by Mia Ford
I had not felt this way since the beginning of the relationship with Lana. Would it fade as it had with her?
I turned out the light once I grew tired and thought about how to begin this. I was going to have her and go about that the right way.
I rose early enough to jog and came back to shower again, dressing in my black slacks and blue shirt that brought out my eyes. I knew that I looked good in it and if she was interested in me at all, this would pull her closer to me. I made a point of going to the coffee shop where we met to order us both large drinks, walking them across to the building and getting on the elevator.
I saw her settling in when I came to her desk, wearing a soft pink dress that had a vintage style to it. I handed her the coffee that I purchased for her and Isabelle looked at the cup in surprise. “Thanks.”
“I was going for myself and I’ll never forget the smell of your drink,” I told her as she looked up and met my eyes.
“I thought it was the assistant that was supposed to bring coffee to the boss,” Isabelle murmured as I smiled crookedly, knowing what it did to women.
“Not when I know what my beautiful assistant likes to drink. I am the aggressive one, it seems.” Isabelle widened her eyes and pressed her full, pink lips together as she reached for her cup, inhaling it. “I told you I knew what it was.”
That was enough for now and I walked into my office, leaving the door open. I smiled as I went to my desk and set the steaming cup down, going to take a look outside at the city as I typically did. It made me feel alive though my cock hardening in my pants was from something else entirely.
I got to work, setting up another lunch and sending Isabelle a message to save the date. I had a great time sitting beside her in that booth, feeling the heat of her skin as I carried on business. I wanted to reach down and touch her under the table, but resisted because I knew it was too fast for her. She responded with something positive and I smiled before I opened the story from the previous night to read, leaving email and messaging open in case Isabelle had anything else to say.
I got an invitation to lunch from a manager and agreed to it since I wasn’t going to ask Isabelle yet. I did give her a long look when I passed her desk, seeing her flush a deep pink as she pretended to read the screen. I smiled as I went to meet Nathan and we talked business over the meal since he had a potential client that wanted to meet up with me. It sounded promising, and I agreed as I reached for my water, sipping it slowly. I made a note to contact them and set up lunch as we moved on to other topics, looking forward to inviting Isabelle to another meeting.
We stood to leave, and I told him that I was going to order something for dinner and that I might be late a few minutes. I ordered some pasta for Isabelle to bring back, selecting a chicken Alfredo dish since I knew how good it was. I walked back to the building with the bag, walking right up to her desk to see her still reading. “I thought I might find you here. I brought you some lunch.”
“Oh. You didn’t have to do that,” she said as she looked at the bag.
“I thought of you while I was there. We might have another client meeting soon. Will you accompany me?”
“Of course. It’s my job.” Isabelle agreed, smiling politely.
“Will you have dinner after work with me, Isabelle?” I asked as she looked stunned.
“I can’t. Not only because you’re my boss, but I just can’t.” I saw pain cross her face and then Isabelle looked down at the desk. “I can’t lose this job. It is everything that I need right now.”
“You wouldn’t. That can be handled down the line,” I promised as I stared down at her. “Who hurt you?”
“I’m fine. I just can’t date at work, because I need this. I’m sorry.” Isabelle tried to give me a confident look, but I saw the hesitation in her eyes, still filled with fear.
“It’s fine. Enjoy your lunch,” I told her, pushing the bag towards her before turning towards my door. I focused my energy on contacting Nathan’s guy and setting up lunch at the end of the week. I notified Isabelle about it and assumed she got it since she didn’t respond.
I backed off a bit for the remainder of the week, bringing her lunch if I went out and insisting that she take it. I’d bring coffee if I got it first as well. I let her know that I was still interested that way, but I didn’t pressure her again. We had the long lunch on Friday at one of the best places in town and I could work her then while negotiating with the client. I did my research and found that he had some talent and sold a few books on his own. An author that brings readers with them is always a good thing and I wrote up a basic outline of what to talk about with him.
I came out to get some coffee on break on Friday since I went through mine so quickly. I saw Isabelle on the phone, her face filled with concern as she leaned forward and spoke in a low voice. I paused and looked at her, realizing that she didn’t even know that I was standing there until she ended the call and set the phone down. “Is everything all right?” I asked her, making her jump as she pressed a hand to her chest and took a deep breath.
“Yes, it’s fine. I just had to make some arrangements.” Isabelle had worn a black pencil skirt with heels and a burgundy blouse today and she looked good, making me think that she was doing some shopping for work clothes. “Is lunch still on?”
“Yes, it is.” I assured her as she nodded and reached for her coffee. Isabelle had stopped for both of us today, teasing me that she could do it as easily as I did. She was in a good mood then and I thought that I was getting somewhere with her but now she looked shaken.
“Okay, good.”
“Isabelle, what is it?” I asked her as she sipped her drink.
“It’s fine, Mr. Drury.” She assured me as I stared at her.
“It’s Mason. Call me Mason,” I reminded her as she jumped and stared at me. “If you need anything, please let me know.” She nodded quickly, and I turned to leave, annoyed that she wouldn’t tell me what was going on. The emotion on her face was as strong as the smile that I’d seen that day, making me assume that it had to do with the same thing.
What was so important in her life? Isabelle wasn’t wearing a ring on her hand but I knew little about her. I sat down and looked at the door again, vowing to dig deeper with her. Whatever was going on was something that meant a lot to her and a part of me wanted to help with that.
I didn’t care about women this way. Not since Lana.
I prepared for lunch and left the office, watching her apply some lip gloss for a moment before she grabbed her purse and stood up. “Ready?” Her smile was brighter, and she seemed composed now even though I sensed that she was faking it a bit. We took a cab to the steakhouse and met Nathan’s friend, hitting it off right away. He had a great positive outlook about writing and just wanted to try traditional publishing for a change. He interacted with both Isabelle and myself, making her laugh and relax a bit. I didn’t get to sit beside her here and I had to force myself to look at Brian, wishing that I was the one making her laugh. When we were finished, and a contract was in the works, we finished the meal and stood up. He walked with us to the door and shook my hand before leaning in to kiss Isabelle’s cheek as he said something softly to her. She responded in something like a whisper and pulled away before looking at the floor.
I held in my emotions as he left before us, taking a moment to ask if she was okay. I seemed to be asking her that a lot today. “I’m fine. He just asked me to dinner, and I told him that I wasn’t interested.”
“Son of a bitch,” I muttered as she looked at me with shocked eyes. “I knew that he was flirting with you.”
“He is a great writer. A good guy. What’s your problem?” Isabelle asked as I took her arm and pulled her from the building and around the corner as I stood in front of her. I pulled out my phone to call a cab and then stared into her eyes.
“Do you want him and not me?” I finally asked as she blinked slowly at me.
CHAPTER 9
Isabelle
I heard the words, but they didn’t register as I looked into his stormy eyes. How could Mason think that? He was perfect, and I opened my mouth to speak.
“No, it isn’t that. Not at all,” I protested before I felt his mouth on mine, his lips hot against my skin. It was both intense and comforting and I whimpered as he reached up to cup my face tighter in his big hands. It was everything that I’d always wanted and I felt one of my hands wrap around him as he tilted my face to deepen the kiss.
Oh, God. I wanted to do this all day and my body started to throb deep inside, filled with want. We both moved closer together until a horn sounded and he jumped away. “That might be the cab.” Mason made sure that I was steady and then led me back to the curb where a yellow car was waiting, leaning inside to talk to the driver before telling me to slide into the back seat. I did, watching him as he moved beside me and leaned back for a moment.
The driver didn’t know us but I didn’t want to speak in front of him. My body was alert, and I felt every nerve ending from that kiss, still shaking as I told myself to calm down. I had a daughter, and that was just a kiss. Why did it affect me more than when I slept with Jackson? What was this feeling inside of me?
It was a short ride to work, and he got out and helped me slide out before handing the driver a few bills. I walked with him to the front door and he opened it, still standing close to me. We boarded the elevator and stood side-by-side silently as I played back the hungry kiss and the way that his tongue felt against mine for that moment in time. It was just for a second but it changed my life and I stared forward. I had a great job that was supporting my daughter and I didn’t want to blow it.
Mason led me to his office and closed the door behind him, closing the blinds. I gasped as he kissed me again, pressing me against the wall. This seemed to happen so fast but not fast enough and I wrapped my arms around his neck as I pulled Mason closer. In my head, he did this with every woman in the office and I told myself to prepare for the end.
Mason kissed me to the point that I couldn’t breathe, pulling away to gaze into my eyes. “I told myself that I was going to take this slowly, Isabelle. I can’t fucking do that now.”
“Will it be over as soon as it starts?” I asked, torn between wanting that and fighting it. This felt good. I felt alive in his arms.
“What? No, this isn’t like that. I might date casually outside of work but I prefer to not ever get involved with anyone here. That’s why you are working here. My last assistant got a bit obsessed with me.” His voice was rough as he spoke, and I stared at him. “I felt something the day that you crashed into me and ran away from it. I didn’t know what to do when I realized that you were going to be the woman working for me. I tried to resist this but I can’t.”
“Mason… I don’t have anything to offer you,” I tried to speak but my heart screamed at me to shut up.
“What do you mean?” He asked as I caught my breath. I just wanted to kiss him again and push away all of my responsibilities.
“Mason, I have a daughter. I’m raising her on my own and she’s still young. She just started the first grade.” I heard the words and cringed inside, knowing that a young child was not appealing to many men.
“You are a mother?” He asked as I looked into his face. I nodded, and warmth crossed over his face. “Is that what was wrong earlier? Something to do with her?”
“She was sick at school. I have a neighbor that helps me, and she went to get her for me. I just started this job and didn’t want to put it in jeopardy.” I admitted, smiling gently as he leaned in and kissed me again.
I returned it, reveling in the pleasure as responsibilities nudged at my wild side. I wanted this so much but there was a lot at stake. “You wouldn’t, you know. I’d let you leave. I’m close to my family.” Mason told me as I laughed and looked at him.
“Here I thought you lived in some tall building all alone reading books and counting money,” I said, laughing softly. It felt good to let my walls down though I knew they could not go down too far.
“I live with my best friend, Tanner. He travels for work a lot so he is rarely home. You are partially right.”
“I won’t hurt my daughter. I won’t let you meet her. We’ve been through enough already,” I told him as something dark passed through his eyes.
“I am not asking. I just want to enjoy this here and now,” Mason told me before he kissed me softly.
“Can we work together?” I asked in a whisper as he clutched my face again.
“Yeah. You’re the best assistant that I’ve had.” Mason kissed me again, and I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him closer. We pulled apart and looked at each other for a moment before I pressed my tingling lips together. I knew that if I stayed in here, this would go further than it should and I watched him step away. “So, no dinner after work?”
“I could have my friend watch her for a while. I just can’t go out a lot at night because it is the only time I feel like I have with her,” I replied as he nodded. “I’m sorry. You probably go out a lot. I forgot what that was like.”
“How old are you?” Mason asked as I smiled weakly.
“I’ll be twenty-four in a few months. I was a young mother.” I said as he ran his hands through his hair.
“You missed a lot?” He asked as I shrugged.
“I guess.” I made my way to my desk when we realized that we needed to work. It was hard to walk out of that office but I needed to keep a level head about this even if I did feel like a teenager all over again. I pulled up the document and enjoyed the feeling of the food in my stomach even if it was doing flip flops right now.
I found it hard to concentrate on the words but forced it, knowing that it paid the bills for me. I wasn’t going to lose everything I had here over a crush or kiss. This wasn’t serious, and I was going to take it day-by-day and not let it ruin anything.
We left the building together and walked to our cars. “I am sending something to your place for dinner for the two of you,” Mason told me as we looked at each other before going our separate ways. “What is her name?”
“It’s Kendra,” I whispered as he nodded and looked down at my lips for a long moment. The heat was intense between us as I stood still, wanting to call and ask for a sitter for Kendra. That was wrong though. She came first, and I told him to have a good night before walking to my car. I drove past him, trying not to look but unable to help myself as I met his gaze. He was dialing something on his phone with a grin on his face and it took my breath away.
I made it home and went straight to Nan’s apartment where Kendra was on the couch under a blanket, fast asleep. I smiled as I looked down at her and then looked at Nan. “Want to call me when she wakes up? She looks so comfortable.”
“That’s fine, sweetie. I don’t mind if she sleeps here all night if that’s okay with you. You need some sleep after working so hard all week.” Nan smiled at me and I went to hug her. “Get some rest, Isabelle. I’ll call you if she wakes up enough to get over there.”
I thanked her again and walked to my apartment just as a young man approached it. He had a bag of food in his hand and I stared at him as he asked if I was Isabelle. I told him yes, and he handed me the bag and told me to have a great night, turning to leave as I watched. I unlocked my door and stood in the silence after I locked it behind me. I told myself that Kendra was safe and took the food to the table, unpacking it to see a variety of Thai food, making me smile. I loved this kind of food and set it down on the flimsy table before I went to get a fork.
It was delicious. I laughed as I took bites from the containers, hearing my phone chime in my purse. I went to get it, concerned that it was Nan calling about Kendra. I was surprised to see a text from an unfamiliar number, opening it to see that it was Mason.
Mason: How is it? I love Thai and hoped that you did as well.
Me: It is great. Thanks so much.
Mason: Is your daughter enjoying it?
I took a moment to chew my fo
od and considered my answer. I knew how Kendra was when she was sick, and she would sleep hard. She was completely safe with Nan and I would be informed if anything changed.
Me: She is sleeping next door. Still sick.
Mason: You’re alone?
Me: Yes, I am. Do you want to come over and see how long we have before she comes back?
It was such a risk to ask that, and I swallowed the lump in my throat. We’d just kissed, and I was inviting Mason into my apartment where anything could happen.
Mason: Are you comfortable with that? Nothing will happen that you don’t want. We can just eat.
Me: Come over. You have the address?
Mason assured me that he did, and I squealed as I put the phone down. I went to look in the mirror, fixing my gloss and makeup a bit as I wondered what would happen. If Kendra came back, I’d make him leave and that could happen at any time. I knew that she’d probably sleep through the night just based on how she looked, which meant that Mason might be here all night.
CHAPTER 10
Mason
I looked at her words and then looked around my apartment. Isabelle was alone and inviting me to her apartment and there was no reason to say no to her. I could still taste her sweet lips and I loosened the tie around my neck and smiled. We could just eat and talk and I didn’t need to sleep with her tonight.
I grabbed my keys and headed over to her place, noting that it wasn’t the best complex in town. It also wasn’t the worst. I parked near her car in an uncovered spot, getting out and walking towards the building where she was located.
I looked at the doors on either side, wondering which one was the neighbor watching her daughter. I’d never been involved with someone with a kid before and knocked gently as I listened to steps approaching the door. It opened and Isabelle smiled at me as she looked out. “Hi. Come in. She’s still sleeping.”