“Where are you, Ava?” asks Noah on the cell phone.

“Um… at home,” I answer, trying to keep myself from moaning when I got off from the couch, turning down the volume of the TV. The Ben Wa balls are still inside me. I can’t even stop thinking about this fact. I have decided to take leave from work because of his goddamn youngest son. This is all his fault. “Why?” I ask.

“Oh, I was going to see you. I’m in your office, in fact. But you’re not here.”

Shit! It’s supposed to be our lunch date. It’s Friday. I’ve totally forgotten about it. I curse Liam once again. And again. It has become a litany, actually.

I hope he still has the blue balls curse. Damn the jerk to the hell and back. And forth. For the nth time! Damn him!

“I’m sorry, Noah. How about I order something for us and you come here?” I quickly decide.

“That’s not bad. I’ll go get Liam. He wants to come with us originally. But since the plan has changed, we’ll come over there instead.”

I open my mouth to try to stop him from bringing that cursed Liam over. But the line is already dead. I sigh deeply, fuming.

***

An hour later, both father and son are shown by my new non-stay-in housekeeper to the dining room. Mrs. Sanders is a middle-aged, plump lady. She isn’t like Stella but she is also very efficient at her work.

Noah kisses each of my cheeks, after giving me a bear hug. I smile at him affectionately but I refuse to look at Liam whose eyes seem to be smoky with desire as he gives me a once-over. Right now, I am wearing a sundress and a pair of sandals to be more comfy.

The bastard! I know where his thoughts are right now—right in my pussy. Sure, I can feel that they go right through my pussy and the Ben Wa balls.

I mentally curse him again. I even barely notice that he is holding a dozen of bouquet of pink and red flowers with thick red ribbon around the plastic and stems.

I am about to turn away with Noah when Liam snatches my hand and my body bumps against his rock-hard body. I let out a little gasp because of the impact, making the balls move inside. His back is on his father as he embraces me innocently. However, his other hand isn’t innocent at all. He is subtly kneading my buttocks!

Shitty bastard! He does it deliberately to make me feel the Ben Wa balls, as if their staying there for almost 24 hours now hasn’t deliciously tortured me already. I clamp my lips to stifle a moan, as Noah watches us. His gray orbs seem to penetrate my being, trying to discern something.

“Don’t worry, slave. I’ll let you get rid of those once my father’s left,” Liam promises conspiratorially, in a whisper.

His breath is so warm, fanning and tickling my ear. He gives me a peck on the cheek before he finally lets go of me. He hands me the flowers like it’s a normal thing he does.

Our fingers brush each other, which sends some kind of warm and teasing energy throughout my body. Is it the electricity they say? But then I force myself to ignore it.

Once we are seated at the dining table, and we are in the middle of our lunch, I chat with Noah most of the time. My back is stiff, trying to not shift much in my seat because of the goddamn thing inside my pussy. All this time, I also try to ignore Liam’s amused eyes at my discomfort. He is clearly enjoying it.

“Detective Sanchez called me yesterday, Ava,” Noah informs me.

My hands go still. So are Liam’s, I notice. I steal a glance at his face that turns grim. But I settle my eyes on Noah once again.

“What does he want?” I ask slowly.

“You know that your parents’ murder is a cold case, which he handled in the past. He seems to have a new lead, and he plans to have it reopened.”

I feel my heart pound against my chest. It will be good if the detective is able to solve the case after fifteen long years. I just want to have justice for my parents.

“He asked me about Stella. You reported her as missing?”

My eyes automatically fly toward Liam’s face. But he looks stoic. I’m not sure how to answer Noah. The fact is that I haven’t reported anything to the police because of the note. So, who has reported her missing? Only Liam knows about her disappearance—or her leaving my house, to be precise.

I look at Noah and slightly nod at him. “So, what did he say?”

“He’s tracing her until this very moment, I think. He believes that it’s got to do with your parents’ murder. He said that she called him the day before she was reported missing.” He sighs, falling into deep thought.

An hour passed by after our lunch, and after our coffee at the balcony, Noah tells me he’s going home.

“I’ll hang around for a bit, Dad,” Liam says when his father turns to him.

“Alright. Have a great time, kids. Don’t fight.” He leaves with a smile after kissing my cheeks.

“Mrs. Sanders is still around. You might not want her to see us,” I coldly try to enlighten Liam. I stand by the steel guard rail with my back on it.

He grins at me, sweeping his eyes up and down my slim body. His gaze seems to appraise me as he calmly steps and traps me between the guard rail and his body, letting his frontal area graze my abdomen.

I softly gasp at that erotic suggestion. I can’t help but close my eyes, feeling the hard bulk of his arousal. His face is so close to mine.

“I’ll go to your room and you send Mrs. Sanders away. I’ll wait for you there,” he softly commands. He kisses my lips before he leaves me.

It feels like my knees turn into jelly. I quickly do as he orders like a possessed slave. I pretend that I wish to be alone, and I give my housekeeper some money for a week’s worth.