleep, or not enough, but my head is killing me. A hot shower should fix it. I moan as I catch my reflection in the bathroom mirror. My hair is a mess and I have actual bags under my eyes.

It appears the older I get, the less tolerant my body becomes to travel. I run my fingers through my hair and turn the shower on full blast. My pajama bottoms drop to the floor and I kick them aside before stepping under the waterfall shower head.

The warm water does its job as the stiff muscles in my back begin to loosen. I grab my luffa and a bar of soap before going to work on the cleaning process. As I wash, it becomes obvious I need to tend to some manscaping. I find that most women appreciate a man who is willing to take the time to make himself presentable. Lord knows enough women put the extra effort forward, so why shouldn’t I?

My kit is in the oversized shower on the back wall, and I grab it and get to work. In no time at all I have a nicely manicured package that is clean and tangle-free. I wrap the towel around my waist and walk back into the bedroom. A quick glance in the mirror confirms that the shower did the trick. I no longer look like I haven’t slept in a week. My blue eyes sparkle and the bags that had weighed them down are no longer present.

Opening the closet causes the automatic light to click on. I have a plethora of choices as far as clothing goes, the issue is figuring out the weather. London is currently transitioning from winter to spring. That means the day will start foggy and cool before warming up in the afternoon. I opt for comfort over fashion today. A pair of sweatpants, a short-sleeved T-shirt, and a cardigan will work just fine for what my day holds.

After slicking my brown hair into position I hurry into the kitchen. Dr. Davies’ office opened at nine and it’s already going on ten.

I grab a bagel that I brought last night and make my way out to the garage. I had pulled my Range Rover out of storage before my trip to New York. The garage door slides up, revealing the freshly washed white SUV waiting for me right where I left it. I pull out of the garage and wait for the door to close before heading down the long driveway.

My neighbor, Ray, is grabbing his garbage bin as I pull onto the street. I wave and tell myself to swing by when I get home to thank him for getting my mail while I was gone. Ray has always been a reliable neighbor. He isn’t overly chatty, which I like, and he’s always willing to lend a hand when I need it. I chose this neighborhood because of its location. I like being far enough away from London to have privacy, but close enough to get into the city quickly.

The neighbors around here keep mostly to themselves. We look after one another’s property, the events that took place last night with Jason flash in my head as a perfect example. The houses have enough distance between them to be private, but they are close enough to keep from feeling completely isolated.

The door dings as I step inside. Usually, I would have just called, but his office is on the way to pick up Zeus. The room smells of coffee and it makes me wish I had stopped by the cafe down the street to get my daily fix. As I round the corner into the waiting area, I freeze. Normally, Matthew would be sitting behind the desk taking phone calls and making appointments, but not today.

Instead, the most curious-looking woman is sitting in his chair typing away at the computer. She doesn’t look up or even acknowledge my existence from across the room. Her dark green eyes are glued to the screen in front of her. The woman’s auburn hair is neatly collected into a tight bun on the top of her head with a few stray pieces curling around her face.

She has on a long skirt that almost touches the floor and a loose-fitting blouse that she’s dressed up with an oversized cardigan. Her outfit leaves everything to the imagination. This is definitely a surprise, and a nice one if I say so myself. Walking over to the desk I stand quietly, watching her work. She finishes typing and finally gives me her attention.

“May I help you?” she asks, lifting her brow.

The act itself isn’t anything special, but for some reason, I find it difficult to remember why I’m standing in front of her desk. This mysterious woman has me captivated and I don’t know why.

“Sir?” she asks, showing concern for my lack of answer.

“Sorry, I’m getting over some jet lag. My name is Seymore, Seymore Lewis,” I reply calmly, waiting for her to recognize the name.

The Lewis name is well known, and no matter where I go people tend to treat me with respect because of the family name. I must be a little off my game today, as the woman in front of me gracefully brushes a curly strand out of her face with the back of her hand and continues staring at me.

“Okay, that’s a good start. What can I do for you today, Mr. Lewis?” she asks, turning back to her computer as if I just gave the name Smith.

“Please, just call me Seymore,” I reply with a smile.

She doesn’t look impressed or in the least bit interested. Usually, one of my smiles would at least be infectious enough to gain a smile in return.

“I took a trip out of town for a while and missed my last appointment with Dr. Davies. I was hoping he might have an opening today and be able to see me. It’s kind of… urgent,” I reply, stressing the importance of needing to see him.

“Dr. Davies is booked up today, but I do see the missed appointment from last month. He takes emergency appointments at eight o’clock in the morning before the office opens. If you would like, I can set you up with one for tomorrow,” she says, still not showing any kind of interest.

“That would be fine if it’s all you can offer. So, I will see you tomorrow then…” I state, leading on that I would very much like a name to put with her pretty face.

“Ava, Ava Brown,” she replies quietly. “I will let the doctor know you will be in to see him in the morning. Please don’t be late,” she adds before going back to her work.

I take one more good look at Ava before heading for the front door. My thoughts are starting to run wild and the desire to see what’s underneath all her layers is nagging. I try to be respectful of women, even when my urges take over. That being said, the image of Ava Brown bent over her mahogany desk as I take her from behind is at the forefront of my mind right now.

I climb back into the Range Rover, opting to forgo a coffee from the cafe down the street. An erection is pressing against my sweatpants and would be slightly distracting if I chose to indulge in a hot beverage right now. Thoughts of what Ava might sound like in the throws of pleasure are only making things worse. Zeus, I need to go pick up Zeus.

I pull into the narrow driveway and take a deep breath. The curtains in the front window move and Zeus’ deep bark calls to me from somewhere inside. I can’t help but smile at the fact my dog knows I’ve come to collect him. After climbing out of the vehicle, I grab a six-pack and a bag of takeout from the backseat before heading toward the door.

I walk in as if I’ve always lived here and set my goodies down on the bench just inside the door. Zeus comes sliding around the corner, having no traction on the hardwood floors. He runs in place for a moment before knocking me down onto the entryway rug.

“Okay, I missed you too,” I laugh as the mighty brute tries to kill me with kisses.\

I glance up to see Doc standing in the pass-through to the living room. I’m struck every time I see the 62-year-old retired Commissioner. He appears much younger than his age, probably due to the fact he spends a couple of hours a day working out. He has a slight belly, but he carries it well. After wearing suits for most of his life, he has chosen to wear sweats and T-shirts in his retired years.

“You gonna roll around on the floor all day or bring that food in here so we can eat?” he asks with a smirk. “Come on, Zeus, you can go out in the garden.”

The Rottweiler looks at me and back at Doc. It’s almost like he can’t decide what he wants more.

I pick myself up off the floor and grab the bag of food and the drinks. “Go on, you heard the man,” I reply, waving toward the back of the house.

Zeus trots behind Doc and they both disappear out the door as I make my way over to the table. After moving around some randomly dropped items, I manage to clear a spot for some plates. The house is stuffy like a tumb. A beautifully painted picture of Lilly is hanging over the fireplace, the woman was absolutely captivating. Doc walks in through the door and grabs some paper plates from the counter.

“I had to make sure that hedgehog wasn’t waiting in the garden for him,” he says with a chuckle.

“You have a hedgehog problem?” I ask, knowing the animals love to move into people's yards.

“Nah, not my problem, more like Zeus’ problem. He learned a valuable lesson about the small but mighty the other day when he was out there digging around,” he explains with an amused look.

The meeting with Doc was nice and casual, but relief washes over me as I pull into my driveway. Ray is out doing some yard work as I bring the car to a stop.

“Hey, how’s it going?” I ask him as I let Zeus out of the back.

Ray puts down his rake and walks over to the fence line. “It goes. Glad to see you made it back in one piece,” he says, shading his eyes from the afternoon sun.

“I just want to say thanks for looking after the house for me and grabbing the mail,” I reply, opening the garage door.

“No problem, man, any time. I just want to let you know the furnace repair guy did come, and I let him in and stayed in the house till he finished. I figured you just forgot to tell me about the service call,” Ray informs with a chuckle. “Lord knows I would forget my head most days if it weren’t attached.”

“Did they leave a service card?” I ask, trying to play it off like I know what he’s talking about.

Ray shakes his head and waves before returning to his lawn.

Now my brain is all over the place as I walk into the house. Last night I had strangers scoping out my property after blocking my motion sensor lights and now service workers. My furnace is only three years old and working just fine. I never set up an appointment with anyone, so who was in my house and what did they want?