by Tia Siren
“I don’t know if he is. That’s the problem!” I stressed. “He was great a long time ago, but what if he’s become some kind of womanizer and he’s bored so he’s coming back to old conquests?”
“He’s not,” she said with all the confidence in the world.
I nodded. “I’m glad you are convinced. It’s going to take me a little longer.”
She smiled, and we got back to our breakfast. I loved our breakfasts together. It didn’t happen often. Helga was a busy woman, but she was my mentor and someone I could talk to. No matter how busy she was, she always made time for me. She was one of my few friends. It was then I realized I had really shut down after Brad left. My mother and Helga were my two closest friends. I didn’t really hang out with anyone my own age. Even the dates I accepted tended to be with older men.
I silently groaned. I needed some fun and excitement in my life. That was probably why I had welcomed Brad’s recent attention. I had to get out there. Life was passing me by.
By the time we go to the office, my mind had conjured up all these different ideas of who Brad was and what he looked like now. Maybe he’d let himself go and had gotten a little plump. The guy had always been so health-conscious; it would be understandable if he relaxed a bit and enjoyed all the good stuff life had to offer, like ice cream.
I shut my office door, wanting privacy to do a little internet stalking. I had to know. I had denied myself for too long. Every time I caught myself thinking about him and longing to look him up, I would do something else. It had been painful to see those eyes looking back at me. Now I knew I wouldn’t feel that familiar pain. I wanted to see how he had changed.
I quickly typed his name into the search bar, along with his show’s name, and was rewarded with a page filled with articles and images of the man I used to love. I took a deep breath and clicked on one of the most recent articles. It was a grand opening of some sort.
There he was! My heart skipped a beat as I looked at the slightly older version of the Brad I had known way back when. He looked the same. His hair was shorter, the curls barely noticeable, but it was still blond. His arms were toned, and his skin was tan. The dark skin made his eyes look even bluer than I remembered. I smiled at the man looking at an elderly woman and grinning. I imagined he was probably flirting with her. He flirted with everyone and especially loved to dote on the older ladies.
I read several articles about his show. His success was fairly recent. It was only the last couple years that he had become syndicated. Each time I opened a new article, there was a different picture of him. There were signs of a few wrinkles around his eyes and a more mature, defined face.
I groaned. If the man truly did show up in New York, there was no way I could reject him easily. He was gorgeous. If the man sending the texts was really the man in the pictures, I was screwed. I was going to lose my heart again. That terrified me.
I drifted out of my office and headed into Helga’s.
“What’s the matter?” she said, peering up at me over the top of her glasses from her position behind her desk.
“I looked him up,” I groaned.
She grinned. “And?”
“And he is going to stomp all over my heart if I let him.”
“Ooh, that good looking,” she said with a dangerous smile. “I have to see this man. Let an old woman live vicariously through you.”
“Yes, very good looking, and I’m sure he knows it. He knew it when he was younger and I’m sure the women pawing all over him have reminded him quite often,” I snarked, feeling a little jealous of the women who were likely drooling over him right now.
It was only seven over there. He was probably in bed with a woman at that very moment. My blood heated with jealousy, making me feel like screaming and smashing something.
“I can’t wait to meet him,” Helga said, pulling me back from my internal jealous tirade.
I shook my head. “He can’t come here. He just can’t. How can I reject him and keep my heart safe if he’s here? Those eyes,” I mumbled.
She was nodding her head. “You still love him.”
“How can I know that? I don’t even know him.”
“You do. Your heart does and your body does. Tell your brain to sit down and shut up and have some fun with a handsome young man,” she lectured.
I wanted to remind her that he wasn’t exactly young and neither was I, but Helga was pushing sixty. I imagined in her eyes we were young, just like I looked back and realized twenty-four was young.
“Thanks. I still think the best thing would be for him to just not come out here. I can’t handle seeing him.”
“You’ll handle it fine. Let your heart lead you. If you realize he’s not the man you want, he goes home and you go back to your life. No harm, no foul. You have to try.”
I let out a long sigh. She was telling me the same thing my mother had. I had a feeling the two of them were colluding.
“All right. I’m worrying about something that may never happen. I better get to work. I can’t sit around and wonder if he will or won’t. I will not let myself do that for any man,” I said, feeling more resolved than ever. “Thanks, Helga.”
I left the office and heard her snickering behind me. She was getting a kick out of all this. I was glad she was, because I sure wasn’t. I went back to my office and picked up my phone. I had only gotten a couple messages from him this morning and wondered if he was already losing interest. He had spoiled me with a barrage of messages every morning for the past week, wishing me a good day, telling me how sexy I was, and, of course, promising to do certain things to my body.
Flopping into my chair, I held my phone as I spun around to stare out the window. I sent him a short message admitting to the stalking and then put away my phone. I had to focus on my work. I was not going to let him distract me.
My phone beeped and I smiled. He was still there.
Chapter Thirteen
Brad
My plan was working. I hoped. It was risky—I knew that—but I wanted her to be completely surprised. I knew what she was thinking. She had told me as much. Mia didn’t think I was serious about going to New York, the pact, or her. She was about to find out just how wrong she was.
In order to keep her in the dark, I had quit texting her. I smiled, imagining how pissed she was at me. I bet she was cursing me and thinking of different ways to get revenge. I had gone radio silent. No texts, no little emojis, nothing. I wanted her to think I had changed my mind and had no intention of seeing her or rekindling our friendship.
It was risky. Very risky. Mia could be a bit of a hothead, and I was pressing her buttons, especially since she had only just started warming up to me. I walked past the baggage claim area at La Guardia and was glad I had only brought a single carry-on bag. Now that I was in the city, I didn’t want to waste another minute. I had to see her.
It had been a long time since I’d been in New York. It smelled different than LA. There was a different vibe altogether. I pulled up the handle of my suitcase, rolled out the doors, and inhaled the East Coast air. It was good to be home.
I hailed a taxi almost immediately. That was something else I had kind of missed. It was a bit fun to try to get a taxi to pull over. I gave the driver the name and address of Mia’s office and sat back to enjoy the ride. The hustle and bustle of the busy city never ceased to amaze me.
Though fully aware it was unprofessional for me to show up at her office unannounced, I figured it was safer territory. She wouldn’t make a big scene if we were in public and had her coworkers around us. At least I hoped she wouldn’t. She was going to be shocked when she saw me; I just hoped she didn’t throw anything at me or refuse to talk to me at all.
When the taxi stopped in front of the massive building, I hesitated a split second before jumping out and going inside. I read the directory and quickly found the offices of her magazine. The ride up in the elevator seemed to take forever, yet the second the doors slid open, I felt like it had been
too short.
Gulping down the giant lump in my throat, I headed for the reception desk. A pretty young woman was smiling at me and looking me up and down. I was used to the attention, and it didn’t faze me, especially when I was on a mission.
“Hi,” she said, showing her perfect white teeth. “You look like you need something.”
“Someone, more like.”
That amped up her smile. “I’m someone.”
“I’m here to see Mia Hunter.”
The woman’s smile slipped a little as she nodded her head. “Oh. Let me see if she’s in.”
I waited while the woman called someone on the phone. I glanced around the walls, looking at the various past covers of the magazine that were framed and hanging on the wall.
“She’ll be right out,” the woman said.
I suddenly had the urge to run. I was excited and scared at the same time.
It wasn’t long before the huge doors opened and Mia strolled through. She took one look at me and stopped. I was paralyzed as well. She was absolutely fucking stunning. I knew she was pretty, but this woman was gorgeous. It was my same Mia but with a more refined, mature look. Her body was slender, her hips slightly fuller than I remembered. Her brown hair was still long but styled with choppy waves and some highlights.
I quickly looked her over, taking in the black pencil skirt, black high heels, and white shirt tucked in tight. My body instantly reacted to hers. Once I managed to catch my breath, I walked to her, dropped my bag, and threw my arms around her.
She was stiff, her arms hanging at her sides while I embraced her, squeezing her body against mine. I kissed one cheek and then the other before stepping back, my hands on either of her shoulders as I gazed into the hazel eyes I remembered so well.
“Hi.” I grinned. “You look amazing.” She was still in shock.
“Brad?” she croaked out.
“In the flesh,” I said, still grinning like an idiot.
“Brad? You’re here?”
I nodded. “I’m here. I told you I was coming.”
She was shaking her head as if she were seeing a ghost.
“Mia, are you okay?” I asked, a little concerned about her mental health.
She nodded but still didn’t answer.
Glancing over, I saw the woman at the desk openly staring at us. I shot her a look and she quickly diverted her eyes, pretending to busy herself on the computer in front of her.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” Mia said.
“I told you I was coming,” I repeated. “I was very serious, which I told you as well. You know when I set my mind to something, I’m going to do it,” I said, hoping to remind her of our old friendship.
“But, nothing. Two days and nothing.” She waved a hand. “And you’ve said things before and haven’t followed through.”
I dropped her shoulders and slapped my palm over my heart. “Ouch. I said I was sorry.”
“You didn’t tell me you were coming today. I mean, you didn’t tell me any date, actually.”
I winked. “I wanted to make sure it was a surprise. If you knew I was coming, you might have dodged me.”
“Yes. I definitely would have,” she spat out.
“Mia, come on now. You know you’re happy to see me. It’s been so long,” I soothed.
She opened her mouth to fire another retort but quickly shut it when she heard the doors open behind her.
An older woman with perfectly smooth black hair cut into a sleek bob walked through. She had a commanding appearance. She had to be someone important. She was beautiful in a regal sort of way. I imagined she had probably been a model in her youth. She had excellent bone structure and healthy, glowing skin despite her years.
Mia turned to look at the new arrival. “Helga!”
“Who’s this?” the woman asked, looking me up and down as if she were considering me for purchase.
“This is Brad,” Mia said.
“Brad!” Helga’s voice went up a couple octaves. “Oh my. I’ve heard about you,” she said, stepping forward and extending her hand.
I took her hand, kissed the top of it, and smiled. “I don’t know if that’s good or bad.”
She winked. “I guess that’s for you to determine, isn’t it?”
“This is Helga, my boss,” Mia said, making the introductions. “Helga, Brad.”
“Good to meet you, Helga.”
The woman turned to Mia. “Go. Get out of here. Your day is officially cleared. So is tomorrow.” She turned back to look at me. “You’ll be here for the weekend.”
Uncertain if it was a question or an order, I nodded my head. “Yes, I’ll be here through the weekend.”
I didn’t tell them I had planned to stay until Monday. If things went bad, I wanted to leave myself an out; I could say I had to work and change my flight and run away like I had in the past. I hoped it didn’t come to that, but this was a huge leap of faith. There was always a chance it wouldn’t work between us. After seeing her and touching her, I didn’t think that was going to be a problem at all, though. The chemistry between us was still there.
“Good. It’s settled then. Good-bye, Mia,” Helga said. She walked back through the doors.
Mia stood there, her mouth hanging open, and looked at me, then the doors. “I have to get my purse. And my laptop,” she mumbled before spinning on her heel and going through the same doors.
I turned to look at the receptionist, who seemed very interested in the situation.
“We haven’t seen each other in a while,” I said, trying to explain Mia’s reaction.
She nodded. “I didn’t realize Mia had a boyfriend.”
No reply seemed most prudent, so I didn’t disagree with her assumption. I was happy to hear Mia truly was single. In the back of my mind, I had been a little worried she was seeing someone and hadn’t told me. I knew she never believed I would show up.
Mia came back through the doors a few minutes later and slowly walked toward me. She stopped in front of me, stared at me a few seconds, and then moved to the elevator. I followed her, not saying a word. I could feel the receptionist staring at us, waiting to see what we would do. I wasn’t interested in putting on a show.
The elevator doors finally slid open, and Mia and I practically pushed each other out of the way in our rush to get on the elevator and out from under the prying eyes behind us.
The second the doors slid shut, she turned and looked at me. There was fury in her eyes, and realized I had just locked myself inside a small box with an angry woman. She slapped my shoulder and then my chest. I didn’t move. I let her. It was something she usually did when she was pissed or frustrated with me. It wasn’t a mean or hard hit; it was just her way of letting me know I’d pissed her off.
I raised an eyebrow, waiting to see if she had more to give.
“You horrible, rude, cruel man! How dare you show up here without an invitation! You actually think you can walk right back into my life after what you did to me? You pig. Slimy, nasty pig!”
I couldn’t help but smile at her. I had missed even this, her raging at me.
“Don’t you dare smile at me!” she shrieked. “You’re a world-class jerk!”
I kept smiling. I would let her get it all out now so the rest of my visit was relatively peaceful. I couldn’t deny her insults. They were all true.
She opened her mouth to call me more names, I assumed, but the elevator doors opened, preventing the words from coming out of her mouth. She stomped out of the elevator and across the marble floors to the tall doors leading outside. I followed her, easily keeping pace.
Outside, her arm shot up to hail a cab, and it didn’t take long for one to pull up to the curb.
“Where are you staying?” she asked, sliding into the back seat.
“With you,” I said, using my size to bodily push her across the seat of the cab.
Mia stared at me in horror. “No, you’re not.”
“Yes, I am.”
“Where to?” the driver asked.
I looked at Mia, waiting for her to give the man her address. She made a loud growling sound before finally spitting it out.
Mia was frustrated and wanted to slap the shit out of me, but I smiled broadly the entire ride. That was all fine with me. I finally had her near me. I could smell her sweet perfume, and it was making me giddy. I felt like a teen girl meeting my crush for the first time.
She looked straight ahead, refusing to meet my eyes. I busted into laughter, earning me a quick glare before she focused on the road ahead.
She could try to ignore me all she wanted, but I wasn’t going away.
Chapter Fourteen
Mia
Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit! Brad was sitting next to me in a cab in New York City. If he hadn’t been watching me so closely, I would have pinched myself to see if I was dreaming. This couldn’t be happening. I’d been thinking the man had unceremoniously dumped me for the second time and now he was right here, thinking he was going to stay at my apartment.
My breathing was coming too fast; I was on the verge of hyperventilating. I had to pull it together so he didn’t see how badly he could affect me. My body felt as if there were an electric charge between us. It wasn’t the painful zap one got after running their feet over carpet. This was different. It was a sexual zap. My body was humming.
The moment his body pressed against mine and I felt the pecks on my cheeks would be forever ingrained in my brain. I had practically melted against him. It had felt too good, and that really pissed me off. I wanted to tell him to get lost, but my body had other plans. The chaste kiss on my cheek had me wet. If he could make me burn with just a simple kiss on the cheek in a public setting, I couldn’t imagine what he could do to me when he put his mind to it in private.
“Mia?”
I blinked. Had he been talking to me the entire time?
“What?”
“I think we’re here,” he said, pointing to my building.
The cabby was looking at me in the rearview mirror. “Here?” he asked.