Mia Eaton set the phone down in its cradle and glanced over the paperwork in front of her. Everything was in order, and she was ready to go into the conference room to present her marketing campaign to one of the biggest clients her new company had ever acquired. If she could sink this account, Whitaker and Eaton would be on the map.
Three years after she'd quit working as Sam Whitaker's secretary, she and her fiancé, Beau, had decided it was time for them to start their own marketing agency. It had been difficult for her to leave her job at Reggie Smith's company, Smith and Associates. She'd been so happy working for him for almost three years between the time that she quit Whitaker and Whitaker. Reggie had really taken her under his wing and taught her everything she needed to know about being a successful marketer in such a large market. She'd finished her degree and quickly climbed the ranks at Smith and Associates. Even though Beau had helped her get the job in the first place, the rest had been all her, and there wasn't a day that Reggie didn't tell her how much he appreciated her.
"The client is here, Ms. Eaton," Emily said, sticking her head in Mia's open office door.
"Thanks, Em. And how many times do I have to tell you to call me Mia?" She stood, gathering up the files and other documents she'd need off of her otherwise tidy desk and walking briskly to the door. Since she'd quit working for Sam, she'd begun wearing pantsuits to work and never regretted her decision. She was so much comfortable with everything covered, and she felt much more powerful and in control, too. It turned out that she actually enjoyed dominating the board room much more than she liked being dominated in secret rooms or offices.
"I'm sorry," Emily said with a shrug. "It's just hard to be anything less than formal when you look so impressive."
Mia laughed. She was so happy Beau was able to bring Emily over with him when he quit working with his brother and started this firm with Mia. Emily was the best secretary Mia had ever seen, and she did everything she was asked to do fully dressed! They'd also hired Shaylee to answer the phones, and the woman was well on her way to recovery. Anything Mia could to do help the other women who'd been broken by Sam's demanding ways, she would do it.
"Is Beau in the conference room already?" she asked, pausing in the hallway. She didn't like to be late, but she also didn't want to seem too eager either. When a client came across town to meet with her, she knew it was because they were impressed with what she and Beau could do for them, so she wanted to keep them anticipating the ride for a few minutes longer if possible.
"He is. Doing what he does best-telling them a story."
Mia laughed. Beau did all of the public relations and client smoozing while she focused on the actual marketing, and he was brilliant at it. Even though that hadn't been his role at Whitaker and Whitaker, Mia could only imagine how much more successful the former partnership could've been if Sam would've allowed Beau the opportunity to represent them more frequently with potential clients. He came across as warm and friendly-two words she could never use to describe Sam who managed to get clients by intimidating them.
Mia strode to the conference room and peeked in the window. Beau had the three representatives from Chicago Sporting Club laughing and smiling. She wasn't surprised. He was so good at putting people at ease and getting them prepared to listen to her presentation like they were old friends. She really hoped they could get this account. But even if they didn't, the firm was already doing so well even though it had only started doing business a few months ago.
As for Sam, he was limping around now trying to keep what he was just calling Whitaker Marketing now as relevant as he could, but Mia had learned that clients were leaving him quickly. Without Beau's skills, Sam was lagging behind, and rumors had started surfacing about how women were treated at his company. A lot of them weren't true, Mia knew. It wasn't as if the women who worked in marketing or the other departments were treated the same way she had been, but as many young women as Sam had taken advantage of over the years, she thought he deserved to have a little bit of chatter involving his name out there in the business world.
She'd tried to talk Veronica into joining their company, but she said she thought Sam would crumble if she left him, so she'd stayed on. She was probably right. He wasn't emotionally stable; he'd made that clear that last day when he'd reacted the way he had to Mia quitting. He'd tried to talk her into staying dozens of times after that, even though she'd left the building with Beau the minute he'd let her out of that secret room and had never walked back in. Sam had even showed up at her apartment one afternoon. Luckily, Beau was there with her, and he'd made his brother leave. Sam was getting a taste of his own medicine.
It wasn't as if she never asked Beau to tie her up or anything, though. She still enjoyed sensory deprivation and having someone surprise and command her. Well, not just anyone. Beau. She hadn't been with anyone else other than Sam, and she couldn't imagine ever being with anyone else either. The moment he'd pulled that ring out of his pocket on a carriage ride through Lincoln Park and asked her to be his wife, she'd had no doubt he was the only one for her. Whether he was tying her up and taking her roughly from behind or sweetly making love to her in the hot tub, Beau was the only man she'd ever need.
He looked up then and saw her gazing at him through the window in the door. A smile took hold of Beau's face, and he finished up his story before signaling for her to come in. He stood, like a gentleman. "I would like for you all to meet our head of marketing, Mia Eaton." He gestured in her direction, and the other men in the room stood as well. They each introduced themselves as Mia shook their hands, and she committed their names to memory because she hoped to be working with them for many years to come.
"Good morning," Mia said, stepping to the front of the room where her presentation was all set up to be displayed on a state-of-the-art plasma screen. "We are so glad to have you here today, gentlemen. Beau and I have been working very hard on the marketing for your spring athletic shoe launch, and we think you'll be very happy with what we've come up with."
Mia went about presenting the materials she'd so painstakingly prepared, Beau jumping in from time to time to add a detail or put something in perspective in a way only he could. By the time they were done, the clients were clapping and smiling. They had a deal! Mia was so proud of herself; she could hardly believe how far she'd come in just three years.
It hadn't been that long ago she'd walked into Whitaker and Whitaker, a nervous, shaking woman-child, new to the city, inexperienced, and terrified of what would happen if she couldn't make it on her own. Now, three years later, she was engaged to a successful billionaire, owned half of an up-and-coming marketing company, had her degree, and was well on her way to making herself into one of the most successful marketers in Chicago. She had even been voted one of Chicago's female entrepreneurs to watch recently. Things had really turned around for Mia, all because she was willing to take a chance.
Aft the clients left, Beau pulled Mia into his arms. "We did it!" he said, gesturing at the signed contract on the table. "That was a huge client, Mia, and they signed with us!"
"I can't believe how this is all turning out," she said, breathing him in. Even after three years of being together, he still knew how to make her heart skip a beat.
"I can," Beau said, that crooked smile tugging at his mouth. "The moment I saw you, Mia, I knew that there was something special about you."
"You mean when I bumped into you in the hallway and literally knocked you off your feet?" she joked.
"Yes-that's exactly when!" Beau said, laughing. "Now, in two short months, you'll be my wife. We have this company together, and I just feel like the luckiest man in the world. Thank you for loving me, Mia."
"Thank you for not giving up on me," she replied. He leaned in, and she reached up on her tiptoes to find his warm lips. Beau pulled her even closer, deepening the kiss. She'd be lying if she pretended it wasn't still a turn on to kiss in the office; it turned into more so frequently, Emily and the others knew to knock anytime they saw a closed door and never go peeping into the windows.
This time, Beau put some space between them. They had another meeting soon, so the love making would have to wait until later. "You're amazing," he said, stepping back.
"So are you," she replied, taking some deep breaths to calm herself. "Let's get back to work."
Beau nodded in agreement, and Mia managed to pull herself away to head back to her office, hoping she could make it through the meeting with Happiness Bread Company before she dragged Beau into her office, threw him down on her desk, and had her way with him. He might not be her boss, but he was definitely her sexy billionaire, and for Mia that was certainly enough to keep her coming back to work every day, sometimes even on weekends.
Mia looked out her office window, taking in the spectacular view of Chicago, a smile on her face. Life was good. She didn't regret her decision to work for Sam because she'd learned so much about herself and what she was capable of. But she also didn't regret quitting. She finally had everything she could ever want, and now she was her own boss-and she was one hell of a sexy billionaire herself.