~Ava~
“So, you two have been sleeping together for the past two weeks?” Evie’s question was one of absolute horror. But I think most of it came from me not telling her before this moment besides my first night with Thor, which she had celebrated.
“Um...yeah. We sort of came to this agreement that we were physically attracted to each other, but it’s not much more than that.”
Evie frowned at me, muddling over the burger and fries in front of her during our lunch break. “Are you sure you want to be doing this? I mean, look at your history with men, Ava. I think you’re just setting yourself up to get hurt.”
“What do you mean by my history with men?” I was in complete denial of how starkly true her words were. It was a simple reiteration of my own doubts from earlier, but anytime they infiltrated my mind, I would instead recall the absolute pleasure I found in Thor’s arms every single time.
Evie sighed at my blatant denial. “You don’t need me to remind you of what happened with Sean like a year ago. You got your hopes up with him, expecting that he wanted something more. You’re just not the type to have a long-term sexual fling. A one-night stand was one thing, but this is something completely different. There are no boundaries here. Your emotions will get involved no matter what. I bet you they already are involved when it comes to Thor. Trust me, I was there when you two were arguing in the front of his tattoo parlor. You like him, and that’s why you are always such a bitch to him.”
“Always? What do you know about our interactions other than that one time?”
Evie gave me a doubtful look. “The way you talk about him, dumbass. Duh!”
“Whatever! I don’t need you throwing my past relationships in my face!” I didn’t want to remember Sean. The tall, dark, and handsome man that had walked into my life, seduced me, and just as quickly left after getting his so-called ‘fix.’ His last words to me would never go away. I would forever remember how he had so blatantly thrown me away because I wasn’t what an affluent man like him should have on his arm. He needed someone lighter, with straighter hair, and a slimmer build if he would ever be accepted into his firm as an equal. And so I went out the window, and Lucy- or whatever the hell her name was- moved in.
“What have these past few weeks been about but trying something new, right? You told me to put myself out there in all aspects of my life. Well, that’s what I’m doing!” I continued.
“No,” she shook her head emphatically. “Putting yourself out there would be not hiding behind sex and letting the man know that you actually like him. That you are more interested than just having sex every other day.”
“I’m not! I don’t need anything complicated in my life right now. Dmitri is looking to promote me. And I’ve been having a blast with you. What more could I possibly want right now, huh?”
Seeing that she wasn’t getting through to me, Evie sighed and took a bite of her burger. “If you say so, Ava. But I know you, maybe even better than you know yourself,” she mumbled over a mouthful of beef and lettuce. “And I know that you refuse to admit to yourself that you want to be loved in the same way those women in your stories are. You won’t find that if you keep giving yourself to men as if you should be grateful for any attention they throw your way. You’re so much better than that. You have more worth than that.”
I said nothing in response, turning my attention back to the dreary salad in front of me. Suddenly, I stood up, my chair scraping against the linoleum of the diner we were sitting in.
“Where are you going?”
I shook my head, “Fuck this salad. I need a cookie.”
Evie watched me walk away with a humorous stare. I would never admit to her how much of her words I had taken in.
~Thor~
When I saw the last customer of the day walk out of the shop, I sighed dramatically and leaned into the back of my leather chair. Like clockwork, Ruby and one of my original hires, Zane, walked in with their portfolios. Usually at least once a week, they offered me a look into some new designs they had worked on. It was important to me that I knew what they had worked on for the week, the progress they had made with customers, and new designs that we could potentially advertise to increase their client list.
Zane was one of my favorite tattoo artists because of his style. Tall and lean, customers were usually taken aback when they first caught sight of him because African-American tattoo artists were few and far between unfortunately. But they were never allowed to doubt his abilities once they got wind of his past work. Some of the more prized tattoos decorating the waiting room and lobby, if they weren’t mine, were his. And I imagined that one day he could even help me open a new shop as the head tattoo artist right behind Axel.
On the other hand, while I had much appreciation for Ruby and her work ability, there was still a slight awkwardness between us since the unfortunate events at the party. I had yet to speak with her about it, because frankly I didn’t give a damn. But, if things continued in the way they were, I would end up just having to bite the bullet.
“So…” I rubbed my hands together with an excited grin, “What do you two have for me today?”
Ruby and Zane exchanged glances.
“I guess I’ll go first, “ Zane supplied when she had not taken the proverbial step forward.
As usual, I was highly impressed with his work and his ingenious ability to put a new, creative spin on old classics.
“Zane, my man...your numbers are going to go out the roof with this one! I’ll put that up in the front to get some new potential clients. I’ll even post it in our newsletter!”
He looked down at me shyly and shrugged his shoulders. “Whatever helps, Thor.”
And that’s what got me about Zane. He was one of the most talented I had ever come across, but he seemed completely unaware of that fact. It was in definite contrast to myself. Standing next to Zane, I probably looked like an ego-obsessed jackass. I knew I was talented, and I wasn’t afraid to tell people that. Maybe I could learn something from him...and vice versa.
I wasn’t given the time to contemplate that too much when Ruby took that opportunity to shove her portfolio in my hands. I ignored her pushiness and looked over some of her new designs. My lips pursed in thought. Her artwork had definitely taken a turn from what I had initially seen her first day. They had always been on the darker side, but now they were nearing the edge of depressive.
“Hmm...I think you should try a new theme, Ruby. These are great, but you don’t want to limit yourself to only a certain type of client. It’s best, especially with you being a rookie, to widen your talents in order to get your name out there. And then you’ll be able to safely focus on whichever genre you prefer. So, I’d like you to try something lighter...more energetic.”
As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I could tell that they upset her. Her eyes hardened and her full lips were set into a firm line. Even as I spoke, I saw that she was not really listening. And if you don’t know by now, I don’t deal well with other people’s shitty attitudes.
“Do you have a problem with that?” I challenged her.
Ruby seemed a bit taken aback by my straightforwardness. Enough so that she was unprepared to give a snarky quip in return. Instead, she shrugged her slim shoulders and shook her head.
“Nope, you got it boss,” she said succinctly.
Having had enough, I dismissed them both in order to get back to my own work. Unfortunately, Axel’s words of warning were steadily becoming true. One sexual interaction with Ruby was beginning to affect our work relationship, despite it only having gotten to a make-out session. And as long as I had my nights with Ava, I had no intention of taking on any new lovers.
My mind paused at the thought of her. Our last night together had been just as amazing and physically satisfying as the nights before. In fact, it seemed to have exceeded all my expectations. I had only planned on having one more taste of her, but it turned out to not be enough. Instead, I had become insatiable in her small bed and haphazard sheets. And even tonight, my body was beginning to awaken with the promise of her touch and the sensuous feel of her pressed against me.
I was even beginning to notice subtle things about her. Like the beauty mark on her inner thigh that enticed me every time she spread her legs. The cute look of surprise that decorated her face every time she neared orgasm. It made me wonder what her sexual history was. Had her previous lovers been unable to satisfy her? Why did the thought of that suddenly fill me with pride? It shouldn’t matter to me if I am the only one to have ever made her scream in ecstasy. It doesn’t!
But the cocky grin on my face said differently.
“What are you smiling at?”
I jumped in surprise at the voice behind me, but turned to find Axel returning my gaze with suspicion. I immediately shook my head and shrugged, “It's nothing. What’s up, man?”
He didn’t seem convinced by my attempt at changing the subject, but decided to let it go. He paused slightly, “Evie wanted to have a word with you.”
My brow rose, thinking I hadn’t heard him correctly. “Who?”
“Ava’s girlfriend,” he clarified. Axel crossed his arms against his chest and switched his weight from one foot to the next. I had never seen him look so ill-at-ease, so I couldn’t help the sly grin I gave him.
“What the hell’s your problem, man? You got ants in your pants or some shit?”
He rolled his eyes at my attempt at a joke and shook his head. “Look, Thor. I’m serious about this girl, okay? So if you are trying to get something going with her, I’m going to ask you nicely to back off.”
“Whoa! Where the hell is this coming from? I didn’t even remember the chick’s name! Now you think I’m trying to sleep with her?”
Axel walked further into my office to whisper forcefully, “Why the hell else did she come here to see you?”
“This may be a stupid question, but did you ever think to just ask her that? I can tell you right now, I’ve never so much as had a conversation with her when you haven’t been around. I’m not interested in your girl, Axel. I would never do something like that to you. I mean, you’ve been walking around with that stupid grin on your face since you met her. What kind of fucking friend would I be if I fucked that up? You know me better than that!” And quite honestly, I was a bit insulted he felt the need to even warn me away from her.
My tirade seemed to have gotten through to him however because he let out a long exhale. The visible tension in his muscles relaxed to their former state, and I was impressed by how worked up he had gotten over this woman. Between the two of us, Axel was definitely the more sensitive type despite his rough outward appearance. While the women certainly flocked to me because of my handsome good looks- and no, that’s not me being cocky, that’s just fact- Axel always received equal attention with his unconventionally long blonde locks and leanly, muscular physique.
But we both weren’t what we appeared to the outside world. I was more like a wolf in sheep’s clothing when it came to the opposite sex. Not once had my heart ever been close to getting involved or entangled with someone else. At least not recently. And, god willing, it would never happen again. In contrast, Axel seemed intent on finding ‘the one’- whatever the fuck that meant. And it seemed that he had found someone he was very serious about. Geez, I had been hoping this wouldn’t happen. Now, I was going to look even more like a douche standing next to a guy in love.
“Whatever it is your woman wants, I am completely in the dark.”
“Fine. I believe you,” he turned to the door and yelled out, “Evie!”
I waited until she made her way around the corner and stood at the front entrance to my office. While I had been honest to Axel regarding my lack of interest in Evie, I could also appreciate how attractive she was. But really, it all came down to how much she reminded me of Ava. Though much taller, Evie had the same curvaceous figure, that tempted me on the nights I spent with her friend. In fact, my mind was suddenly inundated once again with all the things I still wanted to do with her. Leaving that sassy mouth speechless was becoming a fun hobby.
“What’s up?” I greeted Evie casually.
But the look on her face as her eyes settled on me was less than warm. What the fuck had I done now? Why was everyone on my ass today?
“Listen, I’m like you in that I don’t like to beat around the bush,” she started in a rather serious tone. I felt like I was about to get chastised by my mother. “First, I never really got a chance to thank you for saving Ava back at the concert. That was really sweet of you.”
“You’re welcome,” I responded with a self-satisfying grin. But her praise quickly took a turn with the next words out of her mouth. Gone was any hint of a smile, lines forming around the creases to her mouth.
“But that one act of altruism does not give you the right to then go asking for sexual favors!”
I exchanged a glance with Axel who was looking at me with a mixture of suspicion and disgust. I began to hold my hand up for her to pause, but she seemed completely unaware- or uncaring- of my confusion.
“I’m sure Ava may think that she knows what she’s getting herself into but as her best friend, I can assure you that she is not in a place where she can afford to get her heart broken. So, kindly back the fuck off!”
Was this chick serious? I could tell that Axel was going to be no help so I ignored him. “Whoa! For one, let’s not pretend that I coerced Ava into anything! She’s the one that approached me in the first place. Secondly, how the hell is who I sleep with or who Ava sleeps with any of your business? Last I checked she was an adult woman capable of making her own decisions.
“I’m not going to pretend that I’m interested in anything with her beyond sex, but neither is she! And I’ve made my intentions perfectly clear. If there comes a point where she is no longer interested in continuing our sexual relationship, I’d be happy to hear it from her. Not some self-imposed gatekeeper.”
“You don’t get it.” She gave me a pitiful look. “That’s not something she’d ever admit to you.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Axel took a step toward me and gave me a glare of warning. I rolled my eyes at him. Of course Mr. Romantic would want to play the role of hero now.
Evie sighed. “I don’t know you very well, but I can tell just from the way you…” she gave a wave of her hand towards me dismissively, “carry yourself that this sort of situation is the norm for you. But Ava isn’t used to it. So while you two may seem to have an agreement, at some point your wires on going to get crossed, and I already know who is going to come out the loser in that scenario. And if you hurt my best friend, know this...I’ll be coming after you. And I always get to the people on my shit list come hell or high water.”
With that threat, she turned away from me and stormed out of the office. I looked to Axel, unsure of whether I was in a dream state.
“What the fuck just happened?” I asked him.
Instead of answering me, Axel shook his head in disappointment, “Just leave her friend alone, Thor. I know you, and Ava deserves someone who can be serious about her. Furthermore, if your inability to keep your dick in your pants comes between Evie and me, her shit list isn’t the only one you’ll be on.” After his warning, Axel held my gaze for a few seconds to emphasize the seriousness of his threat. And then he followed Evie out.
Needless to say, I left the tattoo parlor that day fuming. Not only was a basic stranger infiltrating her nose into my private life, but she had essentially judged me as some villain in this scenario. While no one may ever call me a hero, I’m upfront enough about my priorities to not be considered a complete asshole either. Don’t look at me like that. I’ve done nothing wrong!