“Now that’s the way I like to start the day,” he murmured.
Then he rolled off her, patted her hip and said, “Hop into the shower, baby. We have to get to work.”
Damn chipper man.
• • •
As crazy as the previous day had been, Mia was almost afraid to see what today held in store. Despite their bout of hot morning sex, as soon as they got into the office, he inserted another plug.
She never imagined the damn things came in so many sizes! There couldn’t be many more because the one he used today was huge! She felt like she waddled, which only made her more self-conscious about letting anyone see her walk anywhere, so she spent the majority of the day sequestered in Gabe’s office, suffering as she sat and fidgeted in her chair.
And damn if Gabe wasn’t insanely busy. Three conference calls. Two meetings, plus countless other calls he had to return. So there was no crazy-hot office sex to alleviate the burn.
She was back to sulking, even as ridiculous as that made her feel.
By quitting time, she was hugely relieved. She wanted to have this damn thing out of her ass, and she wanted to get the hell out of the office. She was going stir crazy. At least she had dinner with Jace and Ash to look forward to.
Mia rode with Gabe at his insistence. He had his driver take her by her apartment before going on to his. The ride was mostly silent, but he kept hold of her hand the entire time. Almost as if he just needed that contact. And it was true, they’d seen little of each other that day. The only alone time they’d shared was when he inserted the plug in the morning and when he removed it in the afternoon.
His thumb smoothed up and down her palm, rubbing in a pattern as he stared out the window. She wasn’t sure he was that in tune with her or her presence, and yet the one time she’d tried to move her hand, he’d clamped down and curled his fingers tightly around hers.
Maybe he’d missed her as much as she’d missed him. It was a stupid thought, but it didn’t mean it didn’t have a firm hold in her brain.
As they neared her apartment, she realized they hadn’t made plans for after her dinner with Jace. She had no idea what Gabe expected. Would he want her to come to his apartment afterward? Or was she simply to go in to work on her own the next day?
The car pulled to a stop in front of her building, and Mia started to get out, but Gabe halted her.
“Have a good time tonight, Mia,” he said softly.
She smiled. “I will.”
“I’ll see you at work in the morning. The driver will be here for you at eight a.m.”
Well that answered her question. Evidently she’d been dismissed for the evening. And yet, as she got out, Gabe didn’t look happy that she was spending the night away from him.
“See you tomorrow,” she murmured.
She shut the door and watched as the car rolled away, wondering what Gabe was thinking. With a sigh, she went into her building and up to her apartment. She only had an hour to change and get ready before Jace would be there.
When she walked through the door and into the living room, Caroline popped her head out of her bedroom, her eyes wide with surprise.
“You’re home! Holy shit. I was beginning to wonder if you’d moved in with Gabe.”
Mia smiled. “Hello to you too.”
Caroline walked over and grabbed Mia in a hug. “I’ve missed you, girl. All the girls have. Want to grab takeout tonight and watch movies?”
Mia winced. “Sorry, I can’t. Jace is coming over, which is why I didn’t go home with Gabe. Jace and Ash are taking me to eat tonight. Catch-up, because Jace has been out of town. I’m sure he’s going to grill me about Gabe too since he now knows I’m working for Gabe.”
Caroline’s face fell. “Damn. It sucks not seeing much of you anymore. I worry about you getting in over your head on this one. It doesn’t seem like you ever spend any time away from him.”
Discomfort gripped Mia as she stared back at her friend. It was true she hadn’t seen Caroline or the girls since the inception of her relationship with Gabe. Not that it had been forever, but she and her friends spent a lot of time together, and they were used to going out as a group.
“Club. Friday night,” Caroline said firmly. “I’ll round up the girls and we’ll go out and have some fun.”
“I don’t know,” Mia hedged. She had no idea what Gabe’s plans for her were.
Caroline’s gaze sharpened. “Tell me you’re not pondering asking his permission to go out with your girls. He doesn’t own you, Mia.”
Mia barely controlled the guilty flinch. Gabe did own her. He had contractual rights to her body, her time, her everything. Not that she wanted to share that particular bit of knowledge with Caroline. Her friends would never understand.
She sighed, knowing the best thing to do would be to go and spend the evening with them. She didn’t want to shut herself off from her friends because when Gabe moved on, she’d need them. They were going to be the ones who stuck by her through thick and thin, and if she didn’t take care, there would be no one left for her down the road.
She’d simply have to tell Gabe that she had plans Friday night, and hope to hell he was reasonable about it.
“Okay. Friday night,” Mia relented.
Caroline’s face lit up and she danced around Mia. “We are going to have so much fun! I’ve missed you, Mia. It’s not the same without you around.”
Mia felt another surge of guilt. It had been her idea for Caroline to move in. Aside from the fact that Caroline needed a place to stay, Mia had wanted the company. And now she was spending very little time in her apartment or with Caroline.
“I’m going to go call the girls so they don’t make other plans. Will I see you after your dinner tonight?”
Mia nodded. “Yep. I’m spending tonight here.”
“Awesome. Tell you what. Don’t eat dessert. I’ll make fudge and get a movie. We’ll veg on the couch when you get home.”
Mia grinned. “Perfect!”
Caroline made a shooing motion. “Okay, go get ready. I’ll get out of your hair.”
Mia ducked into her room and pulled out her favorite pair of jeans. Holes in the legs, sequined pockets and low-slung hip-hugging. They were her favorite comfort item, and she’d worked diligently to make sure they still fit even after three years of owning them. No better incentive to keep her weight down than to be able to remain in her jeans, right?
She snagged a cami and an off-the shoulder top, and then went into the bathroom to repair her hair and makeup.
She was looking forward to her night out with Jace and Ash. They made her comfortable, and they enjoyed an easy relationship. Instead of one older brother, it was like having two, even if Ash flirted endlessly with her. He was perfectly harmless—to her at least. He was lethal to other women, but he was too firmly entrenched in her mind as a family member. Gabe was a whole different matter…
And the more she thought about it, the more she looked forward to her night out with the girls. Caroline had it right when she’d said that Mia hadn’t been around since she’d taken the job with Gabe. Gabe was…Well, he was an obsession that was all consuming. And there was the matter of the contract she’d signed giving up her time to him to do with as he wished.
If the girls knew of that particular caveat, they’d be checking her into an institution.
She brushed on another layer of mascara and touched up her lipstick, a shiny pink that matched her toes, and then she pulled her hair up into a messy bun and secured a large clip to hold it in place.
By the time she made it back into the living room, the decadent smell of chocolate filled the air.
“Oh my God, Caro, that smells divine,” Mia groaned.
Caroline looked up from the stove and grinned. “I’m even sacrificing the nuts just for you.”
“You are too good to me.”
Mia perched on the bar stool across the island from where Caroline was cooking, and rested her arms on the countertop.
“So how is work going?”
Caroline stopped stirring a moment and then reset the temperature before laying the spoon to the side. She wrinkled her nose and made a face.
“Boss is still a dickhead. He spends more time trying to get into my pants than he does actually working. As soon as I have enough money saved up, I’m going to start looking for another job.”
Caroline took a deep breath and glanced up at Mia.
“I met this guy…”
Mia leaned forward. “Oh do tell. Is this someone I should know about?”
“Well, maybe. I’m not sure yet. We’re just talking. Texting. God, I feel like I’m in high school or something. And I’m paranoid. You know, after Ted.”
Mia sighed. Caroline’s last relationship had been a disaster. She’d met Ted, fell instantly in lust and love only to find out after six months of strange meeting times and dates that he was married with two kids. It had made her question herself in a huge way.
“So you think he’s married or something?” Mia asked.
Caroline’s lips turned downward. “I don’t know. Something’s off. Or maybe I’m just screwed up after what happened with Ted. Part of me wants to just walk away before we become involved, but the other part of me wonders if I’m being stupid and if I should give him a chance.”
Mia pursed her lips and looked thoughtfully at Caroline. “You know, Jace runs background checks on every man I’ve ever seen. I could always have him do a little checking on your guy. Wouldn’t hurt to have some info before you take the plunge.”
Caroline gave her a look of incredulity. “Are you serious?”
Mia laughed. “Unfortunately, yes. If a guy so much as expresses interest, he launches a full investigation.”
“Wow. That’s heavy. I’m not sure how I’d feel about doing a check on Brandon.” She wavered a moment, clear indecision written on her features. “But if he’s married or otherwise attached I don’t want to get involved, you know?”
“Give me some more details,” Mia said. “I’ll speak to Jace about it tonight. No harm in doing a little digging. It’s not like we’re stealing his identity, although I’m sure Jace could manage it.”
“He’s a bouncer at the club we’re going to Friday night. You know, my in with the passes. His last name is Sullivan.”
“Okay, I’ll see what I can do,” Mia said. She reached over the counter to squeeze Caroline’s hand. “It’ll be fine.”
Caroline let out a long breath. “I hope so. I don’t want to be made a fool of again.”
“You weren’t a fool for loving someone, Caro. He was the fool. Not you. You went into the relationship in good faith.”
“I don’t like being the other woman,” Caroline said, cringing as she remembered.
The wife in question had confronted Caroline outside Mia’s apartment building. It hadn’t been pretty. Caroline had been completely blindsided and devastated by the revelation as well as the horror of facing an irate, jealous wife.
Mia’s cell phone rang with Jace’s ring tone. She reached for it and brought it to her ear.
“Hey you,” she said in greeting.
“We’re just pulling up. Are you ready or do you want us to come up?” Jace said.
“No need. I’ll be right down.”
“Okay, see you in a few.”
She hung up and then slid off the stool. “See you later, Caro. Can’t wait for that fudge!”
Caroline waved as Mia left the apartment and headed for the elevator.
A moment later, she walked out to see Jace’s car waiting at the curb. He drove a sleek, black BMW that still looked as it had on the showroom floor.
Ash got out and waved, smiling broadly as he opened the door to the backseat for her.
“Hey, beautiful,” he said, kissing her cheek just before she ducked inside.
“Hey, baby girl,” Jace greeted once she was inside.
Oh but this car just smelled of expensive male awesomeness.
Ash settled back into his seat and Jace pulled away.
“So how was Gabe after he hauled you out of my office after the incident with Lisa?” Ash asked. “My big mouth didn’t get you into trouble, did it?”
She worked hard to suppress the heat from flaring into her cheeks and even harder to sound casual.
“He was fine. Silent and brooding. We didn’t speak much before I left.”
Jace shook his head. “I hope he doesn’t let her get into his head. She’s bad news all the way around. I imagine the only reason she’s sniffing around him now is because she’s out of money.”
Mia arched an eyebrow. “You know this for sure? Didn’t she get a lot from him in the divorce?” Like a whole lot. Gabe had money. A lot of it. And from what she figured out from gossip and bits and pieces of overheard conversations was that Lisa got a very healthy divorce settlement. Nothing that would cripple Gabe, of course, but Lisa had walked away with enough to last someone a lifetime. Or at least a normal person.