After she shook Mr. Pierce’s hand, the heavyset guy across the table picked up the conversation again, and the waiters began serving the food. Mia pretended to eat, spending more time moving her food around her plate than actually eating. She wasn’t really hungry, and the buzz she’d garnered from the champagne was making it difficult to focus. However, she did find herself feeling a little better.
She heard bits and pieces of all the conversations going on around her. The woman on Tarik’s other side — the one who’d been eye-fucking Johnathan earlier — seemed enthralled with him, talking nonstop while the hefty guy on the other side of the table kept Mr. Pierce’s attention. Although she could pretty much repeat the conversations verbatim, Mia wasn’t included in any of them, which was fine by her. She didn’t mind sitting there by herself; it was easier, actually.
Dinner consisted of four courses plus dessert, and by the time everything had been served, she was full. Mostly because she’d practically scarfed down the decadent chocolate mousse that had been offered and two more glasses of wine. Once the plates were cleared and coffee was poured, the lights dimmed, and the guests of honor took the stage. Before the last person was finished talking, Mia considered sneaking away from the table under the guise that she had to use the restroom.
Honestly, she didn’t want to be sitting there when the lights came back up. She did not want to have to engage in conversation with either of the strangers from the elevator if at all possible. As it was, her obvious attraction to each of them was beginning to be a thorn in her side.
Mainly because she wasn’t supposed to be drawn to anyone. She wasn’t supposed to find them even remotely attractive, yet she did.
No, she’d sworn off men altogether. Especially men like them. Men who had money and affluence. Men who wore those damn expensive suits like they were their second skin.
It had to be the alcohol. That was all there was to it, because instead of getting to her feet and running as fast as she could, Mia found herself once again looking into the emerald eyes of the sexy man at her side.
“Care to dance?” Mr. Pierce asked.
Mia heard the question, but she didn’t respond. She was having a hard enough time swallowing, much less speaking.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” he said with a rumbling chuckle as he got to his feet. When he held his hand out to help her up, Mia slid her fingers into his. The electric spark that ignited from the contact went straight to every erogenous zone in her entire body.
Rather than taking that as a sign to go, Mia allowed the handsome man to lead her to the dance floor, where other couples were beginning to assemble. There was a nervous flutter that started tap-dancing in her stomach, and it only intensified when Mia found herself pulled flush against Mr. Pierce. Her senses were instantly heightened, and she noticed the warmth of his hand as it caressed her low back, the smoothness of his large fingers as he took her hand with his free one, the delicious scent of his cologne, the rock-hard plane of his upper body against hers.
Ugghh. She was in so much trouble here.
Even with her four-and-a-half-inch heels, he was quite a bit taller than her. With her shoes, Mia topped out at five foot eight, and he had at least another five or six inches on her, which required her to crane her neck to look at him. Without speaking, Mia danced through one song, but she did everything in her power to keep from looking up at him. When the song ended, she was about to pull away, but then another song began, and Mr. Pierce kept her close.
She momentarily stopped as she heard the music begin. “I know this song,” she said, looking up at him and meeting his eyes.
“‘Gravity’ by A Perfect Circle,” he said at the same time she did, a sexy smile pulling up the corners of his mouth.
She knew the song was an odd choice for the event, but something about it pulled her in, kept her eyes locked with his. The beat was somewhat faster than the last song, but their bodies continued to move slowly, sensuously, as though they were one. As the bass thumped, her heartbeat kept a timely beat, her pulse ratcheted up by the way the stranger held her gaze, drawing her in.
And it was then that Mia knew she had to get away from him.
It was that or she was going to give in to the dark side.
Chapter Nine
PHOENIX’S NIGHT HAD gone from mediocre to downright perfection as soon as he’d taken his seat at the table for dinner. Seated directly beside Mia Cantrell, likely the most beautiful, intriguing woman he’d ever laid eyes on but hadn’t had the pleasure of talking to, Phoenix had found himself mesmerized by her nearness. He knew he had Tarik to thank for the seating arrangement, but he hadn’t had a chance to speak with him since they had assumed their seats at her side.
When Phoenix hadn’t been talking to Samuel Evergreen, he’d been stealing glances at Mia, desperately searching for something to say, something to spark some sort of conversation, but she’d continued to evade him although they’d been separated by mere inches.
Admittedly, he had no idea what it was about her that drew him in, but it was something. Something that had gripped him once again in the elevator on his way to the event and hadn’t let go, even now as he held her in his arms, moving slowly around the crowded dance floor.
Unfortunately, his euphoria was short-lived when the song they’d both been intrigued by stopped.
“Thank you for the dance,” Mia said softly, pulling away from him and taking a step back.
“My pleasure,” he said, reaching for her hand again. “I’ll escort you back to your seat.”
Surprisingly, she didn’t argue as she slid her soft hand into his palm. He tucked her arm beneath his, cradling her hand in both of his, which forced her to walk right beside him. As he weaved through the crowd, leading her back to their table, he knew his night was about to take an abrupt turn and not for the better. He could feel it by the way she carried herself, Mia was going to bolt as soon as the opportunity presented itself.
Phoenix was powerless to prevent it.
For now.
He was still shocked that she’d agreed to the dance in the first place. She’d managed to strategically avoid him throughout dinner although he’d been sitting less than a foot from her. Thanks to Samuel and his constant stream of questions, Phoenix hadn’t had a chance to talk to anyone else at the table. The coincidence — although Tarik had had a major hand in making the change — of sitting directly beside Mia had been wasted on some technology bigwig who wanted to talk about start-ups. At least he hadn’t wanted to talk hockey.
Then again, at least Phoenix hadn’t been practically manhandled by a big-breasted brunette who wanted to maul him the way Tarik had. It had served him right, considering Tarik would’ve had plenty of opportunities to talk to Mia. It couldn’t have gone better if Phoenix had planned it.
As soon as the lights came up, Phoenix had expected Mia to haul ass, only to be pleased to find she hadn’t. His offer to dance had easily slipped right off the end of his tongue, an attempt to spend a few minutes in her company. He didn’t regret it. Whatever it was about this woman, he was captivated by it, intrigued beyond measure.
They stepped over to the table to find several people were still there, including a couple who’d been sitting across the table. Phoenix assumed the man was the infamous Alex, but his original assumption that the man was Mia’s date had vanished at Tarik’s admission in the limo. He hadn’t been able to disguise the relief he’d felt in knowing she didn’t have a date.
Releasing her hand as they approached the table, Phoenix turned to face Mia, only to receive another polite thank you. He didn’t even get a chance to say anything before she managed to make herself scarce, disappearing into the crowd and leaving him standing there, staring after her.
He had no idea where she had vanished to, but now that people were slowly getting up from the tables, he knew it would be damn near impossible to catch her.
“Alex,” the man who’d been sitting across the table said, “I’d like you to mee
t Samuel Evergreen. Samuel, my wife, Alexandra Henry.”
Well, wasn’t that fucking awesome, Phoenix thought with a smile.
From the instant Phoenix had stepped out of his building earlier, watching as the well-dressed man had kissed Mia on the cheek before helping her into his limo, Phoenix had been accosted by a strange disappointment. Sure, at first he’d figured the guy was her date — the one she’d been talking to in the coffee shop — but there had been a small kernel of hope remaining, exacerbated because of Tarik’s information and for the simple fact that she hadn’t had anyone sitting beside her at the table.
And now…
Well, a flood of relief overcame him as Phoenix turned back to look in the direction Mia had gone, lending a partial ear to the conversation taking place beside him. Alex certainly wasn’t Mia’s boyfriend. Alex wasn’t a boy at all. That was good to know.
Very good to know.
Granted, it would be a hell of a lot better if he could locate Mia, but she was currently … well, she was currently MIA.
He smiled at his own joke.
Phoenix was tempted to ask Alex if she knew where Mia might have gone but reminded himself that he was aiming for less stalkerish. As it was, he was still reeling from the dance, from the way Mia had felt pressed up against him. It’d taken a tremendous amount of willpower to keep from pulling her lips to his. He had an overwhelming urge to kiss her, to thrust his tongue in her mouth and see if she tasted as sweet as he imagined.
For a moment out there on the dance floor, Phoenix had thought she’d been longing for the same thing. The way her blue eyes had glittered, her soft pink lips had parted… She had been entirely kissable at that moment.
But somehow he’d managed to resist the urge.
“Put your tongue back in your mouth.”
Phoenix rolled his eyes as he turned and came face-to-face with Tarik.
“Where’d you go?”
“To check on a couple of things,” Tarik said, handing Phoenix a bottle of beer before turning to survey the crowd.
“And?”
“All’s good. How was the dance?”
Phoenix didn’t bother to answer. He knew Tarik was trying to rile him up, had been ever since they’d stepped out of the elevator behind Mia.
“Ah. Okay. She disappeared on you, huh? I knew you’d lose that magic touch at some point.”
Phoenix smiled around the lip of his beer bottle. He disliked Tarik almost as much as he liked him. It was an ongoing battle simply to put up with his jabs, but because they’d become good friends over the years, Phoenix had learned to tolerate him. Barely.
“Fuck you. I didn’t see you dancing with her.”
“The night’s still young,” Tarik countered as he turned toward Phoenix.
When the other man took a step closer, their arms brushing, Phoenix swallowed hard. He tried to ignore the current of electricity that coursed through his veins whenever Tarik dared get close enough, but it was getting harder and harder. Then again, so was his dick. And for the life of him, Phoenix couldn’t explain the untimely reaction. He’d already decided what he wanted, or rather, what he didn’t want. As far as he was concerned, the hedonistic thoughts and fantasies he’d succumbed to recently didn’t count. But this… It was beginning to get out of hand.
Tarik leaned in closer still, his breath warm against Phoenix’s neck. “But I’m always open to sharing.”
“Of course you are,” Phoenix said.
Tarik was as open to threesomes as Phoenix was. However, as the line that separated Phoenix’s interest in Tarik had begun to blur, he’d put a halt to those encounters. Not to mention, the tabloids were having a field day with their speculation.
Didn’t matter that Phoenix had jacked off to thoughts of Tarik and Mia nearly every fucking day for the past week, and his fantasies seemed to be getting more and more intense, more detailed. And unfortunately, they left Phoenix wanting something he wasn’t sure he could deal with.
“Phoenix Pierce.”
Damn it.
“I’ll be back,” Tarik rumbled against his ear before making a hasty exit.
Phoenix didn’t blame him. He knew he should’ve escaped out the back door when he’d had the opportunity. The voice coming from behind him was recognizable even before he turned around. He also knew that he didn’t want to turn around because what she had to say to him would probably only end up pissing him off.
But he figured he might as well face the music. Get it over with. That or he was going to spend the rest of the night avoiding her, and he preferred the cat-and-mouse game he seemed to already be involved in. The one where he was the cat, not the prey.
Pivoting slowly, he came face-to-face with Teresa Somerhaus. “Teresa.”
“It’s so good to see you,” Teresa said in that saccharine tone that made his teeth hurt. When she leaned in, kissing him on each cheek, one at a time, he didn’t return the gestures. He wasn’t much for kissing.
Well, that wasn’t entirely accurate. He was all for kissing, but not this woman. Not anymore.
“How’ve you been?” Phoenix asked, aiming for polite. Pretending to actually give a shit.
Teresa held up her left arm, wiggling her fingers, and that was when he noticed the huge rock weighing down her hand.
“Nice,” he said, thinking nothing of the sort. He had known from the beginning that the woman was out to land her a man with money — she’d outright told him so when they’d first met. Apparently her goal had been achieved.
“Aren’t you going to congratulate me?”
“Congratulations,” he replied resolutely. He really didn’t give a shit that Teresa was now engaged … again. If his count was correct, this would’ve been fiancé number four; however, she’d never married.
“Thank you. I’d love for you to meet my man, but” —Teresa glanced around the room before she returned her gaze to his — “he’s currently talking business. You know how that goes.”
Oh, Phoenix certainly knew how to play the game, but he obviously differed from her new man, because he would’ve never left his date to fend for herself or chat it up with old fuck buddies while he talked business with the stuffy white collars who filled the room. It wasn’t who he was. His encounters were usually only one night, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have a deep respect for women. He was always up front with them about what he wanted and what he didn’t want, but for the time he was with them, he did make an effort to treat them the way they deserved to be treated, and leaving them alone at an event like this wasn’t in his nature.
“So, who’s the lucky guy?” he asked, attempting to look relaxed as he let his gaze roam the room, still trying to locate Mia.
“It would’ve been you, if you’d ever bothered to ask,” she said thoughtfully, batting her thick, fake eyelashes as she always did.
And it would’ve never been him, because he would’ve never asked. Not that Phoenix was opposed to marriage or permanent relationships, but he often found the women he ended up with weren’t looking for much more than what his wallet could afford them. Teresa was a prime example. He always figured the day he found a woman who looked past his net worth, he’d be down on one knee in an instant.
As he rapidly approached his thirtieth birthday, he still hadn’t found her. Granted, he wasn’t going to tell Teresa that.
“Well, congratulations again, Teresa,” he said politely, hoping to end the conversation. Phoenix raised his eyebrows, as though peering at someone across the room. “It was great to see you. I need to … uh…” He didn’t bother filling her in, because at that point, she wasn’t paying much attention to him, anyway; her gaze had drifted to the diamond sparkling on her finger.
“I’m marrying Damien Landry,” Teresa blurted before Phoenix could get two steps away.
The admission drew him up short.
Damien Landry. Was she fucking kidding? That man was a first-class asshole. And according to Tarik, the bastard had cheated on his wife…
/> Mia.
Holy. Shit.
“I wish you both well,” Phoenix told Teresa now, a bald-faced lie. He forced his feet to move, wanting to get as far away from the woman as he could. Where most women had hands, Teresa Somerhaus had claws, and she did whatever was necessary to get a good, firm grip on a man’s wallet. And that meant that she’d likely been the woman Damien had been cheating on his wife with. Or one of them, anyway.
Phoenix wanted to pound the shit out of the guy.
Moving across the room, Phoenix did another search, hoping to find Mia because… Hell, he didn’t even know why he wanted to find her now. Knowing that she’d been the trophy on Damien’s arm should’ve told him more than he cared to know about the woman. So why he wasn’t heading in the opposite direction, he didn’t know that, either.
According to what he’d read in the tabloids, Landry had tossed his wife aside for a newer version, but now that Phoenix thought about it, Teresa Somerhaus certainly wasn’t a newer version of anything. But Teresa had a couple of things going for her: she was wild in the bedroom — maybe that was what Landry was after — and if that wasn’t it, her father was loaded.
Shit.
Phoenix still wanted to punch Landry in the face.
Thankfully, that opportunity didn’t present itself, but Mia did, and as he watched her glide across the room, her eyes scanning as intently as his had been, Phoenix wondered if she was looking for him. Funny, because he got the impression she was, but her perusal wasn’t for the same reason he’d been looking. No, if he had to guess, Mia Cantrell was trying to stay far, far away from him.
Then again, if she’d been burned by Damien Landry, Phoenix couldn’t necessarily blame her.
But that didn’t mean he was going to step back and let her get away. In fact, it made him want to chase her all the more. There was something about that woman. And he intended to find out what the attraction was, even if he had to spend every waking moment pursuing her.
»»»»»♥«««««
TARIK SAW HER as soon as she rejoined the crowd. He had gone with his gut, figuring she’d escaped to the bathroom to do whatever it was women did when they disappeared in there.
A Million Tiny Pieces Page 9