Categories > Celebrities > 30 Seconds to Mars
One night
He nodded at her from across the room. A silent invitation for her to follow him. She smiled, the guy that she had been crushing on all night finally paid attention to her. She turned to look at her friends, excused herself from the table, and followed him out of the club.
Mia sighed as she watched another one of her friends leave.
"I can't believe Hannah just left with that guy," Mia yelled over the music. "She doesn't even know him." Dakotah laughed as she sat across Mia, dancing in her seat to the beat of the music.
"You're always judging people. I brought you out here to have fun,” Dakotah, her best friend, said as she took a sip out of her alcoholic drink. "Maybe you can finally get lucky." She winked. Mia rolled her eyes and sighed angrily.
"And again with all that crap. What's wrong with being single? And you know what? I don't know why the hell I let you convince me to come along." Mia crossed her arms. She felt slightly uncomfortable in the scanty baby blue dress her friends forced her to wear. Before Dakotah could say anything else, a guy approached her. "Would you like to dance?" He asked a slight smirk on his lips.
"Sure." Dakotah smiled up at him and gave the man her hand.
Mia sighed as she realized she was the only one left at the table out of the six that came along today. In that moment, she felt like the odd girl out, the last to be picked for any team. And sitting there, isolated in her ethics, she realized just how painful loneliness had become.
Mia rolled her eyes as she turned down the fourth guy to ask her to dance in the past five minutes. She contemplated whether or not to leave, but she knew it wasn't right to leave Dakotah here alone. She ordered another drink. Of course, non alcoholic.
"Hello," Mia jumped slightly when she heard a voice come from behind her. She sighed again, preparing herself to turn down yet another freak.
She looked over her shoulder.
Whoa.
That was all that she could think as she stared at him.
He looked slightly familiar.
She took a closer look.
The hair, those eyes, that smile.
No. It can't be. Could it?
"Would you like to dance?" He asked her in a deep, throaty voice that he knew no girl could resist. Mia snapped out of her daze, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink, embarrassed about how stupid she might have looked staring at him. She cleared her throat.
"Not right now." Mia could tell that this surprised him.
"May I sit with you then?" He persisted.
"There are a lot of pretty girls here. I'm sure they'd be willing to dance with you." Mia said as if stating something real obvious, looking back down and tracing the rim of her glass with her finger. He chuckled.
"If I wanted to ask someone else, I wouldn't be here asking you now would I?"
His persistence immediately made Mia suspicious. What did he want? He's fucking Jared Leto. The lead singer of an international band. A man desired by both men and women around the world. Was he here standing before her wanting a simple conversation, or retrieving a drink he'd left behind? The fact that at least eight sexy females were staring him down, yet he'd chosen her, gave her a sense of acceptance.
"Uh, sure. You can sit," she said. She observed him as he took his coat off and sat down, signaling the bartender for a drink. This must be a dream.
"I'm not going to get jumped by a jealous boyfriend, am I?" Jared asked with a chuckle, snapping Mia out of her daze. She cleared her throat and looked down, shaking her head.
"I'm single." He looked surprised.
"Why? You're beautiful." Mia blushed and bit her lip as she looked away. She made eye contact with Dakotah, who gave her thumbs up.
"Uh, Thanks. Haven't found the right guy I guess." She said, turning to look at him again.
"You're never going to know unless you give somebody a chance. I saw you turn those dudes away." He said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder to where the group of guys that she turned down stood staring at them. Mia lowered her head. Jared reached over the table, placed his finger on her chin, and lifted her head. A bold move, she thought, him putting hands on her before proper introductions. For a moment they were quiet. Their eyes reflected off each other as Enrique Iglesias’ 'I like it' started to blast through the night club. Mia giggled as he started to nod his head to the beat of the music.
"How about that dance?" He asked hopefully.
"Why not." Mia said confidently.
He led her to the dance floor. She began twirling her hips when he placed his hands on her waist. She put her back to him, raised her hands, seductively wiggled close, and then bent her knees then dropped her body as if she were on fire. Then in a waving motion, she slithered back up. He turned her around, both of them staring into each others eyes, which were full of lust. They moved with each other as if they were moving within each other. Mia had always possessed a sensual rhythm. She was just afraid to show her fun side.
After the song ended, she said, "Do you mind if we sit?"
He nodded while grinning. "Did I tire you out?" Mia laughed.
"You wish." She grabbed his hand and led him to a more private booth at the corner of the club. She wanted to talk with him privately. What Mia didn't know was that he didn't get the same message.
They talked for a while. Not enough to get a life story, but enough to create a chapter for themselves. Mia found out many things about him that you couldn't just look up in Wikipedia. Mia started to feel a little hesitant. Why would he be at a local bar in New York talking to someone like her? Was he here thinking he'd get lucky? Her guard kicked in when he placed his hand on her knee, gliding his calloused fingers up her leg and back down.
She shifted out from under his hand; her stereotyping of the typical alpha-male began hardening her reception to him. The more he talked, the more her suspicions allowed her to label this fine male specimen a man-whore.
He nodded over Mia’s shoulder, saying hello to someone who was behind her. Then he looked back at her, casually. "We have been talking for a while but I never got your name." He said in realization.
"That's because I never gave it to you.... you know a lot of women here?" She asked, hesitantly as she watched another girl pass by him and wave.
"Uh, a few. I come here often."
"I bet you do." Mia muttered under her breath.
"Excuse me?" His eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the tone of her voice.
"So, do you want to go out to your car, or do you want to just do me in the alley?" Mia said, getting straight to the point.
"Uh, what just happened? I thought we were hitting it off." He asked confused.
"I'm just not so sure I can trust you. You being a rock star and all. Until then, this is me." Mia said, crossing her arms.
"So you're going to be an ass until I prove I'm not a bastard. That makes sense. How's that working out for you so far?" He asked angrily.
"Just go and find yourself an easy lay." Mia muttered.
He stared at Mia in disbelief, a way that let her know that his next move was necessary, yet no less regrettable. "Cool." He stood up.
"Hope your plan works out." He disappeared into the crowd before she could muster enough humility to stop him.
Dakotah came over to the booth Mia was sitting at. "Please tell me you did NOT just run the finest man in the fucking world out of this club."
"Don't start, Dak." Mia begged, folding her arms over the table and laying her head over her arms. What did she just do? Why did she treat him like that? Dakotah stared at her.
"My God, Mia, you can be such..." She couldn’t come up with a word to describe her without hurting her.
"I know, a bitch. You know what? I'm taking a cab home." Mia stood up and left the table.
~~~
Mia walked out of the club as she adjusted her coat, trying to cover her exposed skin from the frosty night air.
"Did you want me to lie to you?"
Mia screamed then turned around and put her hand to her chest. Her heart pounding. It was him. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" She huffed, trying to catch her breath.
"I'm waiting for a cab. Tell me something...should I have said, ‘Oh no, I've never been here before. I had to be forced out of my house because I never go out.' Would that have been better? All I wanted to do was have a conversation with you." He said, trying to explain himself. Mia rolled her eyes.
"And then sex at 'your place or mine?'"
"I don't know." He shrugged. "What's wrong with that?" Mia tilted her head to the side. There was something honest about his eyes, about him standing there in that black leather coat that made her wonder about him.
The cab pulled up. Mia couldn't help but to feel as if she were about to pass up the opportunity of a lifetime. She knew nothing about this handsome fellow but what was online and yet, felt the need to explain herself; to tell him things she would never tell her closest friends because their attempts to make her feel better would include jokes, making friendly fire out of her issues. He would feel sorry for her, and that's not what she wanted.
"I'm twenty-eight years old and I have never done this before." Mia blurted out. He smiled.
"What like...never been with..." He said the last part slowly. Mia looked down and nodded. "There is nothing wrong with-" Mia cut him off.
"I'm afraid."
"Afraid of what? That I might have some disease because of all the rumors for me being with Paris Hilton or-" Mia shook her head.
"No, well, that is something to be afraid of, but that's not why."
"I don't understand."
"I just...feel like I should save myself for someone who I really care about, someone special.' She paused.
"Wow, you have issues." He walked to the cab.
"Excuse me?" Mia gaped at him. "How does not throwing myself at every man I see make me have 'issues'?"
"Stop trying to over think your life," he said, "Live a little." He opened the rear door of the cab. "You have exactly thirty seconds to decide if you want to get to know me, or simply assume that I am a superficial bastard." He said, waiting for her to get in.
"How do I know you're not a rapist?" She questioned.
"Oh that's classic. A rapist who has the decency to call a designated driver to take him home. Twenty-three seconds." She tried to hide her smile by biting her lip and looked away.
"Is that a smile I see?" he lightly teased. Mia shook her head.
"No."
"Fifteen seconds..." Mia shuffled on her feet. Should she go with him? "Ten seconds..." Mia sighed. Why not? She should live for once in her life. Go free. Do whatever the hell she wants. "Three seconds..." Mia walked up to him, close enough to invade his personal space, far enough not to touch his body.
"I'm scared. But maybe we can see how it goes." She whispered, her icy breath cascading against his lips.
His tone changed, as if somebody dropped a rock on his voice. "I like you enough to wait. That says a hell of a lot about me. But I'm sick of women and their games. Don't tease me, or you will find yourself on the street." He threatened lightly. Mia smirked.
"Tease? How can I do something I don't know how to do?" She said innocently, closing the gap between them. She could feel his body against hers. And standing there shivering, she wondered what it would feel like to be in his arms, under the warmth of body heat and a blanket. He was different. And she was sick of living like a caged animal, trapped inside her own fear. "Would you turn me down tonight if I wanted you?"
Oh God, she thought. What did she just say? Did that really just come out of her mouth? She surprised herself at how forward she was being with him.
"I said I could wait," he replied. "I didn't say I was stupid." They both smiled at each other.
“Ladies first." He said, motioning to the open cab door.
"Thank you." She said, slipping into the cab. He sat beside her and closed the cab door.
"By the way, my name is Jared, but I think you already knew that."
Mia hesitated, still a little uncertain. "I'm Nichole."
~~~
Jared’s condo was cleaner than what Mia had pictured a bachelor’s place to have been. It was brown, different shades from the couch to the wall, but all colors from the same family. She looked around. The place lacked a woman's touch. This could have meant Jared was telling the truth during the cab ride when he'd said he didn't have a girlfriend. But it could have also meant that no woman had ever been around long enough to get close to him.
Ok, Mia you're over thinking things just a little, she thought.
"Would you like a drink?" Jared asked after they stood there for a while. He took off his coat then grabbed hers.
"Thank you. Um, water, please."
"Ok. Just let me hang these." He took their coats into a closet and hung them. He came out minus his suit jacket and collar shirt. His T- shirt was hanging out of his pants, the wrinkles at the bottom giving off a sense of relaxation. He looked good. Yummy actually. Mia watched him walk into the kitchen.
"Get comfortable," he shouted. Mia giggled, walking over the brown leather couch set in the middle of the room. She sat down and crossed her legs, tugging her skirt down when it rose up high on her thighs.
About a minute later, he walked toward her, holding out his hand to pass her the water.
"Thanks." She took a couple of swallows as he sat down beside her, leaning back and getting comfortable.
"So, have you found your special guy yet?"
"Wow that was blunt." Mia noted.
"You brought it up." He defended. "And it intrigues me."
"No, not yet. Plus I've dated a couple of guys that thought they were larger than life."
"Well, they're not so large that you can't move them out of your way."
She smiled. "Did a shrink tell you that?"
"Nah, but it did sound good, didn't it?" Mia lightly punched his shoulder as they both laughed.
She gave him back the glass. "Thanks."
"You're welcome." He set the glass down on the coffee table.
They talked for a while about nothing in particular. They felt comfortable with each other, as if they have known each other their whole life instead of just a couple of hours. Mia bit her lip. She liked him. Really liked him. He was sweet, funny, not to mention extremely good looking. And rich. Mia made up her mind as she pretended to listen to him talk about a movie he was thinking about being in or something. She's going to do what Dakotah told her to do. Be spontaneous. Enjoy life to the fullest. Do whatever the hell she wanted, and at the moment, she wanted him. Without a second thought, she threw herself at him, capturing his lips in a lustful kiss. Jared was surprised, but quickly responded by placing his hands on her hips and pulling her closer to his body.
"Make love to me," Mia said decisively as she tried to pull his shirt over his head.
"Now?" He asked, breathless.
"Right now." She placed sloppy kisses down his throat.
"What happened to the shy girl I just brought home?" Jared chuckled.
"I'm sick of being shy."
"Well, you don't have to ask me twice."
Jared helped Mia take off his shirt. She threw it in some random direction, about to continue kissing when him when her breath almost caught in her throat. She was momentarily stunned by his perfectly compacted muscles on his arms, the lines on his stomach, just bringing out the curves of his abs. He was perfect.
It was happening so fast. She had no time to think about what to do next. She felt his shoulders, the muscles of his upper-body calling her. His chest was the result of hard work and his skin was smooth. Mia melted into Jared when his lips made contact with her collarbone.
He chuckled against her skin, making it tickle.
"What's so funny?" She asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious.
"I expected a virgin to be more timid. Few things surprise me." Mia relaxed a little more.
"You got jokes?"
They laughed together. Mia marveled in their amusement of each other. But this seemed deeper than just having fun. Jared was not only enjoying her, he was enjoying himself while being with her. He made her feel comfortable and now she wanted to be honest. But explaining how she'd lied to him about her name, after giving him a hard time for being the man he was, gave her pause.
"How about we take this upstairs?" He asked. Mia smiled.
"Sure."
She allowed Jared to carry her to his bedroom.
~~~
Mia lay beside him, trying to catch her breath, her body now mature. She was unsure what was supposed to happen next. Falling asleep in his arms seemed like the next natural step. But this wasn’t the wedding night she'd planned in her head.
No. This was a one-night stand.
Oh god, what did I just do? Mia thought.
"Where are you going?" he asked as Mia stood up from the bed.
"I wanted to save the whole, 'will he still respect me in the morning’ anxiety I guess." Mia said as she hastily tried to cover her body from his gaze when she realized that the rest of her clothes were down in the living room.
"If I didn't respect you, you'd be on your way home right now." Jared said quietly. Mia paused.
Great. He respects me and I've already lied to him. Mia thought.
He's too good.
Mia wasn't sure what she was feeling for Jared. Could she be falling in love, or merely infatuated with a man who's helped her open a new door into her life, allowing her to seek humility, while shutting the old door behind her? All the judgments she'd passed of others and now she found herself naked in the bed of a man she did not know well.
Yet she didn't want to leave, but felt she didn't deserve to stay.
"Don't go," Jared begged. "I've been with a lot of women but never with the same twice... I guess there is a first time in this for me too."
"Right now I'm in no position to judge you, but why me?" She asked quietly.
"You're the only woman that has ever given me a hard time. That has to stand for something."
Mia smiled and lay back down, putting her head on his shoulder, her hand on his chest. "What happens tomorrow, Jared?" He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead.
"I don't know. But if you and I are going to have a shot at a decent relationship, you're going to have to tell me your real name." Mia froze.
"Uh, what?" She coughed. How did he know? She thought. Am I really that bad of a liar? Jared chuckled.
"It's Ok. My first still thinks my name is Bartholomew." he said.
She laughed with an infinite a sense of relief. Then she said, "I’m Mia, Mia Nichole Williams." Jared smiled.
"Jared, Jared Joseph Leto.”
"Nice to meet you Jared." Mia smiled.
"Nice to meet you too, Mia Nichole."
He nodded at her from across the room. A silent invitation for her to follow him. She smiled, the guy that she had been crushing on all night finally paid attention to her. She turned to look at her friends, excused herself from the table, and followed him out of the club.
Mia sighed as she watched another one of her friends leave.
"I can't believe Hannah just left with that guy," Mia yelled over the music. "She doesn't even know him." Dakotah laughed as she sat across Mia, dancing in her seat to the beat of the music.
"You're always judging people. I brought you out here to have fun,” Dakotah, her best friend, said as she took a sip out of her alcoholic drink. "Maybe you can finally get lucky." She winked. Mia rolled her eyes and sighed angrily.
"And again with all that crap. What's wrong with being single? And you know what? I don't know why the hell I let you convince me to come along." Mia crossed her arms. She felt slightly uncomfortable in the scanty baby blue dress her friends forced her to wear. Before Dakotah could say anything else, a guy approached her. "Would you like to dance?" He asked a slight smirk on his lips.
"Sure." Dakotah smiled up at him and gave the man her hand.
Mia sighed as she realized she was the only one left at the table out of the six that came along today. In that moment, she felt like the odd girl out, the last to be picked for any team. And sitting there, isolated in her ethics, she realized just how painful loneliness had become.
Mia rolled her eyes as she turned down the fourth guy to ask her to dance in the past five minutes. She contemplated whether or not to leave, but she knew it wasn't right to leave Dakotah here alone. She ordered another drink. Of course, non alcoholic.
"Hello," Mia jumped slightly when she heard a voice come from behind her. She sighed again, preparing herself to turn down yet another freak.
She looked over her shoulder.
Whoa.
That was all that she could think as she stared at him.
He looked slightly familiar.
She took a closer look.
The hair, those eyes, that smile.
No. It can't be. Could it?
"Would you like to dance?" He asked her in a deep, throaty voice that he knew no girl could resist. Mia snapped out of her daze, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink, embarrassed about how stupid she might have looked staring at him. She cleared her throat.
"Not right now." Mia could tell that this surprised him.
"May I sit with you then?" He persisted.
"There are a lot of pretty girls here. I'm sure they'd be willing to dance with you." Mia said as if stating something real obvious, looking back down and tracing the rim of her glass with her finger. He chuckled.
"If I wanted to ask someone else, I wouldn't be here asking you now would I?"
His persistence immediately made Mia suspicious. What did he want? He's fucking Jared Leto. The lead singer of an international band. A man desired by both men and women around the world. Was he here standing before her wanting a simple conversation, or retrieving a drink he'd left behind? The fact that at least eight sexy females were staring him down, yet he'd chosen her, gave her a sense of acceptance.
"Uh, sure. You can sit," she said. She observed him as he took his coat off and sat down, signaling the bartender for a drink. This must be a dream.
"I'm not going to get jumped by a jealous boyfriend, am I?" Jared asked with a chuckle, snapping Mia out of her daze. She cleared her throat and looked down, shaking her head.
"I'm single." He looked surprised.
"Why? You're beautiful." Mia blushed and bit her lip as she looked away. She made eye contact with Dakotah, who gave her thumbs up.
"Uh, Thanks. Haven't found the right guy I guess." She said, turning to look at him again.
"You're never going to know unless you give somebody a chance. I saw you turn those dudes away." He said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder to where the group of guys that she turned down stood staring at them. Mia lowered her head. Jared reached over the table, placed his finger on her chin, and lifted her head. A bold move, she thought, him putting hands on her before proper introductions. For a moment they were quiet. Their eyes reflected off each other as Enrique Iglesias’ 'I like it' started to blast through the night club. Mia giggled as he started to nod his head to the beat of the music.
"How about that dance?" He asked hopefully.
"Why not." Mia said confidently.
He led her to the dance floor. She began twirling her hips when he placed his hands on her waist. She put her back to him, raised her hands, seductively wiggled close, and then bent her knees then dropped her body as if she were on fire. Then in a waving motion, she slithered back up. He turned her around, both of them staring into each others eyes, which were full of lust. They moved with each other as if they were moving within each other. Mia had always possessed a sensual rhythm. She was just afraid to show her fun side.
After the song ended, she said, "Do you mind if we sit?"
He nodded while grinning. "Did I tire you out?" Mia laughed.
"You wish." She grabbed his hand and led him to a more private booth at the corner of the club. She wanted to talk with him privately. What Mia didn't know was that he didn't get the same message.
They talked for a while. Not enough to get a life story, but enough to create a chapter for themselves. Mia found out many things about him that you couldn't just look up in Wikipedia. Mia started to feel a little hesitant. Why would he be at a local bar in New York talking to someone like her? Was he here thinking he'd get lucky? Her guard kicked in when he placed his hand on her knee, gliding his calloused fingers up her leg and back down.
She shifted out from under his hand; her stereotyping of the typical alpha-male began hardening her reception to him. The more he talked, the more her suspicions allowed her to label this fine male specimen a man-whore.
He nodded over Mia’s shoulder, saying hello to someone who was behind her. Then he looked back at her, casually. "We have been talking for a while but I never got your name." He said in realization.
"That's because I never gave it to you.... you know a lot of women here?" She asked, hesitantly as she watched another girl pass by him and wave.
"Uh, a few. I come here often."
"I bet you do." Mia muttered under her breath.
"Excuse me?" His eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the tone of her voice.
"So, do you want to go out to your car, or do you want to just do me in the alley?" Mia said, getting straight to the point.
"Uh, what just happened? I thought we were hitting it off." He asked confused.
"I'm just not so sure I can trust you. You being a rock star and all. Until then, this is me." Mia said, crossing her arms.
"So you're going to be an ass until I prove I'm not a bastard. That makes sense. How's that working out for you so far?" He asked angrily.
"Just go and find yourself an easy lay." Mia muttered.
He stared at Mia in disbelief, a way that let her know that his next move was necessary, yet no less regrettable. "Cool." He stood up.
"Hope your plan works out." He disappeared into the crowd before she could muster enough humility to stop him.
Dakotah came over to the booth Mia was sitting at. "Please tell me you did NOT just run the finest man in the fucking world out of this club."
"Don't start, Dak." Mia begged, folding her arms over the table and laying her head over her arms. What did she just do? Why did she treat him like that? Dakotah stared at her.
"My God, Mia, you can be such..." She couldn’t come up with a word to describe her without hurting her.
"I know, a bitch. You know what? I'm taking a cab home." Mia stood up and left the table.
~~~
Mia walked out of the club as she adjusted her coat, trying to cover her exposed skin from the frosty night air.
"Did you want me to lie to you?"
Mia screamed then turned around and put her hand to her chest. Her heart pounding. It was him. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" She huffed, trying to catch her breath.
"I'm waiting for a cab. Tell me something...should I have said, ‘Oh no, I've never been here before. I had to be forced out of my house because I never go out.' Would that have been better? All I wanted to do was have a conversation with you." He said, trying to explain himself. Mia rolled her eyes.
"And then sex at 'your place or mine?'"
"I don't know." He shrugged. "What's wrong with that?" Mia tilted her head to the side. There was something honest about his eyes, about him standing there in that black leather coat that made her wonder about him.
The cab pulled up. Mia couldn't help but to feel as if she were about to pass up the opportunity of a lifetime. She knew nothing about this handsome fellow but what was online and yet, felt the need to explain herself; to tell him things she would never tell her closest friends because their attempts to make her feel better would include jokes, making friendly fire out of her issues. He would feel sorry for her, and that's not what she wanted.
"I'm twenty-eight years old and I have never done this before." Mia blurted out. He smiled.
"What like...never been with..." He said the last part slowly. Mia looked down and nodded. "There is nothing wrong with-" Mia cut him off.
"I'm afraid."
"Afraid of what? That I might have some disease because of all the rumors for me being with Paris Hilton or-" Mia shook her head.
"No, well, that is something to be afraid of, but that's not why."
"I don't understand."
"I just...feel like I should save myself for someone who I really care about, someone special.' She paused.
"Wow, you have issues." He walked to the cab.
"Excuse me?" Mia gaped at him. "How does not throwing myself at every man I see make me have 'issues'?"
"Stop trying to over think your life," he said, "Live a little." He opened the rear door of the cab. "You have exactly thirty seconds to decide if you want to get to know me, or simply assume that I am a superficial bastard." He said, waiting for her to get in.
"How do I know you're not a rapist?" She questioned.
"Oh that's classic. A rapist who has the decency to call a designated driver to take him home. Twenty-three seconds." She tried to hide her smile by biting her lip and looked away.
"Is that a smile I see?" he lightly teased. Mia shook her head.
"No."
"Fifteen seconds..." Mia shuffled on her feet. Should she go with him? "Ten seconds..." Mia sighed. Why not? She should live for once in her life. Go free. Do whatever the hell she wants. "Three seconds..." Mia walked up to him, close enough to invade his personal space, far enough not to touch his body.
"I'm scared. But maybe we can see how it goes." She whispered, her icy breath cascading against his lips.
His tone changed, as if somebody dropped a rock on his voice. "I like you enough to wait. That says a hell of a lot about me. But I'm sick of women and their games. Don't tease me, or you will find yourself on the street." He threatened lightly. Mia smirked.
"Tease? How can I do something I don't know how to do?" She said innocently, closing the gap between them. She could feel his body against hers. And standing there shivering, she wondered what it would feel like to be in his arms, under the warmth of body heat and a blanket. He was different. And she was sick of living like a caged animal, trapped inside her own fear. "Would you turn me down tonight if I wanted you?"
Oh God, she thought. What did she just say? Did that really just come out of her mouth? She surprised herself at how forward she was being with him.
"I said I could wait," he replied. "I didn't say I was stupid." They both smiled at each other.
“Ladies first." He said, motioning to the open cab door.
"Thank you." She said, slipping into the cab. He sat beside her and closed the cab door.
"By the way, my name is Jared, but I think you already knew that."
Mia hesitated, still a little uncertain. "I'm Nichole."
~~~
Jared’s condo was cleaner than what Mia had pictured a bachelor’s place to have been. It was brown, different shades from the couch to the wall, but all colors from the same family. She looked around. The place lacked a woman's touch. This could have meant Jared was telling the truth during the cab ride when he'd said he didn't have a girlfriend. But it could have also meant that no woman had ever been around long enough to get close to him.
Ok, Mia you're over thinking things just a little, she thought.
"Would you like a drink?" Jared asked after they stood there for a while. He took off his coat then grabbed hers.
"Thank you. Um, water, please."
"Ok. Just let me hang these." He took their coats into a closet and hung them. He came out minus his suit jacket and collar shirt. His T- shirt was hanging out of his pants, the wrinkles at the bottom giving off a sense of relaxation. He looked good. Yummy actually. Mia watched him walk into the kitchen.
"Get comfortable," he shouted. Mia giggled, walking over the brown leather couch set in the middle of the room. She sat down and crossed her legs, tugging her skirt down when it rose up high on her thighs.
About a minute later, he walked toward her, holding out his hand to pass her the water.
"Thanks." She took a couple of swallows as he sat down beside her, leaning back and getting comfortable.
"So, have you found your special guy yet?"
"Wow that was blunt." Mia noted.
"You brought it up." He defended. "And it intrigues me."
"No, not yet. Plus I've dated a couple of guys that thought they were larger than life."
"Well, they're not so large that you can't move them out of your way."
She smiled. "Did a shrink tell you that?"
"Nah, but it did sound good, didn't it?" Mia lightly punched his shoulder as they both laughed.
She gave him back the glass. "Thanks."
"You're welcome." He set the glass down on the coffee table.
They talked for a while about nothing in particular. They felt comfortable with each other, as if they have known each other their whole life instead of just a couple of hours. Mia bit her lip. She liked him. Really liked him. He was sweet, funny, not to mention extremely good looking. And rich. Mia made up her mind as she pretended to listen to him talk about a movie he was thinking about being in or something. She's going to do what Dakotah told her to do. Be spontaneous. Enjoy life to the fullest. Do whatever the hell she wanted, and at the moment, she wanted him. Without a second thought, she threw herself at him, capturing his lips in a lustful kiss. Jared was surprised, but quickly responded by placing his hands on her hips and pulling her closer to his body.
"Make love to me," Mia said decisively as she tried to pull his shirt over his head.
"Now?" He asked, breathless.
"Right now." She placed sloppy kisses down his throat.
"What happened to the shy girl I just brought home?" Jared chuckled.
"I'm sick of being shy."
"Well, you don't have to ask me twice."
Jared helped Mia take off his shirt. She threw it in some random direction, about to continue kissing when him when her breath almost caught in her throat. She was momentarily stunned by his perfectly compacted muscles on his arms, the lines on his stomach, just bringing out the curves of his abs. He was perfect.
It was happening so fast. She had no time to think about what to do next. She felt his shoulders, the muscles of his upper-body calling her. His chest was the result of hard work and his skin was smooth. Mia melted into Jared when his lips made contact with her collarbone.
He chuckled against her skin, making it tickle.
"What's so funny?" She asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious.
"I expected a virgin to be more timid. Few things surprise me." Mia relaxed a little more.
"You got jokes?"
They laughed together. Mia marveled in their amusement of each other. But this seemed deeper than just having fun. Jared was not only enjoying her, he was enjoying himself while being with her. He made her feel comfortable and now she wanted to be honest. But explaining how she'd lied to him about her name, after giving him a hard time for being the man he was, gave her pause.
"How about we take this upstairs?" He asked. Mia smiled.
"Sure."
She allowed Jared to carry her to his bedroom.
~~~
Mia lay beside him, trying to catch her breath, her body now mature. She was unsure what was supposed to happen next. Falling asleep in his arms seemed like the next natural step. But this wasn’t the wedding night she'd planned in her head.
No. This was a one-night stand.
Oh god, what did I just do? Mia thought.
"Where are you going?" he asked as Mia stood up from the bed.
"I wanted to save the whole, 'will he still respect me in the morning’ anxiety I guess." Mia said as she hastily tried to cover her body from his gaze when she realized that the rest of her clothes were down in the living room.
"If I didn't respect you, you'd be on your way home right now." Jared said quietly. Mia paused.
Great. He respects me and I've already lied to him. Mia thought.
He's too good.
Mia wasn't sure what she was feeling for Jared. Could she be falling in love, or merely infatuated with a man who's helped her open a new door into her life, allowing her to seek humility, while shutting the old door behind her? All the judgments she'd passed of others and now she found herself naked in the bed of a man she did not know well.
Yet she didn't want to leave, but felt she didn't deserve to stay.
"Don't go," Jared begged. "I've been with a lot of women but never with the same twice... I guess there is a first time in this for me too."
"Right now I'm in no position to judge you, but why me?" She asked quietly.
"You're the only woman that has ever given me a hard time. That has to stand for something."
Mia smiled and lay back down, putting her head on his shoulder, her hand on his chest. "What happens tomorrow, Jared?" He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead.
"I don't know. But if you and I are going to have a shot at a decent relationship, you're going to have to tell me your real name." Mia froze.
"Uh, what?" She coughed. How did he know? She thought. Am I really that bad of a liar? Jared chuckled.
"It's Ok. My first still thinks my name is Bartholomew." he said.
She laughed with an infinite a sense of relief. Then she said, "I’m Mia, Mia Nichole Williams." Jared smiled.
"Jared, Jared Joseph Leto.”
"Nice to meet you Jared." Mia smiled.
"Nice to meet you too, Mia Nichole."
Sign up to rate and review this story