Spark: Book 1 (The Heat Series) Read online

  “Do you know how long we will be out here?”

  “No idea. There was a grease fire, and it got up into the venting. We need to make sure there is nothing in the walls before we can let you folks back in the building.”

  “Thank you,” Ava said as he hurried away to take a call on his radio. Now, what was she going to do? She had a project that needed to be finished tomorrow, actually today. She needed to be into the office, glancing at her watch, in three hours. And here she was practically naked, outside in the cold with poor Riley. What were her options? She could go to Sam’s or her uncle’s house. She probably would be better off going to her aunt and uncle’s house because she could borrow clothes from Dani or Rachel. Both of them were close to her size. At least she had shoes to wear. She walked a short way down the street away from the other residents to hail a cab. She might get a look from the cabbie, but she was sure he had seen stranger than a young woman wearing a bathrobe and heels. She was lucky to get the first cab that came by.

  “Miss, you know you will catch your death in that getup, it's cold outside.”

  She gave him a weak smile. “I know, we had a fire in the building, and this is all I had time to grab.” She gave him the address of her uncle’s house in Lenox Hill and frantically dialed Rachel’s cell. The phone rang and went to voicemail. She dialed again, and finally, Rachel answered.

  “Hello?” Ava could hear the sleep in Rachel’s voice.

  “Rachel, thank God I reached you! I got put out of my building because of a fire in the apartment down the hall from me. I’m practically naked, and I have poor Riley with me. I am on my way over. Can you open the door for me?”

  She heard Rachel stifle a laugh. “Ava? Are you serious? This would only happen to you!”

  “Please, Rachel, you can make fun of me when I get there.”

  “Where are you anyway?”

  “I’m in a cab on my way; I should be there in about fifteen minutes.”

  Rachel yawned. “I’ll turn off the alarm and wait for you.”

  When Ava got there, Rachel was at the door and took her to her studio on one-half of the top floor of the brownstone. Her parents had allowed her to turn her bedroom, (which was quite large) into a small apartment with work area. She had several new designs on a rack, and she flipped through the outfits looking for the perfect one.

  “Let’s see if we can find you some clothes that fit. At least you have some nice shoes on. Here, this dress would be great on you.”

  “I know it’s asking a lot but do you happen to have some underwear I could borrow?”

  “That might be a problem since I am a size four. Maybe Dani has something you could borrow; she is about the same size as you.”

  Rachel pulled her by the arm, across the hall to room that Dani occupied in the other half of the top floor. She knocked and got no answer. The light from her sister’s room was peeking out from the bottom of the door. Rachel opened the door, and sure enough, Dani was up and working out on her elliptical. She was wearing earbuds, and when she saw Ava and Rachel, she removed them.

  “Ava had a problem at her apartment and had nothing but a robe on when she got here.” Dani almost spit the water she was drinking on the floor. She started to laugh and almost fell off the elliptical that she was still riding.

  “So what can I do for you?”

  “Dani, I need underwear. I have no bra or panties.” Dani started to snicker. “This just gets better and better. You can take whatever you need.”

  Dani gestured to her walk in closet and put her earbuds back, returning to her workout.

  The closet was huge and had three sets of drawers. Rachel and Ava opened one of the top drawers. Dani loved to shop at the higher end retailers, and she had tons of lingerie, especially from Victoria’s Secret and Saks. Some still had the price tags on, and Ava felt better about wearing new items. She selected a pretty black panty set. She wasn’t sure the bra would fit since Dani was a C cup and Ava was a D, but she would have to make it work. Time was wasting, and she still needed to shower.

  Fortunately, Rachel had a late meeting, so Ava was able to use her bathroom. She quickly showered, dried her hair with the blow dryer and got dressed. On her way down the stairs, she ran into her Aunt Mavis.

  “Well, hello dear. What are you doing here so early? It’s 7:15.”

  She quickly explained the whole situation to her aunt including the fact that she now had Riley running through her home.

  Mavis thought it was quite comical.

  “It’s not funny Aunt Mavis. I was wearing my robe with nothing under it.”

  “Why would you go out like that?”

  Ava explained what had happened the night before and that she was too exhausted to do anything but fall into bed.

  “Can you please bring Riley over to my apartment later? I left the carrier in the hall. He is around here somewhere. I have to get to work.”

  She planted a kiss on her aunt’s cheek and went out the door. Ava wanted to stop by her apartment before she went to work, but she was afraid she would be late again. She called the front desk. Fortunately, Gage was on duty and answered the phone and let her know everything was fine.

  Ava breathed a sigh of relief. She said goodbye and hung up so she could check any other missed messages on her phone. There was one from Liam; it was marked 12:32 AM.

  “Babe, I’m so sorry I did not get to talk to you today. I had several meetings and tons of material to go over for the seminar. I will be busy most of the day Friday, but I will try to text or call you when I’m on a break. Though we have only been together for a couple of weeks, I miss you. Can’t wait for this weekend.”

  Ava felt a lump in her throat. Liam was so sweet, and she was falling for him even more. She wanted him very badly. She never felt this way about anyone. She was hoping that he would acquiesce, and they could have a more physical connection now that they were bonding emotionally.

  Chapter 6

  Ava arrived at the office at 7:45. People were beginning to filter into the building, and Ava hurried on to the elevator. She wanted to get upstairs and finish the brief with plenty of time to spare. Sometimes David had required her to do some editing, and she wanted to leave plenty of time if Xander needed it, too.

  She was going to sit in the alcove, but she was still a bit irked by the way Xander had changed his emotions so quickly. Instead, she decided to stay away from his office unless he chose to email or stop by her cubicle. She went to work on the brief and was typing so furiously she didn’t realize that Xander was standing behind her.

  “Ava.” He almost purred her name.

  “Oh, you startled me.”

  “I’m sorry. Can I see you in my office, please?”

  “I was working on the brief, and I was hoping to finish…”

  “This will only take a minute. Please follow me.” It was more a demand than a request the second time.

  Ava saved her work and shut down her laptop. When she rose to follow Xander to his office, he had already left. Wow, he couldn’t even wait for me to finish what I was doing. He just left. It’s no wonder why his girlfriend dumped him.

  She made her way to his office. Xander was already sitting at his desk.

  “Please come in and shut the door.”

  She did as she was told and took a seat in front of his desk. She noticed his eyes were fixed on her every move. She felt those dreamy hazel eyes boring a hole through her.

  “I wanted to apologize for my behavior yesterday. I didn’t mean to be so sharp with you. I know it was an accident that you lost your work.” Ava didn’t know what to say. Xander ran hot and cold. She felt that he liked her, but it was hard to get a read on him sometimes. All she wanted was to be treated decently by her boss, and he was either kind or nasty with her.

  He continued, “I’ve been under a lot of pressure from my father and the partners.” He waited for her to respond when she did not, he continued. “I just want you to know that if I get snappy at times, i
t’s not your fault.”

  Ava wasn’t sure how she should respond to what he just said so she nodded. “Is that all? Can I go now? I would like to finish the brief so I can get out of here on time tonight.”

  “Yes, you can go.” His voice sounded expectant as if he wanted her to congratulate him for apologizing. His brow was knitted as if he were deep in thought. She got up to leave without saying anything further and went back to her desk. She tried to focus on her work, but she couldn’t help but remember the look on his face. She pushed it away so she could finish. She didn’t need any more distractions after the day she had already, and it wasn’t even nine o’clock in the morning.

  Xander felt even worse after he had apologized to Ava. His reaction to the loss of her work made sleep the night before almost impossible. He tossed and turned. He couldn’t get those pretty green eyes with tears in them out of his mind. But he also couldn’t get the feel of her body in his arms out either. She smelled wonderful, and her petite frame just felt right against him. He knew he was walking on shaky ground. His mission here was to do his job so he could advance, not find someone to share his bed. Maybe if his personal situation weren't what it was, he would not be looking for someone else.

  Dammit, Abby, why did you ruin us? But deep in his heart, he knew that even with a stable relationship in his life, Ava would disrupt it. The sad thing was that she didn’t even know what she was doing to him. His reactions to her were extreme. Either he was extremely kind or extremely nasty. He would have to work on that. It didn’t matter. When she finally figured out who he was and what he had done, she would never speak to him again. She would probably request a transfer or quit altogether. The thought made him sick. At least here he could see her almost every day even if he couldn’t have her for his own.

  Ava was lucky enough to finish the brief by midday. She saved it on the server and went to Xander’s office. His door was open, and he was on the phone with someone. He waved at her to enter. She located a sticky pad and pen from his desk and wrote him a note. I finished the brief; please check the file on the network. She handed him the note and his fingers brushed hers as she handed it to him. She felt a jolt of electricity again, and it scared her. She withdrew her hand quickly and felt her face get hot.

  What the hell was that? She decided it was probably nothing, and she headed back to her cubicle. The rest of her day was uneventful. She spent it cleaning up a few things. Since it was David’s previous work, and now Xander’s, she wasn’t goofing off. Plus with the week she just had, she deserved an easy Friday. She didn’t hear from Liam until it was almost time to leave.

  Hey, baby. I will be over to your place by ten tomorrow. Can’t wait to see you. Is it alright if I stay for the weekend?

  Of course, it’s alright. Looking forward to it.

  Ava knew she would have to do some cleaning tonight to get her place in order. She better place the grocery order tonight for delivery by 9:00 AM tomorrow or they would have nothing to eat. She was exhausted from three hours of sleep, but coffee would help her get through cleaning tonight.

  She packed up her things and put on her coat. She was happy the week was over. It was 4:59 and she were ready to go. She hadn’t seen Sam all day and thought she would text her when she got home. She didn’t want to see Xander or talk to him. She was still a bit unnerved by what happened in his office earlier. She had emailed him at 4:30 that she was going to leave at five, and she did not hear back. She often did that with David. By 5:10 she was in a cab on the way to her apartment.

  When she arrived home, everything was a lot quieter at the building than she had left it that morning. Her hallway had a slight smoky odor but other than that; things were fine. She unlocked her door and was greeted by Riley. He rubbed against her leg. She noticed Mavis had fed him, so she scratched his head and went into her bedroom to change.

  Ava got out of her work clothes and put on her cleaning clothes, a worn in pair of jeans and tank top. She spent the next few hours doing laundry and cleaning her apartment. She then placed a grocery order with Stan’s Grocery with delivery set for 9:00 AM. Next, she checked her work email. There were a few garbage emails, but also one from Xander. She opened it with trepidation. I hope it’s nothing bad. I didn’t hear from him before I left.

  Ava,

  I’m sorry I had missed you before you left. I checked the brief that you wrote. It’s perfect, and I appreciate your efforts. Thank you for all the hard work you put in this week. Enjoy your weekend.

  Best,

  Xander

  Ava breathed a sigh of relief. She was worried that she had done something wrong, or he was angry that she left without saying goodbye. She was still a little baffled by his changing attitude towards her; it was so strange. She didn’t have a lot of experience with men. Maybe this was how they were. She wanted to ask Sam, but she knew this would open up a host of questions. She was a horrible liar and even if she said it was about Liam, Sam would suspect differently.

  Xander sat in his office. He had been there for several hours well past when everyone else went home for the weekend. He logged in to the network to check his electronic folder. All the document files Ava dropped were there, but he also found the JPEG image. His heart skipped a beat. Shit, I thought I deleted this. Ava is going to know I took this from her laptop. He wondered if she had even paid attention when she stored the brief on the network. Maybe she didn’t see it. He hoped that she had not. If she had it was not her way to say anything or even delete the file. He highlighted the image and deleted it. He opened up the electronic folder that held the brief, and after reading through the numerous pages, he was impressed. Ava was as intelligent as she was beautiful. With each passing day, he was falling for her even more. She had no idea of his feelings. He was unhappy of the competition that he had with her boyfriend, but the relationship was new. Xander wasn’t the type to break up a couple, but he would try his best to charm her out of his rival’s arms.

  Ava shut down her laptop and went to wash her face. She was drying it when she heard the ring of her phone from the front desk.

  “Hello?”

  “Miss Keene, this is Raphael from the front desk. We have a delivery for you. Can you come down and get it?”

  “I’ll be down in a few minutes.” What could that be? I’m not expecting a delivery tonight. She put on her sneakers and went downstairs.

  “Hi. We have a flower delivery for you.” Ava felt elated as he handed her the box. The clear window on the box showed they were roses, lavender roses. She thanked Raphael and headed back into the elevator.

  Liam shouldn’t have. He wants to spoil me. Ava fumbled with the card but could not get it detached from the side of the box. The box was heavy and must contain more than a dozen roses. When she got the box into her apartment, she pulled the card off. She expected it to be from Liam, but it was from Xander. The card read:

  Ava,

  Thank you for making my first week not only easier but memorable. I appreciate all the help you gave and look forward to working with you in the coming weeks. I hope these put a smile on your pretty face. You should do that more!

  Best,

  Xander

  The box held not one dozen long stemmed lavender roses, but two. She thought that was sweet. She wondered the meaning of the color lavender. Purple was her favorite color but how could he have known that? So few people knew that at the office except for Samantha.

  Why lavender? She used her phone to check and found a page that described each rose color and their meaning. Lavender roses symbolize love at first sight and enchantment. Ava felt her stomach knot up as she reread the words. She knew she must be reading into this too much. Xander just wanted to show his appreciation; I’m sure it means nothing.

  She still wondered about Xander’s feelings for her. She was naïve in the ways of love, but she was not stupid. The stolen picture and now the roses told her that maybe Xander was not just nice and welcoming. She felt it even more when she was around him. He
made her uneasy but not in a creepy way like it did a little with Liam.

  She put him out of her mind because she had Liam, who seemed perfect for her. He was kind and sweet. He had never been harsh with her the way Xander had but then again, she didn’t work with Liam. She only saw him a few times over the past two weeks though they had spent a whole weekend together. Ava didn’t want to think about her situation. Maybe it wasn’t a situation at all. Maybe she was just over-thinking a kind gesture. She was exhausted and was fast asleep by midnight.

  At 4:00 AM she was startled awake with her heart beating wildly and sweat dampening her pajamas. She had another one of those dreams. They were chasing her again. She wished Liam was here. She got up to get a drink of water and changed into fresh pajamas. When she was done, she got back under the covers. Riley came out from wherever he was hiding and joined her, snuggling up against her stomach.

  She drifted back to sleep. This time, she didn’t have the horrible dream. She had a dream about two men fighting over her. One had spiky black hair and the other a thick mass of sandy brown hair. She could not see their faces, but they were beating each other with sticks, fists, whatever they could grab. She was locked in a room and could not find out what they were fighting about but deep down she knew they were fighting over her.

  When she woke later in the morning, she realized that in three hours, Liam would be at her place for the weekend. Ava quickly showered and got dressed. When she was finished, she went to the kitchen to feed Riley tuna this morning. Stan’s Grocery would be arriving any minute. She was hoping they had everything in stock. She went a bit overboard, but she never had a real boyfriend to impress. She wanted to make sure she had plenty of food. Stan’s was right on time, so she didn’t need to worry about that anymore.

  When she had finished unpacking everything, she sat on the couch and opened last week’s New York Times magazine. On Sundays, it was delivered to her door, and she would spend all week trying to figure out the crossword puzzle. She felt a bit nervous about seeing Liam. She tried a relaxation technique so her nervousness wouldn’t blossom into an anxiety attack.