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MIA

Casual… The word has been taunting me for weeks after I fell into a casual affair with my boss. When Michael threw out that word after our night together, I had mixed feelings. I wanted him sexually with every fiber of my being, so the fact that he wanted me back was a relief. However… casual?! I was already in love with the man, for Christ’s sake. I felt as if I’d thrown myself into a headfirst free-fall toward impending heartbreak. That was me… always reckless when it came to matters of the heart.

I groaned as I rested my forehead on my apartment door. Now, I had to pretend not to be madly in love with my boss each time we had amazing sex. Could I be that good of an actress, and for how long?

“Mia?”

I lifted my head and fixed my expression at the sound of my neighbor’s voice. Spinning around with a bright smile, I greeted her. “Kim!”

She beamed as she hurried toward me. “I haven’t seen you in so long.”

“Yeah, I’ve moved on to a live-in position. I’m just here to check on the place.” Since my salary was so generous, I’d been able to afford to hold on to my apartment. I thought the smart thing to do was to keep it in case things didn’t work out with Michael and Poppy, but that thought was depressing. Wanting to stay with a family I worked for forever because I’d fallen in love with them probably wasn’t healthy… But I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t put myself in some kind of trouble or crazy situation, would I?

“That’s great.” Kim moved in for a hug, and I embraced her.

“It is.” When I pulled back, I looked at her with pure gratitude. “It’s all thanks to you, Kim. I can’t thank you enough for recommending the job to me. It’s the best I’ve ever had, and it’s stable .”

She smiled. “You’re welcome.”

“So, how are you?” I asked.

“Great.” She rocked back on her heels and crossed her arms over her chest. “And what about you? Is everything okay? You know… other than with the job?”

My eyebrows furrowed as I studied her. “Sure. Why?”

“It’s just that I’ve seen this guy at your door a few times.”

My heart dropped.

“He looks…” Kim nibbled on her lower lip. “I don’t want to sound judgemental, but he looks shady as hell, Mia.”

Fuck me sideways.

“Are you sure it wasn’t Logan?” Maybe the asshole had finally resurfaced.

“I know your sleazebag ex-boyfriend. I’m positive it wasn’t him. Besides, this guy has a lot of tattoos. I’d never seen them on Logan.”

Nausea rose like a massive wave even as I tried to work through my confusion and terror. I knew exactly who she’d seen. The man had shown up to threaten me so many times, I saw his wretched tattoos in my sleep. What would he be doing at my apartment, though? I’d paid every cent he claimed my ex owed. I’d been so relieved when I handed the last of the money over to him two weeks ago. Finally, I was free… but apparently not…

“I see. Well, I’m not sure who that person is.” I cringed inwardly at the lie. My neighbor wasn’t privy to the trouble I was in, and I wanted it to stay that way for her safety. “But if you think he looks shady, stay away from him.” I implored Kim with my eyes. “Don’t engage with him at all.”

“I haven’t, and I won’t. I’ve only gotten looks at him through the peephole. The first time I saw him, he gave me a bad vibe, so I didn’t open the door to tell him you weren’t here.” Kim peered at me intently. “Are you sure everything is okay?”

“Of course. Maybe he had the wrong door.”

Kim shrugged, but she didn’t seem convinced. “Alright. Well, it’s good to see you, Mia. Take care.”

“You too.” I watched her open her door and disappear inside. All the while my heart hammered so fast and hard, I thought I’d go into cardiac arrest. Collecting my wits, I got my door open with trembling fingers and stumbled inside. I felt unsafe all over again. The last thing I wanted to do was go back to looking over my shoulder every time I dropped by my apartment. What more did that man want from me?

As I leaned against the door and pulled in deep breaths, I noticed something under my feet. It was a piece of paper. I bent down and picked it up. My heart sank as I unfolded it. In scrawled handwriting, two words stood out like a warning:

Call me.

Panic flared in my chest as I stared at the note. My fingers tightened around it until the edges crumpled. My stomach twisted with dread, but more than anything, I felt anger bubbling up inside me.

“That asshole!” There were two assholes that I was desperate to get out of my life for good. One had been avoiding me for months. Not even the criminal he’d slighted could find him, so there was no telling if he was even alive. The other asshole was the one shaking me down for money. I was certain it was the latter who had left the note. His arrogance practically resonated through the bold letters.

I crushed the paper in one hand as I grabbed my phone with the other. My hands shook as I scrolled to the number of the bookie, which was still burning up a space in my most recent calls. My thumb hovered over the call button for a second as fear crept in. However, I hit it before I could think twice. I couldn’t live like this, waiting for the next threat or the next knock on my door.

The line rang, and with each ring, the knot in my stomach tightened. Finally, the familiar voice that sent chills up my spine answered.

“Well, well, well,” he drawled. “It’s about time you called Mia.”

“What the hell is this about?” I snapped. “I paid you. All of it . Why are you still showing up at my place?”

The bookie let out a low chuckle, and the sound made my skin crawl. “Sure, you paid the amount your boyfriend owed, but there’s still the matter of interest.”

I froze. “What are you talking about? You never mentioned any interest before.”

“You took too long to pay up,” he said, his voice dripping with mockery. “You know how this works. Debts accumulate. You didn’t pay fast enough, so now there’s more to settle. Come on, Mia, this is a good thing. It means you and I will get to see each other more. We’ve been getting along well, wouldn't you say?”

I gritted my teeth. “That’s bullshit! I paid you everything he owed. You can’t just keep adding more!”

“Can’t I?” His tone was casual like he was talking about the weather. “Listen, we both know how this goes. Pay the interest, and we’ll be square… for now.”

Trepidation replaced my fury. The feeling crept in and wrapped its fingers around my heart and squeezed until I thought I’d faint. I knew what this was. Even if I paid the “interest,” he’d find some other excuse to keep coming back, and it would never end. He would use fear and intimidation to wring more money out of me for as long as he could. No wonder why that dickwad Logan has been in hiding this entire time. He probably knew you could never be free of these people.

“I’m not paying you another cent,” I said, my voice trembling. “You got what you wanted. I’m done.”

There was a long pause on the other end of the line, and when he spoke again, his voice was so low and cold that it put the fear of God into me. “You sure you want to play it that way, Mia? Because I’ve got people who can make your life a lot more complicated if you don’t play nice.”

My heart stuttered, but I swallowed the fear clawing at my throat. “I-I won’t let you keep doing this to me. You’re not getting anything else.”

The bookie laughed softly. “We’ll see about that. I know where to find you. I’m sure you’ll change your mind after my next visit.”

“I’ll go to the police.”

“I can’t stop you,” he said. “But remember what happens if you do.”

The line went dead, and I stood there with the phone still pressed to my ear as my entire body trembled. I was so screwed. Clearly, I’d bitten off more than I could chew. Why did I foolishly think I could handle criminals on my own?

Remember what happens if you do. The words echoed in my mind, taunting me. The first time I threatened to go to the police, he told me he’d make my life a living hell. Not just mine, but he said he’d find everyone I loved and fuck things up for them, too.

I couldn’t drag anyone else into this mess. In the beginning, I’d been worried about my brother and my parents. Now, I had Michael and Poppy in my life. The thought of Michael finding out what I was involved in sent a wave of shame crashing over me. How had I let things get this bad?

I paced outside Michael’s office for… I wasn’t even sure how long, contemplating if I should ask for help or not. Maybe I shouldn’t. He was my boss. He wasn’t responsible or obligated to bail me out of trouble. Plus, he’d seemed super stressed this evening.

He’d come home wearing that solemn mask that I’d been seeing less often. Of course, he was his usual sweet, attentive self to Poppy, but I knew something was wrong. Michael had become noticeably less tense lately, so it was easier to notice when he was wound tight.

I’d heard him on the phone earlier, really letting someone have a piece of his mind. Something was probably going on at work. The man was the head of an international business. I couldn’t bother him with my issues.

I walked off in the direction of my room, but froze when I heard, “Mia?”

I winced and snapped my fingers. “Yeah?”

“Get in here.”

Michael’s voice held a note of amusement, but I was still reluctant to face him. I felt so bad about bringing my trouble to his doorstep. Taking a deep breath, I pushed his door open and plastered on a smile. “Hey.”

“Hi.” He sat behind his desk, studying me intently. “Were you ever going to knock?”

Scratching my head, I shrugged. “How long have you known I was out there?”

He leaned back in his chair and stroked his stubbled jaw. My gaze followed his long fingers. Just the sight of his facial hair drove me crazy. It reminded me of the stubble burns he left between my thighs and other places during our more vigorous sexual encounters.

“I heard you pacing for about five minutes. I decided to wait and see if you’d ever knock.”

My eyes dropped to the carpeted floor. The sight of the carpet made me think about sex too, because we went at it like animals on the floor here in his office just two nights ago. Hell, everything in Michael’s penthouse was starting to remind me of sex… we’d done it on just about every surface in the place.

I was Poppy’s nurturing nanny by day and by night… holy goddess of good fucking. Michael was a very experienced, creative, and energetic lover, and I was his enthusiastic student who was up for anything he wanted to try. Our chemistry was explosive. Who would have thought? Sometimes I wondered if I’d survive our casual affair. I’d likely die of pleasure soon.

“Oh… I…” Our eyes locked and the tiny part of me that entertained the thought of telling him I’d inadvertently gotten involved with some bad people died. He looked so tired and tense. “I just wanted to make sure you’re alright. You seemed troubled when you got home.”

Michael stared at me for a moment before he let out a weary sigh. “I thought I hid it well.”

“You did, but…” I noticed because I was in love with him. I probably watched him closer than most. “You were so tense.”

He raked his fingers through his hair. “If you tell me why you were really pacing outside my door, I’ll tell you what’s bothering me.”

I snorted. “You want to turn this into an I’ll-show-you-mine-if-you-show-me-yours situation?”

Something lascivious flickered in his eyes, and he gave me a once over. “If you want to make things sexual I’ll be more than happy to play along.”

“I bet.” Heat filled my face and spread throughout my body. My eyelashes fluttered down because I couldn’t help being shy when he flirted. While I’d love to get sexual, I wanted to hear what was bothering him since he offered to share. He didn’t talk about himself often. “I was just a little stressed about something and was looking for a listening ear.” I shrugged and lied my ass off. “Just the usual family stuff, no big deal.”

Michael’s gaze never left my face as I walked toward him to perch on his desk.

“You mean you spiraled after a chat with your father?” he asked, his face etched with concern.

I smiled slightly, but I was touched that he seemed so worried. “Something like that. I’m fine. Your turn. What happened today? Was it something at work?”

He stared at me for so long that I feared he’d changed his mind about sharing. It kind of broke my heart because I was desperate to feel even a little closer to him. I wanted us to be more than employer and employee turned sex buddies, but I could never tell him that. I’d agreed to keep things casual and now hiding my feelings for him was slowly killing me.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to talk about it.” Swallowing my hurt, I moved to hop off his desk, but he stopped me.

“Stay,” he said.

The one word was like a balm over my misery. It gave me hope… about us.