AVA
As I head to the sink, my steps are light. I even sway a little to the quiet music coming from the main hall. I’m loving it here, mostly because I have seen Colton smile and enjoy himself. His father is a nightmare. Everything I knew about him made me despise him. It made me want to protect his son from him. Or at least show that pretentious jerk he has no power over his son’s actions anymore. That he’s no one. A sperm donor, as Colt calls him.
Mr. Thompson was bombarding me with questions about me and my family. Some honestly sounded like he was trying to figure out how smart I was. With how often he smiled, I know I didn’t disappoint him. And that threw me off. I didn’t care if Colt’s father liked me, but I think he did. He looked happy for his son. Was there something I missed?
“The feisty little girl finally left her knight in shining armor.” I look over my shoulder and see Helen standing near the door. I was so deep in my thoughts, and the water was running while I was washing my hands, that I didn’t even hear her open the door.
I turn off the water, take a paper towel, and dry my hands. She comes closer and leans against the countertop. I throw the paper towel into the trash can and turn to look at this woman. She’s beautiful and sexy—I’m not one to deny the obvious. But with what I know about her and her actions? She’s disgusting.
“A woman with no dignity or self-respect followed the feisty little girl to the bathroom? Why?”
She shifts a little, her lips forming a snarl. “Don’t you think you should be more careful with what comes out of your mouth?”
“Why?”
“Because of societal norms,” she hisses, and I just can’t help myself. She’s adorable.
“Do societal norms say that it’s okay to sleep with someone else’s husband? To spread your legs for your own boss?”
Her face contorts in anger, and she digs her fingernails into the countertop. I hit a nerve for sure.
“Looks like Colton let the cat out of the bag.” Helen’s voice drops an octave, and she narrows her eyes. “Did he tell you everything?”
“Everything? What else is there to say except ‘my father had an affair with his secretary’? How do you even live with yourself knowing what you did to Colton’s mom?”
Just for a second, I see her mask slip. She’s surprised I know so much. She didn’t think he would tell me about his mom. Her eyes roam over my face, and a deep wrinkle appears on her forehead. I can tell my words really affected her. I not only showed her that I have zero respect for her, but I also let it slip how much Colt trusts me. And I’m not sure it was the right thing to do.
“I never wanted Avery to know. I never wished for anything bad to happen to her.”
“Kinda controversial statement, don’t you think?” I frown slightly. “How can you not wish for anything bad to happen to someone and then go and fuck their husband?” Is she insane or what?
“We were out of town, on a business trip. I got drunk, he helped me to my room, and I invited him in. He’s a handsome man, powerful and in great shape. The next morning, he told me it was the first and last time.” She lets her eyes wander around the room before she focuses on me. There is another emotion in her gaze, but I can’t put my finger on it. Is it regret? “Eric and I apparently have mind-blowing compatibility. The only time I had sex with him, I got pregnant, and it changed everything.”
I continue to stare at her while Colton’s image pops into my head. He’s in his car, revealing the truth about his mom’s health, and then admitting he didn’t tell me everything. “So what? If you didn’t want to—”
“No. That never was an option. I have only one ovary, and the doctors weren’t sure I would ever get pregnant. I made the decision on my own, and only later told him the truth,” she says bitterly, wrapping her arms around her waist. I feel my heart beating violently, so loud and fast it’s ear-piercing. “To say he was unhappy is an understatement. He demanded a paternity test once the child was born; he wanted to make sure I was telling the truth. I didn’t have anything against doing it, and it was never about money, even if Colt was sure I got pregnant on purpose. He was furious with me when he came to see me after he found out the truth.”
“Why would he come to see you?”
Helen’s lips part, and she gawks at me in silence for a moment. Nervousness settles inside my chest, growing bigger with how she keeps looking at me.
“When Colton found out about my pregnancy, he promised to help me. And you should know how he is if you two are so close—if he promises something, he does everything in his power to make it happen.” She smiles at me, her shoulders relaxing.
“You could have left the city, could have kept your distance from their family, gotten financial support from Colt’s dad. That way, Avery would have never endured what she went through. All because of you.”
“Shut up. You have no idea what you are talking about.” she snaps, taking a step forward. “My daughter is Eric’s, but he refuses to acknowledge her. He made me sign papers that left her totally at his mercy. If he wants to give her money, he gives it. If not, then he doesn’t. Everything he has is Colton’s.”
“What do you mean ‘sign papers’? No parent in their right mind would ever do that to their child.” My fingers are trembling from anger. She’s a fucking shit show. “Just be honest and admit you wanted to be Mrs. Thompson, because if it was just about you having a child, you would have done things differently. This mistake could have been fixed. You’re a greedy piece of shit.”
I veer around her and stomp to the door. I see red, I swear. Even the debacle with Moore wasn’t anything compared to how she made me feel.
“If I wanted to be Mrs. Thompson so much,” Helen says as I swing the door open, “I would have chosen the son, not the father. He’s a stallion in bed.”
“You’re sick,” I tell her and slam the door behind me. I probably look like I’m fucking crazy; no trace of my light and good mood is left. The worst part is, I am having a hard time bottling it all up. Making a scene in the middle of the party isn’t an option. And besides, what can I say to him? That he should have told me the whole truth before bringing me here? That he should have warned me he screwed his dad’s secretary too? What the fuck is wrong with all of them?
I barely see where I’m going when he comes into view. I take a step further and block his path. “I was looking for you.”
“And I was looking for you.” Colton extends his hand to me, and I realize I don’t want him to touch me. I just need a moment to myself to figure out how I feel. But I let him take my hand in his, even if it makes me uncomfortable. Only because I don’t want to push him away and hurt him on a whim. My talk with his father’s mistress made my head spin.
“Ready to go back to the room?”
“Yes.” I force a smile, but it doesn’t reach my eyes. It’s the fakest smile I am capable of, and he knows it too. “Do we need to say goodbye to your father?”
“No,” he says, dragging me away. “He should be happy I agreed to come at all. He doesn’t deserve a proper goodbye.”
I’m no longer listening to him, trying hard to keep my emotions at bay. My breath is labored, and my heart rate accelerates. The noises around us turn into whispers, barely audible sounds. Helen’s words reverberate in my head, and I clench my jaw. I feel dirty after talking to her, and I’m mad at Colton. Not because he slept with that woman, but because he failed to understand how important it was to tell me the whole truth. He should have done it before we came here.
His hand on my skin brings me back to reality. My eyes land on his car. It will be one hell of a ride for sure, because he reads me so well, and he knows the state I am in. He just doesn’t know my reasons.
“What’s on your mind?” His deep voice goes right through my ears and spreads throughout my body. It’s like a soft coat, surrounding me with warmth and the most pleasant scent in the world: his scent.
“Just stuff,” I answer, opening the door of his car and climbing inside. He sighs, and then closes the door. He moves to his side, slips inside, and starts the engine. My eyes are on the building as I keep my hands on my knees. They’re balled into fists. Digging my fingernails into my skin, I hope to chase away this sick feeling flowing through my veins.
“Please let me in.” My chest is aching seeing the look on his face. His misery and sadness are palpable, and that hurts me to no end, because my behavior is causing it. “Let me in your thoughts.”
Tears treacherously sting my eyes, and I close them. I bang the back of my head against the seat. Punishing him for the mistakes of his past is pathetic and wrong, but I need time to process all this and prepare my questions. I want answers.
“I will talk to you when we get to our hotel room, okay?” I mumble quietly, and his hand covers mine, gently but at the same time firmly. He worms his way in, unclenching my fist and threading his fingers through mine.
“Of course.”
The ride is short because he booked a room in a nearby hotel. Was I surprised when he told me we were going to stay at a hotel instead of his family’s house? A little. I didn’t expect him to hate the place so much, because even though it’s hard for him to admit, he was happy there once too. That house holds memories of his childhood, of time with his mom when she was healthy and loved spending time with her little boy. I hate that his relationship with his father took that away from him. I hate how that man made him feel and how he still affects him.
I’m the first to climb out of the car, and I instantly regret it. The weather has gotten much worse, and the coldest wind wafts around me, scattering shivers over my skin. I hug myself, running my palms up and down my arms, hoping to give myself some warmth. I take a step forward, and his leather jacket suddenly covers my shoulders. The corners of my mouth tremble as I glance at him. The smallest grin plays on his lips as he shrugs.
“I told you we would need this later.”
“Who knew it would be this cold?” I mutter, heading into the building.
“It’s the end of fucking January in Michigan, Ava, not May. This is normal weather for this time of the year.”
“Thank you for the geography lesson, Mr. Thompson. I would have never known.”
“You’re so charming, Little Miss Sarcasm.”
“Fuck you.” I give him my middle finger as we step inside the foyer. I bite my bottom lip, at once acknowledging that my anger has dissolved into nothingness. Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to the Colton Motherfucker Thompson Effect.
Our elevator ride is silent, but we keep smiling at each other, feeling at ease. His care and little jokes did their thing and helped me to get rid of my explosive thoughts, at least for a little while. Because we can’t avoid talking about everything I found out—it’s too big to ignore. I only hope this change in my mood will prevail.
Once inside the room, Colt unbuttons his white shirt, putting it into his travel bag. I kinda wasn’t ready to have a serious conversation with him half naked. It will be way harder for me to form words if my panties are dripping.
He knows I’m watching him as I stand still in the middle of the room. Does it bother him? Not really. Colton is one of those people who could watch a house burn down with no emotion on his face. He’s mastered his poker face to a tee.
“So…what happened in the bathroom?” He sits down on the bed in front of me, his gaze glued to my face.
“Helen wanted to talk.” As soon as I say it, his jaw hardens.
“What did she want from you?”
“I think she wanted to teach me a lesson. To put me in my place.” I shrug nonchalantly. “Too bad I don’t care.”
He breathes through his nostrils. “What else did she say?”
“Her side of the story.” I lift my gaze to his face, and an intense wave of different emotions overwhelms me. “Why didn’t you tell me you were helping her?”
“You don’t understand.”
“Help me understand, Colton, because I’m truly lost here. How—”
“I promised to help her with her pregnancy, and I always keep my promises.” I have no idea what goes wrong with me when I’m with him, but his anger turns me on so damn much, it feels as if my skin is on fire. It’s burning hot, and I desperately want to touch myself. To relieve this tension and my overwrought nerves. “That’s the only reason why I stayed in touch with her. Chloe doesn’t deserve my hate.”
I shift, and one of the straps of my dress falls off my shoulder. Colton’s gaze zeroes in on it. The desire in his eyes is so fucking addictive, I slowly reach over and push it lower, until it’s totally off my shoulder.
“She was just your father’s employee.”
“I don’t think she ever planned on telling me about her pregnancy. I just happened to be there when she was at her lowest, crying her eyes out on her way home from the office. She literally bumped into me, and I offered to give her a ride home.” I take off the other strap and see his Adam’s apple bob up and down. “I was helping her with everything, even after I knew my father was the one who got her pregnant. There were times when I took her and my sister on a walk, just to keep her company.” I cup my breast, squeeze it hard, and drag my dress down, exposing my strapless bra. “Ava, what are you doing?”
“Listening to you,” I tell him, gliding my hands over my boobs and down my belly. “Were you helping her even after what happened to your mom?”
Please, say no, Colt. “Yes, but it wasn’t about her. It was about my sister.”
I push my dress down and step out of it. Colton licks his lips, leaning forward and putting his elbows on his knees. I edge to the chair and slump down into it, noticing a crease between his eyebrows. Confusion is written all over his face, while all I want is to cast away my fucking agitation. I understand where he’s coming from, but this knowledge combined with the fact that he had sex with Helen leads me astray. I want to punish him for that, and not allowing him to touch me is the best way to make it extra hard for him.
“Are you still helping her?”
“No. When Mom’s state worsened, I couldn’t bring myself to continue helping Helen. Any time I’d go over, pictures of my mom in that facility would pop into my head, and I couldn’t…I haven’t seen Chloe in six months.”
I stay silent, press a palm to my breast, and start circling it over my nipple. It pebbles instantly, as I feel it through the fabric of my bra. I do the same to my other boob, needing only one circle to make it pointy. His eyes are on me, following my every move. I reach around and unclasp my bra, throwing it to the side. His breath is heavy and shallow. I hold his gaze as I suck my index finger into my mouth, wetting it.
“Why didn’t you tell me,” I sigh as I swirl my wet finger over my nipple, imagining his tongue doing the same, “that you fucked her too?”
“It was just once; she was already pregnant.” His voice is hoarse as he moves his hand to his dick over his black pants.
“I didn’t ask how many times you fucked your father’s secretary, Colton.” I sink into the softness of the chair. Spreading my legs further, I slide my fingers to my clit, massaging it through my panties. I could come just from the intensity of his gaze on me. “Why did you hide it from me? It wasn’t the right time when we…oh God,” I moan, and my eyes roll back in my head. I need to gather my thoughts before I finish. It’s imperative he knows why I’m doing this. Why I’m going to deprive him of something he loves.
“Ava.” A low growl escapes his mouth as he rises to his feet.
“It wasn’t the right time when we went to see your mom. I get it.” I move my panties to the side, slipping a finger inside my pussy and then adding another one. “But you could have told me. She made me feel like a fool.”
“When I saw her today, I knew I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have kept it to myself, I’m sorry.” He steps closer and gradually lowers himself to his knees. “Please, let me taste you.”
I say nothing, fucking myself with my fingers faster and deeper. My orgasm is building inside me, skyrocketing with the feeling of his eyes on my body. He devours me without touching me, without laying even a single finger on my skin. I play with my nipple, rubbing it between my fingers and then pinching it. I moan loudly and shut my eyes, feeling a tingling sensation in my lower abdomen. I’m so fucking close.
“Ava, please…” I snap my eyes open, staring at him through clouded vision. I pull out my soaked fingers and press them to my clit, spreading my legs wider. “Please, let me do that. I want to taste you, please.”
“No,” I whimper, my brows pinching together as I rub my clit over and over, as waves of pleasure ripple through my bones. My abs contract as I come. My legs are shaking from the fervor of my orgasm. “It’s your punishment.”
Our eyes stay locked on each other for a few seconds, but then he abruptly stands up. Wheeling around, he storms to his travel bag, grabs a hoodie out of it, and pulls it on. The next thing I know, the door is slamming behind him. I have never seen a sex-deprived Colton, and it amuses me.
Getting up, I head to the bathroom. I need to take a shower before I go to bed. As I step into the stall, the image of him on his knees reappears in my mind. Colt is not one to forget me misbehaving and not letting him do what he wants. I’m going to pay for it, for sure, and I can only imagine what he’s going to do to me. A smile blooms on my lips. I honestly can’t wait.
