Mr. Alpha: A 6 Book Alpha Male Romance Collection

by Alexis Gold

  Mia was grateful that they hadn’t grown apart while growing older. She knew she had a friend and a confidant in her sister; one that she would have all of her life, and she wouldn’t have traded Serena with all her differences for anything or anyone in the world. She loved having a niece and nephew, especially since they were likely to be the only children she would have in her life. She had no interest in having her own children, and being able to spoil her sister’s kids was an indulgent delight of hers.

  She wasn’t even sure she wanted a permanent or serious relationship in her life. She was so busy having fun, making memories with her friends and making money, that she had no real interest in anything long term with any man she knew, and that suited her just fine. Her friends; Liam, Ava, and Maddie, all felt the same as she did, although she suspected that Ava would want to settle down someday, no matter how much she played around with men until that day came. She seemed to have such a romantic side that settling down with some great man at the end of her wild days would be the perfect scenario for her, although Mia would never say it to her.

  Maddie was too independent, strong-willed, and adventurous to settle down. Mia could see her spending her life making money and traveling the world, taking lovers as she went and leaving them behind when it was time to go. She could see Maddie keeping her friends close, but no one else. Liam wasn’t much different; changing lovers often and enjoying his free lifestyle, but that seemed like a typical standard for the gay men in his circle of friends. None of them were really the marrying kind.

  Mia looked at the photograph of her parents. Her father was holding her mother with his arm wrapped around her at his side. They were smiling pleasantly. She had always remembered them as happy, before he passed away. Her mother lived in a retirement community, and spent all her time with her friends there, or visiting Serena and the kids.

  Her parents had enjoyed a long and loving marriage, and Mia knew that Serena would as well. Sometimes she wondered if she might be doing things wrong or outside of her family’s expectations, although they accepted her lifestyle with no judgment and no argument. As a younger woman, she wondered if she would meet a man she would want to spend the rest of her life with, but she had met so many of them over the years that she had come to realize that there couldn’t be one she would want to spend all of her life with. She liked too many different things about too many different men, and there had never been a single man who had all of the qualities she admired most. She was certain that she would never fall in love deeply, and that forever with one love was not in her future, and the realization of that gave her a peace of sorts. She knew it, and she took comfort in it. She, like Maddie, loved living her life on her own. It was her comfort zone, and nothing and no one would ever change that.

  *

  Sunlight filtered in through the light blinds in Mia’s bedroom and she saw the light in her dreams just before she awoke and opened her eyes. She curled her arms up over her head and lengthened them, arching her back and pointing her toes, pushing out the stiffness of sleep.

  Pushing herself from the bed, she walked to the shower and twisted the knob in it, sending a thick spray of hot water downward, and billowing steam upward. She pulled her nightgown off and hung it on the back of the bathroom door and moments later she was standing with eyes closed as streams of hot water coursed over her dark body. She pushed her face up toward the showerhead and felt it wash away the dreams and sleep from the night before.

  Mia thought better in the shower than she did anywhere else. It was quiet; there were no distractions, there were no noises, there was nothing tugging at her attention and she was able to let her mind wander over all that she had saved up to think about later. She had a meeting that morning with a new client. Logan Parker had been referred to her and she had agreed to an initial meeting with him at his office. She was always glad to get new clients if they were good clients. She pursed her lips in frustration for a moment over Will Carter. She would have to take on at least two new clients to be able to compensate for dumping him from her clientele, but she was seriously considering it.

  By the time she patted her body dry with a thick yellow towel, she was smiling and ready for the day to bring her whatever good it would. She readied herself, pulling her hair up into a twist once more. She felt it was best to look professional for her clients, especially new ones. Fingering the hangers in her closet, she moved her hand over several outfits until she came to a light lavender dress that bespoke spring and femininity as well as professionalism. Slipping it on, she paired it with a white jacket and heels with a silver necklace, and gave herself a cursory glance in the mirror. Smiling, she picked up her bag and headed out the door.

  Forty minutes later, she was stepping out of the elevator at Logan’s office. She glanced around at the natural wood and clear glass design of the reception room, and immediately liked the warm and welcoming feel that it gave her. There were potted plants set around in subtle places, giving the area a much more natural feel.

  Mia walked up to the reception desk and announced herself. She was surprised to see a young man at the desk rather than a woman of any age. It was rare to find a male receptionist. He was polite, offering her coffee while she waited to see Logan. She declined his offer and sat in one of the deeply-cushioned chairs. It was obvious that if Logan had anything to do with the design of his office, he had good taste as well as money, and that was a combination she felt she didn’t find as often as she would have liked to.

  She wasn’t waiting long. Five minutes after she sat down, a tall, well-built man strode out from the hallway and walked to her, greeting her with a smile and a handshake as she rose up from her chair. His blond hair was cut short and his clean-shaven face was more than nice to look at, with evenly placed features and soft brown eyes shining down at her from his six foot height. She smiled up at him as he spoke her name in his deep voice.

  “You must be Miss James. I’m Logan Parker. It’s wonderful to meet you. Thank you so much for taking the time to come in to my office to meet with me. I appreciate it.” He looked at her seriously and she knew he meant it; he wasn’t just being polite.

  “I’m pleased to meet you,” she answered him with a smile. She was. He seemed very nice. “It’s just as easy for me to meet you here as it is anywhere else, so whatever is convenient and close for you works well for me.”

  It was true, as long as it was on the island anywhere, or not far from it, she was glad to meet her clients at their businesses or their homes, although she did prefer businesses, as it kept the feel of their meetings focused on professionalism. Mia had a small office in SoHo, but she rarely met anyone there. She preferred to use it for her work on her client’s files rather than meeting them there in person.

  He tipped his head backward behind him in a directional gesture. “Would you care to come back to the office and we can get started?” he asked in a light tone.

  She nodded and picked up her bag, following him as he led the way. She looked around at the other offices they passed on the way to his at the end of the hallway. Upon entering it, she found herself surrounded by floor to ceiling glass windows, barely off white carpet, and light wood furnishings. There were more plants in corners and on flat surfaces, and a softly bubbling water fountain on a low table by one window. The environment was peaceful.

  Mia looked up at him and gave him a smile, and he asked her to have a seat on the sofa against the far wall. She took the seat and he gave her bottled water from the small refrigerator in his mini bar.

  Pulling out her tablet and set it on the table before them, opening the file she had created for him. She turned the tablet toward him as he sat beside her. “If you look here, you will see some of the current placements for your investments.” She let him take a cursory glance at the page and then she swiped it to the next one. “These are some of my immediate recommendations for you, and we can go over why I recommending each of them for you,” she began.

  She explained her suggestio
ns to him in detail, and she knew that he was immersed in their discussion; he was asking pertinent questions and watching everything she did, but he was also watching her, now and then out of the corner of his eye, and she knew that he wasn’t looking at her entirely with a business perspective.

  He kept their conversation business-centered and was polite and thorough in his discussions with her. When she was finished with her presentation and offering him her suggestions, he turned to her with a pleasant and warm smile.

  “I like everything you advised me to look into, and I’m going to go with all of your suggestions,” he told her earnestly. “You have a clever and quick mind, and I can see that nothing really gets by you. I feel confident that my money and my investments would be well-managed in your hands.”

  She grinned and as he stood up, she followed suit, reaching for his hand to shake it. “I appreciate that! Thank you so much. I will take excellent care of your investments for you,” she answered. He nodded and shook her hand, and he held it a moment longer before letting it go and giving her a sweet smile that had nothing at all to do with business.

  “Miss James…” he began, his gaze holding her eyes. She shook her head slightly at him.

  “Please, feel free to call me Mia,” she said kindly.

  He nodded. “Thank you. Mia,” he said, hesitating only for the span of a few breaths. “I wonder if you would like to have dinner with me.” He watched her face carefully and continued, “I do want to keep business and pleasure separate, of course, but I find you charming and irresistible, and I’m enormously curious about you, outside of your professional capacity with me. Have dinner with me tonight, please?” he asked confidently.

  She felt pleased at his invitation and the way he had asked her. It wasn’t a typical come-on, and it made her want to do something she rarely did, and that was mix her business with a little pleasure. She lowered her lashes just a little, giving him a bit of a flirtatious smile.

  “I think I’d like that,” she answered him.

  He nodded back to her. “Very good. Shall I pick you up or would you like to meet me at the restaurant? I was thinking Bella Italia north of here on 5th Ave. Do you like Italian?” he asked hopefully.

  She laughed a little Bella Italia was four blocks from Carly’s where she and her friends always met. She loved the neighborhood. “I’ve actually been there before. I really like that restaurant. I’ll meet you there tonight.” She told him, picking up her bag and turning toward the door just a little way. “What time would you like me to be there?”

  He grinned at her. “Let’s say six?” he asked, his eyebrows raising slightly in the asking.

  “Six it is. I’ll see you then. Thank you, Logan.” She gave him another big smile and walked down the hall from his office, wondering if he was watching her. When she got to the end of the hall, she turned and glanced over her shoulder and saw that he was watching her, and she lifted her hand and gave him a small wave.

  Feeling sexy and empowered, she looked straight ahead as the elevator doors closed in front of her and she felt a bubble of triumph growing inside of her. She had landed an enormous account, as well as a hot date. The day had gotten off to an excellent start.

  The rest of her time that day was spent in her office in SoHo, going over files and making changes to various investments for her clients and for herself. She had lunch in Chinatown, and then at the end of day, she sent an email off to Ava, Maddie, and Liam, double-checking that they were all still available for cocktails the next night at Carly’s. They each responded a short while later that they were, and they agreed to meet the following evening.

  She didn’t say anything about Logan. She wanted to save that gossip for their visit. Instead, she left her office a little early and went home to change and ready for her date. She slipped into a skin-tight black dress and black heels, letting her hair down and adding a matching set of gold earrings and a gold necklace. She looked elegant and refined, she decided, as she walked out of her apartment and headed to Bella Italia to meet Logan.

  He was waiting for her when she got there with a bouquet of red roses in his hands. As she walked toward him, his face lit up and he smiled widely at her, giving her a hug and handing the roses to her.

  “These are lovely,” she told him as she happily buried her nose in the blooms. “Thank you so much.”

  He watched her with no shyness whatsoever. “They pale in the shadow of your beauty,” he said softly, gazing at her face and into her eyes. She blinked in surprise and thanked him again, and they were escorted to their table.

  All throughout the evening he asked question after question, not discussing much about himself, but seeming to be fascinated with getting to know her. At the beginning of their dinner, it seemed as if everything was the fairly standard “getting to know you” part of a first date. It was a part of the date that she had gotten fairly good at, having been on so many first dates. By the end of the evening, she felt as if she was being interviewed for a position, and she wasn’t pleased about it.

  They walked out of the restaurant and he looked satisfied with how their night had gone. She was slightly annoyed, but she had had a good time most of the evening, and he was handsome, well off, and a new client, so she smiled up at him as they walked out onto the street.

  “Thank you. It was a fun evening,” she told him simply, her mind more on the taxi she would be hailing in moments than on the goodbye she was giving him.

  He grinned. “It was fun! You’re quite a lady,” he told her, stepping closer to her.

  With her mind on the taxi, she wasn’t paying quite enough attention to Logan, and she was a little startled when he wrapped his arms around her and swept her up into an embrace. She lifted her chin suddenly to look up at him and in that moment, he pressed his lips to hers, kissing her softly, moving his mouth over hers tenderly as he pressed her body to his. She was caught completely by surprise at first, and didn’t respond right away, but the longer he held her and kissed her, the more curious she became, and she kissed him back, though with a little less enthusiasm than he kissed her. At long last he let her go, his eyes slightly glazed over, his mouth parted, and his lungs breathless.

  “Wow! You are something else, Mia.” He breathed heavily.

  He moved his hands to her shoulders and she turned the corners of her mouth up slightly and stepped backward, subtly freeing herself from his grasp. He gave her a naughty grin and she turned and waved to hail a cab. One pulled up to the curb right away.

  “Thank you Logan, you have a good night,” she told him with a wave of her hand and a parade queen smile. He stepped forward and reached for the cab door as she slid into the seat.

  “Well, I’ll call you. We should do this again really soon,” he said, still breathless as he held tight to the cab door.

  She nodded and reached for the door handle and he reluctantly let go of the door, pressing it closed between them, watching her as if there was nothing else in the world but her, sitting in the back of a big yellow car. She turned to the driver and gave him her address, and the cab sped off into the night.

  ***

  The next morning she ignored three phone calls from Logan and smiled when a delivery person brought a huge bouquet of roses to her office in SoHo. The card attached to them was sweet. He thanked her for their night and hoped to see her again soon.

  Mia put the roses on her desk and went back to work. She was intently working when her office phone rang two more times, and the caller ID showed it to be Logan. She ignored both calls as she focused on her work, and an hour later she discovered two emails in her inbox from him.

  She sighed and frowned, wondering if going to dinner with him had perhaps not been the best idea. At four that afternoon when she locked her office door, she had still not responded to any of his attempts to contact her, save for one email back, thanking him for the evening and the flowers.

  At six, she was seated in Carly’s waiting for her friends to arrive, and they showed up as
she expected them to. Liam and Maddie arrived within two minutes of each other, and Ava was ten minutes late. She cited rush hour hassles and they smiled at her and hugged her. Kisses and hugs out of the way, they sat down and ordered their drinks, and Mia launched into telling them about Logan. She had waited long enough, and she wanted to dish a little on him. She took a sip of her cosmopolitan and then looked around the table at them.

  “So I met with a new client yesterday morning. He is a heavy hitter on Wall Street, so I was really hoping to land his accounts, but I wound up landing a date with him last night as well,” she began. Her friends’ eyes grew wide and Ava giggled and gave her a wink.

  “Did you spend the night with him?” she asked hopefully. She loved steamy gossip.

  Mia shook her head. “No, we met up at Bella Italia,” she began.

  “Up the street?” Maddie asked tilting her head slightly.

  “Yeah, that’s the one,” Mia answered. “Anyway, we had a nice dinner and he’s a really nice guy, but he didn’t do much talking about himself. He just kind of asked me tons of questions all night. By the time we left, I felt like I had been on a job interview, unless he was interviewing me for something else, and I can tell you right now, I don’t want to know about it if he was,” she said, rolling her eyes a little.

  Liam lowered one brow. “He was nice but trying too hard?” he asked, evaluating what she had shared with them.

  She nodded. “Way too hard. He had a dozen roses for me at the restaurant,” she said with a small smile. Ava put her hand on her heart and swooned a little.