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kiss. It was fiery and brief, and her tongue felt like was threatening to fall out onto the floor.
                  “You’re under my skin, Mia Barnes,” He whispered harshly. “And I’m not sure I ever want you to leave.”
                  “You say that like it’s not a bad thing,” She admitted with sad eyes.
                  The elevator was waiting for her. It threatened to disappear. Mia swallowed hard and turned, keeping her eyes on the ground so she couldn’t see Benson. She waited until the cab was moving until she looked up. The modern cab didn’t offer her the warm embrace she wanted, she needed . She had played a dirty game and was slipping too far under. As she left the building, Mia wondered if she’d welcome the depths of the water or try to swim ashore.

Chapter Three
                  Mia could see Lora’s mouth, but she didn’t hear anything but the thumping in her own chest. She’d squirmed for two days, her stomach in knots over seeing Benson Ward. Not even her most powerful vibrator could erase his touch. The sound of her own name being repeated snapped Mia back to attention. It grounded her. She wasn’t in the clouds with Benson. She was in her apartment, a playlist of her favorite songs bouncing off the walls as Lora helped prepare her for her night out.
                  “Jesus,” Lora shook her head and pushed her glasses up her nose. “I haven’t seen you so spacey since college.”
                  Mia had been absent most of her life. She’d checked out at twelve when her father died in a motorcycle accident, barely making it through her mother’s desperate second marriage and the horrible things that man did to her… to her mother… to her brother. Mia ran fast and as often she could, landing herself in quite a few unfavorable situations. She arrived in New York with half a shard of decency and sanity. It didn’t take long for both of those things to disappear. Though Mia had worked hard for four years to get back to a stable place, she often found herself slipping.
                  “Mia!” Lora snapped, waving her hands in front of Mia’s face. “I’m going to cancel dinner with my mom. I’m not going to leave you alone like this. It’s not safe.”
                  “Your mom is here all the way from Pennsylvania, you aren’t going to leave her in your apartment alone so you can babysit me.”
                  “Then come with me,” Lora begged.
                  “I’m fine. I’m going to offer Burnside some support.” Mia rolled her eyes, pushing herself up off the edge of her bed and gazing at herself in the tall mirror leaned up against the wall. “Tell your mom I’m looking forward to having her cook me something delicious tomorrow.”
                  Mia’s dark hair was arranged in a messy bun on the top of her head. She’d spent more time than she’d willingly admit making sure the hairs were perfectly misplaced. For her makeup, she settled on a smoky eye and a red lipstick. She opted out of one of her Burnside t-shirts, instead donning a fitting black v-neck tee that seamlessly dripped into a pair of tight black skinny jeans. Though she much preferred heels, Mia knew a venue was the last place to wear them. Instead, she reached into the back of her wardrobe and slid on a worn pair of Converse. The sight of them flooded her memories of her past, both good and bad. She made note to get a new pair of the shoes, knowing she never would.
                  “I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Lora admitted flatly. “But I know better than to stand in your way when you want something.”
                  “What is it that I want? Enlighten me.”
                  Mia was testy, on edge, and ready to sink her claws into something- anything. Lora knew the mood. She’d been on the other side of