Mia looked at him in confusion and then to the space beyond him. “Isn’t that your office?”

“Oh, sure, yes. I meant to say, I was heading to lunch. You might be gone when I get back.” God, he really hoped so.

She looked down at her watch, seeming surprised by the time. Almost as if by some cruel twist of fate, her stomach growled at the same moment. “Where are you going for lunch?”

Before thinking better of it, he said, “I usually grab something from the restaurant downstairs. They have an excellent lunch buffet.”

Mia moaned and Seth started sweating harder. “Oh, they so totally do. It’s been ages since I’ve eaten there. Do you mind if I tag along? I hate to eat alone and I’m starving.”

“Er . . . sure. Just give me five minutes to finish a few things and I’ll be ready.” He could only imagine what she thought he had to “finish up” when he headed straight for his private restroom on the other side of his office. He just needed a few minutes to collect himself before what would undoubtedly be a long lunch hour. At this point, even having Beth do the system installation would have been preferable. At least he wasn’t likely to walk around with a raging hard-on the entire time. This girl though was getting to him. She wasn’t even his type. She was petite, but her heels made her appear much taller, with wild brown hair that looked like it had just left someone’s sheets. He preferred women with neater hair and more classic taste in clothing. Mia had neither of those things. And yet he would probably never get the fantasy of fucking her while she wore nothing but those damn pink shoes out of his head. Shit, he had to stop thinking about that!

He splashed some cold water on his face and mentally counted to one hundred. He could get through a simple lunch. He worked at a resort that catered to scantily clad females daily. This wasn’t a big deal. She wasn’t wearing a bikini like most of the people he dealt with. Mmmm, Mia in a bikini. Fuck! Enough already!

When he stepped out of the restroom, Mia was leaning against his desk waiting for him. He felt his cheeks color at the look of amusement on her face. Yeah, she thought he had problems. If she only knew. It was better that she labor under the illusion that he had stomach issues rather than the truth. He was dealing with an unruly cock.

“I’m ready if you are,” she said.

Why did everything she said sound like some sexy, double entendre when he knew it wasn’t intentional? “Sure, let’s go.” As they passed through the doorway, Margie was walking toward her desk. Seth wanted to pretend that he didn’t see her because he knew what was coming and she didn’t disappoint.

“Well, hey there, you two. Where are you off to?” She shot him a knowing smirk before looking at Mia as if they were new best friends.

“I invited myself to lunch with Seth.”

“Ah, honey, I’m sure he would love to have you.” Seth coughed, knowing damn well he wasn’t imagining the double meaning this time.

Before it could get worse, he walked to the elevator saying, “I’ll be back in an hour.”

“Take your time,” she yelled after them, “your afternoon is clear.” Sometimes, he truly hated that woman.

The elevator ride to the lobby was crowded, saving him from having to make conversation. When they entered the restaurant, he steered Mia toward his reserved table at the wall of windows. He loved looking at the ocean view while he was eating. Mia took the seat opposite from him, ordering a sweet tea from the waiter. Once their drinks were delivered, she jumped up and made her way toward the buffet at a rapid pace. Apparently, she wasn’t lying about being starving. He was barely halfway through filling his plate when she walked by him flashing a sheepish grin. Her plate was completely loaded and he couldn’t imagine where she would even put it all.

“I skipped breakfast this morning,” she said by way of explanation. He couldn’t help but laugh. He found himself putting more on his plate than he usually would so she wouldn’t be embarrassed.

She was eating with gusto when he returned. He had just taken his first bite when a couple approached the table. Mia choked on her piece of chicken when the woman said, “Mia, darling, how wonderful to see you.”

She took a quick sip of tea to wash down her food before saying, “Mom, Dad, wow, what a surprise.” Seth was equally surprised. He hadn’t connected her last name with Jefferson Gentry.

Seth stood extending a hand to Jefferson and his wife, Madeline. “Jefferson, Madeline, how nice to see you again. I didn’t know that Mia was your daughter.”

Madeline dropped her perfectly manicured hand to her side before answering. “Yes, Mia is our only child. How do you two know each other?”

Before he could answer, Mia spoke up. “I’m here to do an install for Danvers.”

“Oh, how nice. Mia just loves that little project of hers.”

“It’s called a job, Mom. They pay me and everything.”

Her mother seemed oblivious to the sarcasm, but judging by the frown on her father’s face, it hadn’t escaped his attention. Her mother turned her attention back to Seth saying, “I wanted to thank you again for donating the use of your ballroom for our charity bachelor auction tonight. I think it’s wonderful that you have decided to participate as well. I know we are going to raise a lot of money tonight for the new children’s hospital.”

Mia looked at Seth in surprise. “You’re going to be auctioned off tonight?”

“Um . . . yeah. It’s for a good cause and it’s only one evening out of my life so it’s really not a big deal.” Luckily, Mia’s parents spotted some friends a few tables away and after bestowing some air kisses on their daughter, they were off. He couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. They might run in the same social circles, but he had always found them a little too reserved for his taste.

Beside him, Mia also seemed to expel a breath as well. “Sorry about that. My parents aren’t exactly the life of the party. I’m sure you noticed that they don’t think much of my career. If they had their way, I would be with them right now making the rounds.”

“I’ve known them for years. How is it that we’ve never crossed paths?”

“On the occasions that I’ve been with them, I usually spent the evening with friends. They were never the type to bring out the baby pictures and brag about their only child either so it’s easy to see why most people other than very close friends don’t know I exist. So . . . a bachelor auction. I have to admit, I find that surprising. Have you done that before?”

Grimacing, he said, “No, this will be a first for me. How bad could it be, right?”

Mia chuckled. “Oh, it could be bad all right. You will probably be purchased by some old cougar who will feel you up all the way through dinner and then try to bribe you into the sack at the end of the night.”

“Oh, God, I hope you’re wrong. I was picturing some shy, homely girl who would be happy with a good meal and some nice conversation.”

“Good luck with that,” Mia laughed. “I know most of the crowd who will attend tonight and there isn’t a wallflower in the bunch. I may actually enjoy myself at one of these things for once.”

Seth raised a brow. “You’re going to be there tonight?”

“Unfortunately, yes. I have to put in an appearance at a few events just to keep my parents happy. Since this is one of my mother’s favorite charities, she expects me to attend. Madeline Gentry isn’t a woman you want to disappoint on a regular basis.”

He wasn’t sure how he felt about her being in attendance to watch him go on the auction block. She would probably laugh her ass off if no one bid on him or, God forbid, the cougar she described bought him. But, at the same time, the evening seemed a lot more interesting than it had earlier. He was almost looking forward to it.

When they had finished eating, he was surprised to find that he had enjoyed their lunch together. She was intelligent, funny, and the conversation had never waned. Unfortunately, neither had his attraction to her. It would probably be a good idea to plan many of his meetings for offsite in the coming weeks. He wasn’t sure he could handle her being that close to him without losing it. It had been a while since he had felt the need for a lunchtime masturbation session, but today just might be the day.