Chapter 20 Anna—Champagne and anonymous sexts
Check-in was a breeze. Shane appeared to have contacts at the hotel.
The security manager Scotty made an appearance, promising Shane he’d do whatever was needed for him to have a “good weekend.” Nice.
Another ally! Anna smiled at Scotty and asked the receptionist to please organize an anonymous delivery to the room next to theirs.
When they entered the room, Anna was struck by its beauty and romantic vibe.
It was gorgeous, on the second-highest floor.
How much was Mason spending on this weekend?
She’d offered to transfer some money to Shane, but he’d dismissed her offer and refused to talk about it further.
He was a tough man in many ways, but he only seemed to use his stubbornness to do nice things for her.
She’d pick up the dinners or something, she told herself.
Then it would be more even. If Mason could drop thousands on his mistress, she’d drop money on her …
her what? Friend? Ally? Confidante? Crush?
He was definitely a kind man under all that stoic bluster, and he seemed interested in her.
He was handsome in a different kind of way and his physical strength was more than appealing.
Stupid biology. Maybe she needed a night of fun?
No, she decided. She wasn’t “single” yet, even though she felt it in her heart.
She checked out the bathroom—absolutely luxurious!
“This is amazing. Quite the getaway for our lovebirds,” she remarked.
“Let’s hope we have thin walls, so we can hear the fallout,” Shane responded.
“Could be a mixed blessing. We might hear them fucking,” Anna mused.
Shane shuddered dramatically, making her laugh.
He moved to the French doors that led out the balcony, throwing them open and letting in the evening breeze. Suddenly, he turned to Anna with a finger over his lips. He beckoned her over, grabbing her hips and holding her still when she moved to step out onto the balcony.
The sound of voices on the next-door balcony drifted over.
“It’s so nice to get away, Mase. My poor puss is aching for you,” April’s seductive tones cooed.
Anna made a quiet gagging sound, looking up at Shane behind her with amusement. Shouldn’t this hurt? Why am I almost enjoying this? Their words sounded pathetic, amusing.
Shane’s hands hadn’t moved from her hips. They stood silently, ostensibly listening to the saucy conversation next door. Her heart was pounding. She could feel his warm chest on her back, his breath on her neck. He must be looking down at her, she thought. His breath sounded as choppy as hers.
“And I’ve been aching for your sweet puss,” Mason returned, though his voice sounded forced.
“We can’t do this anymore. This has to be it, Mason. I’m not sneaking around for you anymore. I’ll give up Shane. I’ll walk away with nothing, all for you. My man, my everything.”
“April, I know and I truly—”
“Who could that be? No one knows we’re here,” April asked.
Ah, the room service must be arriving.
“I’ll get it,” Mason offered.
Shane looked down at her, smiling. She smiled back and couldn’t help but look at his lips.
They were full for a man’s lips. The scar that began beside his mouth wasn’t unattractive; it was just part of him.
It added to his mysterious, dangerous appeal.
The silence and tension deepened, broken only by Mason’s return.
“Are you sure you didn’t say anything to anyone? That was room service. A fucking bottle of champagne with a card. Are you playing me, April?”
“How dare you,” her angry voice was becoming dark and low. “What does the card say? Maybe it’s like a hotel welcome.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Quinn, may your love be as strong as your integrity,” Mason read. “Doesn’t sound like a fucking complimentary hotel welcome.”
His tone was accusatory and was met with open hostility from April.
“Well, don’t blame me. Who have you told? It’s probably Lilah. That sniveling bitch has been riding both of us lately. You shouldn’t have left the pube.”
Shane’s chest was moving. He was laughing, she realized.
She turned around and pushed her finger to his mouth to stop any sound he may make.
Her motion made his smile disappear, leaving only intense eye contact between them.
Mel would love this, she thought. Those pregnant silences in romance novels had nothing on this.
The tension was real and jarring. Luckily, the two morons they had once called lovers broke it.
“It can’t be Lilah. And it wasn’t my fucking pube. If you maybe landscaped occasionally, that wouldn’t have happened,” he fumed.
“Landscaped? What do you want, a little girl, Mason? Well, bad luck, I’m a grown woman with a full bush.”
Oh, this was amazing. This was everything. She should have sent up a bottle of lube and a butt plug training set. What was the pube thing about? Whatever it was, it had to do with Lilah. She owed the woman a bottle of wine.
“Enough about the damned pube. April, we need to seriously talk about this. Look at us, we’re not suited,” Mason scoffed.
Defusing the bomb, Anna thought. Please let it blow up. Let it blow everything up.
“Are you kidding me? Do you know what I’ve offered to give up for you? Half a ranch, a huge wad of cash and potentially my career. They’ll fire one of us when they find out.” Her voice was furious and loud. Very loud.
Shane tensed at that. It must be hurtful being seen as a payday, she thought. And she knew that from bitter experience.
“You haven’t given anything up yet. We can walk away, both of us. No harm. What do you want me to do here?” His voice was now pleading.
“You know what I want. Leave Anna and her Heidi bullshit behind. Be with me. This is just a teething problem, and you know it. We’re tense as fuck because of the secrecy. The pressure is making us crack,” April said, her voice turning from harsh to soft. What was the Heidi reference, Anna wondered.
“Here, baby come on, let me help you feel better,” she cooed.
The voices became fainter. They’d obviously moved inside. And Mason had obviously followed willingly. It wasn’t the stab in the heart she thought it would be.
“Fuck this,” Shane said. “They seem too happy. Ready for Rosa’s revenge?” he asked, referencing something she’d told him the car.
“Definitely. Got the spare phone?”
He handed her an old work phone that had no current owner. The number wouldn’t be in either April’s or Mason’s contacts.
Anna sent a message from her phone to the spare phone, then took it from Shane.
Done. Who could have a better friend than Rosa?
She’d taken a headless semi-nude that she was very proud of.
“I have a good ass, I know it,” she’d said.
“The thought of being in Mason’s wank bank is foul, but I’ll take the hit for you.
” An original shot would ensure Mason couldn’t reverse Google image search the very sexual photo to placate April or claim it was a fake message.
Missing you, Mason. Let me know when Anna’s gone and I’ll come over for another dick appointment. *image attached*
With great satisfaction, Anna hit send. Hopefully their balcony door was still open. What good was dropping such a catastrophic bomb if she couldn’t hear the fallout? Sweet merciful God, their doors were still open. She heard his phone ping.
Silence. Then a shrill voice.
“What is it? Show me,” April demanded.
“I don’t know what it is, I swear,” Mason responded desperately.
She must have snatched his phone, or he willingly showed her (doubtful).
“Who the fuck is this, Mason? I can’t fucking believe you. Three of us? I believed you weren’t still fucking Anna, but you’re definitely giving it to this bitch! You’ll regret this. I promise you! Shane won’t tolerate you messing around with me. You’re dead,” she seethed.
Anna turned to Shane, who smirked and shrugged. He couldn’t be less bothered by Mason’s actions with April. Was he supposed to bothered by his wife’s secret lover cheating on her with yet another woman?
“I swear, I don’t know who this is. Maybe Lilah? Using a different phone?” His voice was high pitched, and you could almost feel his desperation through the walls. Was he nervous about losing April or was he nervous about the havoc she could wreak upon his life?
“Doesn’t look like Lilah. This woman is toned as fuck. Is that what you want? Toned with a big booty?”
“No, I swear. I don’t know who that is and I haven’t been with Anna since I’ve been with you.”
Anna looked at Shane and bitterly shook her head. What a lying asshole.
“Whatever. You’re on the sofa tonight. I’m going to bed. Use the night to sort yourself the fuck out. And stop lying to me!”
Shane and Anna, though well and truly behind the French doors, took another step back when they heard Mason move onto the balcony.
Anna’s heart softened, the slightest bit, when she heard sobbing. Mason was crying. He was out on the balcony crying. She hardened her heart. Potentially losing his lover must be upsetting, she thought bitterly.