I smiled as I searched for my knickers. “And me, you baby” I replied as I bent under the desk to see if they had been nudged under but came up with nothing. I frowned and scanned the room as Mason droned about something going off at Pulse.
“Uh-huh” I murmured as I checked the small washroom at the rear of the office. A smile lifted my lips when I paused to listen to the raw sexiness of my husband, “Very funny, Mason.”
He hesitated in his monologue about a new beer the brewery had put on special offer. “Sorry?” he asked and I smiled at the innocent tone in his voice.
“Where are they?”
He was silent for a moment, “Okay Ava, give me a clue baby cos’ right now I haven’t the foggiest.”
“My knickers, Mason, where did you put them?”
“They’re inside your jeans Ava; I didn’t have time to separate the damn things in my desperation to get to you.”
“Try again” I laughed as I shook my jeans just to make sure he was telling the truth.
His silence was alarming as I listened to the increased speed of his breathing and my skin prickled when I realised he wasn’t pulling a prank. “Never mind, they’ll be here somewhere” I choked out a little too cheerily, desperate to hide my concern as my husband’s rage engulfed the static through the phone.
“Look again, Ava . . . LOOK!”
I jumped at his tone as my eyes scrutinised the whole area in the small office, “You know, maybe I wasn’t actually wearing any” I tried but knew it was useless.
The phone died and I knew he would be ploughing through the door within minutes.
I pulled on my jeans foregoing my knickers as I pulled my t-shirt over my head, the realisation that my bra was missing also hung deep in my gut. Whichever arsehole had pinched my favourite pink undies was going to buy me a new set . . . bastard.
I picked the scattered papers off the floor and begun sorting through them as I waited for the arrival of my glorious bastard but as I shifted them together a file caught my attention.
It was employee records and I flicked open the manila envelope and leant back in the plump leather chair and started shifting through everyone.
I started with new and made my way to the oldies. Some of the pro’s had been here since the beginning; Olga, Jayne, Heather and Marlene being the oldest as a few newbies glued to the lobes of my brain as I opened it wide and let the information soak in. I was surprised to find that Gabe and Pete had also been here since Mason opened it twenty two years ago.
I slipped the file into my bag as I heard Mason’s noisy approach. “Where the fuck was you?” he bellowed at someone as the office door flew open and Mason scurried in with a contrite Gabe close behind.
My eyes slipped between them as I felt Mason’s fury at this gentle giant surround the whole air in the room, his anger swallowing the oxygen as he demanded it possessively. “You were told Gabe . . . I FUCKING TOLD YOU!!”
I pursed my lips as I stood to Gabe’s defence, “He was told what?” I asked Mason as I demanded his attention.
His gaze flicked to Gabe in warning before he tried to hide it, but I hadn’t already caught it, seen the cautionary look directed at the poor man paying for someone else’s twisted idea of fun. “Mason . . .”
His dark expression flipped me an advisory retreat but I ignored it, as I usually did. “What’s going on? What did you tell Gabe to do?”
Gabe screwed up his face as he sensed the approaching conflict, his guilt mixing with his embarrassment as he looked between us.
Mason remained silent so I turned to Gabe, “What were your orders, Gabe?”
He swallowed heavily and cringed as he glanced at Mason then me, “I was told to stand guard, Mrs Fox.” His words were quiet as he bowed his head and locked gaze with the pattern on the carpet “And I’m so sorry I, uhh I needed the toilet.”
His remorse was thick with his culpability but I shook my head at him and smiled, “Everybody needs to pee Gabe, I’m okay, nothing harmed.” I glared at Mason; his anger at something I would soon be finding out about was heavy and laced the room with stifling smog. “Could you give us a minute?” I asked the huge but currently meek man.
He nodded and left the room quietly, his upset and self-hatred dragging behind him with his wounded pride.
I hesitated for a moment, dragging in the tremble in my gut before I turned to my still silent man, “Sit down.”
He crooked an eyebrow cockily and I leant forward, slamming my hands on the desk as I glowered at him, “He’s after me isn’t he?”
The crooked eyebrow lowered as he closed his eyes and the distress across his face answered my question without any need for words.
I nodded slowly as I swallowed and slumped into the chair. “Again,” I scoffed bitterly as I rubbed my hands over my face.
Mason was crouched before me instantly, his hands grabbing mine but I shook him off and moved back, “Why do you lie, Mason? You know by now I can handle the truth, so why fucking lie to me?”
He shook his head in frustration as he regained his upright position, his sombre face looming over me as I sighed heavily, “Fuck!”
“I will find this bastard Ava, I promise you.”
I snorted and curled my lip with malicious mockery, “No you won’t Mason because it’s too close.”
He reared back and stared at me. “What the fuck does that mean?” he spat out, his temper slowly rising with my sarcasm as his eyes dipped to deep pools of sin.
“Because it’s me again, Mason and you don’t function when I’m threatened. I’ve sorted it, just hang back and wait.”
He tipped his head and barked out a bitter laugh, “You’ve sorted it?”
I narrowed my eyes on him as I stepped from behind the desk and stood in his personal space, my own anger with him as potent as his with me. “Yes, I have sorted it.”
I turned and snatched up my bag but his hands grabbed the tops of my arms and spun me around. His face was red and angry as his jaw tightened and his lips thinned to a scowl, “What the fuck have you sorted exactly?”
I struggled under him, his grip become painful and harsh “Let go, Mason” I warned slowly.
He exhaled heavily as he released me but then my back slammed against the wall as he empowered me in his huge and dominant frame, his large hands slapped on the wall beside my head as he controlled every movement I made. “Tell me Ava, tell me what you have done.”
My nerve wavered slightly as his intense eyes shifted over my face and my belly tightened with anxiety. “TELL ME!” he roared and I flinched at his rage. “So help me god, Ava. Tell me!”
“I uhh . . .” Oh shit, what had I done. The reality of the situation hit me with the weight of regret. I knew he would be so angry and why I had done it wouldn’t be accepted by him as reason enough.
“I’m waiting, Ava.”
His laboured breaths brushed my face as I lifted my eyes to his, “I hired someone to take care of it.”
His eyes narrowed in confusion then widened slowly as awareness hit him, “Oh dear God, no Ava, tell me you didn’t, please tell me you didn’t.”
I rolled my lips and pulled back my shoulders defensively as I stood my ground and stared him down, “I did . . . I hired Simon Bell.”
I watched the dip in his throat as his eyes fluttered faintly before he screamed with a roar of rage and the desk received the full force of Mason’s fury. I stood motionless and in shock as he picked it back up and threw it across the room as though it was a pillow, his strength feeding his wrath as he trashed the poor wooden piece of furniture.
“Do you even realise what you have done?” he thundered as he swat the last splinter of wood across the room.
“I did what needed doing Mason, we needed help with this. The girls were suffering because of something you have done to upset some lunatic and I couldn’t sit back and watch any more innocent lives be taken so . . . so carelessly.”
He laughed, loud and extremely as his head flung back and hi
s body shook.
My finger slipped to my mouth as I nibbled furiously with nerves, my gut clenching at Mason’s obscene reaction. I had just done what I thought would help, that was all.
He turned to me slowly, his jaw clenched as his eyes blazed, the fire in them intensifying with each step closer to me, “Do you know how Simon works, Ava? Do you?”
I nodded and shifted back a little, pressing myself further into the plaster of the walls, Mason’s calmness terrifying me more than his rage. “Yes, I know.”
He scoffed and shook his head as he reached me. I flinched as his fingers lifted and he ran them down the curve of my cheekbone, “No Ava, you have no fucking idea. Do you know what happens when Simon corners the bastard doing this to us?”
“He kills him” I answered with puzzlement, wondering where Mason was going with this.
He chuckled darkly, “How much did you pay him?”
I frowned but answered honestly, “£50,000.”
He clicked his tongue and leaned further into me, his hot torrent of controlled breaths causing a chill within me when the sinister King of the Underworld stared back at me with ice in his eyes, reminding me very much of whom I had married and who ruled this dark organised criminal world I lived in—I married into. “And what happens when our man offers Simon £100,000, Ava? What happens then, baby?”
My eyes widened as his words hit home and my knees buckled as my heart slammed against my ribs and the blood drained rapidly from my face. He caught me immediately, his face softening when he realised his nefarious personality was dominating his behaviour with me, and carried me back to the sofa for the second time that day.
“Mason, I . . .”
He shook his head and kissed the top of my head, “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll sort this mess out, I promise.”
“I’m so sorry, I . . . I thought . . .”
“I know. Ssshhh . . .” he whispered into me as his arms enveloped me protectively and pulled me in close.
“But we have a deal, he can’t do that, Mason, he can’t go back on his word. That isn’t good in our world, he should know that.” I argued as I peered up at the beautiful face that was so full of love adoration. He smiled gently and ran a finger along my cheekbone as his eyes grew serious.
“We need to talk Ava, stuff . . . things have progressed and now you need to be aware.”
I flinched at the tone in his cold voice, his dark side once more fighting to get out. “Okay.” I nodded as I pulled away from him and curled my feet under me, letting him know I was ready for it.
He sighed deeply as his tongue swept across his dry lips and I dropped my gaze to watch it with envy, “I’ve placed a tag on you.”
My eyes widened as I stared back at him with incredulity, “You have done what?”
“You’re being targeted Ava, and now Liv’s been . . . approached.”
I swallowed back the need to climb off the sofa and beat my husband to a pulp, make him pay for whatever shit he had brought into my life now, brought into the life of my friends. I gave him a slight nod to continue, I needed the information about everything, I needed to know the where’s, what’s and how’s of everything.
“He left a message with Liv. It’s me baby, it’s me he’s after and he’s going through you to get to me. You need Wes with you at all times, you hear me. Do not let him leave your side. If I find out you’ve been difficult Ava, there’ll be trouble.”
I laughed slightly at the order, “Yes Sir.”
His face darkened as his eyes blazed, “Don’t fuck with me Ava, not over this.”
I smiled at him, relenting with the knowledge that he was worried, really worried if the look on his face was anything to go by, “Okay. Wes will be glued to my hip, I promise.”
He gave me his unique smile, “Kiss me, baby.”
I returned his smile before I relinquished to his request, kissing him with the passion he always expected after our disagreements, telling him how much I loved him as I worshipped his lips and idolised his tongue.
“Do you have cameras in here?” I asked as I pulled back. His hand wrapped around the back of my head and steered me back towards him.
“I haven’t finished yet. I need to taste some more of you” He whispered before his soft lips found mine again and adored me with just his mouth, cherished me with the control of his lips and filled me with his confidence in each movement of his delicious kiss. “I love you Ava and I promise he’ll go through me before he even gets a chance at you. I NEED you to work with me on this, baby; I need one hundred percent of your cooperation.”
I nodded, unable to smile with the seriousness in his voice. He was frightened and for Mason to show fear then it was something I also needed to fear. His warning brought a lump to my throat. The distress and trepidation on his face made me aware of just how serious this bastard was.
“And to answer your question, no there are no cameras in here.”
I stared at him and shook my head in disappointment, “I can’t believe you have them in the corridors where they’re not needed, yet in the rooms there is no security what-so-ever.”
He lifted an eyebrow and cocked his head, “Ava, we can’t put cameras in the privates. Punters don’t want their sexual adventures recording.”
“I don’t care, Mason. The girl’s safety comes before the bloody clients. They don’t even have to know, I’ve ordered discreet micro cameras from Lucas. And if you had them in here we could have seen the bastard who pinched my best underwear” I added with a growl of annoyance.
He smirked and pulled me onto his lap in one swift yank, my crotch sliding over his hard erection and my boobs pressing into the firmness of his magnificent chest. “You think I want my staff watching me give you the fuck of your life, baby?”
I returned his smirk as he started to unzip my jeans. His hand slid down the front and his dirty smile lit his eyes when he discovered my knickerless state.
My moan was loud as his fingers slid lower and circled my clit, the moisture in my pussy providing a lubricant for him as he dipped further and collected some of it to continue his stimulating exploit.
“You like that Ava, do my fingers on your clit make you hot, baby?”
“Yes” I answered simply, my hips now rocking against him as I ground myself on both his fingers and his jean clad hard-on.
“That’s it baby, take what you need” he rasped as I manoeuvred myself until his fingers slid into my pussy and eased the throb of desire.
“I need more, Mason.”
“No, you get what I give you Ava. Work what you have, fuck my fingers harder, ride them baby.”
I groaned at him in annoyance and opened my eyes to glare at him in frustration but the look on his face, the heat in his eyes halted my reprimand and worked my arousal higher. His expression was pure sex, raw virility and blazing hunger.
My head rolled back when he read my need and pressed his thumb against my clit, my stimulated nerves exploding in ecstasy as my brain screamed in pleasure. My fingers dug into Mason’s shoulders as my body tightened in rapture and my hips worked harder, my pussy labouring on his fingers in my selfish wanton need.
“Give it me, Mason. I need it!” I demanded harshly as my arousal fired angrily, my body demanding what it needed and I gripped the hard flesh of his shoulders as I pumped myself furiously on his fingers, driving down until I nearly swallowed his knuckles.
“Ask me, Ava” he growled as his eyes glared and his fingers retreated slightly.
“Mason!” My hands slid into his hair and I took chunks in my fist, clinching handfuls in anger as he refused to feed my craving.
“Ask!”
I was riding his fingers in both temper and longing, thirsting for the slightest drop of release, just a trickle of paradise. “Please, please” I surrendered, “Bite me.”
His wicked smile deepened my longing but fired my temper, “Bite me, Fuck Mason, bite me.”
I whimpered when he stroked the skin at the side of my neck with
his tongue, his teeth teasing as they promised so much, “Are you mine, Ava?”
“Yes!” I yelped as his thumb skimmed across the delicate hard tissue of my over-stimulated clitoris.
“Am I yours?”
“Oh God, yes, always” I murmured as his fingers drove deep and flicked against my G-spot, “Always Mason.”
“Good girl” he smiled roguishly before his teeth sank deliciously into the ripe flesh of my neck as his finger curled inside me and lit up my whole system, my body crying out as nirvana took over and fed the deep longing.
“Oh, Jesus!” I cried out as my whole body stiffened and rejoiced in the bliss that Mason provided.
“You are so fucking beautiful when you come over me like this” He whispered against my lips as his eyes held me tight, his expression holding wonderment and love, the deep pull of his irises taking me hostage as my orgasm ripped through every inch of me. “I fucking love you Ava Fox and no fucker will ever get near you; that I can promise.”
I murmured a reply as I rested my head on his shoulder and sorted through my frazzled nerves to put my body back together. “And me, you Mason and I promise that I’ll let them go through you first.”
He laughed loudly as I smiled widely into the strength of his hold. “My little warrior” he chuckled as he squeezed me over excitedly and I groaned into him.
“Mmmm, I am so tired. What the hell is wrong with me? I’ve never slept as much.” I yawned as Mason tipped his head and regarded me thoughtfully.
“You okay? You feel a little hot.” He placed the back of his hand on my forehead and I smirked at him.
“Ooh, Dr Fox, I am feeling a little flustered, would you like to place your huge stethoscope on my chest to check out my vitals?” I teased saucily.
Mason grinned and slapped my arse, “Behave Mrs Fox otherwise we’ll never get out of this dismal bloody place.”
I frowned playfully at him, “This is your venture Mason, your original cash cow, why do you hate it?”
He shrugged but smiled sadly as he ran his finger across my bottom lip and watched it intently, “Because I have the awful feeling it’s gonna come between us, it has already tried to rip us apart.”
The NSC Boxset: Heart of Stone Page 170