Mia lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling above Beau's bed in the master bedroom, where they'd both gone to collapse after the session in the new room. Even a couple of hours after they'd finished, her body was still tingly, and from time to time, a head to toe shudder went down her spine as her muscles spasmed from sheer pleasure.
She hadn't thought Beau could do that to her, not the same way that his brother could. He was asleep, and once again, she found herself slightly jealous at how quickly he could turn his mind off and give into exhaustion. She glanced to her left to see a satisfied smile illuminated by a thin strip of moonlight as he dozed, likely thinking of how good it had felt when he'd taken her from behind.
Mia shifted, pulling the blankets up over her shoulder. This had given her a lot more to think about than she ever would've realized. It hadn't been exactly the same as when Sam took her, but it was thrilling and had sent her over the edge time and again.
The biggest difference had happened after they were finished. Rather than sending her off to sit by herself, Beau had taken her back to his room and wrapped her in his arms, kissing her, snuggling with her, making sure she was okay. As much as she enjoyed her time with Sam, whenever he sent her back off to her desk, that spell was broken, and she was left spending the rest of the day feeling alone and used. Beau never made her feel that way, not even after he'd been so gruff and short with her in the other room, which had been exactly what she'd been craving.
For the first time since she'd met him, Mia began to consider the idea that she might not need Sam after all, and the thought scared her more than she should. If Beau were able to fill the need she had to be dominated, the way he had tonight, then what was keeping her working for his brother? Why would she continue to sit at a desk, spending her day doing absolutely nothing of value all day long, when she could find another job, one where she could use her skills and contribute to the company, and still have the pleasure she sought in the bedroom?
Mia did her best to her turn her mind off and go to sleep. Tomorrow was Saturday, at least, so she didn't have to get up early. Planning to spend some time the next day looking at her classes and searching for another position, just in case she decided to go ahead and quit her job, Mia finally closed her eyes, hoping sleep would ease her mind and the clarity of morning would give her the answers she was looking for.
* * *
The next afternoon, after a late brunch with Beau, Mia had headed home to explore her options. Sitting in front of her computer, she did an extensive search for available jobs that she would actually qualify for. In addition to the one she'd found at work the day before, there were a few more she thought she could potentially get.
She hesitated to apply for any of them, though. Doing so would be a step away from Sam. Even though she realized Beau was enough for her now, giving Sam up completely was something she'd have to truly make sure she was ready for. It wasn't like she could go back from her decision. She knew Sam well enough to understand that he wasn't the type of person to give second chances.
As she was debating what to do, her phone chirped. Mia pulled her eyes away from the screen and glanced down to see she had a text from Emily. "Are you busy this afternoon?" it read.
Wondering what she had in mind, Mia sent back, "No, not really. What's going on?" She and Beau had talked about the possibility of getting together later for dinner, but they didn't have anything definite planned.
"I would love for you to go to dinner with Shaylee and I, if you want."
Shaylee. One of Sam's ex-secretaries. She was the one Emily had mentioned at lunch the other day, she was sure of it. What would it be like to sit across from a woman who'd had similar experiences with Sam to the ones Mia had had? Would she be able to handle listening to Shaylee's stories? Would she try to talk Mia out of continuing to work for him? Was that even necessary?
Deciding she liked Emily too well to say no, Mia sent back, "Sure. Sounds like fun."
A few seconds later, Emily sent the address of a restaurant and the time to be there. Mia agreed and started thinking about what she should wear. Her nerves began to bubble up inside of her as she considered how it would be to embark on a conversation geared toward scaring her out of doing her current job, a job she never would've considered quitting at all if it weren't for the way Beau had taken charge the night before.
Realizing she needed to let him know she had dinner plans, Mia decided to call him. He answered on the first ring. "Hi, beautiful. How are you?"
She could hear the crooked grin in his voice and had to smile. "I'm okay. How are you?"
"Good. Just thinking of you."
She giggled, believing him. He'd been so amorous that morning, they'd made love again, this time in his bed, the way he preferred. She'd assured him that he'd done a great job in the other room, too, and she thought he'd even liked it himself.
Pushing those thoughts aside, she said, "I just wanted to tell you I have dinner plans tonight with Emily."
"Oh. Okay." He sounded surprised. Mia had thought maybe Emily would have already told him. "Great. Would you like to get together after that?"
Thoughts of what that would mean had heat filling her face and the muscles of her abdomen tightening. "Sure. I'd love to."
"Great. Just come on over when you're done, if you want."
"Sounds... perfect." Mia hung up and set her phone aside. She really was a lucky woman to have a man as amazing as Beau. The fact that he was willing to step so far out of his comfort zone to try something he knew she enjoyed just to hang on to her had come as a surprise, but it was just further proof of how fantastic Beau Whitaker truly was.
Mia decided to go figure out what to wear. It had to be something fitting for dinner with friends and then a hot date with Beau she was sure would quickly turn physical, one way or another. No matter whether he was making sweet love to her or handcuffing her to the bed with a blindfold on, there was no doubt in her mind Mia would be spending the night with a man who knew how to curl her toes and make her beg for more.
A new black dress stood out to her, and she knew that was exactly what to wear in order to look nice for dinner with friends and then send Beau over the edge. With a smile on her face, Mia pulled it out of her closet and started getting ready for what was sure to be an evening she would never forget.