On His Desk by Mia Faye

Chapter 31

MICHAEL

“It’s good to be back home,” I think to myself as I towel myself dry from the shower.

The only thing missing to make everything perfect is Ava. William and I dropped her off at her apartment and then he brought me home. The minute she got out of the car, I started missing her.

In the last three days, we’d gotten used to seeing each other day and night. I let out a sigh at the memory of waking up next to Ava every morning. She has a sweet habit of sleepily reaching for my cock as if to check whether it’s still there. And that of course leads to a man’s fantasy alarm clock.

I have a lot to think about. Those days with Ava have shown me that we have more going on that what we initially planned. I know the thought frightens her. The thought of commitment used to frighten me too but not anymore.

Somehow, I’ve moved from fear to embracing the kind of life I want. And what I want is Ava, but I have to move very slowly. I don’t want to frighten her away. After the number her bastard of an ex played on her, she’s bound to be afraid of commitment.

The truth is that if she agreed, I would marry her tomorrow. She makes me happy. She gives my life purpose. She’s brought color and laughter in my life and I want that permanently. I love her. I’m in love with her! My heart pounds with the realization. When did it happen? I look back several weeks and I can’t pinpoint when I started falling in love with Ava. Maybe immediately. There’s something special about her.

I love her independent nature; her openness and I especially love the sound of her laughter.

There’s no turning back now. I chuckle softly when it hits me how hard I worked to keep my feelings out of it. That goes to show that when the right person comes along, you cannot stop yourself from falling in love.

I’m a lucky man. I have a beautiful daughter and now I’m in love with a gorgeous woman. The kind of woman you’d be proud to call your wife. The kind of woman who you’d want to have children with.

I dress hurriedly. I’ve missed Elly. I remember the welcome home hug I got from her and smile.

“I missed you, Michael!” she said, squeezing my neck tightly.

“I missed you too, sweetheart,” I told her and meant every word.

Now, I make my way to the living room. Delicious smells fill the room. I’m puzzled. Paige cannot even boil an egg. She and I are the same when it comes to the kitchen department. When we were together, we survived on take-out. But who knows, maybe she learned how to cook in the years she was with Charles.

Charles was traditional in his thinking and I wonder idly how they managed to bridge that difference between them. Paige’s sole purpose in life was to look pretty and go shopping. Charles had believed in a woman’s traditional role. Cook and clean and take care of the family. No wonder she had not pursued a career. Pity, as it would have kept her busy.

Paige looks up from the magazine she’s reading and smiles at me.

“Something smells good,” I say, my stomach rumbling.

“Dinner,” Paige says. “The new chef is just wonderful. He makes the most delicious meals.”

I’d forgotten all about the chef. That makes sense. I plop down on the couch next to Elly and peer at the picture book that she’s coloring. “That looks pretty.”

“Thanks,” Elly says. “Do you want to color?”

“Yes, please,” I tell her.

She opens a fresh page. “You do the prince and I’ll do the princess,” she says solemnly.

I choose my colors very carefully. “I think I’ll make his robe green,” I tell her.

She nods. “That’s a good color.”

We work silently for the next couple of minutes. I’m careful not to color out of the lines. I sneak a look at Elly. Tendrils of hair have escaped her ponytail and I smooth them back. She doesn’t even look up. I’ve noticed that about her. When she’s involved in an activity, she is super focused.

After ten minutes, we stop to compare our work.

“You’re good at coloring, Michael,” Elly tells me.

I smile as if I’ve won the Venture Capitalist award of the year. “Thank you. Maybe someday, I’ll be as good as you are.”

“You have to practice lots. Color every day,” she says.

I nod and then we go back to coloring. It’s restful and childish to color but it makes me happy to do it with Elly. She makes everything fun. It’s also how her whole face lights up with happiness when I do things with her.

“I better check if dinner is ready and the table has been set,” Paige says and leaves.

My mind drifts to Ava as I color. I wonder what she’s doing. Probably relaxing in her living room, dressed in the shorts she wears at home in a bra-less, sleeveless top. My body begins to heat up and I pull my thoughts away from Ava with a lot of effort.

“Dinner is ready,” Paige announces with a flourish. “You’ll love the braised duck tacos that Alfred has cooked. Simply divine.”

She’s right on that account. The table has been set beautifully and Alfred stands by the side of the table as we enter the dining room. He’s a brown-haired, friendly-looking man.

“Hi, my name is Michael,” I say by way of greeting.

He smiles. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir,” he says and launches into an explanation of tonight’s dinner.

By the time he’s done, my mouth is watering. He excuses himself and goes back to the kitchen. He returns moments later bearing dishes piled with food and places them on the table.

“You can praise me now for finding Alfred,” Paige says.

“He’s a wonderful cook,” I admit, my mouth full of delicious duck taco. “That was a good idea.”

“Thank you,” Paige says and sniffs. “I miss the entertaining Charles and I did. It kept me occupied and busy. These days, I don’t have much to occupy my time.”

“You used to flirt around the idea of being a wedding coordinator. You could do that now. It’s never too late to go after your dreams.”

Paige’s eyes widen. She looks at me like I’m mad. “Work? I can’t work.”

She says it like it’s a dirty word. I stifle a chuckle. It’s nice to see that some things never change.

I shrug. “I thought that you needed something to occupy your time.”

“I meant that I miss being a wife. Being part of a family, supporting my husband,” she says.

We’re both quiet after that. Elly enjoys the food too and eats a lot more than she usually does.

“Well done, Elly,” I tell her.

She looks up at me and flashes me the most glorious smile. It doesn’t matter which mood I am in. When Elly smiles at me like that, I become butter.

“I really missed you, Michael,” she says.

My heart clenches. Guilt floods me. “I have an idea. How about we do something on Saturday. Something fun.”

Her little face lights up. “Okay. Like what?”

“We could ride bikes in the park.”

Charles and I used to ride bikes everywhere when we were growing up. I’d always said that if I had a child, it would be something we could do together.

Elly’s face falls. “I don’t know how to ride a bike.”

I turn to Paige in disbelief. “How?”

“Charles always said he’d teach her, but he never found the time,” Paige says, a defensive note in her voice.

“What about you?” I ask her.

“I’m a lady. I don’t ride bicycles.”

I turn back to Elly. “Don’t worry, we’ll fix that. We’ll have you riding a bicycle in no time.”

“I can’t wait for Saturday,” Elly says and takes the last bite of her food.

My plate is already empty. “Thank you,” I tell Paige. An idea comes to me. “With this kind of cooking, I can host some dinner meetings here at home.”

“Nothing to stop you,” Paige says. “Alfred can cook for large parties. I made sure of that before I hired him.”

If she ever does get married again, Paige will make an awesome society wife to some man. Alfred makes us a sweet dessert that Elly loves. Afterward, I can barely stay awake from being stuffed and the activities of the last few days.

Elly goes to bed and after kissing her goodnight I come back to the living room and flip open my laptop. When I’m not with Ava, I catch up with what’s happening around the world with my laptop by reading the news.

“You’re a lot of fun,” Paige says, coming back to the living room.

I snap shut my laptop. “I was actually just about to go to bed,” I tell her. “I’m exhausted.”

“Okay,” she says sweetly. “I’ll take a nice relaxing bath. Want to join me?”

It’s definitely time to escape to my room. “I’ll pass. Goodnight.”

She blows me a kiss and I rush out of my own living room. I’m irritated when I slip into bed and arrange the laptop on my lap. I push her out of my mind and concentrate on reading the news on my screen.

My eyelids are heavy, and I decide to call it a day after reading a few articles. I’m about to drift off to sleep when I hear the distant sound of a door closing. Groggy with sleep, I feel my covers being lifted and a warm naked body slips in. I jerk myself awake.

“It’s me,” Paige says, inching close to me on the bed.

She snakes her hand under the covers and in the next moment, I feel it on m cock. Fortunately, I have my boxer briefs on, and my cock is flaccid. Just as she grabs it, I place my hand on hers and remove the offending hand.

“Paige, what are you doing?” I ask her.

“I felt a little lonely by myself in that big bed and I have insomnia. We could pleasure each other, the way we used to,” she says.

Nausea rises up my throat. I sit up in bed. It feels wrong to be lying down in the same bed with Paige. I feel as if I’m cheating on Ava just by being next to a naked Paige. I flick the bedside switch on and light floods the room.

I look down at Paige and she smiles at me. She’s completely naked. I take all this in dispassionately, the way a doctor examines his female patients. Her body has not changed much, and another man would not be able to resist her. Her breasts are still perky, and she keeps herself in good shape.

“Cover yourself up!” I bark at her. I dislike games immensely and this is one game that I don’t want to play.

“What’s wrong with you?” Paige shrieks. “You couldn’t get enough of me when we were together! Is it that PA girl who is always sniffing around you?”

“Don’t talk about Ava like that! She’s got nothing to do with what’s going on here. I’m not interested in sex with you, Paige. And I’m not available for anything else.”

“Are you sleeping with her? Is that why you don’t want me?” Paige says.

I don’t answer her question.

“Look,” Paige continues, her tone reconciliatory. Clearly, she’s decided to change tactics. “I understand that you’re a man and you have needs. But you don’t need her now. I’m here and I’m the mother of your child, Michael. We can be a family. Raise Elly together.”

She’s insane. “You’re talking crazy, Paige. Please leave before this gets any worse.”

“Will you at least think about it?” she says.

“I will.” Anything to get her out of my room.

She leans forward and kissed me on my mouth. I force myself not to cringe visibly.

“Goodnight, Michael,” Paige says and pads out, naked as the day she was born and without a care in the world.

I let out a breath when the door shuts behind her. Just as I lie back in bed, my phone vibrates on the bedside table. Irritated, I reach for it.

My irritation evaporates. It’s a message from Ava.

Hey, sexy, you asleep yet?

I immediately text her back.

No. I’m in my bed thinking about you and wishing you were here.

We fire off texts to each other.

Me too.

Those three days were the best days of my life.

Me too. I think I’m saying that too much. But you’re taking the words from my mouth.

LOL. Great minds think alike.

I’m wet.

Just two words and all the blood in my body drops to my cock. Paige groped me and my cock would not respond. All Ava has to do it say something sexy and my cock hardens.

My cock is hard. For you.

I want your cock in my mouth tomorrow.

My cock throbs painfully and I groan. There’s no hope of me catching any sleep tonight.