THE STUBBORN GIRL

“Oh, my bad, sweetheart. I’ll have them send the remaining ten tomorrow then,” a smirk ticked up at the corner of his mouth.


“Zac,” Ava groused and swatted his chest. “If you do that, then you’re leaving me no other choice than to sell them,”


“And you’re leaving me no other choice than to buy them again, Tinkerbell,” he insisted with a broad wink, pulling Ava closer to his chest.


Ava lost the urge to argue with him further and just stared deep into his brown eyes without saying anything.


“Come on, babe. Don’t give that look,” he leaned his face closer and his breath lingered around the tip of her nose. It was sometimes hot and sometimes cold and she got goosebumps from his breath.


“As we speak, you have access to this penthouse anytime, baby. So if you’re afraid your apartment can’t occupy all your cars, you can always come and pick any of your choices here,”


As he pronounced his words one after the other, his soft warm lips touched the curve of Ava’s neck. Rough stubbles poked her skin, making her giggle.


Her eyelids went shut as his warm mouth sucked on her skin. Big hands roamed around her body and a whimper left her lips as hot sensations ran through her veins.


“Do you understand, darling?” his husky voice murmured in her ear but Ava could barely nod as he slowly reached out her hand to unfasten his tie. Right now, her body ached to be touched more sinfully by him.


“What are you doing?” his fingers led a fiery trail down her bare stomach while his brows relaxed.
He refused to remove his eyes from hers, almost challenging her to look away first.


With a lingering smile flashing over Ava’s eyes, she licked her lower lip seductively and said in an extremely low voice, “I want you now, Jamal,”


Zac stared deeply into her eyes, his body melding perfectly into hers. His libido was already firing for this woman.


“I didn’t hear you, Tinkerbell,” his voice dropped to lure as he slide his fingers under her top, finding the sensitive place.


Ava’s breathing became heavy and strained, “I_”


“Ava,” Aurora’s high-pitched voice came from the lounge, wiping out Ava’s words.


Ava gulped down her emotions and immediately disengaged from Zac. She opened her mouth but failed to say a single word.


Catching her around the waist, his nose flared as he spoke, “You’re not planning to leave me after making me like this, are you?”


Ava gazed at his handsome face which she had been infatuated with for a long time.


“Aurora is here now. We’ll do it later, okay?” she whispered with a forced smile on her face. Even she didn’t like when Aurora had chosen to disrupt their moment.


Again, she freed from his grasp but Zac was rapid to catch her arm and held her face. Without warning, she kissed her. It was an any, frustrated, circuit breaker of a kiss.


He threaded his hands through her hair and pushed her against the wall so their bodies fused from breastbone to thigh.


“Zac, will you please give me back my Ava now?” her plead was followed by a thump on the door, causing Ava to unlock from the intense kiss. Both breathing hard for air.


She swept the strands of his hair that were touching his forehead and caressed his unshaven jaw, “I’ll be right back,” she assured with a growing smile.
Zac then bobbed his head like a child, letting her go eventually.


“Coming, Aurora,” said Ava as she scampered to the door, leaving a last look at Zac’s way.


“What have you been doing, Ava?” Aurora nearly shouted as soon as Ava slipped out of the door.


Ava opened her mouth to answer her question… “And why is your face so red?” Aurora cut in, looking at her from head to toe bit by bit.


Ava’s face flushed even deeper as she lowered her head slightly to cover her blushed face.


“Come on now, Aurora. Let’s prepare something for you already,” she looked back at her face and beamed, bringing a wide grin to Aurora’s face as well.


She quickly clutched her little fingers around Ava’s hand and started moving with her, “You don’t know how much I’ve missed your delicious meals, Ava,”


Moments later.


All the time as Ava set the dishes on the oak table, Aurora’s smile was only becoming radiant and the creases around her forehead deepened while Zac only sat there with his arms folded around his chest and glaring secretly at his niece.


“Hurry, Aurora. I’ll ask Nick to come to drop you off,” he noted, sitting upright without looking at her.


Instantaneously, Aurora’s smile faded as her smile could no longer continue after listening to Zac’s words.


“Why, Zac? We both agreed I’ll be spending the weekend with you and Ava. So why are you changing your mind all of a sudden?” her voice was low and full of sympathy that Ava couldn’t help but feel compassion toward her.


“It’s because you’re coming between me and_”


“Zac, stop it,” Ava interrupted his sentence, throwing him a playful glare.
.
Of course, she knew what he was about to say but if she’d allowed him to complete his words, the poor little girl would feel extremely bad.


His deep dark eyes filled with a strong halo of light as she stared back at Ava’s face.


“Don’t be like this, Mr. Zachary Gonzalez. You’re a big man,” Ava enunciated and winked at him cutely.


Zac huffed, recognizing her trick at a glance. She was trying to lighten the suffocating atmosphere.


Furthermore, Zac forced his eyes to look somewhere else. Heaven knows he was really pissed off at that moment for not having his way with Ava earlier because of his damn niece. It was so exasperating.


“Aurora, do you want us to play outside after lunch?” Ava asked her good-naturedly, holding her little hand on the table.


Hearing this, the corner of Aurora’s lips raised and revealed her white teeth. She looked beautiful and cute.


“Yes, Ava. Please let’s do that,”


Ava nodded, “So let’s have our meal now,”


Aurora grabbed her fork, still grinning.
She had barely had two bites from her food when she raised her head to meet Zac’s frowning face.


“Zac, would you please tell me your relationship with that bad girl that condemned Ava back in your mansion that day?” Aurora asked- eyes serious.


“Why are you suddenly asking about her?” Zac probed, looking at her face with interest.


Ava watched their faces, lowering her spoon gradually.


“I don’t know, Zac but I think she and my mommy are close now. She comes to our house over and over again lately,” Aurora explained, returning to her meal.


All emotions disappeared from Zac’s face at once. His shoulders tensed as the muscle of his sharp jaw clenched.


On the other hand, that day events crashed down on Ava like awake, recalling she had seen Arianna with Mia Dawson together in the mall.


Sitting upright and gulping the content in her mouth, “Does that mean Mia Dawson is your moth…er?” she asked in a low expectant voice.


Aurora bobbed her head quickly, “Yes, Ava. That’s my mommy’s name” she answered through a mouthful of salad.


Something dropped at the pit of Ava’s stomach while a small gasp fell out of her mouth but her hand instantly crept to her mouth as she stared off in a distance.

“What happened, Ava? Tell me, have you met Mia Dawson, and what did she say to you?” Zac asked in one breath, his features forming into a deep scowl and his hands too balling into fists.


Ava’s eyes then found his and with the look on his face, she understood what might occur if she tells him everything about the event.

How Mia had grabbed her hair and warned her to stay away from him in the presence of everyone in the boutique.


No. She won’t tell Zac anything. After all, Hazel took care of Mia that day. So, there’s nothing to be worried about now.


Having a big smile plastered to her face, “It’s nothing, Zac. I was just surprised to hear that Mia Dawson is Aurora’s mother, you know. Mia Dawson is one sexy lady, I guess that explains Aurora’s beauty also,” Ava simplified, her smile growing as she looked from Zac’s hard face to Aurora's beaming face.


“You don’t have to hide anything from me, Ava. Tell me the truth now. Are they threatening you? ” he was almost breathing fire in anger.


Lips quivering, Ava opened her mouth and then closed it.


“Tell me something, Ava!” he yelled out, pushing his seat backward and getting on his feet.


Ava and Aurora almost flinched in their seats. He was emanating an arctic coldness now, looking quite horrible.


Unable to endure his overbearing temperament, Ava opened her mouth and explained how the whole thing transpired on that fateful day.


However, looking up at his face after she finished talking, she regretted her action immediately.


“The fuck, Ava!” Zac exploded with rage, banging his hand on the table and causing some of the dishes to splish-splash everywhere.


Both Ava and Aurora covered their ears and also shut their eyes. None of them had ever seen him in such terror and acting so carelessly before.


“Why didn’t you tell me this? Why? I told you to never allow anyone to bully you, didn’t I?” he said with a strangled breath, the outline of his side face and his temples were tightened into a line.


That said, he spun around and trooped out of the place.


Reaching where his car was parked, he retrieved his cell and phoned Arianna.


“In my mansion in ten minutes,” he commanded in a curt deep-voiced and cut the line immediately.

***

“I’ll ask you for the last time, Arianna. What’s your relationship with Mia?” Zac asked slowly, whirling around Arianna.


In that spot, Arianna felt like she had fallen into an ice cave, chilling from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.


Clutching her damp hands at her both sides, she knew it would be wise for her to say the truth now.
A shaky breath left her lips as she said, “Mia and I are just friends, boss”


“On what terms? Since when have you two been friends?” he asked another question, standing in front of her this time.


Arianna lifted her head to look at him in the face.

“Boss_”


“Answer the goddamn question, Arianna!” Zac cut in rudely, his eyes flaring.


“To tell you the truth, boss. I’m only friends with Mia because I want to use her; I need her to assist me in eliminating that college girl, boss” Arianna shouted the truth to Zac’s face and the fierceness in his eyes overpowered. He raised his hand and gave her a hard slap.


Smack!


The force caused Arianna’s face to turn to the side but she immediately ignored the buzzing in her ears and looked back squarely into Zac’s sharp eyes.


“Is that all you’ve got, boss?” she drew out as much sarcasm as she could muster.


Zac just watched her as she glided close, her eyes shimmering with a mischievous grin.


All of a sudden, she clutched Zac’s shirt, looking as shrewd as ever.


“Slap me all you want, boss, but it will never stop me from loving you. It will never also stop me from getting rid of that girl,” she gritted out with tears spilling out from her eyes uncontrollably.


“You’re now threading on the ground that’s likely to give way beneath your feet, Arianna” Zac voiced out word by word, his eagle-like eyes steadied on hers.


“Don’t mess with her. This is my last warning to you, Arianna,” he took two footsteps backward, still not moving his eyes from hers.


“I promise you, I’ll kill you with my own hands the next time. You have my word,”


“Boss…” Arianna collapsed in tears on the floor and then attempted to touch Zac’s feet but Zac left there and walked out immediately.