Mia (5 page)

As they arrived back at the estate Mia returned to her room under the pretext of having to change, trying hard to hide the turmoil of emotions which ran through her.  He had offered her a job, which on any other day she would have jumped at.  But everything was now so different from this morning.  She had just found out that Lucas was free, and suddenly Mia needed to get away, needed to hide.  She remembered how Paul had told her she could not run away all her life, but at that moment she was afraid, terrified, as memories of the night Lucas attacked her forced their way once more into her mind, her body shivering with fear.  Paul James could not protect her forever she told herself, new memories pushing the others from her.  She remembered his kiss, her finger moving to touch her lips, her eyes closing as she shuddered with pleasure at just the memory of it.  Frowning, she contemplated his offer.  How could she work for a man she was starting to feel so strongly for, she  mused, before gasping at the realisation that she was indeed starting to have feelings for this man, this man she hardly knew, who was a total stranger to her. 

Returning down
stairs she found Paul on the phone, swearing quietly under his breath as he tried to understand what the man on the other end was saying.  Holding the phone against his chest he looked beseechingly at her.

“Please tell me you speak
Italian”, he whispered, smiling with relief as she nodded her head before taking the phone from him and quickly interpreting the man on the other end.  After the call he looked solemnly at her.  “The offer was a serious one Mia…I think you can see how invaluable you would be here”  Mia laughed. “You seem to have managed just fine without me up till now”, she quipped, “and I think you will manage just fine when I go”

He
looked at her contemplatively.  “Does that mean you’re saying no?”, he asked as she nodded, her voice low.  “I can’t stay here Paul.  This is not a good place for me to be”  Paul regarded her thoughtfully for a few seconds. “OK, Mia if you don’t want a full time job, what about a one-off contract?  It would be for a week in California, pay is good and it means that you have a good start for wherever you want to run off to”

The use of the
words ‘run off’ had made her frown slightly, but deep down she knew that he was right, knowing that the money would come in very handy. With a small smile she nodded her head, thankful to get so far away from her home town.

“OK, Paul that I could do”
, she replied gently, as he smiled.  “Good.  First thing after court on Monday we leave for California”  In a softer voice he added, “I could book you a flight to anywhere from there”, reading her desire not to return to the village, rewarded as she flashed him a warm thankful smile. “OK well we had better take you shopping then”, he said, standing up quickly with a determined motion.

Mia
looked at him in confusion as he explained that it was a conference during the day and a series of gala events during the evening, to which everybody was expected to wear black tie outfits.  He winked, giving her a dazzling smile stating that he had his but she might want to rethink the jeans and jumper look.  Her furrowed brow and look of concern made him quickly take her by the arm before she had a chance to change her mind, shouting to Mrs Mac that they would be eating out that night. 

Mia
felt like she was being controlled as he bundled her into his car, assuring her that the job came with a clothing allowance, as he saw her opening her mouth to object.  In the car, Paul made a few calls before turning with a grin to inform her that she was booked into a salon in the late morning and a designer boutique for some fittings in the afternoon, finishing with a wink as he promised her dinner.  Mia gave a frustrated sigh, feeling like a small child being offered a reward for being good.  However she bit back the retort, knowing that she required to dress the part, letting him take control, part of her secretly excited at the thought of being pampered. 

On reaching the salon, he
walked in with her exchanging pleasantries with the owner before telling Mia that a limo would take her to the stylist when she was ready.  She tried arguing, determined to take a taxi, but his soft chuckle silenced her as she finally laughed back, realising that she was not going to win.  Leaning forward, Paul gently flicked the end of her nose with his finger, softly telling her to enjoy the day that she deserved to be spoiled, before leaving for his afternoon of meetings.  Mia smiled finding herself very much looking forward to their dinner that evening.

Finally l
eaving the salon, Mia was quickly taken to the stylist, who shaped her hair so that it fell flatteringly against her face rather than in the long straight style she had kept since she had been twelve.  She loved her new look, surprised at the difference it made, seeing how the much slicker playful look accentuated her lovely features, the stylist smiling with her, happy with her transformation.  She then enjoyed having her nails shaped and painted, chatting happily with the girls in the salon. They tried different make-up on Mia, showing her new techniques of applying it which she found simple yet effective, before giving her bags containing the products that suited her best.

When she
finally finished at the stylist, a driver escorted her to the waiting limousine opening the door for her as she left the building carrying her prizes.  She was taken to a small boutique which was by appointment only.  On giving her name, the owner herself appeared smiling and fussing over her.  Claris, as Mia found her name to be, moved around the girl demanding that she remove her jeans and jumper to allow her to get a better look.  Mia flushed with embarrassment and the older woman laughed informing her that if she saw anything she had not seen before she would shoot it, making Mia laugh back and relax.

Claris
gave her outfit after outfit to try on, some cocktail dresses and others more casual, but incredibly chic.  Looking at herself, Mia was amazed at the difference.  She had to admit that she looked great and was enjoying herself immensely.  After two hours of trying on different clothes Claris separated them into ‘Take’ and Leave’ piles, making sure each outfit was protected within appropriate clothes bags.

Mia
gasped as she saw for the first time the large pile of clothes which were hanging on the rail, and when she asked how much it all cost had been given a ‘Don’t ask’ look from Claris which made her feel very uncomfortable at how much he was spending on her.  Making to put her jeans and jumper back on, Claris looked at her in horror, informing her that the restaurant she was meeting Paul had a very strict dress code.  Delving into another rack of clothing, she produced yet another dress, this one a little less formal than the previous cocktail dresses.  “I think this will do just perfectly”, the older woman mused, handing it over to Mia with a grin.

S
he then put on the three-quarter-length blue dress, which hugged her slim figure, accentuating her hourglass curves. Claris smiled with approval, allowing Mia to re-apply her make-up before she was able to look at the final effect in the mirror.  Gasping with surprise she hardly recognised herself.  With a bright smile she thanked the woman before her who smiled back with pride.

Claris
informed her that all of the purchases along with the appropriate shoes, lingerie and accessories would be delivered to the address Paul had given them.  She hugged Mia wishing her a good journey before the driver once again appeared.  This time she had been taken to the restaurant where Claris had told her she was to have dinner. 

Mia
entered the exquisite building feeling more than a little nervous in such a place, expecting to be asked to leave at any moment.  However, the concierge welcomed her, asking her to follow him as she gave the name of the gentleman she was to dine with.

Moving into the
elegant dining room, full of people dressed so well, she was glad that Claris had insisted that she wear the dress.  Ahead of her she could see Paul sitting at what looked like the best table in the room, wearing a dark suit which made him even more attractive than ever.  His eyes had been scanning the entrance looking for her, not initially taking in the gorgeous woman walking towards him.  However, as Mia smiled warmly it finally dawned on him who she was.  Paul James looked dumbfounded - Mia Drake had been beautiful this morning when he left her, but now she was stunning.  The dress showed off her wonderful figure and he could see the way that other men in the room looked at her with appreciation in their eyes.  She moved with a graceful sway, and he took a drink of his water as his mouth became suddenly so dry.

As she reached him
Mia smiled at the look of shock on his face.  “You look…You look…”, he stammered, making her giggle.  “’Damn good’ are the words you are looking for”, she chuckled at him.  Paul smiled back at her nodding his head.  “Yep you look damned good”, he confirmed, his eyes admiring her.  Mia felt a satisfied glow deep inside at his approving look.

They
ate their meal laughing and joking comfortably with each other.  Paul was glad to see that the episode that morning seemed to have vanished from her mind as she described to him the work she had done in Africa.  Her love for it showed in her eyes, knowing that she had accomplished something for others. He listened in admiration as she described how on occasions she had to negotiate in hazardous situations, often with armed men.  Again he wondered at how such a woman could let herself be scared away by the likes of Lucas Mathers.

Mia
thoroughly enjoyed herself, savouring the delicious food which was served up to them along with the different wines.  She was not used to drinking so much and found herself telling him more about herself than she usually would.  However Paul’s interest in her spurred her on to reveal more and more details of her life.

He in turn
had not been drinking, but answered questions about himself quite happily.  After several glasses of wine, Mia became a little light-headed and she looked at him with curiosity.  “Why is there no Mrs James?”, she asked softly, the question surprising him.  He looked a little lost for words, but answered calmly, “Marriage is just not for me.  I enjoy my life the way it is.  The idea of a wife and 2.4 children just doesn’t interest me…Who has the time?”  She fixed him with a look of complete pity and with a sigh added, “That is so sad”, causing him to frown at her sympathy for him, before she changed the subject.

When they
left he took her arm, which she let him do with no comment.  His car appeared at the front door and taking the keys he gently placed her in the passenger seat beside him.  As he drove home she began to hum gently as he realised just how much she had drunk and the effect it was having on her.

“You don’t drink much do you
Mia?”, he chuckled gently, as she shook her head back at him, replying with a resounding “nope”  There was a question which he had held back from asking her all night, and now sitting in the car he casually spoke.  “You and Bill seemed very friendly…Was he your boyfriend?”  Mia giggled.  “Bill and I…No, he’s like a brother to me”  Her voice then become sad as she added, “I was so worried that he would hate me for his sister’s death, but he doesn’t”, she said softly. “He is such a good person”

Paul
cursed himself gently.  He had not made the connection between Susan and Bill Anderson, and now felt a rush of sympathy for the young man.  However, he also felt a sense of relief that his and Mia’s relationship was platonic.  Frowning at this realisation he wondered why it would matter to him.

Looking over
at her he saw how she laid her head against the plush seat back as her wonderful eyes fluttered closed.  Soon she was in a deep sleep, her chest gently rising, and looking over at her he smiled at the way she frowned in her sleep.  As they pulled into the driveway, the headlights on his car lit up a piece of the undergrowth and for a split second he caught sight of a man standing in the foliage, a man he had seen on the report which had been sent to him that morning.  With a grim look on his face he pulled up as close to the front door as possible and waking Mia moved around to her side of the car before letting her out.  He then escorted her into the house before checking that every door and window was securely locked and the alarm was set.

Paul
had quickly ruled out confronting the man while she was in the car, not prepared to put her in harm’s way, his features grim as his eyes constantly scanned for any danger in the few steps it took to reach the door.

The next morning
Mia felt worse for wear as she appeared downstairs, her stomach queasy while her head pounded and spun alarmingly.  Sitting opposite Paul at the table she pushed the breakfast away from her, laying her head in her arms as she moaned.

He
laughed loudly as she complained that she must have eaten something which disagreed with her before taking pity on her and sending her back to bed to sleep it off.  As proof of just how bad she felt, she did not argue with him, but dragged herself back up to her room, not even bothering to pull on her nightshirt as she stripped and crawled under the bed covers.

Downstairs, Paul
filled Mrs Mac in on what had happened the previous day, informing her that he had sighted Lucas near the house.  Mia’s hangover had the advantage of ensuring that she would stay in the house which was a relief to them both.  The older women was concerned for Mia’s safety, shocked to discover that Lucas was already free, and the two of them devised a plan to ensure that the house was locked at all times.