****
Tomorrow night wasgoing to be hard.Ava looked up at the ceiling as she swam backward.Knox had an outdoor pool that was also in a heated room.The whole building was covered in glass, which meant she could spend many nights swimming and looking up at the stars, like she was now.She could do the breaststroke, but where was the fun in that?
It was Thursday night, and tomorrow, she would have to get all dressed up and be on Knox’s arm, which was always a lot of fun.There were times she loved and hated being his plus one.She was a reclusive type by nature.Spending her life in his home was a dream come true.Dressing up and being on his arm, although fun, took her out of her dream and placed her out there, where it was fucking dangerous.
The world was not all sunshine and roses.The place was a dark hole of hell, with rare gems of light.Knox was one of those men who could be hell and heaven at the same time.
“You’re up late.”
She jumped, falling beneath the water, and within seconds she was able to gain her bearings.There was a time, when she and Knox had first met, she couldn’t swim.She’d sit at the edge of the pool, terrified of climbing in, in case she drowned.Knox taught her to swim.He’d been so patient with her.
“Is there something you need?”she asked, looking toward Knox.He’d stepped into the room in a pair of swimming trunks and nothing else, his perfectly defined body on clear display for everyone to see.She couldn’t help but lick her lips as she glanced over at him.
“No, there’s nothing I need.I was just looking for a late-night swim.”
“Would you like me to leave?”
This made him laugh.“Why would I want that?”
She shrugged.“It’s your pool.If you want privacy, you can have everything you want.”
Again, this seemed to make him chuckle and that wasn’t her intention.
Knox sat on the edge of the pool and slowly lowered himself into the water.
“Is there something on your mind?”he asked.
“No, nothing.”
“You’re sure?”
She nodded as he swam closer to her.“Everything is arranged for tomorrow night.All we have to do is keep an eye on Marshal, and there will be an opening where he can expose her.”
“Has he given you the key?”
“Yes.”Ava was to use a distraction that Marshal was going to cause, take a laptop, and load up all the data for the whole party to see.It was a way of exposing his wife, and hopefully, putting an end to the man’s misery.It was in that moment she realized that she had stopped referring to him as Blondie’s husband, and called him by his actual name.
“Fuck,” she said.
Knox threw back his head.“I knew you were starting to like the guy.”
“This is not about liking him.”
“Why do you refuse to call anyone by their real name?”Knox asked.
She moved her hands across the water, keeping herself afloat.Knox loved the pool he had installed.One end was deeper, like an actual swimming pool.He had told her it had helped him train to take on harder targets.She was not going to judge, because she happened to like this pool.However, that meant she had to stay afloat, seeing as they were both in the deeper end.
“It’s simple.I don’t like to become too familiar with people.If something happens to them, I don’t want to be able to recognize their name.It helps to keep them at a safe distance.”
“That makes sense.”
Why did his lips suddenly look so good and appealing?She hated how familiar she was starting to feel with this man.He was her boss.She shouldn’t be so acutely aware of him, yet that was exactly how it was.
He moved in a little closer.
“Is there anything else worrying you?”he asked.
“No.”
