Chapter 17
Seventeen
Ava
It’s only when Dagen ushers me through the restaurant and toward the front doors that I realize the profoundness of him being here.
He’d said he was sending someone to get me.
Instead, he’s here personally, his little black expensive car sitting at the curb.
A cop hovers nearby, clearly considering giving him a parking ticket, but the moment we appear, he straightens and tips his hat to Dagen.
Julia, Marie, and Kevin follow along with us, their eyes worried, but also curious.
They hadn’t been able to reach me during my panic attack, but here Dagen Fox is, leading a now coherent me outside.
They’ll have questions. I won’t be able to answer them.
“Nice car,” Kevin says as he takes in the little black car. “Aston Martin?”
Dagen nods. “It is.” He glances at the three of them. “I’ll take care of Ava from here. I apologize I don’t have enough room to take all of you back to work—”
“Don’t worry about it,” Julia says, her eyes bright as she takes in Dagen Fox appreciatively. “Just you thinking about us is enough.”
“Besides, it’s not a far walk,” Kevin adds. “We’ll be okay as long as Ava will be.”
I nod gently. “I’m okay now. Sorry, you guys.”
“Don’t apologize,” Marie argues. “We’ve all got a past.”
Julia nods. “I had an ex kidnap me once. True story.”
Maria and Kevin look over at Julia in alarm. “What?” they both say, their eyes wide.
She waves away their question. “Just make sure to take care of our girl. She’s important to us,” she tells Dagen.
“Rest assured, she’ll be completely taken care of,” he responds as he opens the passenger door and helps me drop down into the sports car.
I meet Julia’s eyes as Dagen closes the door and she wiggles her eyebrows at me as he tells them goodbye and moves around to the driver’s side before climbing in.
He drops the car in gear without saying a word and eases away from the curb.
“Thank you,” I rasp softly, glancing over at him. “For this.”
He hums under his breath. “There’s no need to thank me.”
“There is though.” I blow out a puff of air. “You must have been busy. I’m sorry I interrupted your day.”
He glances over at me briefly before returning his eyes to the road.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone with as much influence and money as he has drive his own car.
He could easily have a driver who does this, but instead, he clearly prefers to drive.
He looks completely in control as he shifts between gears, as he drives through the busy streets.
I can tell that if we were going faster, he’d be just as in control as he is right now.
My eyes flick out the window when I realize we’ve passed up my building. “Hey, where are we going?” I ask. “I thought you were taking me back to work?”
“I’ve already discussed it with your boss—”
“You need to stop doing that,” I growl, cutting him off. “You don’t own or control me. I’d appreciate you asking me first before making a decision that could affect my career.”
He blinks in surprise and looks over at me, taking in the annoyance on my face.
Whatever he sees there, his hand tightens on the steering wheel.
“You’re right,” he finally says. “I won’t do it again without your permission.
I’ve been in this position so long, I just act.
I should have considered your feelings on the matter. ”
I study his profile. He does seem genuinely sorry, and that’s the reason I nod and look back out the windshield.
“Would you like me to take you back to work?” he asks.
I hesitate. “There may be questions, I suppose. I’d rather. . . not.”
He nods. “Good. I have a meeting to drop by quickly and then I’m all yours for the rest of the day.”
I flinch, the weight behind those words hitting me as if they mean more than they do. As if he realizes how they sounded and saw my flinch, he tips his head toward me.
“Professionally, of course,” he adds.
“Of course,” I nod.
But I’m sitting in his Aston Martin, where he rescued me after a panic attack, his suit ruined, my face lacking any make up, as he whisks me away from work.
Things are starting to feel anything but professional, but I don’t say that.
Instead, I curl my fingers into my thighs and force myself to hold still so I don’t mess up anything inside the car that probably costs more than everything I own combined.