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
AVA Ava stood there smiling sheepishly to herself. She had worried that Taylor might come and see them in a conspicuous position, but that wasn't for long since Richard had left and Taylor didn't show. Glancing down at the two sandwiches on the plate, she realized there was still so much she didn't know about him. Like another world of mysteries around him. Not the dark kind though. He was so handsome when she had turned and found him standing there. His streaking white hair and beards were his features that Ava was sure, she was never going to get tired of. Was she ever going to get tired at all? And where did the naive Ava disappear to? She'd even said 'me too' when he'd asked they talk when he got back. She was doing a lot of things she'd never thought that she'd ever do. Taking hold of the now warm coffee, she poured it into the sink, washed it and replaced it. He'd kissed her and she'd allowed it because she realized she missed him t
RICHARD It wasn't the thought that Ava would be waiting for him, that had Richard literally running home. It was more about the fact that he couldn't wait to see her. Aside his daughters, he'd never been so anxious to see someone. Infact, there were lots of things he was sure he'd outgrown. But recently, he wasn't sure anymore. He found himself doing crazy stuff. He'd never cancel a meeting no matter how tired he was, but after long hours of inspection and survey, he'd told Victoria to cancel his last meeting and reschedule to a later date. All he wanted was to go home to Ava. He curled his lip in a little smile as he thought of how poetic it sounded. Home to Ava. Things were getting fast, he thought as he sat in the cool interior of his car and looked out through the window as Henry sped past the bright lights. That was one of the days he appreciated the bright lights. Even as the cars sped and weaved through traffic, slowing and stepping on
AVA Ava had taken it all in good faith when Simone had sent her on her way. She was sad but wasn't angry or upset. Simone, was obviously marking her territory. Ava was just the hired help. That, was clear enough. Maybe, it was her accepting of the backlash in good faith was the problem. It didn't prepare her for the shock when she returned to work in the morning and found Simone still there. It confused Ava. The last time they talked, he went home with the woman. He said they would talk last night, though she had left, he did it again. It was very confusing for Ava at that moment. Simone was at the counter again, sipping from a cup and Ava guessed it was coffee. "You're here." Simone acknowledged with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. Ava knew there was never going to be a mutual accommodation between both of them, but she smiled back at her. "Good morning. I'm sorry I didn't get here on time to make you coffee." Ava amended. "It's oka
RICHARD The wheels in Richard's head were turning wildly on their own. He couldn't control what was happening but he was sure he'd fallen helplessly for the girl that had kissed him right at that moment. Richard wasn't aware that he could feel so much emotions for someone else, after Daphne. But now, he was certain he could. Her eyes gleamed with tears and the emotions he saw in them matched his. He was feeling a lot of things at that point. As Richard smiled up at her, she returned the smile and blinked playfully. There was so much at stake if things took the wrong turn, so he had to keep things down. The media can be very cruel and he knew that and wouldn't want her to be exposed to that. But, first things first. Placing his hands on both her sides on the table, he leaned in, catching every fleeting emotion on her face. "I'll want to speak with you when you're not not here..." "So..." She smiled shyly at him, trying to look past him but
AVA And that was how things changed for Ava in just one week. They'd agreed to keep things just between them. There were stolen kisses and side glances. He had been a pure gentleman with her. Always attentive. Giving her hugs when she needed them. Sharing unspoken words that they only knew. It was paradise for Ava. And love. A love like this. Wasn't that what everyone wanted? Someone to always care and be there for them. Something nobody ever did for her. He hadn't pressured her to talk about her life. Richard was beginning to spend more time at home than he did before. She even feared that he might be losing deals and contracts, but he'd assured her that she had nothing to be worried about. Ava no more felt like the hired help, she felt like she finally belonged somewhere. With someone. She was getting too attached. They were getting too attached. They were going deeper. They hadn't gotten intimate but it was clearly unavoidable, alth