Free Bowles, Jan - Bought for the Billionaire's Bed [Guilty Pleasures 2] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) by Jan Bowles Page A

you’ve done more than enough already.”
    “I want to help you, Mia.”
    “Why? Surely, there are hundreds of more deserving people in the world?”
    “You have a zest for life, that I find intoxicating. You just need a helping hand, so you can spread your wings, and soar to the very limits of your potential.” He dabbed a napkin to his mouth.
    Mia stood and kissed his lips. “Then I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
    Trent held her close, wrapping his arms around her waist to draw her tight against his body. He rested his head against her stomach and breathed in. “There’s just one problem.”
    “Oh, what is it?” she asked stroking her hand into his hair.
    Trent smiled at her. “Filling the gallery with enough works of art.”
    It was Mia’s turn to laugh. “That’s the easy part. I’ve already made a list of the up and coming artists of the future.”
    “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