He’d been right.
So, while he’d kept a close eye on Phoenix, he had watched for Mia, and he wasn’t disappointed to see that she was moving toward him. She was scanning the room, which was probably why she nearly ran right into him. That or the fact that he stepped right into her path. Either way.
“Mia,” he greeted softly, gently gripping her arm when she nearly fell right into him.
“Oh! I’m … sorry,” she replied, looking up at him with wide eyes. Beautiful eyes. Guarded eyes.
“Would you care to dance?” he asked, doing his best not to glance down at her glossy lips.
“I … uh … I was just…” She seemed perplexed on how to answer, so he helped make the decision for her.
“Just one,” he told her. “Then you can pull a Cinderella and disappear into the night if you wish.”
Mia smiled. He’d apparently caught on to her plan.
“Thank you, Mr. Marx.”
“Call me Tarik, please.”
Taking her hand in his, Tarik tried not to focus on the softness of her skin or the sweet scent of her perfume as they moved through the crowd and over to the dance floor.
The song playing was conveniently slow, and as he pulled her into his arms, noting how well she fit against him, Tarik sent up a silent wish for another slow song to follow. He wasn’t sure one dance would be enough for him. She settled against him nicely, her heels making it so he didn’t have to lean too far down. With the significant difference in their height, Tarik still had to bend to get his mouth close to her ear, but it wasn’t a hardship, by any means.
With her soft body pressed up against him, Tarik whispered against her ear, “Are you having a good time?”
“Surprisingly, yes,” she said, laughing softly. “Sorry. That was probably a little too honest.”
“I like honest,” he told her. “It’s one of my favorite qualities in a woman.”
“Is that so?”
“I didn’t say it was top of my list, but not too far off,” he teased as he slid his hand down her back, being a perfect gentleman and keeping it above the rounded globes of her delectable ass. Although the desire to pull her completely against him was intense, he managed to keep himself in check. They were in public, after all.
“So what is at the top of your list?” she asked.
“Are you sure you want to know?” he replied, leaning in closer, his mouth dangerously close to her ear, his lips barely grazing the outer shell.
Her breath hitched, a sexy sound that made his body harden. He forced back the lascivious thoughts that drifted seamlessly through his mind. No reason to scare her off yet, he told himself.
“Maybe not,” she answered, her voice a little shaky.
Nodding his understanding, Tarik held her tightly and moved slowly across the floor. He wondered if Phoenix knew they were dancing. Probably so. Knowing the man, he was keeping tabs on Tarik as much as he was keeping an eye on Mia for this exact reason. Not that Tarik cared. He would’ve danced with Mia either way, but he liked the idea of Phoenix stewing for a minute. Considering how hot and bothered he’d kept Tarik all week, the man deserved a little payback.
“Are you enjoying yourself tonight?” Mia asked. The question sounded like a form of polite conversation, making Tarik smile.
“I am now,” he told her, keeping his voice low. “Have I mentioned how beautiful you look tonight?”
Standing to his full height, Tarik looked down at her, noticing the slight blush on her creamy cheeks, visible even under the dim lights above them.
“Thank you. You look pretty nice yourself.”
“This old thing?” he joked, looking down at his chest. “I pulled it out of the back of the closet.”
Mia laughed, just as he hoped she would.
“I believe it,” she muttered, causing Tarik’s brows to furrow.
There was something in her tone. It sounded a lot like distaste, and he wondered where he’d gone wrong.
Repositioning himself so that he wasn’t looking down at her, Tarik wrapped his arm more tightly around her, holding her close. He wanted to enjoy this moment for as long as possible. The song would be over soon, he knew, and as he’d seen her do earlier, Mia Cantrell was going to run far and fast.
The song began to fade away, and Tarik leaned close to her ear. “Don’t leave. One more song.”
Mia’s body tensed, and he didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but when another song began on the heels of the first and she didn’t pull away, he exhaled deeply.
The song wasn’t even halfway through when Mia pulled back. Tarik immediately glanced down at her, and he noticed she was looking to his left. Slowly peering over, he realized what — or rather who — had caught her attention.
“Mia.”
“Damien,” she said curtly.
Tarik didn’t release her, although he got the impression she wanted him to. Keeping his arm around her, Tarik moved to her side, his eyes pinning Damien in place. Tarik knew more about Damien Landry than he cared to. With the pending lawsuit against Phoenix, Tarik had made it his mission to learn every damn thing there was to learn about the bastard.
“I’m glad you could make it. Nice to see you’re making wise choices with how you spend my money.”
Mia jerked as though Landry had slapped her, and Tarik couldn’t contain the growl that erupted in his chest.
“My money,” Mia stated through clenched teeth. “And it’s nice to see that you’re still the same condescending asshole you’ve always been.” Mia looked up at Tarik. “I need to go.”
“I’ll walk you,” Tarik told her, glancing back up to meet Landry’s gaze, masking his features but making sure Landry could see the promise of retribution in his eyes. Clearly the guy wasn’t too happy that his ex-wife was dancing with another man.
Not that Tarik gave a shit. The guy deserved to feel the pain of losing her. After what he’d done, he deserved a hell of a lot more than that.
Granted, Tarik wasn’t going to say as much, because he’d acquired his information by doing quite a bit of digging into Mia’s background. He had yet to share all of the details with Phoenix, because he hadn’t felt the need to. Yet. Now that he saw the blue flame of hatred that burned in Mia’s eyes when she looked at Landry, his worries about her intentions abated. She’d clearly been hurt by this man.
Mia turned abruptly, and Tarik had to walk fast to keep up with her. When she stopped suddenly, he nearly ran her over.
“Thank you for the dance, Mr. Marx. But I really must be going.”
With that, Mia turned and walked away, leaving Tarik staring after her.
Tarik, he thought. Call me Tarik.
When he lost her in the crowd, Tarik looked over, noticing Phoenix was watching them intently, a concerned look on his face. A simple shrug of his shoulders was the only answer Tarik could give. But knowing Phoenix, he was about to swoop in and try to save the day.
And Tarik planned to be not far behind.
Chapter Ten
IF MIA HADN’T been trying to avoid the sexy, tuxedo-wearing dinner and dance companion she’d had tonight, she probably wouldn’t be in the position she found herself in now. Although she’d had every intention of running out before the lights came back up, Mia had found herself in Mr. Pierce’s sturdy arms on the dance floor. However, she had taken the opportunity to flee as soon as it presented itself, but, unfortunately, she hadn’t been strong enough to keep going. Something had compelled her to return to the ballroom after she’d made a brief pit stop in the restroom.
She should’ve kept walking, she thought sadly as she made her way through the grand hotel lobby.
The moment she’d seen Mr. Pierce talking to her, she’d been distracted. Mia didn’t know the name of the woman Mr. Pierce had been talking to because she refused to read the articles, but she knew her from the pictures she’d seen. The ones that had her hanging on Damien’s arm. She was Damien’s floozy. She’d also looked quite chummy with
Mr. Pierce, and Mia wouldn’t put it past the home wrecker to be doing them both.
The thought still made her stomach twist into a knot.
God. How could she be so stupid?
At first, when Mia had seen the two of them standing there talking with their heads so close together, Mia had wanted to scratch the other woman’s eyes out, but then she’d remembered she didn’t care. She didn’t care that this man might be doing her, too, just like Damien was. Mia hadn’t staked a claim on Mr. Pierce, and she had absolutely no intention of doing so.
She should’ve been relieved, but oddly, she wasn’t.
Which was how she had ended up in Tarik’s strong arms on the dance floor, despite her better judgment. When he had politely asked her to dance, she’d found herself unable to refuse him. It’d been a long time since she’d felt desired by a man, and tonight, there’d been two who had seemingly put her in their sights.
Feeling slightly less off-kilter with his eyes on her, Mia had graciously accepted his offer and had actually enjoyed herself. He was as intense as Phoenix, but there was an underlying easiness about him that had calmed her briefly. Well, sort of. Her attraction to him was fierce, and she found the mere feel of him against her had caused her girl parts to sing.
But then he had ruined everything. Damien had officially ruined her entire night.
“Ugghh,” Mia groaned as she reached the hotel’s front doors, pulling her phone from her clutch and shooting off a quick text to Alex, letting her know that she was finding her own way home. There was no way she could stay.
Regrettably, as she found out when she stepped into the chilly night, that was easier said than done. She had hoped for a taxi, but all she saw for miles was limos. And to top it off, she’d left her wrap inside, so the biting cold wind gnawed painfully at her skin.
“Going somewhere?”
Mia spun around so fast she lost her footing and ended up, once again, in the powerful arms of the handsome Mr. Pierce. Thankfully, she quickly recovered, offering him a courteous smile but not answering his question. She needed to get away from this man. He wasn’t good for her health, much like Damien hadn’t been good for her. It seemed she was having some sort of crazy reaction to him, much to her dismay. No matter how much she tried to convince herself that he would be her downfall should she give him even a minute of her time, Mia couldn’t seem to stop thinking about him.
Which was why she needed to go home. Now.
Turning away from him, she continued to study the line of cars out front, wishing a taxi would miraculously appear any minute and save her from herself.
“Can I give you a ride home?” he asked, his voice sounding from behind her.
“No, thank you,” Mia replied kindly. “I wouldn’t want you to leave your date.”
“My date?” he asked, sounding confused.
Great. He was better than she’d thought.
“The woman you were with? The two of you looked as though you know each other well,” she told him over her shoulder, not bothering to look at him. Unfortunately, as soon as the words were out of her mouth, she realized how she sounded. Was she really jealous?
A slight pause preceded his next words, which were spoken softly, as though he were speaking to a wounded animal. “Excuse me?”
Mia rolled her eyes, but luckily her back was to him, so he didn’t see her less-than-graceful response to his avoidance of the conversation. It was an immature reaction, but thanks to the champagne and her brief run-in with Damien, she wasn’t feeling all that mature at the moment. “I’ll just get a cab.”
“Good luck with that,” he stated, but his tone was clipped, not nearly as soothing as it had been.
“I think I can manage,” she said, feeling her own frustration rising, which, sadly, did little to warm her.
“Mia? If it’s any consolation, I’m not here with anyone,” he told her. “And I’m certainly not here with Teresa Somerhaus. She’s here with her fiancé, Damien Landry.”
“Teresa Somerhaus?” Mia spun around to face him. She knew her mouth was hanging open, but she couldn’t help it. Damien was engaged to Teresa Somerhaus? That was Teresa Somerhaus?
Well, at least that explained why Charles and Delilah had appeared so uncomfortable when they’d shared their daughter’s news.
“Do you know her?” he asked, his eyes locked with hers as he shrugged out of his jacket.
Mia ignored the question, not sure how to answer, or whether she even wanted to.
Silence lingered between them for a moment before Mr. Pierce said, “Let me give you a ride back to your condo. You aren’t going to get a cab unless you call for one.”
When he settled his jacket around her shoulders, Mia dropped her head in defeat. He was right. There weren’t any cabs at the moment, because the event was still in full swing, which meant either she’d have to do as he said and call, or wait for Alex and likely endure a lengthy conversation with this man. Those were her choices, and the lesser of the two evils only slightly leaned toward accepting his offer of a ride home. At least with the latter, she could keep her distance, and she wouldn’t take a chance of possibly having to dance again. With him or with Tarik.
She wasn’t sure she’d survive another dance with either of them.
Sighing, Mia resigned herself to the inevitable, pulling his jacket around her. “Yes, thank you,” she finally said, looking up and meeting his gaze once again. “If you’re leaving now, I’d appreciate a ride back to my condo.”
The smile that tilted his firm lips had her insides tingling, so she immediately looked away, hating that he’d won this round.
Not a game, Mia. You’re not interested, remember?
She ignored that annoying little voice in her head, mainly because it was right. She wasn’t interested, no matter what her libido thought. An image of a hoodie-wearing hottie named Coach flashed in her mind, making it only slightly easier to ignore the handsome man standing beside her. She’d had her fair share of heartache at the hands of a man like him. One whose contents of his closet cost more than she’d make in a decade. This guy was no exception.
He was the enemy, and she would do well to remember that.
Two minutes later, a sleek black limo was pulling around, and only when Mia allowed Mr. Pierce to help her toward the car did she realize Tarik had once again joined them.
He gave her a seductive half smile, which was sexy but still intimidating. Although he was as nicely dressed as Mr. Pierce, there was something about him. Now that she thought about it, the guy looked like some sort of … bodyguard. Who the hell was Mr. Pierce, anyway?
Then again, he could very well be … what? A date?
Oh, Lord. That thought set off a whole slew of mental images of these two men in her head. Naked, hard, sweaty bodies, lip-locked, embracing one another while they…
A shiver raced along her spine, and she forced her gaze away from Tarik.
Yeah, okay, she was seriously going to have to stop reading those books, because she was getting way too carried away.
She didn’t bother to ask any of the questions running roughshod in her head, not really wanting to know any information. If she could get back to her condo with minimal conversation with these guys, she’d be better off.
Once inside the limo, Mia moved toward the opposite door, leaving plenty of space between her and… Tarik joined her, but he quickly repositioned to the seat across from her while Mr. Pierce climbed in last.
“What’s your first name?” she asked him as he settled into the seat beside her. Referring to him as Mr. Pierce made him sound like one of her professors, and that was a little creepy.
“Phoenix,” he answered easily.
Phoenix. Lovely name. Now she wished she hadn’t asked. She didn’t want to know that he had a sexy name. The less she found out about him, the better. As it was, Mia knew he was someone important — he garnered attention from other affluent people, he lived in the penthouse of her building, and his wardrobe consisted of
expensive suits and immaculate tuxedos.
Oh, and he smelled incredible.
Even with the pep talk about keeping her distance, Mia found herself blurting out another question, directing it to Phoenix as soon as the limo was in motion. “What is it that you do?”
“A little of everything,” he told her simply. “Basically, I lend money to start-ups.”
Great. Another reason to despise him. With every new thing she learned, he was more and more like Damien. Granted, that should’ve made it easier for her to resist him.
“And you?” she asked, looking over at Tarik.
“Public relations.”
“Really? I pegged you for security.”
Tarik didn’t respond, but his smirk, and the dimple that formed in his smooth cheek, said it all. He might be in public relations, but that wasn’t all he did. She would bet her life on that.
“What about you, Mia?” Phoenix asked.
“Me what?” Mia did her best not to fidget in her seat as both men watched her.
“What is it that you do?”
“I’m a college student for now.” The admission made her feel slightly childish. “Better late than never, huh?” she added, feeling a little self-conscious about the fact that she was twenty-four and only now starting her secondary education.
“Better late than never,” Phoenix echoed. “How long have you lived in my building?”
Mia studied him momentarily. The way he said “my building” set off warning bells. He wasn’t merely referring to it as the place he lived, he meant that…
“You own the building?” The words got away from her before she could stop them.
“I own quite a few buildings,” he said with a wicked gleam in his eyes.
“Good to know,” she mumbled, glancing away to look out the window. “And I’ve only lived there for a few months.”
“Like it so far?” he questioned.
Mia turned her head and met his gaze as she said, “It’s all right. The elevator leaves something to be desired.”
A Million Tiny Pieces Page 10