“Oh, it’s been obvious since you started talking about her. Your eyes lit up like I’ve only seen them do for money. Hell, if I would have known she was the girl from the corporate party, I would’ve spared you the embarrassment of an explanation,” he continues.
“Because you remember how hot she is,” I smirk.
“Mase, I’m married, I know you don’t fall like that for looks alone,” he finishes his drink.
“Fall?” I shoot back defensively.
“Oh, man, you’re head over heels, but it may be the best thing for you,” he leans forward.
“And how is that?” I ask, my interest piqued.
“Isn’t it obvious? The press tried to eat you alive for using a website intended for shallow and materialistic connections. You actually love this girl, and if I remember the gleam in her eye, she loves you too. That kills their whole story. Just tell the truth.”
“Brian, we met on a site called Sugar Babiez,” I reiterate, laughing at the absurdity of it all.
“And? Everyone meets online nowadays. Who really cares which site. It doesn’t matter if you actually care about her and you do. The media will go crazy about how unbelievable it is. If anything, we need to buy some stock in Sugar Babiez, because they’re going to hit a surge when girls find out about this love story,” he smirks while shaking his head.
Nodding slowly, I think long and hard about what my closest friend is suggesting. He’s right, I do care about Carrie, in fact, I love her. I’ve known for a while, I guess I just never saw the need in admitting it.
She’s been a huge part of my life since I met her, and not one night goes by when I’m not wishing she was there with me. Admitting how I feel about her is a small task, especially if it means I get to keep her in my life. The idea of losing her has kept me up at night, but this solution gives me a double win.
The next day, we attend the opening of the new luxury hotel in the city center of Paris. Every hotel has its own unique style and characteristic, and the new Paris location is no different.
Due to building codes and limitations, we had to keep the exterior structure the same, so from the outside the hotel looks architecturally preserved. Stepping inside, the modernity of the design is breathtaking and the press is having a field day getting pictures as they hawk me for an interview.
We’ve just cut the big ribbon, officially opening the doors for guests after Brian made a short speech about our plans for adding to the rich culture the Parisians so generously welcome us into. The crowd outside is lining the streets, anxious and excited for a peak into what is sure to be the new hotspot in the city.
In addition to boutique style rooms with over the top luxury, we also boast one of the best views in the city from our rooftop bar. We’ve arranged for a slew of models to join us for the opening, because that’s how we envision the place looking on the regular. This hotel is about the who’s who of the world meeting up in Paris, and we’ve spared no detail or expense to make sure it’s as grand as we imagined.
“Mr. Channing! Mr. Channing! Will you bring Carrie to the new hotel?” A ballsy reporter yells out, her pale cheeks blushing from the intrusive question I’m sure she thought would embarrass me.
“She was actually supposed to come with me on this trip, and if it wasn’t for the comfortable bed in our presidential suite, I don’t think I would’ve gotten a blink of sleep without her. For those of you who don’t know, Carrie is my girlfriend, and the love of my life. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I can’t wait to have her back by my side. Thanks for coming out, now let’s see the hotel,” I lead the stunned photographers inside as they all clamor to report my speech.
Walking through the hotel, I feel ten pounds lighter, knowing that I’ve let the world know how I truly feel, but more importantly, I get to keep my girl. Brian was right, Carrie is special, and us being in love is all the public relations we need. I just hope Carrie is okay with me sharing our business so publicly.
Between social media and the international news, I hope Carrie can see this and forgive me for not speaking to her over the past day. All I can hope is that this is enough of a gesture for her to know how special she is to me, because I have no plans of letting her slip away.
Deleted Scene 6
~Deleted Scene to Owned by the Dom~
© 2017
By Cassandra Dee and Katie Ford
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CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Carrie
“Do you think they’ll come after us?” Nicole asks, sitting beside me on the sofa.
We’ve spent the past day hoarded in the condo after she came home to find me crying my eyes out. Paparazzi camped outside our building, so we decided to order takeout and binge watch television until it all played out.
“For what? I think they’re only interested in getting some money, and if there’s no way for them to do that, what will they want from us?” I wonder aloud, thinking of my parents and their recent interview.
“I just can’t understand what they thought that would do. If they were smart, they would have just asked you for money, because Mason would have given it to them,” she shakes her head, twisting her lips in confusion.
“What makes you think he would have given it to them?” I shoot back.
“Mason will do anything you want him to,” she rolls her eyes, like its obvious.
“I don’t know about all that,” I sigh, my feelings for Mason causing more and more heartache as the time goes on.
“Are you kidding me? Look where we live. He gives you everything you could dream of before you even ask. When we were moving in, he told the interior design lady to never ask you about a budget and just make sure you got what you wanted,” she recalls.
“When was this?” I try to hide the smirk threatening to spread across my face.
“You were in the back picking out swatches for the bedroom. She was in the kitchen on the phone with him, and she put it on speaker not knowing I was still in the living room,” Nicole giggles remembering her eavesdropping mission.
“He probably had a deal worked out with her or something,” I downplay the incident, although I’m hoping it could have meant something.
“You’re in complete denial if you think Mason doesn’t love you,” she says flatly, and I feel the wind escape me, my sister speaking a romantic fantasy I haven’t even allowed myself to believe could ever be true.
“It’s not like that, Nicole. Mason is rich, so money isn’t as big of a deal to him. This apartment is like buying an outfit for him,” I rationalize.
“Carrie, I saw the article and the interview with mom and dad. I know how you met him, and I know it wasn’t some arranged relationship between the two of you. When he’s around you he gets all googly eyed like the boys at school.
“I might not know about dating websites and the ins and outs of being rich, but I know when a boy likes you, and Mason likes you.” She shrugs her shoulders as she stands from the sofa, leaving me alone with my thoughts in our spacious living room.
Honestly, I’d tried not to think about whether Mason really cared for me, because at this point it didn’t matter. He was a business man, and our story, and everything about me, was bad for business.
How could he be expected to continue a relationship with a girl they were reporting was a minor at the start of his relationship?
The way I saw it, there was no way around the inevitable – what we had would have to be thrown away in order to restore his image and maintain his career. As much as it hurt to accept, I could understand his logic and knew how important his professional success was to him.
Mason was a good guy, and by now I’ve accepted that what I feel for him is closer to dangerous than casual. He’s everything to me, and none of his gifts mean anything with him no longer in the picture.
But, he always reminded me of how powerful he was, and all that came along with that, so I knew I should expect something like this at some point. I guess I just hoped I had more time. We were just getting to know each other, and the more I learned the deeper I fell for him.
While I wished Nicole was right, I knew she was just an immature girl hoping on a fairy tale. Unfortunately, my life had proven that happy endings don’t exist. It’s hard to think a man could come and swoop you off your feet and risk everything for your happiness when your own father doesn’t love you enough to care for you.
Speaking of him, I just could not believe the levels of deceit my parents had sunken to. Mason had saved us from their wrath and they had the nerve to go to the news with a story about him being a bad guy? How absurd!
Now Nicole was afraid for them to come to her school, so she planned on transferring to a school in the city. I’d set aside enough money for her to go to a private school for this year, but who knew I would ever make enough to send her there her senior year.
My heart leaped when she asked if I would legally adopt her to ensure our parents could never take her away from me. On one hand, I was happy she loved me so much that she would want to be with me full-time, but I also felt so sad for her. A sixteen year old shouldn’t have to worry about anything like that or need to get away from her parents for safety.
Leaning up, I reach for my new iPad from the coffee table, scrolling through my social media accounts to drain out my thoughts. Ever since the story broke, people had been requesting to follow me nonstop, so I wasn’t at all shocked to see over one hundred notifications on my account.
Friends from kindergarten were sending me messages about how they always knew I’d be rich and famous, while I wondered how on earth they even found my profile.
When I open the messages tab, there’s a flood of messages to the same article, about Mason and his hotel launch in Paris.
I’ve tried to avoid watching any of the coverage, because I fear it will make me sad knowing I was supposed to be there with him. Even more scary is knowing he could have just taken another girl in my place.
If only I could switch my emotions off and no longer care about him, but it doesn’t work that way. Although it has ruined whatever chances I had of continuing to be his sugar baby, this story will pass, and I still only want the best for him.
As much as I try to fight it, knowing he doesn’t feel the same, I love Mason and have dreamed of us becoming more since the first night we spent together. The idea of being with another man makes my stomach turn.
My finger clicks on the story before I can stop myself, and the title of the article makes my heart flutter: Fairy Tale or Masterful PR?
My mind races trying to prepare myself for what may play as the video loads. It’s the longest thirty seconds of my life before I see him, even more handsome than I remember, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, surrounded by onlookers as he stands in front of the hotel.
With a huge pair of scissors, he cuts a large red ribbon, smiling at the crowd as everyone cheers him on. My pelvic muscles tense as he looks into the camera and I feel as though he can actually see me.
“Mr. Channing! Mr. Channing! Will you bring Carrie to the new hotel?” My hand rushes to my mouth hearing my name from a reporter. There’s a small, but resounding gasp from the audience as everyone knows how taboo a question about me is.
My brows scrunch together in anger that this stranger would attempt to ruin a day Mason has been working so hard for. When he told me about the hotel opening, he was so excited, and now he has to answer questions about me in front of all those important men? How embarrassing.
“She was actually supposed to come with me on this trip, and if it wasn’t for the comfortable bed in our presidential suite, I don’t think I would’ve gotten a blink of sleep without her. For those of you who don’t know, Carrie is my girlfriend, and the love of my life. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I can’t wait to have her back by my side. Thanks for coming out, now let’s see the hotel,” he smiles, looking into the camera once more, and this time I’m sure he’s looking at me.
My heart is frozen in my chest, and it hurts to breathe as my mind struggles to make sense of what I’ve just watched. Rewinding and replaying his words, unable to comprehend how he’s told this to a reporter before me.
“Carrie is my girlfriend, and the love of my life. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I can’t wait to have her back by my side.” I play this three second clip until I’ve memorized his words and cadence, still in disbelief.
Then it occurs to me, the title of the article is essentially accusing him of doing this to clear his image, so it could be nothing more than a PR stunt. Besides, who would still care about how we met if we were in love? It takes the scandalous nature right out of the story.
The bell to our apartment buzzes but I can’t move a muscle. My eyes are trained on the iPad, staring at the screen while my vision blurs from the influx of tears begging to release after being suppressed for the better part of two days.
“Do you hear that? Did you order anything?” I hear Nicole from the hallway, but can’t bring myself to look up at her.
“No,” I manage before she crosses the living room to the front door, mumbling about who it could be.
Why would he say that if he didn’t mean it? Mason didn’t strike me as the type that would say something so drastic for the sake of saving his career. He was a dominator, he walked through people and made them do what he wanted, trickery didn’t seem like a tactic he’d use.
“Carrie!” I hear Nicole’s voice, and my head turns to see her standing beside a tall figure. Even without my sight, I know who it is and the tears begin falling from my eyes.
“Baby, don’t cry,” Mason says walking towards me.
“I’m, um, going to the library,” Nicole stutters, grabbing her keys from the counter before scurrying out of our tension filled apartment.
“What are you doing here?” I break the silence, standing as I wipe the tears from my eyes.
“I had to see you,” he swallows slowly, careful not to bombard me.
“Is it a PR stunt?” I hold the iPad up, showing the article title, as he tilts his head to read the screen before frowning.
“Carrie, you know I don’t care what people have to say. I wouldn’t say something like that for media coverage,” he says the words like they hurt.
“So, then you meant it?” My voice cracks as the question slides off of my tongue.
“Of course, I meant it,” he assures me, taking another step towards me, but I cross my arms in defiance.
“Then why haven’t I heard from you? When I called you, you were short and rushed. I knew you wanted to end it, but you just left me instead,” I bite back the tears, needing him to know how badly he hurt me.
“Carrie, baby, I’ve dealt with a lot in the public eye. Having a bad story written about me is nothing new, but I’ve never been called a pedophile. Your parents threw me for a loop with that one and I guess I just needed some time,” he explains.
It never occurred to me how he could feel about that. My thoughts were more concerned with how it could affect his career and business opportunities, but I’d completely ignored how he would feel about it as a man.
“I’m sorry, Carrie. I just want to work through this,” he takes another step, and this time I meet him halfway, wrapping my arms around his neck as he squeezes my waist, burying his face in my neck while inhaling deeply.
“Oh, Mason, I missed you so much,” I whisper.
“You have no idea how much I’ve missed you,” he whispers in my ear before sprinkling kisses down my neck.
“I love you, Mason,” I finally speak the words that have been replaying over and over in my mind.
“I know you do, baby,” he holds my face between his hands, “I love you too.”
“What now?” I stare deep into his eyes.
“If you c
an forgive me, I want to try to be together, you know, like a regular couple,” he shrugs nervously. I’ve never seen Mason anything other than confident, it’s endearing to know that he’s nervous broaching this topic.
Throughout this whole ordeal, I felt so alone, but he was going through the same emotions as me. While we took different routes, we each had to arrive at this conclusion on our own time.
Mason isn’t the kind of guy you can rush, which made me confident that he wouldn’t make such a declaration out of pressure. Hearing him say it to me now, after he’s already told the world, makes my heart feel so full.
“Do you think we could do that?” His voice jolts me from my thoughts.
“I would love that,” I breathe, so excited the air catches in my throat.
Running his fingers through my hair, he lowers his lips to mine, and it’s the first time I’ve realized just how much I missed the scent of him, the taste of his lips, and the feel of his touch.
Rising onto my toes, I deepen the kiss, sliding my tongue across his lips as he pulls me closer, the passion building by the second. Gripping his belt, I pull him towards the hallway that leads to me bedroom, but he seems apprehensive.
“What are you doing? Nicole could come back,” he mutters, glancing towards the door.
“She knows I need some time with you. And this isn’t the time to deny me, Mason. It’s been days,” I emphasize the last word knowing how juicy my pussy is, eager to feel his big cock inside me.
“How much did you miss me?” He asks, biting his bottom lip while his hand drops between my legs, rubbing my sex.
“Let me show you,” I beg, pulling him towards my bedroom, and this time he doesn’t resist. From the look on his face, I can tell he’s missed me too, but I’m sure he has no idea what I’ve got in store for him.
The Dom's Secret: A Light BDSM Bad Boy Romance Page 21
