AVA Two weeks. Two not-so-smooth weeks. No awkward or lingering stares. No awkward dinners. No wide smiles and hot gazes. She had even learnt to make him a good cup of coffee. He'd seemed to be busy, because he would get back late and leave quite early. She hadn't really seen him except for the short encounters. There was a time she didn't see for two days and Taylor told her that he had gone for an out of town survey. Just like she hadn't anticipated, Taylor had been very warm and friendly to her. Since she was always home, she helped Ava around the house and tried to learn kitchen skills from her too. She said Ava being young as she was, was a good thing. Ava must acknowledge the kindness and warmth. Aside her grandmother and Nicole, no one had ever paid her any attention. But she was hesitant. She needed to be. After all, she wouldn't always be there so it was important she knew her place. It was wise to know that they were in different lea
RICHARD Two weeks. Two weeks of weird emotions. Two weeks of insane torture. It was the first time he had such feelings after Daphne. It's been over twenty years. Maybe that was why he was confused. Confused enough to try to stay away but couldn't stop himself from wanting to see her. The other unsettling part about everything was that it wasn't just any other person. It was his twenty three year old housekeeper from Salta. A redhead. A girl with no college degree and hadn't been anywhere else except Bellamy. He'd been really busy so, he had not seen much of her whenever he was home. He even had to go away for a landed property survey for two days. Now, he sat in his office and listened to Victoria remind him about the fundraiser he would be going to that night. She'd said something about the fundraiser being held for children with rare diseases. He didn't have the mind for mingling but he had received numerous emails about it, so he couldn't avoid
AVA Ava had seem him when he'd entered the hall. Infact, it was Nicole that called her attention to him. Her breath had hitched and she'd almost thought she was going to faint from the sudden wave that hit her. Out of all the places and times to meet him, she was there staring at him over the heads of wealthy people like him. "He's even hotter." Nicole's whisper jolted her and she snapped back to reality. She had forgotten where she was as she had gazed at him. She knew he wouldn't see her from the distance and the people between them. She turned away from him and grabbed a tray of drinks. She'll find a way to avoid bumping into him. It might not end well if he found her there. "Ooh! Damn!" Nicole whispered again and Ava raised her eyes to her, but she wasn't looking at her, she still had her gaze fixed in the distance. Ava followed her gaze and felt a sudden headache. Or was that her heartbeat? Simone! Nicole was right about almost everything. There was no chance in hell for
AVA Nicole had bombarded her with questions the rest of the night. There were no words to explain how she felt after hearing Richard say those words to her. She just couldn't say anything to Nicole because she wasn't sure about what had happened. He can't mean that. He was just pulling her legs, right? When she'd trailed him with her eyes at the event, or when their eyes clashed over the heads, there was this twinkle in them even when another woman was hanging off his arm and wouldn't stop whispering into his ear and smiling. They looked so good together, Ava acknowledged. She didn't have to lie about that part. Prince charming to his Cinderella, except Simone was no Cinderella. She had watched in earnest when he'd made his donation, his eyes on her through out his sincere speech. It sent jitters down her spine and his eyes on her melted something in her. He'd held her gaze when it was all over and he had to leave. With Simone, of course.
RICHARD Richard couldn't believe it himself. He had not meant to go about things that way, like spilling the bean like that. That had taken a lot of thinking. But, he wasn't regretting anything. Infact, he felt at peace with himself that he said it sooner than later. From the way she had responded to him, he was sure they had the same feeling. He knew she felt the same way. Even as she kept denying it, he knew she felt the same. It would cost him a lot to keep her. As he got closer to his bedroom, he began to question his decision and weigh his options. A lot could wrong. A lot could go wrong, he mulled. Simone was in the closet, when he entered the room. She was pulling on another shirt, a white shirt this time, while letting the black one lie on the floor. "You're finally here." Simone said, her voice still laced. Richard didn't reply, he just stalked over to her side and gathered her hair out of the collar of the shirt. She tu
AVA One of the wonders of the world should be this moment. At this point. In this heat. Ava couldn't believe that she was pressed against the counter, with Richard's fingers in her hair and his mouth taking hers in a heated kiss. Totally one of the wonders of the world! She'd almost kicked herself when the moan escaped her throat, but she was too immersed in the moment to do anything. Rather, she moaned some more. Stupid! Maybe at her funeral, the priest will say; here lies the body of the girl who went from the kitchen into the boss's arms. She found herself leaning in for more of him. Their lips collided and meshed together with a hunger she'd never felt before. The wheels in her head was running on their own accord. She just couldn't control or hold herself from wanting more. Her hands slid up his arms and spanned his lean, strong muscles. This was bound to happen. It was in the air around them, it just took a while to realize it. She groaned when he suddenly released her f
RICHARD Time flies. That's what Richard realized five days later. He hadn't had much time to revisit what had transpired between him and Ava in the kitchen. The hug. The kiss. The heat. There were projects that needed his attention so he had barely been home. He left very early and only got home later in the night. Late enough that he'd missed Ava. Again. He had dinner that Taylor had served him and he'd had a bath and retired to his home office. He sat in his Study and shuffled through blueprints and documents that were scattered over his desk. He needed to go make propositions for landed properties for the next few weeks so he needed to get everything ready and in order. He was still sorting the papers when the door creaked open and Taylor came into view. "Taylor," he muttered, sparing a second to look at her face that was peering into the Study. He returned his attention to the documents. "Do you have a minute?" She asked, still standi
RICHARD Taylor had taken things in good faith. Richard wasn't expecting her reaction to the information. Infact, she had taken it better than he thought. If there was anything, she seemed super excited about it. That was okay with Richard but he still told her to keep things between them. He wanted to be the one to let things out in the open when it'll get to that. At least, that'll be the right thing to do. It might get messy if word got out and the media got hold of it. He can't risk that. Ava might not handle it well. He'd lived in the eyes of the media for a very long time to know how brutal they could get just for a scoop. He stood at the mirror and was buttoning up his white crisp shirt when Taylor entered and stood behind him. Her hair was tied in an unruly mass and bunched on top of her hair. Her eyes still looked drowsy but she was fully awake. She stood at the door way of the closet and leaved against the door jamb. "Good morni