“That’s a list I’d like to see. I feel sure they’ll all be good investments. We’ll talk about it some more when I’ve made the necessary calls. Now, Mia, I’ve just got to check the markets, so I’ll be in my study for the next couple of hours.”
“Is there anything I can do?
“No, just relax.”
“Surely there must be something I can help you with?”
He thought for a moment. “Very well.” He reached into his trouser pocket and produced a key. He handed it to her. “Could you collect my mail from the foyer downstairs? It’s box number twenty-two. It should be here by now.”
“Okay.”
She began to walk toward his private elevator, and he called after her. “Mia.”
“Yes?”
“No disappearing acts, okay?”
She shook her head, aware that she must have hurt him deeply that day. “Never again. I promise.”
The talk of actually achieving her ambition of owning her own art gallery had lifted her spirits. Trent had been so kind to her. Much more than she felt she deserved. She could never walk out on him again.
Chapter Eleven
Once in the elevator, Mia stared at her reflection in the mirror. She pulled at her blouse, trying to smarten herself up. What did Trent see in her anyway? After undoing the top button and plumping up her breasts, she posed first to the right and then to the left to see if she looked any better. In her own eyes, she had no sex appeal whatsoever. She combed her fingers through her blonde hair and then pinched her cheeks to add a little color to her pale Scandinavian complexion. She shook her head and spoke out loud, “Mia Johansson, you really do look like a grungy student.”
Trent’s mailbox held a half dozen or so letters along with a copy of The Wall Street Journal. She retrieved them from the box and headed back up to his apartment. When she heard a soft thud on the floor, she realized some of the letters had slipped from her grasp. She stooped down to pick them up, noticing the postmark on one of them came from West Virginia. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she seemed to remember Trent mentioning he came from the South. Did he say he was from Virginia?
When she returned to the apartment, she sought Trent out in his study and handed the mail to him. “Thank you.” He sifted through the letters, discarded some unopened directly into the trashcan, and then proceeded to open the rest. Mia noticed the letter postmarked West Virginia had been thrown away. Had a member of his family sent it? If they had, why hadn’t Trent read it? She stared at him. He seemed totally engrossed in his work as though nothing unusual had happened. Three large flat screens, showing several different columns, filled with numbers, spanned the whole of one wall. Another screen on his desk had graphs with red and blue markings.
As she turned to leave, he held out his arm. “Come here a minute.” She walked over to him, and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close so she rested on his knee. He stroked a hand into her hair and stared directly at her. “We’ll go out this afternoon and buy you some new clothes. You’re a beautiful woman whatever you wear, Mia, but I think it will boost your confidence if we enhance that beauty with fine designer garments. We can’t have you looking like a grungy student forever.”
Mia gasped, her jaw dropping open in astonishment. Grungy student? Those were the exact words she’d used in the elevator. “Trent, how did you—”
“I forgot to mention that I have CCTV in the elevator. So anything you say or do is recorded.”
“So you saw me looking at myself in the mirror?”
He smiled. “And very nice it was, too.”
Mia held a hand to her face as she blushed. “How embarrassing. I’m glad you told me.” She raised an eyebrow. “There’s more of the damn things, isn’t there?”
“Yes, I couldn’t get insurance for my art collection without them.”
“Trent, where else do you have cameras installed?”
“In the living area and the hallway.”
“What about the bedroom?” Mia thought of last night and how they’d made love together on his enormous bed. She had given herself entirely to him for hours on end.
He kissed her lips. “The bedroom is my inner sanctum. There are no cameras installed in there.” He touched her nose playfully. “So you needn’t worry. I value my privacy, too.”
Mia breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m so glad. Some things should remain private.
“And they will. I’ll show you how to work the CCTV system this afternoon. It’s quite simple.” He kissed her lips. “Now I need to spend a little time here, and then we can go shopping later.”
“Seriously, Trent, I can’t accept anymore from you. You’ve been so generous to me.” She was already indebted to him. It just wouldn’t do to take advantage of his giving nature.
“Mia, I insist. It would make me very happy.”
He certainly looked genuine. Wanting to keep some control over her life, she replied, “Then I insist on paying you back.”
“We’ll see.”
* * * *
Trent put his arm around Mia’s shoulder as he escorted her into the fashion boutique. A woman with impeccable dress sense greeted them with a painted-on smile.
“How may I help you today?”
“This young lady needs a complete new wardrobe. Everything.”
The painted smile fell from her lips as she assessed Mia’s clothes, making her feel rather defensive. She hardly felt very confident in her gray blouse and faded jeans anyway.
“And what style are we wishing to portray, sir?” the woman asked, arching a brow.
Mia opened her mouth to speak, but Trent answered for her. “Elegance, style, and panache. Something incredibly sexy but not at all sleazy.”
“Yes, this lady has lovely bone structure which compliments her pale complexion. You’re very wise, my dear. I can see you don’t go out in the sun too much. Nothing ages the complexion more than the sun. Hmm, I think elegance is within our grasp.”
Mia looked at Trent and rolled her eyes. He patted her hand as though she were a child.
“Mia, I have it on good authority that Mrs. DuBois here knows all there is to know about designer fashion.”
“And you have heard correctly, sir. Come this way, madam. I’ll take some measurements and then show you the collection most suitable for your requirements.” Feeling as though she were visiting a dentist, Mia followed the pretentious woman into a luxurious changing room.
Once her measurements had been taken, she took a seat next to Trent in a sumptuous room elegantly decorated with red velour seating and deep pile carpets. Within a few minutes, several leggy models came into the room, sporting various garments. They paraded in front of them and then vanished, only to return several minutes later wearing something new.
Mia thought they all looked wonderful. “Trent, they are all so beautiful. I could never hope to emulate them.”
He traced her cheek with the back of his hand and then tucked a stray tendril of blonde hair behind her ear. The act felt so possessive and affectionate that she closed her eyes, savoring the moment.
“Sweet, little Mia,” he crooned. “You really have no idea just how beautiful you are, do you?” He leaned closer and whispered in her ear, “Tell me which one is your favorite so far?”
She clasped her hands tightly together, feeling completely out of her depth. With such beautiful models so elegantly demonstrating the designer garments, she felt all the more conspicuous in her cheap, tatty clothes. “Trent, when it comes to choosing, I wouldn’t know where to begin. They’re all beautiful.”
“My thoughts exactly.” He waved to the hostess, and Mrs. DuBois walked across to them. “We’ll take them all.”
“Trent,” she said, shocked at how easily he’d ordered a complete new wardrobe for her. “How can I ever pay you back?”
He smiled, making her feel very special. “Mia, you worry too much. What is money for if not for spending?” He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a wallet. He then handed Mrs. DuBois a credit card. “Have them sent to my apartment please.”
“Certainly, sir.”
He turned back to Mia. “You have to allow me to indulge you. It makes me very happy. Now let’s eat. Where would you like to go?”
“Giuseppe’s, it’s a place I know. He makes wonderful pizza that simply melts in your mouth.” Mia held up her hand. “And before you say anything, Trent, I insist on paying.” Giuseppe’s Pizzeria was one of her old student haunts. It might not be a swish up market restaurant, but at least she knew she could afford it.
For a moment, Mia thought he would argue, but instead he simply took her hand in his as they walked from the store. “Sounds perfect.”
Chapter Twelve
“You’re staring again,” she admonished as he watched her eat the last of her pizza.
He leaned on the table and rested his chin on his hands. “It’s something that you’ll have to get used to, Mia. I just love looking at you.” What a delight she’d been when he’d taken her shopping. Normally, like most men, he’d have steered well clear of this type of thing, but not with Mia. She’d been just like a child, all wide-eyed and happy. It made him feel very protective, a feeling he had not experienced before. With Mia he felt at ease with himself. He loved spending money on her. He’d buy her the world if he could.