On His Desk by Mia Faye

Chapter 29

MICHAEL

It’s been a bitch of a week and I’m glad to be going away for three days. Paige has been sulking ever since I told her that I’d be away for a few days. I love Elly so much it hurts so I ignore Paige’s juvenile behavior. I’d have thought she had overgrown sulking in the last few years.

“A penny for your thoughts?” Ava asks.

We’re in the car on the way to the airport. I can feel my muscles loosening the further we get away from the city.

“Just a penny?” I ask Ava lazily.

She doesn’t pursue it. I love that about her. Unlike most women, she doesn’t insist on knowing what is on your mind.

“I’m looking forward to this,” Ava says. “I know it’s for work, but it feels like a vacation.”

“Same for me,” I tell her. “I wish we were staying longer.” We would if it wasn’t for Elly.

I just found my daughter and I want to spend as much time as I can with her getting to know her. She reminds me so much of myself when I was a kid. She’s content to spend hours by herself but she’s also good company.

Ava and I hold hands in the back of the car. It feels natural now to hold her hand. We’re lucky and don’t run into traffic and in less than half an hour, we’re at the airport.

We go through to the first-class lounge and sit while we wait for boarding time. We’re a little early as Ava made sure to give us extra time in case of traffic. She goes to the coffee machine and returns with two coffees.

This could be permanent; I think to myself. I could have Ava permanently in my life. My heart pounds and beads of sweat form on my back. The thought of committing terrifies me. What if she changes? Or meets a man with a bigger bank account than mine?

My rational mind tells me that is silly thinking but it feels real to me. I can’t imagine going through the pain I went through after Paige left me, again. I don’t have the strength for it now.

“Here you go,” Ava says and hands me my coffee.

She’s different!My mind screams. Paige had been different too. She’d been sweet and loyal and seemingly content with our simple lifestyle. In truth, you can never tell what a person is really thinking or what they really want.

Ava is not materialistic; I tell myself firmly. But what if she’s holding out for something bigger than jewelry? One thing I know about Ava is that she’s smart. Maybe to her, this is a game. Play it well and walk away with the prize.

“Hey, I have an idea,” I tell her. “Why don’t we look at apartments next week? Something bigger for you?”

She looks at me and bursts into laughter. “I knew you didn’t like my apartment.”

I grin sheepishly. I can’t deny it. I hate small cramped spaces.

“It’s what I can afford, Michael,” she says.

“I’ll pay for the apartment,” I tell her. I clench my insides and hope.

She shrugs. “Okay.”

Disappointment floods me. True, I don’t like her apartment, but this is not about that. I had hoped to prove to myself that Ava doesn’t just like me for what I can give her.

In the plane, she touches my hand. “You seem different. Are you okay?”

I rouse myself from my despondency. It’s silly to be upset that Ava accepted my offer. I should be glad that we’ll have a comfortable place as mine is now out of bounds. But it still hurts that she was very quick to say yes when I offered to be paying her rent.

It’s better to know now, I tell myself. I am not going to get into all that sentimental bullshit. We’re having a very satisfying affair. No emotions or feelings.

I feel better and I grin at Ava. “Sorry, I was thinking about work.”

“How can you think about work in the middle of all this luxury?” she says, gesturing at the first-class accommodations on the small charter flight and then takes a sip of her champagne.

“It suits you,” I tell her and smile lazily.

“Thank you,” she says. “In that case, I’ll have all the fun I can.”

The flight takes an hour and we land in Rhode Island at three in the afternoon. The weather is perfect, and the air is tinged with salty air from the Atlantic Ocean. We take another Uber to the hotel.

I’m pleased with Ava’s choice. It’s classy, traditional, and right on the sandy beach. Three glorious days with Ava. My business meeting should not take a large chunk of the day. As expected in such a luxurious establishment, a doorman opens the door for us and we step out of the car. He wheels our luggage into the hotel reception area.

“The concierge will show you to your rooms,” the lady at check-in says.

I frown as we follow him. “You booked two rooms?” I ask Ava.

She blushes. “Well, yes. It’s a business trip. We’re here as employer and employee not as lovers.”

I don’t respond to that, but I intend to show her otherwise as soon as we’re in our rooms.

“It has an interconnecting door,” Ava whispers into my ear and my bad mood evaporates.

“Good.”

We’re each shown to our rooms and as soon as the concierge leaves, I march to the connecting door and fling it open. I catch Ava as she’s stripping off the business suit she was wearing.

“I’ll do that,” I growl and go to her.

She shivers with need as I strip her, her eyes wide with arousal as I tease her sensitive parts. No feelings involved I tell myself. When I know that she’s ready, I lay her on the bed and quickly strip off my clothes. There are no sweet words whispered into her ear as I fuck her.

“Oh, Ava,” I say and immediately stop myself before I say anything stupid.

I fuck her fast and hard. Ava wants it that way too because she comes in record time. I roar when my cock explodes in her pussy and jets hot cum deep inside her.

“Can we hit the beach now?” Ava says. “After a quick shower?”

I grin, her excitement catching. “Sure.” I’ve been to the most luxurious hotels in the world, but I’ve never taken the time to walk on the beach. I’ve always been too busy for that kind of thing, but we’ve reached a point where we can afford to relax a little.

Ava dons on a pair of shorts that leave my mouth watering.

“Oh no, sir,” Ava says playfully backing towards the door.

I laugh. “I promise, I’ll keep my hands away from your sexy body.”

I put on a pair of shorts as well and we leave our room hand in hand and head to the beach. We kick off our sandals and leave them near a pair of lounge chairs. The sand is nicely warm on my feet.

“It’s beautiful,” Ava says her voice filled with awe.

We walk by a man, his wife, and their two young children, frolicking on the beach. Their rings of laughter follow us as we stroll along the water’s edge.

“Elly would love it here,” Ava says.

That’s exactly what I’m thinking. One of the girls back there is about the same age. “I’ll bring her one day.”

I groan inwardly as the thought of Paige because I know for sure, that I couldn’t stomach going on vacation with Paige. She exhausts me, I’m sorry to say. Every evening when I go home, my feelings pull me in conflicting directions. On one hand, I’m usually excited to see Elly and find out how her day went. On the other, I have to see Paige and make conversation with her. It’s tiresome asking her about her day when the truth is that I don’t care about the answer. All I care about is seeing my daughter at the end of the day.

“How’s it going between you?” Ava says.

“It’s going better than I imagined. Elly has just opened up to me as if she’s known me all her life.” I smile as I talk. That little girl has changed my life. She’s given me purpose and an excitement for the future that I didn’t have before. I live now to make her happy and to protect her.

She and Ava came into my life at about the time when I needed a change of focus. Prior to that, all I cared about was growing the company. Making more money. Looking back, my life seems so empty.

“She’s a sweet little girl,” Ava says.

I sense that she wants to ask me something else. “You can ask me anything.”

She lets out a small laugh. “How do you read me so well?”

“We spend a lot of time together, Ava. There would be something wrong with me if I haven’t learned to read your cues by now.”

“Well, it’s an odd question to ask, but I’ll ask anyway. Is there a chance that you and Paige could get back together?”

I laugh a little and then stop when it hits me that for Ava, that’s a real worry. “Not a chance.” I squeeze her hand.

“I don’t want to get in the way when you have a child together. I bet Elly would love it if her parents got back together,” Ava says.

“Are you tired of me already?” I ask her.

Her free hand flies to her mouth. “God no! I would never tire of you.”

“In that case, put Paige away from your mind. You have nothing to worry about.”

There are so many things I could tell Ava. Things that would leave me vulnerable to her and her power. Feelings I intend to fight and not give in to. But I won’t. I’m not a fool and I have no intention of digging my own grave.