Mia (2 page)

Nodding her head in understanding she
continued eating her meal, which was as usual, delicious.  “I had forgotten just how good Mrs Mac’s cooking was”, she said with relish, Paul looking back at her, his voice soft.  “So Miss Drake...where have you been for the past six years that has no Internet or Phone connection?” Mia darted a look at him remembering the sarcasm in his voice in the car.  However, his look was only one of interest, gone the previous scathing expression on his features.

“I was working in Africa”
, she answered slowly, her voice low, “They didn’t exactly have internet access where I was”, a sad expression crossing her lovely face, silence falling between them for a few seconds before she looked at him, her eyes questioning.  “How did you know my father?”

Paul
frowned slightly, taking his time to answer her.  “He and I met several years ago.  He was somebody you don’t meet every day…A news man with a conscience”  Mia smiled, remembering her father and the way he would insist in sticking to ethical means of obtaining a story.  “Yes he was”, she said softly, “but that still doesn’t explain how you met”

With a small laugh he
continued, “A woman I knew”, pausing slightly adding, “an ex-girlfriend, tried to come to him with a story about me…About how badly I had treated her…You know, the usual thing, a women scorned”, he said.  “Tried to say I hit her amongst other things”, his mouth tightening as he remembered.  Looking at her seriously he added, “I have very little time for men who hit women”

“Your father
refused to print the story until he had checked out the details…Of course she was looking for money …So he contacted me personally.  After my lawyers finished with her she admitted that the story was untrue…But it could have caused a lot of problems for me if it had gone to press, so I had a lot to thank your father for and when I moved here, we became friends”

Mia
looked at him contemplatively.  “Friends…My father didn’t make friends with many people”, she said thoughtfully. Paul lifted an eyebrow. “Well I’ll take that as a compliment”, he said smoothly.  “He never really talked about you…Why would that be?”, he asked, his eyes holding hers questioningly.  “He had his reasons”, she replied quietly, “It was his way of protecting me”  “From what?”, Paul asked, suddenly very interested, as Mia wished she had said nothing, dropping her eyes, evading the question. 

“What time did you say the tow truck would be here
?”, she asked, changing the subject.  Paul James looked at her for a second before answering.  “A Mr Smith said he would have the car here by midday or 1:00 at the latest”  Mia smiled.  “Well if Adam said that then that means 2:00 or 3:00”, adding with a small chuckle, “Unless he has drastically changed in the past six years”

The man opposite her smiled
, a dazzling heart-stopping flash of perfect teeth, softening his serious expression.  “Well I have noticed that laid back attitude seems to go for a lot of things around here”, causing Mia to laugh gently.  “You can’t rush things in a small town Mr James” 

“Paul
…Call me Paul”  Mia smiled back.  “If you let me know how much I owe you then I’ll leave the money with Mrs Mac”, she said softly.  “Don’t worry about it”, he replied, adding as she was about to argue, “It’s the least I can do for your father”  Mia closed her mouth as a small yawn pushed its way to her lips.  “I hope you don’t mind Paul, but I’ve been driving all day and I am really tired”  He looked back at her.  “I leave early in the morning, so good luck Mia Drake”, he said, her name sounding so nice on his lips.  Rising, she smiled back, once more thanking him for rescuing her before making her way back upstairs.

Several hours later Paul James
made his way to his room, having finished proofing some documents and enjoying a much deserved glass of whisky.  His thoughts often returned to the mysterious woman who had been landed on him that night.  He was stunned when she walked into the dining room, having only previously seen her hair splattered all over her face hiding her perfect features.  She was indeed beautiful and as she walked across the room, he was able to appreciate how gracefully she moved, her figure hidden beneath the shapeless shirt she wore over jeans.  Her evasiveness to his questions troubled him, wondering what she was trying to hide and what it was that would bring somebody back home after such a long absence.

Crossing the hallway to his room, he
froze hearing loud moans and cries coming from hers and with a frown moved over to the door, pushing it gently open.  Mia lay on her bed wearing only a tight-fitting t-shirt and pants, tossing and turning as she moaned, her soft mouth crying out, “No, no” as her movements became more agitated in her nightmare.  Paul quickly moved over to the bed and called her name to awaken her.  As he sat down and put a hand on her arm she exploded, lashing out as she cried out in alarm and fear. “Don’t touch me…Leave me alone”, her eyes opening sightlessly the fear in them stunning the man beside her. 

Pulling her into his arms to stop her from hurting
both him, he gently but firmly held her shaking, sweat-soaked body as he whispered comfortingly into her hair.  Slowly she became still, the shaking subsiding as the sobs stopped, until he felt her body relaxing against him.  Finally he was able to lie her back down on the bed watching as her eyes closed gently, a more relaxed sleep taking her.

Looking down on
Mia he could see the way her hair stuck to her forehead as the sweat shimmered on her body, the look of terror gone from her face which now looked so serene.  He frowned, wondering about Mia Drake.  Standing up he was able to finally see just how perfect her body was, her slender form clearly visible in the sleepwear she wore.  Perfect pert breasts now rising softly caught his eye, Paul groaning as his eyes flicked down the rest of her, taking in her slender stomach, waist and hips which flared to long shapely legs.  Swallowing as sudden desire filled him he moved out of the room, his dreams that night full of the enigmatic young woman.

The next morning
Mia awoke feeling refreshed.  She showered and made her way down to the kitchen where a delighted Mrs Mac pushed a large breakfast in front of her joining her with tea.  “So why are you back Mia?”, she asked softly, Mia grimacing  “I have to sign off some paperwork on my dad’s business”, she said with a sigh. 

Patting her arm softly Mrs Mac’s eyes held hers
“You know that there might be those that are not happy to see you”, the older woman said warningly.  Mia looked up at the women before her, her look suddenly so serious.

“I told the truth Mrs Mac”
, she said with sincerity, seeing as the housekeeper smiled back.  “I know that Mia…I have always known that…But you know people round here…Adam Mathers employs half the people in this village, they’ll believe anything he tells them to”

Mia
nodded, a small sigh escaping her lovely lips.  “Even after Susan…”, she whispered, small tears finding their way to her eyes as she remembered, Mrs Mac placing a caring hand over hers.  “Don’t blame yourself honey”, she said softly. “What you did took real guts…Who knows who else…” Her voice trailed off as Mia nodded abruptly, wiping the tears away.

“Can I use a computer anywhere here Mrs Mac
?”, she asked, the need to escape rising strongly within her.  Mrs Mac took her into a study area, showing how to log onto the guest account before allowing Mia to check her email.  After responding to the many emails from friends and colleagues, she sat back, her mind wandering to Paul James.  Using the computer she searched for him, finding many stories about the handsome man who had saved her from spending a cold night in her car, discovering that he was American, something she had already worked out herself from his sensual accent.  Reading more, she found that at 32 he was a rags-to-riches success story, seeing the many photos of him, often with a gorgeous woman on his arm.  He had been linked to many glamorous actresses and models and she realised that he had a reputation as a ladies’ man.  Remembering his dark good looks and sheer masculinity, she could understand why. 

Further searching
finally found the story about the build he had briefly mentioned the night before, realising just what a big opportunity it was for the area.  He was building not only a five star hotel, but a major golf course and spa resort, all close to the beach.  Mia had been impressed, remembering the area as mainly bog land which was useless to anybody and was not surprised to see that there had been no opposition to the build from any groups when the plans were submitted.

At 2.30 her car
finally arrived.  Adam Smith was more than a little surprised to see Mia and he gave her a cold look before throwing the keys to the housekeeper with an evil sideways glare in her direction.  With a nasty comment he finally left, Mrs Mac asking her if she was OK.

“I’m fine”
, she responded, lifting her chin defiantly, “The day somebody like Adam Smith worries me will be a very sad one indeed”  Mrs Mac chuckled affectionately.  “That’s the Mia Drake I remember” She laughed as Mia gave the housekeeper a hug, once more thanking her for her hospitality and taking Janey’s email details, promising to get in touch with her again, before finally driving back into the town she had grown up in.

As she
drove past the paper which her father had run, she was saddened to see it boarded up and deserted, sighing softly to herself as she parked across the street from her father’s lawyer.  She moved quickly into the building, aware as people stopped talking as they noticed her.  Knocking gently on the door she moved inside, hearing the brusque, “Come!”, before being pulled bodily into a hug from Jim Donovan.

“
Mia, my God, when did you get in?”, the man before her cried, Mia happy to finally see another friendly face.  “Hi Jim”, she smiled back at him.  It’s nice to see you too, I was worried that I was going to get lynched crossing the street”  Jim Donovan smiled, a harsh smile.  “Stupid busybodies”, he said gruffly, “They know what happened, but some people just turn the truth to suit themselves…Eases their consciences”, he continued angrily before once more flashing her a warm smile.

“W
here are you staying?”, he asked, his voice softer, “At your father’s house?”, seeing as Mia shook her head.  “No Jim, I ended up staying at the Kennard house. Paul James rescued me when my car developed a flat”, she smiled, taking a seat beside his desk.

“Paul James, eh”
, he replied with a raised eyebrow, “A very interesting man”, his eyes watching her.  “Are you staying there tonight?”  Mia shook her head “No, I came here to sign the papers and then I am leaving again”  Jim looked at her kindly. “Can’t I persuade you to stay with us? Mary would love to see you again”  Mia smiled in thanks.  “I really appreciate that Jim, but I think it would be better if I just left…For me anyway”.

Nodding in understanding
, he retrieved a file from his cabinet.  “Well if you sign over everything then we can put the properties on the market and organise to send you the profits”.  Mia again shook her head.  “Make sure any profits go to this charity Jim”, she said handing him a sheet of paper with details of the African charity she had until recently worked for.

Seeing that she was serious he
took the paper, nodding wordlessly before starting to pull out the paperwork he needed, a loud knock on the door making him frown.  Opening it he was surprised to see the young police officer standing there, his face sombre.

“Morning Jim, I believe
Mia Drake is here”, he said curtly, Jim looking coldly back at the man before him.  “So what if she is Colin?”, he replied disdainfully, “What is it to you?”  Moving further into the office so that he could now see her, the policeman stood before her, raising himself, his voice officious.  “Mia Drake, I am arresting you for non-appearance at a court hearing in which you were directed to attend, and detaining you in police custody”

As both
Mia and Jim looked at each other in total shock he then continued to read her rights before pulling out handcuffs.  At this Jim snarled angrily. “Colin you know fine well that this is a total misunderstanding, and if you touch her with those cuffs, then I will make sure that you are in so much legal hot water that you won’t know what day it is”

For the first time
the younger man looked unsure and nervously glaring at the stern lawyer put the handcuffs away before moving forward to grab Mia by the arm.  Mia looked at Jim. “What’s going on?”, she asked, her voice shaking, her expression one of stunned shock, as Jim tried to look as calm and reassuring as he could.  “There was an appeal about a year ago”, Jim explained, “You were cited to attend, and when you didn’t appear they put out a warrant for your arrest”  “But I didn’t know”, she cried helplessly as Colin none too gently dragged her from the office.

“That warrant was cancelled months ago”
, Jim cried angrily following the fast-moving police officer. “This is a totally bogus arrest Colin”, he shouted, “I’ll have it overturned in a phone call”

The other man
smiled gently, his eyes glinting malevolently. “Good luck finding a judge at this time Jim”, he said as he pushed Mia into the back of his police car.  As they drove off Mia stared in shock at the man before her.  “What the hell are you doing Colin?”, she demanded, suddenly so angry, seeing the man’s eyes in the mirror, as he looked at her, his expression contemptuous.

“You should never have come back
Mia”, he said softly, his voice full of hatred, “Not after all those lies you told about Lucas”  “Lies?”, she cried in total disbelief, “and I suppose Susan was lying too”  The other man made a derisive snorting sound.  “Lucas Mathers is my best friend Mia and people round her still hold a grudge against you for what you did to him.  He is a good man and you with your lies, you destroyed his life …as for Susan, she was a disturbed person, we all knew that”