by Lisa Lace
“Steven! You’re brilliant! You never let me down.”
“Nor will I ever. I like to see you happy.”
“I am. I have two of the most important men in my life, a great company again, and my daughter. I couldn’t ask for more.”
“Are you sure?”
Mia turned toward the door and saw Edward there, his hands full of Chinese take-out.
“Speaking of one of the devils.” She sashayed to him, leaving a small kiss on his cheek.
“Is that all I get for picking up lunch?”
“For now,” she teased.
“Should I leave?” Steven raised an eyebrow.
“It’s your office.”
“Yes, but somehow I’m feeling like the odd one out.”
Mia chuckled, helping Edward with one of the bags.
“Lunch is not the only pleasant surprise I am here to deliver.” Edward had Mia and Steven’s full attention. He pulled several small white containers from the brown bag and set them on the table. “I have some news.”
“Good news, I hope.”
“Jack’s conviction was delivered this morning. He settled with the courts, but will be in prison for ten years.”
“That’s all?” Mia slunk down in her chair.
“You seem disappointed.”
“For what he did, or tried to do, he should be put away for much longer.”
“He’s been fired from DT. His lawyers say they can get him paroled earlier if he promises to go to China.”
“Why would he do that?”
“My father left him Chanye Inc., one of the companies he bought when he was still alive. It’s located in Beijing, China. If Jack wants to be a free man anytime soon, he’ll have to take up residency there and stay there. The courts will enforce a travel ban on him.” He looked at Mia with worry in his eyes.
“I’ll take it.” She smiled broadly, shoving her chopsticks into her lo mein.
“Also,” Edward hesitated. “They found the original documents I supposedly signed.”
“Please tell me they were destroyed.”
“No.”
“Edward!”
He pulled a folder out of his case and handed it to Mia. “I figured I would give you the opportunity to do that.”
She grabbed it from his hands and ripped it open, pulling the documents from it. Her eyes scanned the paper before she got up and went to Steven’s paper shredder. “Here’s to a chapter done and closed forever.” She shoved the papers into the mouth of the shredder and watched the metal teeth chew it up, grinding and moaning until the paper disappeared. Flopping back into her chair, she looked at Steven and Edward, a satisfying sigh concluding the conversation. “Everything is as it should be again.”
Mia walked Edward out to his car after lunch, her hand in his like high school kids in love.
“Remember the last time you walked me out to my car?” He nudged her when she walked through the front door of her building.
“I do.” Warmth flooded her cheeks as she recalled the heated session in the backseat.
“Care to reminisce with me?”
“You don’t want me to get my work finished today, do you? First lunch, now a temptation I can barely say no to?” She leaned into him when he rested against the back of his car.
“Barely?”
“I have to be the strong one here. I have a lot of work to do if I want to play on the weekend.”
“You’re a tough cookie, aren’t you?”
“I have to, to be successful.”
“And amazing,” he said, kissing her cheek. “And sexy.” He kissed her nose. “And completely irresistible.” He kissed her lips. He deepened his kiss, pulling her into him.
She melted in his arms, letting him begin to convince her to blow off the rest of the day to make love wherever they ended up. Her cell phone buzzed, interrupting that thought. “Damn. I thought I left that in my office.” She leaned away from him and looked at it. “I’m sorry. You almost had me.”
“Are you sure?” He kissed her lips. “I can’t convince you?” He kissed her again.
“One of us has to have the level head. I guess that will have to be me.” She pulled away from him and playfully poked at him. “We will have time for us, soon. I promise.”
“Tonight. Have dinner with me.”
She grimaced. “Not tonight. I’ve spent so much time away from Emily. I owe her some mommy time.”
“Enough said. That little girl takes number-one position.” He put his hands up in surrender. “How about I’ll call you. Maybe we can get together over the weekend.”
“Sounds good.” She planted one more good kiss to get her through until the next time she saw him before turning away and walking back inside.
Later that evening, she pulled her phone and texted Edward.
Plans fell through with my number one. Care to be my number two?
She bit her lip, waiting for a response. When her phone lit up, she smiled.
What happened?
She decided on a sleepover at a friend’s house. Would you like to fill in?
So, I’ll get you for the entire night?
Mia’s stomach quivered. She hadn’t thought of that. Looks like it.
Sounds too good to be true. I’ll take it. Pick you up in an hour?
Perfect.
They dined together at a small Japanese restaurant and drank too much sake. They laughed and talked until the restaurant forced them to leave. It wasn’t until they were alone in his apartment when Mia realized how long it had been since she’d been intimate with him. With all of the chaos trying to rebuild her company and getting his company back under control after Jack’s arrest, time had flown by. There they were, over a month later, standing in front of each other, one waiting for the other to make the first move.
Mia felt her heart beating out of her chest, wanting to reach up and touch him, but wanting to savor the excitement it gave her. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders until he reached up and pushed it aside, exposing her neck. His hand caressed her there, his lips parting at the sight. He swallowed hard and leaned in. She felt the warmth of his breath on her lips just before contact. He covered her mouth with his and lingered there, inhaling her, pulling her into him. His tongue penetrated her mouth the moment his lips parted hers, and again, it took her breath away.
She felt his hands on her back, underneath her shirt. He caressed her skin, pulled her closer, kissed her deeper, and pressed himself into her. His hardness was firm and eager against her thigh. He stepped back, watching her as he pulled her shirt from her body, exposing the white lace bra barely covering her beautiful breasts. He knelt before her, his hands on her waist. He kissed her stomach, biting at the button on her pants. He pulled them open with his mouth and struggled to loosen them so he could yank them down with one quick motion.
She gasped when they hit the floor, then stepped out of them at his request. He crawled closer, hugging her body as he unclasped her bra and allowed it to fall away from her. He slowly, very slowly pulled her panties down her long legs until they were around her ankles, picking one foot up and then the other, removing the white lacey material from her.
He wrapped his arms around her naked body and just hung on. She felt a twinge of compassion for him, something internal he had been going through. He was beginning a new chapter in his life as well. It had to have been hard losing both his father and his brother in the same year. She buried her hands in his hair and let him hang on for as long as he needed to.
When he stood back up and looked at her, there was an urgency in his eyes. He picked her up, putting her legs around him and kissing her hard. Walking through his living room, he slammed her against the wall. The feel of his suit against her nakedness thrilled her with her own vulnerability. He pinned her against the wall and grasped her wrists, holding them tight to the wall as his tongue pushed into her mouth. His dominance lit a fire inside her. He let one hand go to unzip his pants until he had pulled himself free.
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br /> Without hesitation, he held her up, pulling away from her long enough to push his cock deep inside her. She gasped, his urgency surprising her. He pushed until he filled her and stopped, holding her against the wall. She wanted to move, she wanted to fuck him, her body screamed for more—but she didn’t dare move.
He picked her up off the wall and carried her into the dining room, where he lay her on his table, her feet still around his waist. He stood on the edge, his hands sliding up and down from her breasts to her hips. He watched the way her torso moved, almost lost. He swallowed hard, grabbed her hips with both hands and watched her body as he fucked her. The table moved back and forth, a small vase of flowers falling over and rolling off the edge. He fucked her harder, with more urgency and with more fervor, stirring fear within her. She had never seen this side of him. He was dominating, yes but this; this was different.
He leaned down, his forehead pressing into her stomach as he pushed a few more times, groaning gutturally from deep within. He exploded and thrust into her, shoving the table a few more inches toward the wall. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her up to him and just hanging onto her.
She caressed him, stroked him and kissed him gently over and over, keeping silent until he looked up at her. “Are you okay?”
“I am now.” He slid the back of his hand across her jawline and seemed to look into her. “I’m so in love with you, Mia.”
She kissed him with urgency, thanking God that she saw the truth before it was too late. The idea that she almost lost him to someone else’s conspiracy haunted her and sickened her. She couldn’t imagine her life without him. “I love you so much.”
They spent the rest of the night making love in his bed, caressing each other, massaging each other, and bathing in hot essential oil baths, only to make love again.
By the time he dropped Mia off at her apartment, she was sore and exhausted but satiated and completely in love with Edward and with her life. She spent the rest of the day with Emily, falling asleep with her in her arms on the couch later that evening while watching The Lion King.
The next morning, she sipped on her coffee and poured some creamy pancake batter into a heated pan. Looking at the small table in the kitchen, she watched Emily play with her favorite baby doll, enamored at how amazing she’d turned out to be. Mia was lucky. She felt like she had the entire world at her feet.
A knock at the door startled her. Someone had gotten in the front door without buzzing in. She put her coffee down to answer, but Emily ran to it before Mia could stop her. Just as Mia got into the living room, Emily whipped the door open.
Edward stood in the hallway, casually dressed and looking sexy as ever. He held a bouquet of flowers and a wrapped box with a white bow.
“Edward!” Emily jumped into his arms and hugged him.
“Emily! Don’t do that.” Mia scolded her daughter.
“It’s perfectly fine,” he chuckled.
“What a pleasant surprise.” Mia had a huge smile on her face.
“I hope I’m not intruding.”
“Come in! Come in!” Emily pulled at his shirt until he stepped inside and closed the door.
“Not at all. Come in. Please.”
“I was going to buzz in, but some old man insisted on holding the door for me until I was in the building. I figured it was silly to buzz if I was already in.”
“Mr. Higgins. He lives on the bottom floor. Sweet old man.”
“Could be dangerous for New York.”
“Would you like to stay for breakfast?” Emily clasped her hands together behind her back and rocked on her feet.
“I’m making pancakes.” Mia blushed, hoping he would stay.
“With blueberries!” Emily’s face lit up.
“How can I say no to that?”
Emily pulled him toward the kitchen as he flashed a dazzling smile at Mia. “This is for you.” He handed the gift-wrapped box to Emily and the bouquet to Mia.
“Thank you, Edward. You shouldn’t have.”
“I shouldn’t do a lot of things. But it never stops me.”
Emily squealed when she pulled the small glass teddy bear necklace from the box. “It has a green pebble on its belly. That’s my birthstone!”
“Yes, it is.”
“How did you know?”
“Let’s just say, a little birdie told me.”
“Thank you. I love it.”
“You’re very welcome, Emily.”
Mia watched Edward as he enjoyed Emily’s excitement. Her heart swelled.
“Excuse me.” Emily walked closer to Edward and stood there, motionless.
“Yes, Emily?”
“I have a favor to ask you.”
He leaned down and gave her his complete attention. “Anything.”
“I think you should date my mom. She’s very nice, and will take care of you like she does me.”
He looked up at Mia, and they both laughed out loud.
“I would love to date your mom if she’ll have me.”
“One more thing.” Emily tilted her head and smiled. “Can I call you Eddie?”
Exposed
Maxwell
After a long day, the last thing I want to do is placate people. Some clients tend to get nervous at the final moments of a deal and want to pull out. However, they respond well to one-on-one meetings where they can voice their concerns, and I can put them at ease. My daughter requires less mollifying than my business associates.
I pull into the lot, then immediately call the nanny, waiting as the line rings. Finally, she answers. I ask her about Bella.
“Yes, she’s all tucked in,” she replies in a hushed voice.
“I’ll be back soon,” I tell her. “You’ll be free to go then, thanks again for doing this.” I end the call and consult my watch. I hope that my associate is running on schedule, but I’m fairly certain that he’ll be late. I have to relieve my daughter’s nanny as soon as possible since she had asked for the night off last week. But because the new client needs some hand-holding, I had no choice.
Walking up to the building, I see too many neon lights and too much flesh. The bar has acquired a hip reputation, and large groups of young people clamor around its entrance. Ironically, I could enter this or any other VIP section with my name alone, but I’m at a point in my life where I’d much rather be at home.
Everyone is trying hard to impress, and it leaves me feeling a little old, jaded. If I had a choice, I would be at home, but work calls. I plunge through the growing crowd along the side of the building. Pausing by the door, I see the bouncer give me a side glance before his face splits into a grin. He jerks his head toward the entrance.
After ordering a drink, I get a corner booth. The waitress brings my dry martini, and I let it sit untouched. I get a strange feeling that something is not right. My eyes search the room, but nothing seems out of the ordinary. I spot a few employees from work. There is a buzz in the bar that reeks of desperation, and I long to leave. My idea of a night out involves much simpler, less gaudy pleasures. Pulling out my phone, I decide to send a few email replies while I wait for my associate to arrive.
The back of my seat thumps with the rhythm of the club, but I ignore it. At this point, every sound has jumbled into one loud throbbing sensation. I look up again to check the crowd, and I glance behind me to make sure I didn’t miss him. I did. I see him looking around for me, looking every bit as out of place as I feel. Lifting my arm up, I wave him over.
His eyebrows lift in recognition. “There you are! I thought I’d never find you in this place.” He lets out a huff as he settles into the booth.
“Have you been here before?” I ask. I like to know a little bit about my clients and their lifestyles —it gives me an edge.
“I haven’t, actually. And had I known it was this trendy, I might have suggested another place.” He tugs at his collar and looks around the room. “I actually just wanted a beer,” he confesses, “but I felt obligated to get a fancy drin
k if you know what I mean.”
I laugh. “I had the same problem. If you tell them you want a beer, they’ll give you twenty different microbrews to choose from.”
The man laughs at this and nods. “When in Rome,” he quips and raises his glass. The liquid is blue, and the rim is jagged with caked-on salt.
“What is that, anyway?” I ask.
“Hell if I know,” he grumbles. “I ordered a Blaze, but I got this thing. Looks like it’s missing the umbrella.”
We laugh at this, and then I guide the conversation to business. He confides in me his fears and expresses doubt about the venture. His own business partner has backed out, and he feels as though this may not be the best time for him to go into something alone. I explain to him that he has every right to feel out of sorts, but this isn’t the first time we’ve had clients with this issue. For that reason, I tell him, we have a whole department dedicated to helping him with his onboarding experience.
Thirty minutes later, he’s shaking my hand heartily. “I needed this. I’m glad I won’t have to take a loss and start from scratch.”
“We’ll cover you from A to Z,” I assure him. I watch him leave and get up to take off also. Before I go, I scan the room again. My eyes rest on the booth across from me.
I blink once, twice, to make sure what I’m seeing isn’t my imagination. It’s her. I recognize the retro white and green dress with lace and a flared silhouette. She was wearing it when I left. In fact, I remember complimenting her on this dress.
It’s the nanny. She’s making out with a man in the booth across from me.
With all the calmness I can muster, I approach her and clear my throat. My heart is beating fast, my fists clenched. She doesn’t look up, but her partner does. He eyes me warily. I stare at him and look pointedly at the woman in his arms.
“What do you want, man?” he asks, put off by the intrusion. “She’s taken, okay?” He straightens himself up a bit and puffs out his chest. The nanny, meanwhile, continues to gnaw on his neck, oblivious to my presence.