Trying to get work done was futile. Even though there was a stack of paperwork on his desk that he needed to go over, Beau couldn't concentrate. All he could think about was Mia.
Kissing her the night before had been heavenly, and he'd wanted to do so much more. Now, knowing she was sitting over there in his brother's secretarial office, doing who knows what the second Sam asked, made his stomach twist into knots. He needed to find a way to get her out of that situation. Mia was too good, too kind, to be manipulated and corrupted by Sam.
It was past lunch time and he hadn't even seen her yet that day. He was afraid to. While at work, he couldn't act on his feelings for her. Here, she belonged to Sam. He hated that it was that way, but he and Sam had to have some sort of an understanding regarding Sam's secretary, and that's what it boiled down to.
Around two o'clock, he couldn't take it anymore. Setting the work he hadn't finished aside, he got up and strode to the window, looking out at the bustling street and trying to clear his head. When that didn't help, as he'd known it wouldn't, he decided to head over to Mia's office.
Walking out of his own office, he went past Emily's desk. She looked up from her computer and asked, "Where are you going?" in a teasing voice.
Beau stopped and turned to look at her. "Just... talking a stroll."
"Where are you strolling to?"
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Around."
Shaking her head, Emily said, "Are you going to see anyone in particular?"
He couldn't help but grin at her. "I don't know. Maybe."
Emily laughed. "You're really smitten with her, aren't you?"
Beau's mouth hung open for a minute as he decided whether or not he should try to deny it, but Emily knew him so well, there was probably no point in that. "I think she's... nice."
"And pretty?"
"And pretty," he agreed.
"So... what are you going to do about your brother?"
Letting out a deep breath, Beau ran his hand along the back of his neck. "I don't know. I told her I thought she should quit, but she didn't seem to think that was a good idea. Of course, Sam hasn't really been too demanding yet, I don't think."
"You don't think so? I mean, I'm sure he's probably not touched her yet, but surely he's already making her do weird things, like bend over his desk."
The thought of it sent a chill down Beau's spine and made irritation boil up inside of him. He hated to think of anyone else making demands of Mia, but Sam was so twisted, and he certainly didn't have any true feelings for Mia. "Probably so," he admitted. It was about all he cared to say on the subject. "Anyway, I haven't seen her today, so I thought I'd go over and see how she's doing."
"Are you going to be seeing her tonight?"
Emily knew about the date because she'd been the one to make the reservations the night before. He shrugged. "I don't know. I don't want to rush things."
She gave him a small smile. "I understand, but if you want to convince her to get out from under Sam's clutches before it's too late, you probably shouldn't wait too long. I know he likes to deprive himself by waiting a week or two if he can, but as beautiful as Mia is, he might not be able to this time."
His secretary had given him a lot to think about. Beau thanked her and headed over to Mia's office. He knocked on the door and waited for her to tell him to come in. A wave of relief washed over him that she was there and not in Sam's office doing who knows what.
"Hi," he said, coming over but not sitting on her desk as he had the day before when he was so nervous to speak to her. "How's it going today?"
Her smile was genuine, and he could tell that she was truly happy to see him. "Hi. I'm good. How are you?"
"Busy," he admitted, though he wouldn't be if he would've been able to concentrate on his work instead of thinking of her all day.
"Must be nice." She moved her mouse around on her desk. "I'm... bored."
"What? No movie to watch today?"
Her cheeks turned a slight shade of red. He hadn't meant to embarrass her and realized that Sam had probably made her come in and reenact that scene for him earlier. Beau drew in a sharp breath, hoping his brother hadn't touched her. "No, no movie today."
He managed a small smile. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked about that. It's none of my business."
"It's okay," she said with a shrug, but he could tell it wasn't. She seemed bothered about the entire situation, but in a way he couldn't quite put his finger on.
"I wanted to know if maybe you'd want to come hangout at my place tonight. There's a basketball game on I was going to watch. Do you like basketball?"
"Are you kidding? Of course, I like basketball. You can't grow up in Illinois and not cheer for the Bulls."
He smiled, glad she even knew who the basketball team was. Some of the other girls he'd dated wouldn't have even known the name of the team. "Great. Can I pick you up around 7:00 then?"
Mia seemed to hesitate, like she wasn't sure she should go out with him two nights in a row. But she nodded. "Sounds good."
"I'll see you then." Beau left her office, hoping to get some work done before he went home because he definitely wasn't going to be thinking about work that night.