Mr. Big: A Billionaire Romance (4 page)

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.

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.”

“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, 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 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 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.”

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!”

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.”

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.

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.

“…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.”

“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 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.

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 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 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 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 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.”

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 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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

“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 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.”