Rekindling the Flame
Copyright © November 2011, Ambrielle Kirk
Cover art by For the Muse Designs © November 2011
Amira Press
Charlotte, NC 28227
www.amirapress.com
ISBN: 978-1-937394-14-1
No part of this e-book may be reproduced or shared by any electronic or mechanical means, including but not limited to printing, file sharing, and e-mail, without prior written permission from Amira Press.
Chapter One
Mia Johnson raised her arms over her head and arched her back. Her muscles were stiff from sitting behind her desk nearly all day. She rubbed at the ache in the back of her neck and stared at the computer screen.
There should be more than twenty-four hours in a day. Maybe even twenty-eight. Then she’d be able to get a full eight hours of sleep instead of the average four she’d been getting for the past several months. And she could even put in some extra study hours toward her Doctorate degree. So much for wishful thinking…
She scanned the contract on her laptop for the fiftieth time. Working ten hour days was hardly enough time to get her forever growing to-do list completed. That’s what she got for trying to do too much. Taking a demanding position as the contract manager at one of the biggest investment firms in the South while trying to finish law school to become a contract lawyer was probably the best and worst decision she’d made in her life. She just had to believe there was light at the end of this grueling, but rewarding, journey toward fulfilling her career path.
She let out a breath of exasperation. Now, if she could only finish the amendments to this dang contract. The client had rejected it twice already. Little Miss Uppity failed to take adequate notes outlining the agreed terms at the meeting last week, costing the company time and money…and possibly a client. Miss Uppity was probably too busy sucking up to Jordan during the negotiations. If she stopped trying to be his personal strumpet instead of his personal paralegal then maybe she wouldn’t be so nitwitted.
Mia groaned. It was past time for her to go home, and she still sat in the office cleaning up someone else’s mess.
Who could blame the woman? The day Jordan Bell inherited the family real estate investment firm, he walked through the doors of the company and nothing had been the same since. He exuded confidence, and definitely had the brains to take over the operations. Not to mention, he attracted the high profile clients they’d never been able to obtain when his stepmother ran the place.
Mia scrunched her nose. That man had used his good looks and sex appeal to get what he wanted ever since she’d met him in graduate school. He hadn’t changed one bit. Too bad he was out of her league. It was so ironic how things had changed for Jordan practically overnight. Four years ago when his dad made partner at the firm now known as Bell and Chapman, LLC, Jordan changed. Then he became a distant reminder that she’d made too many silly mistakes through college and graduate school.
Whatever friendship they’d had in the past was now long gone.
Mia hit the print button, but this time she breathed a sigh of relief. The pinch of tension in her head from today’s efforts didn’t disappear. Pressing her fingers to her temples, she propped her elbows up on her desk and closed her eyes.
“Sleeping on the job?”
The familiar male voice startled her so badly she nearly pounced off her seat. Her gaze fell on Jordan who stood in her doorway with two coffee containers in his hands and a smug grin on his face. He looked sexier than the man on the cover of the GQ magazine the ladies passed around the office all day. A heated blush rushed over her face, but not from embarrassment. She peered at him from under her lashes. He wore the usual business casual, jeans and a dress shirt. The black shirt complemented his sleek jet-black hair. The waistband of the jeans wasn’t too tight or loose, and fit perfectly on the top of his hips.
Mia nibbled the corner of her lip and looked away. “I was just finishing up.” She stacked the papers strewn over her desk. How did she let it get so messy?
“Maybe you can use a hot latte to wake you up.”
She could use more than a cup of joe. A nice warm bath, wine, and relaxation to unwind for the night would do the trick. Unfortunately, no such thing would await her when she arrived home. She had no one to go home to. No man to hump. No stress relief would be in sight. The only thing she could count on waiting on her was the laptop with her unfinished research paper on it.
“I wasn’t sleeping.” Mia didn’t look up as she grabbed her briefcase from under the desk.
“Sure.” He set both cups on the edge of her desk and picked up the rolled up Wall Street Journal the mailroom lady brought this morning. “Our market share rose this morning. We’re now ranked number six among real estate investment firms.”
“So I heard. Congratulations, Jordan. Your changes in the business plan seem to be working.”
Jordan peered up from the cover page he’d just skimmed. “I couldn’t have done it alone. I have the most valuable employees to thank for that. Speaking of…” He set the newspaper down, lifted his arm, and looked at his wristwatch. “It’s late, Mia. Why are you still here?”
Mia smiled sweetly. “Because I had work.” She reached across the desk and grabbed one of the lattes. “Thank you.” Lifting it to her lips, she studied him as she took a sip.
His dark brown eyes never left her, roaming over her in that devilish way she’d always remembered. It made her warm and giddy inside like the woman she thought she’d left behind in college. Her toes curled inside her pumps when a sly grin spread across his face.
“You’re very welcome.” He leaned forward and grabbed the other coffee. “Any weekend plans?”
“More work.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “For the firm? You shouldn’t work on weekends. Get rest so th—”
“I know,” she interrupted. “Get some rest so that I’m more productive during the week. I meant working, as in studying.”
“Mia, Mia,” he teased. “You work too hard. When do you have fun?”
Mia swallowed, and for the moment, no words came to her. She racked her brain, but no answer or excuse came quickly enough. When did she have fun? Did sitting in front of the TV on Sundays watching Lifetime movie marathons and True Blood reruns count as fun? Her frequent impulse shopping sprees for shoes and handbags gave her a good rush when she needed it, at least.
“It’s time for me to go.” She rose from the desk, coffee in one hand, and briefcase in the other.
He fell in step beside her. “I never got a straight answer from you about the trip.”
She laughed, and increased her pace. “We’ve been at this for two weeks, Jordan. You know the answer.”
“I need to hear it.” When they approached the elevators, he reached out and hit the button to go down. “What’s the big deal, huh? You’ve been acting like you don’t know me, like there’s nothing between us.” He propped a hand against the wall inside the elevator and leaned in to her. “There’s this one chance, and I need your help to seal this deal. There’s no one else—”
Mia shook her head. “There is someone else. My assistant, Barbara, would love to assist you. I trust that she knows what she’s doing, and she’d be a fine replacement for me.”
“I don’t want Barbara to assist me. I’ve already asked who I want.”
She squinted, and drew her lips in a tight line. “I can’t come with you on that business trip, Jordan…and you know why.” Turning her back, she exited the elevators into the lower level parking lot.
“Our relationship has nothing to do with this, Mia,” he called out behind her.
Her pumps clicked against the asphalt until she stopped in front of her car. “There is no rela
tionship, Jordan. What don’t you understand about that?”
Swallowing the pain of her own words, she tossed her briefcase on the passenger seat and slid inside. She couldn’t help but glance at Jordan through the tinted windows. His eyebrows were drawn together, his face long, and his arms hung limply at his sides. It was the look he’d always donned when he didn’t get his way. And there weren’t too many times that Mr. Rich Guy didn’t get his way.
Mia shifted gears and drove off.
Chapter Two
“I can’t believe you haven’t had sex in almost a year!”
Mia dropped her head in embarrassment and cupped her forehead in her palm. She wished she could vanish into thin air. Maybe the ground beneath them would suddenly split open, and she would jump right in and hide in hell. Anything to escape this humiliation. It seemed everyone sitting at the tables surrounding them got quiet after her big-mouthed best friend’s outburst.
She groaned and lifted her head with eyes widened in disbelief. “Can you scream my business out any louder?”
Shame crossed over Angel’s face, and she brought a hand up to her mouth. “Oops, sorry.” Her gaze shifted left and right, finally settling on the couple ogling them from across the aisle. “Hi!”
She should have known better than to reveal so much about her love life. Knowing Angel, she would have figured it out. She hadn’t been on a real date in forever, and her friend constantly hounded her about double dating. The supermodel had a new guy friend to talk about every month. Her friend’s career afforded her the lifestyle that allowed her free reign to pick and choose over hundreds of bachelors.
Mia traced the drip of water draining down the side of her glass. “Look, my sex life is not what I’m concerned about at the moment.”
“Then what is it, Mia?” Angel leaned in closer, her lips pursed out. “I talked to you last week before I boarded my flight back to the States, and you said everything was fine. What’s changed?”
She hadn’t seen Angel in nearly six months. Her agency had sent her to work with a fashion designer in Milan on an all-expense paid trip.
“I wanted you to enjoy your trip without worrying about me. Your career has taken off so much,” Mia said.
“Come on, girl. We’re best buddies. I worry when you keep things from me. What’s going on?”
Mia traced the squared pattern on the table cloth. “I’m moving.”
“I thought you wanted to share a condo with me. Now you don’t?” Angel flipped her hair off her shoulders with a freshly manicured hand. “What’s up with that?”
She knew Angel would pretend to take in her news nonchalantly. It wasn’t very often that the woman shared her true feelings with anyone.
They’d been living together for over two years. Of course, the five feet eleven inch beauty barely stayed there. She spent her life virtually on the road. It was convenient for the both of them to go half on the condo rental at the time they agreed.
“It’s not that. I’m moving closer to home.” She took a sip of her coke as Angel stared at her with a bit of shock on her face. “Dad’s retiring from the law firm, and his colleagues have offered me the position.”
“Really?” Angel smiled. “That’s awesome, but what about finishing your Doctorate and your job at Bell and Chapman?”
Mia shrugged. “When Walters hired me, the job started out as work study as his temporary assistant. He knew that I’d resign eventually.”
“How long have you known about all this?”
“Just last week.” When Dad had called her to break the news of his early retirement, she was happy for him. He’d worked for twenty-five years at that firm. “We’d been talking about me working there for about a year, but I didn’t plan to do so this soon.”
Angel frowned. “So, you’ve made up your mind then?”
Mia took a deep breath. “Pretty much.”
“You’ll still be my homegirl, right?” Angel gave a cheeky smile. “Don’t make me come after you, because you know I will.”
“Of course, Angel.” Something about her worry-free friend always lifted her spirits. No matter what the circumstances were.
“Have you found a place yet?”
She shook her head. “No. I plan on looking as soon as I can before my parents start to drive me crazy.”
Angel laughed. “This could be a good change for you.” She leaned in a little closer. “Maybe you should hook up with one of your old high school boyfriends.”
Mia picked up her fork, and made a stabbing motion at Angel. “Very funny. I’m done with men.”
“What? You into women now then?” Her friend’s eyes widened.
“Never that. I just want to concentrate on me now.”
“Well, if you ever need some options, I’ve got a little bla—”
“No.”
Angel giggled.
As they continued eating their dinner, Mia agreed that this move could be a good change for her. Anything to get her out of the slummy mood she’d been in lately.
Chapter Three
Mia pulled her car into the assigned spot in the condo’s parking garage. Thank goodness the woman who parked next to her wasn’t there at the moment. Usually, the huge SUV would be parked close to the white line, making it difficult for Mia to exit her car without denting the door. Mia’s ass wasn’t that big. Well, at least that’s what she thought, but she preferred a bit of elbow room once in a while. The parking situation was one of the things that Mia wouldn’t miss when she moved back to her hometown.
She exited the cool interior of her car into the hot musty garage. The one hour visit she’d planned at the gym had turned into three hours, occupying much of the entire morning. She’d needed the cardio to relieve the stress of being buried knee deep in law research and contracts. Now it was time to unwind, order Chinese food, and curl up in front of her DVR.
Mia grabbed her duffle bag from the trunk, swung it over her shoulder, and headed for the elevators. The security guard manning the parking garage gave her a smirk when she passed by. She couldn’t believe that Angel had actually suggested that she and that guy would make a good couple when they moved here. For one, he was a bit too young for her taste, and she found darker hair on men sexier. Only Angel would get a kick out of having sex with the security guard to add to her ever growing list of conquests.
Her aggressive sexual nature reminded Mia of someone else she knew…and tried to avoid. Jordan. Why couldn’t she get him out of her head? The things that happened to her body when he looked at her the way he did was just too much. That’s what she got for encouraging a relationship based on sex. He probably knew her body better than he knew her. It was a shame. And it was exactly why they weren’t together anymore.
She just had to face it. As long as she worked within his company, there was no avoiding him. Moving would definitely take care of that. Then they’d be hundreds of miles apart and she wouldn’t have to worry about running into him again. Ever.
Mia stepped off the elevator just as her duffle bag seemed like it weighed a ton. From down the hall, she could make out the figure of a very tall man leaning on the wall just outside her door. His head was down and he was on the phone. The repairman was scheduled to come out next week, not today. Who was this guy?
She decreased her pace and peered down the hall through the slits of her eyes. The brown-skinned guy didn’t look like the repair guy. There were no tools on his belt. His clothes were business casual, and there was not a company name badge in sight.
Her eyes dropped to glance at the hand hanging down at his side. She gasped and stopped in the middle of the hallway. The ring on his right hand with her college alma mater was all the proof she needed to confirm this man’s identity.
Mia lifted her eyes at the same time he looked up, his gaze falling on her. This couldn’t be. There was no way.
It was Alan Griffin. Her ex-fiancé.
There was no time now to turn back and run the other way. He’d already cracked a smile,
as if he was overjoyed to see her. Why today? Why now? What did he want?
Breaking eye contact, Mia continued down the hall toward him. It’d been almost a year since she’d talked to him. Last August, she’d made a decision that had almost cost her the respect of her family. She canceled their wedding date and a six month long engagement.
“Hi, Mia.”
“Alan.” She swallowed the lump in her throat and gave him a once-over. Not much had changed since she’d last seen him. He was still taller than all-get-out, handsome with coffee-colored skin that tanned nicely in the summer. The six-foot-three ex-basketball player had always been slim in build with just the right amount of muscles. “Why are you here?”
“To see how you’re doing.”
Mia detected a stretch of the truth. Something told her that he stood at her door step for something more than to see how she was doing. He was probably only trying to be nosy. More than likely, he already knew how she was doing. During their six month long engagement, he’d become the best of friends with her older brother, Terrence. They were still extremely close, and Terrence had a big mouth.
“I’m doing great.” She pulled a set of keys out of her pants pocket, and fumbled to unlock her door.
Alan slipped his cell phone into the case clipped to the waist band of his jeans. “I came to visit a frat brother of mine. He had his bachelor party just last night and I flew up to come.”
She threw her bags in the closet in her foyer, and with shaky hands, put her keys on the hook by the door. He still stood outside when she looked up, his eyes sweeping back and forth, observing the surroundings behind her.
“You can come in.” She stepped aside.
“You still live with Angel?”
Nobody but her dingbat brother could have told Alan that she and Angel had moved in together. “Yes, we still live together.”
Alan’s face relaxed, and he stepped over the foyer. “Nice.” His gaze traveled back and forth over her things. “I can see why you prefer the big city as opposed to back home.”
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