A wry smile spread across Laura’s face. “Of course, sir. Have a seat.” She had never seen Captain Cool, Calm, and Collected all riled up like that before. She was having fun. “I’ve heard you’re a control freak. Care to answer to the rumors?”
Mason had had enough. If she wanted to screw with him, he would dish it right back. He knelt down in front of Laura. He ran his hands up her calves to her knees. He would show her control freak.
“What are you doing?” Her pulse raced, and she wanted to climb the wall to get away.
Mason didn’t answer. His hands slid higher, to the hem of her skirt, and teased around the edge. He watched her face, waiting for her to say no. “Eyes on me, Laura.”
She was riveted. Her breath hitched as his hand slithered under her skirt. She remembered how good those hands made her feel… and what he could do with his mouth.
Moving higher, he traced the lacy edge of her panties. He crooked a finger and began to slide them off.
“Stop,” she commanded.
At once Mason removed his hands and adjusted her skirt back into place. He rose and smoothed the line of his trousers and adjusted his jacket to hide his bulge.
“I think I have everything I need, Mason. Thank you.” Laura began tossing her things back in her bag, spilling her wallet in the process. Credit cards, business cards, and cash scattered across the room. Mason stooped to help her clean up the mess, pocketing one of her business cards in the process. Laura was on the verge of tears at that point; she just wanted to get out.
“Sit,” Mason ordered. Laura obeyed, plopping down in the chair with her purse in her lap.
“No games, Laura. We need to talk.” He pulled a chair around to sit facing her, their knees almost touching. “What you saw that day, it’s hard to explain.” He rubbed his hand across the back of his neck. “I have some tastes that run to the left of center, shall we say.”
Laura snorted. “I’ll say. My mind will sometimes wander back to that day, and seeing you trussed up with your ass in the air isn’t really my fondest memory of you.”
Mason didn’t laugh. “I didn’t want to hurt you, I swear. I wanted to try a few things I was curious about, but I wasn’t sure how you’d take it, so I went to seek it out.”
“That’s bullshit, Mason, and you know it. You cheated on me, and now you’re insinuating you’ve been into some even freakier shit than what I saw? You could have talked to me about experimenting. I would have listened. You had to have wanted out, admit it.”
Mason mulled over Laura’s words for a moment. “You have a point. I was terrified of marriage–”
“Ha! I knew it,” Laura interrupted.
“Clearly there is nothing I can say to you to make you understand. I have nothing else to offer you except my deepest and sincerest apology. I’ve regretted how I behaved every day of the last eight years.”
He wanted so badly to touch her again. Her legs were so nice, smooth and well-muscled, and he wondered if the rest of her was as he remembered her. He restrained himself from touching her again; she wasn’t in the mood to be pawed at.
Laura didn’t have a response. She had imagined him being an arrogant son of a bitch, not getting an apology.
“Anytime now. You have me sweating in a very expensive suit, Laura.” Mason had to sit on his hands to keep from fidgeting. Her silence freaked him out.
“What made you assume that I wouldn’t be up for experimenting?”
That was not what he was expecting. That was three times in one afternoon she had surprised him. He wasn’t sure how to feel about that. “I’m not sure, and I feel like that question may be a bit loaded.”
“No. I really want an honest answer. I hadn’t ever considered myself close-minded or a prude, so I want to know.” She leaned forward, putting her elbows on her knees. Mason’s sightline went right down the front of her shirt.
“I had this image of you in my head as the sweet, virginal bride. I know you were most definitely not a virgin,” Laura smacked his thigh, “but I had a hard time imagining you being into something a little… eccentric.” He felt like an idiot. This whole situation was stupid and completely avoidable… and was all his fault. He kicked himself for not being man enough to just have a conversation with her in the first place.
“I would have said yes, you know,” she said, her voice getting husky. Laura subtly pressed her breasts together. She knew this was neither the time nor the place, but despite the mess and the amount of time gone by, she still liked him, and after the way he’d touched her, actually wanted him very badly.
Mason’s face lit up. She hadn’t quite forgiven him, but the chance was there. He hoped to make something out of it. “Well, Miss Ross, I do believe that concludes this interview.”
Laura looked confused until she saw the door to the room open a crack. She caught a glimpse of a cell phone ready to snap a photo at a moment’s notice. “Thank you so much for your time, Mr. Decker, and for answering all of my questions. I’ll be in touch when the story is set to run so you can sign the release.” She stood and shook Mason’s hand before gathering her things to leave. Their server had miraculously reappeared with the check.
Mason blindly handed her his card as he watched Laura walk away. She was supposed to have been his all this time, and he was determined to correct what had happened.
Chapter Three
Laura returned to work the next day more confused than she had ever been in her life. She passed the flash drive off to her department editor and disappeared into her office. She had spent the night before listening to the interview on repeat just to wrap herself in the velvety tone of his voice and to swoon over his accent.
She took the time to edit out the last couple of questions she’d asked; there was no need for anyone to know about Mason’s tendency toward kink.
A knock shook her door. She opened it to discover Frank standing there. “Hey, baby. You have plans for tonight?”
Laura really wasn’t super excited to see him at the moment. “I’m going to call it a Netflix and pizza night tonight. I’m not in the mood for company. Sorry.”
“Sounds good. If you change your mind, you know where to find me.” He bent down to kiss her. She returned it, but without her usual enthusiasm.
She’d told herself when she got up that morning to just focus on her work. The day before had been a fluke, and she doubted she would see him again, since she’d gone out of her way to humiliate him.
She flipped her computer on and got organized while silently berating herself for that spectacular lapse in judgment. Her inbox had a hundred messages to answer, mostly from Daniel. She scanned through those and would just go meet up with him about what he wanted later. An unknown email address caught her attention.
There was nothing in the subject line, but the message was from [email protected]. She gaped at the screen; the tiny arrow hovering over the link dared her to open it. She closed out the window instead. She was not ready for this.
It had taken her ages to get over him and get her life together, and now here he was, just dumped back into her life as a glaring reminder of a broken relationship. “Nope. Not gonna do it. No way,” she told herself. Lunch had been flirty, but she had no intention of going there with him. Or that’s what she kept telling herself.
She picked up her notes and decided to go drop in on Daniel. She knew the temptation to open that email would be impossible to resist; killing a couple of hours chewing the fat with Daniel was a surefire way to distract and bore her.
Laura returned to her office at lunch to find a package on her desk. It was small, solid, and wrapped in brown paper. There was no return address printed, but she had a feeling she knew who it was from.
“Just open it. Then send it back,” she told herself as she tore the paper off. She burst out laughing at the cover. Mason had sent her a book on raising pigs. He had remembered her favorite animal. She sat and thumbed through the pages, admiring the beautiful photography, until she came to
the chapter on castration.
On the first page was a pink Post-It with just two words on it: See me – M. She put the book down and had a giggle. She appreciated the humor; the pig symbolism wasn’t lost on her either. She woke up her computer hoping that she wouldn’t find anything scandalous after opening his email. He’d sent it to her interoffice address, which was monitored.
She held her breath, unsure of what to expect, and clicked the message link. She relaxed when she saw there was nothing dirty or alarming, just an address:
285 Central Park W
# 12
7pm
***
Of course his address overlooked Central Park. Of course the man she was once supposed to marry turned out to be a gorgeous, successful, billionaire tech tycoon. Of course she should be running in the other direction because he was an alpha with a fetish. Her life had just become a romance novel cliché.
And, like a dummy, she was going to go through with it with the hope that, now that they both had experience and hopefully some maturity behind them, they could handle themselves like goddamn adults. Laura shook her head. She didn’t have much faith in them.
Laura dove headfirst into her rewrites. They were extensive. Judging by the notes on one, Daniel obviously regretted assigning her to write about the Trump campaign.
She was so consumed in her work she hadn’t realized it was nearly six-thirty. She dashed to the bathroom to do a quick retouch and braid her hair back. The weather looked overcast, and a film of mist had settled on the window outside. She added a second coat of mascara to make her blue eyes pop and dashed out the door.
There was no point in trying to get a cab; the streets were a parking lot this time of the day, and the walk would take her less than fifteen minutes from her office, closer to ten if she booked it.
She came up quickly on the St. Urban building and slowed when it came into view. She needed a chance to catch her breath. She stopped at the stoop and checked her watch: five ‘til. She’d made it on time.
She steeled her nerves and approached the doorman.
***
Mason was on pins and needles all day waiting to find out if Laura would come. He hadn’t received a response from her regarding the email or the book. The silence was killing him.
His phone rang, and he hoped it was the front desk. “Yes?”
“Mr. Decker, there’s a Ms. Ross here to see you. Are you expecting her?”
“Yes, please send her up.”
Chapter Four
Laura got on the elevator with the doorman, who tried to make pleasant conversation. “So, how long you known Mr. Decker?”
“Oh, about ten years.” Her voice sounded clipped to her own ears. She didn’t want her nerves to come off as rudeness.
“Wow. How come we haven’t seen you around here before? Mr. Decker bought his place when the market crashed, uh, seven – no – eight years ago.”
Laura was willing the elevator to go faster. She was not in the mood to make small talk. “I’m an old friend from before he moved here from in Western Mass.” Finally the elevator stopped and the doors popped open. She thanked the doorman and set off in the direction of his apartment. She paused at his door to smooth her hair back off her face and straighten her clothes.
She knocked twice, and immediately the door opened. Mason was standing in the foyer, barefoot, in worn jeans and a vintage t-shirt from a 1980s Specials tour. He radiated warmth and familiarity.
Mason broke out in a huge smile. He was so relieved she had shown up. Laura wore another pencil skirt that clung to the curve of her hips. High black patent leather pumps displayed the muscles in her slim legs. His eyes feasted on every inch of her
Laura smiled at him shyly. She was suddenly seized by insecurity. The look he gave was equal parts predator and sex.
“Come in, Laura. Make yourself at home. I have some wine chilling in the parlor.” He took her coat. His fingertips grazed her shoulders as he pushed the trench off, her skin prickling in response. Laura’s breath hitched. She didn’t think they would make it to the parlor, at least not for wine.
She turned to face him. Mason skimmed his hand up her neck, curling his fingers in the hair at her nape. Laura felt her pulse speed up. She looked up into his eyes and saw something behind them she hadn’t seen in a man since they split: tenderness, longing, whatever you call it, it was all there in Mason’s gaze.
The last vestiges of fear and restraint slipped away when Mason drew her in for a kiss.
Laura had forgotten how soft and skilled his lips were. His tongue brushed over hers. He was gentle, loving; she wasn’t sure how to feel about it besides she knew she needed him.
She reciprocated his kiss. This was her way of forgiving him. Laura needed that connection, needed to feel something besides loathing for him again.
Mason pushed her against the wall, his hands exploring the smoothness of her skin, becoming reacquainted with her body. Laura wrapped her arms around Mason’s neck; the need to be close to him was overwhelming as she pressed her pelvis to his. In that moment a switch was flipped between them.
Mason became nearly manic, fumbling to unbutton her shirt. He needed all of the barriers, both physical and emotional, between them to come down. For too long he had fantasized about seeing her, about feeling her in his arms again, and here she finally was. Letting her go was not an option.
He broke the kiss to remove his shirt. “Bedroom,” he demanded. His breath had become ragged. Laura nodded in agreement as Mason grabbed her hand and led her down the hall.
Laura sat on the edge of his bed, a coy smile teasing at her mouth as Mason laid her down.
He gripped her forearms, an air of authority settling in around his body. Laura looked up at him, slightly alarmed at his assertiveness, but she remembered what he’d told her and figured out what her role was. She let him take control.
Mason slithered down to the edge of the bed. Without breaking eye contact, he mouthed the zipper on the side of Laura’s skirt and skillfully unzipped it with his teeth, then pulled the whole thing off in one smooth motion. He cocked an eyebrow as he took in the sight of her fair skin decorated with a hunter green bra in satin and matching hot pants. Laura looked on with satisfaction as he ran his tongue over his upper lip. She felt sexy and powerful. It was an incredible aphrodisiac.
Suddenly, he yanked off his belt, adjusting her so she was at the head of the bed, and strapped her wrists to the headboard. A thrill of excitement and a tiny bit of fear pulsed through Laura’s veins.
Mason ran his hands over the curves of her body, catching his fingers in the waistband of her panties, stripping them off. She let out a little sigh of pleasure as he teased his way back up her leg with light, gentle touches from his mouth and fingertips.
Laura arched her back, lifting her bare hips. Her body was crying out for him to hurry it up already. Wetness grew between her legs; she wanted so badly to touch him.
Mason moved further north and drew a nipple into his mouth, sucking deep through the fabric. He wanted to enjoy tasting her again and drew out the foreplay. He pulled the bra down and suckled the other side, slowly nipping and kissing his way back down to her navel.
Mason murmured something against her belly, but she couldn’t hear him over her own begging. “Mason. Please,” she whimpered.
Mason licked and kissed up her inner thigh, making Laura sensitive to the point of pain.
When Laura thought she couldn’t take the torture anymore, Mason flicked his tongue over her clitoris. Her body tensed and her hips rocked. He pressed her down, a silent order to keep still while he took care of her.
Laura was in agony. Mason was taking his time, tormenting her. He sucked her clit into his mouth. She tasted amazing. He savored her sweetness as he worked her with his mouth. “Oh god, Mason,” she moaned, urging him on. Two fingers slipped inside of her and teased her g-spot, the double stimulation rocking her, bringing her perilously close to the edge.
Right when she
thought she would come, he stopped and completely withdrew from between her legs. “Oh, God. Why?” Laura pleaded. She had never been a patient one, and this delayed gratification stunt he was pulling was killing her slowly. She pressed her thighs together to feel that last bit of sensation to just get the orgasm over with.
Mason pried her thighs apart with a shake of his head. “You don’t come unless I tell you to,” he instructed, moving around to the headboard to unbind her hands. “Get on your knees.”
Laura dropped to all fours while Mason dropped his pants. She smiled like an idiot when he approached her at full attention. “Open your mouth.”
Laura had a feeling she would really enjoy this new side of him.
Mason gently gripped the back of her head as she played. The warm wetness of her mouth and the velvet of her tongue felt amazing.
Laura sucked and worked him, stroking with her hand for help. His moaning and labored breathing egging her on. “Stop. Get on your back. I want to fuck you.”
Laura stopped, but she drew a slow lick up the vein of his shaft and over the sensitive tip before doing so.
Mason tore open the condom wrapper and sheathed himself before crawling between her legs. He continued his crusade to unravel her by teasing her opening with the head of his cock. She pulled Mason in for a long, passionate kiss before suddenly being righted.
She found herself straddling him, still not fully penetrated. She tried to slide him the rest of the way in, but he gripped her hips. “You can take over. I want to watch you, and don’t you dare close your eyes,” he demanded before pushing the rest of the way into her.
She rocked her hips, taking him in deeply and completely, her swollen clitoris bumping and rubbing against his pubic bone.
Mason rubbed his hands all over her. He couldn’t stop touching her, couldn’t believe she was real again. The smoothness of her skin under his hands felt exotic, yet still familiar. As she picked up her pace, Mason sucked air through his teeth. It was all he could to not come himself right then. He stroked his thumb over her clit. He wanted to watch her unravel; he could wait.
SEAN: A Mafia Romance (The Callahans Book 3) Page 92
