Chapter Seventeen

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.

When everyone had left, they'd cleared the place and had dropped off their account details with the promise of getting their payment the next day.

As they lay beside each other on the bed they share, so tired they could barely get out of their clothes. They'd got home by 1am that morning, but didn't fall asleep right away, so they laid there and gazed up at the ceiling.

"Now I see why you have the hots for him. I'd want him for myself too."

Ava snapped her head round to look at Nicole. She should have known that she wouldn't drop it.

"Nicole please. I don't have the hots for anyone."

Even as she had denied it, she knew it wasn't true and Nicole hadn't believed that too.

Nicole turned on her side to face her squarely. "I saw the way you both looked at each other. It was obvious you only had eyes for him and I think he likes you..." She paused. "Enough." She added after a quick thought.

Nicole said he liked her enough.

Richard said he really liked her.

Now, that was too much for her to take in.

She thought long and hard about it, even when Nicole started snoring lightly beside her, she still couldn't sleep.

His feather like touch and his dark eyes had ran shivers down her skin. Wrapping her arms around herself, she turned on her side and tried to will herself to sleep.

It wouldn't come. It must have weighed heavily on her because she couldn't sleep and had woke up early enough to get ready for work.

Nicole had slept through, as she got ready to leave. Ava's eyes looked puffy but she couldn't do anything about it.

A lot of things ran roughshod in her mind, as to how she was going to face him. She even prayed not to meet him for the rest of the day.

Her heart thudded as she found her way to the front porch. She had checked her phone to see that she had got there on time. It was 7am on the dot when she had walked into the mansion.

Everywhere was quiet as she walked in and padded lightly to the kitchen. Ava stopped in her tracks when she saw a woman at the counter.

She had thought that it was Taylor, but this woman looked taller and fuller. Even though the black shirt she wore hung low enough to her mid thigh, but the womanly curves we're not to be mistaken.

Ava just knew that it wasn't Taylor there. She was even afraid that she knew her from somewhere.

To confirm her fears, the mysterious woman turned sharply. She must have felt Ava's presence because she turned and locked gaze with her.

Ava was thrown into an instant recognition as her eyes widened and her heart sank immediately. The other woman, Simone, frowned and ran her eyes down her length.

Was that how it worked for men like that?

They profess their feelings and then go home with a different woman?

"Who are you?" Simone finally asked, since Ava was yet to say anything.

Advancing into the kitchen, feeling her confidence dropping to zero as she stared back at the really beautiful woman.

Without the clothes and shoes and make up, seeing her up close, Nicole's words came back to her, because sincerely, she was no match for a woman like Simone.

"Good morning. I'm Ava, the replacement for the last housekeeper." Her voice came out croaky which wasn't intended. Her throat suddenly went dry.

Simone cocked her head to the side and scrutinized her all over again. Then reached behind her to carry the cup of coffee at the coffee maker.

Ava stood there, at the centre, awkwardly, as she watched Simone wrap her long, delicate and manicured fingers around the cup and held it close to her face and inhaled deeply.

Ava noticed she took her coffee black. No sugar. No milk.

Just black.

Like Richard.

They were like that for a few minutes, she took a long sip before raising her eyes back to Ava.

"Ava..."

"Ava, you're here." Richard's voice sounded from behind her and she swerved round to face him. Her face turned red and hot like it had done last night.

He looked from her to Simone and back to her, already knowing how it looked like after what he'd told her.

"Richard, you're here. You didn't tell me you already got a housekeeper just like you never told me that Taylor got back." She didn't sound upset but her words were ice and thick.

Richard just went past Ava and went to the refrigerator to get a bottle of water. "We've been pretty busy, haven't we?" He asked her.

Simone didn't expect that question but was blown off by that. She took another sip of her coffee, still cupping the hot cup. "A very young and pretty housekeeper eh?" She muttered and speared Ava a dark look.

Ava knew right then that the woman was going to be her problem at work. It was obvious she didn't like her from where they stood.

Getting herself, she moved away and approached the island.

"Where are you from? Ava?"

"She's from Salta. She's Ava from Salta." Richard replied instead and pinned his gaze on her. She wasn't sure what to think about what was going on right then and there.

It was a little too much.

So so confusing.

Simone just gave Richard a bland smile and pushed away from the counter, setting down the cup.

"Well, Ava from Salta, I'll leave you to work." She gave her a smile too, but Ava knew it was a facade.

She was an actress after all.

Simone turned to Richard and pressed a wet kiss on his lips. "I have a morning show to attend to. Can we do lunch today?"

That got Ava biting her cheeks and tried not to fidget, but she caught Richard's eyes on her.

Richard shook his head and stepped away, trying not to make it seem evident that he was cutting ties. Maybe.

He pressed his lips together in a bid to feign that he was thinking about it and might consider lunch with her.

Finally, he shook his head. "I'm sorry. I can't. I have meetings to attend to for the most part of the day," giving Simone a smile, he added. "We could do it next time maybe."

"Of course." She readily agreed as if she knew he was going to turn her down. Maybe she knew.

Simone started to leave the kitchen, but stopped briefly to holler at Ava. "You're welcome, Ava."

Ava could only nod and smile briefly at her.

She just stared at the doorway, even when the woman had vanished from sight. She tried not to think about it.

She just needed to be professional and not try to get affected by the whole drama.

"Ava..."

Ava jumped. His voice had sounded so close that she whirled around to find him handing the uncapped bottle of water to her.

She frowned. A bit perplexed.

"Are you alright? You look like you might faint and I wouldn't want that." He still nudged the water towards her.

She simply nodded, took the bottle from him and tipped her head to take a gulp.

She carefully took the bottle from him and dropped it on the island then fixed his gaze squarely on her.

"I know you're still confused about..."

She shook her head to shut him up. "I'm not. Infact, I just want to do my job and leave. I'm sorry about yesterday too. I promise it won't ever happen again." She was surprised how her voice had become strong.

Richard sighed. "Really? You're going to pretend that this is nothing? I don't want to keep acting like there's nothing..." He stopped abruptly and ran a palm down his face. "It's about Simone right?"

Ava didn't answer but rounded him and went to the counter, swiping up the cup that still had coffee and dumped it into the sink.

Richard drew to her side and took her hand, sending chills into her limbs. "She had to come home with me because she had too much to drink."

Snatching her arm from him, she took a step back.

This shouldn't be happening.

"You don't need to explain anything to me, Sir Richard." She had to use the honorific to remind him that whatever was going on wasn't right on all levels.

"I'm just here to work and I'll..."

"You don't need to lie to yourself Ava. I'm tired of playing hide and seek with you. I mean it."

Ava didn't want to believe him at all. She didn't want to believe that this was all real, but his eyes spoke volumes to her.

His eyes told her that he meant everything he said, but...

But, a lot was at stake for her.

Shaking her head, she backed away from him. "I can't do this with you. It's not going to work. You're... You're..." She tried to search for a word. "We don't fit at all." She said instead.

He looked like he wanted to say something, but remembered that Simone would be waiting for him to get up there.

He sighed heavily, looking defeated. He finally nodded. "We'll talk later. Don't go anywhere, I'll be back."

"I don't..."

He looked squarely at her. "I'm not asking you Ava, I'm telling you as your employer."

Ava frowned and looked intently at him, but saw he was serious and had a gleam in his eyes that suggested he really meant it.

She nodded and he smiled favourably at her, then exited without another word.

God! Ava breathed in sharply and strained it out. Bringing up her palms to her face, she stared at them and noticed they were now unsteady.

Goosebumps were building up and her heart wouldn't stop beating rapidly.

She only had two options.

One, she could say no to all of these madness and try to steer far away from him. She could even quit.

Two, she could accept to go into this madness, and see what was in it and what it could really mean for her.

She wanted the second option, but the stakes were too high. She could even see them building up, but...

There were just too many buts.

She was sure she wouldn't be able to hide her feelings from him.

Or it could be that she just had daddy issues.

Now, that would make things worse. Way worse than she could ever imagine.