“Mr. Reddick?” Casey chimes in on my phone.

“I have Mr. Anderson for you on line three.”

“Thanks,” I tell her and glance at the clock to make sure I haven’t somehow missed the meeting again.

“This is Roan.”

“Morning, Roan. It’s Thom, how are you today?”

“Very well.”

“Good, listen, I hate to do this, but I have to reschedule our meeting for today.”

“Oh, is there a problem?”

“No, just an overlap in the schedule, but I didn’t want you guys to think we were bailing, after the mishap with the last meeting. If it’s okay with you, I’ll have my assistant reschedule with yours for later in the week.”

“That’d be fine. And thanks for telling me in person.”

“No problem.”

We hang up, and I get up from my desk, heading straight to Chandler’s office. He’s leaning back in his chair with his feet propped on his desk. The phone is pressed to his ear, and as he talks, he bounces a racket ball against the wall. He sees me and chucks it at me. I catch it and bite back the wince. The fucking thing came at me so quick my hand stings. I bounce the ball as I wait for him to finish his call, and once he does, I toss it back and tell him, “Thom just rescheduled.”

“What the fuck, why?”

“He said just an issue with the calendar, should be back on later in the week. I’ll check with Casey to be sure.”

“All right.”

“So, if you’re cool, I’m gonna head to Mia’s conference, I might still catch her speech.”

“Yeah, man. Go.”

I go back to my office and grab my phone. I’m not sure if I’ll get there in time to hear her speak, but I’ll still get there with enough time to catch her.

The hotel the conference is at is just a few blocks away, and I follow the signs that lead me to where she is speaking. The doors are all closed, and I go back and forth about opening them and interrupting, but then a woman walks out, and I slip in. The room is packed. Every table is full and up on the stage is my girl.

The lights are shining down on her, illuminating her like an angel. She has her hands wrapped around the podium, and I cross my arms, leaning back against the wall as I get lost in not only her but also her words.

She speaks my language, hell, she might be speaking it better than I do. When it comes to engineering, I thought I was at the top of my game. Clearly, she’s surpassed me. Everything she is saying makes sense.

Then somehow, her eyes lock with mine. She stutters for a moment, gripping the podium harder, and I give her a wink.

She recovers quickly and effortlessly, and I’m officially in awe of everything about her.

As her speech comes to an end, I find myself very turned on. It doesn’t help that as she leaves the stage, her skirt seems to be shorter than it was this morning. I lick my lips, watching her for as long as I can. Then another woman steps up to talk, and the crowd becomes restless. I’m so busy scanning the room for Mia, I almost miss the door to my right opening. I turn and find her standing in the hallway, motioning for me to join her.

“You made it!” she exclaims once the door is closed again.

“I did, and you fucking killed it up there.”

She blushes and grabs my hand, leading me away from the doors. I happily follow, not knowing—or caring—where we are going. I’d chase her into hell at this point. Then she opens the door to a family restroom, and we both go inside. I press the lock button firmly, followed by slamming her back against the wooden door, and then drop to my knees.

She grips my hair, and I push her skirt up, not wanting anything in the way as we fuck. “Is this shorter than it was this morning?” I ask.

“No,” she answers, and once I have it bunched at her waist, I push her panties aside and begin to flick my tongue back and forth over her clit.

“Yes,” she whimpers, and that one single word brings me to my feet. I rip my cock free, needing inside her, and plunge into her. She’s so wet she swallows me whole. Her legs bind around me, and I begin to move. Fire burns through my veins, and it takes everything I have not to grunt barbarically as we fuck.

God, she’s so tight.

Her cunt milks my dick, and together we get lost in a world of pleasure. It’s a place that I’ve only ever been to with Mia, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Nothing else matters when we are together; there are no worries or stresses. She gives me the reassurance that everything will be okay, and that feeling is something I’d give my life to hold on to. Without it—without her, I am nothing.