13

Zane stood at the bottom of the stairs and looked at his watch, five minutes to six and still no Ava. He felt his irritation grow. If she thought she could get away with defying him, she had another thing coming. He wouldn’t hesitate to go up there and drag her down. The rhythmic sound of heels hitting the stairs made him look up. Ava was walking down the stairs. At least Zane thought it was Ava. This creature looked like an angel if God had added sexy temptress to the list of angel requirements. Gone were the dull clothes and messy hair. Zane had always suspected Ava’s clothes were hiding her true form. But looking at her now, he realised he had underestimated her natural sensuality. She was wearing a soft pink dress with silver sequins strewn all over it, making the light bounce off it. It created the illusion that she was sparkling.
The left arm had a full sleeve, and the other arm was bare. There was no cleavage to speak of. But the waist was cinched and made her full breast and hips look mouthwatering. The short skirt was draped so her right leg was almost bare up to the waist. Making her legs look like there was no end to them. Ava’s hair was flowing loose around her and it moved as she walked. The subtle makeup had managed to hide most of the bruising Zane knew she must have from last night. She was looking amazing, and Zane’s body reacted to her. He craved her, needed her. He reached out his hand to help her down the final steps, and she smiled at him. Her smile went straight to Zane’s guts, and he could feel something stir.

“Looking good, miss A,” Ryder said. He was standing by the door, waiting for Zane and Ava to be ready to leave.

“Thank you, Ryder,” Ava said. Zane placed his hand on the small of Ava’s back to guide her, he froze when his hand didn’t meet fabric, but naked skin. As she walked past him, he leaned in so he could whisper in her ear.

“You look good enough to eat, angel. Luckily, we are heading to dinner, otherwise I would have needed to eat something else.” He saw the goosebumps that formed on her arm and the slight shiver that ran down her spine at his words. Bent over her in this position, he could see the back of her dress. It was held together with thin strings that criss-crossed it. He let his fingers move along the edge of the dress that covered her ass. Still smiling, Zane stepped back to let Ava walk on. He kept his hand on her back, enjoying the view as he walked half a step behind her. He watched Ava slide into the back seat and was disappointed that she managed to do so without the skirt riding up. As he sat down next to her and they started driving off, Zane placed his hand on her naked knee. He felt her tense up, which caused him to smile again.

“Where are we going?” Ava asked. Zane realised that they had taken the opposite direction from what they should have done if they were going straight to the club. She was paying attention; he thought. It was hardly surprising in light of the evening she had had the day before.

“It’s too early for the club. We are going to have dinner. I have a business deal I need to iron out,” he told her as his thumb rubbed circles on her knee.

“Oh, okay. Is there anything I need to know?” she asked.

“No, you are just there as a distraction,” he said, glancing over at her. She would definitely be a distraction, and not only to the men they were about to meet. “Jax will be there, and we will have Tom and Ryder with us as well. You will be safe,” Zane told her. He didn’t know why he felt the need to reassure her.

“Okay, good,” she said, looking at him in a way that told him she hadn’t considered that she wouldn’t be. His angel was too innocent for her own good, he thought as he kept rubbing her knee with his thumb. She had relaxed and didn’t seem to mind his touch. He would make sure that she ended up craving it.

They arrived at ‘In Cavea Aurea’; the restaurant was one of Zane’s better investments. He had several businesses that gave him an aura of being legit and on the right side of the law. Some of them had a steady flow of cash from his illegal businesses running into them to keep them afloat. But not ‘In Cavea Aurea’. It was making a profit all on its own and Zane made sure to keep it as clean as possible. He escorted Ava inside, flanked by Tom and Ryder.

“If I knew we were going to dinner, I would have chosen a different dress,” Ava quietly confided in him.

“Then it’s lucky that you didn’t know. It’s perfect,” he told her. It was true. Every eye in the restaurant was turned towards them as they walked past, and Zane knew that for once it wasn’t because of him. He even saw a couple of women giving their men a nudge as they were gawking at Ava. Zane smirked and placed a kiss on Ava’s bare shoulder to show that she was his. He didn’t mind the other men staring or wishing she was theirs. What fun was a possession if no one else wanted it? No, he didn’t mind, as long as they knew she was his. He felt Ava tense as his lips touched her bare skin. A shiver ran through her. “Relax, angel,” he whispered as he resisted the urge to continue kissing his way up her neck and lick all the way down. Ava made an effort to relax, she put on a smile that couldn’t compare to her real one, but still made her look innocent. Jax was waiting at their table and stood up as they came walking. The table was at the back of the restaurant, offering some privacy, while still in public.

“Ava, I apologise I didn’t introduce myself yesterday. My name is Jax Stevens,” Jax said, holding out his hand.

“Mr Stevens,” Ava said, placing her hand in his. Zane watched as his friend’s eyes travelled over Ava and noted the interest that he could see in them.

“Please, just call me Jax.” Ava nodded and took back her hand. Zane took half a step forward to shift Jax’s attention to him.

“They haven’t arrived?” Zane asked.

“No, but they should be here any minute,” Jax told him. Zane nodded and held out a chair for Ava. When she sat down, he bent down over her.

“Unless I or one of my men say otherwise, you stay seated on this chair. Understand?” he whispered into her ear.

“Yes,” she said.

“Good girl.” He took his seat to the left of her and draped his arm over the back of her chair, letting his hand rest on her bare shoulder. She barely jumped this time, and Zane saw it as a victory. Jax took his place on the other side of Ava. Tom and Ryder loomed around them, standing and watching the restaurant for signs of trouble. They hadn’t been sitting for more than three minutes when Zane noticed the group that was making their way through the restaurant. He frowned when he saw the clothes they were wearing. Even Tom and Ryder had dressed in suits.
But these men all wore jeans and leather jackets. Idiots, Zane thought. They thought it would make them look intimidating and that they didn’t care. In reality, it made them look small and ignorant. As they got closer, Jax and Zane stood while Tom and Ryder blocked their way. To Zane’s satisfaction, Ava stayed seated, as he had told her. The four other men stopped just in front of Ryder and Tom.

“Mr Velky, I’m Victor Harris. Mr Johnson sent me,” one man said. He was a burly man in his late thirties. Ryder looked at Zane, and Zane nodded. Ryder and Tom stepped aside and let the men through. Zane held out his hand to Victor.

“Mr Harris, welcome. This is Jax, my right-hand man,” Zane greeted him.

“Please, call me Victor, Mr Velky. It’s an honour to meet you. This is my associate, Ben,” Victor said, introducing a tall, blond man. They all shook hands before Zane asked them to join them at the table. He asked Tom to get them all a whiskey and to bring Ava a Dark and Stormy, not giving anyone the option to decide for themselves.

“And who is this?” Ben asked as he sat down. Zane saw the man ogling Ava. He placed his hand on her nape and sat down in his own chair, not bothering to answer the man. He saw Ava’s look when she was served her cocktail. He didn’t care. She needed to learn to drink other things than water if she were to be in his company. He tightened the grip slightly on her neck to let her know not to object.
Angel's bliss
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