Beautiful Surrender. Sherelle Green

remembered the exact moment the shot was taken. He had been staring at Mya for most of the day, intrigued by the mystery behind her gaze. He had wondered what she had been thinking and had decided to approach her just as he heard the round of applause and tore his gaze away from her to cheer for his brother and Lex when they walked into the room.

      Malik leaned in closer to his screen, wishing FaceTime had a zoom-in option so he could see the photo better. When he concluded that he couldn’t, he paused his FaceTime and searched through his emails to see if Lex had included that particular photo in the hundreds she’d sent him from the party. Luckily, she had grouped the photos and he was able to find the one he had been searching for. When he did, he zoomed in on his face in the photo before sliding his finger across the screen to view Mya.

      “How did I miss that?” he said to himself as he noticed Mya’s face in the photo for the first time. Her face may have been turned towards Micah and Lex, but her eyes were definitely pointed in his direction. There was no guarantee that she was looking at him, but his gut was telling him that she was.

      “Malik, you still there?”

      Malik exited his email and returned to his FaceTime chat with his brother. “Yeah, I’m still here, what did she say?”

      “You are one lucky man, my dude. Lex said that she could set up a meeting with Mya so that you can be the one to tell her the news. She’ll contact you to discuss the details.”

      “Sounds good,” Malik responded. After briefly catching up about work and family, Malik disconnected the call. He peered out the window at the light gray sky and wondered how Mya would take the news. He knew she wouldn’t like it, but maybe Mya was too professional to let him know how she really felt about him being the cohost.

       Chapter 2

      “You have got to be kidding me,” Mya said loudly with both hands on her hips as she paced back and forth. “No offense, but you don’t exactly strike me as the type to host an event like this. I’m pretty sure hosting a retirement party is more your speed.”

      Hosting a retirement party? He turned an eyebrow up at her as he listened to Mya’s voice bounce across the office walls. He had been in her office for ten minutes and Mya still seemed as irritated by the idea as she had when he had first delivered the news.

      Malik would be the first to admit that he didn’t exactly go club hopping every weekend. But in all his almost thirty-four years he had never had a woman make assumptions about him like the ones that were spurting from Mya’s mouth. A mouth that he wasn’t sure needed taming with words or his lips. Since he was pretty sure she would slap him across the face if he dared to pull her into his arms and silence her with a breathtaking kiss, he figured words were his only ally.

      “Hear me out,” he said, getting up from the sturdy chair. “I was surprised that the women wanted me to cohost too. But like it or not, we are in this together and I never break a commitment. Besides,” he continued as he stepped a little closer to her. “I happen to know a lot of professional singles in the Detroit area, as well as other Midwest cities, so we can use my connections to our advantage by pulling in as many influential people as possible.” Although he had been hesitant to accept at first, now that he was committed to hosting the event, he planned on doing a damn good job at it.

      “Right. Because that makes all the difference,” Mya mumbled sarcastically as she finally stopped pacing. “Look, I know that you’re well connected. But this charity date auction is really important to me. You have to be personable and engaging. Yes, it’s great that you have connections, but...never mind.” Mya crossed her arms over her chest in slight irritation.

      Malik gave her a stern look as he contemplated what he should say next. A part of him wanted to tell her to finish her statement. But he knew she’d only stopped herself because the words that had been on the tip of her tongue were unpleasant.

      “Mya, I understand that this may not be the most ideal situation for you.”

      “You think?” she said cutting him off.

      “But like it or not, I’m your cohost,” he continued, ignoring her interjection.

      Her arms remained crossed, but her facial expression softened.

      “This is a huge commitment because the event is next month. You don’t even live in Chicago, so I assume you’re fine with traveling back and forth from Detroit in case you’re needed before the event. I have to be able to rely on you.”

      Malik studied Mya’s expression and shook his head in disbelief. Responsible and dependable were two qualities often used to describe his character, yet Mya was treating him as if he wasn’t either. Granted, she didn’t know a lot about him, but he assumed with the mutual friends they shared, she knew enough.

      “I’ve had an office in Chicago for years since I have so many clients in this city,” he said enjoying the surprised look on her face. “So I’m constantly commuting anyway. Trust me, I’m a man of my word.”

      Mya squinted her eyes once more before the tension finally released from her face. She sat on the edge of her desk, her navy skirt rising ever so slowly up her luscious thighs. Smooth. Creamy. Kissable. In any other situation with an attractive woman, Malik would have kept his eyes positioned on the woman’s face. After all, he was a trained private investigator who usually portrayed patience and discipline.

      But Mya wasn’t just any woman and after listening to the incorrect judgments she’d made about his character since he stepped into her office, he figured he was allowed to take a look at the sexy set of legs he’d love to see wrapped around his midsection.

      When the room grew silent with awareness, Malik forced himself to tear his gaze away from her to peer at the clock on the wall.

      “I have to get going, but I’m in town for the next few days. How about we meet up and discuss some of the details for the charity date auction over dinner. I want to make sure I’m giving you exactly want you need,” Malik said, purposefully implying a double meaning. She couldn’t mask the interest reflected in her eyes quickly enough, proving to Malik that she could feel their chemistry as well. But he also knew that she would refuse to entertain the idea unless he gave her a push in the right direction.

      “I could pick you up around seven and we could head to that Spanish restaurant in the West Loop,” he continued. During Cyd and Shawn’s rehearsal dinner, he’d heard Mya mention to Lex that she had really been enjoying Spanish food lately. He wasn’t sure if that was still the case, but he hoped it was.

      She tilted her head to the side and slightly squinted her eyes in observation. “Why can’t we just meet for lunch or meet here at the office?”

      He sensed her hesitation, so he decided to adjust his tactic. “Tell you what,” he said crossing his arms over his chest. “If you want, we can meet at my office and I’ll order takeout. That way, you get to see my office and we won’t be alone because my assistant will still be there finalizing some paperwork for me.”

      Her brow creased as she considered his suggestion. Malik forced himself to concentrate on her face and not the increased pace of her breathing that drew attention to the peaks of her breasts lightly covered in a white blouse. To him, meeting in his private office was much more intimate than meeting in a restaurant, but the choice was hers to make.

      “So,” he said uncrossing his arms and placing his hands in the pockets of his sleek black slacks. “What will it be? The restaurant or my office?”

      * * *

      Mya met Malik’s stare, determined to give him her best poker face. She knew what he was doing. If she chose the restaurant, it would feel more like a date rather than a business dinner. If she chose his office, even with his assistant there, it would probably feel more intimate than the restaurant.

      She gave him a quick glance over. There was no doubt that Malik’s good looks would garner more attention