Chapter Twenty-Four
Mason
I haven’t seen Bella for weeks. But here she is in my office. I’m grumpier today than I’ve been in a very long time. Nothing is happening with Chloe yet. I know I can push her over the edge, but I want her to be the one to come to me. My patience is running out, though. I’ll only wait so long. Bella is the last person I want to see at the moment.
Bella moves into my office like she owns the place, then sits, holding a cup of coffee in her hand, her bare legs crossed, a smirk on her lips. Bella doesn’t say anything as she waits for me to speak. She’s a woman who likes men to come to her. She likes getting her way, and often does. I move over to my desk and lean against it, then I wait. I’ll let her say what she needs to say because of our history together, but the clock is ticking until she’s fully out of my life.
I won’t break first. Finally, she looks at me, her expression unchanged. She sips her coffee and gazes over the rim of the mug. I still say nothing.
“How are you, Mason?” she finally asks.
“Don’t you know?” I respond. She laughs before setting her cup down on the table beside her.
“Of course I know. It’s a courtesy question that means absolutely nothing,” she says.
“I appreciate your honesty.”
“I know. There are many things you appreciate about me,” she says as she raises her hand, letting her fingers trail along the line of her plunging neckline. Of course it draws my gaze. Her smile grows.
“Are you bored, Bella? Are you looking for someone to play with?”
“I’m always game for playing with someone,” she replies.
“And you think you’re worthy enough to play with me?”
She laughs again. “I think you’re the only one capable of playing to my standards,” she says.
This time my smile is real. I enjoy this odd flirtation. I could push her to tell me what this newest visit is about, but she enjoys my impatience. It’s better for me to wait it out. It doesn’t take long.
“I want to take you to New York. I have a client you’ll fit well with. It will change everything for you,” she says. My interest is piqued in what she thinks could change my life.
“I told you I won’t meet clients,” I say. This can only be about my artwork as she has nothing to do with my corporation.
“And we both know you’d sell your soul if it gets you the masterpiece you’ve been searching for, so quit denying you want my help,” she counters.
“I sold my soul long ago. It’s not up for grabs.”
“When you started pursuing that drab woman who clearly doesn’t want you?” she asks with a laugh. Someone in this office is talking to her, someone who will lose their job as soon as I figure it out.
My smile falls away. “Leave her out of this.” My words are steel.
Her smile quickly fades. “You’re awfully protective for a man not interested.”
“If you want to continue talking to me you won’t say another word about her,” I warn. My tone doesn’t change, my volume doesn’t rise, but I see the dawning awareness in her eyes. I see her reevaluation of the situation. It takes her only seconds to compose herself again.
“My client has an exclusive audience, and he loves new artists. He’s very particular, and I know you’ll be inspired,” she tells me. She’s taking me seriously. Her intelligence is one thing that attracted me to her in the beginning. There’s no attraction anymore, even if I appreciate certain qualities about her.
“I won’t meet with him, but you can tell me more about him,” I say, having to give this round to her. She smiles in victory. I want to close this aspect of my life, and I can’t do that until the right inspiration hits me.
I’ll eventually cut all ties to Bella, but the time isn’t right yet. I can’t regret knowing her, taking this path down this artistic road. Going into business with Bella is what led me to morphing into the man I am today. I certainly don’t belong to Bella. But I also don’t belong to Chloe. I belong to no one.
I’m a stranger to myself most of the time. I’m even a stranger to my family, though they don’t realize this. I’m able to find who I really am once in a while, but most of the time, I’m lost. With each new piece of art, though, I shed a bit more of my gruff exterior and move closer to the man who will emerge in the end.
I move behind my desk and sit. Is it Bella and the art that’s making me shed these final pieces... or is it Chloe? An interesting question. Chloe means nothing to me, however I can’t go a single hour without thinking of her. When Bella exits the room, I’ll instantly forget her so she has nothing to do with who I am.
The only person who has ever consumed me this much is... Chloe. What exactly does this mean? It might be too frightening for me to answer this. I’ve never been scared of anything in my life, but when it comes to Chloe, I realize I have some fear. Holy hell, this is complicated.