"Mr. Swallow... Mr. Swallow..." Ava trembles as she glances at the towering man beside her, his body heat and breath making her heart pound in fear. The contact against her skin evokes an unpreventable flashback to the chaotic day before. Ava steps back subconsciously, her face pale.
Maple Swallow picks up his suit jacket from the back of the chair and drapes it over his arm. He takes in the woman's delicate white face, finding it hard to believe that this woman, as meek and soft as a rabbit, could reduce him to a state of untamed desire in bed.
He speaks in a calm voice, "I'll see you home."
"No, there's no need..." Ava mutters, trying to free her wrist from his grasp, "I can take a cab home."
"It's not gentlemanly to let a single woman take a taxi home by herself this late at night," Maple retorts calmly, "I'm taking you home."
