“So, tell me more about you, Mia. You intrigue the hell out of me.”

She hung her head down and felt a warmth touch her cheeks as they walked out of the restaurant. Jackson slipped his hand into hers once they reached the street. If looks were all Mia cared about, she would have fallen head over heels for this one, but he was a little too cocky for her. The only reason she’d agreed to a second date was because their first was a double date with one of his buddies, and she thought maybe he was showing off. She was glad she’d given him another chance.

“What do you want to know?” she asked, still looking down.

“You mentioned before that you own a business? Tell me about that.”

“It’s a cosmetics company. Steven and I started it shortly after my daughter was born. I figured if I’m a bigger part of a company, I can control my financial future better and make sure my daughter will be okay.”

“That’s smart and very sexy,” he said, pulling her closer. He wrapped his arm around her as they walked along. “How old is your daughter?”

“Emily? She’s eight.”

“Love of your life, I bet.”

“Very much so.”

“I can tell by the way your face lights up.”

Mia liked his attention to detail. She smiled at the thought that maybe this guy would be worth her time.

“She’s very important to me. I like knowing that she sees me in the role I’m playing. She will grow up knowing she can do and be anything she wants.”

“Of course. She sees you build this business and how well you succeed. She has a hell of a role model to look up to.”

“Well, thank you. It isn’t all me, though. Steven has been—”

Mia’s phone rang, interrupting their conversation. She pulled it from her purse and smiled.

“Speak of the devil.”

“Who is it?”

“Steven.” She turned her phone toward him, showing him the caller id. “My partner and CFO. I have to take this. Excuse me.”

She stopped and turned away from him until she had hung up her phone.

“Should I be worried?” Jackson pointed toward her phone.

“About Steven?” Mia chuckled, looking up at him. “No. Not at all. We work together. If it weren’t for him, MWSA would never have gotten off the ground.”

“And that is all?”

Mia smiled. “Yes, that is all. He’s more like family to me than anything else. I go to him with all of my ideas and thoughts.”

“How long have you known him?”

“Do I detect a bit of jealousy there?” she teased, pushing him playfully.

“Naw, just making conversation. I like you, and I want to be sure I can have you all to myself.”

“Rest assured, Mr. Myers. Steven and I have known each other so long, I could never imagine him as anything more than my business partner and good friend. We’ve known each other for almost twenty years now.”

“That long?”

“He and my father worked together a long time ago. He used to stop in a lot. That turned into several dinner invites, and then he and I began MWSA.”

“He is much older than you are, then.”

“Yes. By twenty years, at least. He’s genuinely a good man, though. And smart as hell.”

“Steven or no Steven, I think you’ll do your daughter proud. She’s a lucky little girl.”

“Thank you,” Mia said, looking away.

“Is she beautiful like you are? Dark eyes, hair to match?” He stopped walking and pulled her to him. His finger lifted her chin, and his smile dazzled his eyes. “Flawless skin and—”

“She looks a lot like me, yes.” Mia appreciated his compliments, but they seemed forced, almost wooden and rather unnecessary.

“You are from Brazil?” he said, taking a step back for the recognition.

“My mother is. How did you know?”

“You are distinctive like those beautiful Brazilian models. I am surprised you are not one.”

“Thank you.”

“If Emily’s anything like you, she’ll be a knockout. I’d love to meet her.”

“Perhaps one day you will. I have a rule.”

“And what is that?”

“I don’t want a lot of different men in her life. If our relationship develops and gets stronger, then maybe.”

“You are an amazing mom, aren’t you?” He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand, slowly moving closer to her.

“I try to be,” she said, lowering her head. Enough with the compliments. I think I’m going to be sick.

She pulled away from the awkward almost-kiss and began walking again.

“Emily is my one true rock. Owning your own business isn’t always glamorous, and when you do finally start to succeed, the vultures come around and start circling. Vultures like Reese Donovan and his two wretched sons.” She shook her head and continued her babble as if she was talking to herself. “My business takes up so much of my time on a normal basis that when I am trying to keep it from faltering, I have to work even more.”

She stopped on the sidewalk and turned around, not only to apologize but to see if he had even tried keeping up with her. He was a few steps behind her, his hands in his pockets and his lips pressed tightly together. “I’m sorry. I’m rambling on, probably boring you to death.”

“No, you’re fine.” He wasn’t convincing. “Are you nervous to be with me, Mia?”

She waited for him to catch up. “No, not at all. I’m sorry. It’s just that I’ve been stressed about work and the related drama, and it’s been a while since I’ve been out.”

“So, what de-stresses you?”

“My daughter. Emily pulls all of that away from me. She helps keep me grounded and smiling.”

“Reese Donovan. I think I remember seeing him in the papers, more than once. He’s quite the business tycoon.”

“Yes, he is. Multi-millionaire of several companies and two sons to back him up. It’s the perfect way of life for pushing people around and getting what you want.”

“And he is pushing you around?”

“He wants my company, or at least, I think he does.”

“Tell him no. Just because he has money doesn’t mean he can buy your company out from under you.”

“Maybe you’re right,” she said, smiling. Mia knew it wasn’t that simple. She didn’t want to get into it with Jackson, though. She fed her arms around his neck and smiled up at him. “I believe you were going to kiss me back there?”

“I didn’t think I’d get another chance,” he said, pulling her into him again. His mouth covered hers as he pushed into her. “My apartment is just a few blocks from here. Would you like a nightcap?”

She nodded, her eyes still closed, her lips awaiting another kiss.

They walked and kissed the three blocks to his doorstep before he let her go. He plunged his hands into his pockets to fish around for his key. As he was unlocking the door, he looked back, his eyes looking her up and down. If he had done that the first time they met, she would have walked away from him on the spot and never given him a second chance. His wide, toothy grin and his eyes on her body made her feel cheap and raunchy.

Come on, Mia. Stop it. Give this a chance.

She took a deep breath and climbed the stairs to his lair. She prayed she wouldn’t see purple velvet curtains and red carpets with mirrors everywhere. When she got inside, she was pleasantly surprised. His apartment looked new, with white walls, tan carpeting, and dentist office-like paintings on the walls. Although it lacked character, it didn’t scream “player” or “man-whore.” That was a plus.

“Would you like a drink?” he asked, disappearing from the small living room.

“Wine would be great,” she called out.

When he returned, he carried two goblets in one hand and a bottle in the other. “Tell me what you like.” He sat next to her, uncorking the bottle and pouring the goblets halfway with a deep red wine.

“What do you mean?” she asked, taking one of the glasses.

“Sex. Do you like it missionary, rough, hair pulling, a little bondage?” he grinned as he sat back.

“Um.” She picked her glass up to her lips and filled her mouth with the sweet liquid before swallowing it down. Maybe he’s borrowing the apartment. An image of large wide-screen televisions hanging on the walls, more than one couch and swanky music flowing through a man cave style apartment came to her mind. She followed the thought with two more sips, her mind trying to grasp how to answer his very forward questions. “I guess I’ve never thought about what kind of sex.”

“Have you been with many guys?”

“Um, no.”

“Girls?” His eyes widened, and he sat up a little taller.

“Not my type.”

He laughed and watched her squirm under his microscope. “I like to know what a woman likes. It makes the sex a little more satisfying if you know what I mean.”

“Yes, of course.” She started to chuckle but took a drink of her wine instead. “In college, I liked to date. No pressures. No drama. But I have to admit, the guys I did sleep with were all quite disappointing.”

“How so?”

“None of them seemed to be able to satisfy me. It has almost become the norm for me. In fact, I got out of a relationship about a month ago. He was sweet, kind, caring, but—”

“A dud between the sheets?”

“Yeah,” she said, her head down. She watched the wine as she swirled it in circles.

“Maybe you need a different kind of sex. Have you tried bondage?”

“No!” She put her hand out and moved back from him. “I don’t like that kind of sex.”

“Well, we will experiment until we figure out what makes that little button pop.”

Mia looked at him with an eyebrow up, wondering how corny he was going to get before following through with such a promise.

“Come on,” he said, getting up from the couch. He held his hand out to her. “We’ll do it all night if we have to.”

She finished her wine quickly and put her hand in his. Setting her glass down, she let him lead her to a room off the living room. Inside, he ran and leaped onto a queen-sized bed, patting the mattress space next to him.

She looked around the bare room and was convinced it was newly rented.

“Come here, baby.”

She walked slowly toward him and sat on the edge of the bed, her hands folded in her lap. He quickly pulled himself up next to her and pulled her head to his. When he kissed her, he was aggressive, sometimes too aggressive, and she could feel his teeth press into her lips. She decided she couldn’t open her mouth wide enough to avoid it, so she turned away and faked a moan as she kissed his neck.

Every attempt she made to try and enjoy sex with Jackson failed. When she knew he was approaching his own orgasm, she desperately tried to imagine a fantasy so hot that it would help things along, but even with her hand between her legs, she got nowhere. Jackson grabbed her shoulders and moaned as his body jerked several times before he collapsed next to her.

His breathing was heavy, and his eyes half closed, but he did manage to lift his hand up to her hair and feed his fingers through her mane. “How was that, baby?”

Before she could even reply, he was breathing steadily, his eyes closed and his hand falling from her hair.

“Jackson?” She leaned down and kissed him. His response was slight at best. “Jackson,” she whispered. “Maybe we could try something different?”

“I just need to rest a little. I’ll give you some great morning sex,” he mumbled, attempting to kiss her lips but landing on the side of her nose. He smiled a sleepy smile before rolling away from her.

She sat next to him and watched his shoulder rise and lower with each deep breath he took. It was pointless to try and say anything more, but she did. “I have to get up early for work. I’ll let myself out. Thanks for everything.”

Jackson didn’t even flinch, let alone offer to take her home. Feeling disgusted, she rolled her naked body off his bed, gathered her things, and found his bathroom, where she put herself back together.

Looking in his bedroom once more, she saw him in the same position she’d left him in. “Son-of-a-bitch,” she whispered. She put her shoes on as she vowed to stay away from men and concentrate more on her career and her daughter, Emily. When she walked out the front door, she promised herself she was never going to be another man’s doormat again. She felt used and abused. Tears stung her eyes. She hailed a taxi and made it home before eleven.

Walking through the doorway, Mia found Emily’s babysitter was curled up on the couch, watching television.

“How was Emily?” Mia asked the sixteen-year-old with braces.

“She was wonderful, as always. Emily is never any trouble. I love watching her.”

“Well, I thought I would be later, but I’ll pay you for the time anyway.” She handed the girl some money and made sure she had a way home. “Thank you, again.”

Once the babysitter left, and Mia had locked the door, she quietly walked to Emily’s door and pushed it open. The light fell on the small girl’s face and made Mia smile. She walked in and sat next to her, stroking her hair with her fingertips as she watched her sleep. The tears fell down her cheeks as she remembered her struggles in getting this far. She wanted the world for her little girl, and she hoped that in Emily’s eyes, she knew she could have that. She obviously kept her own struggles and lonely nights from Emily and wondered if she would ever find happiness beyond this little girl who thought her mama was everything.

Wiping the tears that fell down her cheeks, she tucked Emily in and quietly walked out, closing the door to a crack.