Mia's thoughts drifted again as she sat at the lunch table with her business partner, Victor Hargrave. The meal was supposed to be a productive meeting to finalize the details for the grand opening of her latest project, but Mia couldn't stop thinking about Liam Bennett. The weight of the gift he had sent her was still on her mind, and it felt like a constant hum beneath everything she did.
She pushed her plate aside, suddenly aware that Victor had been talking to her for several minutes without her fully listening.
"Sorry, what did you say?" Mia asked, her tone apologetic but distant. She smiled faintly, trying to mask the distraction in her voice.
Victor raised an eyebrow, his piercing eyes narrowing slightly. "Mia, I've been talking about the client presentation for the past ten minutes. Where's your head at? You're not usually this scattered."
Mia sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I'm just a bit distracted. I've got a lot on my plate right now."
Victor chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "That's an understatement. You're always juggling a million things. But I can tell something's off. You've been different lately. Is everything okay?"
She hesitated, not wanting to share the details of her thoughts about Liam. "It's nothing, really. Just work stuff. You know how it is."
Victor studied her for a moment, then shrugged. "If you say so. But if something's bothering you, don't hesitate to talk. I've known you long enough to know when something's eating at you."
Mia forced a smile, appreciating his concern but knowing there was no way she could explain what was really going on in her mind. "Thanks, Victor. I'll be fine."
The conversation shifted back to the project, but Mia found it increasingly hard to concentrate. Her mind kept wandering back to the image of Liam's face—the intensity in his gaze, the way he had studied her at the gala. She hadn't been able to shake the feeling that something was different about him. He wasn't just another playboy. No, Liam had an air of mystery about him, something she couldn't quite pin down.
She caught herself staring into space again and forced her focus back to Victor, but just as she did, her phone buzzed on the table. It was a message notification from an unknown number. She felt a strange flutter in her stomach before she picked up the phone.
The message read: "I was hoping we could continue our conversation from the gala. I'm free tonight, if you are. Let me know."
Her heart skipped a beat as she read the words. It was from Liam.
Mia's fingers hovered over the screen. She wasn't sure what to do. On one hand, she didn't want to encourage him, didn't want to get tangled in whatever game he was playing. But on the other hand, she couldn't deny the curiosity gnawing at her.
"Everything okay?" Victor's voice cut through her thoughts again.
She quickly locked the phone screen and put it down, shaking her head. "Yeah, just a work thing. Don't worry about it."
Victor didn't seem convinced, but he didn't press further. He shifted the conversation back to their business dealings, but Mia's mind was far away.
---
Later that evening, Mia found herself walking through the sleek hallways of her penthouse, her thoughts still lingering on the message from Liam. Her fingers itched to reply, to give in to the temptation to find out what he really wanted. But she had been down this road before—attraction, curiosity, all leading to nothing but disappointment. She wasn't going to make the same mistake again.
Yet, there was something about him that was different, something that pulled at her despite her best efforts to resist.
As she entered the living room, her phone buzzed again, this time more urgently. She glanced at the screen and saw a second message from Liam: "I'm not going to stop trying, Mia. If you won't let me take you out tonight, I'll just have to try again another time."
A flash of irritation sparked in her chest. He was persistent, that's for sure, Mia thought, trying to suppress the way his words made her heart race. But the more she read the message, the more she felt a sense of frustration—he wasn't taking her resistance seriously. She had made it clear she wasn't interested. Or had she?
Mia clenched her jaw, glaring at the screen. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he had gotten under her skin. But the idea of letting him have the last word didn't sit well with her either.
Her finger hovered over the keys, and before she knew it, she typed: "If you're so determined, maybe you should try harder. But don't expect me to make it easy for you."
She pressed send before she could talk herself out of it, then stared at the phone, waiting for his response. It didn't take long.
The reply came quickly: "Challenge accepted."
Her heart skipped a beat. For the briefest moment, Mia wondered if she had just opened a door she couldn't close. But it was too late now. She had made her move.
---
Liam had been sitting in his private office at Bennett Enterprises, his mind still buzzing from the conversation he had with Mia just a few days ago at the gala. His thoughts had drifted back to her more times than he cared to admit, and he couldn't get her out of his mind. There was something about the way she carried herself, so confident and independent, yet so clearly guarded.
He had been determined not to chase after anyone. He was used to women falling at his feet, but Mia was different. She intrigued him. She wasn't like the others, and that was precisely why he couldn't get her out of his head.
When the first message he sent went unanswered, Liam didn't feel discouraged. He knew it would take time to break through her walls. But when he received her response tonight, a surge of excitement shot through him. She had responded, and her words told him everything he needed to know.
She was intrigued, too.
Liam leaned back in his chair, a slow smile spreading across his face. Let the game begin, he thought.
But there was something deeper at play here, something he wasn't ready to admit yet. He wasn't just after a conquest. He wasn't after the usual flirtations or fleeting encounters. There was something about Mia Collins that made him want more.
And he was willing to do whatever it took to get it.