Sure. I’d initially been pissed, but wrapping my arms around that warm soft body, how could I be truly angry? Mia was genius. A rare breed. And she’d just come beautifully, melting around my huge pole like second nature. It was a meeting of the minds, as well as bodies, and that’s a rare thing in my world because usually, the girls are pretty but airheaded. Or even worse, they have rocks for brains. It felt like you couldn’t get beauty and intelligence both these days.
Unless you were Mia Smith, aka Anonimo, aka a thorn in my side as well as the most intriguing woman to cross my path in ages.
Mia’s head rested on my chest. Nuzzling my nose into that long wavy brown hair, a sweet floral smell flooded my nostrils and calmed me. My eyes were getting heavy despite not turning on the noise machine or any of the three fans. Holy shit, was I feeling drowsy just holding her in my arms? How was that possible? I was usually a tense ball of nerves what with running my empire.
But this female did it for me. Running my fingers through her hair, I was resolved to get to the bottom of this mystery. After all, Mia had gone through an immense amount of trouble to stick it to my business. But why?
So I began slow, as if working with a nervous filly.
“I still don’t understand,” I said. “Why are you so angry over that photo? You look gorgeous in it.”
She took a deep breath, cuddling closer to my side. Oh shit, those breasts were so lush and soft, distracting me for a moment. But I forced myself to focus. Talk was important.
“I never wanted to be famous, Theo,” she began. “At least not Picto-famous. Or any kind of famous, for that matter.” She looked up at me earnestly. “I’m a private person. And my bra’s plastered everywhere,” she said, making a wry face. “Plus, my mom called me absolutely furious. She said she almost had a stroke seeing her daughter half-naked flicking someone off on a billboard in my hometown.”
She peeked upwards at my expression.
I admit, I was trying not to smile.
“We’re Catholic. Mom said the Church Ladies Group at Saint Joseph is praying for me, as if that’s going to make a difference.”
I grimaced with a laugh. “Yikes! Don’t worry, honey, it’ll all blow over.” Of course, I didn’t exactly know. Being an orphan, I never had to consider any of my actions and what my parents would think about them. There was no fear of disappointing anyone but myself, but it was obvious how my orgy photos going public would cause a stir.
The brunette looked up at the ceiling while absently stroking my arm.
“It bothers me that this could happen to anyone. Pictogram sold my image to Mark Janow because Pictogram users have no rights. Do you think that’s fair? Including it in the fine print of the Terms of Service without really telling your users?”
I growled with conviction, meeting her eyes. “Yes. I think it’s fair. Just about as fair as anything else in life. Certainly, many circumstances in my life could be seen as unfair, but there’s no point in dwelling on that. You take the opportunities that come to you, just like what’s happened lately.”
Because I used to live my life thinking about all the hundreds of things that weren’t fair too. But the minute I stopped feeling sorry for myself, my life exploded in a number of different ways. I could see opportunities that were closed off before. I could use my energy wisely, going in directions that previously seemed impossible. So while yes, there was fair and unfair, everything worked out in the end. It was all about re-setting yourself mentally to make the most of your God-given talents.
And it seemed this girl understood, her chin nodding with understanding, but then she pursed her lips again.
“Yes, but…I mean, don’t you care about your users? People who love your app?”
That was an easy answer.
“I do. They’ve made me a billionaire, but they all agree to the user policies before they upload a single photo. Legal put it all together.”
Mia shook her head slowly, still thinking.
“I see what you mean, but technically, I didn’t agree to anything. My friend Jill uploaded my photo on her profile. I don’t even have an account.”
Understanding coursed through my conscience, but still, the ruthless ways I’d developed as a CEO took over.
“Do you want money?” I said roughly. “I can make it worth your while.” Maybe that would smooth things over. Because after finding Anonimo’s location, I cross referenced the address with the student directory and found Mia’s name. From there, I dug into her records and found her home address in Southern California. It wasn’t crazy hacker skills at all. It was just normal sleuthing that anyone could have done.
And I found out that Mia was from Carpinteria, a modest neighborhood in Southern California. Her mom Lindy worked as a hairdresser. With some extra digging, I found out the house had a second mortgage, and although the beautiful girl was on scholarship, extra money was likely much needed.
But Mia turned offended eyes to me then. “No. I don’t want money. I would never want to accept money that I haven’t truly earned,” she said tightly.
Respect coursed through me because so many people would have taken the bait. Who was this girl who actually wanted to work, instead of siphoning off my billions?
“That’s noble,” I said. “But look at it this way. Technically, you did earn it. It is your face and your bra,” I chuckled to lighten the mood.
Her brows drew down even as she turned over on her side. Spooning her curviness, I noticed how well our bodies fit together. She felt perfect in my arms.
But then her voice came, small and determined.