Mr. Big - A Billionaire Romance - Alexis Gold

MR. BIG A BILLIONAIRE ROMANCE By..

ALEXIS GOLD

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Summary Alexander Daniels IS Mr. Big. Or so the rumors say.... Self made billionaire Alexander had apparently slept with most of the women in Manhattan which had led to rumors going around that he was very BIG in the crotch area. And feisty businesswoman Mia James was very determined to find out for herself. Never one to shy away from a night of fun she was dared to seduce the playboy and report back with the truth. Every inch of it. However, once Mia finally got to know the man behind the name, she had no idea the tables would be turned on her so dramatically...

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Copyright Notice Alexis Gold Mr Big © 2016, Alexis Gold ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.

Contents Chapter1 Chapter2 Chapter3 Chapter4 Chapter5 Chapter6 Chapter7 Chapter8 Chapter9

Chapter1 The misty clouds of a spring shower hovered around the windows of the skyscraper, seeming to press against the glass as if they wanted to move inside or at least look in closely to see what was going on in the dry, warm interior of the meeting room where two people sat. A contemporary steel and glass table was fixed at the center of the room, surrounded by cushioned chairs. At the head of the table, in one of the chairs, sat a woman who was in her element in such a room. As a financial advisor on Wall Street in Manhattan, Mia James was well accustomed to the environment she was in and the kind of client who was sitting near her. She felt his eyes traveling from the tip of her high heel up past her slender ankle and her strong calf to the hem of her pinstriped skirt, which rested just a few inches above

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her knee. His wandering gaze stopped there a long moment, before taking in her rounded hips, her narrow waist, and the swell of her breasts, pressing against her blouse; not enough to offer much of a view, but just enough to hint at one. The black curls of her hair, which reached the back of her shoulder blades when it was worn down, were pinned up into a French twist at the back of her head, exposing her sleek neckline. She had a squared jaw line and high arced cheek bones beneath her big dark brown eyes. Her thick, dark eyelashes were lowered as she examined the paperwork in the file before her. Mia’s skin was toned and dark, like honeyed chocolate, and if Will Carter’s hungry gaze was any indication, it was just as inviting as that confection. He hadn’t bothered to hide his ravenous stare, and she hadn’t looked directly at him, but she hadn’t missed his overt attention at all.

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“Mr. Carter,” she said in a calm voice, looking through the papers, and he interrupted her. “Oh… Please call me Will.” His eyes feasted on her full red lips and his mouth opened slightly. She raised her eyes to meet his and it took him a moment to lift his gaze from her lips to her eyes. He closed him mouth and smiled at her as she watched him. “Fine. Will, then, it looks like you haven’t made the recommendations that I sent over to you from the preliminary review of this file. Do you know when you’ll be able to get those changes made?” she asked him, giving him a serious look as she locked her eyes on his, reminding him subtly they were in a business meeting. He shrugged. “I should be able to get them done soon.” He nodded, grinning at her.

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Mia breathed in through her nose, reminding herself that she needed to be patient. “It’s costing you nine thousand dollars a day every single day you wait to make those changes.” He tipped his head as he leaned forward and reached his hand toward her chair, resting his fingers on the arm of it. “That’s not a big deal. I have plenty of money. I’ll get it done soon.” The tips of his fingers closed around the arm of her chair and he pulled it toward him, drawing her nearer to him. “Besides… it keeps you coming back in here to see me. I like that. In fact, I’d like to see you outside of this office very soon.” He winked at her and nodded his head slightly. She didn’t even blink. “Mr. Carter, you’ve delayed these changes long enough that you’re over three hundred thousand dollars short on the interest you could have made. That’s over a quarter of a million dollars,

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and that’s nothing but wasteful.” She leveled her gaze at him. Most of the wealthy men she worked with were smart and careful investors. Some of them were much more careless and were often unconcerned with what their money was doing for them or not doing for them. They were concerned with immediate pleasures, with showing off, with pretending that money was no object in order to impress others or to impress her, and she was never impressed by wasteful stupidity. Will Carter was a handsome man. He had a strong face and deep-set brown eyes. His skin was darker than hers was, but not by much. He wore his hair short and his business suits sharp and a little on the contemporary side, much like his office décor; everything about him was cool and polished. She knew about most of his finances, and she knew he had money to burn, but not so much that he could reasonably

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justify burning off more than a quarter of a million dollars in less than six weeks. She had given him sound financial advice and he hadn’t followed it. He was too busy checking her out and flirting with her constantly to focus too intently on all the valuable advice she gave him. It disgusted her deep inside, though she never showed it, and he never would have guessed it. “Well, wasteful or not, we’ll make it back, won’t we?” he asked smoothly, leaning in close to her, giving her his most charming smile. “You and I… we can make… all kinds of things happen, can’t we?” he looked at her lips again, suggestively. Mia looked straight at him and with her left hand, she closed the financial folder. He blinked and looked at the file for a moment and then looked up at her with a grin of anticipation.

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“You ready to make some things happen?” he asked, confidence dripping from his lascivious smile at her. She stood up and turned to walk away from him. “Yes, I’m going back to my office, and the next time I have a look at that file, I hope I see you’ve made the changes I've suggested for you to make. Show some follow through, Mr. Carter. Don’t waste my time and yours.” He stood up swiftly and took a few steps after her. “Wait! I… uh… I wanted to ask you to come to dinner with me tonight!” he seemed as if he was grasping for possibilities. “I don’t date clients, Mr. Carter,” she reminded him for the umpteenth time as she turned to walk to the door of the office. He caught up to her and reached his arm out over her shoulder as he looked down at her and lowered his voice.

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“What if I hire someone else to do my financial consulting for me, and then you could come out with me anytime you want to?” he breathed huskily, staring at her eyes and her mouth. “I don’t date former clients, Mr. Carter. You’d just be losing the one person who has done the most for your financial portfolio.” She didn’t bother to give him the small, curt smile she saved for moments like that. He was not to be deterred. Instead, he leaned closer and lifted his other hand to her shoulder, running his fingertips slowly down the sleeve of her blouse to her elbow. “You know better than most how well off I am, Mia, and you know that I could do a lot for you. I could be so good to you, if you’d let me. We could have a good time, and I could spoil you and take you out… buy you things…” he leaned even closer, pausing inches from her face. “I could treat you so good that you forget other men even exist.”

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“I’m not interested in you on a personal level,” she said pointedly. She had wanted to avoid being blunt with him, but it seemed as though there was no other way that he was going to take a hint and back off of her. He didn’t take the hint. “Yeah, but… if you give it a chance, you could be interested. You just don’t know how good it would be with me yet, that’s all. Give me a chance to show you how much you’d like it. You could be… so special to me.” He moved to kiss her and she ducked beneath his arm and he launched himself forward too far, too fast, and hit his face on the door. “Goodbye, Mr. Carter,” she said coolly as he pushed back from the door and his hands went to his face. She reached for the doorknob and yanked it open, giving him an icy glance over her shoulder as she walked out and headed for the elevator.

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There was nothing that men like him could do to impress her, though many had tried before him, and she was confident that many after him would try as well. She stepped into the elevator and as she turned, the doors slid closed and she could see him staring after her. Mia glanced at herself in the mirror on the back wall of the elevator. She gave herself a critical review and decided she did look good, so she couldn’t blame him for being interested, but she was irritated he kept trying to change her mind even after she told him she wasn’t interested. Some men found that to be a challenge, and they didn’t listen. It was those men that annoyed her the most. She glanced at her watch. She was right on time. She would be meeting her friends at their favorite restaurant after her meeting, and she couldn’t wait to dish on the latest tycoon to be turned down.

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Mia had the doorman hail a cab for her, and as it cruised down the street, she gazed out of the window and took in the beautiful spring evening. The shifting season had changed the look of her beloved Manhattan from the cold grey of winter into brilliant colorful hues of new life everywhere around her, and she loved soaking it all in. The taxi dropped her in front of Carly’s, an upscale restaurant and bar on 5th Avenue, where she and her best friends loved to meet regularly to share cocktails, dinner, and gossip. She walked in the front door and the maître d’ looked up and smiled at her. She smiled back at him. “Good evening Miss James.” He greeted her with a nod. “Hello Henry!” she answered back with a genuine smile. He was pristine as always in his black suit with a white kerchief and a red rose in his

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lapel. The top of his bald head shone in the soft light, and the white hair around his temples was combed back neatly. “Your friends are here already,” he said lightly as he walked her back to their usual table. She rounded the corner, taking in the familiar, dark red carpet and fabric used for the furniture and draperies, the mahogany wood, and all the brass fixtures and chandeliers. It had rich, comfortable feel to it, and she and her friends had been going there for the ambiance, the food, and the cocktails, for a long time. Her gaze shifted from the décor to their usual table and three people looked up and smiled widely when they saw her, standing up to greet her with hugs and kisses on her cheeks as she reached them. Ava Kennedy was of a medium height, five foot too tall to be short and too short to be tall. She had light blonde hair that was

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styled most often in a soft wave to her shoulders. She looked a great deal like Marilyn Monroe, with her pretty eyes and sweet smile, but her hourglass figure was the thing that tied it all together and made people do a double take when they saw her. She loved to hear how much she looked like the beautiful icon, and Mia often thought that she patterned herself after Marilyn just a bit more because of it. Ava kissed her and hugged her and then stepped back to her seat as the other woman at the table, Madeline Riley, reached her arms around Mia. Madeline was as different from Ava and Mia as she could be. She was tall and slender, with long red hair to the middle of her back. She had blue eyes and fair skin. Her smile was wide and her nose was rounded and sprinkled with freckles, which she had stopped trying to hide. She looked like a runway model; lean with soft curves, and it was often a slight

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envy of Ava’s that Maddie didn’t have to wear a bra at all if she didn’t want to, and her figure still looked impeccable. Maddie was glamorously sexy in a silver screen sort of way, and she had a brilliant mind that she almost never let her lovers see. It was a hobby of the small group of friends to enjoy watching men hit on Maddie, thinking that she had no intelligence because of the way she looked, only to find out that she had a double doctorate later on, if she ever let them get that far. Mia kissed her back and then grinned happily at Liam, who was waiting for the ladies to sit before he wrapped his arms around her. Liam Isaacson was tall and slender, and looked like the other half of a matching set when standing beside Maddie. He had dark hair that was always perfectly combed, a vast array of designer suits tailored for him, and gentle green eyes that looked on his three lady friends with pure love, but

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none of them more so than Mia. They had said privately more than once that if they were both still single at forty-five, they would marry each other and forego love for friendship. Liam was gay, though not openly flamboyant, and he had yet to find the love of his life, just like the other three women. “Darling, you look absolutely delectable. How are you doing?” he asked with his soft tone, giving her a light airy kiss on the cheek and a warm hug. She sighed and let out the stress of the day. She was among her tribe, and it was where she loved to be. Mia could relax fully with them, talk with them about everything, and be herself with no inhibitions or cares. “I’m good now,” she said with a sigh of ease as she sank into her chair and waved at the waiter for a glass of wine.

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“You weren’t before you got here?” Liam asked, raising one brow at her. She rolled her eyes and shrugged. “Well, it wasn’t great. I had a meeting with one of my clients, Will Carter. He’s got a lot of money and not a lot of brains. He’s always more interested in what he can do with me rather than what I can do with his money to make him more of it. His priorities are completely out of whack.” Ava giggled and grinned. “He sounds fun. What does he look like?” Mia turned to her. “He’s tall, dark, and handsome. He’s into spending money on women and enjoying them in his bed. He isn’t overly bright, and he doesn’t know it, and he doesn’t see anything wrong with who and how he is.” Ava cocked an eyebrow. “Really? Hmm. Did you sleep with him?”

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“No,” Mia said, smiling at the waiter in thanks for the glass of wine that he handed her before he vanished. She tipped it back and closed her eyes, savoring the Merlot that slid over her tongue like dark red velvet. “Are you going to?” Ava asked, looking innocently at her friend. Mia’s eyes lifted to look into Ava’s. She set her glass of wine down. “No, I’m not.” “Would you mind if I do?” Ava asked, tucking her chin and grinning wickedly, but just a little. Mia shook her head and smiled back, pulling her phone out of her bag. “Not at all honey, here’s his number. Call him. He’d love to take you to bed and spoil you a bit.” She set her phone down and Ava copied Will Carter’s contact information out of Mia’s phone.

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“How did I meet him?” she asked curiously as she typed. Mia narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. “Let’s see… We will say that you met him at the Foster’s yacht party. He was pretty well hammered at that one, at least from what I heard, so he wouldn’t know if he had met you or not, or given you his number.” Ava mumbled quietly as she typed on her phone. “Foster’s yacht party. When was that?” “Two weeks ago.” Mia answered. “Lovely!” Ava grinned, handing her phone back to her. “I can’t wait to see him again.” She winked at Mia and Mia laughed softly at her. “So,” Maddie looked around at them with an anticipatory light in her eyes and smile on her face, “I’m up for a promotion. My boss is considering making me a VP. There are two other people up for the spot, but I

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have it on good authority that it will be me. Here’s hoping!” she said, raising her glass, and the other three lifted their glasses to meet hers and encourage her onward. “Good luck!” they chorused happily. Liam leaned toward her slightly. “How long until you know? I can’t stand waiting. I’m so bad about being patient. I love instant gratification, and having to wait can be delicious, but it just drives me crazy.” He laughed. “I can’t imagine how hard it would be to have to be you and waiting, Maddie.” Madeline laughed back a bit. “I know… it’s difficult for me to wait as well, but I’m going to have to. I think they’re making the decision in a month.” Liam’s mouth fell open, as did Mia’s. “A month?” they exclaimed. Ava was smiling at an older gentleman who was seated a few tables away from them, giving her a

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friendly eye. She turned back to her friends suddenly and grinned. “What are we waiting a month for?” she asked with wide eyes. Maddie tipped her head to the side and sighed. “I’m waiting a month to see if I will be promoted to VP, you’re all waiting a month to hear whether or not it happens.” “Well good luck!” Ava said, lifting her chin happily. “I know you’ll get it. You’re the smartest woman I know, and that’s saying something!” Maddie blushed a little and smiled, looking down at her martini. “Thanks, Ava.” Mia looked at Liam. “So what about you, Liam, what or who have you been up to this week?” Liam grinned and looked around at them as if he was hiding a national secret that he was about to share with them. “Well, I’ve been up to a little mischief. You remember

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that designer I met at the spring fashion fling party I went to?” he asked with a gleam in his eye. Ava leaned in closer to the table, her eyes locked on him. She loved fashion as much as he did, though their tastes and styles varied somewhat. “Wait, was this the guy from London?” Liam nodded knowingly. “Yes,” he gushed happily and looked up at the ceiling, grinning and breathing deeply for a moment to calm himself before he looked back at the ladies around him. “Well, you know how I thought he was indifferent to me, and how I was just sure that he wasn’t going to even remember me?” The ladies nodded back. “Yes!” they said almost in unison. “Well, it turns out that he’s just very shy, and he liked me quite a bit. He said I have ‘exquisite taste’ and he had his assistant

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move heaven and earth to find me so he could ask me out for cocktails. We met up last Tuesday night.” He blushed a little and swooned, and the ladies laughed. “We had a very good night… My god, the man is built like a Greek god, and he almost burned my sheets off of the bed, he’s such a good lover. Then we had a good time last night, and he stayed over again… Woo! Honies… I just can’t even begin to tell you. I thought it wouldn’t be as good the second time. It was so much better!” He looked at each of them pointedly. “Word to the wise with a shy lover, you have to break them in. Once they get comfortable with you, the sky is the limit. My god. I don’t think I’m ever going to be the same again!” he blushed and giggled, and all three of the ladies giggled at his naughtiness again with him as Mia reached an arm around his shoulders and hugged him from the side.

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“That’s our Liam. Hot and lucky!” she winked at him and he nodded and winked back. He turned to look at Ava. “Here’s hoping our blondie gets hot and lucky with Mr. Carter.” Then he turned to look at Maddie. “What about you? Who have you been after this week, you little vamp?” Maddie smiled slyly and winked at him. “You know me so well.” She was straight laced when it came to business, but outside of her career she was hotter than a volcano, and she had almost no inhibitions or barriers to speak of. She leaned in close to them all, her gaze meeting each of theirs in turn. “I was meeting one of my clients for business and he had another meeting going on when I showed up. The hottie in the other meeting stayed around to meet me and we wound up going out for cocktails, and then we wound up going to his place. He was the

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most fun I’ve had in weeks. You might have heard of him. Ryan Browning? He was a handful, but he was a hot, good time.” Ava stared at her. “Wait, doesn’t he own Browning, Keller, and Mason?” Maddie grinned slowly and nodded. “Yes. We went over his briefs with meticulous attention. The man has got a tongue that will take you to another world. I may have to go out with him a few more times before I let him go.” All of them giggled and she raised her eyebrows at them naughtily and popped the olive from her martini into her mouth. They talked a while longer, their conversation moving from men and sex to business, fashion, and family. After enjoying a light dinner, they said goodbye to each other and went on their ways. Mia caught a cab again, and took it to her apartment several floors

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up in a high rise that overlooked Central Park. Closing her front door behind her, she leaned against it for a moment and sighed, leaving the day behind her as she looked around her living room and felt her body relax in the sanctuary of her home. A long sigh escaped her and she pushed herself from the door and stepped forward into the room. Mia strode the length of the living room and pulled her heels off along the way, sinking down into the sofa beside the floor to ceiling window that overlooked the teeming city below. She looked up at the shelf beside the window, her gaze drifting over the series of framed photographs there. They were all different sizes and shapes, each one of them holding a memory or a person precious to her. She paused at the image of her older sister sitting in the grass at a park, holding her younger daughter while her two-year-old

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son played happily beside her. Serena was happy living in the country with her husband and two children. She loved a simple life, focused on family and peace. She was so different from Mia. Mia craved the fast paced beat of the city and a life centered in the thriving heart of near chaos. She loved all the buildings, the stores, the business that she did, and the knowledge that at any time she could walk out of her door and something would be going on somewhere. It was never a dull moment. No quiet family life for her, and she preferred it that way. Serena and she had come to terms with their differences years before, and had cherished those differences in each other, staying close as their shared days of childhood faded away and they grew into adulthood. Mia was grateful that they hadn’t grown apart while growing older. She knew she had a friend and a confidant in her sister;

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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

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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, strongwilled, 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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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 suggestions 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.

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He kept their conversation businesscentered 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.

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“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

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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

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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

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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.”

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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“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

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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. “That’s so sweet!” she cooed. “…and then he sent roses to me at my office today,” Mia continued. Maddie raised an eyebrow and turned her head slightly in surprise. “Then he called me about five times today and sent me two emails,” Mia finished, lifting her glass to her mouth for a sip of her cocktail.

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Liam frowned and knitted his brow. “He’s trying far too hard. Leave now,” he stated flatly. Mia looked at him and lifted her palm in the air in agreement. “Right? That’s what I thought. The man is just a little too overboard. A little too inquisitive and too desperate. I don’t know why, he’s rich and good looking. He doesn’t have to go after women like he’s coming after me.” Ava was still grinning romantically. “What’s his name?” she asked with a grin, looking up through her eyelashes. “Logan Parker,” Mia answered as she set her glass down. Maddie choked on her drink and covered her mouth for a moment as she swallowed. All of the friends turned to look at her. She glanced around the table and smiled; her cheeks turning a soft shade of pink beneath her freckles.

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“What? I know him,” she said quietly, as a smile played at the corner of her mouth. Liam raised an eyebrow. “Really? How well?” he asked in a teasing tone. She shrugged. “Well, I can tell you he’s one hell of a lover. I still think about him now and then. That man can rock your world in the sheets, but this clingy behavior he’s showing right now? Yeah. That’s just the beginning, Mia. I was sick of him after the third date, and no matter how hot the sex was, I just couldn’t take the clinginess outside of the bedroom. It drove me nuts. It took me four months to finally get the message through to him to leave me the hell alone.” She sighed. “He’s not a bad guy, far from it. He’s actually really thoughtful and sweet, but good god, the man just won’t let you have a moment’s peace. Ever.” She frowned and went for her martini again.

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Ava pouted and Liam rolled his eyes as Mia sighed. “Great. He’s a client. Now what am I going to do? I don’t want to lose his business, just him.” Maddie shrugged. “You tell him you’ve started seeing someone else and you aren’t able to see him anymore. He’s old fashioned enough that he will respect that.” Mia frowned. “I don’t feel like commitment to a relationship should be considered old fashioned,” she said with disappointment, because she knew that in many ways, at least in their modern rushed world in Manhattan, it kind of was considered old fashioned. Maddie smiled at her. “It’ll get him off of your phone and your doorstep, and you can keep his business. Just tell him there was someone else you were dating and it turned serious. Poor timing; you know, that sort of thing.”

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“I’ll take that advice. Thank you, Maddie,” Mia said with a relieved frown. “So what else is going on?” Maddie asked, looking around the table. Liam perked up and grinned at all of them. “You know that show ‘Sex in the City’?” he asked with a wicked giggle. They nodded and smiled. Ava put her hand on her heart. “I love that show!” “Well,” Liam leaned in to share juicy news with them, and they leaned in closer to hear it. “I've been doing some design work at a firm where there’s a guy who looks exactly like Mr. Big.” Ava squealed and bounced a little bit in her seat. “Really?” she asked excitedly, clasping her hands beneath her chin. Liam nodded. “Really! Anyway, I was shocked to hear that several of his staff members call him Mr. Big, and when I heard them do it, I laughed and I said, ‘Oh,

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you see it too… he looks just like that guy off of that TV show!” Liam paused for effect, his eyes meeting each of the ladies’ gazes for a moment. “They said no.” He laid his palms flat on the table. “He might look just like the actor from the show, but he has that nickname in real life because he is naturally gifted with a really big—” Ava gasped and covered her mouth and then giggled gleefully. Maddie looked at him with one brow raised in suspicion. “How do you know they weren’t just teasing you?” she asked as she lifted her chin defiantly. He put his elbow on the table and set his chin in his palm. “I heard it from different people around the office; people who most likely wouldn’t be talking to each other about their bosses’ rather largely endowed anatomy, however!” Liam said with a

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growing smile, “I think the four of us need to put this to the test. One of us needs to go spend the night with him and then come back to report. I know he’s not gay, so I’m probably the last of us that he would play with.” Liam looked at them. “What about you, Ava, you’re all excited about this? Do you want to give him a shot?” She frowned slightly. “He looks just like Mr. Big on the television show?” she asked in disappointment. “Exactly like him,” Liam answered with a sharp eye. “I don’t like guys with dark hair.” She sighed, shaking her head. “Not my type.” He looked over at Maddie. “What about you? Do you want to try to take on the Bull of Wall Street?” Maddie shook her head. “Not right now; I’m spending my nights wrapped around

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Oliver Rothschild. Sorry darling. Maybe in a few more weeks.” They all three looked over at Mia. Liam grinned. “You could do it…” he said in a low voice, drawing nearer to her and taking her hand in his. “You definitely could do it! You must! Oh Mia… you have to!” Mia laughed and shook her head. “I’m not going to do that! I haven’t even heard his name yet!” Liam squeezed her hand gently. “Alexander Daniels. He’s gorgeous, he’s rich, and we have to know if the rumors are true! You have to seduce him and come back to tell us if he’s as big as everyone says he is! God knows I’d be glad to do it for all of us, but he is playing on the wrong team for me.” Mia shook her head, wondering when all of their morals had completely escaped them. “I just don’t think I’m into it this time,” she sighed with a smile. “Sorry my dears.”

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Ava pouted and laid a hand on her shoulder. “You have to! You’re the only one who can, and I love that show and you just have to go find out for us! Please!” she blinked at Mia with wide eyes and a hopeful pout. Maddie leaned over the table. “I’ve heard of him. He’s supposed to be one of the biggest new power players in the city. You really should go try for him. Don’t pass this one up!” she grinned as excitement began to take her over. Mia looked around at all of them. “Are you serious? All three of you are after me to do this?” Liam shrugged. “Well, none of us can do it. Listen,” he looked at her intently, “what if I sweeten the deal? What if I give you a round trip airplane ticket to Rome if you can come back with the goods on Alexander Daniels? Would you do it then? Come on… it’s Rome!”

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Maddie grinned excitedly. “I’ll chip in for the ticket as well,” she offered and Liam winked at her. “Me too! I’ll chip in and we’ll make it first class! Come on! Just go spend one night with him and see if it’s true! I have to know! Do it!” she pleaded and begged. Mia shook her head and took a long last drink from her glass before setting it back down on the table. “You’re terrible,” she told them all as she looked at each of them. Liam’s eyes were locked on her. “Accept the challenge! Do it!” he pressed. The other two ladies nodded enthusiastically. “Do it!” they added. Mia sighed and rolled her eyes, leaning back in her chair slightly. “God you guys are terrible….” She considered the challenge and the reward. “It’s a first class round trip ticket to Rome, though, and I do love Rome.”

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All three of her friends looked at her with wide eyes, sitting at the edge of their seats. Mia’s gaze went from one to the other of them around the table. “Oh all right. Fine. I’ll do it,” she said with a sigh, and all three of them cheered. “But I want a really nice first class seat and a hotel in Rome when I get there.” Liam nodded. “You got it, baby. One first class seat and a hotel, as soon as you spend the night with Mr. Big and then come back to tell us just how big the man really is.” She laughed at him and shook her head, and Liam ordered champagne for all of them to toast the challenge. Mia couldn’t believe she had agreed to it, but having a hot night with a good looking man in exchange for a first class round trip ticket to Rome, in addition to the hotel, was not a bad deal to take.

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She looked over at Liam who seemed to be glowing with excitement. “How am I going to meet him?” she asked with slight trepidation. Mia loved meeting new people, but she had never met anyone with the sole intention of sleeping with them before she had ever laid eyes on them. Her stomach tightened at the idea of it. Liam seemed to sense her slight nervousness and he rested a hand lightly on her arm. “Well, I’m going to be doing design work at his office for another few weeks, so come in with me as soon as you can and I will just say that you are a private consultant that I’ve brought on for some of the work. You’d be there in an advisory capacity, and then you could meet him and… do your magic. Ask him out to dinner or drinks and make the sparks fly!” He winked at her and she nodded and felt her chest tighten right along with her stomach.

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“…um, Liam, what if I’m not his type?” she asked quietly. He rolled his eyes. “You’re his type; you’re a woman. I am not his type, I’m a gay god. Listen,” he smiled at her kindly. “You are a truly stunning woman, you’re intelligent, you’re fun, and you’re single. You are all of the right things for this to happen, and it just needs to happen once. That’s not hard, seriously. You know that. So don’t get nervous about it. When can you come by? It should be soon. It wouldn’t be as believable to have a consultant come in after the job is half done.” Mia thought over her schedule quickly and reminded herself that Rome was waiting for her on the other end of the deal. “I can come in tomorrow, actually. I was going to have an in-day at my office, but I can put that off a day and spend tomorrow with you.”

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“Perfect!” he said happily. He tipped his champagne glass back and set it down with satisfaction. “I may not be able to find out if the rumor is true for myself, but I would be satisfied just knowing whether or not it’s true, and who better to trust with the mission than you, my dear?” he laughed lightly and winked at her and she laughed in return, shaking her head as her heart picked up pace just a little. “Well, I guess I’ll do my best,” she said with a touch of uncertainty. “What does he like? I’m wondering what I should wear.” Mia looked at Liam thoughtfully. He shook his head slightly. “Just come as you always do; you have impeccable style and taste. You always look classy. Just dress like that and you’ll be fine.” She shrugged. “All right. I can do that.” Ava giggled and looked around at all of them. “It’s so exciting! I can’t wait to hear

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how it goes!” Maddie raised her glass upward in the center of the table. “To romantic missions.” They all toasted with mirth and slight blushing, and drank to the day to come. Mia went home with a little bit of a buzz, a knot in her stomach, and a mind dizzy with wonder at how she had managed to get herself into a bet like the one she had accepted from her friends. It was one of the wildest things she had ever done, and she thought about it from every perspective as she pulled her shoes and clothes off and washed her face before bed. The last thing she thought of as she closed her eyes and let the world go away was the television show, and she could only wonder what it would be like to try to seduce such an elusive man, in particular for the sake of a bet, but on the other end of the bet was Rome, and she loved Rome.

Chapter2 Mia dreamed of the characters from the television show, including Mr. Big, and all of them were with her in Rome. All of them were disappearing and reappearing in different places in the Coliseum. She walked through some of the hallways and pathways in the ancient massive structure and the faces of the characters would show up and they would be near her, and then they faded away, disappearing into shadows. She tried to speak to them, but they would only watch her, and none of them spoke to her. She tried to talk with Mr. Big several times, but he would only watch her and then vanish. He would not walk to her or stay where he was until she got to him. It was confusing and frustrating to her and she tried all she could to get to him, but nothing worked.

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By the time Mia woke up, she was annoyed and a little tired, not having slept restfully. She pushed herself up from her bed and showered. Walking into her closet, she flipped on the light and took a look around her, wondering what would make the best first impression; wondering what would make a lasting impression. She wondered what would make an impression that clearly offered a one night stand but didn’t immediately scream “tramp.” Pushing the hangers aside one by one, she carefully considered her options and she began to pull one article of clothing out at a time, examine it critically, and then hang it back up again. Nothing seemed right. She went through most of her closet before she settled on the perfect dress. Mia pulled it off the rod and held it up, eyeing it carefully, and as her gaze swept from the top to the bottom, a smile grew on her face. She walked out of the closet to the corner of her

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bedroom where a full length mirror stood, and she pulled the dress on and looked into the mirror. It was a sweater dress made of cream colored cashmere, with a sweetheart neckline that hugged the curves of her breasts in just the right places, hiding some of the curve, and offering a suggestive view of the upper swells of her flesh. The sleeves were a three quarter length to the middle of her arm; again showing some skin and hiding more than it showed. The waist tapered and then hugged her full hips, clinging to her legs until it reached the hem at mid-thigh. She smiled. She looked sexy as hell and she knew it. It was the perfect dress. Slightly demure and sweet while still being sexy and appealing. It was a dress that made the imagination of an onlooker go wild picturing what was just beneath it. The cashmere was soft to the touch, and begged to be felt, and her own curves, barely hidden beneath

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the snug material, made it profoundly alluring. She slipped a pair of heels on that made her legs look just a little longer, and then she put pearls into her ears and around her neck, and put her hair up in a loose almost messy bun, so that there were soft romantic curls drifting down around her face, and set delicately at the back of her head. A dash of perfume, and she felt like she couldn’t look better; she was ready to face the day, and Alexander Daniels. Mia sent a text to Liam and he told her he would pick her up on the way to Alexander’s office. Fifteen minutes later, she met him at the front door of her building and when she climbed into his car, he grinned at her. “You look perfect. He’s not going to stand a chance in the world. He will be eating out of your hands by lunch time; I have no

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doubt about that at all!” he gushed with a giddy smile. She felt her cheeks warm a bit and she turned the conversation to their upcoming meeting, to keep her mind off of the man she was going to see. “So you’re designing some things there and I will be there to consult? How am I going to do that? What am I consulting on? I don’t want to make an idiot of myself.” Liam shook his head. “Oh no, you won’t. You’re coming basically as yourself, but as someone who is a leader in the investment and finance industry, I will officially need your input on design for meeting space, materials, lighting, and electronic accessibility. We want to make sure that the rooms we are working on are not only pretty to look at, but also that they are built to function perfectly for their intended use. So, you’re coming in as a consultant; a professional in the business world who has

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considerable experience in meeting areas and who could offer us insight into how best to make it all come together.” She nodded and looked out of the window. “Well, I can definitely tell you all of that!” She laughed lightly. “And you will be there to seduce the big boss, of course,” he added wickedly and she glared at him and elbowed him, rolling her eyes as her heart rate picked up a little more. “Not funny, Liam!” she grumbled as they coursed through the traffic on the streets. After what seemed like five seconds and five hours simultaneously, they reached a tall building and Liam pulled into the parking garage beneath it. He grinned at her again. “This is one of the perks of working here; I don’t have to pay for parking, and in this city, that’s worth having the job just in itself.”

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She agreed with him and they got out of his car and walked to the elevator together. When the doors closed and they were alone rising up through the floors, she closed her eyes and bit her lip, and when she did, she felt Liam’s hand on her back. “Honey, you’re going to be fine. You’re going to be more than fine, you’re going to be perfect. You’re going to meet a truly good looking, kind, fun, sexy man, who happens to be wealthy, and you’re going to want to sleep with him when you meet him, so this should be easy for you.” He massaged his hand lightly over her back. “And if you get nervous, just think of Rome. Gelato, cappuccino, pasta, olive oil, the Coliseum, the gardens, the Tiber River, the Vatican…” he paused, “Well, maybe don’t think of that while you are trying to seduce him, but think of everything else. Think of the wine!” He grew excited at the prospect and the

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doors slid open and he walked out, leading her as he went. She drew a deep breath and looked around her. She could see why the place needed design work; it looked like no one had changed anything in it since the seventies. She could see that it was a new office to Alexander Daniels; everything looked like it hadn’t been there long and might very well be placed in temporary spaces. “When did you start working on this?” Mia asked quietly, looking sidelong at Liam. He chuckled softly. “I know how it looks. My team started here about three days ago, so we’re just getting things headed in a new direction. Your timing here couldn’t be more perfect, actually.” He winked at her. She felt her cheeks warm and her heart begin to pick up speed again as they walked down a hallway past offices that were functional but not done. She glanced in several

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of them and saw people working in some spaces and desks empty in other spaces. “How long will it take you to finish this redesign?” she asked curiously as they continued down the hall. Liam glanced over at her. “Well, it depends on what we wind up doing. My original suggestion was to tear down more than half of the non-load bearing walls and open up the office space, and Alexander likes the idea, but he hasn’t given me a green light on it yet. We’re waiting on the engineer and the electrician, and neither one of them seems to be able to be here when it works for everyone. In theory, I could have this place redone in two to three weeks, barring any problems, but in reality, it’s probably going to be more like three or four weeks.” He sighed a little and shrugged. He didn’t seem too bothered by it, but Mia knew that he liked to be as efficient as he was able to be.

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Liam stopped before a door at the end of the hallway and turned to look at Mia. “You look beautiful. If I was straight, I’d go after you myself. You’re a major catch, and he’s lucky you’re interested in him. Keep that at the forefront of your thoughts, okay?” He gave her a serious look and she blinked in surprise. “Now? I’m meeting him now?” she asked, her heart leaping into her throat. Liam opened the door and her mouth went dry as she followed him in, feeling her heart beat so fast that she was certain she might get dizzy and pass out. “Mr. Daniels, good morning,” Liam said, walking over to the large dark wooden desk. Mia followed Liam in and stood with her chin up and her heart pounding as she stopped beside Liam. The man behind the desk looked up at them and smiled, his eyes moving from Liam to Mia. He took her in

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for a long moment, and she knew that he was reading her as he gazed at her. He was reading everything about her. It was something that she herself did when she met new business clients or possible dating prospects. She gave him a smile as his eyes stayed on hers and then flicked swiftly over her body and back up to her face. She could not believe how closely he resembled Mr. Big on the television show Liam had mentioned. It was uncanny. He was broad-shouldered and well-built. He had thick, dark hair that came down in a slight widow’s peak at the top of his forehead. His eyes were warm and brown, though his eyebrows were thick and black like his hair. He had a straight nose and a passive smile on his mouth. There was one lock of hair that fell over the widow’s peak in a single curl, and it reminded her of Superman in a way.

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He stood up and moved his eyes from Mia to Liam. “Good morning Liam, how are you doing?” “I’m very well, thank you. I came to introduce you to my friend Mia James. Mia is here to assist me with some consultation work on the redesign today. You’ll be seeing her around today, and I wanted to make sure you were familiar with her. Mr. Daniels, this is Mia James. Mia, this is Alexander Daniels,” he said with a nod of his head and a smile. She reached her hand out to him, absurdly aware of herself and of him. She tried to seem as professional and casual as she could manage, knowing full well that she might be coming across as trying too hard. “Please, call me Mia.” She smiled at him sweetly. He took her hand and shook it firmly though gently. “It’s a pleasure to have you here with us today, Mia, and please call me

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Alexander.” He tilted his head slightly as he regarded her. “Do you know if you’ll be here at any point after today, or will this be your only working day here?” She wanted to speak, but her throat closed up the moment she heard his voice directed at her. She had no idea how she was going to seduce him when she could barely speak. Liam smiled at them both and came to her rescue. “Well, Alexander, that depends on how close she gets to her goal.” His double meaning made Mia’s stomach tighten just a bit more and she turned to look at him, giving him a sharp look along with a toothy smile. He ignored her subtle death glare and looked back at the man standing before them. “Well, I don’t want to keep you; I know you’re busy, but if you have some time in a while, there are some things that we can go over when you find yourself out in the office today,” Liam said in a friendly way.

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Alexander nodded. “I’ll be out soon. I have some work to finish here. It was very nice to meet you, Miss James,” he said, his eyes locked on hers for a brief moment before he turned them to Liam and nodded at him. “It was so nice to meet you as well, Alexander.” She gave him her sweetest smile and for the briefest of moments, she looked up at him through her thick dark eyelashes and saw a curious look in his eye. He sat down as they turned to leave and Mia felt sure that the worst of it was over. She reminded herself to add a little sashay to her walk as she headed to the door. She knew what her body looked like in the sweater dress, and she knew there was a good chance that Alexander Daniels was watching her walk away. Once out in the hall, she exhaled a deep breath she had been holding in her lungs, and Liam reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “You did it honey; that was the

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hard part. He saw you, he likes you, now all you have to do is ask him out and flirt. You’ll get him. You’re much closer than you were before you walked down this hallway, and you’re a lot stronger than you think, too.” He gave her a wink and she sighed in relief and smiled. Maybe she would be able to do it after all. She followed Liam through the office and met several other people as they went along. She helped him do what she could that morning so that her presence there with him was not wasted. She tried her best not to constantly look over her shoulder to see if Alexander was anywhere around them, and just about the time she made herself stop looking, she heard his deep soft voice almost directly over her shoulder. She turned with a start and found him standing directly behind her, looking down at her with the hint of a smile.

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“I hope I’m not interrupting,” he said as his eyes took in her face, seeming to gaze into depths of her that she didn’t let anyone into. Her heart began to thud against her chest and she felt transparent as if there was nothing inside of her heart or mind that wasn’t his to know, and panic coursed through her, but she smiled and shook her head. “Oh, not at all. We’re just going over some of the changes that Liam wants to make here in the office. I’m trying to be helpful for him.” She paused there and watched him, giving him one of her sweet smiles. He nodded and regarded her quietly for a moment. “I’m ordering lunch for the office. I was thinking Japanese and Chinese delivery. There’s a menu in the kitchen that everyone is ordering off of if you would like to have a look; I’d be glad to buy you lunch

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to thank you for the work that you’re doing here today.” There was a lilt to her laugh and she nodded. “I’ll look at it. Thank you, that’s very thoughtful,” she replied. “So it looks like you haven’t been here long. When did you move in?” Alexander looked around the room they were standing in. “No, I haven’t been here long. I just moved in a week before Liam was able to come start the redesign. It’s a good location and everything about the place had great potential, although it doesn’t really look like it at first glance, but with some hard work and a little time, this place will really shine. It’s a good investment for me to make.” She listened as he explained and her mind wrapped around the concept that he was sharing with her, and it told her a good deal about what kind of person he was. “Do you do that often? See things that others might

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pass by and pick them up, dust them off, and make them shine again?” He smiled quietly at her, his eyes searching hers in surprise for a moment before he gave a small nod. “Yes. I do that now and then. It’s almost a form of treasure hunting, I think. Things aren’t always what they seem on the outside, and it takes the right person to look at something and see the treasure on the inside. This place is like that, and Liam is helping me dust it off and make it what it could be.” She grinned at him. “Liam is going to help you make this an incredible place. You couldn’t have found anyone better to help you.” He nodded and chuckled. “I agree. I researched several people before I decided on hiring him for the job. He’s the best at what he does, and I want the best. I would rather have it done right the first time than have someone have to come and fix mistakes and

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problems afterward. I’m a fairly busy man, and I don’t have time for situations like that. Besides, I really like Liam. He’s a good man who does excellent work, and you can’t really ask for much more than that.” Pride and happiness brightened her smile at hearing such good things about her friend. “I’m so glad that you brought him on. You’re right about him.” She tilted her head and searched his eyes with hers, wondering just who it was behind them that she was beginning to find so intriguing. He was different from any man she had ever met, right from the very beginning, and she felt pulled to him, fascinated with the mysteriousness of him. “I believe I am. Now we just need to get all of the work here going so that I can run my office the way that it needs to be run. There are a lot of employees that rely on me to have this business going, and they need an office to do their jobs in,” he said seriously.

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“Do you mind if I ask you what kind of business it is that you do?” She took a step toward him and he stayed where he was, watching her. “We provide housing for low income families and we create community service facilities to offer them assistance and aide,” he told her matter-of-factly, his eyes steady on hers as he spoke. She blinked and her mouth opened slightly. “You… you make money doing that?” she asked in disbelief. He was silent a moment, as he regarded her, and then he shook his head slightly. “This isn’t the only business I do. This is just one of the most important things I do.” Mia shook her head as the grin on her face widened a bit more. “You are so fascinating!” she spoke softly. She wanted to get to know him better, and she knew that if she was going to ask him out that she needed to

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do it. She looked up at him through her eyelashes, giving him a subtly flirtatious smile. “You know, I think I could talk with you for a long while and have nothing but more questions for you afterward.” She bit her lip a moment as she looked up at him and he stayed contemplative and still as he watched her, giving her no hint of his thoughts. “I hope it doesn’t sound too forward of me, I know we just met, but would you be interested in having dinner with me some night soon?” she was sure that her blood pressure had hit an all-time high as her heart raced and her lungs tightened, but she remained calm and collected on the outside, trying her best to flirt a little without going too far. Like her dress, she wanted to be alluring without seeming too obvious. He didn’t answer her right away, but instead he looked around the room for a moment and she

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thought she saw a small frown at the corner of his mouth, although it wasn’t entirely clear and she couldn’t be sure it was there at all. She waited, and every moment that passed while she was waiting felt like an eternity. She watched him as he thought it over, and then he turned back to her and gave her a kind smile and she saw genuine care in his warm brown eyes. “I am flattered, Miss James, and I appreciate the offer, but things here are really just too busy for me to take any personal time away from it just now. I need to keep my focus on the changes I’m making here and I’m afraid you would be quite a distraction for me, but thank you for asking.” He turned away from her and then stopped and looked over his shoulder at her, giving her another smile as his eyes met hers once more, briefly.

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“Don’t forget, that lunch menu is in the kitchen. You’re welcome to get whatever you like.” He turned then and walked out of the room and back down the hall with his hands in his pockets and his head down as if his eyes were on the floor in front of him. She watched him, the corners of her mouth turning downward and she felt the pout forming as her lower lip projected just slightly. There was a soft voice over her shoulder, quiet and consoling. “That was a really good try. You did it all right,” Liam said. Mia started just a little and lowered her brows. “Where have you been? How do you know what happened?” she asked in a light whisper. “Oh, I’ve had my eye on you all day, and as soon as I saw him walk out of his office and come here to find you and talk with you, I knew I needed to be close but out of sight. I

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was just around the corner there.” He spoke in a hush over her shoulder. She shrugged one shoulder as she watched Alexander’s door close. “You were spying!” she accused quietly. “I was silently supporting and wishing for success in your endeavor. Don’t be so negative,” he justified. You were really close.” “He said no.” Then she turned her face toward Liam’s and looked at him pointedly. “The bet is still on. I’m not done with him yet.” Liam grinned and nodded. “I agree. The bet is still on. I didn’t really expect immediate success, I mean, there are miracles, but it would have surprised me if he had agreed to it. He just met you. You still have a shot at him. I think if he was around you a little more, if he saw you here a time or two more, you might get him to go out with you

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for whatever, and then maybe you could get him where you want him.” Mia raised one brow. “Then I can get a ticket to Rome,” she said confidently. “I’m going to do it. I have commitments the next two days in a row, but I can certainly come back after that, and I will make sure the next time I see him he says yes to spending some time with me outside of here. I don’t feel bad about him saying no; he just met me. It will happen.” She narrowed her eyes and smiled, and Liam laughed at her. “I don’t doubt it. Now, let’s get into the kitchen and have a look at that lunch menu.” He nudged her with his elbow and she followed him out of the room. Lunch was delivered to the office and when Liam and Mia had finished eating, she knew that it was time to go. She had been there, she had met Alexander, she’d talked with him and she had even asked him to go out with her. She knew that there was

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nothing more that she could do that day and that there was no reason to stay longer than she already was. Mia did want to do one last thing before she left the office, however. She took a deep breath and lifted her chin and walked down the hallway toward Alexander’s office. She knocked on the door softly and heard him bid entrance. Pushing the door open, she stepped inside and he looked up from his computer. As she walked toward him, she could feel his eyes on her and though he was subtle, she knew he was watching her. “Mia, what can I do for you?” he asked with a polite smile as his eyes met hers. She stopped just before his desk, and curled her mouth into a wide grin. “I just wanted to thank you for lunch. That was sweet. Also, I’m leaving for the day, and I won’t be back right away, so I wanted to leave my number with you. I know you said that you have a lot to work on getting this place

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ready and the business up and running here, but if you happen to find yourself with some free time, I would love to visit with you.” She slid her business card across the desk and he stared at it a moment and then raised his eyes to meet hers. She wasn’t waiting for any kind of answers. She was just there to give him her number. He nodded and slipped it into his pocket. “Thank you, I appreciate the gesture,” he said lightly. He turned from her just a little, but his eyes stayed on her and he watched her as she turned to go. “My pleasure. Have a good afternoon Alexander,” she said smoothly, and then she turned and headed toward the door, remembering her little sashay as she walked. When she reached the door, she looked over her shoulder at him and found him still gazing at her. She smiled and winked at him and then closed the door behind her.

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As it clicked shut, she let out a huge sigh of relief and looked down the hallway to see Liam leaning against the wall at the end of it, watching her. She walked toward him and he grinned almost ear-to-ear at her. She felt her cheeks warm and she bit her lower lip, holding his gaze as she approached him. “Come with me,” he said quietly as he slid his hand through her arm. “I’ll walk with you to the elevator and go down with you.” They entered the elevator and when the doors slid closed, he turned to look at her. “So? How did it go? What did you say?” She giggled a little and looked at him with a sidelong glance. “Oh not much. He couldn’t take his eyes off of me, and when I gave him my number, he put it in his pocket instead of in his desk.” She laughed out loud then and Liam gave her a scandalous look as he winked.

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“Good girl! Just give him some time. I bet he’ll call and you’ll wind up with your ticket to Italy!” he reached an arm around her and hugged her close as the elevator came to a stop. She hugged him back and thanked him, waving as she walked out and the silver doors closed between them. *** The day after she met Alexander, Mia looked at her phone twice during the day with Alexander on her mind, checking for messages. There were no messages. The second day, she checked it more frequently, but not to excess. By the third day after she’d met him, she was checking it even more often, wondering if she should message him or go back into the office. She was less busy, she told herself, and she had said that she would be back in to work with Liam, but she didn’t want to seem desperate at all. She was quickly becoming

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impatient with Alexander, waiting to hear from him. Mia had told herself and Liam that he would call her. She had been sure of it. She had seen him watch her as she walked. She had seen him put her card into his wallet. She knew that he was single and she was beautiful and coming on to him, and by the fourth day she was incensed with his lack of communication, and she didn’t look at her phone once, although she did think of him often. Every time he crossed her mind, she pushed him out of it and focused on what she was supposed to be doing. She couldn’t fall behind in her work because of some man who was becoming more ever present in her thoughts. By the end of the week, it had been six days and there was no word from him. Liam had texted her twice to ask if she had heard from him, and she’d had to tell him no. She asked Liam if Alexander had said anything

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about her around the office and he had had to tell her no. Alexander hadn’t said one word to him about her. Mia sank into the thick cushion of her sofa with a glass of Merlot, watching the sun sink lower over New Jersey. She sipped her wine and felt grateful that she was able to live like she did, in the city that never sleeps. Her phone rang and she reached over and picked it up, answering it without much more than a glance at it. It was a number she didn’t know. “Hello?” she said casually. “Hi, Mia? This is Alexander Daniels.” His voice was that same deep soft voice that had drifted over her shoulder in the office. Everything in her tightened sharply and she sat up spilled a few drops of wine on the table before her as she moved to set her glass down hurriedly.

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Her heart jumpstarted and she tried to draw in a shaky breath to steady herself as she answered in as calm a voice as she could muster. “Oh yes! Hello Alexander. How nice to hear from you. How are you doing?” she sat up straight and took another deep breath, trying to convince herself that the best thing to do was to relax. “I’m fine, thank you, and how are you doing?” he returned pleasantly. She was slightly miffed that he didn’t sound at all nervous. She felt that he should at least have the decency to sound a little nervous. He was as calm as a still water. “I’m good,” she rushed out swiftly. “I’m… just…. here drinking some wine. In my apartment….” She fumbled through her response and clenched her eyes and her hands tightly, wondering when she had lost her super cool ability to speak to men.

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No man made her uncomfortable or nervous. It was always the opposite with her; she was the one making them freeze up and forget how to speak and think and move, but here was one man who seemed to make her feel like a school girl on the first day. She took another breath and tried to recover quickly, changing the subject. “How are things going over at the office? Have you been able to move ahead with any of the plans and changes?” she asked hopefully. There was a tired sigh in his voice. “It’s coming along slowly. I wish there was more that I could do to speed it up, but unfortunately, there isn’t. Thank you for asking.” He paused and sounded thoughtful. “I’m calling because there’s an event that I need to go to next week; there’s not really any way out of it for me, although I wish there was. It’s a formal event, a dinner. I

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thought you might like to come with me as my guest.” Excitement raced through her and she held back every bit of it, as she forced her voice to sound calm and collected. “Oh, that sounds like it would be a really nice evening with you. I’d be glad to join you. Thank you so much for thinking of me.” She smiled as she spoke, knowing that he would be able to hear it through the phone. What he didn’t hear was her jumping up from the sofa and bouncing on the balls of her feet just a little as the excitement that she held in grew exponentially. She stopped bouncing and stood still, laying her hand on her heart and feeling it pound inside of her. “Well that’s wonderful. Thank you, I appreciate it. I have your email here on your business card, so I’ll email the details to you. Mia…” he paused and she held her breath as her eyes grew wide and

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everything in her seemed to be right on the edge of a cliff. “Yes?” she answered a little more breathlessly than she had intended to. “I’m really glad that you’re able to come with me. I think it will be a fun night for both of us,” he told her quietly. She could see his brown eyes, his dark hair, and that smile of his in her mind. “I’m sure that we will. I’m looking forward to it,” she said a little more easily. He bade her good night and she hung up the phone and squealed loudly, holding the cell tightly in her hands as she looked up at the ceiling in utter joy, a grin gracing her face. He was going out with her. He had finally called her after six long days. She was going to have the night of her life with him, and then she was going to go to Rome, and everything was finally going the way that she wanted it to.

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For a moment, she considered texting Liam to tell him, but then as she was pulling up his name on her phone, she bit her lip and shook her head once, just a little, turning the phone off. She wanted to tell him, but she thought she would wait until she saw the friends at cocktails the next afternoon at Carly’s. Then she could share her good news with all of them, and they could celebrate together, and start preparing to buy her airplane ticket to Italy. *** The next afternoon, she was the first one at Carly’s, and when the others walked in, she could hardly contain herself. Liam took one look at her face and mouthed silently to her, “He called?” and she nodded subtly and grinned at him, and he grinned back and clapped his hands once in excitement. Liam, Eva, and Maddie sat with her and ordered their drinks. The moment their waiter left, she looked at all of them and let

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out a little squeal as she announced happily, “I have news on the Mr. Big project!” Every one of them was interested, and Liam held up his hand with a wink and a smile and said calmly, “Before you let them in on your update, we need to catch them up on what happened at the office.” She tipped her head to the side a little and smirked some, lowering her lashes for a moment and then looking at him in acquiescence. “I know. You’re right. They do need to know that part first.” Liam winked at her and then looked at Ava and Maddie who were watching him expectantly. “So!” he began, moving his hand through the air as if he was setting the scene. “I took Mia to work with me so she could meet Alexander Daniels… aka Mr. Big.” His eyes wide and sparkling with delight, he shared a grin with Mia and continued,

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“Well, to begin with, Mia looked absolutely stunning in this almost eggshell cream colored sweater dress.” He leaned forward as if he was sharing a secret with them, “…just stunning. It hugged her like a lover and when I introduced her to Alexander, he definitely noticed.” Mia giggled and her cheeks grew warm. Liam kept going. “I’ll let her tell you the rest, but I’m going to say that I was so proud of our girl. Mark my words; she’s going to win that ticket to Rome, you wait and see.” She laughed and reached for his hand, bringing it to her lips and kissing the back of it softly before letting it go. Mia looked at Maddie and Ava. “Well, to begin with, he really does look like the guy on the show. So much! It’s incredible! I tried not to stare when I went in, but it’s seriously so uncanny. You wouldn’t believe it. Anyway, I was a little nervous—”

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Ava stared at her and cut her off. “You were nervous? You’re never nervous. You have more courage than all of us! How could you ever be nervous?” She looked astounded. Mia raised her eyebrows and shrugged. “I have no idea. It’s true that I’m never nervous, but this time I was. Maybe it’s because the three of you put me up to it and it wasn’t my idea or someone I was already going after. Maybe it’s more pressure? I don’t know. What I know is, I was a little nervous.” Liam patted her hand. “Well, it didn’t show honey, you were as cool as a cucumber.” He looked at her proudly. She winked at him. “Thanks, Liam.” Turning back to Ava and Maddie, she took a breath. “Well, he seemed a little cool too, and it didn’t help the way that I was already feeling. He was really friendly, don’t get me wrong, but he was definitely cool. So I met him in Liam’s office and then Liam and I

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went to work down the hall, and a little while later I hear this gorgeous voice over my shoulder and I turn around and it’s Alexander. We talked a little bit and then I asked him to go to dinner with me and he turned me down. He said that he was really busy with his new office and he had a lot to do to get the building ready and the office up and going, and he just didn’t have time, but he was really nice about it.” Maddie frowned and narrowed her eyes and Ava pouted and looked at Mia with sincere disappointment. Mia gave them a sly grin. “So he went back to his office and before I left, I went to see him and thank him for buying all of us lunch, and when I did, I slipped him my business card and told him to call me. He put my card in his pocket and I left.” She paused a moment as they all looked at her expectantly.

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“Did he call you?” Ava asked excitedly, clasping her fingers together tightly. Mia grinned. “He did,” she answered. She didn’t mention that she had to wait six days for him to call. “He asked me to go with him to a formal event. It’s a dinner. I have a feeling that I’ll definitely be able to win this challenge after that event.” She left it at that, and her three friends looked at her with thrilled anticipation. By being invited to the dinner with him, she had been given a chance to make him want to spend the night with her, and she was going to do her best to make sure that Alexander Daniels wanted her so much that he couldn’t tell her no. He would be her lover that night, if she had anything to say about it. She would come back to her friends with the information they wanted, and she would have that hot ticket to Rome in her hands in no time.

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Chapter3 The day of the dinner, Mia took half the afternoon off from work getting ready for it. She went to the salon and had her hair colored and styled, she had a manicure and pedicure done, she was waxed, peeled, and massaged. She had everything done that could be done, and when she walked out of the building, she looked beautiful. She had bought a new formal dress for the occasion. It was satin in burnt orange; it made her dark skin glow and she felt that the rich fiery color of it was a subtle invitation to what was beneath the material. It was strapless with a sweetheart neckline that offered a generous view of her deep cleavage, as well as the soft smooth curves of her breasts. From there it tapered closely to her waist, gathered as it descended, hugging her body closely. It was form-fitting

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over the curve of her hips and there was a thigh-high slit in the dress over one leg that gave more than a glimpse of her long, toned leg. Paired with sparkling fire opals in her necklace and earrings, she gave herself one last spray of perfume before she nodded her head at the finished reflection of herself in the mirror. Mia had asked Alexander to pick her up so that he would know where she lived and would be more comfortable going back to her place with her at the end of the night. She was just giving herself a last turn before the mirror when she heard her front bell ring and everything in her stopped and her breath caught in her lungs. She glanced in surprise at the clock and frowned slightly. He was fifteen minutes early. She was relieved that she had taken the extra time that day to be ready for their date. Mia closed her eyes a moment as she stood before her front door, taking in a

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deep slow breath before she reached for the handle and opened it to see him standing there. He was in a black tuxedo with a black tie, and a white shirt with black buttons down the front of it. In one arm, he held a bouquet of white roses, long stemmed, with a thick white ribbon tied around them. His hair was styled, perfectly in place. He gave her a smile and a nod when she looked up at him. Everything in her stopped again at that moment. It was rare that any man took her breath away, but Alexander Daniels, standing in her doorway looking like a James Bond hero, was riveting to her, and it was all she could do not to show it. “Hello! Come in!” she said with an airy smile, stepping back so he could enter her apartment. He stepped in and handed the flowers to her. “For you,” he said as he placed them in her hands. “You look breathtaking,” he said

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as his eyes met hers and she lowered her eyelashes a little and smiled up at him coyly. “Thank you. The flowers are very sweet, and I appreciate the compliment. You look dashing and debonair in your tux.” She gave him a light wink and then went to the kitchen to put the roses into a vase of water. “I’ll just be a minute,” she said as she disappeared through the kitchen doorway. When she returned, he was standing before her shelves, looking at the photographs that she had there. “Are these your family?” he asked interestedly as he looked at all of them. She walked up beside him and raised her hand toward them as she spoke. “This one is my sister, those are her children, and those are my parents. These are my best friends.”

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“There’s Liam.” He smiled at her and she smiled back and nodded. “That’s him. We’ve been friends for a long time. I wouldn’t trade him for the world,” she said with a happy and wistful gaze at his image smiling back at her. Alexander nodded and gazed at her face for a moment. “Those are the friends to keep. There’s no doubt about that.” He turned and began to walk toward the door. “Do you have friends like that?” she asked curiously, walking behind him. She stopped at the closet and pulled her coat out and he took it from her hands immediately and helped her into it. “I do. I have some friends from college that I will always keep, and I have a younger brother who I’m quite close with.” He reached for the door and held it open for her. “Shall we?” he asked with an inviting

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smile, and she nodded and followed him out. They rode in a stretched black limousine to the event, which was held at a towering and luxurious hotel downtown in the city. When they walked into the hotel, several people stopped Alexander along the way and shook his hand or clapped him on the shoulder. Several ladies eyed him and smiled at him and though he smiled back at them, he did not give them the same sort of smile in return, and Mia watched him closely. It was like he was a royal coming home to his own castle and everyone wanted to greet him, to shake his hand, to catch his eye, or hear him speak to them as he passed. He seemed like the big man on campus, and Mia laughed silently to herself, big in the societal way as well. She wondered whether the rumor about his body was true, and she thought with a

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heated blush about the end of the night when she would find out. He turned to her just then and her breath caught. She panicked that he would be able to see through her and know what she had been thinking. They were standing in a lavishly appointed ballroom where several tables were set up for dinner, with a stage facing the room and a dance floor off to one side. There were six bars set up around the room, and he indicated the one nearest them. “Would you like a drink?” he asked, leaning closer to her so she could hear him well in the hum of conversation that surrounded them. As he neared her, she could smell his cologne and it made her close her eyes and breathe him in, losing herself for a moment in the scent. It was subtle and yet wrapped itself around her, making her want to be closer to him to smell it on his skin.

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“Mia?” he asked in a soft voice, looking at her curiously. She blinked and smiled. “I’m sorry… yes. I’d love a glass of wine thank you. Riesling if they have it, Chardonnay if they don’t.” He nodded and gave her a wink back, and she felt butterflies in her stomach come to life and begin to move around as he left her. She watched him as he walked away, until he reached the bar, and then she turned and gazed around the room. There were massive centerpieces on all of the tables, all the finest crystal and china were laid out, and there were musicians playing classical music from the corner of the room. There were swags of sheer white material hung about the room and colored lights set into them and against them made them glow in varying hues. Hanging from the ceiling was a massive chandelier that glittered and sparkled in the dim lights around it. She was admiring

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all of it when she felt a hand on her shoulder and heard a familiar voice in her ear. She turned with a start and found herself looking at Will Carter, standing there close to her in a tuxedo. “Well, what a lucky surprise! How are you, Mia?” he asked with a grin as his hand moved from her shoulder to the bare skin on her back. She turned just enough that she could step back and be just out of reach, removing his hand from her without obviously pulling away. “I’m fine, thank you, Will; how are you doing?” she asked with a polite nod and a small smile. “Well, I’m much better now. I thought this was going to be a long boring night that I would have to sit through, but now that I see you’re here, things are definitely looking like they could get a lot more…

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exciting…” he hinted heavily. His eyes traveled slowly over her body and found their way finally back up to her face. “You are so hot in that dress,” he said casually, making no effort to hide his lascivious appreciation. She blinked at him. She supposed that it was good that she had gotten the compliment, but considering what it meant and from whom it came, she wished that she could have ignored it. “Thanks,” she said simply. She felt her stomach tighten and she wondered where Alexander was, but just as Will was about to say something else to her, leaning in and wrapping his arm around her shoulder, she saw his eyes look behind her instead of at her, and he looked up in surprise. Alexander came up directly behind Mia and wrapped his arm around her, placing his hand on her waist. “Mia, my dear, I didn’t know you knew Will.”

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Will blinked and his mouth fell open slightly as he looked from Alexander to Mia, and then back to Alexander. “Oh… I uh… I guess I didn’t realize that you were here with anyone, Mia,” he fumbled and let go of her, stepping backward a pace. He frowned slightly and looked at Alexander. “How’d you get her to say yes to you? I can’t ever get her to agree to see me outside of work,” Will said with a shake of his head and an almost sarcastic laugh. Alexander watched him and spoke with a firm yet congenial voice. “I’m just very lucky, I suppose. She has excellent taste in men,” he added, giving Will a subtle nod, and Will nodded back and smiled until he worked out in his mind that it wasn’t a compliment. He was not one of the men that Mia had chosen, and Alexander was; her taste excluded him. He frowned slightly and lifted his glass to his mouth for a drink.

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“Well, you two have a good night,” he said shortly, looking at them in dejection as he turned slightly. He gave one last glance to Mia. “I’ll call you soon. Come by and see me,” he said directly to her, and she did not miss the meaning in his comment; he wanted her for much more than business still, and though she was there with Alexander, he was not giving up on her. She lifted one corner of her mouth slightly in a near smile, giving him a nod, and then she turned toward Alexander. He looked down at her and chuckled as he handed her a glass of wine. “So Will Carter is interested in you, is he? I’m not surprised at all,” he said simply, sipping his martini. She tipped her head to the side a little. “Why aren’t you surprised?” she asked curiously.

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“Well,” he said looking down at her face, “you’re a beautiful woman, and he loves beautiful women. You’re also independent, and that makes you a challenge to get, and he likes a challenge.” She smiled widely at his words. “How do you know him?” Mia tipped her wine glass back and sipped the light honeyed liquid in it. It was sweet. She’d gotten Riesling. “Oh, just from different business connections here in the city. We know some of the same people and we have worked in overlapping circles before. He’s all right, I guess, but he’s not anyone I would do business with personally, and he’s not anyone I’d ever call a friend,” he admitted honestly. She was surprised at his bluntness. “Why wouldn’t you do business with him personally?” He was quiet a moment, taking another sip of his drink. He looked down at the olive in

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it, and then looked up at her. “I don’t like his character. He isn’t as good a man as he could be, and that’s a conscious choice that he makes.” Mia heard his words and was amazed again at the deep integrity of the man with her. There was so much more depth to him than she was accustomed to seeing in the many men she spoke with day in and day out. Something about him made her want to know more, and she knew when she discovered more, she would still be hungry to learn everything about him that she didn’t know. It was a strange realization for her. He gave laugh and squeezed her hand. “I’m glad to hear that he can’t get you to go out with him though. That makes me think even more of you.” He winked at her and she felt a warmth spread throughout her from her core, and she couldn’t resist grinning back at him.

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They talked through dinner, with each other and the other guests at the table they shared. They watched the speakers for the event and when the formalities of the evening were over, he turned to her and held out his hand. “Would you care to dance?” he asked with a twinkle in his eye. She was completely charmed and delighted as she slipped her hand into his and stood up with him. “I’d love to!” He walked her out to the dance floor and took her into his arms, drawing her close to him. She placed her hand on his shoulder and breathed in his scent. As he moved her around in the dim light, with the live orchestral music playing and wrapping itself around them like the evening’s cloak, she found herself wishing that time could stand still so that she would be able to be there with him that way for much longer.

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Alexander didn’t speak as they danced, rather, he held her close to him and rested his cheek on the side of her head, and they swayed and turned to the music. Mia felt like she was moving through a dream and she didn’t want to wake up, but at some point in the middle of her living reverie, the music paused, and he stepped back from her and smiled down at her. He took both of her hands in his and brought them slowly to his lips, and gazing into her eyes, he kissed the back of each of her hands slowly and softly, sending shivers of electricity straight to her and making her gasp as her smile spread again. He turned then, letting one of her hands go and tucking the other into the crook of his arm, and he walked her off of the dance floor. It was like waking from the best dream she could remember having in a long time, and she didn’t want it to end. She thought forward toward the minutes and hours to come in

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their night together, and it was almost the only thing that helped her to leave the serene warmth of his strong and gentle embrace around her on the dance floor. They were again met by several people as they walked out of the hotel, all of them wanting some of his time, his attention, his regard, his handshake, and she smiled to herself at how personable he was with each one, never passing any of them as if they didn’t matter. It occurred to her at one point that his demeanor with them might very well be the reason why so many people respected and liked him and sought him out. The limousine was waiting for them, and as they got into it, she knew that the time had come to make her move and get closer to him. They sat by side and she turned toward him, taking his hand in hers. He looked over at her and smiled.

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“Thank you for coming with me tonight, it was truly one of the most fun nights I’ve had in a long time,” he told her earnestly. His eyes stayed on hers and she felt as if he was looking right through her again. She took a deep breath and leaned in close to him. “I had a really wonderful time tonight too. Thank you so much for bringing me along with you.” She smiled slyly at him then and moved forward, pressing her lips to his softly. He didn’t move at first, but she lifted her hand to his cheek and held it gently, and kissed him a little more sensually, and his mouth which had been firm, softened slowly beneath hers; his lips parted and he reached for her and kissed her in return. The feel of his tongue touching hers and moving in tandem with hers created a heated ball in her belly, and as their kiss grew deeper, the heated ball began to grow swiftly and fill her with desire and need.

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His kiss became a little more urgent as well; his mouth moving more firmly against hers, and she sighed softly, knowing that the man who was arousing her so easily and deeply would be an incredible lover for her. She trailed her lips hungrily over his cheek to his ear and whispered softly, closing her eyes in amazement at the feel of his lips on her neck. “Alexander… I know it’s soon for us, but it’s been so perfect tonight… it’s been like a dream, and this feels so incredible with you. I don’t want this night to end. I don’t want to let you go home right away. Will you stay the night with me?” she asked, her heart pounding hard in her chest. Mia trailed her kisses back to his mouth and kissed him once more on the lips before looking at him. He gazed at her through his thick lashes, his lips parted, his breath ragged and she knew she had him.

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He closed his lips and held her face in both of his hands, his eyes moving slowly over her features until he met her gaze again. “Beautiful lady. I am so flattered by your request. I would love nothing more than to spend the night with you.” He leaned forward and kissed her softly once, and then looked down at her again. “But you’re right, that this is early for us, and I wouldn’t want you to look back on this night and regret any part of it. I think it’s best for us both if we abstain from spending the night with each other tonight, as much as I wish we could indulge in what I am sure would be one of the best nights of my life. I appreciate you asking.” He leaned forward and kissed her again, but his kiss was soft and subtle, and then he let her go and his hands fell away from her. Mia was stunned. She had never been turned down by any man when she had asked. Not in her whole life. She managed a

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smile and a nod, and realized that the remainder of the ride back to her apartment was going to feel awkward for her. Heat rose to her cheeks and she felt flushed with embarrassment, though she was grateful that the interior of the limousine was mostly dark. He brought up moments from the evening, making the conversation light, and she answered him back here and there, but she knew that something had gone very wrong at some point in the evening and she was going to have to have another date with him to figure it out and make it work on a second date. She wasn’t about to lose her ticket to Rome. They arrived at her apartment and he walked her to her door and hugged her there, wrapping his arms snugly around her and holding her close for a moment. She was sure she was never going to forget his scent.

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He looked down at her then kissed her softly once more; a long, slow, lingering kiss, and for a moment she thought he might have changed his mind, but then he let her go and gave her a smile. “Thank you again for such a beautiful night. I loved every part of it.” He spoke in a quiet voice. He turned then, and went to the elevators, giving her a last smile over his shoulder as she entered her apartment and closed the door behind her. Shutting her eyes tight and scowling, she huffed in frustration and then opened her eyes and smiled at the amazing night she had had with him. He was right, she realized, every part of it had been beautiful. Every part except the part where he didn’t come into her apartment with her and make love to her. She pulled her high heeled shoes off and walked down the hall to her bedroom, a smile on her face as she thought back over

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the evening. She readied herself for bed and by the time her head was resting on the pillow, it was only a few minutes before she was fast asleep. Her dreams took her right back to the moments she had spent dancing with him, being held in his arms, and kissing him, and in her dreams, he did much more than kiss her.

Chapter4 Mia woke up with Alexander on her mind, and for the next few days following their date, he was all that she could think of. She did everything she could to push him from her thoughts, trying to focus on her work and anything else that she could distract herself with, but he hovered there at the edge of her mind and stayed there. She met her friends for cocktails the third day after her date, and though she had expected to hear from Liam about it before then, he had been mindful of Ava and Maddie and had not asked her about Alexander, sticking to other subjects in all of his emails and texts. The waiting had made them all anxious; her friends wanted to hear what had happened, and she was on the edge of her seat, ready to tell them. The moment their cocktails had been brought to them and the waiter left, every

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eye at the table was on Mia, and she knew exactly what all of them were so anxious to hear. “Well? I’ve waited ages for this report! Spill! Spill!” Liam gushed excitedly, leaning toward her. She laughed at him. “You haven’t waited ages! You’ve waited three days!” He shook his head. “Ages. I’m telling you, it’s been ages!” They all laughed, and Mia looked shyly at her drink before raising her eyes to meet those of her friends. “Well, we did go out to the formal dinner, and we had a fantastic time.” She tried to keep her thoughts focused on her friends rather than on the blissful feeling that the memory of being in his arms brought to her. “And when the night was over, things got a little heated in the back of his limo.” All the eyes on her grew wide. “And it was amazing, but he

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thought that it was too soon for us, so… we didn’t get far enough for me to win the challenge.” The disappointed faces around her matched her own feelings, and for a moment it was quiet at the table, but then Liam perked up and grinned at her. “That’s all right, it just shows that he’s a good man; he’s respecting you. There’s something to be said for that.” He gave her a wink. “Besides… you’re going to see him again, right?” Maddie asked, giving her a sultry grin. Mia raised her shoulders and smiled in return. “I certainly hope so!” she said lightly. “I want to go to Rome!” Ava and Maddie laughed and reached for their drinks, but Liam eyed her closely and tipped his head to the side a little, his expression thoughtful.

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They chatted away and talked for a couple of hours about lovers and jobs, shopping and lunch, and then said goodnight to each other, and Liam waited back as Maddie and Ava left them. He pushed his hands down into his pockets and gave her a sidelong look as she waited for a cab. “Did you and Alexander make any plans for another date?” he asked quietly. She shook her head and shrugged. “No, but I’m sure he’ll call. When we were kissing in the car, it got hot really fast, and we had such an incredible night… when we danced it was…” she lost herself in thought for a moment and then blinked and smiled up at him. “Well, I just feel like he’ll call soon and then we’ll see about answering that challenge.” He watched her carefully and quietly and bit his lower lip thoughtfully as his eyes searched hers. “…dancing hmmm?”

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She drew in a breath and felt transparent before him for a moment, but she knew that she was safe with him. She knew she could tell him anything, but still, she thought to herself, admitting anything aloud would be more than she was willing to do that point. She didn’t want to say that she had been dreaming about Alexander every night, that she had trouble keeping him out of her thoughts, and that those thoughts and the memory of his kiss took her breath away in intermittent moments throughout the day. If she kept all of it inside of herself, if she didn’t admit it, she felt like it might be just a little less true, and that was all she wanted it to be. “Well… it was a fun evening. He’s a good dancer.” She gave a small smile and a shrug. “That’s all.” Liam was quiet as his gaze took her in and he pressed his lips together. “Okay. I’m glad to hear that you had fun. I’m sure he’ll call

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you and then you can tell us all about it later.” He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. “In the meantime, you have a good night and get some sleep, okay?” He smiled at her lightly then, and the serious moment she had felt between them passed. He gave her a warm hug and then stepped back and raised his hand up in the air to hail a taxi for her. As it pulled up to the curb a few moments later, he opened the door for her and she leaned up and kissed his cheek. “Thank you Liam, you’re the best. Good night.” She grinned and he gave her a wink, closed the door, and waved as the cab drove away into the night. *** The following Wednesday there had still been no word whatsoever from Alexander, and Mia had stopped looking at her phone

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as much, when he called her and her heart stopped when she saw his name show up. She took a deep breath and answered it as calmly as she could. “Hello?” “Mia, good afternoon, this is Alexander. How are you doing today?” He sounded pleasant, just as he had the first time he called her, and she wondered enviously if he ever felt uncertain or unsure when he called her, because he sounded totally unflappable. “I’m wonderful, thank you. How are you doing?” she asked in return as everything in her began to course faster through her while the pace of her heartbeat picked up. She was surprised at how excited she was to hear from him. “Very well, thank you. It’s just been busy here at the office, but things are coming along.” He paused a moment and she could hear him smiling as he spoke again. “I feel

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like I need some downtime. I was thinking that if you aren’t busy on Saturday, I’d like to take you for an outing in Central Park. Are you free?” She felt her heart begin to beat even faster. She glanced at her calendar and took a deep breath trying to steady the delight and thrill going through her. “Oh that sounds like so much fun! As it happens, I am free on Saturday. I’d love to see you! Thank you for asking.” She couldn’t stop the spread of a wide smile over her face. She felt a little blush warm her cheeks as she chided herself for being so elated that he had called her. She knew that she shouldn’t feel anywhere near as excited as she did about a second call and a second date from a man she had just met. It was beyond ridiculous as far as she was concerned, and it was certainly not like her at all.

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Mia closed her eyes and took another deep breath before opening them and sitting up straight to relax herself as she exhaled. “I can pick you up at ten. I’m bringing a picnic for us, so we’ll have some fun and a lunch while we’re there. How does that sound?” he asked interestedly, and she could imagine him sitting at his desk, looking out of the window, thinking about the time they would spend together. She felt butterflies dancing in her belly, and she curled her fingers tighter around the phone in her hand. “It sounds like probably the most fun Saturday I will have had in a long time,” she replied as she grinned. He chuckled softly. “Excellent. I’m glad to hear it.” “Can I bring curiously.

anything?”

she

asked

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He paused. “You could bring a blanket for us to sit on, and you might want to bring a sweater or light jacket.” “I can do that,” she replied happily. “I’ll see you at ten on Saturday,” he said in a soft voice. “Thank you, Alexander. I’ll see you then.” Mia hung up the phone and sat back in her chair, looking up at the ceiling with an enormous grin on her face and she could not stop the rush of a thrill that flashed through her. Closing her eyes tightly as she giggled to herself, she tapped her toes on the floor in excitement and then took a deep breath and sighed, gazing out of the window in bliss. No one could have been more surprised than she was at how much his attention affected her. She had been trying to keep him from her thoughts, trying to keep him from getting to her on any level. She was

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supposed to be finding out whether or not the rumors about him being amply endowed were true, not developing any kind of emotion toward him, and yet there was something so deep and real about him that she couldn’t help being drawn to him, and the nearer she got to him, the more of her objectivity toward the challenge was lost. She didn’t want to admit it to herself, but the more she got to know him, the more she wanted to know, and the more he seemed to saturate her thoughts, piquing her interest and her emotions. Mia made up her mind that she was going to have fun with him on Saturday, but that the day would in no way change anything about her from the inside out. She was on a mission; she had one objective and that was all she was going to have. She would seduce him into her bed, then she would report back to her friends, and then she would go to Rome

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and nothing further would ever happen between them after that. One time. That was what she promised herself. She would forget all about him after that, and there would be no need to see him again afterward. There was no reason to look for more with him beyond that. She promised herself. Nothing more. One time with him. She resolved to stick to her goal, but she thought at the edges of her mind that between that moment and the time he left her bed, she could still enjoy the delight she felt inside, and the dazzled butterflies that careened around inside of her. She texted Liam, Ava, and Maddie. ‘Date with Mr. Big on Saturday. Details to follow at next cocktail.’ All three of them responded to her in minutes, wishing her luck and told her to call him if she wanted to at any time. She thanked them each individually, and thanked Liam for being such a good friend.

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Then she turned her attention to her work and focused with laser beam intensity on it, driving herself to think only of what she was doing at that moment, and not of anything that may yet happen in the days to come. *** Saturday came almost immediately and almost a thousand years later, simultaneously, it seemed to Mia. She had tried not to count every minute between the phone call he had given her and the moment he rang her doorbell, but many moments had been counted, and they had finally come to their end. She pulled the door open with a bright smile for him and he smiled wide back at her just before his eyes swept over her quickly. She had dressed in snug fitting jeans and a form fitting dark red V-neck sweater that showed off her curves while offering just the barest of view of her

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cleavage. She had sprayed herself lightly with the hint of orange blossom fragrance and put a light gloss on her lips. She knew she looked good, but the flitting expression of appreciation she saw in his eyes told her that she had done it all just right. Mia’s confidence was boosted and she reached for her jacket and the thick soft blanket that she was bringing for their picnic. “I’m ready when you are!” she told him with a wink, and he nodded, biting his lower lip for a moment before taking the blanket from her. She closed the door and they were off. She had a chance to admire him as they walked to the elevator and he stepped before her to press the button to call the carriage. He was wearing jeans that fit him well also, and her lips formed a silent ‘O’ when she gazed at just how well they fit right in the back. His long sleeved polo shirt was snug across the back and she

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could see his strong shoulders clearly formed underneath the material. The sleeves of his shirt were pulled up to just beneath his elbows, revealing his muscular tanned arms and the soft dark hair on them. She found herself wondering about just how he looked without the shirt on, and she was a little startled when the elevator doors slid open and he stood back to let her get into the car first. She smiled and stepped into it, seeing in the mirror on the back wall that his eyes moved over the back of her body as well and she stifled a little giggle and turned to face him. She knew that he didn’t realize that she had seen him looking at her, and she loved knowing that. “So what are we going to do while we’re at the park?” she asked curiously, looking up at him through her thick dark eyelashes, giving him a coy smile.

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He laughed a little. “You’ll see,” he said mysteriously. She scoffed and laughed back at him. “You aren’t going to tell me?” she asked in surprise. Alexander shook his head. “No… you’ll just have to wait.” He chuckled again and she shook her head at him in mirth. “Fine. I can wait,” she said defiantly. “Why don’t you tell me about the updates at the office in the meantime? I’m curious to hear what’s happening there, and Liam hasn’t told me anything.” He nodded. “I can do that.” He began to tell her about the changes and there was enough for him to share and for her to ask about that they didn’t stop talking about it until they had reached Central Park and were walking toward the lake. He managed to make every aspect of the changes happening at the office and his

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work both with the changes and with his business sound fascinating to her simply because of his perspective, and she listened with rapt attention when she wasn’t peppering him with questions about it. The more she asked, the more he seemed to want to share, seeing her genuine interest in his endeavors, and even that made it more fascinating for her. When they reached the lake, she looked around and sighed. “It’s so beautiful! Look at all of these blooming trees in so many colors.” She closed her eyes and breathed in the sweet scents of blossoms that filled the air around them, and then exhaled, gazing around at all of the pastel petals on the trees that surrounded them. When her gaze came back to Alexander, she found that he was watching her, and the intensity of his eyes on her made her catch her breath for a moment.

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“So, what are we doing at the lake?” she asked curiously. “Is this where we are going to picnic?” she perked up brightly. His laugh was as lilting as the warm golden sun lambent on the waves and he nodded. “We can, if you like this spot, but we aren’t picnicking just yet.” He raised a teasing eyebrow at her and walked over to the boatman nearby them. A short time later she was sitting opposite him in a row boat as he held the oars firmly in his hands and stretched his body back and forth, rowing them out into the water. She couldn’t help but see the hard, toned muscles in his arms and chest that the material of his shirt pulled tightly over as he moved, pushing and pulling the oars. She tried to stay focused on their conversation, but with every movement she was distracted and the more she watched him, the warmer her body grew as she began to imagine those arms around her, that chest

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pressed against hers, and his strong hands caressing her body. She found her breath growing steadily shallower and she did her best to keep it even as she struggled to keep her eyes on his when he looked at her. More than once she realized that he had caught her gazing at his body, and biting at her lip. He didn’t say anything to her, but the smirk on his mouth let her know that he was holding back a bit of a laugh and a smile. She looked around them at the wondrous beauty of nature in all its spring glory; all the varying shades of pink and white blossoms, the daffodils and tulips that dotted the shoreline in clusters of brilliant color, the baby ducklings that paddled around after their mothers in the water, the sounds of children laughing in the distance, music playing from some far unseen place, people strolling along the pathway around the lake, and the deepening blue sky, scattered

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about with puffy white clouds and dotted with colored kites. It was a perfect day, and as she took it all in, she realized something and she turned to look at Alexander, just to find that he had been watching her again. The butterflies in her went wild. “I have to tell you,” she grinned at him, “this is the most fun I’ve had in a long time. I didn’t even realize how much I missed things like this until just now. It’s so perfect. Thank you so much for bringing me here today. I love it,” she told him earnestly. He nodded and smiled back, setting the oars down finally. They were far out into the lake. “I’m really glad to hear you say that. I had hoped that it would be like this for us today, and even if I could have planned it out myself, I couldn’t have made it any better than it is. I needed this day, and there’s no one else I would rather have

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shared it with.” He winked at her and she felt her heart skip a few beats. Alexander turned and reached behind him into the basket filled with their picnic supplies. He pulled out couple of small personal sized bottles of champagne, popped their corks, and poured each one into a glass champagne flute. He handed one of them to Mia and toasted her. “To this perfect day with you, and hopefully to more that will follow,” he said with a smile and lingering look deep into her eyes. She felt everything in her jolt with an excited thrill, and she silently scolded herself, reminded that she was only in it for the single purpose of finding out if the rumors about him were true. She lifted her glass to him. “Cheers!” she said happily, and after touching the rim of her glass to his, she sipped slowly from it and savored the golden

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bubbles that danced over her tongue and down her throat. She closed her eyes as the sound of a trumpet floated over the water and the moment wrapped itself around her like a glove. Sighing, she opened her eyes back up and looked at him. His eyes were taking her in once more, and he slowly moved toward her until he reached her, never once rocking the boat. She was surprised that it was so still and he was so careful. He placed his glass of champagne in her free hand and reaching both of his hands up to her face, he cupped her cheeks and drew his mouth to hers, touching his lips to hers softly, making her gasp as they began to taste one another and he slowly set her body on fire from the inside out. His lips parted hers and his tongue began to trace over hers in sweeping circles and twists, making her forget everything but that heated connection between them. Her

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heart began to pound and her breath grew shallow and short as his kiss deepened and she lost herself in the rapture of the taste and feel of him. Carefully wrapping her arms around him—each hand still holding tightly to a flute of champagne—she hugged him to her body and kissed him back with as much sensuality as she had in her, and she could feel the effect it had on him when he matched her kiss. After long moments, he finally pulled away from her slowly, his breath ragged, his eyes locked on hers, and he reached his fingers to hers, brushing them slowly over her skin as he slid his champagne flute out of her hand and moved back to his seat in the boat. He took a deep breath and she saw him let it out slowly as he shook his head. “I don’t know what it is about you, but you just…” he paused and stopped shaking his head,

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“…you take my breath away,” he told her softly. Mia felt the heat in her catch fire and she wanted nothing more at that moment than to reach her arms around him and show him just how much he made her feel the same way. She smiled coyly at him and looked away for a moment, feeling her cheeks warm before she looked back at him and lifted her glass to her lips, sipping the champagne and wishing that she was feeling her tongue on hers again, rather than the bubbles that tickled her. He grinned as he finished his own champagne and then put the glass back in the picnic basket. He picked up the oars and began to row them around the lake. He directed the boat beneath some of the trees, and as they passed under them, a flurry of pink and white blossoms spiraled down toward them on warm air, and she found herself in a shower of them as they landed on

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her, dotting her clothes and brushing against her skin. He laughed lightly and she loved the feel of every one of them. They passed baby ducklings and as they passed another boat, they nodded and waved to the two men in it. Alexander took them beneath a bridge and she felt like she was gliding through a dream somehow; some magic fantasy that could not be real, but there she was, right in the middle of it. There was sun on her skin, gentle air moving through her hair and against her cheeks, and the feeling that nothing could be more perfect than that moment with him there in the boat on the water beneath the beautiful blue sky and the spring blossoms that spun in the air around them. After a long ride around the lake, he finally took her back to the shore, returned the boat to the boatman, and they went to a grassy spot beside the water, just underneath a wide tree dressed in brilliant pink

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petals. They set up their picnic and ate together and she poured more champagne for them. He laid back on his elbow and sipped from his glass, looking out over the lake thoughtfully before he turned to her. “This day could not have been more perfect,” he said softly. She smiled at him and leaned close to him, hungry for another taste of him. “Well, it’s not over yet…” she said silkily as she pressed her lips to his and began to kiss him slowly and sweetly. He reached far behind him and set his glass down, and then slid his arm around her and a moment later she found herself beneath him as he kissed her in return, his mouth moving over hers with an ever growing need as his arms and hands tightened on her body.

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Heat flooded her from her core, stealing through her veins like liquid fire as his tongue invaded her mouth and his lips pressed against hers more ardently. She wound her arms around the strong solid muscles of his back and she was able to touch and feel the form that she had admired so much while they were rowing in the boat on the lake earlier. His muscles were hard and warm beneath her fingers and she closed her hands tightly around them, pressing her fingertips into them as he aroused her even more. His lips left hers and trailed slowly along her cheek to the hollow beneath her ear where he paused to breathe her in before brushing his mouth softly over her neck, kissing and sucking gently as he moved lower toward her throat. She lifted her chin and tilted her head back, riveted by the powerful gravitational force pulling her to him with mounting need.

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A soft moan escaped her parted lips as he reached the base of her neck and she longed to feel his mouth on the curves of her breasts and her hardened nipples that were straining against the dark red sweater she wore. Her hands moved hungrily from the firm bulk of his shoulders to the back of his neck where her fingers threaded through his thick hair and she lifted her chest toward his mouth, breathlessly. He groaned and traced his lips tantalizingly over the bare skin that showed at the neckline of her sweater, but then he raised himself up and kissed her mouth softly for a long lingering moment, savoring her lips, and Alexander pushed himself up away from her and leaned back, looking up and taking a deep breath as he closed his eyes. She slid her elbows back behind her and pushed herself up, staring at him in surprise. She had not expected him to stop

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something so hot and delicious as the kisses they had just shared. “Are you okay?” she asked, lowering one brow in confusion. He drew in another slow breath and exhaled gradually, then turned to look down at her, giving her a smile. “I’m good. I’m better than good… you are an amazing woman, and you really bring out a desire in me that I haven’t felt in a while.” He leaned over her, hovering at arm’s length and reached a hand to her cheek, trailing the tip of his finger over her cheekbone. “I loved kissing you. Thank you,” he said quietly, the corners of his mouth curved upward, his chocolate brown eyes steady on hers. She began to have a sinking feeling in the depths of her that he was doing just what he had done in the car and she felt a wave of panic. She pushed herself up to him

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swiftly, and when she was not much more than a breath away from his face, she curved her hand around his cheek and touched her lips to his softly, kissing him sensually. He closed his eyes and kissed her mouth lightly for a moment and she raised her eyes and looked up through her eyelashes at him. “Alexander… I want you to come home with me today. I want you to spend the afternoon with me in my bed.” She whispered as her hand drifted from his cheek down his neck to the open collar of his shirt. Her fingertips circled in the dark hair peeking out of his shirt at the top of his chest. “Come with me…” she breathed as desire burned at her. Alexander sighed and pressed his lips together, closing his eyes for a moment before looking back at her and raising his hand to close it gently around hers, moving

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it from his neck down to the small empty space between them. “Mia… I want you too, you can’t imagine how much I would love to say that I could go to your bed with you, but this is too soon. It’s our second date. You barely know me. I want to know more about you. As truly tempting as spending hours in your arms would be,” his eyes fell to her mouth and he hesitated and then looked back up into her dark eyes again, “I have to be the voice of reason. I don’t want you to regret anything between us. If that does happen between us, there needs to be more to it than just lust.” He spoke simply and honestly, and she felt everything in her crash down. He wasn’t going to give in to her. He wanted more than just simple sex. She’d never heard a man say that he wanted more than just sex. She’d never had a man turn her down even once, let alone twice, when she said she

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wanted to sleep with them. It was both a blow to her ego and to the rapidly growing yearning for him in her body that he had put her off again, yet at the same time she found that she was bewildered and astounded by the man before her. He was a man like no other that she had ever met. He found value in what lay beneath the surface of everything, from his building to his employees to even the women he chose as his lovers. Mia had no idea what to do. Part of her was intrigued with him and wanted to delve deeper into all of the mysteries of him that confounded her, and part of her wanted to walk away right then, simmering with frustration, and just buy her own plane ticket to Italy. She had never found herself in such a strange situation and it was all that she could do to just keep her cool and try to figure out how to react to him at that moment.

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She blinked and sighed in frustration; air gushing from her as she tried to exhale all of the frustration in her. “You want to wait…” she said in a low voice. He nodded. “I think it would be best for both of us if we waited,” he told her earnestly. She shrugged and pushed herself away from him. “Then I guess we wait,” she said with a disappointed sigh, looking down as she pulled her hand from his and rested it in her lap. He reached for her chin and placing his fingers beneath it gently, lifted her face to look in her eyes. “Mia, I do want you. Making myself wait to be with you comes at no small sacrifice to me, and obviously to you, but I don’t fall into bed with women at the drop of a hat. I take my time and I make sure that the women I do love physically are women I would want to be with whether we were intimate or not. You are most

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assuredly one of those women, but there needs to be more than just mutual desire. You are worth that, and so am I.” He smiled and let his hand go from her chin and she stared at him in awe, her mind whirling at his words. She was worth waiting for. Of course she was worth waiting for. She knew that. She just didn’t believe that she had heard a man tell her that. Surrealism crashed over her and she blinked again at him and remained silent as her thoughts and emotions reeled in new directions. He seemed to sense that she was at a complete loss and he gave her a nod and a smile and reached for her champagne glass. “Besides… we have this perfect afternoon here together, and I haven’t seen a more beautiful day yet this year. We are so lucky to be in this place with each other, sharing this right now. I wouldn’t be anywhere but

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right here with you, right now.” He grinned and offered her the glass of golden bubbles. The magic of the day around her seemed to pull her from her amazed state and she looked down at the glass and then took it into her hands. “Thank you,” she said as she lifted the glass to her lips and sipped in the tiny bouncing bubbles. He was right, she realized. It was the most perfect day that Manhattan had seen that whole year and they were in the park together drinking champagne, picnicking, kissing, and enjoying each other. She drew in a breath and sighed slowly, letting her tension go as she looked up at him. “You’re right. This is an incredible day and I have had such a wonderful time with you. Thank you,” she said, raising her glass to him. He toasted her and they both took a long drink from their glasses as the moment and the mood shifted and everything between them relaxed once more.

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The remainder of the afternoon was quiet and pleasant for them as they talked about a wide array of things, and though there was a little more distance between them, he still held her hand, touched her arm or her back here and there, and they both enjoyed the rest of their time together. When he took her home late that afternoon, he walked her to her door where he wrapped her in a warm embrace and kissed her tenderly, taking his time to savor her in his arms, and she knew as their kiss grew heated just before he pulled away, that he was holding himself back as much as he could, and she found herself respecting him for it, much to her surprise. She stepped into her apartment and watched him as he walked away. She closed the door and sighed as she rested her back against it and looked up at her ceiling, trying to make some sense of what was happening between them, what she wanted to

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happen, what she didn’t want to happen, and why even being with him had such a powerful effect on her. The tangle of thoughts in her mind was only going to be put out of her mind one way, she decided, and that was with a very long, very hot bubble bath. Twenty minutes later, she was up to her ears in thick bubbles and the only parts of her that were not immersed in steaming water were her head and hands, which were holding a novel she hoped to lose herself in. *** Cocktails at Carly’s two days later came as both a relief and an anxiety for Mia. Part of her wanted to commiserate with her friends about her thus far failed attempts at seducing Alexander, and part of her didn’t want to face them with her failed attempts, but their love and loyalty toward her outweighed the disappointment she had in herself and she arrived just as they were all

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ordering drinks. She sank into her seat and gave the waiter her drink order and he disappeared into the dim light of the restaurant. All eyes were on her again, as they had been for the last visit, and she gave them a halfhearted smile and shrugged. “That does not look like the smile of a woman who has been tangled in the sheets with a man of possibly enormous endowment,” Liam said gently as he reached a hand to her shoulder. “Care to talk?” he asked hopefully. Ava gave her a sympathetic pout and Maddie offered an encouraging smile and a warm hand to cover Mia’s. Mia sighed. “Well, we went out on this incredible date on Saturday… he took me to Central Park and it was a beautiful day and he rowed me out onto the lake. We drank champagne and had a picnic on the grass under this gorgeous blossoming tree, and we kissed…” She trailed off quietly.

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Liam blinked as he waited and gave a shake of his head when he realized she was stopping. “…you kissed and what?” Mia frowned. “We kissed and it was phenomenal, but then that was it. There wasn’t anything else,” she said in a low voice. Maddie’s frown matched Mia’s. “What do you mean there wasn’t anything else?” she asked as her brows knitted sharply. Mia shrugged. “I told him I wanted him to come back to the apartment with me and said that he wants to wait for us to be intimate. He said he wants it as much as I do, but he just wants to wait until we know each other better.” Her three friends stared at her. Ava blinked in astonishment. “He wants to wait? What does that mean? Why does it matter if you know each other better?” Liam pursed his lips and nodded in comprehension as he turned from Mia’s

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dejected face to look at Ava. “It turns out that Alexander is a bit of a deep thinker. He isn’t really one to jump into anything without a close look at it. That makes perfect sense that he’d want to wait with Mia. I didn’t know him well enough to understand that about him when we put her up to this challenge, but now that I’ve been working with him a little while, I have seen it firsthand. He won’t be rushed about anything.” Ava’s eyes were wide in amazement. Maddie sighed and reached for the drink that the waiter handed her before he passed the rest of the drinks around the table and vanished again. Soft jazz played in the background and filled in the silence at the table for a moment before Liam turned back to Mia. “Honey, this really is a good thing. I’m sure it’s going to be mind-blowing sex when it happens, and I’m sure it will happen. If he

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wasn’t interested in you, he wouldn’t kiss you at all. You’re making progress,” he assured her, patting her arm. She stared at the wine in her glass. “I guess so. It’s just taking so long and….” She stopped herself short. She had almost said that she was having a harder time keeping him off of her mind and out of her emotions, but she managed to keep that from escaping her just in time, although Liam’s sharp eyes took in everything about her hesitation. Maddie lifted her chin and looked at Mia. “So, you stick it out just a little longer and then you’ll get laid and then you’ll go to Italy. You’re close, it just isn’t a freebie, I guess. Not a big deal. You’re getting some good dates in the meantime, and that’s always nice. How’s the kissing?” she asked with a sly wink and a half smile. “It’s beyond hot,” Mia said with a small grin and a touch of a shy look up at all three of

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them. “That man sets me on fire.” She turned her eyes to Liam. “I have a feeling you’re right about how it will be when we’re finally together. I think he’s going to rock my little world, and I can’t wait for it, and I can’t wait to get to Italy!” she said with firmness, reaching for her wine and tipping the glass back at her lips. Her friends laughed a bit and told her that they knew she would succeed soon, and the conversation drifted to other things. Liam waited with her at the end of the night again after Ava and Maddie left Carly’s, and they sat there together, just the two of them, finishing their drinks. “So, have you two set another date yet?” he asked curiously, looking out of the corner of his eye at her. She shook her head. “No, nothing yet.” He ran his fingers over his glass thoughtfully. “Well, give it another date and see

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what happens. He’s not one to give up on something he wants, and if he is moving further along with you each time, that’s progress, no matter how slow the progress is in your eyes, it’s still going in the right direction. Don’t miss out on a good thing because you were impatient,” he said quietly, looking at her earnestly. She nodded thoughtfully and looked back at him. “I think you’re right, but it’s just so hard waiting. I mean, there’s so much chemistry, and he’s so hot, and I want to win the challenge…” she drifted off again quietly. Liam listened quietly and when she stopped he added, “…and you like him now.” Mia looked up at him sharply and drew in a breath quickly. “No! I mean… he’s a really great guy and I… um… he’s incredible, but I don’t like him like that,” she denied adamantly.

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Liam chuckled and looked sidelong at her. “You don’t? Oh… my mistake then. I was just sure that I saw some changes in you that have never been there before, but I’m just your best friend, so what do I know. You’re probably right. How could you ever like a guy like that? Rich, handsome, moral, thoughtful, romantic, intelligent… hot… I don’t know what you’d ever see in him.” She gaped at him for a moment and then smacked his arm playfully before turning from him slightly and reaching for her wine. “Shut up,” she said with a low laugh. Liam leaned close to her and said softly, “You know, you’ve liked worse men. This would be a step up for you, if you decided to step up like that.” Mia sighed and shook her head. “All I’m thinking about is Italy,” she replied firmly, lifting the last of her wine to her mouth.

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“Uh huh,” Liam said casually as he finished his martini and reached for her hand. He kissed the back of her fingers and stood up, pulling her chair out for her as she stood up. “Well, we’ll see how you feel after he makes love with you for the first time.” She felt a white-hot shiver twist through her at the sound of the words Liam had spoken. Their meaning had a visceral effect on her body, and she tensed from head to toe at the idea of him making love with her. She had thought about it countless times, but it hadn’t really been said the way that Liam had spoken it, and hearing it like that made it all the more real. If she waited, there would be a time when Alexander would make love with her, and the idea of it arrested everything in her, setting her on fire deep inside. Liam saw her react to his words, and he smiled and chuckled to himself and said nothing more as he walked her out of the restaurant.

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*** Another agonizing week passed with no word from Alexander, and Mia’s frustration with him grew to new bounds. More than once she seriously considered dropping the challenge just to regain her sanity and control of her emotions and dreams. She felt like she was losing herself to Alexander, and he wasn’t even around to appreciate it. Her thoughts and dreams became more consumed with him; fantasies and memories mixed, and she caught herself thinking about him far more than she cared to. Each time he came to her mind, she tried to push him out and think of anything else, but he returned to her mind over and over, and she wondered in aggravation if he was thinking about her half as much as she was thinking about him. It was maddening to her. She refused to contact him. She felt that if he was going to keep putting off her requests to sleep with her, he didn’t deserve

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calls from her. He’d have to make that move and call her first if he wanted more with her. Just about the time she was ready to throw in the towel, her phone rang and she saw that it was him. For one vindictive moment she wanted to ignore the call and make him call back a second time, but then her desire got the better of her and she reached for it and answered it at the last moment. “Hello?” she asked casually. “Good morning, Mia, how are you doing?” he asked with unmistakable excitement. The happiness in his voice brought a smug smile to her face. He had missed her. He was glad to hear from her, and it was not something that he could hide, nor was he trying to keep it from her. “I’m fantastic, thank you; how are you?” she returned smoothly. Her heart might be pounding in her chest and her blood might

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be racing as the sound of his voice filled every part of her with hunger, but she wasn’t about to let him know it. “Very well, thank you. It’s good to hear your voice,” he said softly. She heard a little sigh escape him. “I’m sorry it’s been so long between calls; I’ve been really busy here at the office. I’d like to see you soon. I was hoping you would have some time for dinner tomorrow night.” She didn’t know whether it was an excuse or if he was intentionally trying to make her crazy missing him or if he was really busy at the office, but she thought about the character of the man she had gotten to know and she decided that he was in earnest and had just been busy. Opting to take the high road, she shrugged and leaned back in her chair, looking out of the window. “Oh how thoughtful of you!” she paused a long moment as she made him wait. “Let me have a quick look in my

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calendar…” she said as she sat there and gazed out of the window. She knew full well that her night was free the following evening, but she wanted to make him wait just a little longer as reciprocity for making her wait a week to hear from him. “It looks like I’m free after six,” she said a moment later as a smile spread over her face. She ignored the rush of excitement at hearing from him, and the knowledge that she was going to see him and hopefully be in his arms again. “Perfect!” he exclaimed happily. “I’ll pick you up at six-thirty if that works.” A little laugh escaped her and she held the phone a little tighter in her hand. “That works. I’ll see you then, and thank you. I’m looking forward to it,” she admitted honestly. “As am I, much more than I can say,” he answered, and her eyes widened,

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wondering admission.

what

he

meant

by

his

They said goodbye and she hung up and closed her eyes, squealing happily and drawing in a deep breath. He had called her again, finally, and it was like an enormous release to her. Every bit of irritation and annoyance and worry was gone from her; evaporated with the sound of his voice and his sweet kind words. She was elated again, so quickly, so simply, and there was nothing that could bring her down from it. Mia was on a natural high that lasted all through that day into the next, and the closer it got to the moment he would be standing at her door, the happier she grew.

Chapter5 Determined to be successful in her endeavor to get Alexander into bed on their third date, Mia visited the salon again and had everything that she could have done, done. Her hair color was enriched; her hair was styled. She got a manicure and pedicure, she was waxed and exfoliated, rubbed and pampered, and when she left, she looked better than she had in years. Her confidence boosted, she bought herself a new dress. It was made of fire engine red silk, with a strap over each shoulder, a gently arched V shape over her breasts, and from there it was gathered all the way down her waist to the hem that laid just above her knee. It was form-fitting to her body, offering subtle hints at all of the curves that were just beneath the smooth material. She

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knew she looked smoking hot in the dress, and there wasn’t another dress in her closet that made her look as good as the dress she was wearing. If he could tell her no looking like she did that night, there was no hope for her. She was sure of it. She sprayed herself with a lightly spiced perfume that she hoped would leave him hungering for her, and she slipped white diamond earrings into her ears. She looked into the mirror and knew that there was nothing she had left undone. Just as her assuredness had emboldened her, the doorbell rang and a flash of panic zipped through her like lightening. He was there and it was time. She couldn’t stop the thrills that tingled in her body or the happiness that bubbled in her more than any of the champagne that the two of them had shared together. She took a deep breath and opened the door, looking up at him with as casual a

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smile as she could manage, though it grew a bit when she saw the momentary expression of raw desire on his face as he took in everything about her. He recovered swiftly and handed a bouquet of red roses to her with a barely controlled gasp and a smile. “You look stunning. I…” he paused and drew in a long breath, “I love that dress.” She could see by his smile and his eyes that he did indeed love it, and it made her feel as though perhaps she may just be successful in her endeavor that night. She was going to give it everything she had. “Thank you!” she laughed lightly. “I like it too.” She put the roses in a vase and returned to him at the door. She noticed him stealing glances at her all the way from her door to the car, and even in the car as he drove her to his home. She loved every single second of it.

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Alexander lived in a high rise building like she did, but as they entered his home from the private elevator that they used to reach it, she discovered that he lived in the penthouse. Her mouth fell open a little and her eyes widened in astonishment at the elegance and style that surrounded her as she stepped from the elevator car into his foyer. It was done in marble with gold metal fixtures, and a large crystal chandelier hung from the domed ceiling. It was easily the grandest looking home that she had ever been in, and she was completely amazed by it. Dark wood furniture graced the halls and rooms that she could see as she stepped down from the foyer into a sunken living room. The furniture was all in dark leather, and accents of cream and gold lightened the room considerably. The thick rugs placed over the marble floor were cream colored, as were the walls and ceiling. There was crown molding at the top of the

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walls and set into the ceiling as well, and a large chandelier hung in the living room, glowing softly. She gazed around the room at the paintings on the walls, the vases and sculptures, and the grand piano in the corner beside a twenty foot tall glass wall that overlooked the vast stretch of Manhattan stretching out below the building. “Do you play the piano?” she asked in curious surprise, looking at it. It was pristine. He shrugged and smiled. “When I have time, which unfortunately hasn’t been too often lately.” Mia bit her lip and looked at him with a shy sort of smile as her attention left the beautiful room she was standing in and focused more on the man who was standing in the middle of it watching her. “So… I thought we were going out to dinner…” she paused, “not that I mind being

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here with you at all, but… are we going out to dinner?” she asked with a little laugh. He chuckled and gave her a nod. “In a manner of speaking, we are going out to dinner, and we are staying in as well.” He walked toward her and she tipped her head at him in confusion. Alexander held his hand out to her and she slipped hers into it. He twined his fingers with hers and walked her through the living room into a library that was walled with dark wooden shelves filled with books. There was a large desk with a Tiffany lamp on it, and an antique looking telephone. At the far end of the room there were two long leather sofas that faced each other, and in between them was a glass table with a gold base. They walked through the library to a doorway and Alexander opened the glass door and led her through it. There was a deck with a spiral staircase, and he stepped aside

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and ushered her up the stairs in front of him. The air was cool, and the night was dark and inviting. She had no idea where he was taking her, but every step had shown her beauty she had never imagined, and she wanted to keep going. As she reached the top of the stairs, there was a small gate, which was already opened. She stepped through it and found herself on the rooftop of the building, but the rooftop was unlike any other she had ever seen or imagined before. The entire rooftop was one enormous garden, complete with paths and walkways, fountains, trees, bushes, flowers, and a glass gazebo which had a raised roof and was built in the shape of an octagon. She felt his hand on her lower back and she turned to stare up at him as he smiled down at her. “This is incredible! I’ve never seen anything like this!” she laughed in her amazement.

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He nodded and shrugged. “Well, it’s hard to find a good place to put a proper garden in New York City, so I had to buy the penthouse so I could put the garden up here.” She blinked. “You bought the penthouse so you could put a garden up here?” Alexander nodded again and laughed as he took her hand and led her down one of the pathways that would take them to the gazebo. “I did. I like to have a natural peaceful place to get away from the madness of the world sometimes, but I don’t really want to get too far out of the city, so when I don’t mind being in public, I go to Central Park, like we did.” They reached the gazebo and he ushered her inside. There was a table inside it, covered with a maroon cloth and set with fine china and crystal. Every thoughtful touch that could have been added to the table had been added, from the flowers in

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the center to the single piece of chocolate waiting for each of them on their plates. “When I want something more private, this works best for me.” He added, finishing his prior statement. Mia gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. “I can’t believe this!” she spoke barely above a whisper. “This is the most beautiful thing… I…” she paused, unable to finish her sentence as she looked at everything around her in the glass room. It was warm, and there were candles of varying sizes and shapes placed all over the room. There were vases of the same red roses that he had brought to her, each one set at different intervals on pedestals at the perimeter of the room. It seemed to her that it must be from some kind of dream. “How…” she tried to ask, but he just pulled out her chair and gave her a wink.

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“I thought we’d have a nice dinner up here. You enjoyed Central Park with me so much that I thought you might like it up here too.” “I love it,” she answered with a wide grin as she took the seat he offered her. He sat near her at the table and reached for the bottle of champagne chilling in the bucket beside the table. He popped the cork and poured each of them a glass of it, and lifted his to her in a salute. Mia loved the bubbles as they cascaded over her lips and tongue, and she grinned thinking about how the night was starting out. It was overflowing with romance, and she was sure that this was going to be the night that he finally made love with her. She could win the challenge, and then she could go to Italy for a long visit. The only thing she hadn’t figured out was how she was ever going to get him off of her mind. He had somehow lodged himself in it

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firmly, and it didn’t matter what she did, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him, or dreaming of him. Mia hoped deep down that after the challenge was won, he would fade from her thoughts, but as she sat there with him, sipping their champagne and talking, she began to wonder if she really did want all of what they were sharing together to end when she had reached her goal. A waiter appeared through the doorway and began bringing them their meal. Mia watched in awe as each course was brought in separately, and each one proved to be better than the last. She was certain that somehow she must be dreaming. The soft strains of a violin sounded and she turned to see a violinist with his instrument standing near the doorway of the gazebo, playing just for them. When the meal was over and the table was cleared, Alexander took her hand and led

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her out of the gazebo back into the garden on the rooftop. He wrapped his arms around her and began to dance with her to the music that the violinist played. As he held her close to him, she closed her eyes and breathed him in. His scent was the same as it had been the first night that they had danced together, and it filled her mind with all the sweet memories of that night as they made new memories together, dancing on the rooftop together. As the music played, he nuzzled his mouth close to her ear and brushed his lips as delicately as a feather over her skin. She drew in her breath and a smile formed on her lips as she closed her eyes and let her head fall back. Every place that his lips touched began to send waves of heat through her and with every kiss she wanted more. His mouth moved down the side of her neck until he reached her shoulder, and then he lifted his chin and brought his mouth to

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meet hers, pressing his lips against hers and tasting her softly and tenderly. Alexander slid both of his hands to her back and pressed against it, drawing her snugly against him, and as he did so, she grew breathless, wishing that there was nothing between them. His kiss deepened and from deep in his chest a soft groan sounded, making her heart beat just a little faster. She let herself believe that this was going to be the night that they would finally be together, and anticipation began to burn through her. “Mia….” He whispered her name against her lips as his mouth moved over hers. Her lips sucked and pulled at his sensually and he breathed her name again. “Mia….” A moment later he lifted his mouth from hers just a little way and gazed into her eyes as he held her close. “I’ve tried my best to resist you, to wait until we know each other better, and you just don’t make it easy at

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all. Being around you, being with you is becoming like a drug to me. I think about you so often when we are apart, and I just can’t seem to get you out of my mind.” His confession made her smile. She was relieved that all of her efforts hadn’t been in vain and that she had just as much of an effect on him as he had on her. His hands moved from her back to her face and he cupped it, his expression growing serious. “I know you’ve wanted to explore intimacy with me, but we held off. I don’t think I can hold back any longer. I don’t think I can wait to be with you. I want you to stay the night with me tonight. Stay here with me, make love with me…” He trailed off, his eyes pleading finally for what his body had needed with her, and what he had denied them both up until then. Fire melted its way through her belly and thighs, spreading all throughout her body with a speed and intensity that she had

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never felt before with him or anyone else. She smiled at him and leaned up to kiss his mouth. “Yes… Alexander, yes,” she said quietly, and he let his breath out in a gush of relief. He kissed her in return for a long moment and then took her by the hand and led her back down the spiral staircase and away from the rooftop. They passed back through the library again and the living room, and he took her to another staircase that led up to the second floor. There was a short hallway that ended in a double door. He reached for the handle and pushed it open. They walked through together and she stared in wonder at the luxury of the space where he slept. Thick curtains hung over windows that spanned almost every wall of the room, and in the center of the room was an enormous bed. At the foot of the bed, a few feet from it, was a long low glassed in fireplace. It had already been turned on, and the room was

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warm, and the light from the fireplace danced and flickered along the walls and the bed. Mia saw that it made her red dress almost seem to glow, and she felt warmer on the inside of her dress than the fire that leapt and wavered before her. Alexander walked with her to the bed and then turned to face her. “Are you sure this is what you want to do?” he asked quietly, looking intently into her eyes. In answer, she smiled at him and reached her hands up to the top of his shirt, fingering the buttons and pulling each one apart as she leaned up and pressed her lips to his. He sighed almost inaudibly and reached his arms around her, holding her close for a long minute before she pulled his shirt off of him and then slipped his pants from his waist. He trailed his lips from her mouth slowly down her neck to her shoulder where he slid the straps of her dress off and then reached behind her back to where the

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zipper was, pulling it downward until the dress fell away from her body and she stood before him in nothing but her small red panties. She smiled at him seductively as his eyes traveled over her body, lingering on her full breasts, and then lowered to her waist, hips, and thighs. He lifted his hands to touch her and from the moment his fingers met her skin, the desire for her that he had been holding back was no longer something that he could control in any way. His fingertips pressed firmly into her flesh as he touched and caressed her, running his hands up along her arms until he reached her breasts. He cupped each one and lifted them to his mouth, taking her hardened dark nipples in between his lips and teeth, rolling them and biting gently at them until she cried out softly in need, and his answer was to kiss her lips with urgency as he laid her back in

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his bed, moving himself above her and resting his body against hers. Mia reached her hands to his waist to slide his boxer briefs down off of him. The moment had come. She would have the answer to the question that was on her friends’ minds, and the reason she was laying beneath him just then. She could feel the firmness of him pressing on her, but it wasn’t until she slid his last article of clothing off and reached her hands down to touch him that she got her answer. The rumors were completely true. Alexander’s erection was enormous. She gasped as her fingers closed around it and her eyes widened, feeling the throbbing heat in her palms. He looked at her with a concerned expression and paused in his soft kissing of her breasts. “Are you all right?” he asked with wide eyes.

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She stared back at his chocolate brown gaze. “Yes… I just… you’re so… big!” she said in a whisper. He pushed himself up just a short way from her and looked at her seriously. “Am I too big for you? If I am, we can figure something else out.” Mia’s mouth curved into a grin as she shook her head slowly from side to side. “Oh no… you’re just right for me.” She spoke in a hushed voice as she leaned up and brushed her lips over his. She began to stroke her fingers over his shaft and as pleasure overtook him, he laid back down with her and closed his mouth around her nipples once more, moaning softly as she rubbed her fingertips against him. Not fully satisfied with gorging himself at her breasts, his kisses moved downward over her belly to the hem of her red panties. He massaged his thumbs back and forth over the tender core of her, making her

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arch her back and moan. He reached for the edges of the material and tugged it down off of her, until she was nude before him. Placing his hands against her inner thighs, he spread them, kissing along them until he reached her soft folds. Parting his lips, he began to suck at her and kiss hungrily, his tongue tracing the outer lines of her, teasing and taunting before he slipped his tongue into her, maneuvering it so deftly that she began to push her hips up against his mouth, meeting him as he tasted her deeper. Moaning louder as the pleasure he gave her compounded, she reached her hands down and raked them through his hair, twisting her fingers in it and tugging as his tongue brought her to a climax and she cried out, every muscle in her tightening stiffly. At the sound of her release, he rose up above her, moving his body between her legs, and he carefully positioned the head of

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himself at her entrance. “I’m going to take my time with this at first,” he said softly as he gazed down at her, “I don’t want to hurt you.” She drew in her breath, wondering how it would be, and a moment later, she found out as he began to push himself into her inch by inch, so slowly and gently, as her body gradually acclimated to his size and she was barely able to take him. She closed her eyes as he entered her, lifting her chin and tilting her head backward; it felt so good to her and even the little bit of pain she felt made her want more of him. When he was finally inside of her fully, he began to move, still slowly, still carefully, until she was able to move with him, and as she did she knew she had never before felt pleasure like she was feeling with him inside of her. He gasped and moaned in chorus with her and they closed their arms around each other as their bodies rocked

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and swayed, their movements growing swifter as the waves of pleasure they shared overwhelmed them. Alexander began to move faster in her and she matched his urgency and need with her own, feeling fire between them and sweat beading on their skin everywhere it touched. She lifted her hips to meet his, drawing him fully into her, and as she did so, he cried out and shuddered, groaning with intensity and she knew he was going to reach his ultimate pleasure. The knowledge of it brought her to another orgasm, and as she began to tremble in his arms, he flooded her with his own orgasm, and they clung to one another fiercely, barely able to breath, totally unable to move, both of them lost in each other, and in the bliss they had created together. Their bodies finally relaxing some, he nearly collapsed as he laid beside her, and they both tried to catch their breath. She

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had never felt desire or pleasure or completely overwhelming satisfaction until that night with him, and it was almost incomprehensible to her. She looked at him and promised herself that she would not let the tears at the back of her eyes be brought forth. She lowered her lashes and breathed deep, and he touched her cheek lightly and smiled at her. “I’m glad that we waited at least a little while, but if I had known it would be that incredible with you, I would have taken you on the very first day.” He chuckled a little. “You are as beautiful inside as you are on the outside, and that was one of the most powerful and amazing experiences in intimacy that I have ever had.” He leaned close to her and kissed her forehead and then kissed her mouth. “Get some sleep, beautiful lady,” he said quietly, and she promised herself that she would not go to sleep, because she never went to sleep at

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any man’s home ever; she always went home and slept in her own bed, but being there beside him calmed her, soothed her soul, and she found herself completely at peace. Breathing deeply, she gazed at him for a few long moments, and then before she knew it, she had fallen sound asleep. Alexander kissed her forehead once more and then pulled the duvet up over her and wrapped her gently in his arms and she nestled against the muscled wall of his chest, and they both dreamed of each other. Light streamed into the room through all of the windows, warming everything that it touched, including Mia’s foot as she stretched the one leg that she had sneaked outside of the covers. She yawned and stretched moving her body a little and then she opened her eyes and looked around. At first she thought that she must still be dreaming; her dreams had been so hot and

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so sweet, but then she realized that she was not in her room. She was still in Alexander’s bedroom, and as her heart began to pound and her eyes widened, she turned her head slowly and looked over to see him sleeping soundly next to her. Panic clutched at her and she gasped and began to carefully slide herself from the bed when she felt two strong hands on her waist, pulling her back to the center of the bed. “Where do you think you’re sneaking off to?” his deep voice sounded in her ear. She could hear the hunger in his voice, and a moment later she could feel the rock hard stiffness of it on her hip. She laughed lightly, or as lightly as she could. “I was going to go home. I didn’t want to wake you,” she admitted. He made a low sound that might have been some sort of growl or grumble. “You aren’t

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going anywhere until I take you again,” he said firmly, and before she knew what was going on, he had her flat on her back and he was between her thighs again, rubbing himself against her body as his mouth captured her nipples. She felt herself begin to ache for him, and in no time at all she was moist and ready for him, and he knew just the right moment to enter himself into her again, sliding the tip of his erection in, followed bit by bit, inch by inch, of the fullness of him until he had filled her completely. They were more familiar with each other in the morning, and it showed in their lovemaking, in the movements they made and in the uninhibited way they rocked their bodies and succumbed to the fire between them. He brought her to the hilt of pleasure, making her climax over and over until she was positive that she would not be able to breathe or move, and it was just as

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overwhelming pleasure began to weaken her that he gasped and cried out in release, spilling all of his heat and pleasure in the depths of her. They fell back into the bed and as their breathing slowed and their hearts began to return to a regular beat, he leaned over to her and kissed her gently. “I’m not sure I’m going to be able to get enough of you,” he said with a wink and a smile. He took her hand in his and after sharing a few more intimate sentiments with each other, he fell into a deep sleep and she watched him for a long while before she slid from his bed successfully, cleaning and dressing herself. She left a note for him on her pillow, and quietly left his penthouse and the tall building that it was in. Mia had a taxi take her home, and as she settled herself into a hot bath, she thought back over the night she had shared with him and wondered how she was ever going

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to be the same again. She realized as she soaked in the steaming water and bubbles that she had only considered that she would sleep with him once and then leave. It had never occurred to her that she would ever think about more than that with him, but as she let the hot water relax every part of her, she began to think that she might be interested in more than just a one night stand with Mr. Alexander Daniels.

Chapter6 Mia had texted her friends the morning after her wild and passionate night with Alexander, and they had all agreed to an emergency cocktail that night. Mia was particularly pleased with herself and her accomplishment, and more than that, she was thrilled that she was going to be heading to Italy. She was the first one there, and though she didn’t mind waiting for her friends, she was anxious to see them, anticipating all that they would share and discuss, including her win. Liam was the first of the group to arrive. He greeted her with a strong hug and a broad smile. “You did it! I’m so proud of you. I can’t wait to hear all of the juicy details!” he teased her with a laugh and a kiss on the cheek, and then he took a seat beside her and filled her in on his latest fun and flings.

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They didn’t have to wait long for Maddie and Ava; both of them showed up within minutes of Liam, and within minutes of each other. They weren’t seated but a few moments when they urged Mia to tell them the news in detail. None of them wanted to wait to hear it. Mia laughed and drew nearer to them, her voice low in a confidential tone. “Well, I finally spent the night with him, and I have got to tell you… that rumor is crazy true! Oh… my… god… is that man huge. He was worried about hurting me, and he could have if he hadn’t been so careful. It was easily one of the most incredible nights of my life.” Ava clapped her hands together excitedly. “Well? Details! What happened?!” she asked with a wide grin. “Well, I spent some quality time at the salon and spa getting ready for our date. I’ll tell you what, I was not about to let another

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date go by without him sleeping with me. I looked so damn good last night! I bought a super sexy red dress just for last night, and he loved it. He picked me up and took me to his home. You’ll never believe it when I tell you.” She looked around at them and shook her head, still amazed herself at the beauty of it, even just in her memories. “He’s in a penthouse on Fifth Avenue, and it’s gorgeous! I’ve never seen a place like that before. I didn’t even know anyone lived like that! Anyway, get this. He bought the penthouse so that he could have the rooftop to make a garden.” She sat back a moment to let that concept sink in to her friends’ minds. They looked stunned and she was pleased that they were as impressed as she had been with it. “So, he tells me he is taking me out for dinner, but what he means is out on the rooftop. We get up there and I discover that he as this incredible garden that

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he built pretty much on his own. It’s got everything; trees, bushes, flowers, and even a glass gazebo! He had a table all set up in the gazebo and there was a waiter who served us a five course meal.” She let her mind go back to the night she had shared with him, and as she did, her face softened and she could see it all in her mind as she spoke about it to her friends around her. “We drank champagne, and there was candlelight… he hired a violinist for the evening, so there was live music playing just for us, and then we danced…” She trailed off quietly and was silent long enough that Liam cleared his throat and she came back to the conversation. “I’ve never known a man like him. His taste is impeccable. He’s such a true gentleman. Every thought he has is about so much more than what he is going to get; it’s about what he can do, and about what the effects of what he does will have on other people.

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It’s amazing to spend time with him, to talk to him and see how he looks at the world. I’ve never even known anyone like him, let alone had a lover who was so thoughtful and respectful. What a lover. My god. I thought I was going to come to pieces in his arms. He was so concerned with being careful with me, pleasing me, doing whatever I wanted him to do with me, and yet he was still so turned on by me that he did everything he wanted to do—at least everything that he knew I would be all right with.” She sighed and smiled blissfully, thinking back on it. Liam eyed her curiously, but remained silent. “Then, this morning, I was going to leave and he pulled me back into bed. I thought he was sleeping, but I guess he wasn’t I guess I must have woken him up, but he was so fast. I had one leg out of the bed and he grabbed me and dragged me back into

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his arms before I even knew what he was doing. I’m telling you, it’s a wonder he’s not married. I can’t believe no one has nailed him down yet. He’s… really something else. He is everything a smart and romantic woman could want.” She laughed to herself. “Everything.” She shook her head and grinned shamelessly. Liam bent toward her and looked her squarely in the eyes. “So… you like him. Are you going to keep seeing him?” Mia was caught completely off guard. She blinked in surprise and everything in her told her to argue, at least a little. She wasn’t falling for him or making any plans. She had toyed with thoughts in her mind about what might happen, but that was all, and nothing was going to come of that, she was sure of it. “Like him? Oh god no… no…” she said as casually as she could without sounding defensive. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, he’s

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amazing, but this was just a one night stand, right? It was just a challenge for the plane ticket and that was it.” She shook her head adamantly. “No… there’s nothing else with him after this.” She waved her hand almost dismissively. She wasn’t exactly sure that she believed herself or that her friends believed her either, especially Liam, but she was determined to keep it just what it was. She didn’t even know if there could be any chance of anything else happening between them, but she was fairly certain that the best thing to do would be to just let it all go. She had done what she needed to do; she had fulfilled her part of the challenge and it was over. There was nothing more to go after. She was an independent single woman in the city that never sleeps and she wasn’t in the market for forever. Liam frowned slightly and looked away from her, poking at his martini with the

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olive and plastic sword that had come with it. Ava shrugged and waved her hand in the air. “Well, it’s done now, and we know, and you certainly did your part to earn that plane ticket, so sister, it’s yours. We’ll get it this week.” She lifted her daiquiri to her lips and sipped at it before setting it down and looking back at Mia. “We’ve all been so focused on Mr. Big that I didn’t get a chance to tell you that I hooked up with Will Carter!” she winked and flashed a naughty smile. “You did? How did it go?” Mia was surprised and glad to hear that Will was giving his attention to anyone else. Ava tilted her head a little to the side. “Well, it’s good… you can tell the man has had a lot of experience, and he knows his way around the bed, and around a woman’s body, but he’s a little kinky. He likes to

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push boundaries and limits and even just the norm. Last time he wanted me to wear something that he could literally rip off of me. It was kind of wild and fun, but… he’s a little different. I don’t think he’s good enough in bed to justify keeping him around for much longer, but he’s been fun in the meantime. I think it’s time that I moved on.” Mia listened to her and was thankful yet again that she had never been with Will. The man was a little too creepy for her; too insistent, too aggressive even in the office, and after hearing what her friend had just told her, she realized that his aggression during their business meetings was only a precursor to what really lay beneath, and that was something that she wanted no part of. “I think that’s a wise idea, Ava,” Mia told her with a small smile. Then she turned her attention to Maddie who was tipping back

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her second cosmopolitan. “What about you, Maddie? Who have you been with lately?” Maddie grinned like a Cheshire Cat and set her glass down on the table, running her fingers down it and laughing softly. “Well, I met this stock broker last week and sparks flew, so we’ve been pretty hot and heavy lately. His name is Dylan Jackson. He’s a very clean cut and well-dressed sort of man, and he has funny little quirks too, but nothing as kinky as Will.” She shot a dark look at Ava. Maddie was a self-proclaimed feminist, and she didn’t like any man being too aggressive with any woman. Liam began to laugh a little as he looked intently at Maddie. “Dylan Jackson? Red hair… brown eyes… Capricorn?” He asked with a wink. She nodded. “Yeah, how did you know that?” she asked curiously, looking at him with a lowered brow.

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He chuckled to himself. “I had a hot fast run of an affair with him about six months ago. It was short lived; just three weeks, and you’re right about his quirks, but he is hot.” Liam laughed and Maddie’s mouth fell open. “Oh my god! You’re serious!” she gasped, splaying her hand on the table between them. Liam nodded. “Oh yes, very serious. I didn’t realize that he was bi.” Maddie blinked in utter shock and took a deep breath as she reached for her drink. “Neither did I!” she said in a low voice. Then she looked up at Liam. “This is weird.” He shrugged casually and gave her hand a pat. “Not in my world it isn’t. It’s fine, as long as you use protection, I guess, and I know you and I always do, but it is a little

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weird, isn’t it? I mean… the two of us here and him in the back of our minds.” She shook her head. “It’s weird. It’s almost like sleeping with you, just off by one degree.” She spoke low as she wrinkled her nose. “I love you, Liam, but that’s just…” she trailed off a moment, “…wrong.” He agreed. “It is.” Then the two of them were quiet for a moment. Liam looked at her and raised one brow. “Isn’t it strange how he absolutely has to be the last one to do and say everything? I mean, it’s fine, and I think other people might not even notice it, but I noticed it, and I think it was a little weird. He has to be the last one to email or text or talk or kiss or walk through a door. He has to be the last one out of the house or into the car. It’s just a little weird.” Maddie’s eyes widened as she looked at him. “Right? I noticed that too! It is weird! He waits if he has to, no matter how long it is, just so he can be last! What is that? Who

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keeps track of stuff like that? It’s bizarre. He’s cute and he’s fun in bed, and he’s really polite and sweet, but he is just a little bit on the strange side.” Liam laughed. “Yes, he certainly is.” He reached over and squeezed Maddie’s hand. “Don’t worry too much about us both being with him; he’s careful too. Let’s just agree that he has good taste in lovers and leave it at that.” She laughed and nodded, and they gave each other a wink. The friends talked through another hour and another round of drinks before going home. Mia was tired and happy when she stepped through her front door that night, but there was a thought nagging at the back of her mind; the thought that Liam had picked up on her uncertainty about what was going on with Alexander and how she was feeling about him, and if Liam could pick it up, it was more obvious than she had

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cared to admit, even to herself, and that was not good. It meant that she was not in control of it, and that worried her a little. She went to bed tired and happy, doing her best to keep Alexander from her mind because the task was done, the challenge was met, and she needed to look forward without him as a distraction. She laid her head down into her pillow and began thinking about the places in Italy that she wanted to go while she was there, but somehow when she fell asleep, Italy faded away from her mind, and the only thing she dreamed about was Alexander making love with her in his rooftop garden underneath the stars far above. When she woke up the next morning, he was still in her thoughts, and as she sat alone in the mounds of pillows and thick blankets in her bed, she finally admitted to herself that she might very well want more with him than just winning the challenge.

Chapter7 Two days after her conquest had been won, Mia was sitting in her office working; her desk faced the windows that looked down from her second story space. Her office was one of several professional offices situated in an old brick building that had been updated and was nestled into a charming little neighborhood. The grandfather trees on the street below reached their budding leafy branches up past her windows, giving her shade and color while still affording her a view of the bustling city below when she paused in her work to look out of the windows at it. Her office had a waiting area in the foyer, complete with a coffee and water station, two chairs and a sofa, and then the doorway to the wide open area where she worked. She had loved the view from her windows so much that she had turned her

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desk to it on the first day, and she kept her office door open so that she could hear anyone who happened to come in, as she had her back to the door. It was so rare that she saw anyone in her office that she was used to working in peace and quiet there with no interruptions. As she was sitting there in the early morning afternoon working away at her computer, she heard a knock on the opened door to her office and she turned to look over her shoulder and smiled wide when she did. Maddie was standing in the doorway, her red hair pulled up on top of her head, her sunglasses in one hand, and her designer bag on her arm. She gave Mia a grin and stepped into the room. “Look at you working away in here! It’s such a pretty day outside! Have you been out yet? You should. It’s gorgeous. The weather report is calling for rain next week; you ought to take at least a few minutes and

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go out to walk around in the sunshine. It’s good for you.” Maddie walked over to Mia’s desk and passed it, going to the windows and looking down onto the street. “This is a nice view, and the fresh air through the window is good for you, but it isn’t the same thing,” she said, looking at Mia as Mia rose from her desk and walked over to stand beside Maddie at the window. “I know it isn’t. I just have a lot to do before I can get out to enjoy any of that, but I will.” Mia reached her arms up and hugged Maddie tightly. She looked at her curiously when she let go and slid her hands to her hips. “So what brings you over here to my neighborhood?” she asked. Maddie worked on Wall Street, and was not often outside of the area, although SoHo wasn’t really far away at all.

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Maddie grinned at her. “Well, business with you brings me over here, but after having seen some of the men in your neighborhood and in this building, I think I might have to start coming over here to have lunch with you! You never told me there were so many hot guys over here. Have you been keeping them all to yourself?” Maddie winked and then waved her hand and pulled her purse from her shoulder and set it on Mia’s desk. Mia watched as she pulled an envelope out of it and held it in front of her by the edges as if she was presenting an Oscar award. Maddie lifted her chin and raised her voice, giving it an authoritative sound. “Mia James, as one of your best friends, it is my honor to present you with this reward for going above and beyond the call in the line of sexual duty in the endeavor that we challenged you with. You were given the task of meeting one Alexander Daniels,

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with the sole intent of seducing him into bed to discern whether or not the rumors were true that his nickname is Mr. Big because he is much more amply endowed than most men. You accepted the challenge, and you gave it your best, which is what you do in everything that you undertake. Your third try with him was a charm and you bedded him successfully. You came back to the group and reported your findings, telling us that he is indeed a man of big, big means, and that report fully satisfied the requirements of the challenge set forth to you by the group.” Maddie paused dramatically and grinned, handing the envelope to Mia, who was trying to withhold a laugh and listen to her friend’s dramatic presentation with some semblance of austerity. “In recognition for work very well done, and for all of your efforts, it is our happy delight to present you with this round trip

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ticket to Italy, as well as funds for hotels, meals, and half the wine in the country. Challenge well met!” she said proudly, and Mia took the envelope into her hands and laughed as she looked at Maddie. Her laugh was interrupted however, by a deep voice that startled both of the ladies. They turned sharply and looked at the doorway behind them, and Maddie raised one eyebrow and smiled, while Mia’s mouth fell full open and she gasped. The envelope in her hand slipped from her fingers and dropped to the floor, making a sharp noise that seemed to echo around all of them. “A challenge?” Alexander said in amazement as his normally warm eyes locked on Mia like cold steel. “This was a game to you?” he gasped, walking into the room toward them both. “I was a game? You planned the whole thing? You came to my office and met me so you could try to

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get me into bed to find out how big of an erection I can get?” The red in his face was darkening by the moment. He shook his head in disbelief. Mia felt as if she had somehow been hit by lightning and everything in her froze. Her stomach tightened into a hard knot and she wished that there was some way her lungs would let her breathe, because they were beginning to hurt. Maddie, who had begun to realize just who it was that had been standing in the doorway, gaped and stared in horror. Alexander stepped closer to them both, but his eyes never left Mia. His voice was strong and unforgiving and she could see the whole truth forming in his mind as comprehension shed light on all of it for him. “This whole time? Everything between us from the very first day was so that you could… you could… win a trip to Italy? Is that right? Did I just hear all of that right?”

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She wished that she didn’t feel frozen to the spot. She wished with everything in her that she could think or speak, and she opened her mouth to try to respond to him, but nothing came out. Nothing at all. His brows furrowed and his eyes grew ice cold. “I believed you, Mia. I believed everything about you, about us, and about what was happening between us, because for me there was something very good and special happening between us, and I actually thought that it was going to go somewhere. I thought that you were one of the best women I had ever met in my life.” He shook his head, never looking away from her as her heart threatened to thud right out of her chest. “I’m so glad I heard this. I might never have known the truth. I might never have known that you couldn’t be further from what and who I thought you were. You are unequivocally the worst woman I have ever known

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in my life.” He raised his hand and pointed his finger toward her, and she felt as if he had stabbed it straight through her heart as he almost growled at her. “I don’t ever want to hear from you again. I never want to see your face, and I better never hear anyone else ever talking about this game you played with me.” He shook his head and began to turn away when suddenly Mia found her voice. “Alexander wait!” she cried out, and his eyes sliced back to hers. “Don’t speak my name. Don’t say anything at all to me. I am not human to you, and I can see that now. No one with a heart would ever treat another person the way that you treated me. I am not a toy or a tool or a chess piece in your sex game to be used and tossed aside when you are finished with me. I am a man. I was a friend, and I was a lover to you, and those relationships should count for something; they should

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mean something to you, but they don’t. They are worthless to you, and you’ve shown me that I am worth nothing more than a travel ticket to you. We’re done here. There’s nothing you need to say to me.” He turned and began to walk out of her office, but she bolted for him and gripped his muscled arm tightly with her hand. Everything in her had suddenly jumped to action as he turned to leave, and every part of her that had been frozen was ignited with life and fire, and everything in her was determined to stop him from leaving. “Alexander! Don’t go! Please, let me explain! It might have started out like that, but it changed! It’s not like that now!” she gushed anxiously, trying to get him to turn and face her so that she could explain to him what was really going on inside of her heart and mind. He turned his head to look at her and the anger and pain his eyes felt like a lethal

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blow straight to her heart. He yanked his arm from her grasp and said with a guttural voice, “Don’t touch me.” Then he turned and strode from the room, and as she watched him leave, she felt everything in her sink straight into hell. She swayed where she stood, her hand lifting to cover her mouth as tears flooded her eyes and began to pour down her cheeks. She wasn’t sure she was ever going to be able to breathe again. Maddie ran up to her and closed her arms around her, holding her up and embracing her tightly. “Mia! You’re going to be okay, it’s going to be okay.” She said firmly, walking Mia over to the chair at the desk. She said Mia down and held her as Mia began to sob into her hands, her breath ragged. “I’m so sorry honey! I didn’t know he was here. I didn’t know anyone was here except the two of us. I’m so sorry…” she repeated

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in a whisper. “Mia, it’s going to be all right. We’ll work this out.” Maddie held her tight and rubbed her hand over Mia’s back and shoulders, but Mia felt like she was exactly who he had said she was. She felt like she might very well be the worst woman in the world, and no consolation could amend that.

Chapter8 The days seemed to pass so slowly for Mia, each of them feeling as if it was lasting a century, but that was nothing compared to how long the nights were. Try as she might, she could not get Alexander from her dreams. She could not keep herself from trying to find him, from trying to talk with him, from kissing him and feeling him take her and make love with her. She woke up each morning with deepened heartache and renewed guilt, and her friends had taken to trying almost anything that they could think of to cheer her up. A week after he left her weeping in her office, Maddie rang her doorbell, and Mia answered it, dressed in her jeans and a light blouse.

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Maddie frowned as she looked Mia up and down. “You look good, but you look a little tired. Are you sleeping?” Mia shrugged. “Some. It’s not really restful sleep,” she answered quietly. She didn’t want to admit to Maddie that she wasn’t sleeping alone in her dreams, and that they were volleying between passion with Alexander and pain in trying to find him and talk with him. Her dreams of passion with him could never compare to the real thing; he was the best lover she had ever known, and she’d lost him. No matter what she remembered in her head, her body reminded her that it was nothing compared to being with him. “Well are you eating? You look a little thin.” Maddie’s eyes moved over Mia’s figure and then met Mia’s face again. Mia nodded slightly. “Of course I’m eating. I haven’t yet today, but I am.” Another halftruth. She had been eating now and then,

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but she had no appetite for full meals. She had almost no appetite at all, but she knew she had to sustain herself, so she made herself eat healthy basics. “Well, we’re going shopping and then we’re going to meet Liam for a champagne brunch. Ava can’t come, she’s off visiting her mother.” Maddie spoke as she waited for Mia to pick up her purse and walk out of the door with her. Maddie’s words lodged in Mia’s head. A champagne brunch. Champagne. Her mind took her back to the picnic in Central Park… Alexander pouring champagne for them, the way he looked rowing the boat, their heated kisses on the bank. She thought of the dinner they had shared on his rooftop and the champagne he had poured there. The violinist, the dancing, the night of fiery passion in his bed… in his arms, where she would never be again. She swallowed hard and forced her mind back

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to Maddie, trying to focus on whatever her friend had been talking about. They visited several shops and boutiques in Maddie’s favorite neighborhood, browsing through everything from clothes, hats, and shoes, to perfumes and jewelry. There was a lingerie shop that Maddie almost walked into with Mia, until she saw the look on Mia’s face, and they opted to pass the shop for a cappuccino at a café instead. By the time they were heading to Carly’s to meet Liam for their brunch, Mia had managed to keep Alexander off of her mind for a portion of the morning, and it had felt like a small victory to her, though she still didn’t feel much better about herself. She had been berating herself since the moment he left her office, wondering when her morals and values had dropped so low that she would stoop to such a thing, using another person the way that she had used him, and for no reason other than to satisfy

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the curiosity of strangers about his body. She felt beyond wretched about doing it, and about who she had become, and keeping that off of her mind was almost impossible. Liam welcomed them both with open arms and spring flowers, and they hugged him in return, happy to see him as well. Mia took her seat after kissing his cheek and she lifted the little bouquet of flowers he’d given her to her nose. They were sweetly fragrant, and in her mind she was suddenly back in the row boat with Alexander, drifting beneath the blossoming trees in Central Park as the pink and white blossoms swirled all around her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, determined to spend her time with her friends focused on them rather than on herself and Alexander. She took a deep breath and set the flowers at her side, looking up with a small smile at Liam and Maddie.

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Liam smiled at them both. “So how was shopping? Did you find anything that you couldn’t live without?” Maddie answered his question, going into detail about the various treasures that had been discovered during their shopping mission. When she had exhausted her story telling, he turned to Mia. “What about you? Anything good today?” he asked, reaching his hand over to hers to hold it for a moment. She shrugged. “Nothing I had to take home, although Maddie was fairly positive that I should never have left a cute little red cloche hat that I found, but that was all,” she answered him, but spoke simply and softly and he watched her carefully. When she had finished speaking, he took a breath and rubbed his fingers over her hand. “How are you doing? Really doing?” he asked, his eyes penetrating hers.

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All of the emotion that she had been able to keep just barely held back beneath the surface came rushing at her and she choked on it. Blinking furiously, she raised her hand to her face and closed her eyes, taking in a long slow breath. Liam nodded. “I see,” he said quietly, handing a mimosa to her. “Here, drink this.” He fairly forced it into her hand and she took it without a word, tipping it back and emptying half of it in a few swallows. The glass was empty within moments and she set it back down on the table and took another deep breath. “Darling, you are in such a horrible spot right now, but you are right in the middle of it, and I can promise you that there is an end to it, and the end of it will come. There will be a day, hopefully sooner rather than later, that you do not feel so much pain and sadness. That day is coming. You need to hold on for it. It will happen. I guarantee

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it,” he promised her, handing her another glass of mimosa. She sipped at it instead of downing it swiftly. “Have you heard from him at all?” Liam asked softly. She shook her head and stared at her drink, raising her eyes slowly to meet his. “How is the job going at his office? Do you… do you see him?” she asked just above a whisper. He shook his head subtly. “No sweetie, the job is done. I haven’t heard from him at all.” Mia nodded silently and gave him a halfhearted smile, going back to her mimosa. Liam reached his hand over to her chin and lifted it so that she found herself looking at him. “Mia, you need to start dating other guys. Lots of other guys. Stat. Do you hear me?” he asked, his eyes as serious as his voice.

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She nodded and tried to give him a small smile. “I know you’re right. I will.” He smiled back for her. “Good. That’s the perfect remedy for this. Someone who can cheer you up. Get back out there honey, and do it soon.” He looked at her pointedly and she nodded. “I will,” she promised. Their brunch cheered her some, and by the time she got back to her apartment, she did feel a little better. She tried to distract herself as much as she could through the remainder of the day, barely keeping him on the edge of her thoughts, but as the sky darkened around the city, she wasn’t able to focus on anything but him. She told herself over and over that she shouldn’t call him, that she shouldn’t even be thinking about him, but there was so much that she wanted to say to him, so many things that she wanted to tell him about how sorry she

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was and how she regretted what she had done. Somewhere in her she felt as if she had come to a fork in her own road and she couldn’t go any further until the tangle of the mess she had made with him was resolved one way or another, and she didn’t feel that it could be resolved until he let her explain what had happened. She told herself that it didn’t even matter what happened after her explanation; whether he ever spoke to her again or not, just so long as he really knew the truth about how things had changed after she had gotten to know him. She believed that as long as he knew that, she would feel some kind of peace, and she could move on without him and not be so caught up in him as she was. She was desperate to move ahead, to try to fix what she had done, and as she sat in the cushioned softness of her bed, she closed her eyes and held her phone in her hand,

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praying that she would be able to find the right words to say, whatever they might be, to make him call her back and listen to her; even if it was just over the phone. Mia dialed his number and her heart raced in her chest as the line began to ring. She didn’t breathe as it continued to ring, unanswered. Her mind was racing with scenarios and questions. What if he answered? What if he was cold and mean? What if he didn’t answer? Should she leave him a voicemail? What would she say? The line continued to ring. She wondered if his ringer was on or if he was ignoring her. He had told her he never wanted to talk with her again. She was sure he meant it, but she just had to explain everything. Her call went to his voicemail. His deep voice sounded in her ear. It was friendly and professional, and she bit her lip as tears stung the back of her eyes at hearing the familiar sweetness of it. The

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beep sounded. She took a deep breath and began to speak. “Alexander, it’s Mia. Please listen to this whole message. I just needed to call you to talk with you. I know what happened is horrible, and I am so sorry about it all, but I need to tell you… to explain to you what really happened. There’s more to it than you know, and it did start out like you heard, and that was a terrible thing for me to do, but it changed as I got to know you. I changed… And I’m different now, and I need you to know that what happened between us—” there was a beep and the voicemail ended. She closed her eyes in frustration and hung up. She had left him something at least. It was nowhere near what she wanted it to be; she hadn’t explained anything at all to him really, but she also had done much more than she had since the day he walked out of her office; she had tried. She had reached

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out to him, and in the deepest darkest part of her heart; the part where she hurt the most about what she had done and what he had said, she began to feel a little lighter. She was changing, and she was making an effort, and though it was a little change, it was something. It was a step in the right direction. Mia sighed and put her phone on the nightstand beside her bed. Maybe he would listen to it and decide to give her a chance to explain. Maybe he would just listen to it and delete it. Maybe he wouldn’t listen to it at all, but at least it was there and she had made an effort, and he would at least have to acknowledge that. He would know that she was thinking about him, that she was sorry, that it mattered to her what she had done to him; that he mattered to her, and that she was somehow trying to make things right, no matter how it ended up.

Chapter9 Cocktails at Carly’s had three of the four friends talking about their latest romantic escapades as usual, and though Mia was doing her best to keep her head in the conversation, she struggled with thoughts of Alexander, and did her best to keep anyone from seeing it, but her friends all saw through it. Ava sighed and tipped her head a little. “Still worrying about him? Mia, I met a guy a couple of days ago that you might like. His name is Brian. He’s super hot looking, and a terrible flirt. I think he’d be fun for you to play with for a little while. Would you like his number?” she asked. “He’s really charming.” Mia shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know,” she said offhandedly. She wasn’t feeling quite up to

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dating strangers, though she knew she had told them that she would. Ava frowned. “Honey, you can’t keep letting this Mr. Big guy put you in a funk. Seriously. He’s gone. It’s over. He found out and he was mad and it’s over. You’re still here with us, you’re still a gorgeous successful businesswoman and you are still one plane ride away from going to Italy. Your life is not terrible right now. You just had a big bump in your road, and you need to get past it. You can’t hold on to it. So, let it go. No good can possibly come from you holding on to any of what has already passed, especially that whole thing. So let go and find some hot guy to have a fling with, get some good sex, have a few laughs, and enjoy yourself. Life is too short to spend any time being miserable. You need to put some good positive things back into your life.”

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Mia looked up at her and realized that she was right. Ava didn’t often have a good point to make, but she certainly did at that moment and Mia was struck by it. “You know what, Ava? You’re right. There isn’t anything good that can come of holding on to any of it. I have been miserable, and I don’t have to be. I don’t even know why I’m holding on to it… I guess I just feel so bad… so miserable about what I did.” She lowered her voice a little at the end. Maddie gave her head a shake. “What good is that guilt doing? Does he even know how you feel? Does he know you’re wallowing in it? Does he care? No. He doesn’t know and he doesn’t care. The only one here who is being affected by it is you, and it’s not doing you a damn bit of good, and it’s not fixing anything or making you a better person, so just let it go. Now, I know that you chose to accept the challenge, but we are all three the ones who put you up to it, so we’re just

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as much to blame for acting below the morality line, aren’t we? You weren’t the only one in that whole mess. Ava’s right. Let it go. Go do what makes you happy and move on. Move forward. Don’t carry this crap around with you everywhere. Okay?” She looked at Mia pointedly. Mia nodded and gave the first genuine smile she’d had since Alexander walked out of her office. “Okay. I’ll do that. I’m going to do it. Thank you… all of you, for being so strong and supportive of me. I love you,” she told them, looking around at all of them. She promised herself that she would not carry the guilt with her any longer; it wasn’t doing her a bit of good, and Alexander wasn’t even around to appreciate that she was wallowing in guilt, so there was no point in doing it whatsoever. She went home that night feeling a lot better, though she was still sad that he was gone. She slipped into a hot bubble bath,

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and though she tried to talk herself out of it, she wound up listening to his old messages on her voicemail. There were three of them, and she had listened to them countless times in the week that had passed since he’d left. She knew every moment of them, and as she listened over and over, she closed her eyes and soaked in his voice; his deep happy sweet voice, asking her for her time and company. The messages took her back to a time when everything was all right; when he wanted to be with her and talk with her, when he wanted to kiss her and hold her, before everything was ruined. She finally sighed and ended the call to her voicemail, knowing that she would have to delete the messages if she was going to move on, but still allowing herself one more night with them before she wiped them from her phone. As she laid there amidst mountains of bubbles with her eyes closed and her mind

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on various moments that she had shared with him, she promised herself that she would change what he was doing, and she would let him go. Her phone rang and she was so startled she turned too swiftly and slid in the bathtub, sinking down beneath the hot water and bubbles, and she came up blinking and spluttering, grabbing the towel to wipe her face and ears off before she reached for her phone. “Hello?” she asked, not bothering to look to see who it was. “Mia? Hey there lady. This is Logan! I’m glad that I caught you. Are you busy?” he asked with a flirtatious tone. She blinked some more and pushed herself up in the bathtub. Logan. Her newest client and last date before Alexander. She had ignored him so much that she was certain he would have given up completely. Maddie

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had warned her that he could be clingy, but she wasn’t really in a position to say no to any man that might be able to get Alexander off of her mind. “Logan! My goodness, what a surprise to hear from you. How are you doing?” she asked distractedly as she toweled her head off some more and dried both of her hands better. “Oh, I’m good! I’ve just been working. I wanted to let you know that I implemented all of the suggestions you made for my business, and things are already improving,” he stated happily and she thought she could detect a note of nervousness in him. “Well that’s wonderful to hear! I’m so pleased to know that things are going well for you. Thank you for making those changes!” she replied pleasantly. “Mia…” he paused and she knew that she had pegged his nervousness correctly, “I

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have been thinking about you a lot lately. I know things might have gone a little fast at first, but I wanted to give you a call and ask you to come to dinner with me again. The date we had a few weeks back was one of the most fun nights I’ve had in a long time, and you’re really an amazing lady. I’d just like to see if we could give it another try. What do you think? Would that be all right? I promise not to mix business and pleasure. We’ll keep it all pleasure while we are out!” he gave a thin laugh, and then he waited quietly for her to respond. She sighed. Logan was not her first choice of men to get back in the game with, but he was a good man, a sweet man, and even Maddie had told her that he was an amazing lover. She bit her lower lip thinking about it and closed her eyes. “Okay, Logan. I guess if we are going to keep business and pleasure separate, we can give it a try. What were you thinking for

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us?” she wondered aloud. She also wondered what she was doing, and reminded herself that she was moving forward. Just like she had promised her friends and herself that she would do. His voice grew excited. “Oh! Well, I was thinking we could go to dinner again! What do you think? Is there some place that you’d like to go? We could go tomorrow night if you want to.” She could hear him waiting again, almost holding his breath. She gave her head a shake and tried to get Alexander from the back of her mind and her thoughts. “…um, how about Hastings?” she asked suddenly and then immediately squeezed her eyes shut in regret. She silently berated herself for choosing that restaurant. She couldn’t imagine why she would have chosen it, except that Alexander had told her that it was his favorite. He had promised to take her there one day and it hadn’t happened. She

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sighed quietly and rolled her eyes. That’s what she got for thinking of him. Logan jumped on it. “Oh! I’ve heard really good things about that place. We can go there. I’ll call them to make reservations right away. Can I pick you up at say… six?” he asked hopefully. She let out a long slow breath and agreed, giving him the address of her apartment. They said goodbye and she shook her head as she hung up. He sounded almost giddy about seeing her. Setting her phone on the small table near the bathtub, she closed her eyes and sank back down low into the water, wishing she’d thought before she had spoken. She wondered how she was ever going to keep Alexander off of her mind by going on a date with another man to his favorite restaurant; a restaurant he had told her all about and promised to take her to. Groaning, she laid a warm wet washcloth over her face and closed her eyes, wishing

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her thoughts had not betrayed her like they had just done. Taking a deep breath, she decided to focus on Logan and try to have the best time with him that she could. She was going to dress her best, look her best, and she was going to give her date with him all that she could. It was going to be a fun and wonderful night for them, she told herself with complete determination; it was going to be incredible, come hell or high water, by god. *** Mia was less enthused about her date with Logan than she was for any of her dates with Alexander, but she continued to tell herself that they were going to have a night to remember, and she spent a fair amount of time making sure that she looked beautiful. She put her hair up at the back of her head, she took extra time and care doing her makeup, and she was careful about

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selecting a dress that showed off her figure without showing off too much skin. It was form fitting and white with wide straps and a V-neck that offered a partial view of her cleavage. It hugged her waist and hips and then fell loosely to the floor from there. There was a slit in the material that went straight up the middle of the front of the dress to just above her knees, and when she sat, the material fell away from her legs. She felt sexy in it, she decided, giving herself a few turns in front of the mirror. She thought she would see how she felt with Logan at the end of the night. She had no doubt in her mind that if she decided that she wanted to spend the night with him, he would be more than happy to be with her. Logan arrived at her door on time, and when she opened it to him, he stared at her and grinned, shaking his head. “My goodness, you look so beautiful tonight! Look at you! That dress is… well… it

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fits you perfectly. It’s really beautiful, but then of course, I expected no less. I just didn’t know you would look this good!” he gushed over her and for a moment she liked hearing it, it gave her some confidence, but then he kept going and it made her feel like he was overdoing it just a bit too much. “You look nice too,” she told him, glancing over his jacket and button up shirt with a tie. She hadn’t been to Hastings herself yet, but she was fairly certain that he was just a little bit underdressed. He seemed not to have noticed, and she thought it best that she didn’t say anything. She picked up her handbag and walked out of the door, closing it behind her. Logan reached for her hand and for a split second, she wanted to pull her hand away from his, but then she realized that she ought to give him a chance; give him every chance, at making their date a good one, so she gave

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him her hand and he smiled down at her happily. She watched the city out of the window as he turned out of the parking garage for her building. She genuinely hoped that it would be a good night for them. “I saw that it’s a little warmer right now than it normally is for this time of year,” he said casually, glancing at her with a smile. She blinked and paused as she turned to look back at him while he drove. “Yes, it has been a bit warmer. I like it, but I’m concerned about global climate change. I wonder about the effects of what unseasonable weather will do to the planet. Do you worry about that?” He shrugged. “Oh, I think about it here locally. I’m not going to have to wear winter clothes as far into the spring as I usually do. That’s about all the thinking I’ve done on

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it.” He chuckled and drove and she frowned slightly and looked back out of the window. It was quiet for a long moment and he looked around and sighed. “There’s so much traffic tonight.” She looked out of the front window and sighed quietly. “It looks like it,” she said in agreement. “I thought about taking the train, but I just can’t stand public transportation if I don’t have to use it, plus, I didn’t think you’d be too impressed if we did. I like to make a good impression.” He gave her a wink. She tried not to frown again. “Well, actually, the public transportation system in this city is one of the best in the world; I mean, there are sometimes delays with the trains, but it’s certainly a lot better for the environment to take public transportation when the opportunity is there. I wouldn’t

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have minded,” she said as lightly as she could. He shrugged. “That’s all right. I don’t like it. Besides, what is my one vehicle going to do to the environment? Nothing. It’s just one vehicle. Mine isn’t going to tip the scale.” She bit her tongue. She wanted to tell him that if everyone thought the way he did, it would be so much worse for the environment, but if everyone who thought that way realized how much of a difference it would make, they would understand that each single drop of rain makes the rainstorm. Each drop counts. She looked out of the window instead and folded her arms over her chest. There was another long silence that he decided to break. “I went to lunch at a café today. I haven’t been there before. I don’t think I’m going to go back. The food was all

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right, but the service was not what I would have wanted it to be.” She drew in a long deep breath and let it out slowly. “Where was it?” she asked, trying to be conversational. “Oh, it was over on 72nd street. Just some little hole in the wall. I probably won’t go back.” He didn’t say anymore after that and she wondered what his point was. She forced herself to remember that he might just be being nervous around her, and perhaps he didn’t know what else to say. She found herself comparing him to Alexander, and she knew she shouldn’t, but Alexander and she had shared long conversations on several topics, and not once was any of them ever mundane. They pulled into the parking area for the restaurant and he walked with her holding her hand again. She told herself that it was romantic, though it didn’t feel that way to

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her. She was still thinking about it when they walked into the entrance and she heard a familiar voice and looked up to see Alexander Daniels standing a few feet away with a beautiful woman at his side. Alexander was dressed in a tailored suit and he looked, as he always managed to when he was out, like a James Bond hero. The woman who was with him was just a few inches shorter than he was, with dark brunette hair that was carefully styled and pinned up around her head. She had porcelain skin and big, warm brown eyes. Her features were classic and elegant, and she reminded Mia of Audrey Hepburn in many ways. She was wearing a navy dress that covered most of her, while leaving her arms bare. In her hands was a beautiful bouquet of flowers, and Mia felt her heart stop when she saw all of it. Logan was mumbling about having to wait when they had reservations and Mia wished

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that there was somewhere that she could hide, some way to vanish, some way to hide the pain she felt in her heart from showing on her face, but there was no way. Alexander turned then and looked at her and she saw several emotions cross his face. He looked subtly surprised for a moment, and then hurt, and following that, he looked curious and then annoyed as his eyes moved to Logan who was standing silently beside Mia, still clutching her hand while he looked around the restaurant. Mia sighed. There was no one else waiting for a table, only the four of them, and they were in such small quarters that there was no way to ignore one another and avoid having to say hello. She nodded at him and took a few steps toward him. “Hello Alexander,” she said quietly.

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“Good evening,” he replied in a monotone voice. Sighing softly, she indicated Logan. “Alexander, this is Logan Parker. Logan, this is Alexander Daniels.” Logan looked surprised that she knew anyone there and he smiled and reached his hand out to Alexander. Alexander seemed to give it a snug squeeze before he let it go. He turned to the beautiful woman at his side and smiled at her. “Emily, this is Mia James and Logan Parker. Logan, Mia, this is Emily Hawthorne.” Emily reached her hand out to shake Mia’s hand, and Mia felt like her heart was going to break right in two at having to shake the hand of the woman that Alexander had taken to the restaurant where he had promised to take her. Somehow, Mia made it through the woman’s gentle handshake, and they smiled at one another.

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The maître d’ arrived and nodded to Alexander and Emily. “Right this way,” he said with a smile, and Alexander and Emily nodded at them, while Emily wished them a nice evening and Alexander did the same, his eyes lingering on both Logan and Mia before he turned and walked away. Mia wanted to turn and run from the restaurant. She wanted to bolt from it as far and as fast as she possibly could, but there was no escape, the damage was already done. It couldn’t get worse from that point. “How do you know him?” Logan asked curiously as they waited to be seated. She felt her heart catch in her chest and she tried to act nonchalant. “Oh, he’s a business associate,” she said offhandedly. It was another half-truth. She had worked in his office for one day. Logan nodded and his attention turned to looking around the restaurant once more.

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The maître d’ returned and they were seated a few minutes later. She cringed inwardly when she saw that they were seated not far from Alexander and Emily. They were far enough away that there would be no way to overhear conversations, but they were close enough that there was no way not to see them as they dined. Logan noticed where they were as well and he raised his hand and waved, and Alexander and Emily both nodded back. Logan sat down and looked thoughtful. “Would you like me to invite them over to dine with us?” he asked, looking up at her. Mia felt like an earthquake had struck her inside as panic shot through her. “Oh, no… they’re obviously on a date. Let’s let them have their evening and we’ll keep ours to ourselves as well.” She took a long slow breath and tried to still the adrenaline that had shot through her with lightning speed.

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They ordered wine and dinner and Mia did her best not to look up at Alexander, but it was unavoidable, and she found herself glancing in his direction more times than she wished to. She was surprised to realize that several of those times, he was looking back at her, though his expression was completely unreadable. Logan talked on and on about small inane subjects, and she tried to listen and agree now and then, but her mind and her attention were almost entirely focused on the man sitting not too far from her; the man whose eyes continued to peer into her as if there was nothing in her that he could not see. She wondered at his uncanny ability to look at her that way and she remembered that he had looked at her like that right from the first moment that he had met her. She wished it away to no avail. No matter how subtle she tried to be, she could not hide

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the fact that her eyes were like a magnet to him, and the more she saw him looking at her, the more she wanted to go to him and explain what had happened, to tell him that she was sorry for everything, and that it had all changed as she had gotten to know him, but there was nothing but space and silence between them, and intense eye contact again and again. Mia tried her best to focus on dinner and Logan, though it was a considerable struggle for her. As they were finishing their meal, she glanced up at Alexander again, and the intense look in his eyes completely undid her nerve. She wasn’t able to take it any longer. “Logan,” she said with a small smile, “would you please excuse me? I’m going to the ladies room.” He nodded and stood up, helping her with her chair as she left, and then he sat back down and she hurried away from the table,

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trying to still the storm that was becoming a raging tempest inside of her. She pushed the door open to the ladies room and rushed inside, bending over and trying to catch her breath as emotion cascaded through her like a massive tidal wave. She wasn’t able to push any of it away. She had actually begun to believe that she was going to be able to get over him, particularly by being with Logan, but as the night had worn on, she realized with increasing dismay and worry that she was not going to be able to do any such thing, and that trying to use Logan to get over Alexander was unfair of her. Logan genuinely liked her, and she knew it, and she didn’t feel the same about him and she knew she never would. Mia admitted to herself that she was going to have to stop her plan to date Logan. It wasn’t going to go anywhere and he deserved to be with a woman who wanted him

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for himself, rather than as an escape mechanism. She took one of the face cloths from the basket by the sink, ran it under cool water and then pressed it to her face for a moment, trying to calm herself. Alexander had moved on. She needed to do the same, but by letting him go, rather than trying to replace him. He was obviously not interested in knowing what had happened, or in knowing what had changed between them. It was something he just didn’t care about and she told herself that she was just going to have to accept that and move on, leaving that conversation behind her. It just wasn’t important to him and he was never going to let her have the moments she so desperately wanted with him to explain everything. He was never going to listen, and it didn’t matter to him. He knew what he knew, and he was not interested whatsoever in anything else. It was hard for her to accept, because it meant so much to her to

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try to explain it all, but it was never going to happen with him. She shed a few hot tears, releasing some of the stress in her, and then she wiped them off of her face with the cloth and touched up her hair and makeup. Taking a deep breath she told herself to finish her date with Logan and then tell him that it was best if they only had a business relationship. Then she would never go to Hastings again, because she knew she couldn’t bear to see Alexander with anyone else. It had been a mistake to even go there to begin with, and she was paying dearly for it. Mia took a deep breath and walked out of the restroom and straight into Alexander’s chest and arms. He reached around her as she walked into him, only to stop her and steady her. She gasped and stared up at him with wide eyes. The feel of his strong arms around her made her heart race so fast she wasn’t sure she could stand it.

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He frowned and moved his hands to her shoulders, pushing her back a little from his body. “I was just about to go in after you! You’ve been in there forever!” he scowled at her. She blinked in consternation and shook her head. “What are you doing waiting out here for me?” she asked in confusion. He narrowed his eyes. “What are you doing here in this restaurant?” he asked in an accusatory tone. Mia furrowed her brows. “I happen to be on a date! I didn’t know you were going to be here!” “You know this is my favorite restaurant!” he snapped back at her. “And who is this guy Logan, anyway? Are you sleeping with him for measurement purposes as well?” he shot at her with a nasty tone.

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It hit her hard. She bit her lip and looked down and Alexander’s angry face softened and looked away from her for a moment. “I’m just having dinner with him, that’s all, and I didn’t know you were going to be here,” she said quietly, looking up at him with anger and sadness in her. “Look, I know I made a mistake with you, but you don’t have to throw it back in my face like that. I told you I was sorry and I wanted to explain what happened, but you just aren’t going to let me, so let it go, okay?” she said shortly. His eyes were locked on her, and his hands closed tighter around her shoulders as he looked at her. “Why did you come here with him? You could have gone anywhere in the city!” he said angrily. She lifted her chin and looked up at him defiantly. “It just kind of happened! Besides, what do you care where we are or what we are doing? You’re here on your own date!

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You don’t see me asking you all about Emily!” Alexander’s frustration was crystal clear. “What I’m doing here with Emily is my business!” Mia kept her chin pointed out at him. “Well, what I’m doing here with Logan is my business and it doesn’t concern you at all!” she threw back at him. He shook his head as the frustration in him mounted, “It does when it’s you!” he said angrily. “It doesn’t! You don’t even talk to me! You never wanted to see me again! Nothing I do concerns you because you want no part of me!” she flared furiously. Alexander tried to speak, but the words stopped before he spoke them, he shook his head, but could not seem to make himself say what he wanted to, and suddenly he pulled her to him, his hands clamped on

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her shoulders and he kissed her hard on the lips. Her eyes flew wide open as he moved his mouth over hers roughly, and everything in her stopped in a single moment, until his arms went around her and crushed her body to his, and then everything in her combusted simultaneously and she was overwhelmed by the fire that consumed her. She succumbed to him, giving in to the need and desire she felt so deeply for him, giving in to anything he wanted from her. She closed her eyes and parted her lips as he thrust his tongue into them and demanded with it that she kiss him in return. She lost herself in the wildfire that burned through them both, and her body ached everywhere for him, but no part of it ached as much as her heart did for him. A soft moan escaped her and at the sound of it, his kiss grew deeper and more urgent,

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and she felt him push her back up against the wall. His hands began to travel from her back to her hips and he grasped them tightly, squeezing his fingers into the soft curves, and he pulled her hard against his massive solid erection. She gasped and grew breathless as he moved it against her, filling her with a fiery need for him. She closed her arms tightly around his neck and kissed him with all of the passion in her. Suddenly he pushed her away from him, his face flushed, his breath ragged, his chest heaving, and he shook his head. “I wanted every part of you!” he said gruffly, “You just didn’t want me for more than your ticket to Italy.” With that he took a long deep breath and turned away from her as she panted and tried to calm her breath and her heart, and she watched him walk away from her, leaving her standing there against the wall

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alone, burning for him, as tears coursed down her cheeks. He disappeared around the corner back into the restaurant, and she returned to the bathroom and cleaned her face again, wiping away the tears and trying to subdue them from continuing to cascade from her eyes. She couldn’t believe he had fought with her and kissed her, making her want him more in that moment than she ever had. She couldn’t believe he walked away from her again, and that there was nothing she could do about it, but more than all of that, she couldn’t believe that he had told her what he had; that he had wanted every part of her. She knew he was telling her the truth. She knew that he wasn’t holding anything back from her, and she wished that he had told her that before, and she wished that she had been honest and told him about the challenge when she still had a chance to

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talk with him. When she could have tried to save everything with him, but all of that was gone, and he had gotten her back in some small way. Steadying herself and wiping once more at her face, she left the restroom and went back to her table. Logan was waiting quietly and patiently for her. He rose up from his chair and helped her to sit down again. She wanted to look over at Alexander, but she didn’t know if she could take it. She kept her eyes on Logan. “Are you all right? You were gone a while,” he said casually. She nodded. “I’m fine,” she lied. “Your friend left. He stopped by the table on his way out and told me to take good care of you,” he said with a confused smile. “I told him I would.”

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He reached his left hand to his right hand and rubbed it a little. “He’s got a firm grip, that fellow.” Mia nodded silently and forced her emotions back. She picked up her glass of water and nearly drained it. Setting the glass back down, she looked at Logan and sighed. “I’m really tired. I’m sorry, I know it isn’t that late, but I do need to get home and get to bed.” He frowned slightly and nodded. “I understand,” he told her. It was all he told her. He rose up then and pulled her chair out again for her, helping her to her feet, and then they left the restaurant and he took her home. As he stood outside of her door with her, he reached for her to kiss her and she turned away from him. “Logan, I think it’s best if we keep this a strictly business relationship. I know you’re interested in more with me, but I want to be honest with you, I just

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don’t feel like that is a good move for us. I hope you’re all right with that,” she told him quietly. He sighed and pushed his hands down into his pockets, looking at her sadly. “The good ones always get away,” he told her softly. “I might not be able to date you, but I’m going to keep you for my business, if that’s all right,” he said, tilting his head. She nodded. “I’d like that. Thank you for a nice evening.” He nodded in return and then turned and walked down the hall and she closed her apartment door and went to her room. She didn’t let herself cry until her bedroom door was closed, and then she wept long and hard, crying out all of the pain, anger, guilt, and regret that she had built up in her. She cried until there were no more tears to cry, and then she washed her face, dressed for bed, and crawled into the

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sheets, wrapping herself up in them snugly as she buried her head into the pillow. In her dreams, Alexander made love to her again, long and slow, and she couldn’t be sure, but somewhere in the softest whisper, she heard him say that he wanted everything about her.

Chapter10 Mia stared at her drink as Ava, Maddie, and Liam all chatted about their latest love conquests, and hum of conversation stopped and it grew quiet for a moment. She looked up and saw that all of their eyes were on her. She blinked and looked around the table at them. “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear that last part. What was it?” she asked, feeling bad. Maddie frowned and reached a hand out to touch her arm. “I said I wonder what it is that has you so down today. You’ve hardly been here and we’ve been talking for twenty minutes. Where is your brain? What is it that has you all tied up?” Mia shrugged. “It’s nothing new. It’s Alexander.”

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Ava sat up a bit straighter and looked at her curiously. “Is there something new?” she asked. “You were making progress before, you were getting over him. You were going to date other guys. What happened?” she asked, her eyes kind and loving for her friend. Mia sighed. “Well, I went out to dinner with Logan Parker, and he asked me where I wanted to go. I just… I was so stupid. I was thinking of Alexander, which I have been trying not to do, and Alexander told me about his favorite restaurant; Hastings, and he said he was going to take me there, but he never did.” Maddie nodded and whistled. “Oh… I love Hastings. Great place.” Mia nodded back and continued. “It is a great place, except I never should have chosen it; but it was the first thing that popped into my head when Logan asked.

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All I could think of was Alexander, and that’s what came out, so we went there.” Ava smiled encouragingly. “So, how was it?” she asked brightly. Mia closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head before looking back at all of them. “Well, it probably would have been just fine, except that when we walked in the door Alexander was standing there with a gorgeous date.” She felt her stomach tighten at the memory and she swallowed the lump in her throat. Her friends all groaned around her and their faces contorted with sympathy. “Oh no…” Ava said quietly, looking at her with a little pout. “Yeah. Alexander was there and there was no way to avoid talking to him, so I had to introduce him to Logan, and I had to meet his date, Emily. That was so hard.” Her friends nodded in commiseration.

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“So, they seated us and of course they seated us right where we would have to see each other. Thank god we were far enough away that we couldn’t hear each other. Anyway, I kept looking at him and he kept looking at me all through dinner, and Logan is sweet, but he’s not very bright. He didn’t really catch on to it, thankfully, and by the time dinner was over, I was a wreck, so I went to the bathroom, and when I came out, Alexander was right outside of the door waiting for me. I walked right into him.” Liam stared at her. They were all staring at her. She took a deep breath and continued. “Well, we got into a fight. He was mad that I was there, he was mad that I was with Logan, he was mad about what happened, and I was mad that he was mad, and we just kind of fought with each other, and then all of a sudden he just grabbed me and kissed me. Hard.”

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All three of her friends gaped at her, and Liam gasped. Ava whispered, “He kissed you?” Mia pursed her lips and gave her head a nod. “He did. He kissed me better than he’s ever kissed me. I thought he was going to set me on fire right there, and that’s not all. He got fresh with me and then he just backed off and let go completely and turned around and left me standing there. He went back to his date and they left the restaurant and I was stuck there with Logan. I had Logan take me home and I told him I couldn’t date him anymore, so we’re just going to keep it business.” Maddie and Liam shook their heads, and Ava just stared at her. “My god…” she whispered. Mia hated recounting it, but it was much better for her that she didn’t have to keep it locked up in her chest any longer. She

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didn’t think she could stand to hold it in; it had been hurting her since it happened. Liam reached for her hand and squeezed it. “Have you heard from him since?” he asked softly. She shook her head. “No. I haven’t tried to call him and he hasn’t tried to get a hold of me at all either. Maybe he was just trying to hurt me back. I don’t know.” Liam’s eyes were filled with sadness for her. “Honey, I’m so sorry. Did he even say anything to you?” Mia turned her eyes to Liam. “Yeah, he did.” She fought back some tears that threatened to show her friends just how hurt she truly was. “He said he wanted every part of me.” Maddie looked at her in surprise. “He wants every part of you? What does that mean?”

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Mia shook her head slowly. “No, he doesn’t still want it, he did want it. He wanted to be with me. I used him, and I hurt him, and he was letting me know just how much I had hurt him. I guess I wasn’t already riddled with enough guilt and pain.” She picked up her drink and took a sip of it. “Well, I sure as hell am now.” Maddie sighed and reached her arm around Mia, hugging her from the side. “Lady, you are strong and you are filled with grace. You’re going to get through this. I promise. You’re going to get through it with all of us at your side.” Mia smiled a little and nodded. “I will try.” Liam leaned over and kissed her cheek. “You’ll do it. I know you will. We’ll help you.” Ava tilted her head and gave Mia a smile. “Maybe you could use some time away. Perhaps it’s time for a break from all of this,

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right? You could use that ticket we gave you. Go to Italy. Take a break. Screw an Italian stallion. Have a bunch of orgasms and wine, and find yourself again. Right?” Mia actually laughed out loud, she was so struck by what Ava had said. It wasn’t often, but Ava did have a good point from time to time. Mia reached across the table and took Ava’s hand in hers. “You know what, you’re right. I could use a break, and I’m sure I would have a good time over there. I’ll see about taking that trip soon. Thank you, Ava.” Her smile spread further and she laughed, and then her friends laughed, and for a few minutes it felt like everything that should be right in the world was actually right. She did need a break, and she had the ticket to use. She told herself that she might as well use it. When she left cocktails with her friends, she said goodbye to them at the door and decided to walk instead of taking

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a cab. It was a beautiful day, and the sunshine felt good on her. She wanted more of it. Mia made her way down familiar streets, taking her time and looking in shop windows and at parks that she passed by. She let her thoughts go to Italy, thinking about where she wanted to go and what she would want to see when she got there. She had always wanted to go, and she had been to Europe a few times, but she hadn’t ever gotten to Italy, and now she was going to go. It had cost her someone she cared a great deal about, but that was over and done, and the best thing she could think of to do was to use the ticket and perhaps find some closure with all of it. Maybe Ava was right and she would find some Italian lover to make her forget all the pain her heart had been through. She wandered along on her walk and paid little attention to where she was going, until she

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looked up and saw that she was standing across the street from the high rise that Alexander’s penthouse was in. She had walked right to his home without even thinking about it. Feeling foolish, she felt her cheeks flush warm and she turned to walk back the way that she had come when she saw him. He was coming out of the front door of the building with Emily, and her hand was in his. They were laughing and talking, and if it was possible, Emily looked even more beautiful than she had in the restaurant. Her long brunette hair was hanging down her back and around her shoulders in soft waves, and she was in a pretty sundress. Mia stared at them, watching silently as everything in her twisted hard. Alexander wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek, and she embraced him in return. He pulled open a cab door and she slid inside and he shut the door

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behind her. The cab pulled away from the curb and drove off down the street and he watched it go, waving as it disappeared. Then he stopped and turned to go back into the building, but as he did, his eyes caught sight of Mia, and his mouth fell open slightly. He stared at her for a moment, and she could easily see the surprise on his face. Her heart nearly stopped in her chest and she felt the pace of everything in her quicken. He raised his hand, and for a moment she was sure that he was going to cross the road and go to her, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to handle it with him. She couldn’t take any more pain and sorrow. She turned on her heel and hurried down the sidewalk, rushing away from him and into the people she passed until she knew she had gone far enough that he couldn’t still be behind her.

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Cautiously, she slowed down and turned to glance over her shoulder. He was not there. She went home and collapsed on the sofa in her living room, wondering what had gotten into her that would make her go to his building. She knew she had no business there. She knew that she had to let him go, and that holding on to every little scrap of him that she had, from memories and voicemails to taking another date to his favorite restaurant and walking past his home, was not going to bring him back into her life, it was not going to suddenly make her matter to him, and it was certainly not going to help her get over him. She sighed in frustration and admitted to herself that what she needed most was to get away. Far away. As far away as Italy. She went to her room and began to pack her suitcase, not wanting to wait any longer than she absolutely had to. She was packed and ready within two hours, promising

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herself that she would figure out all of her Italy trip on the way to Rome. It didn’t matter where she went when she got there, just that she had left to get there. That was all that mattered. That was going to get her far enough away from Alexander Daniels that she would be able to get over him and focus on anything other than him. She phoned the airline and made her reservation, and half an hour later, she was in a taxi on her way to the airport.

Chapter11 The closer she got to the airport, the better she felt. She was going to get away from it all. She was going to find some reprieve, and it was going to make everything in her world that much easier, better, and brighter. As she waited for her flight to take off, she looked up several cities in Italy on her phone, trying to decide where to go and how much time to spend there. She decided to begin with a few days in Rome, and then she thought that she would head down to the Amalfi Coast and stay in Positano. There was saltwater, there were huge mountains, and there were small, seaside villages that promised peace and a world away from everything and everyone she knew. As the plane climbed higher into the sky, she felt a surge of hope welling up in her; a promise in her heart that she was

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going to be happy again somehow, some way, and that she was on her way to that happiness, and it was going to feel like a whole new life to her. Mia fell asleep and before she knew it, the flight attendants were waking her, telling her that they would be landing soon, and she gathered her things together and prepared herself for one of her lifelong dreams to come true. The plane touched down and the air crew welcomed them to Rome, Italy. Mia felt excitement mounting in her along with happiness, and it was a welcome change to all the sorrow she had carried since Alexander had walked out of her office. She stepped foot into the airport and made her way through immigration out into the warm Italian air. All of her senses came to life, and everything in her felt more alive and awake than it had in longer than she could remember. She took the train from

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the airport into Rome, and the almost hour long ride gave her views of the countryside as she watched it passing by her window. She soaked it all in, every part of it, loving what she saw and relishing the way it made her feel, as if every single second was another new chance at happiness, and she grasped every one of them. She stayed her first night in Rome at a hotel not far from the Coliseum. Mia dropped her bags at the hotel and went out to walk among the ancient ruins of the inner city. She was so enraptured with them at first that Alexander did not cross her mind, but by dinner time, when she was seated at a table on a side street near a restaurant, she began to feel the edges of sadness creeping in around her. There seemed to be couples everywhere she looked, and in the deepest part of her heart, she felt an ache for him that she wished would go away. She tried to distract herself

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with everything she could; being in the Eternal City, she expected that she would be able to forget about him completely, but everywhere she looked and went, it felt as if there was a great void with her that she could not escape from. She began to wonder if she hadn’t gotten far enough away, and after two days in Rome, wandering about the old streets, seeing all of the old sights, eating gelato and drinking cappuccinos, she decided that she needed to be a little further away and she got on a train to the Amalfi Coast. The train took her drifting through the countryside, past small towns and little villages. It coursed over meadows and farmland and through the hearts of hills. She closed her eyes part of the way through, and fell asleep from the rhythmic rocking of the car she was riding in. A while later, she arrived in Naples and got on a ferry to head

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toward Sorrento; a coastal town sitting atop a long expanse of cliffs overlooking the sea. She sat in the ferry, watching the blue waters of the sea go splashing by her and she tried to focus on where she was. She tried to think only of the history of the places, the natural wonder and beauty of the area, and the fact that she was finally there, but Alexander hovered at the edge of her mind and the center of her heart, constantly tugging at her to remember him and think of him. The ferry docked in Sorrento and she took a taxi through the beautiful old seaside town, admiring the graceful architecture, narrowing winding streets, and the charm of it all. Taking a bus, she sat beside the window and watched as the bus slowly curled along the highway, slipping past the coastline as the day grew long. Mia loved seeing all that she saw, and she loved being in Italy, but she realized that no

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matter where she went, no matter how far she traveled, she was not going to be able to escape him or at least lingering thoughts of him, doing what she was doing. She decided that Ava had been right, and she needed to find herself an Italian lover to get her mind off of Alexander, and back into Italy with no distractions from where she was at all. When the bus stopped in Positano, she stepped off of it and looked up at the massive mountain rising straight up out of the deep blue sea, and she stared at the wonder of the colorful old village sitting nearly on top of itself as it clung to the side of the hills. It was unlike anything she had ever seen, and it captured her heart immediately. She asked for directions, and soon enough she found the little bed and breakfast where she would be staying beside the beach. The old couple who owned it also owned a

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restaurant that was connected to it, and they were gracious and kind to her as she settled into her room. Marco and Isabella welcomed her as if she was family, and she loved the feeling of being in a place that in some other world, maybe in some other life, might have been home to her. Isabella took her to her room and showed her all of the aspects of the old house. Mia loved all of it. “Bella, you are here alone?” the older woman asked her with a note of disbelief. Mia nodded and shrugged. “I am. This holiday is just for me,” she said quietly. Isabella looked at her and Mia felt that the old woman had the same uncanny ability to see straight through her that Alexander seemed to have. “You are here with a broken heart?” she asked as if the subject was of course up for discussion.

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Sighing, Mia gave her a little smile. “I suppose so. I’m hoping to find myself here again,” she said quietly. “I kind of feel like I’ve lost myself along the way, because he is in my heart and mind so much, in places where I used to be by myself, but he is there now, and I can’t seem to make him leave me,” she tried to explain. Isabella nodded. “I know. I had a broken heart before I met Marco; when I was in Spain. I fell in love with a man, and he was beautiful and terrible, and he broke my heart right in half, but then I came here to Positano, to heal, and I met Marco, and we fell in love, and that was fifty years ago! You will find some happiness here. You will heal again and I will help you. I will introduce you to Paolo. Paolo is a good boy. Paolo could make you happy.” The old woman winked at her and gave her a warm smile and Mia felt her cheeks warm as she laughed shyly.

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Isabella seemed to make up her mind that Paolo was the answer to all of Mia’s problems, and she said, “I will tell him to come for dinner, and you can meet him then. It will all be solved!” she said as if the matter were already done and taken care of. Then she went to the doorway and looked back at Mia. “Dress pretty for dinner, and he will be here.” She gave Mia a wink and then left and Mia closed the door and heaved a deep sigh, looking around her at the room. It was simple but sweet, and it felt more peaceful than any place she had ever been. She could see why there was such a draw to so many people to go to the Amalfi Coast. There was a tall, narrow window in her room that opened to a little balcony overlooking the beach and the water. There were long, sweeping white curtains that seemed to float on the air, and the air was something like Mia had never known.

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It was almost cool, it was light, seeming to drift in and wrap its arms around her while simultaneously moving through her body and her soul. It was filled with the scents of blossoms and a hint of fresh sea without the briny smell that she found so often at the edge of the Manhattan island. The room had a double bed and she laughed at the irony that she was trying to get away for herself and she had gotten a bed that fit two people. She raised one brow, wondering if maybe she would find someone there in the little village to share the bed with. There was a tall, old, wooden wardrobe with a mirror inset into it, and a tiny private bathroom with a shower in it. The little tables beside the bed were set with lamps, and the little table beside the tall windows that opened out to the balcony was set with a pretty vase of flowers and bougainvillea that had brilliant shades of purple, red, and hot pink.

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She stepped out onto the balcony and rested her hands on the edge of it, looking all around her at the breathtaking sea and shoreline, and what small part of the village she could see from where she was. It was like finding herself in a dream, and she hoped she could lose herself in it and then come back to herself completely. Mia closed her eyes and breathed in the sweet and fresh salty air, letting it fill all of her in a great breath, and as it filled her, and then left her when she exhaled, she believed that she would find the peace she so desperately sought there. She decided to go for a walk on the beach and as she walked out into the late spring afternoon, she felt grateful that she was one of the few people there in the village and on the pebble covered beach. There weren’t many people around and it enabled her to feel as if she could have the solitude that she craved.

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Her phone rang, and it startled her. Looking down at it with a frown, the frown quickly changed to a wide smile as she saw who it was and answered it right away. “Liam! How are you?” she asked with delight. “What on earth are you doing calling me?” He laughed at her. “Well, to begin with, I’m just fine. I’m calling you to make sure that you’re fine as well. I am worried about you. You didn’t seem like you were too good a shape when you left, and I wanted to make sure that you arrived in Italia safely, because I didn’t hear from you my darling, and I wanted to know how your trip is going so far.” She felt a huge bubble of happiness welling up in her just from the sound of her friend’s voice, and she sat down on the beach and watched the waves rolling in, holding her phone close to hear him, and to have his voice as near to her as she could.

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“Well, I did make it safely, and Italy is amazing. Rome was incredible… you know, we know it’s old, but you get there, and you walk around in it and see the ruins and you see the Vatican, and then you really slowly being to realize just how old it is, and it’s kind of mind-boggling. Our country is a couple of hundred years old. That city itself is a couple of thousand years old, and the contrast is just… unbelievable. It’s kind of hard to wrap your mind around.” He chuckled. “I felt like that in London the first time I went.” He said with a fond smile that she could hear as he spoke. “So you loved Rome. Are you still in Rome? How is the wine? How is the food? Did you meet anyone yet?” She laughed a little and realized that she hadn’t laughed in a long time. It felt good to her, like a little release, and she wanted more of it. “Well, I was in Rome, and the wine was excellent of course, and the food

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was some of the best I’ve ever had. I’ll tell you something, Liam, we think we have good Italian food in the city; and it’s all right, even in little Italy there on the south side of Manhattan, we think we have good Italian…” He chuckled, “Yes, we do…” Mia shook her head. “We do not know anything about Italian food. It’s so much better here, and I don’t mean just a little bit. Every flavor, every texture… all of it. It’s unbelievable. I didn’t know food could taste this good. I’m going to come back heavier than I left, that’s for sure!” she laughed again and loved being able to do it. “It is the motherland of food, that’s true,” he agreed. “So what else? Did you meet anyone? What’s going on?” She smiled a little and looked out at the gently rolling waves that lapped into shore, washing the pebbles and making a hushing

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sound as if the sea was softly kissing the land over and over. “Well, I left Rome. There were couples everywhere and it was kind of crazy and busy, not as crazy as Manhattan is, but just… it was too much. Sensory overload. I needed some peace. I needed a place to…” she paused. She wanted to be careful about how and what she said. “I needed a place to kind of regroup, I guess, and Rome was wonderful, but it wasn’t the place I needed to be.” There was quiet at the other end of the line for a long moment. She wondered if the call had been dropped. “Mia, I am going to ask you this and I want you to be honest with me. Are you trying to get over a certain tall, handsome, big man?” he asked quietly. She closed her eyes and bit her lower lip. She didn’t know how Liam knew her so

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well. She supposed that it was because he was indeed her best friend, but she could not hold anything back from him any longer. A hot tear found its way from her thick dark eyelashes and rolled down her cheek. “Yes…” she finally admitted. “Mia, honey, did you fall in love with him?” he asked her quietly. She drew a deep breath in slowly so that it would not choke her with emotion and she let the sweet air calm her before she answered. “Yes, Liam, I guess I did. I didn’t want to admit it. I didn’t want to believe it. It happened so fast! I mean, one minute I’m doing that silly challenge, trying to get him to sleep with me and then leave him, and then the next minute, he is making me wait and get to know him, he’s taking his time, and showing me parts of him that I just couldn’t resist. He is such an interesting, intelligent, good man. He sees the world

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like no one else does, and I can’t believe I didn’t try to hold on to him for as long as I could with everything in me. He’s a really truly good man, and I couldn’t help it… he was so romantic, so enigmatic, and oh my god was he a good lover. He’s everything all wrapped up in one incredible person, and I wrecked it. I threw it away and lost him, and now I am having to deal with that and try to get over him.” More tears stung at her eyes and she sniffed and tried to wipe them away. Liam was completely sympathetic. “Oh honey… oh god. I’m so sorry! I wish I was there to hug you so tight right now. I hate that you are hurting this much and that you are alone. You should not be alone. Not right now!” She sniffed and sighed. “It’s okay, Liam. It’s good for me. I just… I guess I thought that coming to Italy would make it easier to forget him, and that if I was this far enough

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away, he wouldn’t constantly be on my mind, but it didn’t work. I got to Rome and it seemed like he was in my thoughts and dreams just as much as he was in New York, if not more, and I tried to be present in Rome… you know, really soak it in and enjoy it and forget all about him, and I was happy for the first day, but that didn’t last at all. I couldn’t get away from him. I saw couples everywhere and I couldn’t stop thinking about him, and so I left. I left Rome and I took this crazy trip to Positano, and so now I’m sitting on this beach by myself trying to make myself forget about him.” There was a pause at the other end of the line. “Where are you?” he asked quizzically. She took a breath and tried to still the riot of emotions in her. “I’m in Positano. It’s on the Amalfi Coast. It’s a seaside village.” “Oh! Wow… well, I guess if that doesn’t help you relax a little, then probably not

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much else will.” He was quiet a moment and then asked her softly, “Mia, did you ever tell him that you love him? Did you tell him at all how you feel about him?” She shook her head, even though she knew that he couldn’t see her. “No, god of course not. I never said a word to him about it. Why would I do that?” Liam gave a little thoughtful hum. “Well my dear, I was just thinking of what happened at Hastings when you were out to dinner with Logan. When you said you saw Alexander and he kissed you. I know him a little bit, just from working with him, and I kind of feel like if he kissed you there at that restaurant, especially if he was out on a date with another woman, he might feel more strongly about you than he told you, just like you are holding back your feelings for him. He’s not one to cheat, not even a little bit like a quick kiss by a bathroom door. He’s not like that, and you know it.”

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She sighed and considered what he was saying. She knew that Liam was right. Alexander wasn’t the type to cheat, and he would never intentionally wrong someone or hurt them, like leaving a woman he was dating at the dinner table in a restaurant while he kissed another woman by the bathroom. She frowned as she realized that there might be more going on than just Alexander exacting some revenge on her. “What are you getting at, Liam?” she asked in confusion. He sighed. “I’m saying that maybe you should tell him how you feel, because maybe he feels more for you than he has yet been willing to admit and maybe the two of you can find some kind of common ground where it would work out for you two to be together. I think you owe it to him and you owe it to yourself to try to figure that out.” She felt her heart nearly stop in her chest. “What? You must be kidding. I’m not going

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to call him up and tell him that I fell in love with him. I just barely admitted it to myself, and even so; he’s the last person I want to say that to. He hates me. He hates what I did to him. He doesn’t want me speaking to him and he doesn’t want to see me. He never wants anything to do with me again and after what I did to him and put him through, I can’t blame him at all. Why on earth would I call him and bother him and tell him that I fell in love with him? That’s the worst idea I ever heard!” she exclaimed indignantly. Liam let her say all of her piece and then he spoke softly to her. “You should tell him because I think he feels more for you than just all of that anger and resentment. I think that anger is because he feels strongly about you too, beneath it all. No one gets that angry when there isn’t underlying emotion. I think you owe it to the both of you to tell him how you really feel and see if

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there is anything that can be fixed and shared together. If you are in love isn’t it worth whatever risk or sacrifice you might have to make to see if it’s the real thing? Isn’t love worth that?” he asked pointedly. She sighed and closed her eyes thinking about it. Was love worth risking her heart and her dignity for? Was it worth going out on a limb and telling him just how she felt, so that he would know everything and then he could make the best decision for himself? Wouldn’t it be worth trying to at least say it so that he knew? “I don’t know, Liam…” she said in a near whisper. “Listen, angel face, let me ask you like this. Your heart is pretty much broken right now, isn’t it?” he asked gently. “Yes,” she answered solemnly. “It’s not too good.”

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“What could be worse than the pain you already have? What are you actually going to lose by telling him that you love him? Do you even have any dignity left? I mean… that kind of went out the door with him when he walked out of your office, didn’t it?” His voice was the voice of truth, and she couldn’t deny anything he was saying to her. “Yes. The dignity I had with him is completely gone,” she admitted miserably. “And you can’t hurt any worse than you do now, right?” he continued. “Right,” she agreed. “Then what are you going to lose by saying it to him? And more importantly, there’s the chance that you won’t gain anything at all, but on the other side of that… what is there that you could gain if you did gain anything at all?” He was gentle as he spoke.

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She thought about it. There would be something to gain. “You know, Liam, I guess you’re right. Even if it was just friendship, even if there was no romance and he just… and he just forgave me for what I did and we were able to be friends; that would be something,” she thought wistfully. “You would be hurt a lot less and you’d feel a lot better than you do now, wouldn’t you?” he asked. She knew he was right. She sighed. “You’re right about all of that,” she replied softly. “I don’t think he’s going to tell me that he loves me back, but maybe there is some shred of a chance that he might forgive me and maybe we could be friends. I really don’t have anything more to lose with him,” she said quietly. Liam smiled and she could hear it through the phone. “Then are you going to tell him?”

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“Yes,” she said thoughtfully and sadly. “I’ll tell him when I get back. For now I’m just going to try to find some kind of peace here, and see if I can’t make some of this pain go away. I need to try to find myself again somehow.” She laughed a little in a shallow way, “Maybe Ava was right and I need to find an Italian lover to distract me and help me get over Alexander.” Liam laughed a little with her. “Perhaps… but, what if you got a hold of Alexander while you were there? Call him and tell him…” he pushed a little more. Mia shook her head and looked down at the pebbles around her feet, running her fingers over them and plucking a few of them up, setting them back down again. “No, I don’t think I can do that. I don’t want to face him until I get home. I don’t think I have the strength for it right now. I need to be here and be alone and not think of him

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or have to deal with any of it. I’ll call him when I get home and talk to him.” “Hmmm.” Liam hummed softly again. “I guess so.” He seemed to want to switch gears in the conversation then. “So where are you staying? What’s it like? Are there good people there to take care of you?” he asked hopefully. She laughed a little and turned to look over her shoulder at the village as it rose up across the hillside. “It’s an amazing place. It’s an ancient village and the place where I’m staying is right on the beach. It’s a charming little old bed and breakfast. I’ll email you the address so you have it and you’ll know where I am in case anything happens to me. I should have done that before. Anyway, there’s a really sweet old couple who are running it, and they have a restaurant. It’s a lovely little place, and I think it’s just what I need. The old woman who owns it is bent on introducing me to

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some guy named Paolo tonight when we have dinner. She is really nice. She knew right away that I’m trying to get over someone and she just decided to take it upon herself to help me through it, so she’s setting me up with a local village guy. We’ll see how it goes.” Liam laughed with her. “You’re already adopted by an Italian Mama? You’re going to be fine. Trust me. If she likes you like that already, you are going to be just fine.” He laughed a little more. “Good luck on your date tonight, my dear. I wish I was there with you.” Mia nodded sincerely. “I wish you were here with me too, this would be so much fun with you here.” “Well, maybe next time. This time you are there on your own and you need to heal, so focus on that, enjoy the food, the wine, the beach, the people, your little village, and especially this guy Paolo if he’s nice, and you

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better keep me posted. Email me to let me know where you are and what’s going on. I want all of the details. Okay?” he insisted. She laughed again. “I’ll do it. I love you, Liam, thank you for being such a good friend.” “Good? What do you mean good? I’m your best friend!” he teased her. They said goodbye and she hung up her phone feeling better and stronger. She watched the waves rolling in still, and the colors of everything around her began to change as the sun started to set. A half moon started to rise up out of the sea, watching her with a little half smile, and she knew that Liam was right. When she got back to New York, she was going to tell Alexander how she felt, because she had nothing to lose and everything to gain. Even if they could just be friends, it would be something, and something was better than the misery she was in.

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She pushed herself up from the stony beach and walked back to the bed and breakfast. It was almost time for dinner and she needed to freshen herself up for her dinner with Paolo, Marco, and Isabella. Two hours later, she was walked out onto the balcony where dinner would be served. Marco greeted her and kissed her cheeks; one kiss on each side of her face as he embraced her lightly. He smiled at her and turned to introduce her to a tall handsome young man who was standing nearby. Paolo had big dark eyes, olive toned skin, and he looked fit and healthy. His black hair was curled loosely around his face, giving him a sort of boyish look, but one that was only hinted at, as if he had outgrown it but it wasn’t fully gone. He gave her a broad smile and reached to embrace her, kissing her cheeks just as Marco had done moments before.

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She reminded herself that the Italian culture was a much warmer one that the culture of personal space that was so prevalent in New York. She smiled up at him and introduced herself. “Ciao, I’m Mia,” she said with a sweet smile. He smiled back and reached for her hand, lifting it to his lips to kiss it. “Ciao bella,” he said with a wink. “I’m very happy to meet you, but I’m sorry that my English is not very good.” He shrugged and looked at her with a sheepish smile. He was cute, she thought, and he might be a fun distraction for her while she was there. Isabella may know what she was talking about after all. “Your English is really good!” she told him with a grin. “I just wish I spoke more Italian, but maybe you can teach me some Italian, and I can teach you some English,” she suggested, and he nodded enthusiastically.

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“I would love that!” he told her with a grin. They sat down to dinner and the four of them talked about where she was from and what New York was like, and they answered her questions about the village and its history, and the way of their lives there beside the sea, nestled into the mountain. They told her all of the best places to go along the coast and Paolo offered to take her out on his boat to see the coastline from the water, which he told her was infinitely better than seeing it from the shore. She agreed and they ate and drank long into the night, taking their time getting to know each other, and for the first time since she had set foot in Italy, she became so engrossed in what she was doing and who she was with that she forgot about Alexander for a short time, and she found some of the peace that she was looking for. He returned to her thoughts as she was getting ready for bed, and as her head

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sunk down into the pillow, he was again in her mind and in her dreams, until the bright warm Italian sunshine woke her up in the morning and she remembered that Paolo was going to take her out on the sea in his boat.

The Final Chapter Paolo was ready and waiting for her as soon as she finished her breakfast with Marco and Isabella. He looked good in his loose white button up shirt and his jeans, and as she went to him and kissed his cheeks in greeting, she knew that she was going to have a fun day, and that perhaps there was a chance that she might be able to get another few hours of peace when Alexander wasn’t on her mind. He took her out into his boat and they pushed off from the shore where several of his friends were. All of them looked at her appreciatively and spoke to him in Italian, and she could see that they were teasing him and congratulating him on getting such a pretty lady into his boat. He took the

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teasing well, laughing with them, and waved them off. Mia tilted her head and looked at him curiously as they drifted further from the men on the shore. “What did they say when we were leaving?” she asked lightly. He blushed and looked down with a grin on his face as he steered the boat into the waves. “Oh… they say I am too lucky to have such a beautiful woman with me, and that I better bring you back.” She laughed and he shook his head in mirth. He took her all around the coastal area, showing her the little villages that dotted the shoreline, from the island of Capri to Amalfi and Ravello, and then they stopped at a little hidden cove where they went ashore to the beach and had a picnic lunch that Marco and Isabella had sent with her for the two of them.

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They shared wine from a bottle together and ate. He sat beside her and watched her now and then. “Isabella tells me that you are recovering from a broken heart,” he said softly, and his eyes took in hers carefully. She sighed and picked up a stone from the ground near her where she sat, holding the hot rock in her hand and feeling its smoothness in her palm. “Kind of. I guess so,” she said quietly. He nodded. “I know what that feels like. I had a broken heart too, last year. I was in love, but the girl left, and I had to take the time to get over her. It was difficult to do. I am sorry that you are hurt. I am sorry that there is a man out in the world who would let you go! You are a beautiful woman, and I like you; you are very sweet, but I do not think that maybe this is the right time for you to try to find love with another man. Do

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you?” he asked, looking at her as if he already knew the answer. She thought about it. She wasn’t entirely sure that it was the right time, but she didn’t know if there was ever going to be a right time; she was fairly sure that she would always love Alexander, and that there wouldn’t be a time when she was over him. “I guess I don’t know,” she answered in confusion, her smile faltering slightly. He saw it, and he nodded slowly. “You still love this man?” he asked hesitantly. Mia nodded. “I do. I think I’m always going to love him.” He smiled a little and looked out to the sea. “This heartbreak is a new one for you?” he asked, glancing back at her.

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“Yes,” she said simply, setting the hot stone back down on the ground in the sunshine where she had picked it up. He pursed his lips and shook his head. “This is not the right time for you to be with another man, then. It would only leave you feeling empty and hurt more, and I do not want to be the man that makes you feel that way,” he said with a wistful sigh. Paolo reached for her hand and took it in his, giving her a warm smile. “I wish that it was the right time for you; you are a beautiful woman and I would love to make love with you and spend time together with you while you are here, but I think that it would be best if you were friends with me while you are here on this trip. Perhaps someday if you come back and you are alone, it may be more, but for this time, I think we will be friends. Yes?” he gave her a gentle grin. She felt her heart soften and warm toward him, and she was suddenly filled with

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gratefulness for him, and for Isabella and Marco, good friends from strangers in a strange land; something she had never expected that was exactly what she needed. She grinned back at him and squeezed her fingers around his. “I think that’s very kind and very wise of you, Paolo, and it means a lot to me. Thank you so much,” she told him. He laughed lightly and looked at her closely, “Grazie mille…” he told her. Then he looked up as if he was concentrating and trying to think hard and he said, “A million thanks?” as if he was working out the English translation of what he had taught her. Mia laughed with him and nodded. “Grazie mille, mi amico?” she asked, wondering if that was how she would say it. He nodded. “A million thanks my friend. Yes! Very good!” he told her happily.

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They enjoyed their day out on the beach and the sea, and he took her back to Positano in the late afternoon, hugging her and kissing her cheeks as she said goodbye to him. He waved off the other men at the small boat dock and they laughed lightly as she headed back to the bed and breakfast. She took a long nap, and for the first time in a long time, she didn’t dream of Alexander; she dreamed instead of the sea, and of new places and people, and when she woke for dinner, she was more relaxed than she had been in weeks. Mia spent the following day exploring the village and all the shops and winding streets and staircases that seemed to go ever upward, vanishing her and reappearing there; it was as if the entire mountainside was one big treasure box filled with secrets and hidden delights. She loved it, and she found a little more of herself there as her day passed.

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Marco and Isabella were a little disappointed that she was not going forward with any kind of romance with Paolo, but they were pleased that she was friends with him, and that she was feeling a little better bit by bit. They fussed over her and took good care of her, and she basked in the glow of their affection and attention. Her third day there, she was lying in a chair on the beach just outside of the bed and breakfast, reading a book. The sun was warm and bright and she laid the book on her chest and pulled her sun hat down low over her face, and she fell asleep. In her dreams, Alexander was talking to her, but she couldn’t quite understand what it was that he was saying to her, try though she might. She asked him over and over again to repeat his words, and she felt as if she could try to focus just a little more, she would be able to hear what it was that he was saying

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to her. She opened her eyes and saw his looking back at her. She wondered at the strange dream and blinked and tried to rub her eyes to wake up fully, because she could still see him before her. “Mia…” his voice was soft and she looked at him and rubbed her face. “I’ve got to wake up!” she said quietly to herself. “Mia… I’m here,” he said, reaching for her hand, and it wasn’t until his fingers closed around hers that she realized that he was really there, sitting on the edge of her lounge chair, holding her hand, looking into her eyes. She sat bolt upright in the chair and yanked her hand away from his, staring at him with wide eyes as she gasped. “What? What… What are you doing here? How did you get here? How did you even know where I was?” she fumbled through a few of the

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thousand questions ricocheting around in her mind. He bit his lip and looked at her patiently for a moment as she tried to breathe again and calm down. “It’s not too complicated, actually. Liam called me and told me that you and I needed to talk. He said that you had come to Italy and that you had fallen in love with me and were trying to get over me while you were here. So I got on a plane and came over, and luckily, Liam knew where you were staying.” He looked at her with a halfsmile and his eyes searched hers intently. She gasped again, horrified that her friend, her best friend, had betrayed her so completely and gone behind her back to tell Alexander where she was and how she felt about him. She was appalled and stunned. Mia hurriedly pushed herself up from the chair she was in and took a few steps back.

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“You can’t be here! How are you even here? This… this isn’t happening. Damn Liam! I can’t believe he told you that. He never should have told you that! He never should have told you anything!” Her heart felt like it would break all over again as she gazed at him and a huge tidal wave of pain washed over her. She had told Liam about Emily. Liam knew that Alexander had moved on and that he had a new girlfriend. She was horrified that Liam would tell Alexander anything, knowing even just that. She had promised him that she would talk to Alexander when she got back to the states, not while she was still trying to nurse her aching heart and find herself while she was in Italy. He stood up and tried to take a few steps toward her. She backed away a little more and shook her head. “I can’t believe you’re here! What on earth are you doing here? Why did you come all of the way over

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here?” she asked in confusion and frustration. How was she ever going to get over him if he was standing right in front of her in the one place in the world she had come to recover from him? Alexander walked to her swiftly and clamped his hands on her shoulders and suddenly memories of him in the restaurant came flooding back to her and she felt heat rise up in her. She couldn’t let him get close to her again. He was with another woman, and he was only going to hurt her again if she stayed anywhere near him. Her heart ached horribly and she looked up at him with utter sadness in her eyes as tears fell and she shook her head. “No! No… Alexander, I can’t do this with you! I just can’t! This hurts too much! I was going to talk with you when I get back to New York, but I just don’t have the strength for this now!”

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She pulled away from him and began to walk quickly down the beach toward the gate for the bed and breakfast. She had to get away from him. She couldn’t believe that he was there at all. She was nothing short of confounded that he had ever flown all the way to Italy, let alone gone to all of the trouble to find her. She couldn’t begin to wrap her mind around the fact that he was there. She couldn’t understand why he was there and she didn’t know if she even really wanted to know why he was there. She was certain that she couldn’t take it. She knew she needed more time, she needed more space away from him to recover and heal. She was almost at the gate, tears streaming down her face and blinding her, when she felt two strong hands on her shoulders again. Her body was stopped in mid-step and he turned her around to face him.

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Mia looked up into his intense eyes and the firm set of his face, and she felt her stomach tangle in confusion and uncertainty. She tried to breathe, but everything in her locked up. “I did not fly all the way over here just to have you walk away from me,” he told her seriously. She shook her head as more tears cascaded down her cheeks. “What are you doing here? What did you come here for?” she whispered miserably. He stared at her for a moment and then before she could even blink he covered her mouth with his, kissing her hard and hungrily, crushing her lips as he parted them and invaded her mouth with his tongue. She felt the entire world shifting around her and dizziness overtook her. She swayed in his grasp and his arms locked around her and pulled her up against his body.

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She felt a soft cry come from her as he took control of her, drinking her in as if she might be the only thing keeping him alive. Mia knew that there was no way to fight the passion and fire that had sprung up in her, coursing through her and taking over her body. There was no way to fight the emotion and magnetic draw to him that she felt. With tears still seeping from her eyelashes, she slid her arms around his neck and held onto him for dear life, losing herself completely in him. Alexander finally lifted his lips from hers, his breath ragged, his heart pounding so hard that she could feel it against her chest. He looked down at her and she blinked up at him, trying to understand anything that was happening, and not being able to comprehend any of it. “I came here to find you. I came here to talk with you, to let you tell me what happened, and to see what we can do about us,” he

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said quietly. “But right now, I don’t want to talk with you.” She tried to breathe, but breath was not coming easily to her. “You don’t?” she asked in a whisper. He shook his head. “No. I need you too much. Right now all I want to do is feel you beneath me. I need to touch you… taste you… I need all of you. Now.” He breathed against her mouth as he leaned down to kiss her again. Fire erupted in her, and she lifted her mouth to his, searching it out to kiss him once more. She could not tell him no. All of her dreams, all of her desires, were suddenly right there in her arms; everything she wanted was before her. She kissed him hungrily, and he returned every bit of the passion that she gave him. When she finally broke their kiss, he looked at her as if he might make love with her

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right there on the beach and she took his hand in hers and led him back to her room at the bed and breakfast. Mia closed the door behind her and the moment it shut, he reached for her, pulling her clothes from her as swiftly as he could, touching her body as new spaces of skin were revealed to him, until they were both bared to each other, and he laid her back in the bed beneath him. His hands caressed all of her, as if he was learning every part of her anew and he could not leave any of her untouched. Each place on her that his fingers and hands discovered grew warm and she could feel electric heat burning at her, making her need for him grow ever more powerful. She ran her fingers through his hair and held his head close to her body as he closed his mouth over her breasts, sucking and pulling at her nipples, closing his fingers

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around the soft fleshy curves, squeezing her firmly as his desire mounted. The intensity of the passion between them felt as if it knew no bounds, and she was astounded by the ferocity of it. Their emotions were riding high, and their bodies were reacting to each other, to every single thing that they felt and wanted, and it was overwhelming to her as she succumbed to it, and to him. His hands moved from her breasts down over her belly to the warm soft flesh at her core, and her eyes flew open and she gasped as his fingers entered her, manipulating her and drawing fiery heat to her thighs. Her breath was short and shallow as his fingertips rubbed at her firmly, pressing into her deeply and bringing hot moisture to his hand. She moaned in need and he responded, lifting his hand from her and replacing it with his rock solid erection. Slowly, tantalizingly

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slowly, he pushed her legs further apart and slid himself into her, inch by inch, waiting as her body stretched around him, until he was fully inside of her, and neither of them could hold back their burning desire for one another. Mia arched her back and began to move with him and against him, rocking her hips and drawing him all the way into her, and he held her tightly to him, burying himself in her over and over until she cried out his name and clung to him desperately in pleasure and bliss. Alexander covered her breasts, her neck and her mouth in his kisses, drinking her in as he made love to her, driving her to the brink of ecstasy for what seemed like hours, until she could not hold anything back from him, and she came hard, her body stiffening, her heart pounding, and he whispered to her as he kissed her.

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“You are mine, Mia… aren’t you?” he asked, his body still filling her as he looked into her eyes. “Yes!” she cried out softly, her arms locked around him. “Do you love me?” he pressed, his eyes intent on her as they moved together. She felt her heart catch in her chest. He was asking her. He wasn’t going to let her get away with not telling him. There was no way she could avoid it, nowhere to hide, no stopping the truth from being said, finally. She bit her lip and closed her eyes, hoping for a way to escape it, but he kissed her hard and looked at her again. “Do you?” he demanded. “Say it… if you do… say it to me now,” he insisted. She couldn’t hold it back from him any longer. Not in his arms, not while he was making love with her.

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“I love you,” she breathed, her eyes closed and her heart wide open. Then she looked up at him as the sound of hearing her own spoken words freed her from them. “I love you!” she repeated, looking deeply into his eyes as she said it. Relief and happiness flooded his face and he smiled at her and kissed her softly, “I love you, too, Mia, I love you with all of my heart.” He moved more swiftly in her, unable to hold himself back then, and as the fires of new love erupted in them, so did their pleasure and they both felt their orgasms taking over until the climaxes locked them both together around each other and they lost themselves in one another completely. Breathless and blissful, the intensity between them began to relax, and they collapsed into each other’s arms, kissing softly and touching tenderly.

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He stared at her as she laid with him, his finger tracing her cheek. “I never thought I was going to hear you say that,” he whispered. She shook her head. “I never thought that I was going to say it to you!” she admitted. Emotion rose up in her throat and she swallowed hard. “Why did you make me say it to you?” she asked quietly. He blinked at her. “I wanted to know! I needed to know. I needed to hear it and I needed to tell you that I love you, too.” He looked at her in surprise. She shook her head and closed her eyes for a moment. “No, that’s not what I mean.” She bit her lip for a moment and he leaned in and kissed her tenderly and then looked into her eyes again as she searched his for some kind of answer.

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“I mean… you’re with Emily now. You moved on. Why would you come all of the way over here and why would you make me admit to you that I love you while you’re with her?” she asked, her heart threatening to break as she spoke the words. He blinked at her and then laughed, pulling her into his arms and holding her close. “Oh Mia… my Mia.” Then he looked down at her and slid his finger beneath her chin, lifting it to look at her with a mirthful smile on his rugged handsome face. “Emily is my sister,” he said quietly. Mia stared back at him and then laughed, closing her eyes and feeling relief flood all throughout her. “She’s…. she’s your sister,” she repeated not quite believing it herself. “I didn’t know. I thought when I saw you two at the restaurant…” she paused and he laughed with her.

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“I took her there for her birthday. She came to stay with me for a week to visit me. She wanted to see the new office since Liam finished it, and it just happened that she had her birthday while she was here, so I took her out to celebrate. She was staying with me at my home.” He paused. “I saw you, the day that you were across the street; the day that she left, I saw you and I tried to stop you from leaving. I wanted to talk with you. I wanted to hear what you had to say, but you disappeared. You vanished so quickly and I couldn’t keep up with you. You were gone. I thought that it must have been an accident that you were there that day, instead of you coming to talk to me like you said you wanted to do.” He looked a little sad. She furrowed her brow. “You said you never wanted to see me again; you never wanted to hear from me again!” she

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insisted. Confusion twisted itself in her heart and mind. “I was angry at you for what happened, and if you care to explain all of that, I’m ready to listen, but the anger went away. I don’t stay angry. I saw you at that restaurant with Logan and it drove me crazy. It was so hard sitting there watching you with him, and then when you went to the bathroom, I thought I might have a chance to talk to you, but then we fought, and I was frustrated again… I just had to try to find a way to get it across to you how I feel about you, and I kissed you, and that was it.” He looked perplexed, but happy. Mia knew that the time had finally come to explain to him just what happened. “Alexander,” she said softly, touching his cheek with her hand, “first, I’m so very sorry for what happened. I have spent so much time looking back over it in my mind, and I can’t for the life of me figure out what in the heck

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I was thinking or whatever made me agree to accept that ridiculous challenge, but I guess it started out as something shallow and simple. There was a rumor that you are nicknamed Mr. Big for your….” she hesitated, “for your size. I had some friends who wondered if the rumor was true, and they challenged me to sleep with you and find out. I can’t believe I agreed to do it, but I did. I thought that it would be simple. I thought it would be like a one night stand, which most men are okay with, I think. I would get you into bed, find out if the rumor was true, and if I did it and came back to my friends to tell them, they were going to give me the ticket to get here.” Alexander watched her quietly, his expression unreadable as she explained. “The only thing was, you aren’t like most guys. You didn’t want a one night stand. You wanted to wait. You wanted to get to know me, and I’m not used to any men

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looking for any kind of depth like that. I had to keep trying, had to keep spending time with you until you decided it was the right time for us to be together, and then a funny thing happened. It was unexpected. The more I got to know you, the more I wanted to know you. The more I wanted to be with you. I couldn’t keep you off of my mind. I couldn’t keep you out of my dreams, and then when you and I were finally together, I had the answer I was looking for and it seemed like things were going so well between us. I thought that maybe we could keep going, but you happened to walk into my office at just the wrong time, and you found out about the challenge, and by then it was too late to tell you; too late to explain, and you left.” The memory of it ripped at her and she took a long, slow, deep breath before she continued, and he watched her silently, his emotions still impassive.

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“I wanted to tell you how sorry I was, and that it changed partway through; I mean, at first it was just about the challenge, but then I didn’t care about the challenge that much anymore, I just wanted to be with you, and the more I got to know you, the more important you became to me. I fell in love with you, and I hadn’t realized it yet. You walked out of my office and my heart broke right in half. I was devastated. I couldn’t believe that I’d lost you. Nothing helped. I only dated Logan because I was trying to get over you. When you kissed me at the restaurant, that was the last of the heartbreak that I could stand and I decided I had to get away. I had to leave. So I used the ticket to come here to try to recover and find myself again… to try to get over you, and Liam called me to check on me. He knew all along how I felt about you, but he didn’t say anything. At least, he didn’t say anything until I was over here, and then he

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made me admit to myself and to him that I am in love with you, and then he told me that I have to tell you, and I said I would when I got back to the states, but I guess you fixed that for me.” She laughed and ran her fingertip over his lips. “I can’t believe that you’re here. I can’t believe you came all the way over here for me.” He smiled at her a little. “I had to. Liam called me and told me everything. He told me about the challenge and he apologized. He told me how you had fallen for me and how hurt you were that we were broken up. He said that you had come over here to get over me and when he told me that, I couldn’t just stay in Manhattan. I couldn’t stand the thought that you might try to find some other man over here to be with to push me out of your mind. I was scared that I might lose you for good, and I lost

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you once already; I couldn’t do it again. My heart couldn’t take that either.” He kissed her lips softly and tenderly. “You can’t imagine what you mean to me. It’s incredible to me that it happened so fast, but you are such a beautiful woman on the inside and on the outside, and you are such a good woman, that I couldn’t help but fall in love with you. I was devastated too, when I overheard everything in your office that day, and I thought I had lost the love of my life, but when Liam called and explained everything to me, I knew I had a chance to get you back. I knew that I had to try. I had to tell you how I felt and see if there was any way that we could salvage what we have and try to rebuild it.” He traced his lips over hers again. “Will you do that with me? Will you try to rebuild it with me?” She closed her eyes and kissed him tenderly. “I will. I promise you that I am never

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going to hurt you like that again.” She whispered, looking into his eyes earnestly. He smiled at her. “I love you,” he told her again. “I love you, too,” she answered with words, and then she answered with another kiss, and before long she was making love with him again.

Epilogue The autumn colors of New York blazed all over the city, but nowhere as beautifully as they did in Central Park. The trees that had showered the lake and the shoreline with soft pink and white blossoms in the spring were covered in varying shades of red and gold, green and brown, rust and russet, as the warm September sun made every leaf glow more brightly. Rows of chairs were lined up in the brilliant green grass, decorated with ribbons and bows, flowers and greenery. Each chair was filled with a person dressed well and smiling, and most of them talked amongst themselves as a string quartet played just off to the side of them. Down the center aisle of the rows was a long white carpet that ended at a pulpit, bedecked with flowers and fronted by an archway that was covered in blooms and ribbons. Alexander Daniels stood at one

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side of the arch, looking as he always did in a tuxedo, like a James Bond hero. Beside him was a slightly smaller thinner man; Liam wore a tuxedo as well, and was beaming blissfully as the two of them looked around at the guests who had come for the fall wedding. The music changed, and every head turned to the end of the aisle to watch as three women began to walk up the carpet toward Alexander and Liam. The first woman was Emily; elegant and refined with her brunette hair pulled up in a chignon at the nape of her neck and a bouquet of flowers in her hand. Her burgundy colored dress gently brushed the carpet as she walked over it. She came to a stop at the other side of the arch, looking over at her brother and giving him a wink. Next came a voluptuous blonde. Ava grinned happily as she strode down the

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aisle, catching a few men’s eyes as she passed them, coming to stand beside Emily. Then it was Maddie, her red hair pulled into a French twist on her head, her chin held high, and her smile broad as she stepped down the aisle and came to the edge of the carpet nearest Alexander. She smiled at him and winked at Liam who shared a tender grin with her. All of them turned to see Mia as she stepped from the tent beneath the tree where she and Alexander had shared their picnic one sunny spring day. She was dressed in her wedding gown; white and flowing, covered in lacy blossoms and pearls, her veil frosting her dark hair and skin. She walked toward her friends and her lover, wondering in amazement that the day was even happening, grateful for it that it had finally come, and excited that she was going to spend the rest of her life with Alexander, always to be his.

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She reached the end of the carpet and he took her veil and lifted it from her face, staring at her and shaking his head slightly at her breathtaking beauty. They turned then, facing the minister who spoke of their love and asked them to repeat the vows that he said. They promised to love one another all of their days, to cherish and strengthen each other, to remain faithful and true no matter the circumstance, and to keep their promises until the day they parted the earth. Both of them vowed to love much longer than that. The minister pronounced them man and wife, and Alexander took Mia into his arms and kissed her softly and tenderly for a long while before he finally let her go and grinned down at her. She knew that all of her dreams had come true, and that every single day that was coming to them would each be one part of the best of their lives. As they turned to face

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their family and friends, he leaned close to her and whispered, “You are my happily ever after.”

THE END Message From The Author: Hiii I really hope you enjoyed my book and if you want to check out any of my other books including my popular “designer love” series then just check out my Amazon page here! Also, I would really love if you could give me a rating on the store at the below link!

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YES, I WILL RATE YOU ALEXIS! Alexis x x

**

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