Episode 63

Ashley's POV.
Katie never replied any of my messages and didn't call either. Her number still remained unreachable. Maybe she was just taking a break from everything or . . . New York could be in a bad reception outbreak, nothing impossible. I decided not to worry too much about it and just think about Ric and nothing else.
After the meeting with Victoria yesterday, I wondered within myself what exactly it is she really wanted. Obviously she didn't care much about manhattan unless I'm just reading her intentions wrong. I couldn't stop thinking about all they talked about. About her stealing from him? I didn't know what that meant and it was all I thought about all night. I knew there was more to their fight over a mere project, something that has to do with the past.
I wanted to know, wanted to ask Ric about it but knew he wasn't ready to talk about it. If he wishes to, then he will definitely talk about it. Maybe Rebecca would talk about it, she seems optimistic enough about all these.
I stood at the end of the bed, trying to fix the bed with Ric at the other side, helping me out. I felt him stealing glances at me occasionally. It was like he's looking at me after I've just looked at him and it continued in intervals for minutes.
"Hey," he called, letting go of the bed spreads "is something wrong?"
Yeah, I wanna know what the fuck happened between you and your adoptive mother. I thought. I wished I'd said that but I knew very well that asking straight up isn't the best way to handle the situation, to talk about it. From what I've known so far, Ric wouldn't talk about anything unless he wishes to and me pressing hard on it is only gonna lead us to fighting and stuff. We're way past that now.
Pasting on a smile, I replied "No, Ric"
He gave me a skeptical look before walking towards me and grabbing my waist from the back and yanking my back against his hard chest. He leaned down to kiss me on the cheek.
"You can lie all you want but I know when something's wrong with you," he whispered sensually in my ear "you can tell me baby"
I tried to hold back the smile that crept onto my lips by bitting on my lower lip before replying "I don't wanna"
"I think I know just the right place to go, babe" he said, letting go of my waist and turning me around to face him. He leans down to kiss my lips.
"Where?" I asked him.
"Let's go to this beach I know"
"You know everywhere don't you?" I laughed.
"When you're a billionaire like myself, you're bound to know everywhere, love"
I rolled my eyes playfully at him " you're so cheesy" he walks me away to the closet.
Like he'd promised, he drove us to a public beach at the far end of the city. I'd picked out a flimsy white sundress and a large woven hat with dark glasses. I wove my hair into a single french plait down my back.
The beach was a beauty. We purchased a few beverages before walking towards the shore, where the waters could hit our feet and spread a cloth out on the sands. He pulls off his shirt, revealing his well toned strong upper body to me. For a split second I stared at him, lost of words and focus. Even though I see those everyday, they never seize to impress me.
"Like what you see?" He says with a big full-of-himself grin.
"Don't feel so good about yourself" I teased him.
"I'll let you apply screen shades on me" he said with a flirtatious grin.
"I will gladly do that"
I took out the screen shades and rubbed all over his body, the gesture filling my mind with scenarios from the past. This man would be the end of me honestly.
After a few minutes of sitting and getting tanned, I suggested we go for a swim. I pulled off my sundress down to my white laced underwears before diving in with him. Swimming could never go any better with a loved one without a make out session. A head spinning make out that leaves you breathless.
After getting dried, we moved to the beach house at the far back and bought off the sea food sold there. Ric wasn't a fan of sea food and I made sure to rub it on his face about how yummy the foods were.
"Could you get me another lemonade? " I asked while bitting my lip and wriggling my empty lemonade can in his face "please?"
He gave me the questioning brows before saying "your attempts to charm me into getting another lemonade for you is really pathetic but I will get it cause you said please"
I laughed hard at my own silly seductive attempt as he leaned in to kiss me on the cheek. I watched him walk down and towards the mini salon close by. Just then, my phone started ringing. I picked it up to see Trevor's name reflecting on the full screen.
Scenes from the last time were were together appeared to me, snatching my smile away. The scene where we almost kissed, where I made him look like a complete idiot.
I picked it anyway "hello,T!"
"Ashley . . . . . Hey, how you doing?"
"I'm really great, you?"
"I'm alright. How's London treating you?"
Ah. . . . ," I let out a fake chuckle ". . . really well. London is really nice"
"I'm just stuck here in the office doing paperwork, Ashley. Kinda makes me miss you"
I waited for a second, not knowing what exactly to say back. Make a joke out of it? That's not nice. After all, thinking about it now, I did miss him just as much.
"I kinda miss you too, T"
"Kinda?!" I heard him laugh, causing me to laugh too. "Well I miss you big time so you better bring your ass back here before I go down there"
"Really?!," I grinned effortlessly now, noticing Ric who was coming from a distance " you're gonna have to come down here then"
"How long are you gonna be staying there for?"
" A couple of days. . . . . Hopefully"
"Is everything okay between you two?"
Better than okay! Everything was perfect between Ric and I. I knew better to tell him that. After the stunt I pulled the other day. And just like that I seem to care about his feelings. Who wouldn't? Trevor is the most caring, more carefree, funniest person anyone could ever know.
"Yeah. . . Everything's fine here"
Ric steps up and sits beside me, putting down the lemonade.
"But honestly though, this place is really boring without you, " he continued.
"Well don't you worry, I'll be there before you know it"
"Alright, lemme go back to these papers before Mona gets up here and finds out that I'm on a call with you"
I laughed at his joke "alright. Take care"
"You too, okay? Bye"
I disconnected the call to meet Ric's angry face. He snatches the phone from my hand and peered into it.
"What are you doing?" I protested.
Looking back from the phone, he said grimly "Trevor? Seriously? You're like always talking to him "
"What are you talking about?"
"You like this Trevor, right?"
I hadn't realized he was just undergoing the jealousy phase. It actually got me smiling as I realized that. Who knew that Mr Riccardo Marcello was actually capable of getting jealous.
"I do not like him, Ric," I tried to reach for my phone but he takes it away "gimme back my phone"
"I wanna get you a new number"
"Wha. . . . What?!" I couldn't disguise my surprise.
"You did go out with him on Saturday night, right?"
"Yes I did. But that was just it"
"He asked you to be his girlfriend, right?"
"He may have" I replied, enjoying the conversation.
"Did you say yes?"
"I may have"
"So. . . . You did agree to be his girlfriend"
"I may have"
"Come on, Ashley, enough with the jokes"
"Are you jealous?"
"Yes, I am. Do you like Trevor?"
Suddenly, there was so much seriousness in his eyes and voice, I wondered what exactly he wanted me to say.
"Okay, Trevor likes me and maybe I like him too, just a very little bit but with you it's very different, Ric. I. . . . Love you. There's a really huge difference"
"You kissed him didn't you?"
"What's all these questions for?"
"I just wanna know, Ashley"
"Stop being so jealous, Ric. I never asked you who you kissed or didn't"
"You chose not to. Now, I choose to know. So tell me"
"Fine. Yes! He kissed me twice. But that was just it!"
He stared at me for another long seconds.
"Look I'm sorry, I didn't kiss him before. . . All these," I gestured towards us "I love you Ric and you shouldn't worry about being in competition with anybody"
His once hardened face suddenly softened and broke into a fit of laughter. " I got you real good" he said amidst laughter.
"That wasn't funny, Ric" I said seriously.
He stops laughing and scoots closer, took my hand in his and kissed it "I'm sorry," he said "I didn't mean to upset you. Yes, I'm hell jealous that you're so close to him and not me. I've always been since the first day you started talking with him and eating lunch with him at the office. It was a killing sight for me to see everyday and this why I always made you eat out with me. I get seriously jealous. You may have kissed him, but that's in the past and I do not care about that. What I care about is right now. Us. What we're having and that's just what matters, Ashley"
I smiled graciously and leaned into him to kiss him. He captures my lips in his and kissed harder, his hands going down my sides and pulling me closer. In one swift movement, he pulled me up onto his thighs, his lips not leaving mine. I felt like my heart was being attached to strings as I pressed my chest up against his.
Just then, we were forced to pull apart by the invading voice before us. I turned around to see Rebecca standing at the foot of the door steps, a bottle of wine in her hand, a mini red bag on her other hand. She's dressed in a Ruby red mini gown, with a bright pink glass on her eyes. Her blond hair stood out in a ponytail on her head and she wore a big smile as she looked back at us.
"Hello," she said " am I interrupting something?"
"Yes, Rebecca" Ric replied.
I slapped his arm and replied " of course not, Rebecca"
"Good," she points the papers in her hands to me and added "I'm inviting you two to my friend's gallery opening tomorrow night. All the infos you need are on this card"
I looked closely to see that the papers were infact an invite to some art gallery opening show.
"Waw Rebecca, thanks. We'll be there"
"Great! I'll leave you two to your. . . . . Um. . ."
I watched after her as she walked away before gazing back at the two invites on my hands. They were beautiful. I'm definitely going.