It had been Selena’s idea to expand the business to different states of America as their clients in Orlando was limited and she had proposed Ashton ideas to market his company. Now some Mr. Michael Somerville wanted to meet her for a prospective proposal as soon as possible.

Two months had gone by without any mishaps since the famous baby episode. The initial intimacy between the two of them had been precarious. They were still acting like lovey dopey couples in front of others even in the office but when they were alone, it evaporated as quickly as smoke and she was still being ignored by Ashton. Actually, he treated her better without any snide remarks and insults just like she had asked but there was no special bonding like there had been during the birthday party and she missed that.

It was not a very nice feeling but her every pore was aware of Ashton Cooper and she had a feeling that everything had changed between them. Sometimes, she would catch him staring at her as if on the verge of making a decision but when she returned his look, he would look away quickly averting her gaze.

Sighing, she called Emma for confirmation of her flight the following day; she was going to meet Mr. Somerville in the Hotel Union Circle as planned. Ashton had appeared thrilled at the new prospect and had given her the green signal for the meeting. Therefore, she had asked Damien to accompany her as she would need someone to back her presentation with some technical evidence.

Finally satisfied that everything was in order, she picked up her things and went to meet Ashton in his office to brief him on any pending issues. When she heard voices inside the office, she faltered and seeing Emma signaling her frantically, she walked up to her desk.

“What’s going on?” she asked the secretary in a whisper.

“Oh, don’t go in there Miss Selena. The boss ex-girlfriend is here and she’s making a scene and Mr. Ashton had to bring her in his office to calm her down.”

Ex-girlfriend?? As in ex-mistress?? Or maybe he had not respected their deal after all and the girlfriend wanted to have her say. Excruciating jealousy gripped her and before any rational thought could stop her, she barged into the office just in time to see the woman in tears clinging to Ashton’s feet.

Okay. It was not as bad as it looked. The woman was nearly desperate and crying her heart out while Ashton was awkwardly trying to pick her up. When she entered, he threw an angry look in the direction of the door but seemed relieved on seeing her.

“Help me,” he mouthed.

Selena couldn’t help it; she grinned mischievously at him and pretended to stretch her ears in guise of not hearing what he had asked her. But her expression was in complete contrast to her dramatic gesture as she was grinning delightfully. The blonde ex had her back to her thankfully and could not see her action.

“Pleeease,” he mouthed again desperate and the blonde looked in her direction as she sensed Ashton’s attention otherwise engaged.

Ashton Cooper had said please!! And sorry within two months of their pretend game. Things had certainly changed between them. Of course, she would help him; she felt great that he needed her help in such an awkward situation. It was fun to see the great Cooper squirm.

“Who is that honey?” she wailed in a plaintive voice and picked up a knife pen from a desk nearby and flung herself in the direction of the blonde. “I am the girlfriend here!” she shouted hysterically flashing the pointed edge in her direction and watched as the blonde stared at her uncomprehendingly.

Then as if by magic, the tears dissolved and she flashed Selena with a look of pure venom in her direction. It was a cat fight alright and Selena wanted to have her part of fun with that woman. She was the usual stereotyped version; her hair was curly instead of slick straight and she had plain brown eyes instead of the usual blue. But she was still a knock-out which made Selena insanely jealous at the thought that she had dated Ashton even if he could hardly stand her now.

Acting like she was insane, Selena pretended to move in her direction with the pen and watched the blonde moving backwards and still wailing. When the blonde saw her approaching the venom disappeared giving way to fear as she raised her hand to her throat in horror. Then without warning,  she fled from the office almost tripping on her high heels.

When she looked back at Ashton, he was howling with laughter holding his tummy and tears rolling down his eyes. And watching him, Selena thought she had never seen a more captivating sight; he was simply magnificent in his black tuxedo and his well-kept hair.

 “Oh, baby. You are simply a genius,” he finally said recovering enough to let out a sentence and her poor heart stopped beating.

He had called her baby. When no one was around to supervise their masquerade. And she liked it. Too much for her own good.

Trying to hide her newly discovered feelings, she smiled at him ignoring the butterflies in her stomach and wrinkled her nose. “Don’t look so gratified. I don’t approve of your philandering ways and you know that.”

“What philandering? I don’t even know her. We met at a party and she wanted to date me, I refused. And she got my phone number from a friend and has been stalking me ever since,” he said off-handedly as if it was no big deal.

No wonder he was so arrogant. He had women flitting around him like moth and if that recent scene was any indication, it was not a novelty. Ashton Cooper was a lady magnet and he knew it. That was why he expected woman to go after him and not vice versa. And that was why he had taken her refusal so badly.

It was clear to her now that Ashton was not the womanizer he had always been tagged since women themselves literally fell at his feet. She was the witness of that fact and if he had wanted he could have his way with that woman and would have encountered no protest on her behalf. With that new discovery, Selena had to reconsider his new character and she realized that he was no longer an enemy.

Her smile faltered and she whirled round to hide the expression of uncertainty on her face and tried hard to get back her self-control. What was wrong with her? How could she be such a loser when it came to Ashton Cooper? So what if he was not a womanizer? How was that supposed to make any difference to her?

“Well, I came to say goodbye,” she said her back to him as she fidgeted with the knife pen unsure of what to do.

“Goodbye?” he asked in a queer note and she turned round facing him having got back her composure.

“Well, Emma told you I’m leaving for California tomorrow and I might not be around for a few days,” she said feeling dismay seep in at the thought that her absence didn’t mean anything to him.

“Of course she told me. But I’m coming with you, right? That was why you asked her to book two tickets?”

Hell was it? She could not remember and found herself wishing that it was Ashton who would accompany her to the business trip. Then, she berated herself for being such a fool.

“Errm no I asked Damien to come along as he would be more apt to show Mr. Somerville the technical details. But I had no idea you wanted to go as well. Do you want me to brief you over so that you can replace me?”

He scowled at her and shook his head in a negative answer.

                                       ********************************

The following day was even more hectic as she had to drop in the office to fetch some important papers and to pick up Damien. But he was nowhere in sight and finally she had to leave without him fearing that she might missed her flight.

When she reached the airport, she was shocked to find Ashton waiting for her. “What are you doing here? I had to leave without Damien as he was nowhere to be found.”

“Damien has called in sick today; he had flu and did not want to travel and on such a short notice I preferred to come with you. He will text me all the necessary details on our way. And don’t worry, he will drop in office this afternoon since we’re both away.”

Was that her heart which was thumping so hard or was it the sound of the plane? It must be the latter because she had not known her heart could beat so hard and that too at the thought of Ashton accompanying her. Bloody traitor.

She plastered a smile on her face to hide her reaction and followed him. As soon as the plane had taken off, they were both busy preparing for the presentation and Selena had to brief him throughout since he was going to be her back-up.

When they reached the hotel, they were too tired to do anything other than sleep. Finally, after getting refreshed, Selena ordered for room service and was surprised when Ashton joined her for dinner. Pleasantly surprised.

“What are you having?’ he asked dumping his body on the sofa bed and stretching his arms unaware of the sexy picture he was projecting.

“I don’t know. I just ordered the regular menu. Did you want something special?” she asked drying her wet hair with a towel and still wearing her bathrobe. It was fluffy and cozy inside and she could hardly get dressed in front of Ashton.

“I wouldn’t mind having you on the menu,” he said and at first Selena though she must have misheard him. Why the hell would he say that? But as her eyes met his, she was sure they were the exact words that had come from his mouth as his insolent gaze matched the statement.

He was looking at her from head to toe and Selena felt her legs becoming jelly as his gaze stopped at the junction where her robe gaped open.

“Come here,” he ordered and she was powerless to stop her legs from following his order. She squatted in his direction feeling hypnotized under his pining grey eyes. She was simply mesmerized by him.

“Closer,” he whispered and she bent closer until she was practically on his lap. She saw his Adam apple bobble up and down and knew he was feeling the raw chemistry between them too. It had always been there now she realized. Except that neither had wanted to explore it. Unlike now and despite herself, she felt her mouth water with anticipation.

Without any haste, almost in slow motion, he opened her rode and made her sit on his lap. She blushed at the contact of skin against skin as she was only in her underwear and Ashton was wearing shorts.

“So soft,” he whispered caressing her skin and she nearly whimpered at the feel of his hand near her bra. It was nothing like she had ever experienced before or even thought to experience. The sensations that went through her was amplified as she moved closer in response to his touch feeling like a satiated cat.

Then he bent and his tongue replaced his touch and she shivered in delight feeling heat engulf her at the feel of his tongue licking her. It was very tantalizing. Gently, he teased her with his tongue until she was nearly out of her mind with feverish desire and arched her breast shamelessly towards him. When he unclasped her bra, they stood in rigid peaks in front of his face almost aching for some release.

When he grasped both breasts in his hand protruding the two peaks towards his mouth, she let out a moan of anticipation. And nearly fainted out of pure pleasure when his tongue touched each of them one by one. He repeated the action over and over until she felt liquid fire pool down at the core between her legs.

Something as mundane as thinking became a challenge as she lost herself in the depth of emotions overwhelming her. Never had she felt something so strong and powerful and as she moved away unable to handle the tension, she looked in the grey pools staring at her. His eyes reflected the desire that was consuming her. It was going to be fatal for both of them.

Almost drugged with sensations, she removed her robe and stood there wearing only her panties feeling unsure of what to do next. Ashton was still sprawled on the sofa watching her with hooded eyes and suddenly there was a knock on the door.

They both jumped guiltily like two children caught red-handed and it killed the moment. Fastening her robe together, Selena picked up her bra and frantically looked at Ashton.

He signaled her to go in the bathroom while he got the door.

Without waiting to be told twice, Selena ran to the bathroom just in time before Ash opened the door to room service. Limp with shock, she slumped on the toilet vase trying to put an order in her thoughts. Hell, what would have happened had they not be interrupted by the hotel staff? Would she have slept with him? Just like that? Why was she suddenly so wanton in his arms? Damn! She was feeling mortified at her behavior and could hardly recognize herself.

“Selena, are you alright?” he cried tapping lightly on the door and she was glad that she had some moment on her own to get back her thoughts.

“Coming right away,” she chirped trying to mask her unease.

“Kay,” he said and she bent her head in her hands trying to calm her nerves. Maybe the best way to handle the situation was to act as if nothing had happened before. Since she was a novice with the after kiss events, she wasn’t sure how to behave. Was there a protocol to handle such kind of awkward moments?

“Hey,” she heard and whirled her head up to find Ashton looking at her. She was discomfited to see him catch her in such an embarrassing moment. Was he going to guess that she was not used to being ravished like he had just done some seconds ago?

“Are you alright?” he asked her gently and her heart did a somersault at his tone. He was being nice to her instead of mocking her or demeaning her as usual and it was unhealthy for her. She could handle his mockery or anger but she had no clue how to handle his tenderness. The rules of the games had changed and they both knew that they needed no pretense for the desire shimmering between them now. It was there loud and clear.

Feeling at a loss of words, she nodded to his question  and Ashton sensing her discomfort took her hand and simply said. “Come let’s eat.”

Food tasted like cotton in her mouth but she still kept a semblance of normality when all she wanted to do was crawl in her bed and curse herself for being so weak.

While she acknowledged her desire for him, she was not one for casual sex. And sleeping with Ashton would mean giving him so much that she feared she would never be whole again. And for him, sex would only mean fulfilling a mutual desire; nothing more than a bonus.

Basically, that was the problem, they were too opposite. Had always been. That was why they had fought so much. Was still fighting.

Even if she was still a virgin, she wasn’t that innocent not to recognize the passion between her and Ashton. It was not something to take lightly. But she would never be able to handle a relationship without at least being in love. In more matters than she let on, she was still the teenager her father had left behind, heart-broken on seeing how hypocrite men could be.

And she remembered the lies, the sneaking out, the indifference towards his family. How could a man warm someone’s bed and then sneak off to another as if nothing had happened. It was so gross. She could never forgive her father for what she did to her mother or to her. And that made her afraid to commit; afraid to let a man have the upper hand over her to finally break her heart.

So it was better that she backed down now than repent later. Better be safe than sorry wasn’t that what she always heard everyone say? Her resolve hardened and she looked at him politely trying not to show him any emotions.

“So, I guess it’s time to say goodnight,” she concluded standing up wishing he would take the cue and leave her room.

“Right,” he said getting up as if she had just reminded her of that fact. “Well, see you tomorrow then.”

She nodded with her trademark fake smile now and twisted her engagement ring on her left finger. It glittered in contrast with her first engagement ring she still wore on her middle finger. How weird. She had two engagement rings and both represented their relationships in some way.

The one with cold glitter reminded her of the insurmountable distance between them while Aunt Susan’s fiery ring reminded her of the passion in Ashton’s eyes whenever he looked at her lately. As he was doing now and she tried to avert his eyes glancing his way only when necessary.

She was still in her damned robe with no bra and all she wanted to do was flung herself in his arms when he looked at her like that. But it would be so wrong. She would never be able to forgive herself if she gave herself to Ashton out of pure sexual desire because she knew she was on the verge of falling head over heels for him.

“Goodnight, then,” he said trying to stall for time.

Then she did the mistake of looking in the grey eyes in front of her and the intensity of his gaze cut through her defense and she subconsciously moved towards him and could not recall how she got in his arms.

“Goodnight,” she whispered and kissed him on the mouth without waiting for him to say anything to her.

He seemed hesitant at first letting her lead the kiss something she had never ever done in her entire life and she was glad to have an opportunity to explore. It was nothing like the hot and passionate kiss they had shared on their first kiss. She plunged her tongue into her mouth looking for his tongue and when she found it, she suckled on it loving the taste of him. He tasted even better now and the he lashed his tongue against her taking control of the kiss and she felt his tongue plunge into hers asking for more. And she was prepared to fulfill all his demands as she had several of her own. As she kissed him back with all fervor her heart could convey, Selena Rose McKenzie finally acknowledged the fact that she wanted him like she had never wanted anyone before. She decided then and there that if he wanted her, he could have her.

She was his for the taking, at least for tonight.