Chapter Four

Ariana stood before the coffee machine in her overly wide kitchen, watching the machine gurgle. The mundane and satisfying smell of coffee hit her nostrils, she sighed in calm relief. She didn't feel calm at all, but Coffee had this crazy effect on her.

She grabbed two mugs from her kitchen cabinet, rinsed them slowly under the running faucet, then walked languidly to the gurgling machine. She turned it off. Taking her time, and visibly in no mood to rush to her visitor in the living room, she filled both cups with coffee.

Axel sat in Ariana's El Matador beach apartment, waiting for her to come from the kitchen. His mother had called him, telling him her father told him she was sick. She expected him to go check on her, and send back reports.

As old fashioned, a little bit unreasonable for someone who worked eight hours in a day, he found himself driving to her house. Mostly because she wasn't taking his calls.

She had answered the door on the third ring, dressed only in a big shirt, with University of California boldly written on it. Her hair was a bit ruffled, and her breath smelled of alcohol.

She looked fine to him. He smelled the coffee before the cup rattled on saucer as Ariana placed a cup before him.

"Black and no sugar, laced with a little whiskey just the way you love your coffee" He smiled at her sound memory, obviously surprised she remembered he drank his coffee black. It's been really long they had coffee together...two months....three? How time flies.

"Thank you" He muttered, reaching for his cup, he sipped a little.

"I would have offered you more, but my housekeeper didn't come in today" She said, sipping hers.

"I'm good. I'll be heading home soon though"

"I did order Pizza" She added reluctantly

"I'm good" he reaffirmed

"Okay..." She crossed her leg, making the shirt hike up a little. Her thighs coming into his line of sight, and he did stare. She was tanned, and although they had not really seen each other for months, he could tell she was a bit thicker around the thighs.

Of all the women he had happily screwed in his highschool and college days, Ariana Wilson was totally out of bounds. She was the daughter of his father's friend Wyatt Wilson. And she was like his little sister. Although he was considered a pervert, fucking a relative was never part of his perverted thoughts

He did like her presence, but he didn't like her the way his parents thought he did. She was like his buddy, he told her whatever he could tell Danny and Rob. He liked her open mindedness, her free spirited attitude and her sassy nature. He never liked her or wanted her the way a man wanted a woman.

So when his family and hers began shipping them, he was beyond pissed. She could sleep at his place, in his room also and both parents where fine with it. And, though he didn't understand why she was cool with it, and looked at though she encouraged them, they never talked about it.

After they graduated, their families had held a family dinner in their honour. Then at the climax of the dinner, both fathers had announced that they wanted them to get married. The mothers looked supportive, and so did their siblings.

When he turned to her, she was smiling sheepishly. She did entertain the idea of them getting married. He did not. He wasn't even playing on not getting married, or falling in love with anyone for that matter.

He had politely told them that, and had walked out of that dinner. He rarely attended those gatherings. But, his mother had never failed to hammer on the fact that he was not getting any younger, and that Ariana had promised to wait till he came around.

Till he came around.

He was never coming around.

"So I believe you didn't come here to just sit, drink coffee and stare at my naked thighs" Ariana drawled slowly, resting on her animal skin sofa.

She had gotten this soft, hairy piece of black Gold from her trip to South Africa last year, and had altered the theme of this apartment from their original grey to beige, just to fit the colour.

Axel smiled at her words. She knew he chased girls like he did his dreams. But, she was also conscious of the reality that he would never want her in a sexual manner.

"Well, you look great" he complimented.

"I know." She commented cockily, then paused as if a thought struck her "Rethoughts?" She asked.

"Ariana" He called softly, dissuading her from making comments on their hanging engagement.

"For someone who resides between a woman's legs, you sure do put on some resistance" She commented composedly, sipping her coffee.

"You know I never think of you that way" He said almost guiltily. He felt she was feeling rejected, like he didn't appreciate her looks. Ariana scoffed. She knew she could turn him on if she tried harder.

"So why did you decide to come visit me all of a sudden?" She quirked he right brow.

"I thought to check on you" He simply replied, meeting her gaze and then holding it.

"You could have called or texted" She shrugged.

"I did call" He said

"I see. Is that all?" She checked the clock in the living room, 6:30pm it indicated.

"Too eager to see out of your door?"

"You made it more than clear countless times that you find me...unattractive and not worthy of being your wife" she accused

"I never said you weren't attractive. You are by the way, extremely attractive and I love the added width of your thighs" he gestured to her exposed thighs, heat shot up her cheeks, although she kept her gaze on him "And I never found you unworthy. I'm just not the marrying type" he laid out.

"I see" She conceded slowly, her gaze flicked up the time again. Axel caught her looking at the clock again.

"Expecting someone?" He questioned, her coffee brown eyes flew to his, they were shaded in confusion. "You keep staring at the clock" he expatiated.

"Oh, not really"

"And the Pizza guy?" He questioned. A slight frown marred the perfect arc of her brow.

"I thought you weren't hungry?"

"I am not. Just surprised he isn't here yet" he said thoughtfully.

"I ordered for seven O'Clock" She replied in a tone that said she did not appreciate his curiosity. He ignored her.

"Anything special happening by seven O'Clock?" She met his gaze, holding it long enough before answering dismissively.

"Not that it is your business, but Tall Tales shows every Seven O'Clock" He knew someone was definitely coming over, and he was glad she had someone coming over. He didn't push it, rather he picked up his suit jacket, then stood to his feet. She followed suit.

"I've got work to do. I better leave early" She nodded. He proceeded to the door, opening it he stepped into the brisk and breezy evening air.

"See you around" He said.

"Yeah. Drive safely. Goodnight" She said. He nodded walking to his car. Only then did she shut her door.

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

The rest of the week was quite hectic for Axel. He was buried neck deep in work, stringing out the attributes of their modified facial cream and a market strategy for the product.

Several meetings with the public relations and advertising teams were held within the week and he was given several advert samples to choose from.

As if it were not enough, the Head of management had informed him the design unit were seeking to remodel the packaging of the face wipes. They needed his opinion on the pattern the users liked.

He had been working his ass off for the past few days, he had barely had good sex. Asides fucking Monica, the intern who left few days ago, twice in the lavatory– he had barely had a relaxing sex. Just some frantic college student in need to confirm so sort of rumours. And confirmation he gave her.

Now it was Twelve thirty in the afternoon, thirty minutes into his normal lunch break and his eyes were still trained on his computer. The offices were almost empty, except some extremely hard workers like him, and they were barely five.

The sound of heels clicking against the tiles began to sound from from the lobby. As he typed on his laptop, his senses heightened as the clicks got closer. Then the smell of Lavender filled his little cubicle of an office, the clicks now within his radius.

He sighed as the scent of his guest wafted through his nostrils. Only one person smelled that way. And as she made towards his desk, he took his time to admire her enticing figure. She was one really slender beauty, with a small waist and perky breast. Her hips were wide enough, and her legs never ending. Her red hair was styled into large curls and fell like a curtain around her shoulders.

Her make up was mild, and her lips shone with baby pink lip gloss that looked untouched, as though she just applied them. Maybe she did, nothing could pass this woman. She was dressed in a gray button up chiffon top, with three buttons undone, putting her cleavages on an undisrupted display. A simple necklace with a teddy bear pendant rested on the swell of her breast. She wore black pencil skirt with a slight slit, and black wedges to compliment her looks.

"Hey handsome" Her sing song like voice chirped. She walked around his table, once she was a metre close to him, she perched on it, one leg dancing in the air. The action made her skirt hike up a little, exposing her thighs.

"Kathryn" He drawled, watching her.

"You do not seem happy to see me" She pouted. He wasn't. The woman was a leech.

"Aren't you supposed to be having lunch?" He questioned.

"Yeah, but I couldn't find you in the Cafeteria, so I came to look for you" She played with the hem of her skirt.

"How thoughtful of you" His tone held a little bit of anger, curled over his arrogance.

"You're still mad at me, I guess?" Like hell he was! She had almost cost him this job.

"I don't bear grudges" And he didn't want her near his office either.

"But I can tell you haven't forgiven me" Now she sounded dejected, making him feel guilty. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean for that to happen. I took it down immediately"

"If I was recognized in that video, and had lost my job due to your carelessness, your apology would have been wasted on me" The one mistake he made was sleeping with her for the third time.

One mistake that could have cost him anything. He understood the women tended to recreate what they had, but he always wanted to be a memory they could not forget, locked in their minds. Not a film, something that could be leaked.

She had invited him over and had filmed them having sex for reasons best known to her, saved it on her laptop and had mistakenly played the video during her product presentation. Half of the staffers, including external supervisors from another company had been present.

Good thing his face was barely visible, although his butt was in full view, they could barely tell the man in the video was him– except the women he had shanked.

She had hastily taken the video down, lied it was from a porn site, and apologized. She was suspended for one month, and had only resumed the day before yesterday.

"I know" She almost face palmed " it was stupid and careless. How do I make you forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive"

"You haven't been returning my calls"

"I've been busy"

"Axel...please" He stared at her some more. He really didn't bear grudges. Plus, how could he stay mad at an extremely beautiful woman. The wheels in his head turned, he stared at her exposed breast and thighs. His days have been boring, but he could use a little bit of fun.

"You could cajole me to forgiving you..." his tone had a bargaining note to it, his eyes ran over her body lustfully. She met his gaze, smiling in understanding.

"Hmmm" she encouraged, moving closer so his face was to her breast.

"Lock the door" he commanded her. She gave him a Cheshire's smile, traipsing briskly to the door, her butt bouncing in the action, she locked the door.

She turned, pausing at the door, a seductive smile dancing on his face. Her gaze fixated on his lustful gaze, she began a strip tease. As she stripped down to her thong and matching bra, Axel couldn't help but smile, his boring day was just about to be interesting.