by Mia Faith
“Anyway, I’m back in the country in two months, so we should hang out then. It’s unlikely anyone else will make the time.”
Damn it, there was a sadness to Ethan’s tone now too, which resonated with me. Our family just wasn’t the sentimental, touchy-feely type. “I will meet you,” I insisted. “Don’t you worry about that; we’ll do something fun and you can tell me all about your travels.”
As soon as we hung up, I set about finding the right file for Mason. I’d already taken long enough; there was no way he’d be impressed, and now I had to try even harder to keep my temper inside. Now every time he made me mad I would think about the heartache that drove him to be the successful businessman he was, and hopefully, that would be okay.
“Aha!” As I walked back up, I felt a little more positive about everything.
Well, I did until I saw Mason and his glowering expression. Even as I handed the file out to him, he didn’t crack from his frown. “Took you damn long enough,” he yelled far too loudly, causing everyone in the nearby vicinity to turn around to stare. “What the hell were you doing? , He was getting louder and louder. I had to ball up my fists to stop myself from losing my temper. “I haven’t got all day, you know? If you don’t understand that being a stockbroker is a fast-paced profession, then maybe you’re in the wrong job.”
He folded his arms across his chest, almost as if he were waiting for me to answer him. I pursed my lips together, trying to keep all the words inside. Mason had been through a lot… that was why he treated people badly… I just had to stand there and take it in the same way that everyone else did… it would be over soon enough…
“Maybe I need to find some easier jobs for you, huh?” Oh God, it was getting increasingly hard to stop myself from reacting. “Is that what you would like? Maybe something admin would be more up your street?” My blood was boiling; I was shaking under the pressure of my anger. “Or how about you going to work with those giggling idiots that answer the phone?” Now he was insulting my friends too? What the hell had happened to him to cause such a reaction? “I was promised such high things when I hired you. Clearly, that was wrong.”
Breathe, I warned myself. Don’t react; just take it. But my brain was darting about, rage bulldozed through my whole body, and I couldn’t keep it to myself any longer. Sure, he’d had a hard time, but that wasn’t my fault. There was no need to treat me that way at all.
“Will you just shut up?” I suddenly heard myself yelling back. I suddenly felt like I was having an out of body experience. Like I had no control over myself anymore. “Is there any need to speak to me like I’m shit? Have I actually done something to deserve that?”
Everyone might have watched as I got chunks torn out of me, but now that I was giving something back, all their eyes were averting like crazy. They were trying to act like nothing was happening in front of them, but they weren’t leaving the room. They wanted to hear, even if they couldn’t see. This had obviously been a long time coming; it was just a shame that it had to be me that said it. Especially now that I knew more about Mason’s life, but I didn’t feel like that excused the way he treated other people.
“Do you get a kick out of berating people in public?” Shit, all my emotions were coming out now. I’d opened the floodgates wide. “Does it make you feel like a big man? These people here work hard for you, they put their own reputations on the line for you, and you treat them like hell. Do you actually feel like that’s a good way to do business? Don’t you think that happy employees would be better?”
I broke off, panting and breathless, reality hitting me. This wasn’t a dream after all: this was real life, and I’d just yelled at my boss in front of everyone. I was about to be fired, there was no doubt about it.
I shrank in on myself, feeling small and afraid. This was awful, the worst thing that had ever happened to me, and now I was going to really get it.
But instead, weirdly, he burst out laughing. I felt the whole room still in shock as everyone gave him odd looks. Had he really cracked up or was I about to get the biggest ass-chewing ever?
“Okay, I hear ya,” he said, patting me on the arm as if it were a joke. “That’s fair enough.” The tight knot in my chest loosened as, for some odd reason, he didn’t seem angry after all. “You’ll have to let me take you out for dinner tonight, so you can tell me more.”
What? What was happening? Did he just ask me out on a date? My whole body flushed with embarrassment and excitement. What did I even say to that? I mean, did I even want to go out with this guy? Okay, stupid question, I really did even if he wasn’t pleasant to work with, but could I? Wouldn’t that be really weird?
Shit, he was staring at me, waiting for an answer. “Oh, erm, sure,” I said, just because I needed to give him something. “Sounds nice.”
Sounds nice? How lame was I? Couldn’t I think of anything better than that?
“Great. I’ll pick you up at eight then.”
And that was that. He flawlessly transitioned back into work mode, so I did my best to do the same, but my brain was everywhere. What was this? How should I dress? How was I supposed to act? Surprisingly, after my little speech, I was even more stressed than before, and there was no shouting that could cure that!
Chapter Five
"Are you sure?” I gasped in panic, trying to show Carly the entirety of my outfit in the video chat screen on my phone. “It doesn’t look too date like?”
“This is a date, stop trying to deny it,” Carly rolled her eyes at me. “You look great. Mason is going to fall head over heels in love with you in a second.”
“That isn’t what I want,” I shook my head rapidly. Was that really the impression I was giving off in the knee-length red dress and black heels? I had my hair hanging loosely down my back in a way that I hoped was natural, but maybe I still looked too dressy. I did look a bit like someone who wanted to be loved... damn it, I had to find something else to wear.
Beep, beep.
“Oh God, I don’t even have time to change,” I groaned, slapping my palm on my forehead. “That’s him outside. I can hear the car horn. Shit, I’m so nervous! What am I going to do?”
“Oh my God, do you even know how lucky you are?” Carly squealed excitedly. “Stop moaning; you’re about to have the best time ever. Will you just go out there and get Mason into bed? We’re all desperate to know how good he is!”
I hung up quickly, not wanting to even think about that. There was no way I was getting into any bed with Mason, not a chance in hell. This was complicated enough without me adding any more to it. It was already going to be weird enough going back to work after having a date, never mind after sex... I just didn’t think I could do it.
My heart raced, my chest went hot with fear, but I forced my way to the front door anyway. I was far too intrigued to not go, however much the idea of this scared me. The curiosity , inside of me was stronger than any other emotion. As I tugged open the door, I saw Mason standing there, holding open the door to a very flashy limo. It was so immense that it only gave me a spilled second to look at how heart-stopping gorgeous he looked in his well-fitting tuxedo. But in that second, my heart flipped like crazy. It was almost unbelievable: me going out with him. To an onlooker, it probably looked like some sort of crazy joke.
“Oh my goodness,” I exclaimed, slapping my hand across my mouth. “What is all of this?” There was no denying it now, this had to be a date. There was no way Mason would go through all of that for a simple work dinner. Would he? And how did I feel about that? “This is madness.”
“You scared me today,” he teased with a wicked smile across his lips. “I’m trying to appease you before you start yelling again.”
This side of him was more the Mason I knew, the one I remembered from all those years ago, the playful teasing, and it actually helped me to relax a little bit. I could go out with that version of Mason; it was the professional him that intimidated me like crazy. Maybe this night wouldn’t be so bad after all!
“Well, you better hope that everything is perfect,” I replied, holding my nose up in the air, matching his joking tone. “I don’t know if I’ve gotten all my temper out just yet.”
He held the door open for me, acting the proper gentleman, treating me in a way that no guy had ever done before, and it made me melt inside. I’d never felt so protected, so adored before, and I had to admit, it was a little bit intoxicating.
As the car whizzed through the city, towards the French restaurant that Mason had chosen for our date, we reminisced about our past, not even once talking about our present. We recalled funny events that occurred in our home, we chatted about Ethan’s bad attitude towards his mom that hadn’t dulled as he got older, and we remembered how goofy we both were. It was incredible.
This was what I thought it would be like when I started working with Mason; this was the way I wanted it to be all along. Everything would have been so much easier for me if he’d just acted like my friend.
I got so lost in our conversation that I actually forgot we were on a date until we pulled up outside a building that was much too fancy for me. My eyes ran over the place in a stunned silence. This looked like the sort of building celebrities frequented, people with billions of dollars to spend, not nobodies like me. This was the sort of place that fit in with new Mason, not the one I wanted to spend time with. I had to try to put a stop to it before we got too far. Once we were inside those doors, there was no turning back.
“Did you... book a table?” I asked, a little anxiously, expecting him to turn around and bite my head off.
“I don’t need to,” he looked incredibly proud of that fact. “They always have a table reserved for me. They love me in there.”
Did that mean he’d brought a lot of dates here? I really didn’t want to be just another one in a list. Just because I assumed Mason was still sensible when it came to women didn’t mean I was right. From what Ethan had told me, I didn’t know anything about this man at all!
“I know this might seem silly, but do you mind if we go somewhere else?” I scanned my eyes down the street, seeing a friendly looking Italian place not too far away. “Ooh look, let’s go for pizza!”
“Really?” he looked really taken aback by that. He paused and stared at me thoughtfully for a second before continuing. “Wow, you really aren’t like other women, are you?”
“Erm, what do you mean by that?” I wasn’t sure whether he meant that as an insult or not, so I didn’t know if I should be offended just yet. It didn’t seem like a horrible statement from his tone, but I wasn’t about to base my judgment on that.
“Well, I mean most women want a lot of money spent on them on a date. They want to be taken to over-the-top places and order the most expensive thing on the menu. They never want to go for pizza. It just seems a little crazy to me but in the best way possible. You keep on surprising me, and I really like that.”
Luckily it seemed like there was some admiration in his gaze, so I shrugged and smiled bashfully. “Well, I would just rather be comfortable.” I really meant that. I wasn’t impressed by his money at all; I much preferred him before he was rich. I just wanted to have a nice time with the guy I liked, and that would never have happened in that fancy French place.
As we walked inside, I felt relieved that I’d spoken up. I wouldn’t have been able to relax in that other place even for a second. I would have been convinced that everyone was staring at me, looking at me like I didn’t fit in; then I would have started acting stilted and weird. Then I never would have gotten to the bottom of why Mason asked me out.
We took our table and placed our orders quickly, and as we did, I noticed that Mason was still being much more open and friendly. “Why don’t you act this way at work?” I asked, starting with the one topic that I promised myself I would avoid. “You’re just so much more... approachable.”
“Oh, you know how it is,” he shrugged, acting blasé. “The whole ‘you catch more flies with honey’ is all bullshit. Vinegar works so much better.” When I didn’t respond, he decided to continue. “I had to work hard, to prove myself, to show that I was worthy. No one respected me at first because I hadn’t yet made a name for myself. I had to be hardnosed; it was the only way to get by.”
“Okay, but why now?” If I could get through to him, then maybe it wouldn’t be so hard as we got back to work. Maybe I could really change him. “Why are you still acting that way?”
“Have you ever had staff?” he sneered. “No one likes to do as they’re told, not unless there’s a threat up their ass. You have to strong-arm people into what you want them to do; that’s just the way that it is. Especially in this world.” He leaned back in his chair and looked me up and down. “You should learn that if you want to get by.”
Okay, there was no point in holding back anymore; I’d already said too much. “But everyone at work hates you,” I insisted. “Is that what you want? Wouldn’t you prefer your staff to like you?”
“I don’t care,” he shrugged. “They respect me, and that’s much better.”
At that moment, our conversation was stopped by the waitress bringing over our food, but it didn’t leave my mind. I didn’t agree with him one bit. I felt like there had to be a way to be respected and liked as a boss. I was sure of it. My dad ran a department and as far as I was aware, everyone liked him.
I would just have to find a way to show Mason that while also making it seem like it was his discovery. I got the sense that was how he worked, and there was no point in trying to change the elements that were intrinsically him; it was only this fake nasty bit that I wanted to get rid of.
“This is nice,” he sounded surprised. “To be honest, I haven’t been anywhere like this since I made my money, and it’s nicer than I remember.”
“I’ll have to bring you again,” I teased, half hoping that it would actually happen. I wasn’t sure what would happen tomorrow, but I really hoped that this wouldn’t be the end of... whatever this was.
As I watched him eat, I felt tempted to ask him about his parents, and the horror of finding out the truth of where he came from, but I forced myself to stop at the very last moment. He’d kept that private for many years, it was obviously something that he didn’t share easily. Plus, I didn’t want to betray Ethan’s trust like that. If Mason ever wanted to tell me, I wanted him to tell me of his own accord.
No, that was not first date conversation. We needed to keep things light. Or as I light as we could manage; there was a lot of history between us, after all.
“It was good, you know,” he finally said casually. “When you yelled at me, I mean.”
“It was?” I replied cautiously. Where the hell was he going with this? “Really?”
“Yeah, no one ever does that; everyone always just takes it,” his eyes finally connected with mine and I felt my heart flutter with excitement. “I have to say, you might be the only woman on that trade floor, but you have the biggest balls in there.”
I burst out laughing, hysteria consuming me, and very quickly he joined in. It got to the point where we were actually snorting we were laughing that hard. It felt incredible to be so carefree with the man who’d been tormenting me for the last few days.
Maybe this really would be the start of something new. Maybe I’d broken down the barriers surrounding him in just a short time and he was going to change completely.
Although as I tried to picture this easy going man out on the floor of the office, I could see that maybe people would walk all over him. Particularly people like Derrick. Not that he was around anymore.
It was a tough one, but I still didn’t think that it was impossible.
Chapter Six
“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Mason threw his arm over my shoulder and grinned at me as we left the restaurant. “It wasn’t too horrible to spend the evening with me?”
Well, I wasn’t about to admit that I’d had one of the best nights of my life now, was I? I needed to keep something to myself!
Spending a more casual night with Mason, reminiscing and having a laugh was one of the best dates that I’d ever had, but I couldn’t let his head get any bigger. “It wasn’t painful,” I teased, pushing him away playfully. “I expected you to be the big boss man tonight, the unbearable man that makes his employees cower in fear.”
For a second his expression dropped, and I actually felt bad. I’d already given him a hard time about the way he was, so maybe bringing it up again was one step too far. I bit down on my lip, my brain whirring trying to think of a way to make things right again, but luckily his face burst into a beaming smile and my emotions rose once more. I loved the easygoing nature we had between us, and I was glad to have it back once more.
“Yeah, yeah, keep it up... we’ll see how much longer you have your job!” But as he pulled me in for a hug, I knew I was all right. “Now, shall I call the car? Did you want to get a ride back?”
Half of me did, but another big part of me wasn’t anywhere near ready for the night to be over just yet. “Why don’t we go for a drink first, then maybe I’ll let you walk me home?” I wouldn’t be inviting him inside, however much I wanted to, just because I couldn’t. I didn’t want him to think that of me, and I also never wanted it to get back to Ethan that I was up for a one-night stand – that would be so humiliating!
“Sounds great. Where do you want to go?”
I spotted a bar nearby, which seemed like the obvious option, so I pointed quickly. “That’ll do; come on.”
At that moment, he laced his fingers through mine to lead me towards the bar and my heart fluttered like crazy. This was a little bit more than a first date action; this was almost boyfriend like, and unfortunately it was making my heart yearn. Because I knew Mason; because I’d seen this other side of him when we were younger. I liked him more than just for his body, however incredible that was. I might have spent a lot of time fantasizing about him, but that was because I liked him.