The door dinged open, and James led me to a grand doorway across the hall. He flipped out his key card once again, inserted it in the slot to the side, and then punched in his pin number. The lock clicked open.
“After you,” he said, holding the door for me.
I nodded and took a step in. Instantly, the light flashed on by itself. I gazed around in amazement. The hallway was indeed grand, and I was impressed. I waited for James so as not to be rude, walking into someone else’s home before the owner. James passed me and led me straight into the living area.
I sucked in my breath. And here I’d thought the hallway was grand. The living area, in comparison, was a hundred times grander. The place was bright, and the area was open and spacious. Glass windows stretched from floor to ceiling. I walked down the few steps and stared off at the vast city before us. The view of city lights was indeed breathtaking.
I couldn’t help myself. I had to ask. I had to know. “Are you sure you want me to stay here?”
“You don’t like this place?” he asked bluntly.
I blushed. “That’s not what I mean,” I said. “It’s just so…grand.”
He cocked his head to one side and then chuckled. “Then you like it?”
I bit my lower lip and nodded.
“The view is even more beautiful during the day,” he said.
I nodded in agreement. Oddly enough, I couldn’t wait until morning to see it.
I was lost in my own world, imagining what the view would look like in the morning as the sun was rising. I felt a large strong hand around my wrist.
“Come on. I’ll show you to your room.”
I nodded, allowing myself to be led up the stairs and then into a large room. A king-size bed was positioned to one side. The window once again stretched from floor to ceiling.
“The bathroom is there.” James pointed to the door on my left. “I’m going to make some coffee. Do you want some?”
I mutely nodded my head. Before he left me alone, however, I asked, “James?”
He turned. “Hmm?”
“Is this your bedroom?”
He gave me that handsome grin of his, and his eyes twinkled. “Would you like this to be my bedroom?” he teased.
I blushed. “Shit!” I blurted out.
He roared with laughter. I’d never seen any man laugh so hard before, and somehow it made my belly glow with warmth.
When I heard William laugh in the parking lot, I knew immediately it was a forced, fake response. But with James, it was real. With James, it was from the heart, and it made my body quiver with delicious sensation.
God, my attraction to him was worse than I’d originally thought. Yes, I had to get away from this billionaire as soon as possible. Once Andy’s affairs and safety had been sorted out, of course. Meanwhile…what must I do?
When he calmed down, he said, “You’re learning.”
Before I could ask him what he meant, he was out the door, humming to himself.
Alone, I threw my bag onto the bed and then sat down.
“What a weird man,” I murmured. Then, because I couldn’t help myself, I stood and headed to the walk-in wardrobe. I yanked open the door, my heart thundering within my chest.
Nothing. There was absolutely nothing in the wardrobe. I sighed in relief. This wasn’t James’ room. If it were, then his clothing would have been in there. I was sure of it.
I chuckled and turned my attention to the vast view of the city outside. It was beautiful, and once again, my mind drifted back to my brother. Was he okay? Like me, was he in hiding from those many people who were after him?
I sighed, feeling a headache coming. Thinking about that now wasn’t going to help. I needed to phone him, and to do that, I needed to first get James to give me the number.
Turning on my heel, I marched downstairs. I found James still humming in the open-plan kitchen, preparing two cups of coffee. I went to sit on one of the barstools at the center island.
He placed a cup in front of me and then took a sip of his own. I wrapped my hand around the mug and inhaled the steamy aroma. It soothed me somehow, and I closed my eyes.
“You marched down those stairs like a woman on a mission,” he teased.
I gazed up at him watching me. “You said you’d let me phone Andy if I played nice at dinner.”
A smile spread across his face. His eyes still on me, he rested his chin in his palm as he leaned on the counter. “A promise is a promise.”
I waited patiently as he took out his phone and dialed. His eyes never left my face as he said into the phone, “Matt? James here.” Then he laughed, which made me wonder what he found so amusing. “Play nice with Andy, Matt. I have his sister here with me.”
I frowned as he handed over the phone.
I took it and placed it against my ear. “Andy?”
All I could hear was heavy breathing and then a groan. A deep, faint voice that didn’t belong to Andy said, “Here, it’s your sister.”
“Andy?” I said loudly into the phone.
A moment later, a shaky voice whispered, “Mia?”
My body shook in reaction and my heart leaped with relief. “Andy! Are you okay? Where are you?”
Deep breathing continued and then another groan. “Mia… Ah… Shit… Fuck!” More deep breathing and then, “Stop it! I said stop! Let me go, you bastard!”
There was a loud thud as though a heavy object landed on the floor and then the noise of footsteps running. I could hear the ringing of a man laughing in the distance. My heart jumped with sickness when I heard a door bang shut.
“Andy? Andy? Talk to me. Please talk to me,” I said, my voice weak with concern.
Before me, James was hiding his laughter. I was angry. That bastard. He was enjoying watching me under such stressful circumstances.
I ignored him and tried to get my brother to talk to me again. But all I could hear was groaning and heavy breathing.
“Oh, Andy, please be all right,” I said. To James, I demanded, “What is that man doing to my brother?”
James just grinned at me as if he knew a secret. Be damned, but I really wanted to know what he was hiding and what he found so oddly amusing.
“Mia?” I heard Andy’s voice. I quickly turned my attention to the phone.
“Andy? Are you okay? What’s that man doing to you? Are you hurt?”
I could make out a strange voice, as though my brother was having difficulty breathing. “I’m… I’m fine, Mia.”
“Oh, Andy, tell me everything. Please tell me everything. I’m here in Los Angeles. I’m going to get you out of this mess.”
“Mia, I’m sorry…” More heavy breathing. “I can’t talk. I’m sorry. I just can’t. Not like this. I’m awful. I hate myself. That bastard. He makes me this way. I… Mia? I can’t talk…not now.”
I understood the meaning behind his words. That bastard Matt wouldn’t allow Andy to talk. I knew it. Was Andy being imprisoned somewhere? My stomach lurched with sickness.
Oh please, let Andy be all right. Please.
“Mia, I want to see you. Then we can talk. We need to meet up. But Matt…”
I nodded. “I understand,” I said, glancing up to James. I knew I wouldn’t be allowed to see my brother until he got what he wanted. Either that two million or a contract with me as his—
“All I want to know is if you’re okay.”
“Yeah… Yeah, I’m… I’m okay.”
I wasn’t convinced. Andy sounded like he was in pain. Was Matt torturing him? The thought made me feel sick to my stomach, and my body trembled with fear and anger.
“Andy, I promise I’ll do anything in my power to save you from that man,” I said, my resolve solid. I meant what I said. I’d do anything to save my brother, even if I had to become a mistress to Mr. James Maxwell.
I heard Andy let out a shaky laugh. Then he groaned again. “Just like you, sis,” he said.
The sound of hard knocks against a door through the phone made me jump.
“Andy! Open the fucking door. I’m not done with you yet. You think you can hold on much longer? The game’s not over yet. I said open the fucking door!”
I sucked in my breath. “Andy?” I whispered with concern. “Run. Hide. Don’t let him get you.”
“Sis, I can’t… I…” Andy’s voice sounded weak, as if he’d surrendered to the inevitable.
I gritted my teeth as tears brewed in my eyes. “Andy…”
“I said open the fucking door, Andy. I’m going to finish you off. You know you can’t bloody hold out much longer. You want to fucking kill yourself or something?”
Tears flowed down my cheeks. I couldn’t help myself, knowing my brother was in such distress.
“Andy…” I managed to get out but couldn’t go further. I couldn’t think of what else to say.
I heard Andy laugh sadly. “I’m sorry, Mia. He’s right. I can’t hold out much longer. We need to finish this. See you soon,” he said and then hung up.
“Andy, wait. Please. Run. Hide from him…” I said urgently to the silent phone. Of course I knew it was useless since Andy couldn’t hear me.
I wiped tears from my cheeks and then handed the phone back to James and slipped off the barstool. My mind was completely numb with shock.
“Thanks,” I said without looking at him. I just couldn’t. I didn’t want him to see me like this, crying like a child. I was vulnerable and wanted to be alone.
Before I turned, James caught my wrist. I reluctantly shifted my gaze to him. “It’s not what you think. Matt won’t hurt Andy,” he said seriously. “Mia, you know what to do.”
I nodded. “I’ll think about it tonight,” I said, twisting my hand free from his clutches. Then I headed up the stairs and into my assigned room.
JamesJames’ eyes followed Mia all the way up to the top of the first-floor landing. Fuck! He really couldn’t help himself. It was Mia, and he just couldn’t miss the enticing view of her climbing the steps. Once she was out of sight, he returned his attention to his coffee, a smirk playing about his lips.“Matt,” he said under his breath, shaking his head. “You’re playing dirty, my man. I hope Andy can handle you.”Like Eric said, Matt would fuck the shit out of the boy, and James had no doubt tonight was one of those nights.Damn! He was sure Mia was confused and outraged when she’d heard her brother on the phone. It was amusing watching her expressions. The panicky look and then the suspicion that Matt was hurting her brother, and then there were the frustrated and surrendered looks. She was beautiful. And he remembered the lust he had seen in her eyes when he’d kissed her in the car.The reminder only brought forward a powerful surge of passion in his blood, and he gulped another mo
MiaWhen I woke the next morning, it was bright, the sun just rising across the horizon. I turned my head to my right. Instantly, I sucked in a breath. The view before me was indeed spectacular. The city’s buildings glittered like golden jewels beneath the glowing orange. I sat up, my eyes feasting on the sight before me with amazement.“Beautiful.” The voice reached me, and I jumped.I turned my attention to the door and saw the man who had been on my mind the majority of last night.“James.” I said, my heart pounding within my chest. And it was so early in the morning too.Well, to be honest, it was hard not to be nervous around him, especially with him wearing only a pair of tight jeans and nothing else. His hair was wet, so perhaps he’d just showered.He came into the room. “I did knock,” he said, placing a shirt on the bed. “But you were otherwise occupied.” He grinned. “I had to check in on you.”In case the men snuck in and stole me away? I thought. Or I ran away? Then I thought
MiaJames Maxwell was busy typing away. There was that something about him I couldn’t put my finger on.No, I thought, he would never get tired of doing anything. Just look at him. He was a man in great health. He could definitely manage sex every night without even exerting that much energy.My body shook a little at the thought, in both fear and anticipation. Fear because I was stepping into the unknown and anticipation because it was James.I knew I was jumping to conclusions, of course. To put it bluntly, I was going to be Mr. James Maxwell’s mistress, his lover. That was all. There was nothing more to our relationship than that. All I had to do was give myself to him when he wanted me.Sex shouldn’t take long at all. A mere twenty minutes at most. I could definitely handle that. And James was very handsome and, thus far, had been nice to me.Yes, I confirmed to myself, I have nothing to fear.“Is something wrong?”I jolted out of my contemplation. “Huh?”James cocked his head to
Mia“Where are we going?” I felt the need to ask again as I stared at his large hand wrapped firmly around mine.I had no idea why I found this man’s hands so fascinating, why I suddenly felt this overwhelming need to be touched and caressed by them. Why my inside suddenly burned with desire so deep I felt weak. Only moments before, I was scared and my body became rigid when he kissed me, but now? Because of James’ gentle and warm touches?I blamed my body.“Shopping,” he responded.“Now?” I couldn’t help myself.It wasn’t the fact that I didn’t like shopping. Heck, I’d like to shop until I dropped. There were heaps of clothing I’d like to try on and buy. But shopping was usually done with girlfriends, which I didn’t have, and doing this sort of fun stuff with James just didn’t seem right. There was also the fact that I didn’t have any money.I pulled my wrist free from his clutch and stood there in the middle of the living room, watching him. He turned his gaze to me and cocked his h
James“I don’t like your fucking good mood, James,” Eric muttered in irritation. “And don’t even dare try stopping me from going to Japan.”The three brothers were at Scott’s apartment, sitting around on the veranda outside, taking in the great view and the sun while they ate lunch.Eric’s mention of his good mood put a smile on James’ face, and once again, he thought about Mia. Fuck, he couldn’t help himself. That sex had been great. It had only been their first time together, and he was hooked. He couldn’t wait to spend more time with her.That sex was also Mia’s first time. He wondered if it lived up to her expectations. The thought it possibly didn’t caused his stomach to twist in dread a little. No, it was definitely great for her; no doubt about that. The look on her face when she came was complete satisfaction for him.“Hello? Anybody home?” Scott chuckled, waving his hand in front of his brother.James blinked and laughed. “My bad. Sorry.”Eric got even more irritated at James
MiaWilliam’s sudden appearance made me so unsettled that when the phone inside the apartment rang, I jumped in fright. I blinked. Who’d be calling?Should I pick up and tell whoever it was to go away? But heck, whoever it was surely was persistent. It kept ringing and ringing, and it was getting on my nerves. Then, because I couldn’t help myself, I rushed in and picked it up.“Hello?”A chuckle sounded and then, “Took you long enough. How’s your afternoon going, sweetheart?”I blushed at the comment. We’d only started our master/mistress relationship, for God’s sake. He needn’t call me sweetheart.“James?” I asked.“Yes, sweetheart.”“Why are you calling?” I couldn’t help myself.“To see how you’re getting on,” he replied.I licked my lips. “I’m fine.” Then I wondered if I should tell him about William.“Good,” he said. “Look, I won’t be there until late tonight. Sorry, sweetheart. Will you be okay?”“Of course I’ll be fine. I’m a grown adult, after all,” I said matter-of-factly. The
MiaBack in the days before I turned twelve, my life was beautiful. We weren’t well-off. In fact, my parents always worried about money, about how we were going to pay off that next bill, how we’d have enough to put food on the table. But it was a worry we shared, a combined effort to make ends meet, and we were happy.My parents had been childhood sweethearts and were married straight after they’d graduated college. They had loved each other dearly, and they had cherished me and my brother Andy with all their hearts.Yes, my life had been beautiful back then, before that fateful summer day when a truck drove into our car on Interstate 93 as we made our way back to Mystic Spring, when both my parents’ lives were abruptly snatched from this world.I felt tears sting my eyes as I stared up at the ceiling, watching the shadows of the room playing about. My chest tightened with sorrow at the thought of my parents, at the thought of how unfair the world was.“Mommy?” I remembered my eleven
MiaThe moment I saw those burning Prussian-blue eyes and his dark face, I wanted to weep with both delight and trepidation. I knew the moment I saw the look on his face that he was going to ravish me again. But so early in the morning? When we’d just done so last night?I couldn’t help myself and voiced my confusion. “James? Are we doing this again?”He chuckled. “You’re finally awake,” he replied, ignoring my question. “I was beginning to wonder.” He returned his attention to my breast.I couldn’t have that. “James?”He continued to ignore me and guided my leg up. He met my thigh with a kiss of his eager lips and then another and another and then some licks of his tongue.His tongue was hot and wet, and I groaned in response as he moved ever closer to the forbidden area.“Oh, James,” I whispered. “It’s early in the morning.”He finally turned his attention to me with an amused look. He moved up so that we were face-to-face. Then his lips found mine, and he kissed me, plunging his to