Rush

it.”
    “Thanks, man. We’ll see you on the other side.”
    “Keep me posted on how things are going,” Gabe said.
    Ash grinned. “Control freak.”
    Gabe flipped up his middle finger and Jace and Ash exited, their latest conquest sandwiched
     between them. Gabe leaned back in his chair, checked his watch, relief edging him.
     He still had half an hour before Mia was due to arrive. Jace and Ash should be well
     away by then.

chapter three
    Mia got out of the cab on Fifth Avenue, a short walk to the building that housed the
     HCM offices, and sighed at the positively gorgeous weather. The wind ruffled her hair,
     hinting at the chill that was inevitable. The days were getting cooler as fall wound
     down to winter.
    Gabe lived a short distance away at 400 Fifth Avenue, a sleek, modern residential
     development, while Jace lived on the Upper West Side closer to Mia—she was convinced
     she was why Jace had never moved closer to his office. And Ash lived at 1 Morton Square,
     which overlooked the Hudson River.
    Mia hurried into the high-rise Midtown building that housed HCM and hastily dug out
     her security pass to get by the turnstile leading to the elevators. Jace had given
     her the pass when he’d given her a tour of the HCM suite of offices a few years earlier,
     but she hadn’t had to use it very often since she was usually with Jace when she visited.
     For all she knew the damn thing might no longer work, and then she’d have to register
     with security. With that much time, she may well chicken out and just leave.
    Thankfully she had no problems.
    She checked her watch when she got on the crowded elevator and then shifted toward
     the back as even more people pushed in. It was five minutes to ten, and she hated
     being late. Not that shewas—at least not yet—but she was one of those people who was always early. Being late
     made her twitchy, and coming in this close to the wire made her anxious.
    Not that she had any reason for why she was so bent on obeying Gabe’s command. It
     wasn’t like he’d have her head if she were late. But still…There’d been something
     in his voice that had made her wary of antagonizing him. And if she were honest, she
     was eager to know why he’d summoned her so imperiously.
    Caroline had rushed her through the shower and then dressed Mia as though she were
     a child with no clue what to wear. After choosing jeans that hugged every curve, she
     picked out a cami top and an oversized, cut-off T-shirt that bared one shoulder. It
     was short in the waist and bared the tiniest portion of her midriff, particularly
     when she moved just right.
    Caroline had fluffed and dried Mia’s long hair and curled some of the layers so the
     result was a messier wild look. She swore that hair like Mia’s drove men wild. Mia
     wasn’t sure she wanted to drive Gabe to anything. Sure, he’d starred in more than
     one of her teenage—and adult—fantasies, but now that he’d gotten up close and personal,
     she sensed an immense power that radiated from him.
    It had intimidated her and made her think twice about whether she’d ever be able to
     handle a man like him.
    Mia had applied minimal makeup; not that she didn’t wear it, but somehow overdoing
     herself for this mysterious meeting with Gabe seemed…desperate. Like waving a neon
     sign stating her infatuation and intentions. What if this meeting was something completely
     mundane? Wouldn’t she feel like a huge moron going in dressed for seduction only to
     discover he wanted just to see how she was doing? Who the hell ever knew what he was
     thinking anyway? Gabe wasn’t someone who broadcast his thoughts or feelings to the
     world.
    At exactly one minute to ten, she escaped the elevator andhurried into the reception sitting area of HCM. Eleanor, the receptionist, smiled
     and greeted Mia as she approached. Mia didn’t have time to ponder whether she was
     crazy for agreeing to this meeting or even to collect and calm herself before diving
     into the fire. She had one minute to get into Gabe’s office.
    “I’m supposed to see Gabe at ten,” Mia said breathlessly.
    “I’ll let him know you’re here,” Eleanor said as she picked up the phone.
    Mia turned away, unsure of whether he would come get her or if she would go back.
     Whenever she came to see Jace, she always just walked in. There was no waiting as
     if she had an appointment.
    “You can go back,” Eleanor called.
    Mia quickly turned and then