City of Sin - Chapter 26
Bee
"So you didn't know he was cheating on someone?
" Maybe I was overreacting. Patrick was a cheater.
Which meant he was also a liar. He had made it seem like no one was faithful.
Like his new friend Mason had told him that women were expendable.
He made it seem like Mason was basically a pimp.
Which was ridiculous. Mason had a job as an ad executive.
He was sophisticated and well off. He wasn't a pimp.
"No, I didn't."
I took a deep breath. "Why do you even know where places like that are?"
"Places like what?"
"I don't know what they're called. Sex bars?"
Mason laughed. "I told you what my hobby was."
I gulped. "I thought you were joking."
"We need to cross here." He lightly touched my elbow.
This time I didn't flinch. I still wasn't sure what kind of man he was. But I did know that I wanted him. I wanted him in a way that I had never wanted anyone else. I wasn't sure what it was about him. But I just wanted to kiss his beautiful face.
He leaned toward me as we crossed the street. "I don't joke when it comes to sex."
"No?" I could hear how breathless my voice was. I hated how it sounded.
"No." He leaned down and nipped my earlobe.
Holy shit.
"And I promised you the best night of your life. I still need to deliver."
I gulped. Friday night had been one of the best nights of my life. What we had done should have been embarrassing. But it wasn't. Mason made me feel so sexy. No one had ever wanted me like this before. He made me feel desired.
"Here we are," he said.
I stopped in my tracks. We were standing outside La Masseria dei Vini. "This is my favorite restaurant." I smiled up at him. What a weird coincidence. Maybe we had more in common than I thought.
"Is it? I love it here too. They have the best gnocchi in the whole city."
"I know. That's what I always order here."
He smiled and opened up the door for me.
I was completely torn. Tonight he was acting like such a gentleman. On Friday he had acted like a sex god. And from what Patrick had said, he was a complete douche bag. How was I supposed to know which one he really was? I bit my lip and walked into the restaurant.
Mason walked up to the hostess stand. "We have a reservation under Mason Caldwell."
The hostess looked up at him. I noticed her face blush. No matter what kind of guy Mason was, he definitely had a reputation.
"Of course. Right this way, Mr. Caldwell."
Mason put his hand on the small of my back and led me to our table. He pulled my chair out for me. Patrick had never done that. I quickly sat down.
"So tell me," he said as he looked at his menu. "Why do you want your boss to think that we're together?"
"I don't."
He lowered his eyebrows slightly. "I know when a girl is flirting with me. You were pretending to. Tell me why."
He didn't really ask it as a question. More as a command. It sent a chill down my spine. I was relieved when the waiter walked over.
"Good evening, and welcome to La Masseria dei Vini. I'm Franco and I'll be your waiter tonight. Can I start you off with something to drink? We have a featured..."
"We'll have a bottle of Chateau Bordeaux. And we'd both like Gnocchi Verdi for our entrees. Thank you, Franco." Mason kept his eyes on me. Everything he did was so unnerving.
"Yes, sir. I'll put your order in right away." Franco left the table.
"You should have let him finish," I said. "It's kind of rude to cut the waiter off when..."
"Tell me why, Bee."
I sighed. He clearly didn't mind cutting people off. "My boss hits on me sometimes. He's inappropriate. I thought maybe he'd stop if he thought we were together. I don't know why I did it. He flirted with me when I was wearing an engagement ring too. It's not going to stop him."
"You shouldn't let your boss walk all over you."
"You don't know me."
"I'd like to."
I swallowed hard.
"Why are you working for a guy like that anyway?"
"I can take care of him. I just thought him seeing us together might help for a few days."
"That doesn't answer my question. I'm sure there are other secretary jobs around."
"Because I don't want to be a secretary. I'm trying to get my first job in advertising. This is my way in."
"You want to be in advertising?"
"Yes. And don't even say it. I know you think I'm soft. And you probably think I'm not cut out for advertising because I don't have thick skin. I wasn't born in the city and therefore don't belong here. Yadda yadda. That's not going to stop me. You'll see."
He just stared at me for a second. "All I was going to say is that women who work at ad agencies don't usually start out as secretaries for dicks."
"Well I can't just get any job I want because my father has connections all over the city. I have to work my way up."
"You don't know me either, Bee."