Chapter 15

Tanner

Friday was finally here, and I couldn’t have been happier about that. Ava hadn’t talked to me since the elevator on Wednesday, and I wasn’t sure how she was feeling. I knew she was confused. She was angry about how everything had happened, but I tried to assure her I had done everything with her best interest at heart, even if I was misguided. I had sent her that text, and even though she didn’t respond, I knew she’d read it, and that’s what I wanted the most. I wanted her to know I was thinking about her and that I wasn’t being a prick.

Now that I was home, I had no idea whether Ava was going to show up for dinner or not, but I wasn’t going to not be prepared in case she did. I made dinner, kept it warming in the oven, and set the table with the plates, silverware, cloth napkins, and a large vase of red roses. I situated the bottle of wine on ice to the side and then stood back to admire my work. I hadn’t made dinner for a woman like that ever in my entire life, not even for the ex-wife. I did have it stapled in the back of my mind that Ava may not show up.

She knew I was still going to plan on her being there. I had sent her a reminder of the time, the address, and told her I hoped she came. If she didn’t, well that was completely on her and of her own accord at that point. She had all the information, so there weren’t going to be any excuses for her to take. If she showed up, I would be ecstatic, but if she didn’t, it would answer a lot of questions and put a lot of things to rest. If she decided not to come, I could move forward, release her from my mind, and understand that it was nothing more than a little fling that went as soon as it came.

I could really put my professional hat on and get back to work, treating her just like any other employee and get the merger underway without any more distractions. All in all, this dinner would answer a lot of questions for the both of us, both for each other and for the way that we felt. Sure, I would love to have Ava be just as wanting as I was for affection from me, but at the same time, if she wasn’t, I didn’t want to continue to pine for her. It was hard enough to convince myself to take this step, much less continue to chase after someone who didn’t want to be chased.

At eight, I forced myself to go in the living room and relax instead of pacing back and forth in the kitchen. We hadn’t spoken since the elevator, and it was starting to drive me crazy. If she didn’t want to talk with me, that was fine, but she could be an adult about it and at least say it out loud. I guess in some way she had, but she was extremely full of mixed signals. She was pushing me away and then pulling me back close, and I was starting to feel like I was on a roller coaster. I sighed and put my feet up on the table, trying to avoid staring at my watch.

It was like every minute that ticked by, I got more and more depressed, surprising myself wholeheartedly about how upset I was at the thought of not having a personal relationship with Ava. Maybe I cared about her a bit more than I thought I did. I shook that thought straight from my mind, not wanting to have that kind of revelation on the night she might not show up at all. Now I knew how the girls I stood up felt like waiting for me, and I vowed right there never to do that to a woman again. It was a pretty terrible feeling. I looked down at my watch and realized it was a quarter after eight, and I started to make peace with the idea she wasn’t coming. I stood up and headed for the wine but stopped suddenly the sound of knocks echoed through the penthouse.

I walked to the door and opened it, looking out at Ava standing anxiously outside. She looked gorgeous in a black dress, black pea coat, and her hair curled in big curls cascading over her shoulders. She reached up and handed me a bottle of wine and smiled, her cheeks rosy red from the cold that had taken over the night air.

“I didn’t think you were coming,” I said kindly.

“I didn’t think I was either,” she said with a smile, “but here I am.”

I leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek, grasping tightly to the bottle of wine she had brought. The scent of her perfume filled my nostrils, and I felt so many different emotions flowing through me. I was relieved she was there. I was nervous that this meant I had to put aside my fears and move forward, and I was also extremely turned on by her, like I always was. She closed her eyes, and I lingered there at her cheek for several moments, just taking in her whole self. I couldn’t explain what I was feeling even if I tried, but I knew one thing. This was going to be a night where I treated this woman like a queen and not some girl I was just trying to hook up with. I stepped back and looked at how beautiful she was.

“You look amazing,” I said, stepping to the side. “Please, come in.”

She smiled and walked through the doors, looking around the place with wide eyes. I forgot that I hadn’t had the opportunity to bring her to my place yet, and it was probably a bit to take in. My penthouse was one of the biggest in the city, and it had the best view of any penthouse. You could see all of downtown from the top floor, and though I didn’t have a balcony because of the wind sheers, the windows were an amazing opening to the world below.

I showed her into the living room and sat her down on the couch, returning to the kitchen to open the wine. I served us both a glass and sat down next to her on the couch, turning so we could see each other and talk. She looked nervous as she sipped her wine, and I smiled, remembering that look from when I had first seen her after so many years.

“It’s gotten really cold outside,” she said, her nose still red.

“Winter is coming fast this year,” I replied.

“I love the snow,” she smiled. “The seasons are so amazing here. Fall is my favorite, but Christmas and New Years in New York is so magical.”

I smiled at how beautiful she was, how much she reminded me of youth and vitality. She reminded me of how it felt to want someone, to be there and be close. I hadn’t had that for a very long time, but I knew I wanted that from Ava. Everything had started out such a mess, but I had the chance to turn that around, and it was exactly like I wanted. Our conversation at that moment was a little awkward, but I knew it would only take a few minutes until she started to feel comfortable again. She reached over and picked up her glass, the napkin beneath it falling to the floor. We both bent over at the same time and our fingertips grazed one another.

Instantly, we both froze, our heads slowly turning toward each other. We both grasped the napkin and sat back up, staring into each other’s eyes. Her cheeks grew red, and her mouth was slightly upturned in a smile. Her fair skin and dark features were breathtaking, and the candles were casting dancing shadows on the wall behind her. Passion rushed through my chest like nothing I had ever felt before, and I could barely catch my breath. I set my glass down on the table and cradled Ava’s face in my hands, leaning forward and kissing her softly on each cheek, then each eyelid, down to the tip of her nose, and finally, I pressed my lips carefully against hers. She was stiff at first, but as our bodies aligned, she relaxed and leaned into me. She was soft and beautiful, and at that moment, I thought of her differently than I ever had before. I wanted to make love to her, to worship every inch of her body, and to show her how happy I was that she was there with me.

I scooted closer to her and ran my hand up her thigh, stopping at the edge of her dress. Our kiss became more heated but still gentle to the touch, and we turned our heads back and forth, kissing softly over and over again. I pushed the hair back behind her ear and ran my lips over her cheek and to her neck. She sighed heavily as I barely touched her skin, my hand running up her arm and meeting my face at the edge of her bare shoulder. She placed one of her hands on my neck and the other on top of mine and turned her head, finding my mouth once again. She pushed in deeply, moaning as our tongues met, and we explored each other’s mouths. She tasted like wine but sweeter, and instantly, I could feel the lust begin to take over.

I stood up, reaching my hand down to her and smiling. She looked up at me and took it, allowing me to pull her to her feet. I slid my hand around her waist and pulled her close, kissing her deeply and passionately. Her breasts heaved up and down as her breathing picked up and her heart raced. My pants were extremely tight against my growing cock, and I wanted to get her out of her dress.

I turned and pulled her along, shutting the lights off in the main area as I walked her back toward the bedroom. I could hear the clicking of her heels against the marble floors of the hallway, and I imagined her legs wrapped around my neck. I stopped outside of the door of my bedroom and took her face back into my hands. She stared up at me with beautiful wide eyes, closing them as I dipped my head down toward her, kissing her over and over again, feeling her breath in my ear as my lips moved down her neck. She grabbed onto the front of my shirt and pulled me close to her, pushing her hips against my hard, covered shaft. I groaned slightly at the feeling, and my hands immediately went down to her skirt where I gripped the material, wanting so badly to bend her over right there.

Knowing my plan required some sort of self-control, I took in a deep breath and walked her into the dark bedroom. As I shut the door, I absorbed every detail of her shape. The light from the city was shining in just enough to create a silhouette of her curves on the walls. I was going to treat Ava like she had always deserved, and there was nothing more sensual than exploring each other’s bodies to the light of the moon. Hopefully, when we were done, she would never run away from me again.