The Unwilling Mistress

by Marie Kelly

  Throwing it to the side she had given a derisory laugh

  “Wow, isn’t he smooth” she said as her sister had read the note

  “mmmm, looks like somebody has an admirer” she had said with a glint in her eye

  “You going to call him”

  Mia had looked disbelievingly at her sister

  “No.. what kind of apology was that.. if he should be taking anybody out to apologise then it should be you” she said firmly

  Sarah had lifted her finger moving the band of gold with her thumb

  “erm…married” she said as her sister had looked at her with patience

  “Exactly… there is only one thing he wants to do… and it has nothing to do with being sorry for the way he acted” she said

  Sarah had looked at her sister with concern

  “You know since you started that job..and Ben… you seem to be very down on men” she said with concern “There are some really nice ones out there” she had added gently

  Mia had looked at her apologetically with a little sadness in her eyes and sighed “I’m sorry Sarah… it’s just that place shows off just how bad men can get.. once we find that letter and I quit I’ll be fine” she said with a soft look into her sister’s eyes. “Promise, but now I am tired and I have to sleep” she yawned kissing her sisters cheek goodnight

  For two days, Drake Trent had waited for her phone call. He had picked up the phone on many occasions to call, dropping it each time. Since meeting her he had not been able to forget the way her eyes had flashed at him, but he was not used to chasing women. As owner of a chain of hotels across both Britain and the states, he was a very wealthy man, and at only 32 he was also young and women had flocked to him not only for his social status, but the fact that he was charming, handsome and charismatic.

  On the third day he had finally placed the call to the pub he had visited. Sarah had answered, thanking him for the flowers, as he had once more apologised for the way he had talked to her. She had laughed, brushing off the incident with a sweetness which he had found touching.

  “Could I speak to Mia” he had eventually asked, hearing the other woman laugh gently

  “My sister doesn’t actually work here Mr Trent” she had said smiling as he had insisted that she call him Drake

  “Do you have a number I could reach her” he had continued, noting the way she had paused. With a small laugh in his voice he had added

  “I could lie to you Sarah, but the truth is I really want to ask your sister out for dinner”

  Sarah had giggled at his honesty, before seeming to come to a decision and giving the man her mobile number. She had ended the call with the ominous words

  “Good luck Drake…you’ll need it”

  His interest piqued he had dialled the number

  As she had picked up, he had felt a strange sensation run through him at the way her soft voice sounded in his ear, so unexpected and pleasant

  “Mia” he asked, as she had paused before asking who was calling. When he had given his name, he could hear the coldness creep into her voice

  “How can I help you Mr Trent” she had asked briskly “I’m at my work right now so if you could make this quick”

  Drake Trent had frowned; he didn’t like her tone, or the way she was trying to brush him off. However, remembering her blue eyes and wonderful body he had held back his quick retort.

  “Please call me Drake” he started, hearing her sigh with annoyance

  “I just wondered if you had received my flowers” he had asked, not believing the tacky line, but suddenly feeling almost tongue tied.

  “Yes” she had replied “That was very nice, I know my sister appreciated them” she said, her voice bored

  “I had hoped that you might call me” he said in as soft a voice as he could manage

  “Why would you think that Mr Trent” she had questioned, deliberately ignoring his request to call him by his first name “I had no desire to go out for dinner with you

  He had suddenly felt a surge of anger towards the young woman

  “And why not” he asked a little cooler now

  “Because Mr Trent, I am not the one you needed to apologise to, making me think that perhaps dinner was not what was on your mind”

  He had laughed softly at the way she had correctly read the situation

  “And what is wrong with that Mia” he replied softly

  “I have no interest in men like you Mr Trent” she had replied coldly

  “Now that is hardly fair” he had replied “How do you know what I’m like unless you give me a chance and take me up on my offer of dinner” he threw back at her in his most charming tone.

  Mia had gone silent for a few seconds before she had finally said

  “OK, Mr Trent, I’ll give you a chance… I will go out to dinner with you if you can tell me what my last name is”

  Drake sat completely speechless. Shocked to realise that he had no idea of her surname, he had never thought to even ask her sister, only interested in getting the young woman alone.

  “I didn’t think so” he heard her say from the other end of the phone, her voice dripping with disdain.

  “Goodbye Mr Trent” she said before ending the call.

  Drake had sat totally stunned, before his lips had curled into a genuine laugh. She had totally caught him, for the first time in his life a woman had gotten the upper hand of him, and he felt himself wanting her even more than he had ever thought he could want a woman. Suddenly he realised that he needed to know all about her, not just how she would feel in bed. Lifting the phone he had called his investigator, her image burning brightly in his head, as his pulse had raced at the mere thought of her.

  The following day he had sat reading the small dossier which had been handed to him earlier, once again frowning at the contents. Mia Jones, 23 and her sister Sarah Craig, 27, where they lived and where they worked. He had been stunned to read where Mia worked, discovering her to be an exotic dancer in a night club, which he was very familiar with. He had frowned when he had discovered who she worked for, recognising the man’s name and knowing what an unpleasant character he was.

  With a scowl he had thrown the dossier onto the table in annoyance, a pole dancer, now there was trouble he thought to himself and certainly not the kind of trouble he needed. He had been surprised when he had read the dossier realising that Mia Jones was a total bundle of contradictions to him, as her whole attitude did not yell out dancer, as she seemed smart and street wise. With a sigh he had decided that there were some things which should be left well alone, before looking down he had picked up the photo which had spilled out. Mia looked back at him, with that wonderful smile on her face, her hair pulled back over her shoulders as she waved to somebody out of range of the camera. He had looked over her face, with such piercing intelligent blue eyes and down her wonderful figure, groaning slightly at the way his body had reacted to just seeing a picture of her.

  Sitting still for several minutes Drake Trent had thought about her, before barking orders to his secretary through the intercom, knowing that he would not be content until he knew her a whole lot better.

  That night as Mia sat preparing for her set, she had laughed with the other dancers. When she had initially started working at the club, she had been nervous, unsure as to what kind of people would earn a living dancing for men, allowing themselves to be fawned over and drooled over, to be used to fuel men’s fantasy’s, but she had felt ashamed of her presumptions when she had actually gotten to know the other girls. Many had no qualifications and had taken up dancing as the last resort to keep a roof over their heads. Some of the girls also had children, and very quickly she had come to look on most of them as her friends, each looking out for the other.

  There were however, a few who she kept away from, those girls who were closest to Jake Black, and who she knew he used for other purposes.

  As she had completed her make-up Nina Clark, a good friend of hers, had walked up carryi
ng a large spray of flowers

  “Very nice” she had said admiringly

  “These just got delivered for you”

  Her eyes had sparkled

  “Now somebody has class” she had laughed admiring the flowers

  Mia had grimaced as she had searched for the card. As she read it she had gasped in shock, seeing that it was addressed to Mia Jones. Inside the message read

  “How about for initiative DT”

  She had felt her lips twitch as she had held back the laugh from leaving her mouth, her eyes twinkling.

  “Who are they from” she was asked, as she had looked back at the others

  “Oh, just some guy who wont’ take no for an answer” she said softly, her eyes looking at the flowers thoughtfully. Maybe Drake Trent was different she thought gently to herself as she allowed the smile in her eyes to move down to her lovely lips.

  Seeing her expression the others had mocked her

  “Looks like you don’t want him to stop” they had laughed as she had thrown a balled up tissue at one of them laughing herself. At that point, her phone had rang and she had once more heard his deep voice, once more feeling the inexplicable prick of awareness at the sound of him

  “I hope that I am talking to Mia Jones” she heard him say, as her lips had twitched gently once again

  “Very good Mr Trent” she had replied, her tone a little less cold than it had been the previous night

  “I was hoping that you might give me a chance, if I showed a little initiative” she heard him laugh gently

  For a second Mia had hesitated, finding herself frowning gently, swithering slightly

  As though sensing her hesitance he had swooped in

  “How about if I pass it through your sister, and promise to have you home before midnight” he had said, hearing for the first time the sound of her laughter

  “Please Mia, everybody has to eat” he had said softly, as with a small sigh she had caved in, telling him to pick her up the following night at 7 at her sisters house.

  As he had finished the call, Drake Trent had breathed out gently. Feeling himself smiling happily, not really understanding why.

  The following day, he had arrived at her sister’s house slightly early, smiling warmly at Sarah, who had opened the door to him

  “Hi Drake” she had welcomed him, her large smile filling her lovely face

  “Mia will be out soon” she said, before adding “I hear that you will have her home before midnight” a soft giggle escaping her mouth, as he had nodded back at her.

  Drake had taken an instant liking to Sarah, who had gone out of her way to make him feel comfortable, realising suddenly that he ,Drake Trent, was actually feeling nervous over a woman. After several minutes he had heard the door open and looking up he had watched Mia move into the room, looking at her with appreciation. She wore her hair up, piled on top of her head to effectively show off her lovely long neck, dressed in a silk shirt and skirt which sat above her knee, clinging to her wonderful body and once more he had been stunned at how beautiful she was. Aware of Sarah clearing her throat pointedly at him as he had realised that he was actually staring at her, as she had looked back at him with a small frown on her face

  “I didn’t know what you had planned” she said “Will this be OK”

  Drake had nodded, finding himself still speechless, before giving himself a shake not understanding what the hell was going on. How could a woman he hardly knew have such an effect on him, when he dealt with some of the most powerful decision makers in the world on a daily basis, his reputation as a straight talker and ruthless negotiator legendary.

  “You look great” he had finally managed standing to join her. From her seat Sarah had watched the two, thinking how well they looked together, and as they had left the flat she had winked at him mouthing the words “good luck” as he had smiled back at her winking back.

  As they had sat in his car Mia had looked over at him, seeing how handsome he looked, as he sat in the driving seat looking so much in control of the powerful car,

  “So where are we going” she asked softly, seeing how he had smiled

  “Well I thought I would start slowly, with dinner, and perhaps dancing, making sure that I got you home in plenty of time before your curfew” he grinned as she had laughed softly back

  “Sounds like a plan” she said approvingly making him throw her a dazzling smile, which had the blood boiling disconcertingly in Mia’s body, as she had looked away frowning and chastising herself.

  The restaurant he had chosen turned out to be more of a club, with a live band playing throughout, enabling the many patrons the opportunity to take to the dance floor while waiting for their meal. Mia had noticed how they had not had to join the many who had stood in line waiting hopefully for seats, but were instead escorted personally to their table by the owner, who seemed to know Drake personally.

  Mia had wondered how many times Drake Trent brought women to the club to make him such a VIP, seeing how many of the women had openly stared at him with admiration, not seeing how the men had done the same to her.

  “Wow....do you get regular customer privileges” she had said flippantly seeing as they were seated in the best table in the house. She had seen as Drake’s lips had twitched as he had laughed back

  “Actually this is my first time here” he had smiled

  “I only recently met the owner, we met on a flight over to America recently........he said I should drop by sometime”

  Mia had felt petty at her sarcasm, quickly picking up the menu to look at the food. With a gasp she had seen the prices, before looking up at him deciding to herself that he could afford it, but finding herself looking for the cheapest thing any way.

  As though sensing her hesitance he had gently recommended the speciality of the house, also the most expensive she had noticed, as with a sigh she had smiled at him agreeing to his suggestion.

  Having placed their order, he had led her to the dance floor, for the first time taking her into his arms.

  Mia had felt a strange pleasurable sensation pass through her, as she felt his hand hold her loosely to him, the firm warmth against her back causing shivers to move through her spine, as they swayed together on the dance floor. He had laughed against her ear, while talking to her and she had laughed back finding his conversation more than just pleasurable. As he had led her back to the table, seeing their meal appear he had asked if she was enjoying herself

  With a small chuckle she had nodded gently, the realisation hitting her that she really was. Peeking over at him she had smiled

  “The ideal first date venue” she replied with a mocking look in her eyes. Drake had looked back at her in surprise

  “Ideal?” he had asked questioningly

  “mmm gives you the chance to get up real close and personal while not be expected to have any really meaningful conversation” she had replied with a glint in her eye which had made him smile, before looking at her his eyes full of a strange warmth

  “First dates can be very….awkward” he had laughed, amazed at the way she had so quickly interpreted the situation

  “For both parties” she had added with a small smile, before starting to eat her meal. Mia had found the food delicious, and had sipped the wine which he had ordered slowly, savouring the obviously expensive drink.

  Through the meal they had chatted happily to each other about a variety of subjects. Drake was impressed with her wide breath of knowledge from current events to the arts, along with her quick wit which had him laughing often. Mia too had been impressed with him. She had found him to be neither arrogant nor pushy, as he had joked with her and listened attentively to all she said. Neither had asked any really personal questions, and as their meal had finished she had looked deeply into his eyes, his stomach suddenly flipping for no real reason

  “Can I ask you something” she said her voice suddenly serious

  He had nodded “of course”

  “How did you kn
ow where I worked?”

  Drake had smiled back, “I used my initiative” he chuckled, not wanting to tell her that he had sent an investigator to find out about her, suddenly not sure how she would react

  Still looking closely at him she had bit her lip gently as he had seen the small shadow in her eyes

  “Doesn’t it bother you what I do” she asked her eyes keenly waiting for the answer

  Drake had looked at her in surprise. How did he tell her how much her job bothered him without insulting her. As the meal had progressed he had wondered often why somebody like Mia Jones was dancing on a pole for a living. She wasn’t just jaw droppingly beautiful, but also incredibly smart, far smarter than any other women he had dated, and he had found himself wondering about her