Breaking All the Rules (14 page)

She froze.
There you go, Mia. Scare him away after some of the best sex of your life.

Benson tilted his head down and kissed the top of her tangled hair, “There is no threat.”

She eased, “Maybe in your eyes, but every woman… and most men… who look at you want to fuck you.”

“As do those around you,” Benson laughed.

She stood up and steadied herself before walking into the bathroom. Benson heard the shower start. He followed her in and found her testing the water behind the black and white, floral patterned curtain. Her smile was soft and pretty. It was almost unlike they had just spent a half hour glued together in the middle of the bed.

“The car will be outside in an hour,” Benson notified her, pressing a kiss on her cheek and then her lips.

“Will you be in it this time?” She questioned, pulling away from the passionate lock, her eyes showing her disappointment with the past few days.

“Of course, precious. Don’t leave me waiting.”

He kissed her again, then smacked her ass as she climbed into the shower. As Benson dressed in cloths from the previous day and prepared for his un-shameful walk of shame to his waiting Bentley, the soft hum of Mia’s shower song drifted out into the studio. He grinned like a lovesick fool as her out of tune melody wrapped around his brain. He left the apartment wondering how a woman with a voice like that made it anywhere in the music industry.

Mia allowed herself the giddy excitement of being in a relationship, even though the relationship was undefined and confusing. She sang in the shower and fluttered around her studio getting ready like she was preparing for her first high school prom. Benson made her feel like a sex crazed animal one minute and then a schoolgirl the next. She placed her smartphone on her dock, selecting an upbeat playlist to accompany her as she prepared for the day.

A few minutes with her blow dryer left her dark black hair looking like that of a movie star. It cascaded around her face in voluptuous, bouncing waves. She slipped on a pale blue demi bra and the matching thong, then flipped through her wardrobe. Her clothing often matched her mood for the day, and that morning, Mia wasn’t sure what all she was feeling. She settled on a blush colored peplum top and tailored white pants. A bold silver necklace featuring tiered flowers and sharp nude heels rounded out the quickly thrown together outfit. With a quick and light dusting of makeup, Mia was ready for the day. She transferred her essential purse items to a chocolate colored Michael Kors bag as her music was interrupted with an overly animated text tone.

I thought I told you not to make me wait, precious?

Benson’s name appeared above the text, though she hadn’t entered him as a contact. She raised an eyebrow, a knot of curiosity nestling in her stomach. Benson was a man who took what he wanted and did as he pleased. Of course he had gone through her phone. She was glad there weren’t any incriminating photos or conversations on the device that could have been used as fuel for an argument. Not that Benson had any right to go through her phone in the first place. Despite the irritation she felt towards the man, she texted him back.

Don’t make me take the subway! I’m on my way out, promise.

She sent the text as she secured her studio door. The trip from the tenth floor to the busy street outside her apartment was excruciatingly long. She let out a sigh of relief when the familiar SUV was waiting it its normal spot. Benson was waiting for her, leaned up against the vehicle with his gaze fixed on his phone. His grey Brioni suit was paired with a tie just a few shades lighter than the suit itself and a silky white pocket square. His signature cuffs and a watch that was so expensive it demanded attention, along with a pair of dark grey shoes, completed his attire. Leaned up against the luxury vehicle with one hand in his pocket, the other scrolling on his smartphone, Benson looked very much like the mogul he was.

Mia came to a stop in front of him. The first thing he saw was the point of her shoe. He drank her in, much like he did the first time he saw her, working from the bottom of her body to the top. Benson licked his lips as budding arousal flushed over him. A strand of his espresso hair dropped over his lust covered face. Mia took a sharp breath, unsure how he could get more attractive as the seconds ticked by. It hadn’t even been two hours since they’d last seen each other, but each felt as if it had been weeks. Though on a street busy with morning commutes, Benson shoved his phone in his pocket and dipped her down into a passionate kiss.

The kiss broke, but he kept her tilted down. To envious passerby’s, they looked like a wildly successful and happy couple. Benson and Mia played the part well. They were unsure of what they meant to one another, but their attraction and need for one another was obvious to everyone around them. They demanded more attention together than they did apart.

“I will be too busy thinking of you to get any work done today,” Benson breathed into her ear as he helped her into the car.

“Liar,” She tossed back, a smile on her face. “Nothing can keep Benson Ward from taking over the world.”

He couldn’t help but laugh, “That is true, precious, but it doesn’t mean you won’t be on my mind.” His pure laugh, his low sexy voice, and his deadly good looks all purred between her legs. Benson’s face shifted into a hard mask. “If you want to make it to work in one piece stop giving me that look.”

“I can’t help it,” She whined. “Why did the world bless you with such good looks?”

“So one day I would meet you and keep you from doing anything productive,” He offered, scooting to her side and placing a tender kiss on her forehead.

“Hey!” She lit up, turning to face him. “I forgot to tell you- I don’t appreciate you going through my phone.”

“I wasn’t. I simply added my information a few days ago.”

“A few days ago?” She gaped.

He met her gaze and was unapologetic, “After Pluto Lounge while you were sleeping.”

              She had had his number the whole time? When she wanted to send him a furious text full of profanities, she could have? When driven with wine and lousy breakup music when all she wanted to do was text him and tell him to come over and that she missed him, she could have? It was right there waiting for her. Her jaw tightened and she looked away.

              “I think it’ll only be fair if I go through your phone.”

              There was a shift in the seat and then she felt the weight of a phone on her lap. She glanced down at it for a moment before cradling it.

              “The password is ‘precious’.”

              Mia looked at Benson with raised eyebrows. He responded with a shrug, his eyes settling on her as she sifted through his phone. Like everything in his life, Benson’s phone was unnaturally organized. His background was a photograph of textured black slate. Neat folders categorized his apps. Aside from her, his text messages seemed to be business related. Completely depersonalized. She glanced at his emails for a second, growing bored with business jargon, before handing the phone back to Benson with a huff.

              “Did you expect something else?” He questioned curiously.

              “Maybe a brothel on speed dial or something,” She played with the flare of her shirt.

              It didn’t amuse Benson. His lips thinned as he grew frustrated with her. He had given her no reason to doubt his commitment to her, however confusing it was. She knew just what buttons to press to make Benson mad, and she was becoming increasingly good at the game.

              “I’ll be busy today,” Benson said stiffly. “I’m meeting an associate for lunch, and I will probably work late. Tomorrow I will be full, as well.”

              They pulled to a stop outside Monarch Records. Mia clutched her bag and tried to leave the SUV quickly. She didn’t know if she wanted to cry or punch Benson, so she figured her best course of action was to leave before either happened. He was an expert at switching between lovable and caring and stone cold. He stopped her only to press a chaste kiss on her lips. As she entered the building and entered the elevator cab, she wondered how if it was all an act. Had Benson played her?

              Her phone vibrated loudly in her purse. She waited until she was in the gentle embrace of her office to look at the message.

            
 
I’m sorry. I really am busy. Dinner Friday?

              Mia slid her phone into a drawer, not knowing how to respond. She started her computer and settled into her routine. She checked her email and the gossip blogs, thankful that none of Monarch’s musicians had made the headlines for scandalous behavior. Things had been incredibly tame in terms of press, both negative and positive. One of the pop stars signed to the label had had a nasty car accident at the beginning of summer, and there had been a few charity events, but aside from the occasional anomaly, her job had been mostly paper pushing and coordinating press for big gigs.

              She was pleased to see the annual invitation for her boss’s Halloween masquerade ball. Alan Monarch never threw a dull party, and his masquerade balls were exceptionally fun. They were always over the top, just like Monarch himself. Mia wondered if Benson would accompany her. She wondered where they would be in three weeks, period. She bit her lip and pulled her phone from her drawer, opening up her messages and finally texting him back.

            
 
Only if it is take-out and a movie at my place. I want to stay in with you.

            
 
Benson had told her he was busy, and he was. His schedule that week had been painfully packed full of meetings and conferences. Despite this, however, he texted her back a few minutes later.

            
 
I’ll pack a weekend bag. I can’t wait, precious.

              She smiled and put her phone away. If she had Benson in her apartment the whole weekend, they’d be safe. They wouldn’t have to worry about ex-lovers or jealous businessmen or anything but one another. She wanted Benson for more than just sex, even more so after the small glimpses of domestic life they already had. Not that she didn’t want the sex, too. She wanted the moments between.

              When they had first met, Mia had laughed at the idea of Benson Ward being romantic… or anything other than a hard and handsome businessman who had his fair share of women. He very obviously didn’t want a relationship outside of the bedroom. But he had an arsenal of sweet words and promises for her. He made her restless and weak. The taste of his lips pulled her in, and the playful smile that followed kept her around. And though her one rule of not mixing business and pleasure flashed like a bright neon sign in her head, she couldn’t help but admit that she liked him. A lot. She locked away the worrying thoughts of heartbreak in a box deep inside her stomach and threw away the key.

              Mia caught up on the work she had missed on her sick day. She stopped by Brett’s office on the way to lunch, thanking him for taking over at the meeting. They grabbed lunch together at the deli across the street from the office, indulging in office gossip. They parted ways on their respective floors, and as Mia flopped back down at her desk and tapped a bored rhythm on her desk. When her phone buzzed, she jumped, trying not to let her smile fade too much after seeing it was from Lora and not Benson.

            
 
So… my date with Zach. He’s a good kisser :)

            
 
Mia typed back quickly
,
Come over tonight and SPILL!!!

            
 
Lora confirmed their date, letting Mia know what time she’d be over. Instead of working, Mia mentally flipped through the best pizza places around her apartment, trying to settle on what to have for dinner. Her thoughts drifted to the weekend and all the fun her and Benson would have. Maybe they’d get to finish an episode of
Law and Order
. As she thought of their weekend, her secretary rang to let her know that Tyler Abbot and the boys from Burnside wanted to see her. As soon as they passed through the door, Tyler held a hand up. She noted that Max was missing from the bunch. He hadn’t been at their apartment the day before either.

              “I know you said if I stopped by unannounced I’d be leaving with a bloody nose, but we just had that meeting for the Stella video.”

              She laughed, “I also told you to stop by this week. So, how did it go? Sorry I don’t have enough seats for you guys, by the way. I don’t often get five guys in my office.” Her voice sobered up as she eyed Tyler. “And where is Max?”

              He winced, “Good question.”

              “He wasn’t around last night, but he texted me saying he was with some girl,” Colin said coldly, crossing his arms. “I can’t believe he wasn’t here today. It makes us look so bad.”

              “Yes, it does,” Mia admitted. “But he’s not the first rock star to miss a meeting, believe me. You better lock him down before I have to clean up the mess.”

              “I’m trying,” He huffed. “He thinks he’s some damn drumming god.”

              “Knock him down a few pegs,” She warned.

              “So about that video,” Cap rocked on his heels, his hands shoved in his pockets. “They loved our idea. We’re supposed to shoot next week already.”