Liam eyed her curiously, but remained silent.
“Then, this morning, I was going to leave and he pulled me back into bed. I thought he was sleeping, but I guess he wasn’t I guess I must have woken him up, but he was so fast. I had one leg out of the bed and he grabbed me and dragged me back into his arms before I even knew what he was doing. I’m telling you, it’s a wonder he’s not married. I can’t believe no one has nailed him down yet. He’s… really something else. He is everything a smart and romantic woman could want.” She laughed to herself. “Everything.” She shook her head and grinned shamelessly.
Liam bent toward her and looked her squarely in the eyes. “So… you like him. Are you going to keep seeing him?”
Mia was caught completely off guard. She blinked in surprise and everything in her told her to argue, at least a little. She wasn’t falling for him or making any plans. She had toyed with thoughts in her mind about what might happen, but that was all, and nothing was going to come of that, she was sure of it.
“Like him? Oh god no… no…” she said as casually as she could without sounding defensive. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, he’s amazing, but this was just a one night stand, right? It was just a challenge for the plane ticket and that was it.” She shook her head adamantly. “No… there’s nothing else with him after this.” She waved her hand almost dismissively.
She wasn’t exactly sure that she believed herself or that her friends believed her either, especially Liam, but she was determined to keep it just what it was. She didn’t even know if there could be any chance of anything else happening between them, but she was fairly certain that the best thing to do would be to just let it all go. She had done what she needed to do; she had fulfilled her part of the challenge and it was over. There was nothing more to go after. She was an independent single woman in the city that never sleeps and she wasn’t in the market for forever.
Liam frowned slightly and looked away from her, poking at his martini with the olive and plastic sword that had come with it.
Ava shrugged and waved her hand in the air. “Well, it’s done now, and we know, and you certainly did your part to earn that plane ticket, so sister, it’s yours. We’ll get it this week.” She lifted her daiquiri to her lips and sipped at it before setting it down and looking back at Mia.
“We’ve all been so focused on Mr. Big that I didn’t get a chance to tell you that I hooked up with Will Carter!” she winked and flashed a naughty smile.
“You did? How did it go?” Mia was surprised and glad to hear that Will was giving his attention to anyone else.
Ava tilted her head a little to the side. “Well, it’s good… you can tell the man has had a lot of experience, and he knows his way around the bed, and around a woman’s body, but he’s a little kinky. He likes to push boundaries and limits and even just the norm. Last time he wanted me to wear something that he could literally rip off of me. It was kind of wild and fun, but… he’s a little different. I don’t think he’s good enough in bed to justify keeping him around for much longer, but he’s been fun in the meantime. I think it’s time that I moved on.”
Mia listened to her and was thankful yet again that she had never been with Will. The man was a little too creepy for her; too insistent, too aggressive even in the office, and after hearing what her friend had just told her, she realized that his aggression during their business meetings was only a precursor to what really lay beneath, and that was something that she wanted no part of.
“I think that’s a wise idea, Ava,” Mia told her with a small smile. Then she turned her attention to Maddie who was tipping back her second cosmopolitan. “What about you, Maddie? Who have you been with lately?”
Maddie grinned like a Cheshire Cat and set her glass down on the table, running her fingers down it and laughing softly. “Well, I met this stock broker last week and sparks flew, so we’ve been pretty hot and heavy lately. His name is Dylan Jackson. He’s a very clean cut and well-dressed sort of man, and he has funny little quirks too, but nothing as kinky as Will.” She shot a dark look at Ava. Maddie was a self-proclaimed feminist, and she didn’t like any man being too aggressive with any woman.
Liam began to laugh a little as he looked intently at Maddie. “Dylan Jackson? Red hair… brown eyes… Capricorn?” He asked with a wink. She nodded.
“Yeah, how did you know that?” she asked curiously, looking at him with a lowered brow.