by Lisa Lace
“I don’t want to talk about him anymore.”
The waitress intervened, helping Mia squirm her way out of answering. She set the two scotches down and two fresh drinks for Mia and Steven.
“I’m sorry, I don’t believe the others will be returning.” Edward picked up Steven’s drink to hand back to the waitress.
“It’s okay,” said Mia. “I think I might want it myself.”
He set it back down and fell quiet. He watched her, wondering what was going through her head. He wanted to scoop her up and take her away from all the bullshit. He wanted to make it all okay for her.
He searched her face for an answer before he asked, “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Personal, not business.”
She nodded.
“Steven. Is he anything more than a business partner to you?”
Her hesitation cut into him and for that moment, he hated her; then, he loved her more. He wished he never made love to her, and he wished he would never have let her go.
“He is.”
“He is?”
She chuckled. “He’s like a father to me. I’ve known him since I was practically in diapers. Don’t worry. I only have eyes for one man.” She batted her eyes at him, smiling as she looked down at her drink.
“How do you feel when you’re around me?”
“When we are alone, I feel like I would do anything you ask me. I feel confused because it doesn’t seem like I can think of anything else.”
“And when we are in mixed company?”
“When we are around others, I wish that they would all disappear. I can only think about the way you touch me. Each time, you keep me on this edge, teetering, afraid to fall, but afraid to hold on. I’ve never felt this way before.”
“This is much more than a sexual attraction, Mia. I’m in love with you.”
She gasped and swallowed hard, not able to look away from him.
“I don’t want any woman but you, and I want you to be mine.”
“I already told you—”
“Yes.” He picked up his scotch, the ice cubes clinking together in the glass much like the way they had in the hotel room. He grinned when she reacted to the familiar sound. “Mia.” He filled his mouth with the scotch and swallowed it down. “Take off your panties.”
“What? Here?” Her words were airy and panicked. She looked around the room and put her hands in her lap.
“Yes. Stand up slightly and remove them. No one will notice.”
She looked around again and raised her butt up off her chair just enough to wiggle them down to her thighs. Her cheeks turned pink as she tried to pull them down without drawing attention. “This is crazy,” she whispered.
“It is what makes us good together.”
He enjoyed the show as she worked carefully to fulfill his request. He stifled a chuckle when he heard her kick the table. She smoothed her dress down and crouched toward the table.
“What are you doing?” He furrowed his eyebrows at her.
“Trying to give you my panties,” she whispered. “Here.” She nudged forward, her arms still under the table.
He grinned and stretched his hand over the table toward her. Her eyes widened, making him laugh.
“It’s okay. I promise.”
She looked around and balled them up in one hand. She tightened her grip on them before passing them to him. When he got them, and she drew her hand back, he pinched the lacy material and let them fall from his hand.
“What are you doing?” She drew back and cowered in her chair.
He locked eyes with her as he put them to his face and inhaled her scent. A delicious arousal stirred within him, and he wanted more. “Thank you, Mia.” He slid them into his suit pocket and finished his drink, replacing it with the extra one meant for Jack. “I want to talk to you about something before we go much further with our relationship.”
“Okay.” She had skepticism in her voice or maybe fear. He wasn’t sure how to interpret it yet.
“I have a confession to make. You don’t have to work so hard on beefing up security for your company.”
“I think I do. I don’t want to worry about some hacker getting into our network again. The next time, we may not be so lucky in getting it back.”
“You got it back because I allowed it.”
“What? How could you have?”
“I was the hacker.” He watched the color drain from her face. “I had enough information to get through. I had no choice, but I made sure I saved it to make sure it wasn’t completely destroyed.”
“You?” She pushed back away from the table and stood up, looking at Edward but barely seeing him. “How could you?”
“I can explain if you’ll let me.”
She walked around the table and stood in front of him.
“Mia.”
She reached up and slapped his face, her lip quivering. “I don’t want to see you again. I’ll find a way to save my own company. Don’t call me anymore.”
“Mia, let me explain.”
“Go to Hell.” She seized her purse and walked out of the restaurant, leaving him standing alone in the middle of a crowded room, all eyes on him.
Mia
Mia fought back the tears until she was outside and away from everyone. She felt numb and betrayed by the one man she put her entire heart and soul into, but she tried to stay strong. She wanted to get out of there before he saw how she felt, a blithering idiot and no longer in control of her life.
“Mia!”
She heard him yell to her from a distance, and it made her angrier rather than hurt. She had a few choice words for him, but she thought better to talk to him after she was able to let this all sink in. She kept walking. Was he still watching her? Was he hoping she’d turn around? Not a chance. She barely got another block before she felt his hand seize her arm and spin her around.
“Mia, do not run from me again. You need to listen to me!”
“I don’t want anything to do with you,” she seethed. She tried pulling away, but his grip only got tighter. He wrapped his arms around her and secured her next to him until she stopped struggling. “Let me go, Edward.” She tried turning away as she felt her tears escape down her cheeks. Damn him!
“Not until you hear me out.”
She stopped moving and turned her face away until she could control her tears. She didn’t want to look weak and vulnerable, especially to him.
“When my father was alive, he gave me an ultimatum. He wanted your company and had the power to do what it took to get it. He gave me a choice. I could either hack into your company and delete everything, or lose my position in the company.”
“I get it,” she sniffled. “You had to look out for yourself.”
“You don’t get it. I was going to walk away from it all until I figured out how to manipulate his request and give everyone what they wanted.”
“You could have clued me in.”
“I couldn’t take the chance. The less you knew, the better. If you believed your company was in jeopardy, I knew I could get away with it. I put it back.”
“And I lost all of my investors because of it.”
“No, you didn’t.” He raised her face to his, his expression softening. He leaned in and tried to kiss her, but she turned away in time for him to steal a peck on her cheek. It wasn’t enough. “What do you want me to do? I’m trying to make this right.”
“Maybe it’s too late for that.” Her eyes seared into his, and as bad as she wanted to give him a second chance at that kiss, she stood hard as nails. “How do you know that I want you to invest in my company? Maybe I don’t want your help.”
“Like you have so many more appealing options.”
She slapped his face and stood in front of him, trembling. “No, thanks to you.” She watched as his jaw muscles hardened, and she wondered how far she dared push him.
His eyes glossed over, and he hesitated before continuing. “If you give me this
chance, I promise, you won’t regret it. I’m not just talking about the investment, Mia.” His reluctance to touch her warmed her heart. She had pushed him far enough. As soon as she lowered her eyes from his face, he pulled her in and stole the kiss he needed to reclaim her. The warmth she felt from his vulnerability for her spread through her. “Does this mean you’ll give me that chance?”
She nodded, pressing her lips together to savor the kiss. “What about Jack?”
“I’ll take care of him. He seems scary, but I can handle him.”
They walked along the street, arm in arm until they got to her apartment.
“This is me.” She stopped him and turned into his arms. “I’m sorry I lost it back there.”
“That’s okay. I never paid the bill. They’ll be looking for me.”
Mia burst out laughing. “Seriously?”
He chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. “See what you do to me?” He surrounded her with his arms, pulling her in and kissing her passionately. “Invite me in.”
She shivered at the thought but shook her head. “I can’t.”
He covered her mouth with his and kissed her deeper. “I think you can.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to. Emily is home. I sort of have a rule about the guys I date.”
“Ah, I see.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s okay.” He let her go and stepped back. “What is this rule you have?”
“I don’t want my daughter to be subjected to the different men in my life. Boyfriends come and go. I don’t hold on to them in hopes that a relationship will get stronger. If I do end up with someone for six months, I’ll introduce him to her. By then, I should have a pretty good idea how the relationship will go.”
“So, I have five and a half more months to go?”
She nodded, feeling embarrassment at the way it sounded.
“Okay. I guess I can wait.”
She sat on the front step of the building and scooted toward Edward once he sat next to her.
“Emily is very important to me. She is the reason I started my company. I want her to have a future.”
“Where is her father?”
She wanted to tell him, but she didn’t want to complicate things. She looked down and shook her head. “Not around. He doesn’t even know about her.”
“You never told him? Maybe if you did, he might have stepped up and been a better man.”
“No, I’m pretty sure he’s very content not knowing. He wasn’t a good person.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I did try once. Right after Emily was born, I met with him, but it didn’t work out.”
“Well, maybe it was for the best.”
“Does she know about him?”
“She chooses not to know. I told her when she was ready, I would answer any questions she had.”
“You’re a good mom.”
“It isn’t easy, but she makes it all okay.”
“I see the way your eyes light up when you talk about her. I can’t wait to meet her.”
“One day, perhaps. If you’re still around.”
“I’ll take that bet. But for now, promise me something.”
“What?”
“That you’ll go with me to the Disaster Relief Fundraiser tomorrow evening.”
“I don’t know.”
“You’ll have a good time. There’ll be the best food and wine, dancing and charity auctions.”
“I don’t think it’s a good time right now, Edward. With everything happening between us and the company.”
“That’s all the more reason you should go. Hobnob with some of the most influential business associates out there, investors, you name it.”
“You should go, Mommy.” A tiny voice wafted down from a window just above them. Mia and Edward looked up to see Emily looking down from the living room window.
“Emily, what are you doing?” Mia chuckled at her little girl eavesdropping on them.
“You don’t ever go out on a date. It’s all work, work, work.”
“You should listen to her. She sounds wise beyond her years.”
Emily covered her mouth and giggled.
“Okay, okay. I am obviously outnumbered. I will go with you.”
“Yes!” He made a fist in the air and pulled it down to his chest. “Thank you, Emily. It’s nice to see someone is on my side.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Go back inside, honey. I’ll be right up.”
“Okay, Mommy. Good night, Mister.”
“Good night, Emily.” He chuckled softly, and they watched as she disappeared back inside.
When the window closed, Mia felt overwhelmed. She looked up at the window and back to Edward. It was the first time Emily had met and liked a man in her life. Could this man be what she had been looking for?
He leaned toward her and kissed her lips. “I will say good night. I wouldn’t want the warden catching us,” he said out the side of his mouth, pointing toward the window with his thumb.
Mia giggled. “Until tomorrow evening then?”
“I will pick you up at seven.”
Mia rushed into her bedroom in her bra and underwear, frantically looking through her drawers. Emily sat quietly on the bed, watching.
“Should I wear pantyhose? Do I own pantyhose?”
“What are pantyhose?” Emily crinkled her nose.
“They are uncomfortable, that’s what they are. I’m not wearing them. My dress. Where is my dress?” She hustled to her closet and rummaged through.
“Mommy.”
“Where is it? It was right here this morning.”
“Mommy.”
“What is it, Emily?”
“Your dress is hanging on your door.”
“Oh. That’s right. Thank you, honey.”
She hustled to the other side of the room and grabbed the dress off the hanger, laying it on the bed before wiggling into it. The soft, light blue material hugged her body perfectly. “Does this look okay?”
“You’re beautiful, Mommy.”
“Aw, thank you, sweet pea.” She leaned toward Emily and kissed the top of her head.
The buzzer sounded from the living room, and Mia ran out of the bedroom toward the door. “That must be the sitter.” Without looking, she opened the door and gasped when she saw Edward standing there. “Edward! You’re early.”
“And you’re stunning.”
“Thank you. Come in, please. I’ll be ready in a few minutes. The sitter isn’t here yet.”
“Take your time.”
She rushed back toward the bedroom. “Make yourself at home.” When she returned to the living room after putting on her earrings and necklace, she smiled at the sight of Emily sitting next to him. They were in a full-on conversation about her Barbie dolls and how pink was overrated.
“Well, I personally would wear pink,” he said to her.
“But you’re a boy.”
“You don’t think boys should wear pink?”
Emily shook her head.
“I see you two have finally met.” Mia walked around the couch and stood with her hands on her hips.
“You’re right, Mommy. He is cute.”
Edward raised his eyebrows and cocked his head. “Am I, now?”
It was the first time Emily had left her speechless. The doorbell buzzed, and Mia walked away. “Saved by the bell.” She scooted away from them and opened the door to let Emily’s babysitter in.
“Hi, Miss Walker. Emily! Hey, kiddo!”
Mia watched as Emily ran to her and took her hand, leading her inside.
“We shouldn’t be late, but if we are, I’ll let you know. Is that okay?”
“Sure. I brought one of my board games. Do you want to play?”
Mia picked up her purse and led Edward out the front door.
“Your daughter is sweet.”
Mia smiled, adoration filling her heart.
Edward’s car pulled up to the venue
, and his driver opened the door for them, lending a hand for Mia as she stepped out onto the pavement. She looked around as Edward led her to the front doors, taking in the small twinkling lights that draped along the front of the building. The sun had almost disappeared, giving a beautiful display of colors across the sky. Men and women dressed in their best littered the grounds, some with flutes of champagne in their hands, others just arriving and mingling before going inside. Edward slowed his pace as he quietly pointed out and described certain people to her.
“The gentleman standing over there next to the woman in yellow?”
“Yes,” Mia confirmed when she saw him.
“Ralph McLintogue and his wife, Tracie. He is one of our biggest competitors. Nice guy, but he gives us a run for our money. Usually, if we lose an account, it’s to him.”
“Must keep things interesting.”
“It does, yes. Do you see the woman walking toward the entrance? The one in white?”
“Yes. She’s beautiful.”
“She has been with just about every CEO here, I’m sure of it. She loves the lifestyle and will do anything to live it.”
“Has she been with you?”
“No, but I can’t say she hasn’t tried. Jack, on the other hand.”
“Really?”
“Does it surprise you?”
“I guess it shouldn’t.”
He offered her his arm. “Shall we?”
He led her through the front doors and inside, where the ambiance was as glamorous and prestigious as the outside. Golden drapes hung from the high ceilings to the marble floors, little white lights intertwining throughout. The tables were covered with white linens and porcelain dinnerware, a bouquet of flowers on every table centerpiece.
“There’s Jack.”
Mia looked up at Edward to see where he was looking and followed his gaze. Jack leaned against the wall by the bar as he flirted with a beautiful woman who was seemingly uninterested. Mia shifted uneasily. As if he felt her discomfort, Jack scanned the room until his eyes locked with hers, nodding and holding his glass up. She looked away and forced a smile for Edward. He picked up two flutes of champagne from a server walking by and handed one to Mia.
“We have to watch out for him.” Edward kept his eyes on his brother before he led her to a table closer to the wall.
