“How are you holding up?” Steven leaned against Mia’s doorway in her office.

“Hey. I’m doing okay.”

“What are you working on?”

“I’ve been pulling all of the information I can to put things back together.”

“Is that why I haven’t seen you all week?”

“Yeah,” she grinned. “I need to save this.” She typed away, then stopped and looked at Steven. “Since my life is already falling down around me, what was it you wanted to tell me about Eddie?”

“Haven’t you talked to him recently?”

“No. I don’t know how to get a hold of him, and I haven’t seen him anywhere.”

Steven hesitated. “I worry that he is a player, that’s all. I want you to keep your smarts about you. Don’t let your heart get in the way.”

“Have I ever?”

“No. You have always been all about the business. I like that about you. Doesn’t mean I can’t worry about you.”

“Touché.”

“What are your plans for the company? It’s been almost a week, Mia. We have to make a decision.” Steven walked in and sat across from her in her office as she continued working.

“I know. I am hoping for a miracle, I guess. With the information I was able to gather and the contact information in my phone records, I was able to salvage a few accounts. And the NY Runway show is still a possibility. Andrew has been gracious enough to continue working on that for me.”

“It isn’t enough to keep going the way we have been.”

“I know.”

“I think we should talk to Donovan, weigh our options with them.”

“You’re kidding me, right? Last I heard, the hostile takeover was still in the works.”

“Now that the old man is gone, maybe that has all changed. Maybe his sons will give us a better chance. It’s worth a meeting.”

“I don’t know. They are just as bad as he was.”

“What choice do we have?”

Mia’s phone interrupted them, and she looked at it, curious at the unknown caller. “Hello?”

“Mia.” The deep tone instantly sent her into the clouds.

“Eddie?” She smiled and glanced at Steven who nodded and left her office. “How did you get my number?”

“I’m quite resourceful when I want to be.”

“I was beginning to think you fell off the planet.”

“Nah. I’ve been dealing with some shit. I would really like to see you.”

“You would?” She beamed.

“Will you meet me tonight?”

“Of course, where?”

At precisely eight that evening, Mia got out of a taxi cab in front of Bemelmans and went inside. She didn’t see Eddie anywhere, so she went to a table in view of the door so he wouldn’t miss her when he arrived. She ordered a drink and sat nervously as she waited for him.

“Come with me,” he said from behind her, startling her. He took her hand and led her out of the bar and to his car.

“Wow,” she said as he opened the door of the long black limousine. “I didn’t expect this.”

He waited for her to slide inside the large cabin and climbed in after, sitting across from her. He watched her as she squirmed and felt the awkwardness between them.

“Is there something wrong?” she asked.

“No. Not at this moment.”

“What does that mean?”

“I wanted to get away from everything. Life. The issues I’m dealing with. When I thought about where or who would do that best for me, I instantly thought of you.”

She immediately smiled at the idea that he saw her as his tranquility.

“I feel that I only have one more night of quiet bliss before everything changes for me, for us.”

“I don’t understand. We just met. We could have an amazing relationship.”

“No,” he interrupted. “I can’t explain it right now. But you’ll understand more very soon. I have one favor to ask of you. You can deny me, and I will not ask again. Or you can allow me this one favor, and I promise to make this evening unforgettable.”

Mia sat across from him as the car drove down the street, wondering what could possibly make things so difficult between them. She thought he was perfect, what she knew of him.

“Okay,” she said, her meek voice barely audible.

“I want this one night with you to be perfect; no circumstances, no questions, no world around us, nothing.”

“Eddie? Are you dying?” She held her breath, feeling a tremble in her chest.

“No. I’m healthy as any man can be, I promise you that.”

She took a deep breath. “I don’t know what your secret is, but if I agree to this, will you promise me something?”

“Of course.”

“After tonight, and after everything plays out, however that might be, promise me you won’t disappear from my life.

“I will let the decision about my involvement in your life be made by you, and you alone.”

She nodded, her mind reeling with thoughts of what might be happening.

“If you choose to do me this favor and allow me to create this night with the one woman I can’t stop thinking about, then accompany me out of this car when it stops. If you choose otherwise, stay inside, and my driver will take you wherever you wish to go.”

She watched his face as he watched her, and she was incredibly aware of every bump in the road and ever turn the car made. She felt the tension in the air and knew the only thing she wanted at that moment was his touch. Something about him mesmerized her. If she didn’t get out of the car with him, she would be forever wondering what would have become of him. She had no idea how to contact him. She didn’t even know his last name. If she did get out with him, would this evening be followed by a broken heart? Would she see him again? Would she regret being with him?

When the car pulled over and stopped in front of a high-end hotel, her heart leaped into her throat. She watched as he opened the door, never taking his eyes from her until he turned to pull himself out. He stood on the curb with the door open, and she froze. She could see his left arm, his hand half in his pocket, and the leg of his perfectly pressed pants. Her heart beat out of her chest, and it was hard to breathe. She wanted to get out of that car. She screamed for her body to move, but it wouldn’t. When the door closed and the car began to move, she started to panic.

“Stop! Please!” The car did just that, and she quickly went to the door and opened it. “Thank you,” she said as she climbed out of the back. “I’m sorry,” she told Eddie, a smile slowly growing on his face. “I couldn’t move. I wanted to.”

He walked to her as the car departed and pulled her to him, kissing her deeply. All of her inhibitions floated away. All of her fears and her questions dissipated with no after-thought or regret. She no longer cared about any of it.

“Thank you, Mia. You have no idea what this means to me.” He took her hand, led her into the lavish hotel and directly to the large elevator. Once inside, they remained quiet as the elevator took them up.

Questions started feeding her mind again. Why was he being so mysterious? Why did he bring her here to a hotel? Was he embarrassed about his apartment? Did he not live alone? Was he married? Was she his mistress? She watched him, worried about what she was getting herself into.

“Who are you?” she asked more to herself than to him, but she asked aloud.

“No questions, please. Not tonight. Just let this be a perfect night.”

She had so many things to ask. When the elevator reached the top floor, and the doors opened into the penthouse suite, Mia’s jaw dropped as she stepped off the elevator and into the room. The luxury and the detail were beyond what she could imagine.

“This place is…” She didn’t have the proper words to describe it.

“Expensive, I know. Luckily, I have the company card. Shhh, don’t tell my boss.”

Champagne colored curtains cascaded from gold curtain rods. Perfect lighting set the mood in the room.

“I could fit my entire apartment in here.”

“Come here. Look.” He led her to the large window and pulled the curtains back to reveal an immaculate view of the tops of the trees in Central Park. The view let her see clear across the park and beyond.

“Gorgeous,” she muttered.

He came up behind her and slid his arms around her. “Yes, you are.” His lips touched her neck and her eyes closed, and she let the feel of him soak into her body.

“Nothing could feel better than the way I feel right now.”

“I hope I can change that.”

She turned toward him, a bit apprehensive but as soon as his lips touched hers, her worries evaporated. He sank into her, tightening his arms around her body. Her lips parted, and his tongue invaded the space, pushing into her mouth, warm and arousing. He slid his hand up her stomach to her breast and caressed her. The arousal she felt the night he was in her thoughts returned, and she held onto that feeling with everything she had, begging for it to stay.

She fed her fingers around his neck and into his hair, allowing the feel of him to take over her existence. He picked her up and carried her through the lavish room, down a hallway and into a large bedroom with a bed fit for a king and queen. When he lay her on the edge of the soft mattress, he stood over her, his eyes taking her in. He peeled his suit coat from his shoulders, and she felt her breath catch. This was really happening. The man who invaded her dreams, who she hadn’t seen in over a week with no way to contact him, who was as mysterious and unknown to her as any stranger on the street was about to make love to her. Did she have what it took to please him? Would she feel the satisfaction she has longed for her entire life? If he didn’t, would she fake it for his sake? She hardly knew Eddie, but she felt like she was falling for him.

His suit coat lay on the chair next to the bed, and his fingers slowly unbuttoned the dark blue shirt that covered him. Mia sat up and pulled her sweater up until he stopped her.

“No,” he said calmly. “Not yet.”

She put it back down and waited for a reason why. Nothing was said until he pulled his shirt off and let it fall to the floor. His body was beautiful, just like she imagined it to be. Toned, tight, perfect. She wanted to touch him.

“Come here,” he said.

She climbed off the bed and stood in front of him. He combed his fingers through her long hair, pulling it forward over her shoulders. His finger glided along her jaw to her chin and back again, causing a light shiver to run down her body.

“So beautiful,” he whispered. He cradled her face in his hands and leaned in, kissing her deeply, a moan escaping his lips. “Mia.” His lips were so close to her ear, the warmth gave her another shiver. “There are things I want to do to you, things you may not approve of.”

“What?” She pulled away from him for the first time. “What kind of things?”

His eyes penetrated her, and she felt vulnerable. “You have to trust me. Can you do that, Mia?” He stepped closer.

“I want to.” She stepped back. “I’m not sure.”

“Shhh. I promise you, it will be pleasurable. I won’t do anything you don’t like, and I will not hurt you. Will you trust me?”

She looked around the room, a room big enough to get lost in, a room she was alone in with a man she barely knew. A first name and a promise were not enough to trust anyone. She wasn’t even sure if the name he gave her was his.

“I should go.” She felt a panic fester in her stomach. What if he didn’t let her leave? “I can’t do this.”

His lips tightened, and he nodded, picking up his shirt and walking out of the room, leaving Mia sitting on the edge of the bed. She waited for him to return, but he didn’t. Was she being hasty? Her mind was reeling. When she walked out of the bedroom, she found him on the balcony, the doors wide open and a gentle breeze allowing the curtains to flutter lightly into the room.

She walked up to him, his back to her. She reached up and wanted to touch him. “Eddie?” An ache replaced the panic. An ache for him to want her again. “I’m sorry.”

“I will call my driver to pick you up.”

She stared at his back, the silhouette so perfect against the view of the city. “You don’t have to.”

When he turned to look at her, the desire in his face was gone. The lust in his eyes had dissipated, and he was angry or hurt or disappointed. She wasn’t sure which, but she didn’t like it.

“I’m sorry,” she said again.

“I don’t play games, Mia. When I want something, I go after it. We are adults, and we both desire each other, am I right?”

“Yes,” she said bluntly.

“If you want this, then you want it to the end. If not, leave now, and don’t waste my time.”

She nodded, her eyes glued to his.

“What will it be?”

“I’ll stay.”

“Are you sure?”

“It’s just that, I’ve had a lot of bad relationships, no satisfaction and this, all of this,” she said, looking around. “It’s all so new to me. I don’t know you, and you’re so damned mysterious. I don’t know how to handle it. I need some reassurance.”

He rushed toward her and picked her up off her feet. She felt like a limp rag doll at first until she felt his hands underneath her, picking her up and feeding her legs around his waist. His hand went to her neck and pulled her to him, his lips covering hers and kissing her hard. Their bodies slammed into the wall next to the open window. She had forgotten everything she needed to say, why she stopped him in the first place, and every thought in between.

She felt his hands underneath her top as they imprisoned her small waist against the wall, working their way up to her breasts. He grabbed her bra and yanked it down forcefully, pushing her up the wall and filling his mouth with her nipple. Her breath caught in her throat when she felt a shock of pain shoot through her.

She looked down and saw him looking up at her with devious eyes and a sly grin on his face. She flung her head back and closed her eyes. If he couldn’t satisfy her, she was going to join the convent and become a nun.

He let her go enough for her to put her feet back on the floor but only long enough to get a hold of her and pick her up over his shoulder. He carried her toward the bedroom and put her back on the bed. Her body was shaking at the thought of what was going to happen to her. He loomed over her and watched as she squirmed.

“You have one safe word. Use it only if you want me to stop. I want this to be good for both of us.”

She nodded, her eyes fixed on his.

“Your safe word is red. You only need to say it once so be sure it is what you want. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” she said breathlessly.

“Good.”

He pulled her sandals off her feet and let them drop to the floor as he watched her face. He climbed on top of her and slowly pulled her shirt from her body, exposing her white bra still pulled down below her breasts. He discarded it along with her top and looked her over, cocking his head and smiling.

“You are an angel,” he said, bending down and kissing a trail of small kisses up her side. Her body shook and trembled under his touch.

He hooked his fingers into the sides of her pants and jimmied them down her legs leaving just her little white panties. He looked up at her as he lowered his face to her stomach, kissing her belly button and moving down an inch. He kissed just below her belly button and moved down a bit more. Her breath caught again when he reached the waistband of her panties, grabbing them with his teeth and pulling them up. She felt the palm of his hand press into her pussy as he blew warm air across her stomach.

“Tell me how you feel, Mia.”

“Amazing. I’ve never felt this way before.”

“Never?” He climbed up to her and lay next to her. “You’ve never had an orgasm? Are you a virgin?”

“No. I’m not a virgin.” Heat flooded her face, and she looked away, embarrassed at her shortcomings.

“Talk to me.”

“No one has ever been able to satisfy me.”

“Hmmm, well, I’d like to give it a try.”

She laughed and braced herself for more.

He moved his mouth down her belly. Before she was ready, he covered the front of her panties with his mouth and began to hum.

Mia opened her mouth and sucked a breath in as arousal slammed into her. She was familiar with the tingling sensation that crept in, slowly, stuck around for a little while, then disappeared. This was different, bringing blood surging to her heated center. He looked up at her and grinned sexily, taking a big breath in and covering her panties again in the perfect spot. He hummed deeply, from his throat, vibrating her panties and everything inside. She twisted and squirmed with the buildup of an orgasm rippling through her, and buried her hands in his hair to press him closer.