Chapter Seven
Maria
The next day of the conference dawns with a flurry of anticipation. I still haven’t managed to get to Ruth, but it will happen. I go through my morning routine, then walk down to the grand conference hall, the buzz of conversations and the hum of excitement filling the air.
The area is already packed with people, all eager to make connections, see old friends, and visit with fans. There really is pure happiness in the air at a conference. How can there not be, when the space is filled with people who all love books?
I’m lost in my thoughts when Robert approaches. “Maria, I need you to bring Mason to the company party tonight,” he says, his tone leaving no room for argument. I blink at him, caught off guard. What is his obsession with Mason? I can see him wanting Miles there, but why Mason? Does he want Miles publishing with us so he can get to Mason? This is so strange. What does an ex NFL player have to do with my publishing house? It isn’t like I’m a journalist looking for a scoop.
“I’m sure I can get him to come,” I say. I wish I knew why this was needed, though.
Robert nods, already turning away to talk to the next person. I’m glad to see him go. I’ve never had a problem with my boss before, but right now, I’m not thrilled with him. I haven’t been micromanaged in years, and I don’t like it. It was bad enough being told to get Miles as a client, but bringing Mason into this is a step past my comfort zone.
I take in a deep breath and scan the area for Mason. It doesn’t take long to find him. His tall frame, wide shoulders, and confident demeanor truly make him stand out in a crowd of thousands. It’s most likely been this way for him since middle school, heck maybe even since elementary school. I weave through the crowd toward him. He looks up and smiles, seeming pleased to see me coming. Yep, my breath hitches again.
“Hello, beautiful,” he says, interrupting the conversation he was having so he can pull me in close to him.
“Hello,” I say, hating the heat in my cheeks. I wonder if I’m around him for any length of time if this will ebb a bit. I’m not sure. I don’t think we’ll be around each other for long enough to make that happen.
We visit with the people he’s standing with for a moment before we walk off together. “Do you want to come to my company party tonight?” I ask. I don’t tell him it’s a request from my boss. I don’t know why I don’t tell him this, but I don’t like the situation at all, and feel uncomfortable about it. I guess I don’t want him feeling the same way I am.
“I’d love to come with you. What kind of boyfriend would I be to let you attend parties by yourself?” he asks as he leans down and gives me a kiss. I barely hold back my sigh.
“Good. Pick me up at six,” I tell him. “I have to run for now, but dress code is business casual.” He winks at me before I rush off.
I make it through my day in a whirl of meetings and more panels. I’m only half paying attention though because all I can think about is my evening with Mason. Sure, I’m excited to be with him, but I’m also worried about what my boss is up to. This just doesn’t make sense to me, and I don’t like participating in something that makes no sense.
There’s a knock on my door at five minutes to six, and I smile. I love a man excited to start the evening. I give myself a final check in the mirror, then move over and answer the door to see Mason’s smiling face. As he takes me in, his eyes alight, and he grabs me, pulling me straight to him while lowering his head.
I don’t even hesitate to accept the kiss as he wraps his arms around me and pulls me close. His tongue slips into my mouth, and I get lost in his arms as he pulls me tight against his body, allowing me to feel exactly what I’m doing to him. Screw this party.
“You two might want to go inside the room,” someone says in between a lot of giggles. Embarrassment fills me as I pull back from Mason who looks a whole lot turned on, and a bit too smug. I pull him into my room as my cheeks heat.
“What in the world?” I gasp.
“Let’s get back to that,” he says as he reaches for me. I dance away from him and hold up my hand, shaking my finger.
“Don’t you dare. We have to go to the event or I’m fired,” I tell him.
“We can make an entrance much later,” he says, his voice almost pleading.
This makes me laugh. I have a feeling this man is right, that I’m going to end up in his bed, and in a very short time. Each time he touches me I melt. To not explore this seems like a sin. I can’t think about it right now, though.
“Not going to happen,” I tell him.
“Then you shouldn’t have worn this red dress,” he tells me. His eyes are darker, and though he’s smiling, I can see he’s right on the edge of control. I have to admit, it doesn’t hurt my ego that I’m bringing this man to his knees.
“I’ll have to remember your weaknesses,” I say.
“You. That’s it. You’re my weakness,” he says, too confident to be embarrassed to admit this.
“Then we better get out of here. I need to fix my face first,” I say as I move to the bathroom and shut the door.
He calls through the door. “We have to come back after the event,” he warns, and my heart skips a beat. I have no doubt if we come back, something’s going to happen. I’m not sure I hate the thought of this. I need to accept it’s inevitable.
I fix my mussed hair and lipstick, then come out. Mason behaves as I take his arm and we exit my room. There isn’t a whole lot of talking as we make our way to the company party. We are about twenty minutes late, and the room’s already filled with people all connecting, seeing what deals they’ve made and plan on making. This isn’t my favorite part of conferences. I don’t like trying to one-up people. I’m confident in what I do, and I don’t need to toot my own horn.
Mason’s a natural as the two of us grab drinks and jump right into the conversation as we move around visiting with various people. The lines between fantasy and reality have certainly blurred when it comes to Mason. I’m supposed to be his fake girlfriend, but this feels so dang real. I know that kiss wasn’t fake. Nothing about us feels fake.
Mason shamelessly flirts with me in front of my colleagues, and I love every moment of it. For a while, it’s fun and makes me feel like the star of the night. The way he looks at me makes me feel like I’m wearing nothing at all. It seems he’s doing this for me, and me alone, not for some pretend act.
“I want to come to every event with you if you dress like this,” he whispers, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
I laugh, loving how impressed he is. “I only dress this way when I have exes to taunt,” I tell him, a brief reminder of why the two of us are here together. He frowns at this as if not happy at all to be reminded. I’m not sure I’m reminding him or myself.
“I’m not even thinking about exes when you’re next to me,” he says. The intensity in his gaze makes me shiver as my skin tingles where his breath brushes across it. Before I can respond to him, Robert comes over, practically giddy with excitement.
“I’m so glad you made it to the party, Mason. I’d love to sit and chat with you for a few minutes if your lovely date doesn’t mind.” It’s not like I can tell my boss that I do, indeed, mind, which I do.
“Of course I don’t mind. You two have fun,” I say with a false smile.
“I appreciate the invite. I love to come anywhere with this woman,” Mason replies. He lifts my hand and kisses my palm before he exits with my boss. I move straight to the bar to grab a drink. We’ve only been here for an hour and I’m already more than ready to leave. When will that be appropriate? I normally love these parties and getting to see some people only during them. We all live in different places, and getting together isn’t easy.
I look over at Robert and Mason as they chat, and I’m confused as it seems my boss is almost starstruck at being with Mason. Sure, he’s a former NFL star, but my boss is around famous people all of the time, and I’ve never seen him act this way before. I’m distracted when I get into a conversation with another person.
More time passes than I realize when I look up again to see Mason speaking with a woman. No big deal. But suddenly that woman moves indecently close to Mason and throws her arms around him, her face much too close to his neck. He laughs at whatever it is that she’s saying to him, and I feel my gut clench.
Once she releases him from her claws the two of them remain in a conversation. He’s smiling, and I’m growing angrier. What in the world is going on? Sure, I know we’re only pretending to be a couple, but everyone here assumes we are so what’s he doing openly flirting with another woman?
I move a little closer to try to eavesdrop, and hate myself a bit for doing so. I’m not an insecure woman, and I don’t play games. I certainly don’t do jealousy. If a man wants to stray then he can go with the other woman. I’m certainly not fighting for his attention. I don’t know what’s gotten into me.
I hear him say her name and realize it’s the ex-girlfriend he told me he wants nothing to do with. If he came up with this whole scheme to keep her off of him, then why is he seemingly so comfortable with her right now? It makes absolutely no sense to me. I’m not used to feeling this jealous, and I don’t like it.
I assure myself it’s not jealousy I’m feeling, it’s anger that he’s embarrassing me in front of the people I work with. Gossip will spread through the office about how I’m unable to keep the attention of men. They know my ex cheated on me, and now it looks like Mason’s planning on doing the same. It takes all I have not to exit the room.
“How are you doing, Maria?” a woman asks, pulling me from my internal rage.
“I’m great,” I say as I turn. “Karen, right?
“Yes, we met at a conference last year. I have to admit, I like this one better. It’s such a great group of authors from multiple genres. I’ve already spent too much money on books and have to buy an extra bag to get home.”
I laugh, knowing that’s the response she expects. I look away from Mason, not able to look at him anymore. I don’t want anyone in this room to know how upset I am. If I don’t react, then maybe they won’t think it’s a big deal that my so-called boyfriend is letting another woman hang all over him.
How can he kiss me the way he did earlier, compliment me half the night, and then so easily forget me? I don’t think I’ll ever have a chance to understand men. I’m destined to die a lonely cat-woman. I’m okay with this as I love cats. I think I’ll get twenty of them. Much nicer than a lying and cheating man.
“That’s a lot of books. I have to admit, I have overflowing shelves myself,” I tell her. I’m not really into this conversation, but I need to do something to distract me. We chat for a while, and no matter how much I don’t want to, my mind keeps drifting back to Mason and Sabrina. I haven’t looked at them again and have no idea if they’re still together.
I eventually move around the large area and talk with several people. After about an hour Mason appears back at my side, his arm wrapping around my back. I don’t look at him as I tense. I find a way to unwind myself from him without making it obvious, and feel him growing quieter. I pray for this event to end as I continue drinking too much. The alcohol really does help. I hate that I need it.
Eventually, the event comes to a point that I can slip out. I manage to scoot away from Mason, then exit the room and start making my way straight to the elevators. I don’t want to run into anybody else. I simply want the comfort of my own room.
I enter the elevator with a sigh of relief as the doors begin shutting. At the last minute a hand shoots out, and then Mason steps inside with me. I finally meet his eyes, and he looks confused.
“What happened back there?” he asks. “Why did you leave without me?”
“You seemed perfectly happy on your own,” I tell him, keeping my voice neutral. The shear amount of alcohol I’ve consumed is making this hard to do.
“I’m seriously confused,” he says.
“I thought the whole point of our fake dating was to keep your ex off of you,” I snap. I’m ticked that I’m blurting this out, but I can’t seem to help myself. The elevator reaches my floor and I practically run out. He’s right on my heels as I open my door. He doesn’t give me even the remotest of chances to shut the door in his face.
He shuts it behind him and glares at me. “I seriously have no clue why you’re mad at me.”
“My colleagues think we’re a couple and you were flirting with your ex. It’s embarrassing,” I tell him, my voice rising.
“I wasn’t flirting with her. She came over to me and I didn’t know what to do. I looked for you, and you were gone. I stood there for as long as I had to, and then I got away to find you. I kept getting stopped. As soon as I could I was back at your side and you turned into the arctic queen.”
“That’s not what I saw,” I tell him. Then I throw my hands up, and before he can stop me, I rush into the bathroom where I lock the door. I’m too drunk to have this conversation.
“I’m not leaving, Maria,” he calls through the door.
“I’m tired, Mason, and I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” I call back. I hate that I’m acting like a jealous teenager. I turn on the shower to drown out his voice. I hear his frustrated growl on the other side of the door, and this makes me smile. Good. He can be as irritated as I’m feeling right now.
I take my time in the bathroom, glad I’ve left my pajamas in here. I wash my face, shower until the water turns cold, then take extra care with my nighttime moisturizing routine. He surely has to have given up by now.
With caution, I sneak out of the bathroom and hear silence in the room. I smile. The grin quickly fades when I find him on my bed . . . sound asleep beneath my covers. What the heck? I move over to Nikki’s door and find it locked. That might mean she has a man in there with her. I don’t know what to do. I’m not sleeping on a couch in the living area if there’s a man in Nikki’s room who might come out.
I move back to my room and shake Mason. He doesn’t budge. We both drank a hell of a lot tonight. With little other choice, I grab some pillows and place them in the middle of the large bed, and then I climb in and hug the edge making sure no part of our bodies are touching.
As irritated as I am with him over the party, I’m exhausted. I curl around a pillow and close my eyes. I assure myself he’ll be gone when I wake up in the morning. I can think about what to do about this situation tomorrow. I fall asleep far too quickly, the sound of Mason’s even breathing way too soothing.