Chapter 3

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I could still remember Ava as a young girl with awkward braces, beautiful eyes, and a slightly abnormal wit to her. When I came around back then, she had been just a little girl, running, playing, and gossiping with her friends. I was pretty sure the last time I saw her, she was about sixteen, but I never really thought much of it since she was so young. She was literally just my best friend’s kid that I’d been around since she was a baby.

Now, though, she was so fucking hot, I couldn’t get her off my mind. Her thick thighs, perfect curves, and long, sexy hair were driving me nuts. She had these dark eyes that cut right through you, and her lips were so pouty, I couldn’t help imagining them wrapped around my cock. It was almost insane how much she had been on my mind. She was flirty when we’d met in my office the day before, and though I kept telling myself to relax, I thought it was pretty arousing. Bending her over my desk and fucking the hell out of her wouldn’t take a damn thing away from my day. If anything, it would make it a hell of a lot less boring.

Ava, though, she worked for me now. It wasn’t like I’d run into her out at the bar. She was an employee of mine, and a young, ambitious woman. Her goals and drive reminded me a lot of myself, and I think that was part of what was attracting me to her so much. She wasn’t like her father, and she hated the way her mother was, dependent on her father’s wealth. I could see that resolve inside of her to succeed and make her own way.

There weren’t very many women out there who weren’t looking for a man to take care of them, and she was one of them. I needed to remove those thoughts from my head because they were dangerous, both personally and professionally. I had made the mistake of screwing a girl from the office before, and it did not end well for either of us. Women, no matter how tough they are, always want more than I’m willing to give them. I didn’t know what Ava was looking for, but I knew for damn sure I wasn’t the guy to give it to her, even if I wanted to.

I sat up in my chair, realizing that I had lost all track of time sitting there thinking about Ava. I glanced out of the office and saw her sitting at her desk, working diligently across the hall. She was biting her bottom lip and twirling her pen through her fingers as she concentrated. I was going to have to start working with my door closed if I didn’t want a fucking boner every five seconds. I needed to get control of myself around her, and that was the point of it all. I couldn’t afford distractions at such a crucial time with the merger, and I needed her to be on the same page, even though I didn’t want to say it like that. Maybe if she knew more about the company and where it was headed, she would understand our need for professionalism. Of course, at the same time, she had already been more than professional. Maybe I was the only one who needed that talk.

It was lunch time, so I got up from my desk and grabbed my jacket, sauntering out of the office and looking around. My secretary had taken lunch and would be back any minute, and then I could leave as well. Ava looked up at me from her desk and smiled sweetly, forcing me to push back the flip-flop feeling in my stomach. I walked over and stood next to her desk, looking down at the workups I was having her do. They looked flawless, which was no surprise since she was first in her graduating class and hunted by several companies for her internship. While looking at her notes, I also happened to notice that her lightweight peach sweater hung a bit low, and I could see the edge of her pink bra, holding up her big, firm breasts. I cleared my throat and walked back to the other side.

“I’m about to take lunch,” I said. “You want to come along?”

“No,” she smiled. “I should stay and finish these up.”

“Come on.” I chuckled. “I won’t tell the boss. Besides, I think it's important you know where we’re going in the future.”

“Okay.” She looked and sounded confused.

“The company.” I corrected myself, realizing how I must’ve sounded. “Where the company is going in the future.”

“Right,” she said, shaking her head. “Okay, then. Let me grab my coat.”

I smiled and watched her walk away in her black, wide-legged pants that hugged her perfect ass just right. I looked away as she turned back to me and smiled, as if I hadn’t been checking out her assets. With my hand on her lower back, I guided her to the elevators. We stood awkwardly next to each other as the elevator made its way down, the tension thick between us. We went to a restaurant about one block away, a nice Italian spot that was quiet and put together. They gave us a seat in the back and to the right, which normally I’d be pissed about, but it gave us a bit more privacy than sitting right in the front. As we ate our appetizer and waited on the main courses, I started by giving her the history of MJ after her father had left the company. She looked at me wide-eyed as I told her about all the trips, all the sacrifices I had made, and how much of a roller coaster it had been.

“Wow,” she said, shaking her head. “I don’t know how you do it and still look so young. I’d be gray and ready for retirement by now.”

“You kind of get used to it after a while.” I chuckled. “The highs are good, but you make sure not to take the lows too seriously or you’ll drive yourself nuts. Everything passes. It’s just how you handle it that really decides whether or not you come out on top.”

“And now?” She looked at me with a raised eyebrow as she took a bite of her salad.

“Now,” I said, letting out a deep breath. “Now we move forward with a very big step. This merger will potentially collect hundreds of new, large clients. It could put a structure in place that MJ has never been able to execute because I could only handle so much as one man. Our board will be stronger, our management will be stronger, and our services will triple, and all under the strong commitment of service that I built this company on.”

“That sounds amazing.” She smiled. “And I’m so excited to be part of it.”

For the rest of lunch, we talked about the details of the merger, how she was going to fit in during that process, and what she had to look forward to in the future in her position. She was going to be a huge asset to me, which made it all the more important for me to keep control of my urges. However, as she leaned forward and listened to me, batting her long eyelashes, I couldn’t help but slide in a few flirtatious remarks. She didn’t even blink when it happened. As the conversation continued, there was quite a bit of flirty banter, and I couldn’t help but watch her face as it flushed several times. It was almost sexy how red her cheeks got, but that didn’t take away from the fact that she was dishing it out as much as I was serving it.

When lunch was over, I suggested we walk across the street and grab some coffee to take back because the breakroom had terrible stuff. She made a joke about me buying better coffee, and I thought back to when I regularly did that kind of stuff, when the office was small enough that I knew everyone’s names. I had been so obsessed with growth that I’d thought that was a bad thing. Now, I can barely remember my secretary’s name much less the people in the different departments or offices. I knew that was part of the deal of expanding my company larger and larger, but it was still a shame I hadn’t appreciated the personal touch while it lasted. Maybe, though, I’d up the brand of coffee that was delivered to the employees throughout the company, so they could at least have a decent cup while they slaved away in their cubicles.

We grabbed ourselves some coffee and headed back towards the office, not really walking at a major pace. She talked to me about college and about her internship and how much it changed her way of thinking for her future. She was thrilled to be on the ground floor of the merger, and she felt like there were businessmen and women out there who spent their whole lives in their careers and never got to experience something like this.

I was glad she was excited. It put me at ease, considering I was a bit nervous about the change. However, I had never been one of those people who easily embraced change. Being in my line of work, I had to accept it, but I didn’t like it at all. Then again, with change came risk, and I had seen companies go through major shifts and never return. That was why I had been in negotiations for this merger for years before actually moving forward with it. I wanted to make sure it was the best possible opportunity and fit what my vision for the future of MJ was.

It was a considerable challenge getting so many different minds on board, especially since the other company and its CEO was just as picky as I was. In the end, though, I was still young in their eyes and had many years left to run and build the company, while they were ready to retire and play golf. One day, I would be at that point, but for now, I was walking into the lobby of my company’s main offices next to one hell of a sexy, smart girl, and making my way back up to the first leg of changes for the company. I stepped to the side and let Ava go in first, glancing down at her tight ass as we entered the elevator. When the doors shut, we stood close, holding our coffees, one of which was for the secretary. Our shoulders brushed and electricity shot through my chest.

Between us was a level of sexual tension I hadn’t ever felt before with someone, and from the looks of Ava’s blushed cheeks, she was feeling it, too. It was a good thing we were situated on the eighth floor and not the thirtieth because I didn’t know if I could refrain from kissing her for that long. When the doors opened to the offices, we both let out a deep breath, glancing at each other for a moment. We walked to our offices, and she thanked me for lunch before taking the extra coffee to the secretary.

When I got back to my desk, I tried to move right into work, ignoring the nagging feeling in my stomach. She was so hot, and I really wanted to take her in the copy room and screw the hell out of her. My mind was all over the place over this girl, and I couldn’t allow it to happen. I had to keep my wits about me and not go running off the deep end. I could get laid at any time. I didn’t need to pick the twenty-five-year-old I just hired and had known most of her life.

Every time I looked over at her out of my office door, though, it got harder and harder to restrain myself.