by Ivy Smoak
I turned the corner and saw him in the distance. "Mason!" I yelled at the top of my lungs.
He scrunched up his shoulders and picked up his pace.
I knew he had heard me. I picked up my pace and slid on the wet sidewalk, landing hard on my ass. "Damn it." My hand landed in a pile of snow. I looked at Mason and then back at the ground. "Hey, Mason!" I picked up a handful of snow, waded it up, and threw it as hard as I could.
It hit the back of Mason's jacket. He stopped and shook his head. When he turned around he was actually smiling. He started walking toward me. "You're going to regret that!" he said.
Crap. I turned around and tried to walk as fast as I could on the wet pavement. A second later, a snowball hit my ass. I heard Mason laughing in the distance. I grabbed another snowball, turned around and threw it at him. He easily dodged it, grabbed another handful of snow, and threw it at me.
I tried to run away again but his snowball hit my ass again. I felt his hands grab my hips as he spun me around. He was smiling but it didn't quite reach his eyes.
"I don't like when you're mad at me," I said.
"Then don't make me mad."
I lightly pushed his chest.
He pretend to fall backwards and pulled me down on top of him into the snow.
"Mason!" I laughed.
"I don't like when you're mad at me either." He ran his fingers through my hair.
"I'm sorry. I do trust you. I just..."
"I know." He stared at me for a second. "Was that the closure you needed?"
I nodded. "Am I your type?"
He smiled. "Isn't it obvious?"
I put my hands on his chest. "I don't know how to be casual. If we're going to do this, I want to be exclusive. I know you don't do relationships but..."
"We already are, Bee."
He didn't say boyfriend and girlfriend, but he had agreed. I was his and he was mine. I wasn't sure if anything had ever felt so right before.
He dusted snow off the back of my jacket. "We better get home before we're buried alive."
I laughed and climbed off of him. As soon as he got up, he wrapped his arm around my shoulders.
Chapter 55
Mason
"It's so beautiful," Bee said as she looked out the window.
I plopped down on the couch beside her and pulled her feet onto my lap. "It's only pretty because we're not out there."
"No, it's still pretty."
We had both skipped work today and had pretended to be snowed in. It was perfect. She was perfect. I turned my attention away from her and toward the window. "The trash trucks can't get through the streets. There's trash all over the sidewalks. It's gross."
Bee laughed. "That's a pessimistic view. It's like a winter wonderland."
I ran my thumb along the inside of her ankle, clearly sending shivers through her whole body. I loved having that effect on her. She was looking at me in that way that made my chest feel tight. But I was getting used to the feeling. I was 80 percent sure it didn't mean I was having a heart attack.
"I can't even remember the last time I had a snow day," she said.
I smiled. "Building a snowman with your parents and neighborhood snowball fights? That's what the suburbs are all about, right?"
She pressed her lips together and looked back out the window. "No, not really. I mean, maybe." She folded her arms across her chest. "I don't know."
I had hit some kind of nerve. Normally I'd change the subject if a conversation went south. But it wasn't like that with Bee. I wanted to know these things about her. Hell, I wanted to know everything about her. "So what was it like for you, then?" I continued to rub my thumb along the inside of her ankle.
She smiled and turned back to me, but her smile looked forced. "I mean, it was pretty much like that." She shrugged. "What about you? I assume you were still talking to your parents back then? Plus you have a brother. I'm guessing all sorts of shenanigans?"
I lowered my eyebrows slightly. What was it that she didn't want me to know? "Well, Matt and I had a nanny that we used to love to torture. We had plenty of snowball fights with her. And hot chocolate. She made the best hot chocolate. And what about you, Bee?"
"Actually, I could go for some hot chocolate right now." She tried to move her foot off my lap but I grabbed her ankle.
Her brown eyes got wide. For a second it looked like she was going to cry. It made my chest feel even tighter. "I'd like to know whatever it is you don't want to tell me about your childhood. That is, if you'd like me to know. If not, I'll let you fix me some hot chocolate." I gave her a small smile.
She sighed and leaned back against the pillows. "It's not like it's anything interesting. My parents got divorced when I was really young. My dad basically disappeared overnight. And I didn't hear from him very much. My mom had to work two jobs to pay the bills, so she couldn't be around that much either. Not that she had a choice. And I was shy and nerdy. I didn't have that many friends. I think part of it was that I didn't want to get close to anyone, you know? I was afraid that they'd leave too. It was stupid." Bee laughed and looked down at her lap.
"It's not stupid."
She looked back up at me. Her cheeks were slightly rosy, like she was embarrassed that she had told me about her lame excuse of a dad. I felt protective of her. She might not admit it, but I could see that it still hurt her. If I ever met him, I'd have to remember to beat the shit out of him.
"I always loved the snow, though," she said. "Whenever my mom was home during a snowstorm we'd have a contest to see who could catch the most snowflakes on our tongues. She'd always make me say my number first and then claim that she had caught a few less than me."
"Hmmm." I ran my hand along the inside of her calf, massaging it gently. "Are you two still close?"
"You mean, does she call me all the time wondering if I've been mugged at gunpoint on the dangerous streets of New York City? And worry about me going on blind dates with serial killers?" She raised her eyebrow at me.
It was probably meant to look stern, but she looked adorable. I grabbed he hand and pulled her onto my lap.
She laughed as I ran my hands down to her hips.
"I hope you told her I wasn't a serial killer?"
"I'm still not completely sure that you aren't. But I did tell her all about you."
I laughed. "Good things?"
"There aren't any bad things to tell." She smiled and put her hands on my shoulders.
"Does that mean that you are no longer scared of getting close to someone?"
"I'm terrified."
I had expected her to laugh. Or deny it. But there was her answer. She was terrified of getting hurt again. I wasn't going to hurt her. She wasn't just some girl I was sleeping with. It didn't matter that I was drunk the other night. What I had said was true. I was falling in love with her. And it didn't even freak me out as much as I thought it would. It was just a fact. "I promise I'm not going anywhere."
"Isn't that what they all say?"
"Maybe. But I mean it." I moved one of my hands to the side of her face. "I can't even remember a time when I was this happy."
She searched my face for a second and then smiled. "And here I just thought you wanted me for my body."
"Well." I grabbed her waist and spun her so that her back was pressed against the mattress and my torso was pinned against her.
She laughed as I pushed her shirt up, revealing a strip of her smooth skin.
"I'd be lying if I said that wasn't a small part of it." Her nipples were hard, showing clearly through her t-shirt. She made me feel like a horny teenager again. As if I had no control of my hormones. I wanted her all the time. I ran my fingers up her stomach, but she grabbed my wrist before I could wrap my hand around one of her perky tits.
"Please don't break my heart, Mason." Her face was suddenly serious. It almost looked like she expected me to kick her out of my apartment right after she said it. Like this was the final out. After this second I'd be crossing that line
, I'd be hurting her.
But I was already two feet in. Breaking her heart meant not seeing her anymore. And that wasn't something I was interested in. I liked waking up to her, and falling asleep with her head on my chest. The look she was giving me showed me that she was already in too. She was falling for me just as fast as I was falling for her. And maybe I was just as terrified as she was, not of the feeling, but of getting my heart broken.
I shifted my weight so that my face was right above hers. "Baby, I will never get enough of you."
Chapter 56
Bee
The office was abuzz this morning. Our first proposed advertisement for Sword Body Wash was going to be aired tonight and everyone was doing last minute preparations. And Mr. Ellington was beside himself with excitement. The FCC had disbanded yesterday with the announcement of the government shutdown. That had been the biggest worry with the sponsorship idea, that they'd cut the broadcast when Layla Torrez started measuring men's penis sizes live on T.V. Now that wasn't an issue. Apparently the C.E.O. of Sword Body Wash was just as excited. Hopefully they'd still blur everything out. The whole thing was ridiculous.
"I assume you're staying for the viewing party tonight?" Kendra said and sat down on the edge of my desk.
"Even though it's the stupidest marketing idea ever?"
Kendra laughed. "Don't be bitter that Mr. Ellington didn't go with your idea. We'll all have a good laugh. It'll be fun."
"Does Layla Torrez even know what she has to do? She'll probably walk off before they even tape the segment."
"Apparently they never tell her what she's guessing until she's on the air. That way she can't prepare."
"I feel so bad for her."
"Yeah, me too," Kendra said. "But do you know who I don't feel bad for?"
I peeled my eyes off the report I was writing and looked up at her face. She was smiling at me.
"Who?"
"Carter told Marie that Mason is going around the office talking to his buddies about his new girlfriend nonstop."
I smiled to myself. "Really?" He still hadn't said those words to me. But he had said that we were exclusive and that he wasn't going anywhere. We were a couple. I felt my cheeks blushing. Hearing that suddenly made the fact that my ad pitch had been rejected in favor of a pornographic ploy not matter quite as much.
"Yes, really," Kendra said. "So what Marie and I are both wondering is why you didn't tell us about this huge step?"
"We hadn't exactly discussed those labels yet. Did he really say that?" I couldn't help the smile that was now plastered to my face. Just thinking about Mason gave me this warm fuzzy feeling in my stomach.
"He did. I never thought you of all people would end up with Manhattan's hottest playboy."
I laughed. "I think that title is a little bold. He's not really like that."
"Not anymore. He's given up his life of sin. You really have a hold on him."
I felt my face blush again and looked at the beautiful roses on my desk. They had arrived this morning with a note from Mason, saying that he had noticed the other ones he had given me were wilting. Which he had noticed while he was banging me on the desk. I'm sure my face turned even redder.
"And you've also been playing hooky."
"It was such a mess out yesterday. Getting to work is hard in the snow."
"Mhm. So on a scale of one to pre Patrick cheating on you, how in love with Mason are you?"
I wanted to believe that I was just falling in love with Mason. That I hadn't actually crossed that line yet. I wasn't the type of girl that just fell head over heels for some guy. With Patrick, our relationship had progressed slowly. But with Mason? It was like I had sledded down the steepest slope imaginable right into his arms. It wasn't just that I wanted to be with him every second. I needed him. He made me feel happy and desired and whole. That was it. He made me feel whole again.
I looked up at Kendra. "I've never felt this way about someone before."
"Holy shit." She dragged out the 'o' and 'y' in holy. "You like him more than you liked Patrick?"
I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. For some reason I felt like I wanted to cry. I liked him so much more than Patrick. And it scared the hell out of me. I didn't want to lose him. I couldn't lose him too.
"Hey." Kendra scooted off the edge of her desk. "Bee, what's wrong?"
I wiped the tears quickly off my cheeks. What is wrong with me?
Kendra wrapped her arms around me and squeezed me tightly. "Tell me, Bee."
"Nothing good lasts forever."
Kendra laughed and pulled away. "That's not true. Look at Marie and Carter. They're so happy."
"They're the only example of a happy couple that I know. They're the exception. I've just gotten used to the idea that I'm going to end up alone. Like you said, I'm meant to be a cat lady."
Kendra smiled. "Mason sounds a lot better than a clowder of cats. I know you were scared to get back out there. But you shouldn't be scared now. The hard part is finding someone worthy of your love. You've already found him. And from what it sounds like, he's completely smitten with you."
"Until he gets bored with me."
"Hon." Kendra put her hand on top of mine. "Stop selling yourself short. I know how Patrick made you feel. We've all been dumped. It sucks. But it doesn't mean you give up and buy cats."
I laughed. "I know." I was so scared, though. The thought of Mason leaving me too terrified me. Patrick had promised me that he'd never leave me either. A promise was only as sincere as the person giving it. I wanted to believe that Mason was sincere. He seemed so sincere. And that's why it was so scary. Because I believed him. And I loved him. I was so in love with him.
***
The conference room had been turned into a mini theater for the viewing party. Jenkins was sitting at the front next to Mr. Ellington. His left knee kept bouncing up and down, clearly jittery with the anticipation of how all this was going to turn out.
"It's on, it's on! Shhh!" Jenkins yelled as Layla Torrez appeared on the screen. They had dressed her in an outfit that was not at all appropriate for a weather girl to wear. Layla immediately asked what she was guessing today.
The voice of Brian Scott, the news anchor, came through with a touch of humor. "Penis sizes."
The whole conference room laughed at Layla's shocked reaction. But I just felt bad for her. The stupid men at Kruger advertising were making a joke at her expense. This could ruin her career. A few seconds later the segment went to commercial break.
Mr. Ellington stood up and faced all his employees. "Here's to another successful campaign. And to the FCC disbanding." He lifted up his glass of champagne.
It seemed a little early to celebrate the success of the campaign. Layla still had time to run away screaming. "This is so horrible," I whispered to Kendra.
"I thought it would be funny, but I feel really bad for her. Did you see her face?"
"What would you do if it was you?" I asked.
"Well, it's still going to be blurred out, right?"
"I think so?"
"Well, no harm then, I guess," said Kendra.
"They're in a public park in the center of Miami. It's after work. Tons of people are surely walking around."
Kendra shook her head. "That poor girl."
The news came back on but I tuned it out. "Jenkins is such an ass. Imagine if he were in her position."
Kendra laughed. "No one would watch the segment if Jenkins was the one guessing. Unless he was in that dress. Hell, I'd watch that."
"Gross." I looked up at the screen. Layla had just pulled out a ruler and was measuring some sweaty guy's junk. "Thank God they blurred it out."
"The FCC may not be censoring shit, but no respectable news station would show a flaccid dick to the general public. But considering how low cut her top is, he's probably erect."
"Do we really have to sit here and watch this?"
"It's kind of hilarious though. Oh my God." Kendra nudged my shoulder and po
inted to the screen.
"What?" I turned my head toward the T.V. Layla Torrez was taking off her dress. "She barely ever guesses wrong."
"What a terrible day to lose."
"That whole park is seeing her in her underwear. Or not..." Layla had just turned away from the camera and unhooked her bra. "Isn't Sword going to get backlash from torturing a weather girl?"
"The body wash that gets Layla Torrez naked? It's not a terrible sales pitch."
The broadcast had cut to commercial again.
The phone in the conference room started ringing and Mr. Ellington immediately grabbed it. "Kruger Adver..." A smile curled onto his lips. "We'll send over our next pitch in a few days." Pause. "You too." Mr. Ellington hung up the phone and stood up again. "Everyone's talking about it. Sword Body Wash is trending on Twitter. And we just secured our biggest client ever." He raised his glass again. "Great work, Jenkins. This is the kind of thing that makes partner."
I rolled my eyes. I wasn't going to sit here and watch this shit show. Maybe Mr. Ellington was right. Maybe I wasn't fit to be in advertising. I didn't want to do anything like this. Advertising was supposed to be clever and well thought out. Besides, all that was left to see was Layla do the weather nude, hopefully still censored. I could leave that to my imagination.
"I'm going to get going," I whispered to Kendra.
"Running off to Mason?" she asked.
"And to lick my wounds."
"Your idea really was better. This is the most ridiculous news segment I've ever seen."
"Yeah." When Mr. Ellington turned back to the screen, I quietly stood up and tiptoed to the door. When my hand wrapped around the handle I heard someone clear their throat. Shit.
"We could probably all use some coffee, Bridget," Mr. Ellington said.
"Actually, I was going to get going. It's almost six and..."
"And? I pay you to work the same hours as everyone else. And you took off yesterday. Which means you owe me more time."
