Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 61657 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61657 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
“The Czech Republic?” Mia asked in surprise, her brow wrinkling. “That would be the last place I would have guessed. I would have thought more Hershey Town or maybe Epcot Center.”
“Naw,” I said, pulling my bike to a stop. “The Czech Republic is it. It’s an amazing place. I traveled all around Eastern Europe as a student way back when, but the town that struck me as the most remarkable was Cesky Krumlov with its mix of Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque styles. It’s something you would see in a fairy tale, complete with real-live castles.”
“Wow, castles?” Mia asked, impressed, pulling her own bike to a stop. “That’s pretty awesome.”
I threw my head back and laughed. As Americans, castles were rarely seen in the New World, something that lived in our imaginations. And right there, I vowed to take Mia to a castle one day, to show her the wonders of the world.
“Yeah, it is amazing, I agree. And we’ll go together,” I vowed, looking deep into those caramel eyes. “You’ll love it, I promise.”
Her sweet smile almost blew me away.
“Really Theo?” she said softly. “We’ll see castles and forests and Robin Hood together?”
It sounded like a fairy tale, but the truth was that I wanted to be her Prince Charming. I wanted Mia to have everything at her fingertips, guiding her through the exploration. The beautiful brunette had me entranced and on my knees.
Shit. How had this happened? But a lot of changes had overtaken my life recently, and I rolled with it.
We rode the rest of the way to the main building. “Come on, sweetheart, after you,” I said, holding the heavy glass door open.
But before we went our separate ways, Mia spun and planted a kiss on my lips, her mouth hot, soft and sweet beneath mine.
“Later,” she promised on a whisper. “Later, Mr. White.”
And shit, but I was ready to tear off her clothes right then and there. This girl made my body harden, everything zeroing in on her warm softness without a second thought.
But later was later, and with a last sassy wave, Mia was gone. Shit, this sucked. Back to work.
When I got to my office, Penny greeted me with a pained expression. “Hello,” she said, lips pursed. “How are you Mr. White?” Her tone was sharp and cold.
I decided to ignore her foul mood. Hell, the woman worked for me and not the other way around.
“Any meetings this afternoon?” I said.
She pursed her lips even more, looking like she was sucking a sour lemon.
“You have a meeting with Brandon in fifteen.”
I sighed. Shit. Sometimes I feel like a mom, forced to babysit my kids nonstop. With a sigh, I leaned against her desk.
“What’s up?” I said. “Spit it out. Is something wrong?”
Penny rolled her eyes and let out an exaggerated sigh herself.
“What makes you think so?” she said. “Is my hair off or something?” She patted her elaborate bun.
To be honest, it was. The red strands were intricately braided, ending in a poof on top of her head with a couple bright clips thrown in. I got it. Women’s hairdos could take a lot of time, but I much preferred Mia’s natural wash and go style. I wanted to wrap her curls around my dick at night, and not have to disentangle it first from tons of spray and gel, not to mention the sparkly things that held it together.
“Okay, great,” I said dismissively, standing up again. “Just wanted to be sure.”
“All’s good, Mr. White,” she cooed. “We’re good here.”
But there was something about her tone that made me jerk around and look at her sharply. Something about her words had been eerie. Was she laughing at me somehow? The sparkle in her eye assured me that wasn’t the case, but I have a sixth sense about these things.
Shit. I was wasting time on secretaries and mundane stuff that shouldn’t have taken more than five seconds. Heaving my big form around, I strode into my office, putting the uneasy thoughts away.
And work did it. There was nothing like some solid work to get your mind off the small stuff. I went through my emails and checked the status of the latest Pictogram build. Everything looked great, and Mia’s changes were remarkable. Hiring her had been my best decision this year by far, not to mention the impact she’d had on my sex drive.
A glutton for punishment, my eyes scanned the latest news articles about me. Total bullshit with allegations that some of the girls had been “pressured” into the orgy, but whatever. At least the gossip was dying down a bit compared to the shitstorm from five months ago.
My interview with Jimmy Fallon helped. It was a chance to humanize myself instead of coming off as some god-type that no one could identify with. As a result, we’d had a two percent uptick in account sign-ups. Pure publicity magic.