Mr. Big(23)

“Well? I’ve waited ages for this report! Spill! Spill!” Liam gushed excitedly, leaning toward her.

She laughed at him. “You haven’t waited ages! You’ve waited three days!”

He shook his head. “Ages. I’m telling you, it’s been ages!”

They all laughed, and Mia looked shyly at her drink before raising her eyes to meet those of her friends. “Well, we did go out to the formal dinner, and we had a fantastic time.” She tried to keep her thoughts focused on her friends rather than on the blissful feeling that the memory of being in his arms brought to her. “And when the night was over, things got a little heated in the back of his limo.” All the eyes on her grew wide. “And it was amazing, but he thought that it was too soon for us, so… we didn’t get far enough for me to win the challenge.”

The disappointed faces around her matched her own feelings, and for a moment it was quiet at the table, but then Liam perked up and grinned at her. “That’s all right, it just shows that he’s a good man; he’s respecting you. There’s something to be said for that.” He gave her a wink.

“Besides… you’re going to see him again, right?” Maddie asked, giving her a sultry grin.

Mia raised her shoulders and smiled in return. “I certainly hope so!” she said lightly. “I want to go to Rome!”

Ava and Maddie laughed and reached for their drinks, but Liam eyed her closely and tipped his head to the side a little, his expression thoughtful.

They chatted away and talked for a couple of hours about lovers and jobs, shopping and lunch, and then said goodnight to each other, and Liam waited back as Maddie and Ava left them. He pushed his hands down into his pockets and gave her a sidelong look as she waited for a cab.

“Did you and Alexander make any plans for another date?” he asked quietly.

She shook her head and shrugged. “No, but I’m sure he’ll call. When we were kissing in the car, it got hot really fast, and we had such an incredible night… when we danced it was…” she lost herself in thought for a moment and then blinked and smiled up at him. “Well, I just feel like he’ll call soon and then we’ll see about answering that challenge.”

He watched her carefully and quietly and bit his lower lip thoughtfully as his eyes searched hers. “…dancing hmmm?”

She drew in a breath and felt transparent before him for a moment, but she knew that she was safe with him. She knew she could tell him anything, but still, she thought to herself, admitting anything aloud would be more than she was willing to do that point. She didn’t want to say that she had been dreaming about Alexander every night, that she had trouble keeping him out of her thoughts, and that those thoughts and the memory of his kiss took her breath away in intermittent moments throughout the day. If she kept all of it inside of herself, if she didn’t admit it, she felt like it might be just a little less true, and that was all she wanted it to be.

“Well… it was a fun evening. He’s a good dancer.” She gave a small smile and a shrug. “That’s all.”

Liam was quiet as his gaze took her in and he pressed his lips together. “Okay. I’m glad to hear that you had fun. I’m sure he’ll call you and then you can tell us all about it later.” He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. “In the meantime, you have a good night and get some sleep, okay?”

He smiled at her lightly then, and the serious moment she had felt between them passed. He gave her a warm hug and then stepped back and raised his hand up in the air to hail a taxi for her. As it pulled up to the curb a few moments later, he opened the door for her and she leaned up and kissed his cheek.

“Thank you Liam, you’re the best. Good night.” She grinned and he gave her a wink, closed the door, and waved as the cab drove away into the night.

***

The following Wednesday there had still been no word whatsoever from Alexander, and Mia had stopped looking at her phone as much, when he called her and her heart stopped when she saw his name show up.

She took a deep breath and answered it as calmly as she could. “Hello?”

“Mia, good afternoon, this is Alexander. How are you doing today?” He sounded pleasant, just as he had the first time he called her, and she wondered enviously if he ever felt uncertain or unsure when he called her, because he sounded totally unflappable.

“I’m wonderful, thank you. How are you doing?” she asked in return as everything in her began to course faster through her while the pace of her heartbeat picked up. She was surprised at how excited she was to hear from him.