by Ava May
Mackenzie shook her head.
“Sweetie, you are a paralegal. You act on this and you know the ripple effect leads right back to your father.”
“Well, he is no longer a senator, so I don’t think I have anything to worry about,” Athena said. “Besides, it’s not like I am planning to suddenly parade Mason Alexander around town advertising myself as his new arm piece or anything.”
Mackenzie shrugged as Athena gathered her stuff.
“I just want you to do you,” she said and Athena smiled as she stood up.
“That’s exactly what I am doing.” She got up and hung her purse on her shoulder. “Need me to wait with you before Scott gets here?”
Mackenzie shook her head.
“No, we fought this morning. And we kind of still are,” she said making Athena smiled.
“Of course,” she said.
“Besides, don’t you have to pass by the store on your way back?” Mackenzie asked as Athena gave her a quick hug.
“No, I don’t think I have enough time. Talk later?” she asked and Mackenzie nodded.
“Sure.”
As Athena walked out to the restaurant parking lot, she could feel her heart racing and she was not sure whether it was the excitement of going back to the office or the relief of finally coming clean to Mackenzie Either way, she was super excited. She looked at her reflection in the tinted windows of her car and a smile played on her lips. The black fitting skirt and floral long sleeved V-necked top she had on was doing wonders for her plus size curvy body. She climbed into the driver’s seat and secured her seatbelt before she pulled out of the parking lot.
At twenty-eight years of age, Athena was finally living the life she had always wanted: finally free of her parents’ influence. Growing up as the only girl in a family of over achievers had really taken its toll on her. Surgeon mother, politician father and a big sister that had followed in her mother’s medical footsteps and even though her mother was hell bent on having both of her daughters in the medical fraternity, Athena had gone with her gut and settled on law school. But that had not been the end of her parents’ long reach in her life. As far as Martha and Allan Wright were concerned, their children were an extension of themselves and that being said a reflection of themselves. So, Martha and Allan were always on Athena and Amanda’s case about every little aspect of their lives. Amanda had managed to live with the whole situation but Athena who had always been the more rebellious one just couldn’t handle it. She’d had to live with her parents’ intrusion in every aspect of her life and somewhere in high school she began eating to hide her feelings. It was the only way she could live with the pressure. And as a result by the time she got to college, she had gone from being the perfect size six cheerleader to a size eighteen. Gaining weight had done a number on her self-esteem and Martha’s constant bickering was not doing her any favors. But as far as she was concerned, shit hit the fan when her mother set her up with a guy and not to date, to marry. Even though it had been years since it happened, she could still remember the conversation almost as if it had just happened.
“You got me a man to marry? Did we suddenly turn back the wheel of time and land in rural India or something?” Athena had asked.
“Well, I know this is not the ideal way to throw you into the institution….” Martha started and Athena shook her head.
“There are no words I can think of that would be the perfect ending to that sentence,” she said, cutting her mother short.
“Well, in a perfect world you and Aubrey make for really cute photos,” Martha said smiling and Athena shrugged.
“Really, mum? That’s all you care about? Cute family photos?” she asked and Martha shook her head.
“I set up your sister the very same way and she is happy. Why don’t you trust that I can do the same for you?” Martha asked and Athena rolled her eyes.
“I am perfectly capable of getting myself a boyfriend, mum. I don’t need your help in that department,” she said.
“Well, you know that the family cannot afford another of your scandalous relationships, Athena. Your father is on his campaign trail and anything negative the press gets from us…” Martha started before Athena stood up and walked to the window. “Baby, you know that all this is a family affair. I mean, I quit my job so that I could support him in this.”
“I am not about to quit my life so I can help dad get ahead in the polls,” Athena said.
“Athena Marie! Aubrey is a great guy and a great CEO in a leading Fortune 500 company,” Martha said. Her tone told Athena that her mother was as serious as a heart attack. “Your father needs his endorsement and we are going to move heaven and earth to get it.”
Athena could hardly believe what she was hearing at that moment. In so many words, her mother was telling her that she was willing to pimp her out to get her father to the senate.
“What if I say no?” Athena asked and Martha sipped on her drink.
“Then you will be cut off,” her mother said and just like that, she had signed her life away. Which didn’t make any sense to her because she had always heard her father’s ‘Be Free To Be Who You Are’ speech since she was a little girl and it didn’t make any sense that to her that she was being forced into something just to further her father’s political career. And it took every bone in her body to cut ties with her family, which meant living on her own dime, but compared to being pimped off, it was heaven.
Chapter 2
It was almost nine when Athena finally finished up with the paperwork she had started on earlier the previous day. A smile played on her lips as she got up and slowly made her way to Mason’s office. She took a long deep breath and gently knocked on his door. She was not even surprised that he had been working this late. She was used to seeing him working late for the last month she had been working at Alexander, Fleming & Associates.
“Come in,” she heard him call from inside.
“Hey, hope I am not interrupting or anything,” she said as she poked her head through the doorway.
“Hey, Athena…come in,” Mason said as he looked up. “I didn’t know you were still here?” Mason asked as he looked at Athena. “You work harder and longer than the people I actually pay to be here.”
“I was working on the Fielder depositions. It took a bit longer than I thought,” she said as she leaned against the doorpost. “Can I come in?” she asked and Mason nodded.
“Sure.”
“So, this is the big finish as I call it. All the paperwork you might need for the Fielder deposition and the paperwork needed for the Vasquez and Daniels merger dissolution.” She placed the files down on his desk. “It’s a good thing that we stalled on the merger because as it turns out Phillip Daniels has been embezzling from the company for years.”
Mason opened the file and looked through it. She could tell by the way he had an eyebrow raised over the other that he was impressed.
“You did this?” he asked and she nodded. “How come no one else caught this?”
“In everyone else’s defense, it wasn’t easy to catch. The money was hidden in shell companies under more shell companies…” she shrugged. “It was really well hidden.”
“Wow, Athena….” Mason smiled and nodded. “This is amazing.”
“Thank you. That means a lot coming from you, Mr. Alexander,” she said and he smiled.
“Whoa, Mr. Alexander?” he asked and she nodded. “Athena, it’s just us here.” I mean, I saw you go to high school and college.”
“Yes, and I have to maintain professionalism before I call you out by your first name at the next meeting,” she said smiling.
“Yeah, I guess,” he said in a soft voice.
“So, unless you have anything else for me, maybe I should turn in,” she said and he shrugged.
“I don’t normally do this but I am going to do it anyway.”
She shook her head.
“Do what?” she asked.
“Have you eaten yet?” She shook her h
ead.
“No, I was going to pass by a pizzeria or a KFC on my way home,” she said and he shook his head.
“Both tasty but terrible ideas.” He shut down his computer and pushed his chair back. “I have a better idea. Get your stuff,” he said as he put on his jacket and she shook her head.
“Wait, what?” she asked as he walked towards her.
“Get your stuff. I am taking you for dinner,” he said as he led her to the door. “I mean, I haven’t eaten anything either and I obviously need to reward you for saving my client and putting more money in my pocket.”
“Mason…you really don’t have to,” she said as she looked at him.
“Actually, I really do. End of discussion,” he said as he held the door open for her.
“But my car…” she started as she looked at him.
“I can get someone to get it to your place. Right now, if you want,” he said. She took a minute before she shrugged.
“Fine,” she said in a soft voice.
“Great. We’ll take my car,” he said.
“You mean we’ll take the car being driven by your driver outside?” she asked and he smiled at her.
“I thought that was obvious.”
*****
Athena had always known that Mason had good taste but it was not until that evening did she realize just how good his taste really was. He had taken her to Luca Jean, one of the most popular spots in town that only a select few managed to get into. It was not just a five star spot, but also impossible to get a reservation there. After a long day, an ale braised beef short rib accompanied by a thousand dollar cabernet sauvignon was exactly what she needed.
Dinner took longer than she expected and even though she already knew that he was an interesting man, she was finding herself getting more and more interested in him as the time went by. By the time they were done, it was almost eleven. Her heart was racing as she drove in the back of his town car. She was surrounded by his scent, his expensive intoxicating scent. She guessed that it was probably Bvlgari…she could tell that much since that was also her father’s brand. She looked at him as the town car approached her apartment building.
“Thanks for dinner,” she said in a low voice. “It’s not every day I get to sample the finer restaurants in life especially since…you know.”
She didn’t want to say what was on her mind. She was all done recounting the wrongs that her mother had done to her. The arranged engagement, getting her on a forced diet so that she could attain the ‘ideal’ weight and even cutting her out, financially.
“You know, when I first heard that you stood up to Martha, I couldn’t help but wonder, how exactly does a twenty-five-year-old intend to make it in a world without her parents when all she’s known is….” His voice trailed off.
“Pampering?” she asked and he nodded.
“Yeah,” he said, smiling.
“Let’s just say I kept a nest egg handy,” she said.
“I would love to know more about that,” Mason said as the car came up to a stop.
“It’s a long story,” she said and he shrugged.
“I have time,” he said, smiling.
“It is almost midnight and we have an early morning, remember?” she asked and he shrugged.
“I’m the boss. I can go in late,” he said. “Plus it’s not like I have court tomorrow or anything.”
“The merger dissolution?” Athena asked. “Which actually happens at nine-thirty in the morning?”
“Oh please. That will be over in minutes once we disclose the fact that Daniels has been embezzling funds. Plus, I am not even the one handling it. I have better things to do with my weekends.” She smiled and shrugged.
“The weekend hasn’t even started yet. It’s still Thursday,” she said.
“Well, my weekends have been known to start a whole lot earlier than usual,” he said. “Trust me when I say that the only thing harder would be taking candy from a baby.”
Athena’s smile turned into a laugh as she looked at him.
“Well, thanks for dinner Mr. Alexander,” she said and he put up a finger. “Okay, Mason.”
He nodded and winked at her.
“That’s more like it,” he said.
“It’s now or never,” she thought as she looked at him.
She gently leaned over and for a second that almost seemed like an hour, lingered before she kissed his cheek. She was slowly pulling away when he suddenly held the side of her cheek. She could still smell the fermented grape of the wine in his breath as he looked into her eyes in the dim light. She knew almost too well what was going through his mind at that moment and she had never wanted anything more than what he was thinking. He gently brought his head down and she closed her eyes when he suddenly claimed her lips with his own. She responded by holding the back of his neck, gently taking his lower lip in between her own, slowly massaging it as she felt his tongue on hers.
“Damn it,” he said in a soft voice when he finally pulled away. “I’m sorry…I’m so sorry.”
He was rubbing his temple as he spoke and she shook her head.
“Don’t be…I wanted it to happen,” she said in a whisper.
“No, I took advantage of you,” he said, shaking his head.
“No you didn’t,” she said in a soft voice. “I have….” She started before he took her hand in his.
“Let me just walk you to your door and pretend that just didn’t happen,” he said in a soft voice as he opened the door and got out before she could get a chance to say anything. He walked round to her side of the door and opened it. By that time, Athena was tongue-tied. She wanted to tell him that she had wanted him to do that as much as he had. She wanted to throw herself in his arms again but she seemed to be rooted to the spot.
“My car,” she said in a soft voice as she looked at her Jeep parked in front of Mason’s town car.
“I told you I would have someone to bring it back to your place,” he said as he gently slipped an arm around her waist. He walked her up the steps and into her building. They were both quiet as they made their way to the building elevator.
“Here we are,” she said in a soft voice when they got to her door. “Are you sure you don’t want to come in?” she asked and he shook his head.
“Honestly, I don’t trust myself to be around you right now,” Mason said smiling.
“Well, thanks for dinner. And for bringing my car home,” she said as she looked at him.
“Any time, Athena,” Mason said.
Chapter 3
When she woke up the next morning, Athena felt like she had been dreaming. She was still not sure that she actually kissed Mason the previous night but the fact that her car was outside her building was proof enough given that she was not the one who drove it home. She looked at her reflection in the mirror as she put on her black printed wrap around dress. She took a long deep breath as she looked at her reflection. Even though she had lost weight and dropped down two sizes, she was still a plus size woman and there was not a single day that she didn’t miss being smaller. Being attractive. But thanks to Mackenzie’s tight eight hours a week schedule at the gym, she had managed to cut weight and no longer had to wear clothes that were big at the top to hide her flabby stomach. She had been spotting the perfectly flat stomach for eight months now and so far she liked what she saw.
“Size sixteen is not so bad,” she thought as she secured the side button on her waist. She smiled as she looked at her reflection. She would have normally been okay with the outfit she had on but somehow, she could not help but wonder if she was appropriate. The dress she had on showed off her perfect curves and generous cleavage. She had chosen to straighten her hair out rather than rock her natural curls. She walked to her bed and sat on the edge and she put on a pair of nude colored stilettos and took her purse before she walked to the front door. It was still early, it was not even six yet but she just had to get to the office. It was not like she could sleep anyway, not after what had happe
ned the previous night. She kept on wondering what would have happened if only Mason had agreed to come into her apartment.
By the time she got to the office, it was just a half hour past six. She put her purse and coffee on her desk before she took off her jacket. She had just sat down when saw Mason walking towards her.
“Mr. Alexander?” she said looking up. She was as surprised as ever as she stood up. Her boss usually came in at around nine or ten but somehow he was there much earlier than expected.
“I thought we were on first name basis already,” he said and she shook her head.
“A habit I don’t want to encourage,” she said as she pushed her dark hair back. “I would have got some coffee for you but I didn’t know you were going to be here this early.”
“I had no idea you were going to be here this early, either,” Mason said looking at her. “I thought everything about the deposition today was already in place.”
“It was. It is but I am an intern and apart from you I am still serving four other lawyers in this firm,” she said smiling.
“I know but six-thirty?” he asked and she shrugged.
“I am usually here around seven-thirty or something but,” she looked into his eyes. “I couldn’t sleep.”
Mason smiled and nodded.
“Yeah, that,” he said and she nodded.
“Yeah, that.” He turned around and looked at his office. “Maybe we should talk about it? Or something?” she asked and he nodded.
“Yes, I think we should,” he said as he gestured at the office door. She walked into his office and he closed the door behind him before walking over to his desk. She always felt a little small in his larger than life office. It could have been the size of her entire apartment as far as she was concerned…maybe even bigger.
He looked at her standing next to his desk and as if he could read her mind, he closed the blinds and locked the door.
“You locked the door,” she said in a whisper.
“I feel the need to,” he said as he began walking towards her. She leaned on the desk as he slowly walked towards her. She thought that he looked especially great in the black slim suit and burgundy shirt. Most men his age would not have been caught dead in a slim suit mostly because they didn’t have the body for it but his case was different. “Last night…I shouldn’t have done what I did,” he started and she shook her head.