Chapter 17
When Ava appeared on Liam’s doorstep dressed in a titillating low-cut dress and killer high heels, her desperation knocked back feminism one hundred years. She felt stupid and senseless bending to the needs of a man. Back in the day, she loved playing the seductress, using her body to tease and titillate Liam. But there was a reason why their marriage had ended and she felt being here only opened old wounds.
She knocked on the door and waited, shifting her weight from one foot to another. Her feet were already aching in the three-hundred-dollar heels. A light switched on in the foyer and Liam opened the door, holding a bottle of red wine.
“Ava, you made it. Come in.” He pecked a kiss on her cheek as he stepped aside to let her in, spending a good few seconds admiring her figure in the dress. “You’re looking good.”
“I bought it for this very occasion.” She did a twirl on the spot, allowing one moment of submission. She needed Liam to be soft like putty, easy to manipulate and mould. She closed the front door with her hip and followed him into the kitchen.
Two wineglasses sat next to an extravagant cheese platter, dips and vegetable sticks. “In the six years we were married, the only thing you cooked was burnt toast. Did you do this?”
He came up behind her, his hot breath tickling the back of her neck. “I was optimistic when you called wanting to have dinner. You and I have something special, Ava. We’re unlike other people and that’s why we’ve bonded mentally and sexually. A day doesn’t go by where I’ve regretted signing the divorce papers.”
She spun around to face him, planting her palms against his chest, almost in a consolatory gesture. “Let’s take things slow. We’re dining as friends, so no funny business, got it?’
“No sex?”
“None.”
Liam frowned and poured the wine into a flute. “There’ll be more alcohol coming tonight, I promise.”
Ava rolled her eyes with a smile and carried the cheese platter and wineglass to the dining room. She sunk into the depths of the couch, catching sight of Liam’s phone on the coffee table. With a small gasp of triumph, she cast a glance over her shoulder. Liam was neck deep in the fridge. There was no chance of checking it now without him catching her. What excuse would she use? She had to get as much liquor into her ex-husband as possible.
“What’s for dinner?” she asked.
“Lamb shoulder and roasted veggies,” Liam said proudly, sitting down next to her. “I slaved all day in the kitchen to impress you.”
“Your sister was here, wasn’t she?”
“How can you tell?”
Ava pointed to a woman’s jacket draped over a bar stool. “That’s Fiona’s blazer. She lent it to me last winter. Liam, it’s okay to admit it.”
“Damn, I hoped you wouldn’t notice.” He tossed her a sideways smirk and took a sip of wine. “Fiona’s a sous chef in the city so I called her over before she started work.”
“I hope you paid her.”
“See that bottle of red on the kitchen bench? I’d bought five bottles for dinner tonight. I gave her the rest as payment.”
There was an air of desperation to Liam that Ava found charming. He was trying hard to impress her, to win her back. She felt a little guilty leading him on, but what would it matter if they slept together? She was single. He was single. There was no exclusivity with Elias. They didn’t belong to one another. Besides, she missed the warmth of a man’s body next to her.
She crossed one leg over the other, purposely showing off some thigh, and relaxed into the lounge. “How’s business, Liam? Has your clientele increased since the fundraiser?”
“I guess so, but do we have to talk about work now?” Liam’s brows knotted over a fixed gaze—the same kind of glare he used during their marriage. “This is dinner, not a business meeting.”
“It was always business when we were married,” Ava retorted. “We never talked about the weather or our favourite TV shows.”
“We’re not married anymore, Ava.”
“I’m trying to make conversation because we’re falling back into the same pattern. We don’t know how to talk about anything else.”
Liam cleared his throat. “You’re right. Wasn’t it the lack of communication that broke our marriage?”
“Among other things,” Ava said dryly.
Liam finished his wine and got up to get a beer from the fridge. “I have one more thing to ask before we can move on.”
“Go for it.”
Ava’s blood chilled when he returned with a copy of The Coastal Times. He opened it to the two-page spread of her and Elias. “Do you know who the woman is?” he asked, tossing her a glance. “She’s the hottest topic in the office right now. My staff are putting bets on who it may be.”
Ava couldn’t tell if Liam was genuinely intrigued or was trying to trap her into admission. The mysterious woman had no discernible features and her hair was darkened from the rain. There were plenty of women at the seminar who matched the description.
“I don’t know who she is,” Ava lied.
“I don’t remember Elias having a wandering eye,” Liam said, observing the photos more closely. “Daisy was with him the entire weekend. He’s got balls of steel to sneak off and bang another woman.”
“I don’t think it was intentional.”
“You’re condoning his actions after what happened between us?” Liam quizzed, placing his empty bottle beer on the table.
“Of course not. I was his employer, not his keeper. What he did in his spare time was his own business.”
“So it is true,” Liam said with a triumphant smirk. “Elias did quit his post. I didn’t expect you to tell me right away, but I thought I was privy to some courtesy.”
“Courtesy for what? We’re not business partners anymore. You sold your share of Blue Tail, remember? I didn’t have to tell you anything. I report to the board.”
“How did they react to his resignation? I can’t imagine it went down too well.”
Ava dunk back her glass of wine. “They were fucking unimpressed, but it was too late to ask him back.”
“Did he resign after the photos came out?”
“No, it was before that so I don’t know his motives for leaving.” Ava reached over and flipped the paper shut. “I thought he was happy.”
“Did you ever find out who took the photographs?”
“Someone sold them to the media. He’s lucky the circulation is only limited to the coast. If the pictures found a larger audience, it would ruin Elias’s reputation.”
“That’s the thing about the media, honey.” Liam patted her knee before climbing out of the sofa. “There are spies everywhere. Editors talk and soon enough pictures of Elias cheating on his missus will be posted all over the Internet. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone close to him had done it. Why would a stranger care?”
Ava’s motive to check Liam’s phone became clearer. He had contacts in the press and his suspicions over her relationship with Elias had created ill will towards them. It wouldn’t surprise her if Liam had leaked the images. His mobile sat at arm’s reach, taunting her, and she hoped his pin number hadn’t changed. Liam banged around in the kitchen as he prepared the rest of dinner. The rich, salty aroma filled the room, momentarily distracting her.
“The lamb smells incredible, Liam,” she said, turning around in her seat, sniffing the air. “I can’t remember the last time I cooked it.”
“You don’t cook, Ava. You get people to do it for you.” Liam heaved the lamb rack onto the kitchen bench. “My sister is famous for her almond and spice crumb. The entire rack is covered in it.”
“Can’t wait to taste it.”
“The meat needs to rest so I’ll go for a piss.” He pulled off the oven mitts, wiped his hands on his jeans, and dashed down the hall towards the bathroom. Ava waited a beat before leaping for the phone. She sighed with relief as it unlocked without hassle. Her ex-husband’s pin code was still her birth year.
Ava scrolled through his images hastily, keeping one eye on the hallway. She ignored the porn screenshots of women’s bits and uncovered images taken around the same time of the seminar. There was nothing incriminating, so she explored his deleted folder. Zilch. Ava’s breath quickened in time with her racing heart, unable to think of an excuse if Liam caught her.
Panic clawed up the back of her throat at the sound of the toilet flushing. Frantically, she finished her search and almost tossed the phone in frustration when she couldn’t find any evidence. She was foolish to think she would. Liam disliked the notion of his ex-wife with another man but she didn’t think he would stoop so low.
Liam reappeared in the kitchen and withdrew a knife from the wooden block. “Have you spoken to Elias lately?” he asked nonchalantly.
“Are we going to talk about him all night?”
“No, I’m just curious because you two were pretty tight.” Liam viciously carved into the meat in what Ava imagined was a small act of jealousy.
“Do I have to keep repeating myself? Elias was my employee. Nothing more. Nothing happened, Liam.”
“Keep telling yourself that,” he murmured. “There was always something there. I will get you to confess sooner or later.” He glanced up, his dark eyes fixed on her. “Come and eat before the lamb gets cold.”
~ ~ ~
“Ava, you’re pregnant.”
The air in the doctor’s office appeared to thin as Ava sat in stunned silence. It felt like she was in a dream, weightless and helpless, grasping for stability. If she reached out, would someone be there to hold her down?
“Ms. Wolfe, are you all right?” The doctor leaned forward in his chair and gingerly touched her arm.
Ava jerked in her seat, crashing back down to earth. “I’m all right. Just a little stunned.”
“It’s okay to be shocked. You have a lot to process.”
“That’s an understatement.”
Mal Tarvis turned to his computer and opened Ava’s test results. “The pregnancy would explain the nausea and fatigue you’ve been experiencing lately.”
Ava kneaded her temples with two fingers. “How far along am I?”
“Four weeks.”
The pregnancy coincided perfectly with her liaison with Elias at the seminar. She assumed her missed period this month was due to stress. Ava felt the pressure of tears push behind her eyes. There were so many things running through her mind that she could hardly breathe. Short, ragged breaths escaped her lips, making her lightheaded.
“Judging by your reaction, I can only assume this baby wasn’t planned,” Mal said softly.
“No, it wasn’t.”
Mal leaned forward in his chair, his brow creased over his pale eyes. “Don’t feel ashamed, Ava. I have many patients who are business women. They often find themselves with an unexpected pregnancy. It happens more frequently than you think.”
“I’m always so careful. I’m on the pill.”
“The contraceptive pill has a ninety-nine percent effective rate. There’s always the one percent that slips through.”
Ava covered her face with her hands, submitting to the darkness. She could hear the doctor’s soft breathing, the mild chatter of patients in reception, and the ticking of his wall clock. Everything felt warped and unreal, like she was in a dream. If she removed her hands, would she wake up in bed?
“Ava, I have to ask my next question. Do you wish to continue this pregnancy?”
“I don’t know.”
Mal cleared his throat. “As a medical practitioner, I have my patient’s wellbeing as my top priority. However, there are options if you decide termination is best for you.”
A breath caught in Ava’s chest and she released it gradually through narrowed lips. After a pregnancy scare at university, she vowed never to find herself in a doctor’s office again, but the thought of aborting this child sickened her. “I want to have this baby.”
Her confession came from the very depths of her soul, unwavering and real. It was frightening because Ava was never a maternal person. But at thirty-four years old, she wondered if time was running out to start a family.
“Do you have a husband or boyfriend?”
Ava shook her head ashamedly. “No, I’m single. The father is getting married to someone else and I can’t bear to tell him. It will destroy his relationship.”
“It’s important that expecting single mothers have a solid support system behind them,” Mal said. “Do you have one? Are you close to your family or friends?”
Ava’s mother Veronica ceased all contact when she married Liam and she didn’t have friends outside the business world. She abandoned everyone near and dear when she started working in the industry. Who needed friends when you had contacts and allies in business? “There’s no one in my life I can rely on.” The admission hurt, pained her to think she was alone.
Mal swivelled around in his chair and gathered some brochures from a drawer. “There are some wonderful supports groups in Sydney who help women in your situation.”
“I’ll look into them right away.”
“Okay, good. I suggest getting onto prenatal vitamins such as folate as soon as you can. Eliminate all alcohol and cut back on coffee. It can stimulate the foetus.”
“When will I start showing?”
“It’s hard to say because this is your first pregnancy. Most mothers starting showing around twelve to sixteen weeks, so you have time to work out your wardrobe.” He typed away on his keyboard. “I would like to see you in another four weeks to see how you’re progressing. It’s an exciting time, Ava. Please don’t stress about the baby. Your maternal instincts will kick in soon.”
“I’m not concerned about that. I work in a very male-dominated industry. I’m the CEO of a publishing company. I don’t think the board will react well to the news.”
“Ava, I’ve always told my patients to put their health first. Women get pregnant. It’s only natural. This baby may be your redemption.” Mal lowered his large hand over hers. “You need to slow down. I’m sure your employers will understand if your work load is eased. Saying that, I would really like you to find a support group. You may meet some like-minded women. Will you do that for me?”
Like a flip of a coin, Ava’s life had irrevocably changed from a childless woman to an expectant mother. As a little girl, she had preferred playing with marbles, toy cars, and the neighbourhood boys. Dolls and girly things were foreign to her. As an adult, the companies she owned were like her children, growing and thriving under her care. But she was getting older and maybe this baby was her one chance of moving on with her life.