Mr. Big: A Billionaire Romance (7 page)

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.

“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. 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.

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 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.

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 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 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 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.

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?”

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 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 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 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.

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 anything?” she asked curiously.

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 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 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. 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 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 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.

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 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.