Takedown

by Nikki Ash

  Taking her left foot in my hands, I massage circles into the arch of her foot. I hear her softly moan but her eyes never leave the screen. A few minutes later, I switch to her other foot and she sighs. When the scene begins where Channing learns that Jonah is fucking Ice Cube’s daughter, and Channing is laughing and dancing like a five-year-old announcing it to the entire department, I glance over to Mila wondering why she isn’t laughing. I mean, it’s without a doubt the funniest part of the movie. Her eyes are closed, and she’s snoring softly. Her chest is rising and falling slowly. She looks peaceful and content and so fucking beautiful. I turn the movie off, and picking Mila up, I bring her to her room and put her to bed.

  “Good night, Mason,” she says groggily.

  “Goodnight, Mila.”

  Thirteen

  Mila

  “Up and at ‘em!” Mason’s voice booms, and I roll over to my side, ignoring him. “C’mon! It’s Sunday, and it’s beautiful out! The perfect day to buy you a car.”

  At his words, I roll back over to face him. “What are you talking about?” I groan.

  “Your car. You said you need to buy a new one because yours is out of commission.” Mason sits down on the bed beside me and the mattress dips at his weight, rolling me closer to him.

  “Yes, but not right this second. I’m going to need to save first.” Maybe in Mason’s world, needing a new car means going out to buy one, but in mine, not so much. It’s going to take time to save up for a down payment.

  “So, what are you going to do until then?” Mason asks.

  “Ride the bus or get a Lyft,” I admit, and Mason frowns. “You didn’t seriously think I could afford to go out and buy a new car, did you? If I could afford a new car, I wouldn’t need a roommate.” I sit up and wipe the sleep from my eyes.

  “You can’t take the bus or a Lyft. How will you get Alec from school? You go back to work tomorrow.”

  “I’ll handle it.” I push the sheets off myself and notice I still have my reading socks on. I never go to sleep with my socks on. Then I remember last night after the party Mason and I watched a movie, and he massaged my feet. I must’ve fallen asleep because the last thing I remember is him pulling the covers over me before saying goodnight.

  “Okay,” he says slowly and I’m surprised he’s letting this go so easily. “So, how about we go buy some groceries so you won’t have to this week? Alec comes home today, right?”

  “Yeah, this morning. Gavin has an appointment this afternoon with a client.”

  After showering and getting dressed, Mason and I head to the grocery store. Of course, while I’m trying to budget and make sure I have all the ingredients for dinners, Mason is throwing items into the cart without a care in the world.

  “I hope you’re planning to pay for that crap yourself,” I point out, and Mason just laughs.

  When we get to the checkout counter, I put my stuff onto the conveyer belt first. “Shoot, I forgot a bag of ice. Can you go grab it?” Mason asks.

  “Sure.” I run over to the front and grab a ten pound bag of ice, and when I return, the cashier hands me my receipt, thanking me for shopping with them.

  “Here.” Mason takes the ice from me. “I’ll add it to my stuff.”

  “Wait! You did not seriously just pay for my groceries!”

  “I did, but with good reason.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “Well, based on that delicious lasagna we ate a couple weeks ago, I know you’re a good cook. So I figured if I buy, you’ll cook.” He winks and goes about paying the lady for his groceries.

  “I don’t think that’s how it works,” I say as we walk back to his car, Mason pushing the shopping cart. “Actually, now that I think about it, we do need to discuss the bills.”

  Mason waves me off as he pops his trunk open and starts putting the shopping bags in. “Just give me your account information and let me know how much my half is, and I’ll make a deposit twice a month.”

  We get home, and Mason and I go about putting the groceries away when we hear the door swing open and in runs Alec. He completely bypasses me and goes straight for Mason. “You’re really living here?”

  “Well hello to you too,” I mutter.

  “I am,” Mason says with a grin. “How was your time at your dad’s?”

  “Good. We hung out with my grandma. She’s leaving to visit her sister in Florida,” Alec says as Gavin enters the kitchen.

  “Hey, man.” Gavin shakes Mason’s hand. “I’ve heard all weekend about the new roommate. This one kept begging to come home.” Gavin points to Alec.

  “Your mom is going to Florida?” I ask. His mom has talked about moving there for years, but she hated to leave Alec, especially since so many nights she helped watch him while I worked my shifts at the hospital.

  “Yeah, she’s finally sold her house, so she’s going to stay with my aunt for a little while.”

  “That’s good.”

  “All right, I’m off. I have an appointment and then my game later in the afternoon. You guys coming to watch?”

  “No, my car has reached its end,” I admit.

  “Damn, okay. If you need me to get Alec from school, let me know.”

  “I will, thanks. Oh! Don’t forget that Charlie and Tristan’s wedding is next weekend. I’m leaving Thursday and won’t be back until Sunday sometime, so you’re taking Alec.”

  “Sure thing.” Gavin says goodbye and sees himself out.

  “Mom, I’m hungry. Can you make pancakes?” Alec asks.

  “Do you have any homework you need to do before school tomorrow?”

  Alec groans, which means he does.

  “How about you go do your homework while I make pancakes?” I bargain.

  “I hate homework,” Alec complains.

  “Come on, Bruiser,” Mason says, “I’ll help you, and if you finish quick enough, maybe we can play a game on the PlayStation?”

  “Yes!” Alec pumps his fist into the air as he runs to his room to get his homework.

  “Thank you,” I mouth to Mason who simply smiles.

  “How is it that Charlie said when you lived with Tristan you used to leave for the gym every day before the sun came up, yet since you moved in with me, you don’t have to be there until nine?” I ask. It’s Wednesday, and Mason just dropped Alec off at school for the third day in a row and now he’s dropping me off at work on his way to the gym. I hate that he’s doing this, but at the same time I’m not going to argue because to take the bus or a Lyft would be a damn pain, especially to get Alec to school. He could take the bus, but he’s never done it, and I’m terrified to let him.

  “I make my own schedule,” Mason says. “That’s a perk to being a fighter. I can train whenever I want.” He smiles my way, and my stomach tightens.

  “I think you’re lying, but thank you. Since we’re leaving tomorrow to Vegas, Gavin is picking Alec up from school today. I can take a Lyft home.”

  Mason gives me a look that says it’s not happening then says, “When we get back from Vegas, we’re going to figure out your car situation.” The way he says we has my belly doing flip-flops even though I know he doesn’t mean it the way it sounds.

  “You’ve done enough. I promise I’ll get it figured out when we get back.”

  Mason pulls up to the front of the doctor’s office I work at. “I’ll see you at four.”

  I don’t bother arguing because I know he’s going to be here at four regardless of what I say, so instead I thank him again before I get out. As I make my way onto the elevator to the third floor I think about how different things have been since Mason moved in. For the last several years, it’s just been Alec and me. I do the cooking, the cleaning, the laundry. I help Alec with his homework. I watch TV or read a book after he’s in bed. But the last few days, I haven’t been doing it alone. While I cook, Mason helps Alec with his homework. While I do the laundry, Mason does the dishes from dinner. Afterward, we spend time with Alec, and once he’s in bed, Maso
n and I watch crappy television together. I know I should put a stop to all of this but it feels good to not be doing it all alone, and not just that…something about Mason, it just feels right. When I’m hanging out with him it’s easy. It’s too bad I can’t find a guy just like him, but one who actually wants to get married and have a family.

  I step off the elevator, and my phone dings. It’s GetHooked. We still message every day, but with Mason around, it’s not as much. I find myself wanting to give Mason my attention. I know in the end I’m going to end up hurt, but I can’t help it. I’m drawn to him like a magnet, and I can’t pull back no matter how hard I try to resist.

  Gethooked: Have a good day at work.

  Looking4Love: You too. :)

  Before I clock in, I send a text message to Mason.

  Me: Movie tonight with take out?

  Mason: Sure, we can pick up the food on our way home.

  Fourteen

  Mason

  For the fifth night in a row, Mila has fallen asleep on the couch. The woman is like supermom. She starts her day at the crack of dawn—making breakfasts and lunches and getting Alec ready for school, as well as herself ready for work—and she doesn’t stop going until her head hits the couch for us to watch a movie. She’s everything a mother should be and more. She’s everything my mom didn’t know how to be. Her car broke down, and if I wouldn’t have forced her to let me take her and Alec to work and school, she would’ve dealt with it. She doesn’t bitch or complain, she just handles it. Her ex-husband texted her last minute, letting her know he was going to be late picking up Alec and she left work early to grab a damn Lyft instead of texting me. And the only reason I knew that was because I pulled up early and caught her running out the door.

  Gavin finally showed up close to nine o’clock and picked up Alec. Since we’re leaving for Vegas tomorrow, it was easier for him to take him tonight even if it was after his bedtime. Mila was already passed out, so Gavin grabbed Alec and his backpack without waking her up.

  My phone pings with an incoming text, and when I look at it, I see it’s from Bianca—a friend of Charlie’s. I’ve hooked up with her on a couple occasions since Charlie introduced us while working at Plush.

  Bianca: Your friends were at the club tonight but I didn’t see you there.

  Me: I’ve been busy…

  Bianca: Are you busy now?

  Me: Leaving for Vegas tomorrow for Charlie and Tristan’s wedding.

  Bianca: That’s tomorrow…come over tonight.

  I look over at a sleeping Mila and debate whether or not I should go to Bianca. I haven’t hooked up with anyone since I moved in here. While I used to spend my days fighting and my nights fucking, lately I’ve opted to come straight home. Sure, I can say it’s because Mila’s car isn’t working, and I’ve been dropping them off and picking them up, but the truth is, if I wanted to, I could drop them off and then take off to go out—but I haven’t. I’ve chosen to come home with them every night and hang out here. We’ve created a comfortable routine of alternating between who cooks, who cleans, and who helps Alec with his homework, and when all the chores are done we hang out with Alec until it’s his bedtime.

  The thought that this routine isn’t boring but something I look forward to has me freaking the fuck out. This isn’t who I am. I’m not the guy who Netflix’s without the chilling part. Hell, I’m the guy who jumps straight to the chilling part. What am I doing here? I moved in so Mila wouldn’t have some stranger trying to perv on her. So her situation wouldn’t turn into one similar to my mom’s. Where she wouldn’t feel the need to hook-up with a guy because she can’t take care of her son, or where men become a revolving door, coming in and out of her and her son’s life. I didn’t move in here to play house with Mila and Alec. That’s not who I am. That’s exactly what I don’t ever want to be. Yet somehow it’s exactly what my life is becoming.

  I send a text to Bianca letting her know I’ll be over in twenty minutes, and moving Mila’s feet off me, I slide off the couch, careful not to wake her. That foot massage I gave her the night of the party has turned into a nightly ritual. I run upstairs and throw on a pair of jeans and a shirt and grab my car keys. I get back down to the living room and make it a point not to look at Mila, knowing if I do, I might not leave.

  I lock the door behind me and drive over to Bianca’s condo development. I buzz the intercom, and she presses the button to allow me up. While I’m waiting for the elevator to take me to her floor, I watch the numbers tick as I pass each floor. My thoughts go to Mila but I force myself to push them away. Just as the elevator dings, my phone vibrates and I check it.

  Mila: I woke up and you were gone… I hope everything is okay. Sorry for falling asleep… again lol But it’s not my fault. It’s those foot massages you give me. If fighting doesn’t work out you could be a masseuse ;)

  My feet still right along with my heart. I hear the door open and when I look up, I see Bianca standing in her doorway. She’s wearing a white negligee that leaves nothing to the imagination. Its purpose is to seduce, but for some reason, it isn’t doing anything for me.

  I glance down at my phone and think about Mila in her cotton pajamas and those freaking reading socks she wears every night—I swear the woman must own fifty pairs of them. Her outfits are the exact opposite of what should turn me on, but as my dick twitches at the thought of her, I know I’m fucked. I’m not supposed to want the woman who is looking for her fucking forever. I’m supposed to want the woman who wants the right now. The woman who’s standing in the doorway and is willing to let me fuck her, no strings attached.

  “Mason.” Bianca calls my name as my phone dings with another text from Mila.

  Mila: Good night. See you in the morning.

  My eyes dart from Bianca to my phone. If I choose Mila, I will only hurt her. She will have expectations and needs, and I will fail at every corner. Bianca is the right choice. Her only expectation is for me to give her an earth-shattering orgasm. Why am I even debating this? Of course, Bianca is the right choice. She’s the safe choice.

  So then why am I not putting my phone into my pocket and walking toward her? Why am I stuck here in place?

  “Mason,” Bianca says again.

  “I made a mistake,” I admit. “I’m sorry. I gotta go.” I step back into the elevator and hit the button to the lobby. This is probably the stupidest decision I’ve ever made, but what if it’s the best?

  Fifteen

  Mila

  The wedding was beautiful. More than beautiful. It was romantic and sweet and intimate—everything Charlie and Tristan deserve. They said their ‘I do’s’ out on the veranda at the Bellagio surrounded by their close family and friends. I stood next to Charlie as her maid-of-honor and Mason stood next to Tristan as his best man. The girls were called up to say their ‘I do’s’ as well since they will be legally adopted by both of them.

  The dinner was held at the Picasso where Tristan proposed, and once everyone was done eating, toasts were made and cake was served. Shortly after, Tristan’s parents took the girls for the night, and Tristan and Charlie excused themselves up to their honeymoon suite. They’ll be leaving as a family to Disney in the morning, but tonight they’re celebrating as newlyweds, just the two of them.

  While I’m so freaking happy for Charlie and Tristan, it was hard not to get emotional. I am a twenty-seven year old divorcee with an eight-year-old son. I haven’t experienced any type of romance or being close to someone in way too damn long. I want what Charlie and Tristan have. I want a lover, a friend, a partner. I want a man I can depend on, one I can share my life with. I want to laugh and have fun and be silly. I’m tired of being alone, but more importantly, I’m tired of feeling alone.

  I think Mason sensed my hurricane of emotions as we walked up to our rooms to change out of our wedding attire because he told me to put on something sexy and meet him downstairs. When I tried to argue, telling him the bed, pay-per-view, and mini fridge full of liquor, were all calling my
name, he wouldn’t take no for an answer. I’m actually shocked he invited me out, especially since he’s been extremely distant towards me the last few days. When I woke up Thursday morning, Mason was back at home. I have no idea where he went but the morning after is when I noticed a difference in him. As soon as the rental car was delivered, we took off to Vegas. The entire drive he kept to himself, and since we’ve arrived he’s been spending most of his time with Tristan and his family as well as friends he knows here. I would almost think he’s purposely avoiding me, but I’m not sure why. And if I’m honest with myself, I miss him. The last two days have been busy with everyone getting ready for the wedding, but at night, in my hotel room, I’ve missed having someone to watch movies with. I’ve missed his foot massages and his playful commentary. I miss falling asleep on the couch and him carrying me to bed. I just miss him, period.

  After going through every outfit in my luggage, I decided on the plunging V-neckline open back halter romper. It’s black and lacy, and with the completely open back, it doesn’t allow for a bra—the perfect mix of sexy and classy. I finished the outfit with a cute pair of three-inch black heels. I touched up my makeup, grabbed my phone, license, and room key, then met Mason downstairs. He introduced me to several of his friends I saw at the wedding but hadn’t formally met, and then we took off down the strip to go clubbing. Since most of them have lived here for years, they knew which clubs to go to. Apparently Mason is a bigger celebrity than I thought. I knew he was popular in the UFC world but I didn’t know he was big enough to have people following and taking pictures. That was until I saw paparazzi outside a couple of the clubs snapping photos. Mason didn’t seem fazed by it in the slightest, though. He even stopped to sign stuff for a couple of fans. When we reached the front entrance of each club, every bouncer knew him and we were immediately granted access. Once we were inside, we were escorted to the VIP section where nobody could bother anyone in our party.