'I'm falling in love with the girl I can't have
I'm walking a line, that's a little bit mad
I know that I shouldn't, but I can't help the way I feel
This love is forbidden, yet I can't let it go unreal"
Forbidden love can be a tale of great complexi...
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My plan isn't working.
Eye of the tiger is just a joke.
I'm looking out the window of my corner office with one of the best views of the city, but I can't even enjoy it. Can't even see it, really. Every time my thoughts start to wander these days, there's only one thought, one person, one face that comes to mind.
Mia.
I have at least been able to avoid her the past few days. Mostly. There have been a handful of chance encounters—we work twenty feet from each other, after all—but for the most part, I've kept my head down and powered through. I haven't been alone with her. I haven't made up any excuses to see her. As a bonus, I've also made sure Tate was nowhere in her vicinity.
My hands ball into fists at the thought of him trying to pick up where I've left off, and I have to close my eyes for a moment to take a few deep breaths.
He's a good assistant. He can't be blamed for thinking she's attractive. Hell, maybe she'd even be better off with him...
Well. Maybe not.
But still, why the hell am I thinking about her all the fucking time?
Why do thoughts of that sweet little body, her trusting eyes, that beautiful slip of a mouth, the idea of spreading her ass cheeks and dominating her, infuse every interaction I have?
Day or night, at work or home, I find myself wondering where she is and what she's doing. Wondering who she's with and what she's wearing. It's driving me crazy. I'm walking around hard all the time, barely able to stop myself from calling her, checking on her, just wanting to see her face.
It's...too much.
I should be able to stop having such crazy ideas about Mia. I'm an older man, now. It's not my first rodeo. This isn't some high school crush or the first time I've thought a woman was sexy. And even back then, if I went after a woman, I knew how to keep myself under control. I never lost my mind to obsession, to constant thoughts of her body, her smell, her eyes looking at me with that adoring expression...
No. I turn away from the window and stand behind my desk, leaning over slightly and placing my palms flat on the hard, cold surface as I close my eyes again and try to center myself.
I've been successful in steering clear of women since I got rid of that ex-wife of mine. I learned from her not to trust anyone, but especially women with romantic intentions. She taught me time and time again that my trust in her was a fool's game. Sure, Jen appeared charming at first. She was pretty and charming and knew how to have a good time. She roped me in with her sweet talk and how much she claimed to love me, but then she wanted to change everything. Everything I liked, everything I did, everything about me. And all along, her insistence that she would change is what kept me in that relationship way longer than I ever should have stayed.
But Mia would never be like Jen, insists a voice at the back of my head. And Jen hasn't been in your life for six years.
Ugh. All that may be true but I'm better off alone.
And besides, even if I weren't better off on my own, David's daughter isn't the woman I should be turning to to fulfill any kind of need I might have. I'm here to help her out. She's barely more than a girl. Not someone I should be thinking of in that way.
The whole thing is just stupid any way you look at it. It's an excellent way to end up feeling even more alone than I am right now. It's a brilliant way to lose an old friend and a new employee all at once.
I sit down in the large, well-worn leather chair behind my desk and steeple my fingers. I'm still not feeling very centered, but at least I'm thinking clearly for a change. And I really should be taking advantage of this quiet time.
What I should be doing is focusing on my contract with Nakamura.
Eye of the tiger.
Commanding laser focus on this important work. After all, there are millions and millions of dollars—maybe even billions of dollars—that we're talking about. Nakamura deserves my undivided attention.
It doesn't matter if I'm sick and tired of wanting what I can't have. One of the few things in the whole world that I can't have even though I really, really want it.
I should just grab a quick lunch by myself—no more extended wine-soaked lunches with my intern—and get all the relevant information from my EA.
Now... where the fuck is Tate?
I walk into the cafeteria, fully prepared to grab whatever quick meal is on offer and then head back to my office, where I can give all my concentration to this deal.
But then there he is.
No... there they are.
Tate and Mia are sitting across from each other at a long table, but nobody else is with them. She's giggling, holding her hand in front of her mouth as Tate gesticulates wildly. He must be telling some uproarious story.
All this time and I never knew we had such a comedian in our midst.
Still, I should turn and go. I should not make a scene. It's not my business what either of them does when they're outside the office.
