Lingering Kiss

Chapter 1

Fred had been worried about Drey since his father passed away six months ago, and the trip to the UK had been scheduled to end all the bullshit Adley had been dragging out. Drey had been on top of the Adley project and Fred was glad when he had decided to hand it to him to spend their time there to get his mojo back.

So, with Drey off the Adley's, he was on one-hundred percent. The Adley project was their first one in the UK and according to Drey; if they got it, it would be nice. But according to him; when they get it, it would be whatever. This deal would be the first of many and he was sure of it.

Drey and Fred started AFTech from nothing and now it was one of the top five Engineering companies in the US. They would make it no matter who they got into business with and Adley would be a damned lucky son of a gun to be in business with them. He knew it and so did Adley.

Since the arrived in the UK yesterday, Fred had been working on last minutes additions to the presentation he was giving Adley. Drey had handed the project to him last minute and even though he knew nearly everything that was in the presentation, he always liked to add a few bits and pieces to it.

He had left the hotel early to get an early start on the day. The presentation had gone well as expected and he left the Adley company building like he wasn't a hundred percent sure they were getting Adley signed before the end of the day. He had driven to the nearest coffee place and got out of his shiny grey Bentley GT and shut the door as people who walked past him gave him the looks. The looks he knew all too well. The I-want-to-be-him look guys gave him and the I-wish-he-was-mine the ladies gave him. He was used to it and over it. He had gotten burned because of that look.

Fred stepped onto the sidewalk and walked straight into the almost full café. One step inside and the smell of coffee engulfed him snapping him out of his lack of coffee state he had been in. He should have grabbed one before the meeting but he wanted to take his time with it and not rush it. Coffee was to be savored.

He walked to the counter ignoring the looks he was getting and headed straight for the counter with the shortest queue. He got there just as the second person walked away with a full coffee holder in her hand giving him a sexy smile that made him look away. He took out his phone and got busy with it trying to avoid any direct looks.

"Here you go." The girl behind the counter said to the person in front of him.

"Thank you." Fred looked up from his phone when he heard that soft breathy almost angelic voice.

The woman in front of him turned around and he frowned. The woman's gaze caught him and he saw the recognition in her eyes but the small smile she gave him before she walked past him was what made his frown deepen. He turned around and caught her arm before she got away.

"Hey." He said

She looked at him then at his hand on her arm which made him pull away. She looked up at him again and gave that same polite smile.
"Hi."

He was confused. She seemed to recognize him and she was acting like they were strangers. Yeah, they had just met the previous night and weren't well acquainted but they knew things about each other. Her attitude towards him was supposed to be more welcoming.

"Hello?" She waved her free hand in front of him.

"You're Josie's friend." He said, "Mia, right?"
He knew damn well her name was Mia.

"Yea." She said

"You remember me, right?" He asked just to be sure "We met last night at..."

"I remember you." She said when he tried to provide more information.