Chapter 6 Allie
ALLIE
Two Years Ago
“Stupid teasing fucking cunt.” Thomas shoves me hard enough to nearly knock me over. I’ve never seen him like this before. His eyes are glassy and his face is a bizarre mix of emptiness and rage, like he’s totally hollow and only anger is slowly filling him.
My friend isn’t there anymore.
“Please, my Uber is coming. It’s on the way, okay? Everything’s going to be okay.” Panic rips through me. Thomas is big, really big. If he wants to hurt me, he can do it. He could hit me, kick me, pin me down and do worse—
I just need to keep talking. Maybe if I do that, he’ll see me as a person again. As his friend. And he won’t do this.
“Fuck your Uber, bitch. You dick tease. I want what you promised me.” He reaches out and I shimmy away, quickly getting back to my feet. “Come here, you fucking whore.”
I’m about to scream when I notice the people.
They’re walking a few feet away, heading straight for the black town car parked against the curb.
The man is tall and attractive. I noticed him earlier when he was walking through the crowd.
Honestly, it was hard not to see him. He’s strikingly handsome with curly dark hair shot through with gray and a chiseled, masculine jaw.
An air of power and confidence hangs around him.
There’s a woman with him, tall and very beautiful, her heels clacking on the ground with each step.
“Oh! Wow! Mr. Mason!” I dart past Thomas before he can stop me.
“Mr. Mason! Hey, it’s you, my father’s business associate.
Wow, amazing to run into you here. It’s so good to see you!
” I smile huge, my eyes burning with desperation.
I’m shaking and I know how pathetic and risky this gambit is because if it doesn’t work, it’ll only piss off Thomas even more. Then I don’t know what’ll happen to me.
The man slows. He glances at me, frowning slightly.
Our eyes meet and I feel a shiver crawl down my spine.
His stare is oppressively strong, like he’s driving a massive palm against my throat and forcing me down to my knees.
He’s muscular and athletic but not overly built.
His suit is clearly expensive and so black it melts into the night.
There’s no recognition, no confusion, no emotion at all as he looks at me.
He heard the fight. He saw me get pushed to the ground. There’s no way in hell he doesn’t know what’s going on right now.
But he doesn’t look like he cares.
Fear lances into my chest but I’m so desperate that I just push on anyway.
“Mr. Mason, yeah, you probably don’t remember me, but you and my father worked together a few years ago.
I met you at a dinner event. I was in that red dress.
Remember that one? I was just at the club with a friend, and I guess my Uber’s running late, and Thomas was just being nice enough to stand with me while I waited for it.
But hey, look, maybe you could give me a ride?
Please? Would that be okay?” I’m begging at this point.
It’s pathetic. The man’s not walking anymore, but he doesn’t look like he’s interested at all in what I’m doing.
Maybe he doesn’t realize, but I’m on a knife’s edge. I’m pretty sure I’m about to be sliced in half.
Please help me, please help me, please help me!
Thomas hangs back a step. I can tell he’s confused.
He keeps looking from me to the new stranger like he’s not sure if this is really happening.
The woman the stranger is with frowns at me very briefly like I’m nothing more than an annoying curiosity before staring down at her phone.
“Your flight can wait for one ride, Mr. Mason,” she says casually.
I nearly melt. Hope fills me. Maybe if this beautiful man won’t help, she’ll step in and do something. But she’s already walking to the car without a second glance.
The man’s still staring at me. His face pulls into a slight frown. “I don’t like being late,” he says very softly.
A lump fills my throat, but I fight it back. This is pathetic and disgusting. I’m clearly in trouble, and he doesn’t care at all! If I start crying, it’s only going to get worse.
“Do you really know this guy?” Thomas asks, looking deeply suspicious now.
I’m pleading with my eyes. This is my last shot. If the stranger says no and walks off, Thomas is going to know I tried to trick him.
Then I’m dead.
Really and truly, I think he might kill me.
The stranger tilts his head to the side as though he’s considering a side of beef at a grocery store.
“One ride,” he says. “Mostly because you looked so fuckable in that little red dress.”
My mouth drops open. My heart nearly stops. Thomas’s eyes go wide like he just got kicked in the stomach.
Did this guy really just say that?
But he’s already turning and walking to the car. I scramble after him, so grateful to be getting away from Thomas that I’m not bothering to ask the obvious questions.
Who is this guy? And am I just putting myself in even worse danger?
None of that matters. I scurry over to his side. “Thank you,” I whisper softly. “Thank you so, so much, my name is Allie, and I really—”
“No more talking.” He stops at the car and opens the door for me. I hesitate as he looks back at Thomas. “Get in and wait.”
I don’t know what to do. He’s looking at Thomas with a strange hunger. Thomas is backing off, pissed that I’m getting away, but clearly afraid.
“Better listen,” the woman says from inside the car.
I slip in and take the seat across from her. She’s got her back to the driver, her eyes glued to the screen.
The door slams shut.
Silence falls. The windows are tinted so black I can’t see out of them. I don’t know what the stranger’s doing, and a part of me realizes I really don’t want to find out.
“My name’s Allie. Thank you so much for that. Thomas isn’t usually so bad, but he just—”
“I don’t care.” She stares at me, eyebrows raised. “Truly, I don’t.”
That takes me aback. “But you helped me. I mean, Thomas was going to hurt me—”
“And that’s not slightly my problem. Find better friends.” She looks at her phone again.
“Why did you help me then?”
“Because Mass has been such a pain in my ass lately and could use a good distraction for a night.” Her lips press together in concentration. “You happen to be his type.”
Fear strikes my guts. I don’t even know what to say. That idea’s insane, like I’m being pimped out to that guy without even knowing it.
But before I can argue, the door opens. Mass gets in and sits beside me. There’s a red stain on the sleeve of his jacket and he’s wiping something off his knuckles.
I catch a glimpse of a body lying on the sidewalk before he slams the door.
Fear grips my stomach. That’s blood on his knuckles. And that was definitely Thomas, possibly beaten to death in the twenty seconds I’ve been in this car.
Who the hell is this monster?
“Did you kill him?” the woman asks casually.
“No, but he’s missing some teeth.”
“Too bad.”
“If I had more time, I would’ve been more thorough.” He tucks the handkerchief back into his jacket. His knee brushes mine and a shiver fills my stomach. He doesn’t look at me, but I can’t stop staring at him.
He’s beautiful. The powerful energy rolling off him is overwhelming. The scent of spicy cologne and powerful, masculine musk is an assault on my senses.
I know men like him. I grew up in a family filled with violence and greed. I’ve been surrounded by the New York underground since I was old enough to walk. But this stranger is something else entirely. I’ve been messing around with housecats, and he’s a lion on steroids.
“I think if you take that girl home, she’ll fuck you senseless. I would if I were in her shoes.”
“Sounds messy and complicated. I’d also miss my flight.”
“Mass, you could use a release. Honestly, you’ve been so uptight lately. Worse than usual.”
“I don’t know how I haven’t killed you yet.”
“You appreciate my candor and my efficiency. Spend the night in your Manhattan apartment. Take some of your frustrations out on this very pretty girl. Then we’ll fly home in the morning.”
“She is pretty.”
“I’d fuck her if she were into me, but you’re definitely more her type.”
“How can you tell?”
“It’s the way she’s staring at you.”
The car starts driving, and I finally find the courage to speak. “I’m right here!” I say, but my voice comes out shrill and horrified. “I mean, I never said I’d, you know, go home and—” My cheeks turn bright red.
Mass turns to look at me. He studies me intensely. My mouth clamps shut, and I’m shaking slightly as his eyes move down my body. My dress is tight and short, and his gaze lingers on my thighs and breasts before returning to my lips. Finally, he meets my gaze.
“If you come home with me, I won’t be a gentleman. I’m not kind. I’m not soft.”
The woman sighs. “You really know how to flirt.”
“Stop talking, Lucy.” Mass keeps looking at me. “My place isn’t far.”
My head’s swimming. I’m extremely grateful that he just saved me from Thomas, but this is too much. They’re talking about sex with me like it’s some forgone conclusion. Like, of course, I’d happily spread my legs and let this big, beautiful, crazy scary beast fill me to the core—
Oh, shit, I’m seriously considering it.
“Is she coming too?” I ask meekly, feeling mortified.
“I’d be happy to join in. We haven’t shared a girl in ages.”
Mass grunts at her unhappily. “Don’t make jokes.” He turns back to me. “Lucy and I are colleagues. We don’t mix business and pleasure.”
“And I’m… pleasure?”
He nods once. “A luxury I rarely allow myself.”
I chew my lip. My heart’s racing wildly, and I feel lightheaded. “What happens if I say no?”
“I’ll drop you off wherever you want and go home.” He spreads his legs more, and his thigh pushes into mine. “But I don’t think you’re going to.”
Shit. Shit, shit, shit. This isn’t supposed to happen. I snuck out of the house to come dancing tonight, and if I don’t show up by early tomorrow morning, my parents are going to literally murder me.
But then again, I’m an adult. I’m old enough to make my own decisions.
Which is what a normal girl would get to say.
Except I’m nowhere near that. My life isn’t my own. And my mother will literally disown me if she ever finds out I snuck away to go dancing in the city and went home with a beautiful stranger.
Still… I’ve barely lived. My whole existence has been prescribed, planned, and perfectly balanced. There’s a reason I came here with Thomas.
I’m deeply miserable and desperate to feel alive for once.
And right here, in this car, with these bizarre people…
I feel something.
It’s mostly terrified, but still.
Mass is handsome. No, he’s Greek God beautiful. I’ve never been this viscerally attracted to someone before. I know if I follow him back to his apartment, I’ll do something very stupid. Something I might regret.
But I might not.
“Can you get me back home before five in the morning?”
Mass only nods. “We can handle that.”
“Then I guess… I could see your place… if you want.”
The woman, Lucy, knocks on the divider window. It rolls down. “Drop me at the Hilton,” she tells him, glancing at Mass. “Seems like I’ll need a room for the night.”
“Don’t complain. You’ll make me pay for it.”
“Of course I will.”
The divider rolls back up. The driver doesn’t even glance at me.
I’m alone again with Lucy, who’s not paying attention anymore, and Mass. He’s looking at the window, jaw set in a tight line, and I don’t really understand this. He seems almost like he’s in a terrible mood. Like bringing me home is some kind of chore.
But I can’t help myself. I’m deeply curious about him. What kind of man carries himself like this? What kind of man has a private jet, a driver, and an assistant like this incredibly beautiful woman? He’s obviously rich. And I’d wager he’s connected.
Once Lucy’s gone and we’re driving again, I turn to face Mass. I’m afraid, but he doesn’t seem particularly menacing. Honestly, it feels like I’m barely here.
“Can I ask you something?”
He frowns in response. But he doesn’t say no.
“What’s your last name? I mean, my family, they know a lot of people in New York—”
“No last names. I don’t want to hear yours and you don’t want to know mine.” He moves closer. One large hand presses against my knee and moves up to my bare thigh. His palm is warm and slightly callused. I’m surprised by that. He must work with his hands on something.
“I mean, I’d like to know the man I’m going home with.”
“We have four hours together. You can call me Mr. Mason if you like and I’ll think about you in that little red dress while I peel you apart. Would you enjoy that, Allie? Letting me explore you? Tease you and touch you? Four hours isn’t long, but I plan on using every available minute.”
My mouth drops open. I lick my lips and try to steady myself, but my nervous system suddenly goes into overdrive.
“I think… I’d like that…”
“Don’t think. Be decisive. I don’t want to fill and fuck a woman who isn’t sure.”
I blink rapidly in surprise. “I’m sure. I mean, yes, I’d like that.”
“Good.” His palm slips to my inner thigh and he tugs me against him.
“I want you enthusiastic. I want you dripping and pleading. Just like you were on the sidewalk. I want you begging, Allie. I want you right on the edge, your body tense and thrumming with how badly you want me to break you. I’m going to enjoy your taste tonight.
And I’ll dream about that red dress when you’re gone.
But for now,” he pushes the hem of my dress up. “This black one will have to do.”
He leans forward and his lips press against mine.
It’s electric. His kiss is possessive and dominant, and I believe every single word he’s telling me. Coming from any other man, it would sound like obscene bragging. But from him? It’s a promise. He’ll make this a reality. All I have to do is surrender.
And I let myself. I open my mouth. His tongue invades me, and I kiss him back with stupid abandon, aware that I’ve gotten myself into something much worse than I ever imagined, but I don’t care anymore.
I’m here in this moment. I’m doing this tonight. And when he drops me off in the morning, it’ll feel like this was just some wild dream.
For now, I don’t want to wake up.