Chapter 10 #2
“Right.” He looks to the building, deep in thought. “Why’s dickhead driving you?”
I shake my head, dropping my gaze to my lap. “You really are a nasty piece of work when you want to be.”
I go to open the door, but he stops me with a hand to my inner thigh. “Stop.”
My eyes drop to his hand. I swallow, suddenly more aware of him than I was moments before. “I said to stop doing that.”
He doesn’t move.
“Mase.” I brush his hand off.
“Vinny drives you,” he snaps, his voice final.
“Vinny works for you. I can’t trust you and I can’t trust Vinny.”
He screws his face up in disagreement. “That’s the most ridiculous thing that’s ever come out of your mouth, and you know it.”
“Hmmm, I don’t know, Mase. I had you in my mouth once.” I shrug, pouting as I climb from the car. “You have a good day.” I smile sweetly as I walk off towards the gym, swinging my hips for good measure.
Mase
The woman fucking rattles me, and she knows it. It’s her intention to wind me up, and I’m putty in her hands. All she has to do is smile and I’m semihard in my suit pants. Jesus, I have zero fucking control when it comes to her.
I scrub my hand over my face as I stand in the elevator on the way up to my floor. Get a grip on yourself.
“Good morning, Mason. Good weekend?” George asks as the elevator pings. “I did spy some pictures on Instagram, so I already know it was a messy one.
“Not today, George. Please, mate.”
“Jasmine.” I give her a curt nod, walking to my office.
She mutters back a barely audible “’Morning” without looking up from the computer screen.
Although Jasmine isn’t bad at her job, she also isn’t great at it either. She spends the majority of her time sitting quietly behind the desk.
I should probably have a word.
“I expected this mood.” George follows me. “The second I saw Nina in that strapless dress, I knew you’d be hot under the collar. What happened?”
“George,” I huff out, turning on him. “Get out of my office.”
He smiles, not flinching at my tone. “You got it, Bossman.” He winks, dropping the coffee cup and stack of files on my desk then leaves.
I’m at my office window before he can close the door, staring out over my home city.
The skyline is fogged, the winter morning setting the sky in a dull hue.
My eyes are drawn to the building three away from my own, though.
The bottom floor is a blur, and the second is crowded by the equipment and people, but the top floor—although I have to squint to see it—is still, quiet, and waiting. Empty, like it always has been.
“Jasmine.” Her platinum painted head pops up from behind the desk. “A word.”
I turn and walk back to my office, waiting for her to follow. Vinny is sitting at my desk, his hands steepled under his chin. “What is it?” Jasmine asks from the door, not crossing the threshold.
“Have a seat,” I tell her.
Her eyes tighten as she looks between us both, as if she’s figuring out if she can trust us. I nod to the chair, and she moves to sit next to Vinny. I eye him cautiously before addressing her. “We need information—”
“About what?”
“If you let me speak, I’ll tell you,” I snap.
My teeth gnaw at the inside of my cheek as I try to contain my annoyance. As much as I don’t like what Jasmine has done, I still want to help her. I want to give Nina the chance at a real family.
Or at least a sister.
“Jasmine, we know your boyfriend Lenny has been in contact. If you’re serious about getting your children back, you need to think about the people you allow in your life,” I spew her the watered-down line. She probably wouldn’t like what I really had to say.
“He only wanted to know about Betty.”
“So you didn’t agree to meet with him?” I question with a raised brow.
“What’s it to you?” she asks defensively.
I want to lay into her, tell her some home truths but Vinny is concerned that she’s depressed. She’s been through a lot but it’s all on her. She has to make this shit show better now, no one else can do it for her. Speaking to Lenny will only go against her when it comes to the children.
“We’re worried, love, we come from a good place,” Vinny tells her in that comforting voice that seems so fucking foreign to me. I only ever saw the man soften when Nina came into the picture. “The children will be with you much sooner if you can leave him behind.”
She nods, gritting her teeth. “I know that.”
Vinny looks at me and nods in encouragement. “We thought you might like to meet Nina.” I clench my teeth so hard I feel my teeth crack. “Get to know her.”
Jasmine frowns, looking between the two of us. “Absolutely not. I get enough judgement around here. Why would she even want to meet me? I’ve heard a lot from George, you know.”
“Nina wouldn’t judge you, and I won’t lie to her about who you are. When she’s ready, I would like to introduce you.”
“When she’s ready? Is this your way of getting her back, presenting me like a prize?” She snickers.
“No. We thought you might like some friends, but I can see you’re happy to continue your social suicide mission. You can leave,” I say to dismiss her.
“Mason.” Vinny tries.
“No, Vin, let her be. Jasmine, the only way your children will come back to you is if you sort yourself out. Change the way you live your life, and start putting the kids first, instead of always thinking about the money.”
Her chest heaves as she stands. “You know what I think? I think I’m an inconvenience and you don’t like it. I don’t know why you brought me here, but I’m doing this for my kids. Not for you or the long-lost sister you’re trying to push at me.”
“That went well,” I vent as she storms out, slamming my office door behind her.
“What did you expect, really?” Vinny smiles, leaning back in his chair. “I see a lot of Nina in her you know.”
“She’s nothing like Nina.”
“Stubborn, flighty, can get under your skin,” he lists.
My head drops back against the leather of my chair, and I huff out a breath. “I’m using L I brought the Bentley and will drive home.”
“You think it’s a good idea to be using the gym still, now that Nina is working there?” he questions.
“No.” But I’m going to, anyway.
He sniggers, looking towards the windows for a moment before bringing his focus back to me.
“I know you’ve always said you wouldn’t take Nina back…
” His head dips as he rubs his hand over his mouth, trying to articulate his words.
“If you think there could be something between you still and you want to pursue it, I will support you, always. You know I’ve always rooted for the two of you.
” He pauses, lifting his head to look at me.
His eyes hold a warning and it has me lifting my chin subconsciously.
I’ve heard from Scott about Vinny’s past, and the way he can flip the switch and become something lethal.
I have a feeling I’m seeing a little bit of that right now.
“If you hurt her, mess her around, and play with her feelings—”
“Vinny—”
“I will personally come for you.”
“Fucking hell.” I rake my hand through my hair in disbelief.
He nods, stands and buttons his jacket, his face morphing back to normal again as if he didn’t just threaten me.
“Vin.” I laugh. “Are you serious right now?”
“I’ve never been more serious in my life. That girl’s been through more than you’ll ever know.”
My lip twitches up at the corner, but I try to keep a straight face. I stand and join him at the door. I hold out my hand.
He looks down at it, his jaw locking, but then something that looks a little bit like pride washes over his face.
“Loud and clear, old man.” I wink, grasping his hand tighter than I should when he takes mine.
I should be pissed that he’s just threatened my ass, but I’m not. Nina needs all the people she can get fighting in her corner. Vinny is one of the best men I know, and she deserves his protection.
I don’t expect Nina to be in the gym when I arrive—it’s fucking late and she’s been here all day—but she is. She stands with Megan and Lucy, both of them in their gym wear. I roll my eyes, knowing that them coming here won’t last long.
“Ladies,” I greet smugly as I saunter past them.
They don’t say a word, all of them rendered speechless.
I knew Nina would be shocked to see me here, but better she knows I use L you need to leave!”
“I’ll pay on my way out.” He winks.
Ugh, please. “It doesn’t work like that.” I glare.
“Nina, I want to work out in peace—”
“Then go home! You have a perfectly good gym there.”
“No!” He continues to pump the weight and with each rep, I get a little bit more worked up. “I always work out here.”
“Liar! You do realise I can see that you’ve never been a member.” I hold up the iPad as if it’s the holy grail.
He rolls his eyes and continues lifting.
He came here intentionally on my first day to try and piss me off.
The bastard. I step closer and he steps back, catching his foot and stumbling slightly.
I quickly grasp the middle of the barbell as he tries to recover his footing.
“What are you doing!” he shouts, frowning as I try to take it from his hands. “Shit!”
“Mason!” I panic, taking the barbell fully as he falls to the floor, clutching his thigh. The weight is heavy, too heavy for me and I feel myself wobble. “Oh, no.”
“Shit, shit,” I hear Mason cuss from the floor.
“I can’t hold it,” I squeal. My left arm gives out, and the weight upends itself, smashing to the ground and taking me with it in some kind of gravity sequence.
“Jesus, shit!” Mason snaps from my side, clearly in pain. “The fuck is wrong with you!”
I look around at the few people on the machines nearby, feeling my cheeks flush. A big burly man with a long beard and a belt wrapped around his waist comes towards me. He lifts the weight from me with ease. Then takes a knee beside me. “Are you okay? You caught your chin.”
“I’m fine,” I mutter, waving him off as I stand and brush myself off.
“I think it’s bleeding,” he says.
“What?”
He reaches out and lifts my chin. “You might need stitches there.” He openly cringes.
My eyes drop to the floor where Mason is still sprawled out, holding his thigh. Only now he is deathly quiet and watching the man’s hold on my face with a dangerous look in his eyes.
I pull away. “Thank you, but I’ll be fine.”
“You okay, big man?” he asks Mason.
I bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing. He reaches down and offers his hand and Mason takes it, putting pressure on his leg then hissing.
Everything inside me coils tight.
I’ve hurt him.
“Let me see.” He hobbles to me, tilting my head to look at my chin. He’s so close, his body brushing mine as he dips down to get a better look. God, he smells delicious.
“Bloody hell, woman.”
“Logan will look at it, he had first aid training just last week. Or Scar, she will sort it. Are you okay?” I ask, shooing his hand away.
“I’m fine. I’m driving you to the hospital.”
“I don’t need to go to the hospital.” I touch my chin and feel the sticky blood pooling. Shit.
“You’re not fighting me on this, Nina. Is Logan in?”
“Yes.” I thumb towards the office and breathe a sigh of relief when he stalks off in that direction.
I can’t have Mason looking after me. It’s the last thing I need right now. I grab my things and ask Gemma to let Logan know I had to leave, then I call Maggie and tell her I’ll be late.
As I step out onto the street, I feel my chin drip and look down to see blood seeping into my tank top. I know I need to get to the hospital and have it stitched. If the girls weren’t in the office, I’d have asked them to take me, but Mason is too controlling and wouldn’t have allowed it.
I know Joey will be busy at the gallery, and Maggie is with Ellis.
“Vinny, I need your help,” I plead into the phone.