Chapter 38 – Mason
Chapter
Thirty-Eight
MASON
“You sure everything’s okay there without me?
” Elijah asks. “I feel bad about leaving again when we haven’t found the leak yet.
” His face on my monitor is tan and relaxed, and the lines around his eyes are a little more pronounced than usual, but not because he’s tired.
He’s smiling, and it looks like he hasn’t stopped for months.
The old Elijah never would have considered leaving Manhattan during a crisis, but he’s only having a long weekend in Charleston.
It’s not like he’s off-grid, and he’s right on the other end of the phone or a computer screen whenever I need him.
I have to say I love this more relaxed version.
He’s still a workaholic and has managed to close another huge Korean deal from the comfort of his sun lounger.
He’s flying out there tomorrow to finalize everything and will be gone for another ten days.
“I have it all in hand, and King is making progress. He’s confident he’ll have our leak plugged soon. And I’ll be interviewing for the new VP position Thursday and Friday. I’m planning to hand over a lot as soon as they start.”
“Yeah, they need to be able to hit the ground running.”
I nod my agreement. We have some stellar candidates, which is to be expected at the level we’re recruiting for.
He smiles. “I’m proud of you, Mase.”
I roll my eyes.
“I’m serious. I know I’ve taken a step back—”
“You deserve it, Elijah.”
“I appreciate you saying that, but I was worried about putting more on you, and you’ve handled it all like a champ. Not to sound like the patronizing big brother, but I really am proud of you. And I know Pop is too.”
My chest swells with pride. “Thanks, bro.”
After we end the call, I stare out the window.
I love this job and I always have, but I’ve enjoyed taking a more active role in the corporate side of things too.
It feels good to know I’m not fucking it up.
The only blot on my otherwise perfect horizon is the damn leak.
Until we find out who it is, the whole company is on lockdown information wise.
Basically, every single piece of information is on a strictly need-to-know basis.
It adds to the pressure, but it also means we’re not going to spring another leak.
There’s a soft tapping on my door, and when I look up, King’s standing there, looking all kinds of adorable and hotter than sin, in equal measure.
I wonder why he’s knocking until I hear Hayden’s voice and the unmistakable eager chatter of the new group of interns he’s showing around this morning.
I risk a wink. “Come in, Mr. Blackthorn.”
Grinning, he closes the door behind him.
Instead of sitting in his usual seat, he perches on my desk in front of me, forcing me to scoot back a little to accommodate him.
I love having his legs between my spread thighs.
He leans down and seals his lips over mine.
I slide my tongue into his mouth and deepen the kiss, but I’m the first to pull back.
Hayden could knock at any moment to introduce me to the new interns.
King stuffs his hands into his pockets. “I’ve narrowed our suspects down to two.”
“You have?” I ask. “Who?”
“Suspect one is Olivia Green.”
I rack my brain to place her. “I know her name, but I can’t remember what she does.”
“She works in development, but she’s pretty low on the ladder. And she’s been passed over for promotion twice.”
Now I remember her—I remember discussing her last interview with Hayden. “Yeah, she has. She’s good, but she has no initiative. None at all, which is okay when you’re a junior analyst and have three bosses who can tell you what to do, but not for the roles she was going for.”
“Well, her emails suggest a couple of clandestine meetings that raised my suspicions. Could be she’s hooking up with a married man or some other plausible explanation. But I’m running a sweep on any offshore accounts because her personal banking came up clean. However, she has motive and means.”
I shake my head. “I can’t see her having the savvy to do it. Who else?”
He winces. “You’re not going to like this one.”
“Who, King?”
He shrugs in a don’t-say-I-didn’t-warn-you way. “Hayden.”
“Hayden? My head of HR? The guy you don’t like because you think he wants me to fuck him?”
“First of all, he does want you to fuck him. But my dislike of the guy isn’t a factor in this.”
“Then what is?” I ask.
“He has more access to you than most of his colleagues. In fact, more than anyone else I’ve seen at this company. He could have somehow learned your passcodes or—”
“You think I’m that careless?”
He cups my jaw in his hand. “No, but why do you think I’ve spent so long in the office these past few weeks?
After my initial sweep, I had around forty potential suspects.
So I focused on them. Chatted over coffee, asked for help with my computer.
People inadvertently reveal information about themselves.
First car they drove. First pet’s name. You know? ”
“I’m not stupid enough to have my favorite pet as a password clue, King. And besides, our security is a little more sophisticated than that.”
“I’m not suggesting otherwise. I’m just saying, people who want to commit industrial espionage will find a way to use being close to you to get information.”
Hayden is clingy and attentive, and he does spend an inordinate amount of his time hovering around me. But he’s worked here for five years. He’s a good guy. “What’s his motive?” I ask.
“Money.”
I shake my head. “That could be anyone’s motive.”
“No. Not everyone is motivated by money.”
“And what makes you think Hayden is?”
“Have you seen the guy?” King says. “He drives a Lamborghini. Around Manhattan. The gas alone is astronomical, and I can’t imagine what he pays to park it. Everything he wears has a designer label. Including his underwear.”
“How the fuck do you know what underwear he wears?”
He smirks and cups my jaw again. “Oh, baby, I love it when you’re jealous.”
I bat his hand away. “I’m not.”
“He keeps a change of clothes in his office.”
I’m still not convinced. “I’m not sure that’s enough to accuse him of espionage. I wear designer clothes and drive an expensive car around Manhattan.”
He rolls his eyes. “Yeah, and you’re a fucking billionaire, baby. Not a head of HR.”
“He makes over half a million a year.”
“Yeah, I know. There’s some unusual activity in his banking too. Look, I’m going to do a full investigation. I won’t come to you unless I have absolute proof, but these are the two people who work for you that stand out. And I’ve learned to trust my gut.”
“What do you mean people who work for me?” It’s odd that he used that choice of words.
He runs his tongue over his top teeth. “You’re going to like this even less.”
I can already tell I will. “Go on.”
“What if it’s someone not in the company?”
My hackles rise. “Like who?”
“Like someone who has a lot of unrestricted access to you and Elijah. To your family home. To your penthouse.”
“The only person who currently fits that description is you.”
He scowls.
“Obviously it’s not you. But who the hell are you talking about? Not one of my sisters-in-law?” The thought of him accusing them makes me feel sick.
He licks his lips. “No, of course not. But what about Tyler?”
His words are a punch to the gut. “Tyler? My best friend? Melanie’s cousin? The guy who doesn’t have the faintest interest in tech?”
“He could easily get access to your and Elijah’s computers. All he would need is a—”
“No,” I snarl. “Tyler would never fucking do that. He would never fucking betray me like that.”
King grinds his jaw. “People betray us. That’s a fact of life.”
I push my chair back, needing to get away from him. “No. That might be a fact of your life, but most people don’t fuck over the people they claim to love.”
This is no longer just about me and Tyler, and it probably never was. King growls. “You’re telling me he loves you?”
I take a deep breath, desperately trying to get a hold on my anger, but it doesn’t work. “Yes, he fucking does. And more than me, he loves his cousin Melanie. You know, Nathan’s wife?”
“And do you love him?” he says, ignoring everything but my first sentence.
“What?” I blink at him. Jesus fucking Christ.
He walks toward me, and I register that we are once again squaring off against each other in my office. “I said do you love him?”
“Yes, I do, King. As a friend. He’s my best fucking friend. Is that why you’re doing this? Because you’re jealous of my friendship with Tyler? A guy you met once, for barely a minute?”
His nostrils flare. “I’m asking you to consider that it could be him.”
“Well, I fucking won’t consider it. You don’t get to accuse innocent people just because you’re a jealous jackass.”
His hand wraps around my throat, and he tugs me forward until my chest bumps against his. My treacherous dick stiffens in response. “Yeah, I am jealous. I can’t help but be jealous of a guy that you trust the way you trust him.”
My blood is boiling, and I want to take my anger out on King, preferably by fucking him senseless.
But I can see this is coming from a place of hurt, so I take a few seconds and breathe through it.
“He’s never given me any reason to doubt him, King.
That’s how trust works. Have I ever given you any reason to doubt me?
I love Tyler the way I love my own brothers.
And full disclosure, there have been times when I’ve looked at him and wondered if there was something more, but I never acted on it. You know why?”
“Why?” His voice is strained.
“Because he’s my friend, and I would have fucked up our friendship if I had. I’ve only ever been about shallow, meaningless hookups. And that’s all Tyler and I would have been. Because I don’t love him that way. For that kind of love, there’s only ever been you. There will only ever be you.”
He rests his forehead against mine, his breathing labored. “I’m sorry.”
I place my hand on the back of his neck. “It’s not him, King. Can you trust me on that?”
He loosens his grip on my throat and rests his fingers at the base of my neck, more like a caress than a hold. “Yeah.”
“I love you, mi rey.”
“I love you too, Mase. I’m always going to be a little bit of a possessive asshole when it comes to you though. You okay with that?”
Strangely, I am. “Yes. And I’m always going to be friends with Tyler. You good with that?”
I don’t know what I’ll do if he says no. I’m not prepared to give either of them up. And I know that as soon as the two of them get to spend some actual time together, they’ll hit it off immediately.
“Yeah, I can handle that.”
“That’s my good boy,” I tease, intending to break the tension. Instead, I create an entirely different, altogether more pleasant kind.
King growls, and the sound is impatient and feral. His mouth claims mine, and our hands work double-time exploring each other. Within seconds, I’m lost to him once more. King Blackthorn is my obsession. My darkness and my light, and all the shades in between.