But at the same time, it felt wrong to keep things from Thomas. He’d been so good to her in the few weeks since she’d lost her father, had been a great friend as well as a fun person she enjoyed spending time with—even when they weren’t having sex.
Her mind made up, she replied, “I never got chance to tell you about the charity auction, did I?” Thomas shook his head, and she continued. “Well, it was a bit weird to begin with, turning up by myself and it being the first event I’d attended since Dad passed. But then I bumped into someone, a guy a couple of years older than us, I think, and we got talking. Then his friend turned up, and the three of us chatted, had a bit of a laugh. They invited me to sit with them. I figured it was better than sitting with a bunch of strangers, so I accepted.
“Their dads are both loaded—of course, so is pretty much everyone at those types of dos—and when the auction started they had this crazy bidding war for a week in some luxury holiday home.” She paused to take a breath and clocked the frown line between Thomas’s eyebrows. He was obviously wondering where the hell she was going with this, and how it counted as good news. “Anyway, I’d been chatting to the two guys—Elias and Alex, their names are—as the auctions went on. For obvious reasons I couldn’t bid on anything—I could have started to bid, but there was nothing remotely in my price range. But then this amazing lot came up—a weekend’s hire of a Lamborghini Aventador.”
Thomas’s expression went from confused, to understanding, to impressed. “Nice,” he said, nodding.
“Right? I’ve always wanted a go in one, and when it appeared on the screen, I gasped out loud. Elias—who’s an investment banker with plenty of money himself—wheedled it out of me that going in one is on my bucket list. Next minute, he’s in a bidding war, trying to win the experience for me. And he bloody won! He’s the one who just phoned—he’s been on to the owner and is going to email me some possible dates when I can have the car. So… that’s my good news. I’m going to cross something off my bucket list soon!”
“That’s amazing, Mia. The time you’ve had of it lately, I’m glad you’ve got something to look forward to. So this uh, Elias, is it? He’s loaded, you say?”
Immediately realising his casual tone of voice was fake, Mia responded cautiously, “He is… why do you ask?”
“And does he meet the other conditions in your dad’s will?”
Mia blinked. The thought had crossed her mind, of course, but she certainly hadn’t expected Thomas to bring it up. “Er, yes. I suppose he does. But I’ve only just met him!”
Thomas chuckled. “Bloody hell, Mia, I’m not saying you should marry him tomorrow. But he could be the solution to your problem. He’s got his own money, so he’s not a gold digger, and he’s clearly very generous. And he’s smart.”
“How do you figure that?” she asked with a frown.
He gave her a fond glance. “Because he likes you, Mia. Any bloke that likes you is clever, if you ask me.”
“Including yourself?” she quipped.
Thomas stuck out his tongue. “You know what I mean, Mia. Any suitable bloke, then.” He picked up the broom, then, and swept back a couple of leaves that the breeze had aided to escape the pile, but not before Mia noticed the look that crossed his face. It wasn’t hurt, exactly… maybe disappointment? Resignation?
Shit—how was she supposed to respond to that? Her elation seeped away a little at the thought she might be hurting him, albeit inadvertently.
Clearly picking up on her discomfort, Thomas—who’d now moved a couple of paces away to chase down some more leaves and was half-turned away from her—said, “It’s all right, Mia. I get it, don’t worry. I’m really fond of you, but I have no illusions. We’re friends that… have fun together, but I’m well aware we can never be any more than that.”
Well aware? She hadn’t even realised that Thomas wanted any more than that. What the hell was happening here? “This is so fucked up,” she blurted. “I barely know Elias—I spent a few hours in his company, and his friend’s. They’re both nice guys; handsome, charming, polite, intelligent… but other than the basics, I know nothing about them.”
Thomas stopped his sweeping then and turned to her with a cheeky smile. “Both nice guys, huh? What does the other one do for a living?”
Mia felt herself colouring once again. “H-he’s a doctor. A surgeon.”
“Bloody hell.” Thomas’s eyes bulged. “An investment banker and a surgeon. Looks like you’ve got quite the choice to make. Seems your problem is pretty much solving itself. It won’t be long before my tea-making services are no longer required.” He’d smiled as he’d spoken, but she didn’t miss the slightest twinge of bitterness in his voice.
Christ, she needed to tread carefully here, otherwise she was going to lose herself a friend as well as a lover, and possibly a damn good employee, too. “I will always need your tea-making services, Tom.” She suddenly realised she had no idea if they were talking in euphemisms here, but forged on anyway. “You make very nice tea. And besides,” panic and nerves were causing her to babble now, “it’s highly likely I won’t have to make a choice.”
Thomas furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”
“They, er,” she glanced around, more as a stalling tactic than anything, since she’d backed herself into an uncomfortable corner and saw no way out, “like to share women.”
The broom clattered to the ground. Thomas bent and fumbled to pick it up, then straightened and looked at her, his eyes wide. “They what? What does that even mean? Are they Mormons or something? Christ, I didn’t think that kind of thing happened in this country. And besides, I know your dad’s forcing you to get married, but I don’t think he expected you to marry two blokes.”
A giggle that bordered on hysterical escaped Mia’s lips. She clapped her hands over her mouth and shrugged. Then, having removed her hands, she said, “I don’t know how it all works. Like I said, I hardly know them. Obviously I can’t marry two blokes—that’s ridiculous. And illegal. But one of them made some offhand comment earlier in the evening, and I didn’t give it a second thought. Then later on, he said something else, and I began to wonder… but I didn’t get chance to ask any questions. He could have been pissed, for all I know. Talking utter shit. There was a lot of champagne being splashed around.”
Shaking his head, Thomas said, “I think you should be careful with those two, Mia. I’m sure they’re decent enough guys, but if they’re into sharing women it could be… weird. I dunno. I just don’t want you getting hurt. I care about you, you know that.”
“I know you do. And I appreciate it. And I care about you, too, don’t ever forget that,” she added. “But… if I understood what he was saying correctly, I don’t see how I could get hurt. They said they shared women, not that women had to share them. I’d be the one holding all the cards. I have no idea if they’d be sharing me at the same time, if you see what I mean,” she gasped as the broom clattered to the path again, “or what, but it’d just be me, with two men. Honestly, from my perspective, I don’t see a downside.”
There was a pause as Thomas picked up the broom once more. “No, I guess not.” He raked his free hand through his hair and blew out a heavy breath. “Fucking hell, Mia, this conversation turned weird quick. I feel like I’m having a bizarre dream, like I’ve eaten cheese before bed. A whole wheel of the bloody stuff.”
She chuckled. “Tell me about it. Anyway, let’s not worry about all that for now, all right? I don’t even know if I want to date either of them, let alone both. Never mind anything beyond that.”
“Fair enough. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, eh?”
Mia nodded. “If that’s all right with you? I see no reason to call off our… mutual tea-making arrangement for something that might never happen. I would really miss it if we didn’t share a cup of tea every now and again. Especially given those nice new biscuits you’ve just bought.” She was taking the stupid euphemism way too far now, she knew, and she was
n’t even sure if she was still following it, never mind Thomas.
The mischievous twinkle in his eye told her he knew exactly what she was getting at. “Yes, they’re very nice biscuits, aren’t they? If you’re good, I might even share them with you again.”
“That would be lovely, thank you.” Just then, she caught a glimpse of Betty in one of the windows up at the house, waving wildly to get her attention. “Oh, look—Betty wants me. I’d better go to see what’s up. I’ll catch you later?” She deliberately worded it as a question.
Thomas nodded and began dumping the leaves into a large gardening bag. “Yep, catch you later.” Then, more quietly, so Betty wouldn’t hear even if the window was open, “Text me.”
“Will do.” With that, she turned and hurried for the house. As she approached the French doors, Betty flung one open and ushered Mia inside.
“Mia! Are you all right?” Both Betty’s eyes and mouth were wide as she took in Mia’s appearance.
Crap. Trust another woman to notice her bedraggled appearance. She smiled. “I’m fine, Betty. I just… I took a little walk to the churchyard, and I got, er, upset at my parents’ grave. Thomas found me and got me…” she stopped herself as she realised she’d been about to mention the shed. Thomas probably wouldn’t be happy if she divulged his secret tea-break spot. “He helped me up—I was on the ground—and made sure I was all right.” She indicated her muddied trousers and shoes. “Was there something you wanted, anyway? I was just going to go and get changed into some clean clothes.”
Betty took in Mia’s appearance again and opened her mouth, but then seemed to think better of whatever she’d been about to say, closed it again and shook her head. “Not me, my love. James was looking for you. Said your office phone had been ringing. To begin with, he thought perhaps you’d gone to the bathroom, but when you didn’t come back and it rang again…” She shrugged and looked down at her shoes. “Anyway, I just wanted to let you know.”
Mia reached out and gave Betty’s upper arm a fond squeeze. “Thank you, Betty. I really need to get that thing replaced with one with an answer phone. Dad would never allow it, for some reason. Too modern, I expect.” She smiled at the older woman, then turned and headed for the stairs.
Just as she climbed the first step, Betty called, “He’s a nice boy, that Thomas. You could do a lot worse, you know.”
Christ, Betty, you have no idea. She continued up the stairs without replying. What the hell was she supposed to say to that, anyway?
Chapter Twelve
Mia emerged from Liverpool Street station into the bright December day. It was chilly, but dry in East London—perfect conditions for whizzing around in a top-of-the-range luxury sports car. She just hoped the weather was the same down in Kent, and that it held out the following day.
From her vantage point at the top of a staircase leading down to the pavement, she looked around for Elias. He’d said he’d meet her outside the station, and then they’d head off. Excitement buzzed through her veins—she could hardly believe she was soon to cross an item off her bucket list. And, she had to admit, the thought of spending the weekend with Elias was adding to her excitement, too. They were staying overnight in Kent to maximise the amount of time Mia could spend driving the Aventador—though the car had to be returned to its owner for the night, presumably for insurance purposes—and she couldn’t help wondering whether staying in a hotel, albeit in separate rooms, would lead to something happening between them.
She couldn’t see Elias, but maybe he hadn’t arrived yet. With a shrug, she headed down the steps to street level to wait. She was amazed at how quiet it was—but then the financial heart of London usually was quieter at weekends. And it was still early—the couple of slices of toast she’d had before leaving home had felt more like a midnight snack than breakfast.
A loud honking made her jump, and she gasped as she snapped her head towards the source of the sound, her heart pounding. A car was just pulling up at the side of the road, and the window rolled down to reveal Elias’s smiling face. “All right, Mia?” he called.
She took in the matt effect, gunmetal grey Audi 4x4 with some surprise—she’d had Elias down as a sports car kind of guy—and trotted over to it. As she grew closer, he hopped out of the vehicle, and as she drew up beside it, he swept her overnight bag from her shoulder and opened the rear door for her.
“Morning,” she said, accepting the kiss he pressed to her cheek with a smile. “I was just beginning to wonder about you.”
Elias glanced at his watch, then back at her with narrowed eyes. “I’m bang on time, missy. But you’re a stickler for punctuality, it seems. I’ll remember that for future reference. Hop in. I’ll put your bag in the boot, and we’ll get going. I’m not really supposed to stop here.”
She smiled and clambered up into the seat as gracefully as she could manage, nodding her thanks as Elias closed the door behind her—realising too late that he wouldn’t be able to see her face through the tinted windows anyway. Duh. Shaking her head, she turned to look around the car, wondering why she’d been put in the back, when she saw the answer sitting right in front of her. She gasped. “Alex!”
Grinning from his spot in the passenger seat, he replied, “Hello, Mia. I hope you don’t mind me sitting in the front. I’m happy to swap, if you like.”
Blinking, she said, “No, it’s fine. But… what are you doing here?”
There was a click as the driver’s door opened, and Elias reappeared. He got in and put on his seatbelt. “All right, you two? Ready to go? Buckle up, please, Mia.”
As she complied, she asked again, “So, what are you doing here, Alex? I… didn’t know you were coming.”
Elias glanced over at his friend. “Haven’t you told her yet?”
“I haven’t had bloody chance. Just shut up and drive, will you?” he shot back.
Shaking his head, Elias started the engine and flicked on his indicator to pull out into the light traffic.
Alex, still turned sideways in his seat to look at her, smiled. “We thought we’d surprise you.”
“O-kay,” she replied with a frown, feeling like she was missing a vital piece of the puzzle. “Well, you’ve certainly done that. It’s lovely to see you again. How are you doing?”
“Great, thank you. All the better for seeing you. How are you? Excited?”
“I’m well, thank you. Things are gradually settling down on the home front. And yes, I’m incredibly excited. Of course I am—I’m going to drive a bloody Lamborghini Aventador!”
They’d pulled out into the traffic, and were heading further east, towards Whitechapel.
Alex’s smile widened. “You’re not just going to get to drive one, Mia.”
“W-what do you mean?” Fucking hell, Elias hasn’t gone and bought me one, has he?
“You’re going to race one. When Elias won the auction for the weekend hire, and I found out it included both road and track use, it got me thinking. So I made some inquiries, and I’ve hired a track for your use this weekend. That’s where we’re going now—the owner kindly agreed to drop the Aventador off at the circuit for us because it’s not too far from where he lives.”
“Oh my God!” Her mouth dropped open. Had she heard him right? Or had the early start been too much and she’d nodded off and was having a bonkers dream? “Are you serious?”
A flash of doubt crossed Alex’s face. “Very serious. Why? Did I screw up? Would you prefer to drive it on the road? I didn’t mean to interfere, or presume, I just—”
“Alex! Shut up a minute and let me speak!”
“Sorry.” He adopted a chagrined expression, and Elias gave a snort.
“No, of course you didn’t screw up. You just caught me unaware, that’s all. This weekend was already a dream come true—I didn’t think it could get any better, but you’ve managed it.” She glanced between the two men and shook her head. “You’re very devious, the pair of you. But I’m incredibly grateful, thank you. I can’t wait. Th
is is going to be amazing!”
Alex sagged with relief. “Great! It should only take us about an hour, traffic permitting, to get there. Should be quite a nice drive, too, once we’re out of the city.”
Nodding, Mia replied, “Excellent.” She paused, then, “Thank you—both of you. I really mean that.”
“We’re not even there yet,” Elias said dryly. “How excited are you going to be when you actually see the car?” They’d passed into the up-and-coming Docklands area and were heading for the river.
“Orgasmic, I’d imagine,” she quipped, smirking as Alex’s face registered surprise. She wished she could see Elias’s reaction—though she suspected it’d be much the same.
There was silence for a moment, then Alex recovered. “Well then, if we get to see you that excited, then it’ll definitely be money well spent.”
“Yes, I expect it will.”
They grinned at each other, then Alex straightened his face and said, “By the way, I’m glad things are settling down on the home front. I’m sure it hasn’t been an easy time for you. This weekend will be packed full of some well-deserved fun—Elias and I will make sure of it.”
“You already have.” She smiled again, then settled back in her seat and watched the city go by. Alex turned around to face the windscreen—but neither of them had a view for long, since they’d dropped into a gully. Mia realised they were approaching the Blackwall Tunnel, which would take them beneath the Thames. She couldn’t remember ever travelling through it before, and lamented the loss of the beautiful blue sky as they passed into the relative gloom. After a few minutes, though, she could quite literally see the light at the end of the tunnel, and her spirits lifted as they emerged into the glow of the pale winter sunshine.
Mia's Men_A Reverse Harem Romance Novel Page 10
