Page 37 of The Match Faker

It was floral, but not in that old-fashioned way. It was like a bouquet of sweet, freshly cut flowers that you just wanted to inhale.

Not that I was thinking about burying my head in her neck to sniff her. There was nothing wrong with a man appreciating a woman’s perfume. It didn’t have to mean anything.

Mia opened the door to a sleek office. My eyes were drawn to the red sofa which was shaped like a pair of lips, and somehow my gaze drifted straight to Mia’s. She’d always had a pretty mouth.

‘Hey, you!’ Trudy said, stopping my thoughts from wandering down a very slippery slope. ‘Welcome to our office!’

‘Hey, how’s it going?’

‘Good! Don’t worry, I’m just leaving. Got a play tonight.’

‘What you going to see?’

‘Forgiving Salma.’

‘I heard about that. It’s in Soho, right?’

‘Yeah! How did you know?’ She got up from her desk.

‘I love the theatre.’

‘I can get you tickets if you like?’

‘That’d be great.’

‘Excellent! Text me or let your girlfriend know and I’ll sort it.’ Trudy smirked. ‘Right, I’ll leave you lovebirds to it!’ She closed the door.

‘You wanted to talk?’ I walked to Mia’s desk.

She sat behind it, legs crossed and arms folded. Mia looked powerful. Like a woman in control. If it was anyone else, I would’ve said it was hot.

The women I slept with usually had a pretty face and good body, but not a lot going on in the brain department. That was fine, though. I wasn’t looking for anything serious. My days as an action star were numbered, so I didn’t want to spend them tied down with a wife and kids.

But if I ever dated someone properly, I’d like a strong woman who knew her own mind and didn’t take any shit.

Someone with their own career and goals. Not someone who was dependent on me and agreed with everything I said.

Mum had fucking worshipped Dad. She’d cooked, cleaned and done every damn thing for him and it still wasn’t enough. As much as I hated being pulled away from London, I was glad she’d finally had the strength to leave.

‘That’s right,’ she replied. ‘We need to get to know each other better.’

‘Oh yeah?’ I smirked, wheeling Trudy’s chair in front of Mia’s desk and sitting opposite her. ‘What d’you have in mind…’

‘Get your mind out of the gutter. There’s more to life than sex!’

‘Is that so?’ I arched a brow and Mia sighed. ‘So if you don’t like to swing from the chandeliers, what do you do for fun?’

Mia froze. From the way her eyes had widened, you’d think I’d asked her to multiply nine million by seven, then divide it by twenty-three.

‘It’s not a trick question. Tell me some of your hobbies.’

‘Well, I… I like reading.’

‘Okay, just like when we were kids.’

‘Yeah and watching TV and films.’

‘Action by any chance?’ My mouth twitched.

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