“The problem is finding the right guy,” Caroline said wistfully.

Mia cringed, regretful of her careless words. No, Caroline didn’t have any problems in the guy department as far as attracting them. But the last man she’d attracted had been bad news.

She held up her wineglass in an effort to smooth over her faux pas and said, “I’ll drink to that.”

• • •

Gabe’s office phone rang, but he let it ring and continued typing the memo he was working on. It was after hours. No one should be calling his office.

The room went silent, and then just a few seconds later, his cell phone rang. A quick glance at the incoming contact and he briefly contemplated letting it go to voice mail. With a sigh, he picked up his phone to hit Receive. He couldn’t ignore his mother even if he already knew why she was calling.

“Hello,” he said.

“Gabe. There you are. I thought you might still be at the office. You work such long hours these days. Aren’t you ever going to take a vacation?”

He had to admit the idea had merit. Even more appealing was the idea of taking Mia with him. Several days away from the world in order to initiate her into his world? Definitely something to consider.

“Hello, Mom. How are you?”

It was a question he’d learned better than to ask, and yet he always did. The problem with asking his mother how she was doing was that she never took the polite way out and said fine like most people did, regardless of whether they were really fine or not.

“I can’t believe what he’s doing,” she said in clear agitation. “He’s making a fool of himself and of me.”

Gabe sighed. After nearly forty years of marriage, his father had moved out, served his mother with divorce papers and seemed determined to run through as many newer, younger models as quickly as possible. His mother wasn’t taking it well, as could be expected. And unfortunately, Gabe was her sounding board.

He loved his father, but he was being a huge dick. Gabe didn’t understand it. How could you be with someone for that many years and then wake up one morning and decide to walk away?

He wasn’t certain that he would have gotten to the point of asking Lisa for a divorce. She’d been the one to leave him. It may not have been the right thing to do, remain in a relationship where it was obvious there was no love or true affection any longer, but he would have spared her the pain and humiliation of a divorce. She, however, didn’t feel the same about sparing him. And he didn’t hold the divorce against her. Maybe he should have done something before allowing it to get to the point it had. But he hadn’t realized that Lisa was so desperately unhappy. What he held against her was the way she went about divorcing him.

“It’s disgraceful, Gabe. Did you see the papers this morning? He had a woman on each arm! Now what would he do with two women?”

No way Gabe was answering that question. He shuddered even imagining his father…No, he wasn’t even going there.

“Mom, stop reading the society pages,” Gabe said patiently. “You know it’s just going to upset you.”

“He’s doing it on purpose to punish me,” she railed.

“Why would he punish you? What could you have possibly done to him?”

“He’s showing me that while I’m sitting at home grieving over the death of my marriage, he’s out having the time of his life. He’s telling me with more than words that he’s moved on and that I no longer have any place in his heart.”

“I’m sorry, Mom,” Gabe said gently. “I know this hurts you. I wish you would get out and do something. You have friends. You have plenty of pet causes that you donate to and volunteer your time. You’re still young and gorgeous. Any man would be fortunate to catch your eye.”

“I’m not ready to move on,” she said stiffly. “It would be disrespectful to pick up with a man so soon after the divorce. Just because your father is acting like a classless jerk doesn’t mean that I won’t act with a little decorum.”

“You need to worry less about what everyone else thinks and focus on what makes you happy,” Gabe said bluntly.

There was a long silence and then his mother sighed. He hated her being so unhappy. It hurt him to see her in such pain. He tried to stay out of his parents’ affairs, but lately it had been next to impossible. His mom called him every other day to bitch about what his dad was doing, while his dad was busy trying to shove his latest girlfriend down Gabe’s throat. The problem was that he was with a different woman every time Gabe saw him, and his father was too focused on trying to bridge a gap in their relationship caused by the very thing he was trying to force on Gabe. Acceptance. He wanted Gabe’s forgiveness and acceptance. And while Gabe could forgive his father—he could hardly hold his decisions against him, it was his life and his happiness—he couldn’t accept another woman in the role his mother had performed for most of Gabe’s life.

“I’m sorry, Gabe,” his mom said quietly. “I know you must hate it when I call. All I do is complain about your father. I shouldn’t do that. Whatever he’s done, he’s still your father and I know he loves you.”

“Let’s have dinner over the weekend,” Gabe said in an attempt to lift her spirits. “I’ll take you to Tribeca Grill.”

“I’m sure you’re busy.”

“I’m never too busy for you,” he said. “I’ll always make time to have dinner with my mother. Now what do you say?”

He could almost hear the smile in her voice.

“I’d like that. It’s been a while since I’ve been out.”

“Good. I’ll drive out and pick you up.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that!” she exclaimed. “I can take a car into the city.”

“I said I’ll come get you,” he persisted. “We can talk on the drive back. I’ll have my driver take you home after we eat.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” she said, genuine excitement in her voice.

It had been a good while since he’d heard her be excited about anything. In that moment he was glad he’d made the effort to get her out of her self-imposed exile. She needed to get out and face the world and discover that it hadn’t ended just because her marriage was over. He’d given her time to grieve and to hide away in the house his father had moved out of. But enough was enough. Hell, maybe he could even talk her into selling the house in Westchester and moving into the city. There was little point in her keeping it now. It held too many painful memories for her. She needed a fresh start.

He knew all about fresh starts. After his divorce, he’d gone through a period much like his mother had where he’d just wanted to be left alone. He understood it, but he also knew the sooner she got out and started living, the sooner she’d be able to move on.

“I love you, Son,” she said, her voice thick with emotion.

“I love you too, Mom. See you Saturday night, okay?”

He ended the call and then stared at the photo that still adorned his desk. His parents on their thirty-ninth anniversary. They’d looked so happy. It was all a lie. Two weeks after that picture was taken, his father had moved out and immediately moved in with another woman.

Gabe shook his head. More and more he was beginning to realize that no marriage was safe. Divorce could happen to anyone. There was certainly the argument to be had for not setting yourself up for the emotional upheaval of a breakup. And definitely one to be had for protecting yourself from taking a huge financial hit. Divorces were a hell of a lot more expensive than marriage.

He was perfectly content with the way he managed relationships now. No financial or emotional risk involved. No bruised egos. No hurt feelings. No betrayal.

He glanced down at his phone and pulled up the photo he’d taken of Mia just a few weeks earlier. She hadn’t even known he’d taken the picture. She’d never seen him, never known he was there.

She’d walked out of a shop on Madison Avenue just a ways in front of where he was standing, and he’d been transfixed by the image she presented. Standing on the sidewalk, hair blowing in the breeze as she hailed a cab.

He’d been nearly paralyzed by lust. Not that he hadn’t already known, but in that moment, he’d realized that he had to have her. There was something about her that he found irresistible. His fascination with her had reached the point of obsession. He was taking a photo of her without her knowledge just so he could pull it up and see her as he’d seen her on that day.

Young, vibrant. So very beautiful. And her smile. When she smiled, she lit up the world around her. He failed to see how anyone could look beyond her when she was present.

She was…captivating.

He didn’t quite know what made her so special. Perhaps it was nothing more than the forbidden nature of their relationship. She was his best friend’s little sister. She was fourteen years younger than he was. She was a woman he should leave alone.

But what he should do and what he was going to do were two different things.

He wanted Mia, and he’d do whatever it took to possess her.

Chapter six

MONDAY, HCM OFFICES, PRESENT TIME

Mia stood in the doorway of Gabe’s office staring at him.

So he wasn’t as sure of her as he’d initially appeared. Relief still simmered in those dark blue eyes.

She opened her mouth to tell him she hadn’t given him her decision, but it wasn’t a good idea to tease him. He seemed so on edge, and the last thing she wanted was to start things by pissing him off.

“I’m here,” she said huskily.

He reached down and took her hand and then pulled her toward the sitting area on the opposite end of the room from his desk.

“Would you like something to drink?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I’m fine. Too nervous to drink anything.”

He motioned her down on the small leather couch and then sat next to her, pulling her hands up and into his lap.

“I don’t want you to be nervous or afraid of me, Mia. That’s not my intention at all. I gave you a very detailed outline of what our relationship will be to allay any fears or confusion. I merely want you to know precisely what our agreement will entail. But I never intended for you to be frightened or intimidated.”

She stared back at him, determined to be confident and straightforward. “I trust you, Gabe. I always have. It’s the reason I’ve decided to accept your proposal.”

Something primal entered his eyes. It made her feel extremely vulnerable, but the sensation was sinfully delicious, eliciting a shiver.

“But I have a few conditions of my own,” she said cautiously.

One eyebrow lifted and amusement twisted his lips. “Do you now?”

If she wasn’t firm and didn’t stand her ground, she never stood a chance in this relationship. Regardless of whether she was turning over power to him, she wasn’t going to be some spineless twit who chose to cower rather than to speak her mind.

“There was a clause that…bothered…me.”

“And that was?”

She tried to control her blush because even saying it aloud made her extremely self-conscious.

“The one about birth control and condoms.”

He frowned. “Are you unable to take birth control? It’s not a problem, Mia. I would never force you to take something you can’t for health reasons. While my preference isn’t to wear condoms, I would do so if it meant protecting you when other means aren’t available to us.”

She shook her head. “Let me finish. There was a part that said condoms would only be used by…others. I don’t understand what that means. But if it means what I think it does, then I want to reserve the right to refuse. Being given to someone else on a whim freaks me out. It scares me,” she corrected.

Gabe’s expression softened and he reached out to touch her face, sliding his hand down to her jaw. “Mia, listen to me. The contract is a little misleading in that it states I’m given all power and complete and utter control over you. To a point that’s accurate. But I can assure you that I’m never going to do something that I feel you are absolutely uncomfortable with. My job is to be in tune with your wants, needs and desires. I’m not worth much as a man if I can’t do that for the woman in my care. The ultimate power rests with you. Because you control my actions. I want to please you. It’s very important to me that I please you. I want you to be satisfied. I want you to be so spoiled, pampered and cherished that you don’t want to be anywhere but with me all the time.”

She swallowed, barely stifling the sigh of relief that threatened to burst free.

“Were there other concerns?” he asked.

She nodded.

He let his hand fall from her face. “Let’s hear them.”

“There’s not a safe word,” she blurted. “I know enough about these kinds of…relationships…to know that most people use a safe word. But there’s nothing about it in the contract.”