Donna Hill - Tender Loving Passion - Temptation and Lies

Still two hours before she was due to be at Michael’s office. Maybe she’d get lucky and not have to see him. But that, of course, would defeat the whole purpose of her going. She needed access to his office, his phone and his computer.

But what troubled her most was what had happened—or had not happened—last night between her and Steven. Not to mention this morning. She and Steven always had sex in the morning, and at the very least a stimulating touching and kissing session as they prepared for their day, leading to heightened anticipation at night.

But this morning she wasn’t in her usual playful, teasing mood, and although Steven had given her several long, lingering kisses, he didn’t pursue anything further.

Had he realized that she hadn’t climaxed last night? Did it bother him? Did he care? And then an awful thought leaped into her mind. Was he seeing someone else?

The sharp knock on her door jerked some sense into her. It was her own guilty conscience, she knew, that had her conjuring up dalliances about Steven. She shook her head.

“Come in.”

Ashley stepped through the doorway. “I worked out a preliminary plan for the boutique. If you want to take a look at it, I put it in New Projects on the shared drive.”

“Thanks.” She forced a smile but couldn’t look Ashley in the eye. She’d done everything short of taking in dirty laundry from a stranger to keep herself busy so that Ashley wouldn’t ask her about last night. For the better part of the morning, she’d been able to avoid her. Until now.

“I’ll, um, look at it, but I’m sure it’s fine.” She studied the first line of a memo she held in front of her as if it could block out reality and what she was certain was Ashley’s inquiring gaze.

“Look, I want you to know that it’s okay to talk to me and it’s okay to look at me. If you don’t want to discuss last night or our conversation yesterday—ever—it’s fine. Seriously.” She took a step closer. “I won’t judge you. I thought I was your friend. And I value the confidence you put in me.” She drew in a breath and stood straighter. “That’s my spiel for today.”

“I’m meeting him at his office today,” she blurted out and looked up at Ashley with something akin to fear in her eyes.

“Why?” she softly asked.

Mia curled her fingers into fists on her desk. “I have to.” She struggled with the words, the burning in her stomach.

Ashley frowned in confusion. “You. Mia Turner never had to do anything, especially something that she is obviously having an issue with.” She tentatively sat down, reached across the desk and put all the phone lines on hold. She turned to Mia. “If you want to talk, I’m listening. And there is no one to disturb us.” She waited.

Dozens of thoughts raced through Mia’s mind. Last night, seeing Michael again, the kiss, the sex with Steven, her guilt, her assignment, the Cartel, her oath. They all ran together until her head began to pound and panic seized her. Her life and emotions were suddenly out of control and she didn’t know how to handle it.

Finally, she released her clenched fists, raised her gaze and focused on Ashley. There were obviously things she could not disclose, which would make her having to see Michael difficult to explain. She cleared her throat.

“I’m going to tell you some things. Some are not going to make any sense because of the things that I can’t tell you. Understand?”

Ashley blinked in confusion. “Not really, but go ahead. I’ll piece it together.”

“Well, you already know about me and Michael’s past...”

Ashley nodded.

“Last night he didn’t take me for drinks. He had his driver take me to his home on Sag Harbor, the home he said he’d had built for me and him.”

Ashley sucked in a breath of surprise, but didn’t interrupt.

Mia swallowed. “He kissed me. And I didn’t stop him.”

From there the rest of the story poured out: how she felt, her confusion, even what happened between her and Steven, her guilt.

She rubbed her forehead as if the action could rub away the thoughts and images that tramped through her brain.

“Wow,” Ashley murmured after Mia had finished. “And I guess the reason why you have to go see him is the part you can’t tell me.”

Mia nodded.

“Why not let me go with you?”

“I wish I could but I can’t. All I can say is that it’s bigger than me and you and I promised that I would do this.”

Ashley blew out a breath. “I respect that. But can I offer some advice?”

“I could use some.”

“Be clear about the why. Be sure that you’re doing this because you have no choice and not because you subconsciously want to rekindle your relationship. Because if you do, you owe it to Steven to be honest with him about your feelings.”

How could she explain that it was a combination of both? A part of her felt duty-bound and another part wanted to see what life would be like again with Michael. In addition to which, she wanted to prove that he couldn’t be capable of the things he was suspected of. And she hoped that her own misgivings would not cloud her judgment.

Ashley pushed up from her seat. “If you change your mind, I’m free all afternoon,” she said with a soft smile. She turned to leave.

“Wait!”

Ashley turned back around.

Mia stood. “If I take you with me, you have to promise not to ask any questions, no matter what happens.”

“Gee, Mia, you sound like some kind of spy or something.”

Mia snatched up her purse and tote bag. She looked Ashley in her eyes. “Or something.” She headed for the door, leaving Ashley pinned in place by her declaration. “Coming?”

Ashley hurried behind her boss and wondered what she’d gotten herself into.

Chapter 8

“No point in circling the block again,” Mia groused, looking above and below car tops and along the tightly packed street as she inched down 56th Street. Michael’s office on Madison Avenue was in the heart of Manhattan. But parking on Madison was out of the question. “It’s mostly either No Parking Anytime or For Commercial Traffic Only.”

“There’s a garage about a block down on your right,” Ashley pointed out.

Mia signaled then eased into the right lane in front of a yellow cab and zipped across the intersection before the light changed. The Quick-Park parking garage was franchised throughout the city. Their trademark black-and-gold signs were like beacons of salvation for harried drivers.

Throughout the thirty-minute drive, Ashley had refrained from asking questions, basically making small talk or keeping quiet, which totally went against her grain. This entire scenario had Ashley deeply concerned about Mia. Mia had said there were things she couldn’t tell her, and heaven only knew what that meant. She just hoped that whatever Mia had gotten herself involved in was not going to get her hurt, and she didn’t mean physically.

During the months that she’d spent working with Mia, she’d come to admire and respect her. Mia was forthright, professional, loyal to her friends and able to charm the most difficult clients. She ran her business with precision, and she conducted her life with the same kind of order and attention to detail—all without breaking a sweat. Which was why it was so unsettling to see her like this—totally distracted, edgy and, for lack of a better word, scared. Those were words Ashley would have never associated with Mia, and Ashley vowed to stick by her side and see things through.

* * *

Mia unsnapped her seat belt, pulled down the overhead mirror and reapplied her lipstick, which she’d pretty much chewed off during the trip.

For an instant she froze. The look in her eyes that was reflected back at her was one of uncertainty and confusion. And she knew that it had more to do with her twisted feelings for Michael than her ability to do her job. Yet both were intricately intertwined, and she couldn’t see one without the other. But she had to.