City of Sin

by Ford, Mia

I know that if I don’t do it right away, I’ll talk myself out of it. So, I bring the treadmill to a halt and I grab my drink to take a sip. While the liquid slides down my throat I twist to see him, my heart skipping a beat as I do, and I see him alone, I know that I need to move. I jump off the machine and I take the brave steps towards him. I can almost feel Kayleigh holding in a hopeful breath behind me.

  Noah drags his eyes up and he breaks into a sunshine grin. His smile lights up the whole room and it really warms me up. When he gives me the intense gaze the rest of the world melts away.

  “Hey, is everything okay, Mia?”

  “Yeah, I just wanted to say thank you. Thanks for the erm, donation.”

  Shit, that didn’t come out as planned.

  “Oh, well it’s such an awesome thing that you’re doing and a very worthwhile charity.”

  “Well, that was very nice of you all the same.” His eyes lure me in, they switch my brain off and my mouth gets carried away with itself. “I’ve been painting.”

  “You have?” He looks so happy it aches in my chest. “That’s amazing. You’ll have to show me some of your work. I want to see it, then I can pick which pieces I want for the gym.”

  He’s still saying this, he is still acting like he wants to display some of my work. I can’t believe it.

  “You can’t actually hang my work up or I’ll have to work out somewhere else.”

  “No way! You have to stay here. You should be proud of what you created.”

  I giggle girlishly and tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear. “That’s what Kayleigh said.”

  “Promise me that you’ll at least show me some of it.”

  His interest seems so genuine. I can’t help tumbling into it. “I will.”

  “So, how is the marathon training going? It looks like you’re doing well.”

  “I think I am. I’m definitely improving.” I nod. “I’m enjoying it too.”

  My heart starts racing, I know the moment is coming, I just need to work up the courage. If I don’t do it now I’ll never be able to. I look at him desperately, hoping that he will see what I want to ask without me actually having to say the words, but the expression I get back isn’t a knowing one, he doesn’t seem to have any clue.

  “Noah, I…” Oh God, the words aren’t coming. “I have something that I want to ask you.”

  “You do? What is it?”

  My pulse kicks up another notch and my eyes widen with fear. “Yeah, I do.” I breathe a couple of times, willing myself to just do it already. “Willyougooutwithme?”

  The words spill out of my mouth too quickly. Noah doesn’t understand me.

  “Sorry, what did you say?”

  I suck in a couple of deep breaths. I need to calm the hell down before I make a real idiot of myself. “I said… will you go out with me? Like, on a date? Would you like to go on a date with me?”

  He looks at me for a beat too long not answering me. The question hangs thickly in the air, it darts and dances between us, making me anxious. Why hasn’t he answered me? What is there to think about? He must not want this. I need to run…

  11

  Noah

  I can’t say yes to this, a date is more than sex, a date can lead to something serious. I know this, I’ve decided this, it’s exactly what I said to Trent. It needs to all be casual so I don’t end up in another Ally situation. I cannot have anyone else rejecting Alex, I won’t allow it. I won’t have it.

  But there’s something about the way that she looks at me which makes me want to just go for it.

  “Yes,” I hear myself speaking out before my brain has really made a decision. “I would love to.”

  What are you doing? I scream internally, but it’s too late. The yes is out there.

  “Oh.” She looks visibly relieved. “That sounds awesome. When did you want to do it?”

  “Tonight?” It might make it less serious if I do that. If it just happens. “At eight?”

  “Yeah, I can do that. Where did you want me to meet you?”

  “Meet me here?” Again, it isn’t gentlemanly, but it keeps it causal. Because damn it, I want this date but I don’t want it to be a big massive deal. “Would that be okay?”

  “Sure, that sounds awesome… so, eight o clock here?”

  As she walks away, I watch her go, that sexy ass of hers shaking. Maybe what I need to do is tell her right out that I can’t get into something serious on the date tonight, be as upfront as I can be. If I keep it clear in the beginning then I’m not doing anything wrong. Because there’s no point in wasting this amazing chemistry. The sizzling thing between us is so intense I can’t ignore it.

  Maybe another thing I need to do is get Jenny to babysit so I can’t take her home and so I can’t stay out too late. That’s a guaranteed cock block which would be a really good idea. Yet, somehow, that isn’t who I text.

  Noah: Mom, would it be possible to have Alex tonight? Sorry, I know it’s a lot…

  Mom: Don’t be ridiculous, I want to have him. What are you up to?

  Noah: I have a date.

  I need to be honest, she’ll get it out of me anyway.

  Mom: Is this someone nice? Not like that woman?

  Noah: She is, but it isn’t anything serious. Don’t get carried away.

  But as I drag my eyes off my phone and I see Mia with her friend, my heart races faster. I’m already in too deep, my head is spinning with her, every time I look at her all I can think about is the way she looked as we had sex on the treadmill. That was something else. I don’t think I’m going to be able to behave myself. My body already knows that, which is why I messaged Mom. I just need to be honest, that’s the main thing.

  Mom: Alright, well come over early so I can see you before you go.

  I roll my eyes, but I know I will. My mother only has my best interests at heart, but she’s going to push me for answers. She wants to see me settle down with someone nice, but it scares me how much she’ll read into it. I should have trusted my instinct and asked Jenny. This is going to be a nightmare.

  * * *

  “So, this isn’t something serious?” Mom asks me again. “Because you’ve got that moony look on your face.”

  “No, I haven’t. Don’t say that! It isn’t anything serious, she’s just nice.”

  “Well, if she makes you happy, then I’m happy. You know I want you to be happy.”

  Mom has a very similar look to me, with the dark hair and dark eyes. I get most of my looks from her, aside from my height. That came from my father. Apparently, that’s what I’m told anyway. I don’t have many memories of my dad. He died when I was very young, so I never really got to know him. I’m also very like him personality wise, so I’m told. He was fierce and determined as well. Ambitious with work and loyal in a relationship.

  His loyalty paid off though, Mom treated him with respect. I didn’t get that with Hayley.

  “Mom, she makes me happy right now, but I’m not getting carried away. I have other priorities.”

  “It’s great that you’re putting Alex first, I obviously think that’s a great thing, but you do deserve to be happy.”

  “Hmm, yeah, thank you.”

  She doesn’t know about Ally, for good reason, so she probably can’t understand my hesitation, but I’m doing what I am for a reason. I know what’s best for me and Alex as well.

  “Well, I have to go because I don’t want to be late…”

  “Oh, that’s fine, you go. Have a nice night. I will keep Alex tomorrow morning as well.”

  “Thank you, Mom. I appreciate it.”

  I go and say goodbye to my son, telling him to have nice dreams and that I love him. He barely even acknowledges me though, he’s so wrapped up in what he’s watching on the TV. I ruffle his hair and smile happily to myself, glad that he’s okay here.

  But I have to go now, I need to go and face this date and everything that it means. I’m so looking forward to it, I know it’s going to be amazing, but I need t
o work out what’s going on afterwards. This is a turning point, there are a lot of things that I need to say, I just hope I do it in the right way.

  I also hope that I don’t get too lost in her eyes so I end up not saying anything. That’s very possible too…

  No, I can’t get too lost in that. I need to get there and see what happens. I don’t want to end up tying myself up in knots and totally messing up the date. Mia is too precious for that.

  * * *

  Oh no, I groan internally. She looks beautiful. Too gorgeous.

  She has a tight, figure hugging dress on that makes her look incredible. It’s black, it’s got a sweet heart neck line so I can see a glimpse of her cleavage, and her long legs are on show. She’s stunning. Especially with her red hair tied back like that, exposing her neck and shoulders.

  “Hey there.” Her raspy voice is delicious. “You look nice tonight. I’ve never seen you out of your gym wear before. But a suit looks nice on you.”

  Her eyes run up and down me like she wants to eat me, which makes my cock twitch. I want to drag her back into the gym and re-enact what we did the other day… but this is a date and I want to stick to it.

  “You look lovely too. That dress is amazing on you. It’s stunning.”

  “Thank you.” She runs her fingers lightly down her dress. “I’m glad you like it.”

  “So, where do you want to go? Do you have anything you fancy to eat?”

  She points to the Italian place across the road. “Pizza sound good to you?”

  She must realize by this point that I have money. When women usually work that out they want to be spoiled, to go to fancy complicated places so I can prove my worth by how much I spend on them. But Mia isn’t like that, she isn’t fussy, she’s just normal.

  “Pizza sounds amazing to me.”

  I automatically hold out my hand to her and she slips her fingers through mine. Electricity shoots up my arm as we go which completely floods any rationality from my mind. With Mia, I just want to feel.

  We take our seats opposite each other, surrounded by families and groups of friends, people having a laugh. It isn’t really a date like intimate atmosphere, but it still feels it with Mia. I have a feeling that I could be anywhere in the world with her and feel this way. She just does something to me.

  We order quickly, both choosing pizza and soda, without thinking much about it. Then it’s time to start talking and as much as I know it’s the time to tell her that I don’t want to have anything serious, but I don’t.

  “So, tell me more about these paintings,” I say instead. “Did you take a picture for me to see?”

  “I have pictures but I don’t want to show you. It’s a bit personal, and I don’t think I’m ready for that.”

  “Oh, come on. I think we’re close enough now, don’t you?”

  I wiggle my eyebrows and flirt with her, loving the way she crumbles into giggles. I’m starting to know her now and I know that’s a sign she’s enjoying what we’re talking about.

  “Don’t use that against me!”

  “Oh no, I’m not. I just want to see them, that’s all. Come on, trust me.”

  “Okay, I’ll show you, but just remember that this is the first thing that I’ve done in a very long time. I’m still just working it out. I’ve mostly just done these pieces for myself.”

  “I understand and I won’t judge. I can’t judge, I have absolutely no relative talent at all.”

  She sighs loudly and hands me her cell phone. The image on the screen actually takes my breath away. It completely strips from me and not just because I like this Mia, but because she’s really talented. Like, incredibly so. It makes me feel something deep inside as I look at them.

  “I definitely want some of these for my gym.”

  “No way! These are just early pieces, I’m practicing, getting back into my stride.”

  “I will pay you for them. Seriously. I like them so much, even more than I thought I would. It’s exactly what I didn’t even know that I needed.” That’s a bit like her actually. “I love your work.”

  “Really? I don’t know what to say about that.”

  I scroll through the images, loving the raw emotion in each one. I feel like this shows me more about Mia than even talking to her. I can see right into her soul and she’s beautiful underneath.

  Shit, I like her more. I like her too damn much. My insides swirl with it.

  “I honestly won’t be able to work out if you have my work up. It will put me off exercising.”

  I narrow my eyes at her. “You want to be an artist or not? Because if you do, you have to get used to seeing your work. It will be everywhere and you need to show pride in it.”

  “I know and I’m going to get there, but I’m getting there.”

  “Good, well once you are there, we can do some business.”

  She darts her eyes downwards before gazing up at me through her eyelashes. “I suppose now that you’ve seen the pictures I don’t mind you seeing the real thing so much.”

  “Ooh, Mia, is that you asking me back to your place?”

  “Maybe,” she says after only the briefest pause. “Would that be an issue?”

  My eyes almost bug out of my head. “No, not at all. That sounds amazing.”

  The waiter comes over then bringing us our food, ending the conversation for us, but it’s still there, hanging in the air. Mia wants me to come back to her home after this and damn it I want to go.

  Don’t forget to tell her that you want to keep it casual… I remind myself. Say it now. Right now!

  But the words don’t happen to come out of my mouth, and I wonder if that’s because I don’t really mean them, I know that I can’t let Mia in but at the same time, I really want to. It’s a head verses heart situation and I don’t know which side of me is going to win out in the end.

  12

  Mia

  I don’t know what came over me when I asked Noah back to mine, it was a crazy bolt of bravery, but now it feels right. I keep shocking myself with all these brave remarks, but they all seem to pay off.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I haven’t tidied up much, I wasn’t expecting guests.”

  “It isn’t a mess, it’s just art stuff everywhere. That’s really sexy.”

  He throws an arm over my shoulder and smiles at me. “Don’t be nervous. It’ll be fine.”

  “Well, my paintings are all piled up there. You take a moment to look through them, I will make us some drinks. Do you want a coffee?”

  “That would be amazing, thank you.”

  As I stand in the kitchen waiting for the kettle to boil, I bounce up and down anxiously on my toes, wondering what’s going through Noah’s mind right now. It’s so weird to have a man complimenting my work after everything I went through with Wesley. I don’t know how to take it. His support is real as well, I can tell.

  “This is a good thing,” I mutter quietly to myself. “This is an awesome thing. Don’t freak out.”

  It doesn’t feel like a fling anymore. I don’t know how, but it’s become something so much bigger in my mind. I know that’s a fast track to getting my heart broken but I can’t stop it.

  “These paintings are even better in person,” Noah calls out, calming my anxiety. “I need one now.”

  I grab the mugs of drink and take them into the living room where he’s standing with one of my canvases in his hand, looking at it like it’s the best thing in the world.

  “Right, you’re making me too nervous now. You need to put that down and drink this.”

  Noah grins at me as he does as I command. This is another thing I like about him. He seems to really know what I need, even when I don’t properly vocalize it. He can just see that I’m getting worked up.

  “Mmm, this coffee is delicious too. You really are a woman of many talents.”

  There it is, the girlish giggle again, I can’t seem to stop doing that. I take a sip of my drink to cover it up, but the heat burns my lips so I end up putting
it down where it will likely be left to go cold.

  The sexy man from the gym is here in my apartment… that’s something I need to get my head around. I run my eyes over him, wondering how I managed to entice him. It doesn’t seem like he should like me at all… not that I’m complaining. As confidence boosts go, he’s an incredible one.

  “So, thank you for taking me out on a date tonight, that was really nice…”

  “Well, it was you that asked me actually…”

  “Which is why you should have let me pay,” I insist. “The person who asks, pays.”

  “Maybe in your world, but in my world, the gentleman pays. End of story”

  “That’s ancient history, Noah. No one follows that rule anymore…”

  The teasing takes a new turn as he grabs me and kisses me to silence me from arguing anymore. I don’t mind being shut up this way, his lips are phenomenal. I want to kiss them all the time.

  The zipper on my dress slides down noisily, and I let it fall. I knew the moment I asked him on this date we would end up here and it’s exactly what I want. As the dress falls down, I step out of it to watch Noah’s eyes nearly bug out of his head at the sultry purple lacy underwear I have on.

  “Oh, wow, you look fucking gorgeous,” he growls. “What the hell am I supposed to do with you?”

  I extend my hand to him and he takes it. As we walk towards my bedroom, I unhook my bra with my free hand and I watch it fall to the ground. Luckily, it’s strapless, so I don’t need to let go of him. Once in my room I spin around to see his eyes drinking in my room as much as he does me. It’s almost as if he’s so fascinated by me that he wants to get to know my personality as much as my body.

  A shiver races up and down my spine as I close the gap between us. My eager trembling fingers slowly unbutton his shirt. While I slowly reveal those incredible abs of him that I love so much, muscles so defined that it’s criminal to keep them covered up, his fingers itch down my body and he brushes me over the top of my lacy panties. The sensation of his velvety touch and the lace nearly sends me flying.