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Tomorrow she was going to give up part of her Saturday to let Jacob test her on what she studied. He told her he was going to make practice tests each week. If she passed, he would be satisfied that she was taking her studies seriously. If she failed, he told her had a punishment that she would not like.
She loved Jacob, but she was a little annoyed that he treated her like a child sometimes. She was twenty-eight, not eight. He had been her protector from the moment she arrived in New York. He was still living with Aunt Mavis and Uncle Daniel back then but was on the cusp of getting married to Sandra. A few months after she arrived, he became a married man and moved out.
She yawned several times as she showered. It was hot and sticky out already at 6:30 AM and once she was out of the shower, she felt like going right back in. She wished she could take the day off. Tim had told her he was heading to Cape Cod for a four day weekend to visit some friends. He had invited her, but Victoria would probably kill her if she took another day off.
He had told her the house was set on a private beach and said in the past few years that they had gone skinny dipping. Ava would have no intention of even considering that. She would feel odd being naked in front of him, and what’s more, she would feel even weirder seeing him naked or worse, strangers naked. She was glad she had the work as an excuse. She could have only imagined if she had gone and he withheld that little tidbit of information from her until they arrived. She would have been mortified.
Tim was a nice enough guy, but some of the things he said and did were out of her comfort zone. He had once mentioned that he and his wife had gone to a swingers club. She had questioned him as to why he would do that if he were in a happy marriage as he often had claimed. He said for just a change of pace. Sometimes she felt the things he revealed to her were just to test her level of comfort with the subject.
She breezed through the five hours she was at work, and when she was finished for the day, she decided to go running around Washington Square Park. It was hot outside, but she enjoyed the sweat it brought. She would make sure that her Camelbak was full so she would be properly hydrated.
She jogged to the park, which was busy with activity. There were many children playing soccer, baseball or kickball on the green fields. She listened to the melody of their laughing and yelling as she ran along the path. After her second mile, she began to feel overheated in the ninety-two degree temperature and decided to sit on the bench to tie her shoelace.
When she looked up, she spotted Tim a good distance away talking with another man. That can’t be right, as she remembered he said he was leaving early that morning. She curiously watched as a duffle bag was handed to him by the man. In turn, he handed the man a smaller bag. Tim looked nervously around the park then headed down a path in the opposite direction from the man who gave him the bag. How strange. She took the Camelbak off her shoulders and fished out her phone.
How is Cape Cod? Is the weather as hot as it is in New York?
She waitedfor several minutes for Tim’s response, and when she received none, she left the park. Even while sitting on the bench she was sweating profusely. She walked the few blocks home sipping on water. As she entered her apartment, she heard her phone chirp.
It’s beautiful here. The breeze is so nice. I wish you would have been able to come. You would have liked it. What are you up to today?
She was annoyedthat he would lie to her. She saw him as plain as the nose on her face. She didn’t know if she should confront him or just leave it alone. Maybe he had something going on in his life he didn’t want to reveal. She answered his lie with another lie.
I’m just relaxingin my apartment. I was going to go for a run in the park, but it’s way too hot.
* * *
Tim had just arrivedat his building. The last text from Ava had sent chills down his spine. If she had seen him in the park, all his plans would have been ruined. He had a lifestyle he needed to maintain. What’s more, soon she would be part of that lifestyle, and there was no way he was going to support her with his teacher’s salary.
While they were dating, he didn’t want her to spend a penny of her inheritance or her salary. But once they were married, he would be able to give up his shady dealings and live off her money. Between his salary and hers as an attorney they would be able to live well. Her inheritance would be icing on the cake. She had never told him how much she had, but he assumed it was a lot.
He had looked up her mother’s accident on the internet. From there he tracked her family and read that Elizabeth Keene came from wealthy parents. Even if it was split between Ava’s siblings and herself, he was sure it was a lot. Tim had plans for that money, and once she was married to him, she couldn’t stop him from spending some of it.
He knew that some of the things he mentioned to her were worrisome. He had seen the look on her face when he referred to skinny dipping. He was curious to know how sexually adventurous she was since he liked to try new things. His wife had only liked one position, and it had to be in the dark.
In passing, she mentioned that she had phone sex with Xander. He wondered if she would do that with him. If Xander hadn’t come back into the picture, he probably would have been sleeping with her already. He needed to put his plan into action just before school started. He wouldn’t be able to watch her as much because he was busy, but he would monitor electronically.
Tim didn’t care that he needed to pay for the applications he would install. When they were installed, he could see every text, email, phone call and know exactly where she was at any time of the day or night. Once he gathered enough intel, he would hit both her and then Xander with the final punch to end their relationship.
He would be the best friend stepping into comfort her after her breakup. She would be so happy to have him that she would probably ask him out. At least that was how it worked in his head. He set about his task opening the duffel bag and getting out his supplies so he could start producing. With the school year coming, he would have plenty of sales. He was fortunate to get a position with one of the best private schools in the city. There would be plenty of rich kids looking for an easy high, and they wouldn’t have to go to a back alley to get what they needed to do it.
* * *
Xander couldn’t sleepthat night. He tossed and turned until the clock glared 4:45 AM. Normally he didn’t go running until closer to six, but he was a ball of nervous energy. When he did doze, he dreamed of nothing but Ava. He longed to be near her.
He flipped into a sitting position and placed his feet on the floor. He was naked and sporting his usual morning erection. It extended straight in front of him and thoughts of Ava didn’t help. He picked up his phone to check if he had received any emails or texts from her. There was one email from her, and when he read it, his heart soared. She wanted him in her bed, and he couldn’t wait for the time that happened.
He went about the room slipping into his running clothes. By the time he was dressed, his erection had subsided. As long as he kept his mind off her, he would be alright. He quietly went downstairs and got his backpack, filling it with a couple of bottles of water, his phone, and wallet. Then he checked to make sure that Lidia and Brett were still asleep. After three weeks, Brett had become a lot more mobile and was helping him take care of Lidia. The headaches from his concussion had subsided and even with the cast on his hand, he had resumed working on his computer.
The bills were piling up, and without any income, their savings was dwindling. The week before, Brett was able to secure a couple of small graphic design jobs thanks to an old college roommate. He felt well enough to work on them several hours a day. Lidia was not as lucky. She still suffered from pain. Xander was worried she would get addicted to her medication and begin looking for ways to supplement. She seemed to be handling the pain fine even with the weaning of the medication. But she was not well enough to return to work.
Xander started on a slow run through the neighborhood. The air was thick and felt saturated with heat. Several minutes into his run and he was soaked with sweat. The sun was starting to peak over the horizon. Little did he know that he was repeating the same scenario as Ava had that same morning.
He finished his run forty-five minutes later and stopped to pick up the mail he forgot from yesterday. Upon entering the living room, he found Brett on the floor. He ran to him, and Brett was holding his side.
“What happened?” He asked.
“I forgot to lower the bed. I thought the floor was a lot closer than it was.”
