Mia Bella Anna

by Jacquline Anne

  “Caramel Macchiato,” he said with a sexy grin.

  “You remembered, Mr. Turner. Thank you.” Anna took the Starbucks addiction from his hand and sipped it. Delicious. “This still doesn’t excuse you from inviting yourself this weekend.” Anna glared at him.

  Cole leaned forward and kissed Anna’s cheek. Lingering a bit, he whispered, “I promise you, Anna, it will be worth it.”

  Anna took a step back. “Yes, I am sure we will get a lot of ideas and planning done for the new club,” she clarified rather curtly. She grabbed her bags, and Cole took them from her. She locked the door, and they headed out.

  As they walked to the car, Cole felt a little defeated. She didn’t seem as impressed with him as she was the last time they had seen each other. He thought by bringing Anna her favorite Starbucks drink and kissing her on the cheek would have done a little something. Ignite some sparks, perhaps. She was either determined to keep this all business or doing a hell of a job hiding the sexual tension he thought was there—the tension he was certain they both felt or used to feel. Maybe she really was pissed at him for inviting himself. Cole sighed and tried to shake those thoughts from his head. He may have his work cut out for him after all. His grim look turned into a wicked smile when he watched her gorgeous ass as she ducked into the car. Oh, he was definitely up for the challenge, in more ways than one.

  * * * *

  After discussing plans for the club the entire flight, they arrived at LaGuardia airport. Anna took careful notes about all the things Cole and his brother, Trent, did not want. It was a start, but Anna still didn’t know exactly what they did want. She didn’t think Cole and Trent actually knew what they wanted either. She hoped seeing some of the clubs around New York City would help. She had done a little research before they left but was relying on the hotel employees and other New York City residents to point her in the right direction of the hottest night spots.

  The car arrived at the hotel. Anna looked out the window and noticed they were at the Ritz Carlton near Battery Park.

  “Cole, this is not my hotel.”

  “I know. I took the liberty to upgrade us.” He smiled with confidence.

  Anna turned in her seat to face him. Weeks of stress had built to great levels. Now she was really angry and wanted to slap him. She took a deep breath. “Business aside, right now,” she said through clenched teeth.

  Cole nodded. His smile quickly faded.

  “Damn it, Cole! I was staying at a hotel with my family. I don’t get to see my brother and his family all that often. They live in Indiana, not in Chicago, not to mention our work schedules and the kids being in school. I wanted to be at the hotel with them.” Anna put her elbows on her knees and settled her face in her hands. This was absolutely ridiculous.

  “I’m sorry, Anna. I’ll fix this right now.” Cole pulled out his phone and called the other hotel. There was only one room left. He was thankful it was a two bedroom suite. Anna would have ripped him a new asshole if there was only a single room left. He called the Ritz to cancel his reservations and cringed at the cancellation fee. He deserved it. Every wasted dollar. He was so focused on getting Anna alone and pampering her with luxury, he had forgotten the point of this trip. He gave the driver the other hotel’s address. “I’m sorry, Anna. I really am.”

  “Look, the point of this trip is to spend time with my family and to see Mike and Catherine get married. Mike is like family to me. So please, let’s use my free time for business and the rest is for me to spend time with them. You can choose to come with me or not.”

  Cole nodded in agreement feeling crushed, yet again. He realized he was going about all of this the wrong way with Anna. The problem was he didn’t know where to start. Most of the women he dated liked the way he did things. He was the one to take control and keep control. Then again, they weren’t serious relationships either. He couldn’t seem to please Anna, yet he really wanted to impress her. Was there more to this? Or was it just another challenge for him?

  They arrived at the hotel and Cole checked in.

  “Only one room?” Anna questioned as she tapped her fingernails on the counter.

  “It is a two-bedroom suite. It was the only thing available. You will have your own space. I promise I won’t bother you.”

  Anna rolled her eyes getting more and more pissed by the moment. What she needed was a nice long soak in the tub with a glass, or perhaps a bottle, of wine to ease some stress. She grabbed her bags and headed toward the elevator. Cole moved cautiously behind her.

  They arrived at the suite. Anna rolled her stuff directly into the main bedroom. “If you care to join everyone, we are having an early dinner at four o’clock.” She went straight for the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

  Cole sighed and ran his hand through his hair. He dialed his brother.

  “Trent, I need your help.”

  “Aren’t you in New York?”

  “Yes, which is why I need your help. I am totally fucking things up.”

  “Dammit, Cole! I told you not to mix business with pleasure,” Trent grumbled. “We need Anna to do this work. She is the best damn designer around.”

  “I know, I know. She will. I need to make things better with her. I just don’t know how. She’s pissed I invited myself and about the change in hotels.”

  “Of course she is dude. Have you even thought about considering her feelings in this whole damn thing?”

  “Apparently, I haven’t,” he said, swallowing his pride and admitting his wrongdoings.

  “Well, stop thinking with your dick for a while and romance her.”

  “What? Like with flowers and shit?”

  “Wow, bro. You really don’t have a fucking clue. Flowers and shit, as you put it, would probably be a good start. Find common grounds with her, other than work.”

  “Common grounds? Right. I can do that. I think. How do you know so much about this?”

  “You think being married to Sienna is about being all alpha male all the time? Hell, no. Show her you care, bro. Good luck.” Trent chuckled. “I have a feeling you are going to need it.” Trent hung up the phone.

  Cole immediately called the front desk and ordered a bottle of wine to be rushed to their suite. He also ordered some flowers to be delivered as soon as possible. It was amazing what money could get you if you were willing to toss it around a bit.

  He heard her start the bath water and nervously paced while waiting for room service to knock at the door. A few minutes later, he heard the knock. He retrieved the wine and glasses and tipped the gentlemen.

  He was thankful the bath water was still running. He walked into her room just as Anna walked out in a white, fluffy hotel robe.

  “Ahh,” she screamed.

  “Sorry. I—” Cole stuttered and couldn’t complete his thought as he gazed at her natural beauty. Even in an oversized robe, she looked beautiful.

  “Cole, what are you doing in here?” she snapped at him and made sure her robe was closed tightly.

  “I got you a bottle of wine. I thought you would enjoy it while taking a bath.”

  Anna tried to stay pissed at him, but the left side of her lips slightly curved up. She snatched the bottle and a glass. “Thank you. That was very…thoughtful,” she said and walked back into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

  Cole smiled hoping he was starting to break the ice with her and make up for his dick-thinking stupidity.

  Anna settled in the tub with a relaxing sigh. She sipped the merlot, savoring each taste as she worked to finish the glass. Delicious. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, finally starting to feel a little of the weight lifting off her shoulders. The merlot was definitely helping.

  Then she heard a knock at the door and grumbled, “Yes, Cole?” she asked, a bit annoyed at the interruption.

  “Do you need anything?” he asked through the door.

  “No, I am completely capable of taking a bath all by myself.”

  Cole leaned hi
s head against the door. Dammit, he wanted to be in there with her. There was just a door, unfortunately a locked door, separating him from what he wanted. “I know, Anna. I just wanted to know if you wanted me to order you something to eat.”

  Anna realized Cole was really trying to be nice, and she was being a complete bitch. Some of the things he had done did piss her off, but perhaps she was being too harsh. The stress she was under over the past few weeks, hell, months really, was not helping.

  “Thank you,” she said genuinely. “I’m good. Feel free to order something for yourself, if you want. I will be out soon.”

  “Okay.” Cole walked back to the living area and ordered a fresh fruit platter and a cheese and cracker tray. It was a good choice to have around if they wanted to snack over the next couple of days.

  Anna began to drain the tub. She dried off and put the hotel robe back on. She looked in the mirror as she applied her makeup and contemplated the weekend.

  There was definitely sexual electricity between the two of them. She pushed it away as much as she could to focus on her job as the Twilight Enterprises’ interior designer. Anna Bryant Designs needed this commercial contract to get more businesses to hire her company and it worked. The hotel they landed was a huge deal.

  She dried her hair, choosing a quick updo, and thought about Cole. What was the worst thing that could happen if she just went for it with him? They had a contract. It would be miserable for a while if things didn’t work out, but it could be amazing. She took a deep breath. She hadn’t had amazing in a really long time.

  She threw on her coral colored cocktail dress and silver pumps and checked herself in the mirror one last time. She walked out of the bathroom and found her room full of flowers. Roses, tulips, wild flowers—all sorts of flowers. She beamed from the inside out. Decision made. She was going to go for it. She had to. She would rather live with her mistakes than with regret.

  Anna walked out of her bedroom and found Cole putting some food on the table.

  “I just thought you might want a little snack,” he said as he placed some flatware down on the table. He looked up at her, and the sight before him made his breath hitch. “You look beautiful.” She always looked beautiful to Cole even when she was running around in her pantsuit with her hair up in a loose bun as she instructed all the contractors on what they needed to do. The dress she had on made her look even more stunning.

  Anna looked at the spread on the small dinette table. Her mouth watered and her belly growled. “Thank you, and thank you for the beautiful flowers.” She put some food on her plate and ate a few bites. It hit the spot. “Mmmm. I’m hungrier than I thought I was.”

  Cole found himself staring at the way her mouth moved as she ate. Fuck! He wanted her so bad his dick twitched. He wanted to know how those lips felt wrapped around his cock as she sucked him dry.

  She got up and moved toward him. She gently kissed him on the cheek. Even with her heels on, he still had a few inches on her. Anna pushed on Cole’s chest backing him up against the counter of the kitchenette. His heart began to race. He never had this kind of reaction to a woman before.

  She gazed into his ocean blue eyes. “Tell me, Cole Turner, what are your intentions with me this weekend?” she asked seductively but with definite demand in her tone.

  Cole swallowed noticeably hard. His cock was stiffening by the nanosecond. Anna’s pissed off demeanor turned a bit dominating was turning him on. It was something he couldn’t exactly understand, and he sure as hell wasn’t used to it. Most of the women he dated were more of a pushover. They were fun as hell but never challenged him. They never kept him on his toes. Anna was a completely different story. But if it got her where he wanted her, he was game no matter how they got there.

  “You know my intentions, Anna. You’ve had to have known them for quite some time.”

  She softly pushed up against his body. “What took you so long?” she asked with a mix of sincerity and impatience in her voice.

  “The mixing of business and pleasure.”

  “Uh-huh. And yet, we are still doing business together, correct? We do have a contract that says so.” Anna was now certain she wanted this, especially since Cole was making an effort to make amends and consider her feelings. However, it would have to be on her terms which meant Cole would have to start respecting her more and not try to take over everything like a damn tyrant. There was no way in hell Anna would let that happen. She would lose respect for herself, not to mention as a designer in the industry. “What changed your mind?”

  Cole put his hands on her waist and pulled her closer, feeling her body up against his now rock hard cock. He wanted to sink himself deep inside her and get lost in her green eyes. “I am tired of fighting my conscience. I go after what I want, Miss Bryant, and you are what I want.”

  His lips sealed hers with a hungry kiss—a kiss that was long overdue.

  She cupped Cole’s face as his tongue swept in her mouth. He kissed her like a starving predator with so much authority her sex ached. Anna dragged her hands over his scruff and sought to know how it would feel in between her legs.

  The moment was interrupted by the alarm on Anna’s phone. She broke the kiss causing Cole to growl with disappointment.

  “We need to leave in ten minutes.”

  Cole’s astonished face made Anna snicker. “Seriously?”

  “Yes, seriously. We can’t be late. Remember what this weekend is about, Cole,” she reminded.

  “I remember, just not all of me wants to remember.” Cole walked toward his room and adjusted his hard dick which was straining against his pants. “I need a few moments, and I need to change.”

  Anna laughed as she watched his tight, sexy ass walk away.

  Cole closed the door to his bedroom and got undressed. He walked into the bathroom and glanced into the mirror. He washed his face and messed with his hair. His erection was still rock hard. He cursed under his breath realizing he was either going to have a hard-on throughout the evening, or he had to relieve himself. He was about to meet Anna’s family. It had to be the latter.

  He wrapped his hand around his cock and slowly began stroking himself. He closed his eyes and could only see Anna. She looked so fucking hot in that dress. It lusciously hugged her curves. What he would have given to lift her dress up and take her from behind as she held onto the kitchen counter. The feeling of her body pressed up against his almost made him come on the spot. He wanted to feel her naked underneath him.

  His strokes quickened.

  He wanted to feel what it was like to be buried deep inside her while he sucked on her succulent tits, their bodies sticky with sweat and sweet cum from all the physical exertion and satisfaction they had experienced.

  Cole whispered her name and grunted as he ejaculated into his hands.

  He took a few deep breaths. It’s going to be a long weekend, he thought to himself.

  Chapter Three

  “Aunt Anna’s here,” Emily shouted as she saw Anna and Cole walk into the door of the restaurant. “She brought a friend with her, too!”

  Anna’s family came over to greet her and Cole.

  “Mom. Dad. This is Cole Turner, a client of mine. Cole, these are my parents.”

  “Very nice to meet you, Mrs. Bryant.” Cole extended his hand and shook Anna’s mother’s hand. He noticed right away who Anna got her genes from. The two women shared the same height, eye color, and hair color, although her mother’s hair was speckled with gray.

  “It is a pleasure to meet you, Cole,” Mrs. Bryant said with a glowing smile. She had heard about Cole and just couldn’t wait to meet him.

  Cole turned to Anna’s father. “Hello, Dr. Bryant. Thank you for having me.”

  Dr. Bryant had quite the firm hand shake.

  “I am not sure we had much of a choice, now did we?” he joked with a smile on his face.

  Cole was sure Anna’s father was just being protective of his baby girl. He couldn’t blame him one bit, but it stil
l didn’t sit well with him.

  “Dad,” Anna warned. Her father was the only one who questioned why Cole was coming on this trip. He actually called her back to talk to her about it. He had ways to suck information out of Anna no matter how hard she tried to keep it under wraps. This time he figured it out for himself. He had made some assumptions, and they just happened to be correct. Anna could never lie to her father. He could always see right through her.

  When Cole heard Anna’s warning voice, he tensed up a bit. He had a feeling Dr. Bryant knew exactly how he schemed his way to accompany Anna on this trip. Anna must have sensed the tension because she smiled and pulled Cole away from her parents. They walked over to her brother, Adam, and his wife, Alayna. He had met them at his club last Thanksgiving. They seemed like friendly, easy going people, and he instantly felt more relaxed with them.

  Anna also introduced Cole to her nephews, James and Alex, and her niece, Emily. On the way over to the restaurant, Anna reminded him of Adam and Alayna’s family dynamics. They had talked about it at the club last November, but Cole was thankful she reminded him. James and Alex were Alayna’s boys. Her first husband was killed in a tragic car accident. They got married last October and then adopted Emily earlier this year.

  “Can I sit beside you at dinner?” James asked Cole.

  “Sure, buddy, as long as it is okay with your mom and dad.”

  James went to ask his parents, and they said it was fine.

  Cole was never around a lot of kids. It’s not that he didn’t like them, he just wasn’t used to them. Watching the way Anna talked with her niece and nephews made him smile. There was this glow about her. It was quite obvious she enjoyed being around them.

  They all took a seat around the table and ordered their meals. The small talk started about the plans for the weekend.

  “So Mr. Cole, you look like you work out,” James pointed out.

  Cole smiled and tried not to laugh at the inquisitive little boy who had just turned seven. “I do,” he replied.

  “Tell me. How much do you bench?” James asked with a raised eyebrow.