In My Arms (3 page)

“Good morning Chelsea.  How was your weekend?”  I had always gotten along great with the young woman.  She was pleasant to a fault and hardly ever riled, which wasn’t easy in this man driven office.

“Uneventful.”  She shrugged.  “The meeting is in ten minutes in the board room.”  She handed me a folder and excused herself when the phone rang.

I hurried down the hallway to my small office and tossed my purse in the desk drawer.  I searched for a Shout wipe and went to work on the coffee stain on my chest. 
Great!  It looks like I’m lactating!
When it was as good as it was going to get, I tossed it into the garbage pulled my jacket tighter around me and logged into my computer to check some final accounts before the meeting. 

My office was small and was actually supposed to be shared, but I had been there alone for the last four months after the other creative director left.  I didn’t mind having it to myself.  It was a nice break to be able to work in quiet.

I grabbed my folders and iPad for notes, smoothed my hair and walked into the hallway. 

“Good morning Ava.” 
Shit!
I tried not to groan. Josh was one of the copy editors for the advertising firm.  He was nice, but was always a tad too friendly and seemed to always be encroaching on my personal space. 
I mean seriously, back the hell up!
“Morning Josh.”  I put on my best smile and then realized it might have been too much when I saw the way Josh seemed to be encouraged by it.
Down boy!

Thankfully we arrived to the board room right then and found our usual seats, away from each other, at the large familiar dark table. I set my things down and focused on the folders in front of me, going through some last minute things in my head.  I wanted to be ready to prove that I was capable of heading one of the accounts.  I could hear bits and pieces of the various conversations, but I tried to block them out.

The large oak door shut firmly.  “Good morning everyone.”  George Jameson was the CEO of Jameson and Cartwright Advertising.  He was a natural leader who demanded 100% from his employees.  He was tough, but fair. I had always respected him.  “We have a lot to cover in a short amount of time, so I’m going to be brief.  If something needs clarifying, come see me later.”  He sat down as his assistant handed out papers to each of us. 

“We have several new large accounts, and you will all find yourselves with a bit more responsibility in the coming weeks.” My heart danced a bit, hoping that this was my time. 

“Ava, I’m going to give you the Daniel’s account.” 
WooHoo!
 

I had to school my emotions so that I didn’t jump out of my chair and do a happy dance—especially knowing what I looked like when I danced.  “Yes sir.” I said calmly, even as my knee bounced excitedly under the table.   The Daniel’s account was for a group of new night clubs in the area.
Talia was going to love this!

Mr. Jameson continued. “They want a woman’s perspective on this, but I am going to pair you up with someone else as well.” 

I should have known it was too good to be true.  “May I ask who sir?”
Please not Josh!

Mr. Jameson smiled. “Of course.  Please allow me to introduce you all to our newest Creative Director, Trevor Dawson.”
Shut the front door!
No!  It couldn’t be
.  I looked up slowly from my iPad. I think I could feel it in my gut before I even had the chance to look.

My world came to a crazy halt as I locked eyes—beautiful green eyes—with the same man I had spent the last two days trying to forget.
Oh crap, it most certainly could be!

Chapter 3

Trevor

I noticed her right away as she walked into the board room with the other man, who consequently, I already didn’t like. Her long dark hair was pulled back in a twist at the nape of her neck and wow, she looked fucking amazing!  I’m not sure I’d seen a business dress and a blazer look so sexy before.  I smiled when I noticed the wet spot on her chest where she obviously spilled something.
Cute!

She took a seat several spots down on the same side and immediately lost herself in some papers, almost oblivious to her surroundings, so I took the opportunity to check her out.  She was as breathtaking as I remembered, and I began to thank my lucky stars that someone was obviously looking out for me.  
Oh man was I thankful!

I’d spent the whole weekend pissed off at myself for the stupid mistake I’d made on Friday night.  Nick and Tom and been ribbing me the entire time too.  I guess that kiss was good enough to catch their attention from the bar. 
That kiss!
  It was amazing!  It was hands down the best kiss I’d ever had and after my testosterone fueled moment, Ava thought it was just for show. 

Granted, that is what started it, but from the moment my lips touched hers, I was lost to it.  Everyone around us had disappeared and I was alone with her and engaged completely in the kiss we were sharing. Then I went and opened my big mouth and completely screwed it up.

After she had gotten away, I had no idea how I was going to find her again, but I knew I wasn’t going to stop until I did.  I had plans to frequent every club looking for her again, but now she was sitting right in front of me. 
Nick and Tom were going to shit when I tell them this!

I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard Mr. Jameson say my name.  I looked around the table when I realized he had introduced me and saw smiles and greetings, and then I settled my eyes on Ava. 
Oh yes baby, it’s me!

To say she looked shocked would be down playing it for sure.  Was it so wrong that it amused me ever so slightly? I couldn’t help myself—I smiled brightly at her and winked, almost laughing out loud when her eyes got wide.

“Trevor, Ava will show you your office and you can go over the company profile together after the meeting.”  Mr. Jameson was oblivious to our exchange.

“Thank you sir.” He continued giving out assignments. 

I honestly didn’t hear much more of the meeting after that. A bad move as a new employee, but I found myself just watching Ava and waiting for the chance to be near her again.

It wasn’t until everyone started milling around the room that I realized the meeting was over and Ava was headed my way.

“Hi Trevor. Welcome” She shook my hand.  Ever the professional.

“Hi Ava.”  Taking her hand, I leaned in so nobody else heard the exchange, and gave it a squeeze.  “It’s so
very
nice to see you again.” I noticed a slight blush rise over her cheeks.
This was going to be fun!

“If you come with me, I’ll show you our office.”  She straightened up and let go of my hand, turning away from me.

“
Our
office?  As in we share?” Now this could be even better than I could have hoped for!

The glare she shot over her shoulder made me laugh.  What was it about this woman that made every part of me seem to feel excited? I was feeling like a kid waiting in line for their first roller coaster ride.  My stomach was nervous, but excited.  My palms were sweaty. Shit!  I needed to get myself under control.

I walked behind her, taking in her sweet backside that gently swayed from side to side as she moved. As she checked back over her shoulder to make sure I was with her, she looked almost defeated—sad.  As much as I wanted to say something to comfort her, I couldn’t think of the right words, and knowing the little amount of information I did about her, I had a feeling those words wouldn’t be welcome anyway. 
She was stubborn as hell!

“Here we are, you can have the desk right there.”  I looked around the small office as I put my bag on top of the desk that lined up directly across from Ava’s. It was a cozy space, and the way the room was set up, I would be facing her as we worked.  “Hey Ava, I want to apologize for…” I started, but she cut me off before I could finish.

“Trevor, please don’t.”  She held up her hand.  “Listen you did me a favor, nothing more.  I appreciate it.” She opened her laptop and sat down.  I didn’t want to push the topic yet, but damn it, I was determined to explain to her. I needed her to know that I thought the kiss we shared was amazing, not just a game.  But without a doubt, if it
was
a game, it was one I wanted to keep playing!

“Okay Ava.” 
You win for now
.  “Let’s look at the company specs.”  I pulled my chair around the desk to share her computer screen.  This was going to be harder than I’d thought.  Being this close to her just might kill me.   I could smell her hair. Strawberries. It made me want to grab a fist full and just bury my face in it and breathe deep. 

She was more beautiful than I’d remembered.  Average height. Long dark hair. Creamy skin that looked flawless.  I was in so much trouble, and from the looks of it, she wasn’t fairing much better. I could see the rise and fall of her chest with each breath and if the way she was pulling her shirt away from her, she was having trouble being this close to me too.  I scooted even closer, still looking at the computer screen. She could deny it and play it off like it had been nothing, but there was no way she didn’t feel a connection too. 

I was going to have a little fun with her—see just how far I could push her.  Now I leaned in, looking closer at the website she had pulled up, pretending to be
very
interested.  I positioned my elbow on the armrest of her chair, brushing her arm with mine.  Even through her blazer, I could tell she felt it by the way she froze.

She pushed her chair back and quickly stood up. “Is everything okay Ava?” I used my most innocent voice and look.

“Um yeah.  It’s just hot.” She shuffled out of her blazer, hanging it on the chair before pulling the chair over a bit and sitting back down.

“Okay, let’s take a look at what we’re working with.” She leaned in toward her computer.

“What the hell Ava?”

“What?” She looked shocked.  I hadn’t meant to yell, but when she sat back down and put her arm on the armrest of her chair, I noticed the bruises on her arm.  Clearly four finger marks wrapping around her forearm.

“Son-of–a-bitch!”  I growled as I gently lifted her arm to get a closer look.  She pulled her arm away from me, covering the bruises with her other hand.

“Its fine Trevor, it doesn’t even hurt.”  She said softly.

I closed my eyes, trying to compose myself.  I didn’t want to scare her.  “I’m sorry Ava, I didn’t mean to startle you.”  I took a deep breath, trying hard to reel in my alpha male mentality. “I just didn’t expect to see that.  If I had realized he grabbed you that hard…”  I stopped, relaxing the fists I had automatically made.  I couldn’t allow myself to get so worked up over this, but I knew right then and there, that if I ever saw that prick Kyle again, it would take every bit of training I had to hold back and not kill him. 

“Trevor?” 

“Shit Ava, I’m sorry.  Are you sure it doesn’t hurt?” I asked, looking deep into her eyes.

“I’m fine, please, let’s just forget that night ever happened.”
That as the last thing I wanted to do.
  Hell, I couldn’t forget that night if I tried, and believe me…I did try this whole past weekend. I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be forgetting much about this woman.

“I’m not sure I can.”  I mumbled.  Her breath caught for a moment before she shook her head and focused back on the screen.

The rest of the day was spent going over the company profile and image.  We both had several ideas of the direction we would like to take it, but in the end, we needed to go visit some of the clubs to get a feel of things. 

“So, there are three clubs in the Philly area, right?”  I watched Ava finish chewing the bite of her sandwich before answering me.

“Yes.  We should try to visit a couple this week and the other one next week.”  She started making notes.

“How about Wednesday and Saturday?”  I asked.

“Wednesday is fine, but Saturday I’m moving.”  She smiled slightly.  It was obviously something she was happy about, and it made me want to know more.

“Why are you moving?”  I couldn’t help it, I was too curious. I needed to know more about her.

“Um, I was living with Kyle until three weeks ago.”  She looked away, and I could tell she didn’t want me to push the subject.

“Do you need help? We could help you move and then all head to the club after.” 

“We?” She smiled. “You’re volunteering people now?”

“Yeah, my friends Nick and Tom and of course myself.”  I wiggled my eyebrows. I was going to have to owe them big time for this, but I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to be with her this weekend.

“Ok. My friend Talia is going to help too, and as you probably remember, she is always up for a good time, so I’m sure she will be happy to go clubbing after.”  She raised her eyebrow, almost daring me to make another comment about her friend. 
I was not going down that road again.

“Great!  Then it’s settled.”  I smiled at her, and for the first time today, she smiled back.

Chapter 4

Ava

“That is just crazy!”  Talia shook her head in disbelief when I told her about working together with Trevor at the gym on Wednesday. “What are the odds, huh?” She slowed from her run to a walk on the treadmill blotting her flushed face with a towel.

“You’re telling me!  You should have seen my face when Mr. Jameson introduced him.  I about shit my pants!” I exclaimed. 

Trevor and I had been working the last couple days together, and to be honest, I was kind of enjoying his presence in the tiny office we shared.  He was funny and light and I was finding myself more and more relaxed around him.  Of course, it didn’t hurt that he was some major eye candy either.
Yummy!
He was also fitting in quite well at the office too.  Everyone seemed to like him, especially the women.  
I was not jealous….not one single bit!

There hadn’t been anymore discussion about the night we met, and I could only assume he’d taken what I’d said to heart and was letting it go.  I wish I could follow my own instructions.  The last thing I needed right now was to get involved with someone again, but every time I looked at him I had hot-fan myself-toe curling kind of flashbacks of the kiss we shared.