Turn Towards the Sun (19 page)

“Turn over.” I do as I’m told. He starts again at my shoulders and goes down the length of each arm. I’m breathing heavier now
,
hoping his hands will finally touch my aching breasts.
Oh,
he’s getting closer, come on, touch them please! He doesn’t. Dammit!

He moves across my stomach instead and down my legs.

“Enzo please.” I plead and squirm. He leans down and kisses me quickly. Straddling me, he pours more cream on his hands, rubbing them together. I love the feeling of his bare flesh touching mine, his erection resting on my stomach. I’m breathing so hard I might buck him off. He says nothing but starts to glide his hands over my shoulders again.
Finally,
he moves across my breasts, softly at first, then firmer, pinching both nipples as he moves. He squeezes them together and continues rubbing the cream into my skin. I’m moaning loudly at this point.

“Damn Ava.” His mouth finds mine in the faint light from the bathroom. His kiss is amazing, his mouth hot, his tongue sensuous.
T
he faint hint of his stubble
brushes
across the delicate skin of my face. It’s delicious. Oh how I want to feel him inside me right now. I just can’t get enough.

He pulls away and rolls off of me. Quickly, he pulls me to him, my back to his
front,
and I can’t help but squirm a little when I feel the telltale hardness pressed against the back of my leg.

“That’s enough. You’re going to get us both in trouble.” I feel his smile against my back. I move away just a bit to put some distance between me and the object of my desire. Still not time. I have no idea how he controls himself when it’s obvious he’s just as turned on as I am. He nuzzles his face in my wet hair and moves it to the side to kiss my neck.

“Ava. You’re so special to me.” He whispers. “I’ll tell you all abo
ut my past soon.” I nod my head
and fall into a restless sleep, agitated with desire.

“Ava?” I open my eyes to see Enzo standing above me, dressed and chipper as usual. “Are you going to get up?”

I sit up startled
,
afraid I overslept. I blink and realize it’s not quite light out.

“What time is it?”

“Five.”

“Five? What the hell? I don’t have to be at work for three hours.” I flop back in my bed
,
exasperated.

“Bella, amore, please get up. Drink coffee with me.”

“Grrr.” I try my best growl and mean face. He’s not scared.

“Ava, if you get up earlier you can ease into your day. No rushing.”

“But I like sleep.” I whine like a child. He pulls the blanket down.

“Up.” He insists.

I grudgingly get out of bed and put my robe on. I walk sullenly to the kitchen and sit at the dining table while Enzo pours me a cup of coffee.

“I thought I told Checca to get you an espresso maker.”

“I told her I don’t drink it.”

“Well I do. So we’ll get you one.”
He
sips
his coffee, eyes teasing me over the top of the cup.

“Am I going to have to get up at five
every day
with you around?”

“Not every day. We can sleep until seven on the weekends.”

“Ooh
seven. You hedonist.” I smile even though I’m still cranky. He smiles back. He’s staring at me again. I don’t understand how he can be so sensual and seductive and somehow maintain such control. It’s clear he’s attracted to
me,
but he can just turn it off and on when he wants to. I wish I had his control. Mr. Contradiction. I shake my head.

“What are you thinking?”

“I was just wondering how you control yourself and not jump me like I want to do to you?”

He looks off in the distance for a moment. “It’s not as easy as it seems Ava. Trust
me,
I do want you very much. You’re a very sensual
woman,
and I’m thankful you’re in my life. This is going to sound crazy maybe, but I just want our first time together to be special. I want it to be emotional and not just sex. When I make love to you, I want it to be love. I want to tell you that I love you. I want to hear you say you love me, and I want us to mean it.”

He’s as serious as a heart attack right now. 

“Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Nothing pleases me more knowing that you want me too Ava.”

“I’m sure that’s not unfamiliar to you. Every woman
who
meets
you
wants you.”

He sits down in f
ront of me. “No. You want me
. You don’t want my money
or celebrity
.
You want me.” He reaches across the table and touches my hand.

“Yes
,
I do. You fascinate
me,
and I want to get to know you better.”

“I feel the same about you.” He pulls my hand to his mouth and kisses the back of it several times.

“Dinner tonight?” He asks, flashing that brilliant smile again.

“Of
course,”
I reply.

“Let me drive you to work.”

“Enzo I have a great car sitting out there I never drive.”

“When I’m in town, I’m driving you.” He insists, reminding me that he doesn’t really live here. Yet.

“Okay, okay.” I put my hands up in mock protest. I shuffle to the bathroom to shower and prepare for work. I decide on a gray pencil skirt and cream blouse. I slip on some cream platform pumps that are perfect for a pencil skirt. I put on my diamond stud earrings, my 21st birthday present from my parents, and a long silver chain. I look damn good.

I put on some mascara, a little blush, and pale pink lip
gloss,
and I’m ready to go. I love that with the intense heat
outside,
I can let my hair air dry. Even though I clearly have enough time in the mornings now with Mr. Early Bird around.

“Wow, you look stunning.”

“Thank you.” I curtsy.

He laughs. “Let’s get you to work.”

In the
car,
he clears his throat. “Ava, I was planning to stay a few weeks in
Phoenix,
but I have to leave town again for a few days unexpectedly.”

“Oh?”

“I’m going back to Boston. There’s a problem with the title
work,
and I need to sign some paperwork.”

“Okay.” I’m deflated. He just got here and now he’s leaving again. Better get used to it sister. This is his world. You’re just a squirrel trying to get a nut. Cassie’s gangsta voice invades my thoughts causing me to smile a little.

“Enzo I know this is your life. I
’ll be here when you get back.”

He squeezes my hand once more
before
he drops me
off,
and I head into work.

“Morning Ava, how was your evening?”

I think back to the drama of the previous evening. “Morning Gabrielle. Oh you know, uneventful.” I lie.

“Yea me too.” She smiles. “So today I figure we
would start getting you trained
on the system and make sure your log in information works.”

“Sounds good.”

The morning flies by in a haze
of log
in codes, passwords, and procedures. Starting a new job is always
tough
. It wasn’t hard at all leaving my old one though. I knew the day after I broke up with Steve that I was going to move. I just had to keep it under wraps for a while.

“Ava. It’s time for lunch.”

“Great.”

Gabrielle leads me down to the company cafeteria. Everyone is ordering salads. Seems to be the thing to do in this town if you’re female. I see they have a taco bar today so I order two beef tacos with rice and beans, extra sour cream thank you very much. I look up and see Gabrielle waiting for me.

“Aren’t you eating?” I ask.

“I brought my lunch. It’s over there at the table.”

“Okay I’ll just pay real quick and meet you over there.”

I make my way to the table. Gabrielle is eating a bowl of roasted vegetables and some cold chicken.

“Don’t you want to heat that up?” I ask.

She shrugs. “Nah. It’s fine like this.”

“So you must think I’m a little piggy with all my Mexican food. You look like a healthy eater.”

She smiles. “Trust me I can eat. This just happens to be what was in my
fridge,
and I don’t like to waste food. By the way,” she changes the subject, “you’re doing great
so far catching on to stuff
.”

             
“Thanks. You’re a good trainer.” I take a bite of my taco. “So, Gabrielle, are you married, dating?”

“You can call me Gabby and neither of those. But I’d love to meet someone soon. I want a huge family. You?”

I smile. “Dating someone. It’s still new.”

“What’s his name?”

“Enzo.”

“What a cool name. Like the architect of this building.”

I stop chewing. “This building?”

“Yea, Enzo Milano. He won an award or something for this building. They called it innovative. All of us managers went to a banquet where he was a speaker. He’s a cutie.”

I smile and say nothing. It feels awkward now to admit it’s him.

Tim
e for me to change the subject.
“Are there
any
good restaurants around here?”

I’m exhausted and I know I still have dinner plans with Enzo. He should be here soon to pick me up. I glance in my compact mirror and reapply my lip gloss. Thank
God,
I don’t look as tired as I feel. My energy will perk right up when I see him.

The phone on my desk rings, startling me. The caller id reads unknown caller. I answer.

“Ava Bradshaw.” The line is
silent,
but I can tell someone is there.

“Hello? Is someone there?” The line goes dead. Hmm. Probably just a wrong number.
Certainly,
no one would be looking for me already. I peek out the window and see Enzo’s car pulling into the drive.

“Hey Ava, ready to walk out?” I turn around to see my coworker Adam in the hall.

“I sure am.”

“How’s it going so far?” He asks.

“Good. I like it here. People seem nice and helpful.”

“Yea, it’s a good company.”

We get to the main door in the lobby. “Some of us are going to grab a drink down the street if you want to come
,
Ava.”

“Oh thanks, but I have plans tonight.”

“Okay, next time then.” He smiles and waves goodbye.

“Hi!” I jump in
the
car and kiss
Enzo
on the cheek.

“
Who’s that guy you were talking to?”

Whoa, Enzo’s tone is freaking me out.

“Just a guy I work with. What’s the big deal?”

“Why were you with him?”

I glare at him. “I work in a building with a lot of people. We happened to walk out at the same time. You’re being ridiculous.”

“I don’t like the way he was looking at you.”

I roll my eyes.

He grabs my arm. “Listen to me Ava, you are mine. There can be no other men.” He sounds so possessive and just shitty right now.

“You listen to me, there are no other men. He is a
coworker,
Enzo. You need to trust me. I don’t like how you are talking to me right now.”
I pull my arm away from him.

We sit in silence for a moment. All I can hear is his heavy breathing.

“I’m sorry Ava. I am. I reacted poorly. I just didn’t like seeing you talk to another
man,
and I didn’t like the way he looked at you. I’ve been known to have trust issues.”

“Clearly. I don’t like being treated like I did something
wrong,
and I don’t like being questioned. I am the most faithful girl you’ll ever meet. You have to trust me Enzo.”

“You have to trust me too.
”
His voice is much softer now, revealing his vulnerability.

“
I do trust you.”

“You didn’t like it when I went to Boston.”

He’s totally right. We both have issues.

“You’re right. I guess I have trust issues too. But I do trust you Enzo. And I promise, there are no other men. Who could compare to what I already have?”

“That’s what bothers me. I know other men want
you,
and I think that man you were with does. Didn’t you see the way he looked at you?”