Chapter 2
GRAYSON
Nothing like doing business with a man half your size. It’s nature. People wince away from bigger men. We’re naturally intimidating, and even if that was a problem back when I was in high school and already bigger than any of my peers, now it’s the greatest thing that could have happened to me.
Of course, women don’t stick around. They like big men when it’s a lithe guy between six and six-two feet.
A broad man like me, six-seven and pure muscle?
Hell no. Women look up and up, widen their eyes, and go, “wow, you’re tall,” before they move to the next fellow.
Can’t blame them. What intimidates my business associates is intimidating for them, too.
And I don’t care. I’m forty-four this year, and long ago I gave up on finding a woman who wanted me the way I am. And that’s alright. I’ve never found a woman who caught my eye either.
Until that day in the Westside laundromat.
When I created this business, I had in mind companies people would always need.
That’s why I have a laundry company, several grocery stores, and two funeral homes.
The funeral homes make enough money to get every other company going and maintain my comfortable lifestyle, so I focused on offering excellent service in my laundromat and grocery stores, even if they don’t make that much money back.
And I’ve always known I had a diamond in the rough with the seamstress I hired.
Mia Price. I read her file when I hired her, but though pretty, she didn’t stay in my mind for long. It was when I met her, and when I saw that fire burning in her eyes, that she stuck to me.
Exactly because I’m such an off-the-charts big man, people are often too intimidated to go against me.
But Mia Price? She looked at me and just dismissed my height.
If anything, she liked it. She enjoyed it for a second before she decided I was being unfair by skipping the line, and she would make her disapproval clear.
It was the look on her face that got me completely mesmerized.
The tightening of my pants surprised the hell out of me.
I told myself I wanted to see her bend. Now that she knew I was her boss, she would bend and act like every other person.
So I visited the store more often. Fuck, I went as far as ripping some shirts myself, so I had an excuse to visit her.
I wait outside like a creep, watching for the moment the other girl, Kennie Wellington, leaves. The second she does, I walk in.
Mia is always polite. Professional. But she doesn’t back down.
Hell no, it’s like every time I see her, she remembers that first day and gets mad all over again.
She stares at me with an ember in her irises, her chin held up.
It’s the determination and the skill that make her so maddeningly attractive.
And now I can’t stop thinking about her. I set up a trap for her, and I fell for it.
Walking into the laundromat for the third time this week only, I find her sitting behind the counter, her eyes on her phone.
For a split second, there’s a look of dejected hopelessness on her face.
It hits me like a train, like a punch straight to the gut.
What’s wrong? Why is she this sad? Fuck, it ignites something in me I’ve never felt.
Whatever happened to her, I want to make it stop. I don’t know her, and already I can’t bear the thought of something hurting her. What the hell is going on with me?
My heavy steps make her lift her head. She shoots a glance up at me, putting her phone away. Her expression changes, molding into that of a professional again. She greets me and brings back the last shirt I left here, well-groomed and folded.
“What happened?” I say it before I can stop myself.
She blinks twice, confusion crossing her pretty face. “Nothing. We’re having a regular day, sir. Maybe a bit slow.”
“I don’t mean to the store. I mean to you. You had a... face when I walked in.”
She looks away at her phone and joins her hands. Mia chews on her bottom lip. I should not be aroused by the sight of it, but fuck, I am. She clears her throat. “I’m so sorry, sir. Work is slow today, and I was just checking some personal matters.”
“That’s not what I asked. I won’t punish you for looking at your phone.” The word punish sends a jolt to my balls, and I swear I see something glint in her gaze. Shit, I’m already hallucinating with her having an interest in me. “Is something wrong?”
She gazes back at me, studying my face. I want her to trust me. Hell, I want her to tell me her problems so I can fucking fix them. Finally, whatever she sees in me makes Mia shake her head.
“Nothing wrong, sir. Thanks for asking,” she says, but it’s empty as she looks back at her hands. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”
I hand her my shirt, then bring the other to the car with me. Something is going on with Mia, and I will figure it out. I will find out what melts the smile from her face, and I will make it go away.