Mia Thorne is married to Caleb Thorne an ambitious politician with a shady past. Unbeknowst to Mia, while working as a US attorney, Caleb destroyed evidence against a drug lord from Bolivia. In return the elusive crime organization funded his political career.

After growing tired of Caleb's unfaithfulness Mia demands a divorce. When her husband refused, Mia hatches a plan to blackmail her husband. In search of incriminating evidence Mia hires private investigator Antonio Alba touncover the true connection between Caleb and the drug cartel.

Mia is instantly attracted to Antonio but fights the temptation of becoming involved with him. The investigation is going well until a violent scare forces her to call Antonio in the middle of the night. The investigator comes to her rescue and she spends the night with him at a hotel. They make love that night and Mia feels like she is falling in love with him.

When questioned about her night out, Mia tells her husband that she fell asleep at the office. During the following weeks Mia begins seeing Antonio romantically. On one occasion she decided to surprise Antonio with lunch at his office, where to her shock she finds the mystery man chatting with Antonio in Spanish.

She runs out the building and Antonio chases after her and convinces her that the man was hired by Caleb to keep track of her whereabouts.

The following weekend Mia and Caleb attend a charity gala. Caleb is overly affectionate, ensuring that all in attendance believe them to be the perfect couple.

During the gala the mystery man posed as a waiter attempts to shoot Mia and accidentally hits Caleb.

Caleb is taken to the hospital, accompanied by a terrified Mia. In his hospital bed Caleb apologizes for all his wrong doings and promises to be a better husband.

The shooting at the gala garners heavy media attention and Mia is forced to do interviews and attend a press conference with a wounded Caleb to announce his run for congress.

One day at her office Mia receives a visit from the FBI. The detective tells her that there is an investigation underway in regards to her husband and his connections with drug money. Secretly Mia agrees to aide the FBI.

After her meeting with the authorities Mia decides to abort the investigation and end her relationship with Antonio.

Life returns to it's normal pace with Caleb being the perfect husband. Then One evening Mia comes home find Caleb chain smoking, looking completely in a daze. He tells her that their son has been kidnapped. In fear that the story may be leaked to the press and the world learns of his involvement with the cartel, Caleb agrees to pay the $500,000 ransom being demanded.

Together Mia and Caleb drive to an abandoned warehouse. It is there that Mia learns the truth of what's really going on: Antonio was hired by Caleb to orchestrate her murder at the gala, but things obviously went array when the hired shooter missed his target.

The kidnapping was a hoax to lure Mia to the warehouse to be murdered. She also learns that her best friend Christina is having an affair with Caleb, and she was the mastermind behind the conspiracy to have her murdered.

When Caleb and Christina leave Antonio to kill Mia he confesses that he has no intention of hurting her. Antonio wants Mia to take the money and run away with him to start a new life together.

Mia falls into his arms and they make love. When Antonio falls asleep, Mia runs off with the money.

Mia finds Caleb at home with Christina in her matrimonial bed. They are suprised that she is alive. It is then that she reveals that she had been wired and working with the authorities since the shooting at the gala.

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Prologue:

A buen hambre no hay pan duro - (When you are really hungry no bread is too hard to eat)

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The scene played over and over again in her troubled mind.

"I'd rather see you dead than divorce you," he screamed.

Mia felt frozen in time with pain, hurt and disillusionment. "Why?" she pleaded. "Why won't you let me go?"

"You know exactly why," he sneered at her.

The look in his eyes was answer enough.

Mia Thorne knew exactly why her husband had no intentions to let her go. It was not an undying love he had for her. It had nothing to do with the vows he took on their wedding day or the child that they shared.

Her husband was a politician.

Caleb Thorne, the ultra-conservative republican with his eyes on reaching congress. To achieve this feet he had to be flawless with no skeletons in his closet or a bitch of an ex-wife to ruin the good name he worked so hard to create.

He desired to be a role model for his country. A nasty divorce, even in this day and age would be detrimental to his political career. Especially for a black politician hell bent on having the nation forget the Obama era.

Caleb Thorne was an experienced attorney, civil rights advocate, and community leader.

Her husband was one of the most connected men in Washington. He served on numerous Maryland boards and commissions including the Board of Visitors (BOV) to the United States Naval Academy. He had pastors, business men and heads of state at his fingertips.

Mia was no match for Caleb Thorne.

She knew this all too well. And that is what brought her here today to the lowly office on the wrong side of town.

If she wanted to take on Caleb Thorne, she'd need some heavy arsenal. The type of information that could bring a powerful man to his knees.

A friend of hers had given her the number for an Antonio Alba. He had come highly recommended. A ruthless private investigator who specialized in digging up dirt in hard to find places.

Enclosed in the comfort of a gun-metal grey Mercedes Benz coupe she carefully followed the directions from her GPS with extra care to an dipilated store-front plaza. South-East Washington D.C. was not an area she was familiar with.

Mia slowly pulled into the rundown parking lot, deftly avoiding a pothole filled with dirty water.

She parked the car in front of a liquor store and cringed at the sight young men with their pants hung low loitering about. The investigator held his office above the shop.

She threw on a pair of sunglasses covering her dark slanted eyes, and carefully stepped out of the car.

The boys all paused at the sight of her.

Her body was slight and even, with dark glowing skin, a small waist and pretty lips. She wasn't model pretty, but she turned heads and demanded attention anywhere she went.

"Morning, gentlemen." She smiled slightly as she walked past the group.

"Mawning, Miss Pretty Lady," one of them responded. He was light skinned with crooked teeth and a lazy eye.

She reached for the door, but ole lazy eye beat her to it.

He held it open for Mia as she made her way through. "Thank you," she said making her way past him.

"No problem," he smiled grabbing his crotch. He was obviously drunk.

Mia rolled her eyes behind the dark shades. The last thing she wanted to do was entertain this fool by paying him any attention. She smiled slightly and made her way up uneven stairs to the second landing without incident.

She walked down a short corridor to the last door on the left. Each step she took her heart began to beat just a bit faster with anticipation. She was taking the first steps toward her freedom.

Mia stopped at the office door and took a deep breath. She removed the heavy sunglasses from her face and placed them into her purse. She turned the door-knob and stepped in.

One look at the office and Mia was suddenly filled with doubt. This was not going to work, she thought.

The waiting area was completely desolate. No receptionist to greet her or offer coffee as she waited to meet the investigator.

Mia felt a sense of despair come over her.

There was nothing in the office other than empty seats and a deserted desk where a secretary of some sort should have been present.

Mia spun on her heels. She wanted to leave. This was a bad idea. There had to be another way to escape Caleb Thorne.

But before she had the chance to run back to her car in defeat a man stepped into the outer office.

"Hello," he said slight Spanish accent. "Are you the woman who called?"

Mia paused for a moment making eye contact with the latino gentleman standing in front of her. He was dressed in all black - slim fitting slacks that hugged his thighs and a loose fitted shirt.

The man stood a clear foot taller than her with a rich caramel complexion, a square jaw with slight stubble and opal black eyes that stared at Mia intensely.

His eyes swept her entire body as if he were a connoisseur of women. "Are you Mia Thorne?" his words softly broke the spell that she seemed to be under.

Heat burned her cheeks. She bit her bottom lip, feeling him study her profile, her every curve.

"Yes," she answered regaining her composure. "You must Antonio Alba?"

"That's right," he smiled. "Why don't you come into my office." he motioned for her to follow him down the short corridor.

She watched each step he took to the small room he called an office.

Antonio pulled out a seat for Mia to sit. She looked down at the chair and grimaced. The wood from the left armrest was missing and there was a dark stain on the cushion. She sat down, against her own judgment.

Antonio took a seat behind a nondescript wooden desk. "Please excuse the look of this place. I actually just moved into this space and been too busy to really fix it up and make it my own."

Mia nodded her head as though she completely understood. Although she did not. "Why have an office in the middle of the ghetto?" The moment the words left her lips she regretted it. Had life of a privileged politician's wife had made her a snob?

Antonio had laughed at her comment.

Mia noticed that he had perfectly straight teeth. A flawless smile she found so attractive.

"Well, Mrs Thorne," he said glancing at her breasts. "The reason I chose this neighborhood was because I think some of the young men in this area really need to see a successful business owned by a Dominican."

"So you're here to inspire. Hmmm...very noble of you." Mia's voice was icily sarcastic. She heard so many black heroic speeches from Caleb over the years that she couldn't help but roll her eyes when anyone else came with same progressive thoughts.

Antonio ignored her dismissive tone. "Well, Mrs Thorne tell me what brings you to my office?"

"I need to get to the bottom of a certain situation involving City Councilman Caleb Thorne - my husband." Mia said.

Antonio nodded his head, listening intently.

"There's been rumors about my husband."

Antonio raised an eyebrow. "Rumors, such as?"

Mia uncrossed, and recrossed her legs. It was a seductive move that Mia knew did not go unnoticed. "He was involved in drugs."

The detective leaned back in the office chair and rest his feet a top his scarred wooden desk. "So was he using them or selling them?"

Mia took a deep breath. She felt her heart began to pound in her chest. Are you actually ready to do this? She couldn't help but ask herself.

She stood up from her seat and walked over to the window overlooking the traffic down below. There was nothing much to see, but people milling about and vehicles pulling in and out of the storefront parking lot.

She kept her eyes on the avenue as she spoke. "Before my husband became city councilman he was a lawyer for the US attorneys office."

Mia could feel Antonio's eyes survey the curves of her body as she spoke.

She purposely avoided turning around and facing the private detective. "One of my husband's largest cases involved a drug lord from South America. There were rumors that he got paid off to lose the case."

Mia was in the midst of explaining what she remembered about the drug trial when she felt Antonio's presence in close proximity to her body.

Too close for comfort, Mia thought.

She turned around abruptly to see Antonio standing inches away from her svelte body.

He was so close that Mia could feel his breath softly caressing her face.

Antonio spoke in a baritone that sent a chill down Mia's back. "So you need me to find out if there is any truth to these rumors?"

She had to admit that she liked the way his words curled from her lips. Everything about this man screamed sex appeal. Caleb hadn't touched her in months. Now this man was standing in front of her, undressing her with his eyes.

She couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have him inside her.

This is business, Mia reminded herself. There was no way she could get involved with this man.

Mia cautiously inched away from him. Her back was against the window pane. She avoided eye contact when she spoke. "I need you to find out if my husband was involved with these dealers."

A smirk crept on Antonio's caramel face. "So you need some dirt on your husband to use as ammunition against him in divorce court."

"Exactly!" Mia said with a sigh of relief. It felt reassuring to finally have someone on her side. Then it suddenly dawned on Mia that she never did tell Antonio why she was investigating her husband. "How did you know I was getting a divorce?"

"Let's just say unhappy wives are my specialty."

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Mia left Antonio's office feeling more conflicted than she did when she arrived. She had no doubt that he could do the job but was she making the right decision.

Blackmail. That's what it was. Could she do it? Can I actually pull this off? She couldn't help but ask herself. Caleb had left her no other choice. She'd have to tear him down in order to set herself free.

She met her husband eleven years ago when she was finishing up at law school. Caleb Thorne was already making a name for himself in US Attorney office handling some of the city's most notorious cases. Mia on the other hand had yet to take her bar exam but managed to score a volunteer position assisting a criminal defense attorney.

It was on one fateful day in court that she first set eyes on her future husband.

She fumbled into the courtroom along with her old boss lawyer Mark Levine. He was getting up in age, but was still sharp as a lawyer half his age. It wasn't the first time he went toe-to-toe with Caleb but Mia had never seen him before.

The case at hand was of a young man accused of possession of narcotics. Old Mark Levine was completely prepared. Mia on the other hand was completely distracted.

She watched Caleb Thorne in a daze. There he was tall, dark and handsome. He wore a navy suit, a crisp white shirt and crimson tie. Everything about him was mesmerizing.

His smile took Mia's breath away.

She was barely paying attention to all that was happening. The spell she was under was only broken by the rapping of the judge's gavel. "This case is adjourned."

"Great work," Mia had said looking directly at Caleb.

A wry grin came over his handsome face. "Best work I ever done in a case I lost."

Mia's face became flush with embarrassment. "Well, I..." she was at a loss for words.

"Come along Mia," Mr Levine said gesturing for the exit door with his client.

"I'll be right there," Mia said gathering her belongings.

"Talk about kicking a man when he's down."

Mia was beginning to walk away. "I didn't mean to insult you."

Caleb reached for her arm, stopping her from leaving. "Really? I think I'm going to need a full explanation."

"A full explanation? What does that mean?"

"I mean let me take you out tonight."

Mia agreed.

Later that night Mia was met with disappointment when she learned that Caleb had opted to invite her to his apartment in Georgetown rather than take her out.

They ate pizza, drank cheap wine and watched a movie on TV. Mia wasn't impressed by the arrangement but Caleb was charming, smart and sexy.

She must have had too many sips wine when Caleb reached in and kissed her lips. Before she knew it he was on top of her, stroking her body with his hands whispering in her ear. His love making was sweet and sensual.

Mia awoke the following morning in an indescribable bliss. She was in love. From that day forward Mia and Caleb were inseparable. In six months she had moved into his apartment. A year into the relationship the two were married and five years later Mia and Caleb welcomed their son Jordan.

But now things had changed. It felt like they were simply two people living in one household that were on two different pages on how a marriage should be.

The first bone of contention between the couple was when Jordan turned two and Mia decided to go back to work as an attorney.

Caleb was livid - to him Mia returning to work made absolutely no sense. He was making a handsome living as a US attorney and had expressed ambitions of joining the world of politics. He needed a woman to be the background to his foreground.

But Mia had a law degree in good standing and had no intention of throwing it away.

Originally she had imagined herself as a hard-boiled prosecutor enacting justice on the wrong-doers of society. Caleb Thorne didn't want the competition.

As a compromise to please her husband Mia opened a small law office handling wills, estates and property deeds. It was mundane work. Mia felt like nothing more than a glorified office administrator.

Mia wasn't bitter. Giving up on her dream of becoming a prosecutor was a sacrifice she made in the name of love. It was a shame Caleb didn't do the same. As he ascended up the latter of success he spent less and less time at home.

Mia knew he was doing more than handling criminal cases when he came home late. Over the years there had been a series of affairs, none of which she could prove but Mia wanted out.

When Caleb refused to grant her a divorce and threatened her life Mia confided in her best friend Christina Morris on what she should do. It was Christina who comprised the entire plan: Gather information on Caleb and then threaten his career if he didn't cooperate.

She had sent Mia to Antonio Alba. The guapo. Mia couldn't deny her attraction to the man. "Let's just say unhappy wives are my specialty." She remembered how the words rolled off his tongue like droplets of summer rain on a windowpane.

Antonio was sexy. His hair was perfectly in place like he walked off the cover of a magazine. The image of him in all black made her pussy suddenly throb.

Mia banished the thought from her mind.

All though her marriage was on the rocks she had no intention to get involved with a new man.

Now she was driving in her car comtemplating her next move. She came to a red light when her mobile phone chimed. Deftly she put the cellular to her ear. "Mia Thorne," she answered.

"Hey, girl how did things go with Antonio?"

"Okay."

"Just okay," Christina guffawed. "This is your first step to freedom."

Mia sighed. "I just wished there was another way."

"It's the only way."

"I know," Mia grimly acknowledged.

"By the way are you busy now?"

"I was going to head over to office. What's up?"

"How about lunch at CUBE."

"I'll meet you there."

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