by Tara Sue Me
“But if you’ll agree to one kiss, I bet I can get you to change your mind on sharing my room.”
“Benjamin. Leave.”
He may have answered her. I wasn’t sure. By that time, listening was the very last thing on my mind. The only thing I cared about was getting him away from her. It took a matter of seconds before I was out of my room and in hers.
I didn’t spare more than a fleeting thought that neither one of them had locked the door, because as I burst into her room, he had her backed against the couch and he was towering over her.
That was all it took. He had his fucking hands on her after she’d said no and asked him to leave. I’d kill him with my bare hands. Fucking bastard. He stood about four inches above my six foot-one-inch frame, but it didn’t matter. I had the element of surprise, and I also felt as if I suddenly possessed the strength of fifty men. Before he knew what was happening, I had him against the wall with my hands around his throat.
“She said no, ass wipe,” I said through clenched teeth. “And she asked you to leave. Want to try and fucking explain why you’re still here?”
I didn’t give him a chance to explain because no matter what he said, he’d only piss me off more. Keeping my hold on his neck, I led him to the door, and shoved him through it. Slamming it shut and engaging the locks for good measure.
Still facing the door, I took three deep breaths before turning toward Mia.
She’d moved and was now sitting on the couch, her face buried in her hands. She wasn’t crying, not that I could tell, anyway. But her shoulders were shaking.
Seeing her like that, visibly upset and vulnerable, made me want to go after Benjamin and pound him into the ground. The one thing that kept me from doing just that was Mia needed me more than I needed to hit him.
I didn’t want to touch her, not after that. I was too afraid doing so would do nothing but upset her. There was no way any touch from me would bring her any measure of comfort. Hell, I wasn’t even certain if she felt safe with me being in the room with her, but I’d be damned if I’d leave her alone until I was one hundred ten percent convinced she was fine.
I took a tentative seat on the couch beside her, careful not to accidentally touch her. “Mia?” I asked in a whisper. “Are you okay?”
She slowly lifted her head. “No,” she answered and though I saw fear in her eyes, I saw something else that made me believe her when she said, “No, I’m not okay. But I will be.”
“I know that for a fact. Don’t you doubt it for a second.”
She dipped her head as if suddenly shy and I once more held back from touching her. I cleared my throat. “Will you tell me what happened tonight?”
She nodded, but it took a few seconds before she started. When she did, however, even though her voice was low, it was strong. They had met in the lobby as planned and Benjamin suggested they hang out at the bar before heading somewhere to eat.
Mia said she was a bit tired which wasn’t a surprise to her. Traveling always made her feel that way. They spent longer in the bar than she’d anticipated and she couldn’t figure out why. Several times she’d hinted at going to get something to eat, but Benjamin was never ready. Either he wanted to watch a replay of whatever sport the bar had on or else he would shake his head.
It wasn’t until nearly two hours had passed that she finally stood up and told him she was getting something to eat. She didn’t care if he stayed or went.
“He came with me,” she said. “I told him I wasn’t going out anywhere because it was too late and I was too tired and hungry. He shrugged and said that was fine.”
“How did he act at dinner?” I asked, trying to wrap my head around what exactly had happened.
“That’s the strange thing, he wasn’t anything like the way he was at the bar. He was much more in line with the guy I remembered him being. In a way, it felt like that time at the bar didn’t happen or else it didn’t happen like I remembered it.”
“How much had you had to drink by this time?” I hated asking her, but I wanted to know if her judgment had somehow been compromised. I didn’t place it past this guy not to drug her drink.
“That’s the funny thing, I hadn’t had anything. In the bar I only had two tonic waters and I had iced tea for dinner.” At my raised eyebrow, she continued. “I can’t drink on an empty stomach.”
“What happened after dinner?” I asked.
She hugged herself, rubbing her arms as she spoke. “Not much of anything. We lingered over our meal and by the time we left the restaurant, it was almost midnight. He asked if I’d like to go back to his room, but I said no.”
“And he asked if he could walk you to yours?” I finished, guessing the rest.
She nodded. “I knew he’d try to get inside, but I never thought he’d use force.” She closed her eyes. “Thank goodness you were awake and in the room next door. I can’t imagine what would have happened if you hadn’t shown up.”
Unfortunately, I was almost positive she knew exactly what would have happened if I hadn’t been able to get to her in time. That was probably the reason for the shiver that ran through her body.
“Are you cold?” I asked, standing and feeling the need to do something. “Can I get you a blanket or some water?”
“Do you know what I’d really like?”
“No, tell me.” Please.
She looked up at me and glanced away quickly, biting her bottom lip.
“Mia?” I sat back down.
“Will you hold me?”
It took a few seconds for her request to make sense in my head. “Are you sure?” I asked.
“Yes.” She shifted toward me, so close our legs touched. “I trust you and I feel safe with you.”
There was no way I could turn her down. Not when she made that request and looked at me with those trusting eyes of hers. She could ask for the moon and I’d try to get it for her. The intensity I felt about her shocked me.
I put a hesitant arm around her, but she wanted nothing to do with my hesitation. She took my hand and pulled my arms tighter around her shoulders while at the same time, moving even closer to me and tucking her head under my chin. It was only once she had settled herself that her body sagged against mine and the warm breath of her sigh caressed my neck.
“I was so tired after dinner,” she said. “But now I don’t think I could go to sleep if you made me.”
I lowered my head, just a touch, so I could smell her hair. The scent was citrusy and reminded me of sunshine. “Do you want to call the police and report what happened?” I asked, because it was a question that had to be asked.
“No,” she answered.
“Let me rephrase. Do you think you should report what happened?”
“I’ve been thinking about that and I don’t know. I mean, if you look at it, nothing really happened.”
“Only because I stopped it,” I reminded her. Not that she needed or wanted a reminder, I was sure.
“But that doesn’t take away from the fact that nothing happened.” Without waiting for a response, she continued, “I’m not even sure if the police could do anything anyway. It’s not like he lives here.”
“I hate the thought of that scumbag getting away. Knowing you aren’t going to report him makes me want to beat him up, just for the hell of it,” I said, though I hope I kept just how angry I was with the man somewhat hidden for fear I might scare her.
She snuggled deeper into my arms. “He won’t get away with anything. I firmly believe that karma is real and that she’s also a bitch.”
“Does that mean if I see him in the hotel tomorrow, I can’t hit him?” Because if that was her assumption, she needed to know I wouldn’t be able to hold back.
“No way. If you see him tomorrow, feel free to knock him a good one.”
I pulled back just a bit. Just enough so she could see my face. I thanked her for having the confidence in me to lay Benjamin out. However, I had a feeling deep in my gut that told me Benjamin would no lon
ger be listed as a guest of the hotel. That made me all sorts of happy. “I’m glad you feel that way,” I told her. “Because I believe in karma, too. Except my karma has fists.”
She laughed and my heart melted. “That’s the best kind of karma there is.”
For a second she was back to her happy-go-lucky self and her smile was so beautiful, I couldn’t stop myself from running my thumb over her lips. So soft, just as I’d imagined and the most sensuous shade of pink I’d ever seen. I wanted to discover how she tasted. She sucked in a breath and I could have kicked myself. What had I been thinking to touch her like that? I was such an idiot.
“I’m sorry.” I dropped my arm from around her shoulders and tried to push away from her.
She placed her hand on my knee. “No.”
10
Mia
* * *
Beside me, Tenor flinched.
“What’s wrong?” I asked him.
“I shouldn’t have touched you.” He closed his eyes and wouldn’t look at me, but at least he’d stopped trying to get away from me. I was thankful for that. In his arms, I felt safe and protected.
“Why?” I asked him. “Because Benjamin turned out to be an ass? That’s not your fault.”
His eyes were open and he was looking at me. That was better than him not looking at me, but something was still off. “I know it’s not my fault, but you’ve had an emotional night and I shouldn’t do anything to add to that.”
It sounded very practical, but practical wasn’t what I needed or wanted at the moment. “Maybe you’re not adding to it,” I said and shifted the tiniest bit toward him. If he’d noticed, he didn’t say anything or try to scoot away. “Maybe you’re what I need to help me get over my emotional night.” My own admission shocked the hell out of me.
I’d heard of the expression ‘deer in the headlights’ but until that moment, I’d never actually seen it on a person. Tenor looked exactly like that. It was almost funny. Was he scared of me?
But no, I realized. He’d kept my date from assaulting me and in thanks I acted as if I was going to jump his bones. Tenor was doing everything he could to be a perfect gentleman and I wasn’t letting him fulfill the role.
The thing was, he was right. It had been a highly emotional night. I wasn’t in the best place or frame of mind to be doing anything. But in that moment, sitting beside him, all that paled in comparison to the fact that I wanted him. I didn’t want to want him, but my libido didn’t seem to care.
And I was pretty certain he wanted me as well.
The realization was shocking and unexpected. At least to me. And the strange thing was, I didn’t want to fight it.
But if we acted on those feelings tonight, we’d both regret it. Okay, I wouldn’t regret it, but he would and I didn’t want guilt of any kind to taint anything about us.
Then there was the fact that he was my boss. Fuck. Funny how I kept forgetting that at times. Plus, I didn’t like him.
Right. I didn’t believe it anymore either.
Either way I looked at it, if anything happened tonight, Tenor would feel guilty on both of those accounts. So my wants and needs would have to wait for another day when only the fact that he was my boss would be an issue. Tonight, however….
I tried to yawn and discovered it wasn’t much of a stretch for me to let out a big one. Beside me, Tenor let out a deep breath, obviously overjoyed at my fatigue.
“Sleepy?” he asked.
I nodded. “But if you don’t mind, can I ask a favor?”
“Of course,” he replied, but he hesitated before saying it and he looked very tired himself. Hadn’t he said before I left to see Benjamin that he was going to bed? And yet, here he was, still up and making sure I was okay after running a would-be attacker from my room.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “You should be sleeping and because of me, you’re still up.”
“Don’t even think about apologizing,” he said and even though he still looked tired, there was a strength in his expression and his tone left no room for arguing. “I’m not sorry at all. I’m glad I’m awake because I can’t think about what would have happened if I wasn’t.”
I couldn’t look at him. It wasn’t fair to him no matter what he said.
“Mia.” He gently took my chin, turning it gently until I faced him. “I mean it. Don’t even think about feeling guilty. Okay?”
His fingers were softer than I’d imagined they’d be. It was a bit odd in a way. There was no part of him that was soft. Perhaps, then, it was only his touch that was soft? I knew from watching him kick Benjamin out how hard he could be otherwise.
He smiled at me and I couldn’t stop myself, I smiled back. “Okay.” The words slipped from my lips without me even thinking about them. I wasn’t one hundred percent sure what I was agreeing to.
Right. No guilt.
Oh well, it wouldn’t be my first lie. Probably not my last either.
“Now,” he said. “What was the favor you wanted to ask me?”
As much as I’d just admitted to myself that I had lied and would do it again, there was no way I could do with him watching me the way he was. “Would you mind horribly much if I asked you to stay with me tonight?” I regretted it was soon as I spoke the question and saw the trepidation in his eyes, but whatever negative response I’d anticipated, never materialized.
His voice was calmer than I’d expected when he asked, “Here in your room? Or here in your bed?”
My bed. Though I only wanted his comfort, I was unable to keep more intimate images out of my mind. Images I thought would scare me after the last few hours, but didn’t. “It really doesn’t matter. It’s only, I don’t want to be alone.”
“Do you think he’ll come back?”
Shit. That thought hadn’t entered my mind, but with his words, I could imagine it happening. He wouldn’t, would he? I didn’t think so, but what if I was wrong? What if he did? Suddenly, I was freezing. Or I guessed that was why I felt so cold.
“Fuck,” Tenor said, turning toward me and putting his arms around me. He pulled me close, all the while whispering, “He’s not coming anywhere near you. Not tonight. Not ever. He’ll have to get through me first.”
And once more, I was safe.
He ended up staying in my room all night. For about an hour we sat on the couch, but it eventually grew uncomfortable. Tenor stood and took my hand, ensuring I’d follow as he walked to his room to gather a few things before heading back to mine.
When we were once again locked safely inside, he shuffled me off into the bathroom to change into my pjs. I felt the urge to take a shower, even though I’d taken one before meeting Benjamin. Symbolically washing him away, I supposed. Freshly clean and comfortable in my soft cotton sleep shorts and tee, I crawled into bed. I was asleep before Tenor made it out of the bathroom.
I woke up sometime in the middle of the night to find his arms around me while he slept on top of the covers. I smiled and snuggled closer, wondering how in the world I ever thought he was an asshole.
Maybe it was that revelation in the early morning hours that made it so hard to believe I heard him correctly at breakfast.
“I have to be honest, Mia. As much as I’m attracted to you, you and I can never happen.”
11
Tenor
* * *
I wasn’t sure why I lied to her during breakfast. I probably didn’t sound very convincing, because Mia froze for a brief second before she continued eating. She took her time chewing and swallowing her bite of pancake.
“Okay.”
That was all she said. Okay. My proclamation didn’t seem to bother her a bit. I was shocked. I thought she’d push back or argue with me. Anything. But the calm, cool, and collected way she continued to eat her breakfast told me one of two things:
Either she wasn’t attracted to me at all, which implied I’d read her all wrong or…
She thought I was completely filled with horse shit.
I was more inc
lined to go with the second option. I was, after all, a matchmaker and there was no way possible I could have been that wrong about the signals she was throwing my way the night before.
And if option two was correct, she didn't believe a word I'd just said. Not that I did either.
I cleared my throat. “Can we at least pretend that I meant what I said?”
She gave me a sultry grin. “You're the boss.”
That shouldn't have made me hard. It really shouldn't have. But damn…
“Did you sleep okay last night?” I asked. Maybe a change of subject would help.
Help what? I didn't know.
“I did. And if I didn't say it before, thank you for everything you did.”
“No need to thank me, Mia.”
I wasn’t sure she would thank me if she knew how much I’d enjoyed holding her during the night or how I’d spent a lot of the night battling my erection.
We fell into silence as we finished eating our breakfast. We would start meetings soon and we had plans to continue business through lunch. But tonight I had plans.
Plans that didn't involve Benjamin. Meetings. Or anything remotely similar to behavior my lawyer would approve of.
Which made me wonder why I even spoke that lie about us never happening. Maybe I should have worded it differently. Much differently.
By the time we made it back to the hotel at four that afternoon, I was tired of meetings. They had gone extremely well and if things continued on the path I envisioned, Bachelor International could be a franchise by the end of the year. That made the business part of myself very happy. Now if I could get things worked out with Mia, life would be sweet indeed.
She had been impressive during the meetings, exactly the way I’d thought she’d be. She was whip smart and asked a few questions I hadn’t thought of. In fact, seeing her today and the easy way she fit in by my side, like she’d always been there, had me thinking, it might be in the company’s best interest for her to be in charge of the Atlanta office, once it was up and running.