Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Mason
I pulled up to Beau’s apartment building just as the sky was starting to lighten.
“This is ridiculous,” Beau said from the passenger seat. “We could just go in together. Say we carpooled or something.”
“Beau,” I patted him on the knee. “Let’s play it safe. There’s more than one attorney at the firm gunning for partner. They’d definitely use it against us.’
“Mason, you’re overthinking this.”
I gripped the steering wheel tighter. “I’m being careful. There’s a difference.”
“Is there?” Beau turned to face me fully. “Because it feels like you’re already regretting this.”
“I’m not—” I stopped, forcing myself to take a breath. “I’m not regretting anything. Look, I just... we need to be smart about this. If people find out we’re together, there could be consequences.”
“What kind of consequences?”
“Being ostracized. Losing out on assignments. Getting passed over for partnership.” The words tumbled out, all the fears I’d been holding since we left my apartment. “Carter could decide we’re a liability. Patsy could think we’re unprofessional. The other associates could—”
“Mason.” Beau reached over and took my hand. “Breathe.”
“I am breathing.”
“Barely.” His thumb traced circles on my palm. “Look, I get it. You’re scared. But we can be careful without acting like we’re committing a crime. We work together, Mason. We’re allowed to be in the same building.”
“I know that. I just think it’s better if we arrive separately. Keep our personal and professional lives completely separate.”
Beau studied me for a long moment, and I couldn’t read his expression. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yeah. If that’s what you need, we’ll do it your way.” He leaned over and kissed me. “But Mason? At some point, we’re going to have to figure out what we’re actually doing here. Because I’m not interested in hiding forever.”
“I know. We will. I just need time to think about how to handle this.”
“Alright.” Beau opened the door and grabbed his bags from the back seat. “I’ll see you at the office. Try not to give yourself an ulcer before eight AM.”
He walked toward his building, and I watched until he disappeared inside. Then I sat there for another five minutes, my head resting against the steering wheel, trying to ignore the voice in my head that said I was being an idiot.
This was the right call. We needed to be careful. Professional. Smart.
So why did it feel like I was already fucking this up?
* * *
Every time I heard footsteps in the hall, my head snapped up, wondering if it was Beau.
This was going to be an endless day.
A knock on my door made me jump. Lisa poked her head in, grinning. “Morning, sunshine. You’re here early.”
“Just catching up on some work.”
“Uh-huh.” She walked in, holding two cups of coffee. “Here. You look like you need it.”
“Thanks.” I took the cup gratefully. “What’s up?”
“Meeting in Conference Room B in five minutes. Carter wants the entire team there.” She leaned against my desk. “Probably to congratulate you and Beau on the MediCorp deal. How was New Orleans, by the way?”
“Fine, productive.” I kept my eyes on my computer screen. “The meetings went well.”
“Just the meetings?”
I looked up sharply. “What?”
“Nothing. You just seem... different. More relaxed or something.” Lisa’s eyes narrowed. “Did something happen in New Orleans?”
“We closed the deal. That’s what happened.” The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. What was she getting at?
“If you say so.” She pushed off the desk. “Come on. Carter hates when people are late.”
I followed her down the hall, my heart pounding for entirely different reasons now. The entire litigation department was already in the conference room, plus a few people from corporate. I scanned the room and found Beau immediately, sitting at the far end of the table.
Our eyes met, and his face lit up with a smile that made my chest tight.
I forced myself to look away and headed for a seat near the door. Professional. Separate. That was the plan.
But as I got closer to where Beau was sitting, I found my feet carrying me toward the empty chair next to him instead.
“Morning,” I said, sitting down.
“Morning.” Beau’s voice was casual, but his leg pressed against mine under the table. “Sleep well?”
“Not particularly.” I’d barely slept at all, actually. And the reason was sitting next to me.
“Me neither.” His foot hooked around my ankle. “Couldn’t stop thinking about this one guy.”
“Beau—”
“Good morning, everyone!” Carter’s voice cut through the chatter, and the room fell silent. He stood at the head of the table, Patsy beside him. “Thank you all for coming. We have some excellent news to share.”
Patsy smiled. “As you all know, Mason and Beau just returned from New Orleans, where they successfully completed negotiations for the MediCorp-PharmaTech merger. I’m pleased to report that all documents have been signed, and the deal is officially closed.”
The room erupted in applause. I felt my face heat up.
“This merger represents one of the largest deals our firm has closed this year,” Carter continued. “And it’s a testament to the quality of work we expect from all our associates. Mason, Beau—would you like to say a few words?”
“We’re good,” I blurted.
“The team at MediCorp made it easy,” Beau added. “They were professional and prepared. It was a pleasure to work with them.”
Under the table, Beau’s foot was creeping up my calf. I shot him a look, but he kept his expression perfectly neutral.
“Well, you both did outstanding work,” Patsy said. “And I have to say, it’s wonderful to see you two getting along so much better than when you started. You’re actually sitting next to each other.”
Beau coughed suddenly, covering his mouth. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing maniacally.
“Yes, well,” I cleared my throat. “We found a good working rhythm.”
“Clearly.” Carter pulled out his tablet. “Which is why we’re assigning you both to another high-profile case. The Henderson Technologies acquisition. They’re looking to purchase a smaller competitor, and there are some complex IP issues that need sorting out.”
The room buzzed with murmurs. Henderson Technologies was huge—one of the top tech companies in Virginia.
"That's a significant assignment," Paul Cramer said from across the table.
He'd been with the firm two years longer than me, consistently pulling in good numbers but never quite landing the marquee cases.
His expression was carefully controlled, but I caught the tightness around his jaw.
"Two major cases in such a short amount of time. "
"We've been fortunate," Beau said.
"Fortunate." Paul leaned back in his chair, and his smile didn't reach his eyes. "I'm sure it has nothing to do with how well you two collaborate. The way you work together is very... efficient."
Something in his tone made the back of my neck prickle.
"Paul, if you have concerns about case assignments—" Carter started.
"No concerns." Paul's response was quick. "Just making an observation. Some of us have been grinding away for years. But congratulations. Really."
The words felt sincere on the surface, but there was an edge underneath I couldn't quite place.
“Alright, everyone back to work,” Patsy said. “And remember—this is the standard we expect. Excellence, professionalism, and results.”
The meeting broke up, people filing out in groups. Beau and I stood, and he leaned in close.
“Henderson Technologies,” he murmured. “Looks like we’re stuck with each other.”
“Looks like it.”
“My office or yours?”
“We should probably—”
“Mason! Beau!” Lisa appeared beside us. “Congrats on the new case. You two are killing it.”
“Thanks,” I said, stepping away from Beau. “We’re pretty excited about it.”
“I bet.” Lisa looked between us, her expression thoughtful. “You want to grab lunch later? Celebrate?”
“Can’t,” Beau said. “Buried in work. Rain check?”
“Sure.” She walked away, glancing back once with a look I couldn’t quite read.
“Think she suspects something?” I muttered, then thought better of it. “Forget I said that. She doesn’t know a thing.”
“Exactly. We’re fine.” Beau’s hand brushed mine as we walked toward the elevators. “Stop worrying so much.”
* * *
I was reviewing the Henderson Technologies preliminary documents when my office door opened and closed quickly.
Beau leaned against it, a wicked smile on his face.
“Hi,” he said.
“Hi.” I glanced at the door. “You should probably—”
“What? Come in without knocking? I think I just did.” He walked toward my desk. “Miss me?”
“It’s been two hours.”
“That’s not an answer.”
I sighed, but I was smiling. “Yes. I missed you.”
“Good.” Beau perched on the edge of my desk. “Because I’ve been thinking about you all morning.”
“Beau, we’re at work.”
“I know. That’s what makes it fun.” His foot found my chair, rolling it closer. “Do you know how hard it was to sit through that meeting with your leg pressed against mine and not be able to touch you?”
“We touched. Under the table. Multiple times.”
“That doesn’t count.” His hand came up to loosen my tie slightly. “I want to touch you properly. Kiss you. Make you forget where we are.”
My breath caught. “That’s a terrible idea.”
“The best ones usually are.” He leaned down, his lips brushing mine. “Tell me you don’t want this.”
“I—”
The door burst open, and I jerked back so fast I knocked my coffee mug, sending it crashing to the floor. Coffee splattered across the carpet and up the side of my desk.
Lisa stood in the doorway, her eyes wide. “Oh shit, sorry! I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s fine,” I said quickly, grabbing napkins from my desk drawer. “Just startled me.”
“I can see that.” Lisa looked between me and Beau, who had casually moved to the other side of the desk. “I just wanted to drop off these files Carter asked me to give you.”
“Thanks. You can just leave them there.”
She set the files down slowly, still watching us. “Everything okay in here?”