Beau wasn’t expecting Mia to be standing in Sam’s office when he opened the door. Generally speaking, when his brother hired a new secretary, he didn’t see her much at all for the first few days, certainly not more than just in the morning and maybe in the evening. Everyone in the company knew that Sam’s secretary didn’t do anything for the company itself; she was only there to entertain him throughout the day. So when he saw her standing there, poised as if she were on her way out, he couldn’t believe his eyes. He hoped that his brother hadn’t already started asking her to perform his “special assignments.” From the look on her face, it seemed as if that might’ve been the case. She looked a little flushed. But then, she was smiling at him. So maybe he had imagined that. Maybe she was just as happy to see him as he was to see her. “Hi, Mia. How’s your first day going?” Beau asked, stepping completely into the room. “Good, thank you. How are you?”
Riding in the back of a limousine was a new experience for Mia. The closest she’d ever been to an experience like this was the Lincoln Town Car she’d ridden in from the funeral home to the cemetery after her mother had died. This was different, though. She was glad there was plenty of room so she could scoot away from Mr. Whitaker. He didn’t seem to notice that she got closer to the window as he got into the car. He was distracted, his phone in his hand. He slid into the car next to her, his spicy cologne filling the space, and she realized the reason she’d gave him plenty of room had more to do with trusting herself not to touch him, than trusting him not to make any demands in the car. When she discovered that Beau and a woman she had yet to meet, Emily, were coming with them, part of her wanted to relax a bit because she assumed that meant Mr. Whitaker would behave himself. It also made her anxious in a different way. She was certainly attracted to Beau, tho
That evening, Mia had a lot on her mind as she contemplated her first day on the job. It certainly hadn’t been what she’d expected. Sam had been in meetings the entire afternoon, and she hadn’t even seen him again after lunch. She’d felt a little disappointed in that, and she wasn’t sure why. Her entire life, she’d been told she was a good girl. She’d tried her best to do what she thought was right. The last thing she would ever want to do is disappoint her mother, but now that her mom was gone, and this alternative to the way she’d always been was presented to her, she couldn’t help but think about it. A lot. Lying in her bed, wearing a black satin negligée she’d bought when she went shopping the other day, she thought about what Sam had asked her to do. Her mind wandered to what might’ve happened if he’d touched her. She thought of what it would’ve been like to have his hands on her body instead of just his eyes. Images of Sam’s muscular body removing his shi
That afternoon, Mia was sitting at her desk, watching a movie. She would’ve felt bad about it, except, Mr. Whitaker had sent it to her and insisted that she watch it. The movie was one she’d never heard of before, and at first she was hesitant to open it for fear it would be something completely pornographic. Confusion had washed over her as she started watching. Why did he want her to watch this? But as she continued to watch the movie, she started to get an idea. Especially when the lead actress was being interrogated by the police. A knock on her door brought her out of the storyline. Wondering who it might be, she called, “Yes?” Beau opened the door and popped his head in. “Hi.” A smile took her face over. She couldn’t help it. “Hi.” “Mind if I come in?” “No, not at all.” She definitely hadn’t been expecting him but was glad to see him. “How are you?” “Good, good.” Rather than sitting in one of the chairs acro
Sitting across from Mia in his favorite Italian restaurant, Beau felt butterflies in his stomach for the first time in as long as he could remember. The giddy feeling had started the second he saw her standing there in her doorway, wearing a red dress and a gorgeous smile, and he hadn’t been able to escape it even though he continuously told himself to calm down. Her dark hair was loose and hanging around her shoulders. He hadn’t seen it like that before since Sam required her to wear her hair in a bun at work. Her eyes were twinkling, and she smelled like roses, a heavenly fragrance that matched her angelic spirit. Mia was a beautiful woman and a sweet soul. It was no wonder he had nervous jitters in his stomach. At least the conversation was flowing. They didn’t talk about work. Whether it was because he didn’t want to think about all of the commands Sam could make of her at any time or she didn’t want to, they steered clear of that topic of conversation. I
It was definitely going to be a two cups of coffee sort of morning for Mia. After her date with Beau, and that electrifying kiss, she’d had trouble falling asleep. The last thing she needed was to be late for work, so she hastily dressed in the outfit she knew Sam wanted her to wear that day and then caught an Uber to work so that she could avoid any potential mass transit problems. Once she was in her office, she paused to take a few deep breaths, wondering how long it would be before Sam called her into his office. Her stomach was in a tight fist as she thought about the scene from that movie she was certain he’d ask her to reenact for him. Would she be able to do it? Her outfit wasn’t exactly like the one the actress in the film had worn, but she was wearing a very short white skirt and a white button down shirt. Her hair was in a bun, as it was always required to be. She hoped Sam would like it. Then, she stopped and asked herself what Beau would think abou
Trying to get work done was futile. Even though there was a stack of paperwork on his desk that he needed to go over, Beau couldn’t concentrate. All he could think about was Mia. Kissing her the night before had been heavenly, and he’d wanted to do so much more. Now, knowing she was sitting over there in his brother’s secretarial office, doing who knows what the second Sam asked, made his stomach twist into knots. He needed to find a way to get her out of that situation. Mia was too good, too kind, to be manipulated and corrupted by Sam. It was past lunch time, and he hadn’t even seen her yet that day. He was afraid to. While at work, he couldn’t act on his feelings for her. Here, she belonged to Sam. He hated that it was that way, but he and Sam had to have some sort of an understanding regarding Sam’s secretary, and that’s what it boiled down to. Around two o’clock, he couldn’t take it anymore. Setting the work he hadn’t finished aside, he got up
Mia wasn’t sure what to wear. Was this a casual get-together, or was it a date-date? Should she wear a dress? They were just going to be watching the basketball game, right? She eventually settled on a nice pair of jeans and a sweater, hoping that she wasn’t underdressed. Promptly at 7:00, there was a knock on her apartment door. Mia took a deep breath and went over to answer the door. When she saw Beau standing there in a pair of jeans and a casual polo shirt, she couldn’t help but smile. Not only was he smoking hot, he also was dressed similarly to her, which made her feel more relaxed. “Wow—you look amazing,” he said, bringing color to her cheeks. “You are so beautiful.” “Thank you. You look nice, too,” Mia said, giving him a hug. He smelled just as good as he looked—a hint of spice and the ocean. His arms around her were comforting, and she didn’t want him to let go. But she had to if they were going to his house. “Let me grab my bag