Riding in the back of a limousine was a new experience for Mia. The closest she'd ever been to an experience like this was the Lincoln Town Car she'd ridden in from the funeral home to the cemetery after her mother had died.
This was different, though. She was glad there was plenty of room so she could scoot away from Mr. Whitaker. He didn't seem to notice that she got closer to the window as he got into the car. He was distracted, his phone in his hand. He slid into the car next to her, his spicy cologne filling the space, and she realized the reason she'd gave him plenty of space had more to do with trusting herself not to touch him, and trusting him not to make any demands in the car.
When she discovered that Beau and a woman she had yet to meet, Emily, were coming with them, part of her wanted to relax a bit because she assumed that meant Mr. Whitaker would behave himself. It also made her anxious in a different way. She was certainly attracted to Beau, though not in the purely primal way her body had begun to call to Sam when he was making demands of her earlier.
At first, lying across his desk had been awkward and uncomfortable. She knew he was staring at her bottom, that he was standing behind her, imagining things she probably couldn't even fathom since she'd had no experience with men other than kissing.
But the longer he left her there, the more aroused she became herself. The idea of him coming up behind her, of touching her, of doing more, brought a tingling sensation to her core that she'd never felt before. She was curious to see what he might ask her to do much.
Just not in the backseat of this car, especially not with two other people.
Beau didn't seem like the sort of man who'd be into the same sort of dominance Sam was. As they sat there together, she noted the two of them looked a lot of like, though their eyes were not the same color. Their hair was, and their jaw structure. Sam was dark and brooding. Beau smiled at her, reassuring. He had a calming presence. How could she be attracted to two men that were so very different from one another?
"Where are you from?" Emily asked, a welcoming smile on her face.
"Abingdon," Mia replied, returning the smile. "It's a really small town."
"I bet Chicago is very different for you, then, huh?" Emily asked.
"Yes, but I love it here. I've always wanted to move here." Mia caught Beau's eyes and looked away. He was listening intently to her, though, as if he was really interested in what she had to say. Sam was disinterested, preoccupied with his phone.
Emily asked her a few more questions about her family and apologized when she found out her mother had passed away and no one else in her family lived nearby. She found out that Emily was married and had worked as Beau's secretary for five years, which was impressive to Mia. She didn't know if she'd be able to work for Sam for that long, but something told her Beau's secretary did secretarial work-that she was never asked to bend over desks or pick up pencils.
They arrived at a fancy restaurant, and the driver opened the door. Sam stepped out first but was polite enough to offer his hand to Mia. She took it, and that familiar tingle she'd felt earlier pulsed up to her elbow. He gave her a sly smile, and let his fingers linger on hers for several seconds before he offered her his arm.
It seemed a little odd to take it; he was her boss, not her date. But she didn't want to offend him, and she didn't really mind being escorted into a nice restaurant by a handsome man. So Mia slipped her arm through his and entered what was surely the nicest establishment she'd ever dined in.
The thought crossed her mind that she didn't have enough money to afford to eat here unless she pulled the credit card he had given her out of her purse. That seemed a bit embarrassing, but she would do what she needed to do.
Mia didn't feel right drinking alcohol at a work lunch, but Mr. Whitaker didn't seem to mind. He ordered a mixed drink. Mia stuck with tea, as did Emily, and Beau ordered a soda. "What? You're going to make me drink alone?" Sam asked with a shrug. He didn't change his mind, though.
Mia was afraid to ask any questions of her boss because she didn't want to seem to nosy. She just listened to them chat about their lives. Emily offered information on behalf of all of them from time to time. It was when she said, "The Whitakers have always had a reputation in this town, though I think Beau's is a little less... spectacular than Sam's," that Mia put two and two together.
Beau was Sam's brother!
How had she missed that? Her eyes nearly bulged from her head when she realized how silly she was for not having figured it out before.
"Are you all right?" Beau asked. "You look a little... surprised, Mia. Did you just assume I had a bad reputation?"
She laughed, trying to seem nonchalant. "Uh, no. I uh, just... remembered that I might not have turned... my iron off this morning."
They all three stared at her for a moment, like they weren't quite sure if they believed her.
"Well, if your apartment hasn't burned down by now, you're probably fine," Sam said, dryly.
"Very true." Mia pushed this new information aside and tried to go back to what they'd been talking about. "So... the Whitaker family has been in Chicago a long time?"
"Yes, our great-grandfather started an accounting company over a hundred years ago. But we are the first to venture into marketing," Beau explained. Sam looked as if he didn't want to talk about his family history. "We were lucky that we got a head start toward creating a successful business, but we work very hard."
"I can see that," Mia replied, smiling at each of them.
Sam decided to change the subject and began a conversation about a local sport's team. Mia didn't know much about that, so she only smiled and laughed when she should.
Eventually, they all looked the menus over and, Mia realized this wasn't going to be a one-hour lunch. She also realized the menu had no prices on it. What looked like an inexpensive meal?
As if sensing she was worried about the price, Emily playfully said, "Nice of you to take us out for lunch today, Sam. This is going on your business account and not Beau's, right?"
"Of course," Sam said, smirking back at her. "I can never trust my little brother to pay for anything."
That got a chuckle out of everyone and made Mia feel better about ordering what she really wanted to eat.
Once the food arrived, the conversation lessened some. Mia was beginning to feel at ease with Emily. Looking at Beau made her pulse race, and Sam made her feel like she was sitting next to a lion on the prowl.
When lunch was almost over, she became aware that his knee was pressed up to hers beneath the table. She didn't dare look at him. It wasn't until the check had come that he began to run his fingertip along the side of her knee. It was all she could do to keep from looking at him or pulling away-not that she didn't like it. The sultry way he dragged his finger around made shivers run up her spine in ways she'd never experienced before. When they got back to the office, would he ask her to bend over again? Would she mind if he did? What if he touched her this time?
Mia had a feeling she wouldn't mind any of it.