Chapter 2 An Impulsive Act

"By Ava." As I open my eyes, it takes me a moment to take in the surroundings and the presence of the naked man next to me. Quickly, flashes from the night before come to mind. Carefully, I get up, avoiding waking him, and head to the bathroom for a quick shower, determined to leave before he wakes up and my shame intensifies. As I hurriedly get dressed, I sit on the couch next to the bed to put on my sandals, watching the man asleep with a serene expression. After finishing my preparations, I grab my bag and stand up. However, my eyes fall on an elegant and valuable watch on the bedside table. I let out a long sigh as I remember the problem that has been tormenting me in the past few days, and I stand there, staring at the watch, aware that it could alleviate some of the difficult times I am going through. "Ava, look at where you are; remember the car that brought you here. Surely, this man has a collection of these watches and won't even notice the absence of this one, or think he lost it before this." In an impulsive act, even after this unforgettable night where the man asked for nothing in return, I take the watch and put it in my bag, feeling a part of me close my eyes to all the values I believe in. "I apologize, Mr. E.," I whisper as I look at him for the last time, carefully opening the door of the room to leave. After the thrill of taking the watch from that man fades, I enter my house and, as I undress, I feel the effects of a poorly slept night on my body. Even though I don't remember everything that happened, a smile forms as I remember how Mr. E. touched me, giving me a pleasure I never experienced with Liam. I lie down on the bed trying to rest before deciding what to do with the watch, but soon my mind is invaded by the image of the man's face, and I can't help but wonder who he is. "Meanwhile, at the hotel... By Mr. E." I wake up completely satisfied to have spent the night so pleasurably and realize that the lady managed to make me forget about my problems, at least for a few hours. I sit on the bed and soon realize that I slept more than I should have, noticing that the mysterious Miss M. is already gone. Even though I am aware of our agreement not to talk about our lives, let alone share our names, I can't help but feel a pang of disappointment for not finding her lying next to me, as I am usually the first to leave. After a shower, I get ready to return to the routine of my life, but I am surprised when I look for my watch and can't find it. "What the..." I take a deep breath, perplexed by how easily the woman deceived me just to steal from me. I am completely confused when I realize that my phone, as well as all the money in my wallet, is where I left it overnight. I shake my head in disbelief and sit on the couch to call Taylor, my personal assistant and lawyer. He needs to help me find this woman. "Where are you?" "I inquire when he answers the call." "What do you mean, where am I? Sleeping, obviously, Noah, it's 7 in the morning and I'm off duty. So, whatever made you fall out of bed so early, don't..." "I don't care if you're off duty. I'm at the Four Seasons, I need to know absolutely everything about the woman who accompanied me last night." "Of course, I can get that for you in a few hours." "I don't want it in a few hours, Taylor." "I assert, sharply, and hear him sigh on the other end." "I'm telling you to do the minimum, which is your job. I'm going to my house; I'm going to have my breakfast, and I expect you to have everything ready by the time I finish." "Ok, boss, you're the boss!" "The lawyer lets out a discreet laugh in mockery." "To make my job a little easier, can you give me the name of the lady who put you in a bad mood?" "Do you want me to give you a bath and put you to sleep too? But come on, while I'm in a great mood, I advise you to start with Luxury. Now do your damn job, you have exactly one hour to do it; every minute beyond that will be deducted from your payment, Taylor." I hang up the call and huff, feeling the anger of being deceived running through my veins, then I get up to leave. I drive while thinking about everything that happened during the time inside the hotel, and even though I only remember a few flashes of what happened that night, I can perfectly remember the face of that woman. "So beautiful and, at the same time, so fake. How could I not have noticed that?" "Good morning, stressed out sir!" Taylor says as he enters my office, exactly one hour after our call, displaying a mocking smile that soon fades when he sees my expression. "I see that you're even worse in person." "Did you bring what I asked for?" "It would have been much easier if you had at least given me the name of the lady, Noah." Taylor huffs and practically throws himself into the chair in front of me. "You gave me a huge task, but after a few calls and access to the hotel and nightclub recordings, to find out the name behind the beautiful face that accompanied you, here it is." He puts some papers on my desk and points to the name written in capital letters. "Ava Miller Hampton." "Hampton? Of course, that's why that little game of not telling me your name!" "Since when did you become so irresponsible? Sleeping with a woman without asking the..." "Shut the hell up, Taylor!" I slam my hands on the table, and he opens his arms in a sign of surrender. "Ava Hampton? Isn't her family one of the most influential in Boston? This must be a coincidence, or it would all get even stranger." "Can you tell me what this woman did to make you so obsessed? Seriously, Noah, I'm used to researching many things for you, but investigating a woman's life..." "She seduced me and stole from me, that's all, Taylor." "I must have heard wrong, it's not possible." Taylor jumps out of the chair and stares at me with his hands on his hips. "Ava Hampton, daughter of one of the most influential men in the city, stole from you? What is this? Kleptomania?" "I don't know, I'm as surprised as you are, but one thing I'm sure of, Taylor, she will bitterly regret choosing to steal from me." "What did she steal? Why did you call me from your personal number, which means your cell..." "My watch, Taylor. The woman seduced me, went to bed with me, did an excellent job, and finally stole from me and left before I woke up." "You woke me up early, made me drive halfway across the city to find a woman without even giving me her name, just for a watch?" "You did your job, Taylor, among other things that I pay you for. Besides, it wasn't just any watch." "Don't tell me it was that watch from your..." I nod, and he shakes his head in disbelief. "Yeah, Ava Hampton will definitely regret it."