CHAPTER 13: Mason

I dressed for work and wondered what to expect today. I hadn’t been in contact with Isabelle since the text on Saturday morning and though I was certain that I wanted to continue seeing her but I had no idea how she felt. She might regret everything and I secured a tie around my neck before running a hand through my messy hair.

I headed to the car to go into work, listening to the news on the way. I was only twenty-seven, but I grew up with a family that was always watching what was going on in the world. I suppose that it stuck with me. I pulled into the garage and looked around to see if Isabelle arrived yet, looking through the crowds of people that were walking to the building.

I didn’t see her, and I checked the clock in my car to determine if I had time to get coffee. That was a nice move, and I darted across the street to buy us drinks, laughing when I turned with them in my hand to see Isabelle in line. She looked at me and grinned widely as I approached her, offering her a cup. We didn’t touch or kiss but I knew that something was still between us as we walked out of the shop together.

We walked across the street and to the elevator, talking and laughing. Hannah joined us on the car and greeted us with a curious smile as Isabelle smiled widely at her. I leaned back and sipped from my cup, trying to appear casual as Isabelle turned her attention to her phone that suddenly appeared in her hand. Hannah shot one of her brows up as she gazed at me, leaving to go to her office before us as Isabelle let out a soft breath. “Don’t worry,” I told her as she followed me to the corner, setting down her stuff on the desk as I asked her to come into my office for a moment.

Isabelle kept her purse at her side as she followed me and I closed the door and pressed her against it. She stared at me with bright eyes, wrapping her arms around me as I kissed her hungrily. I didn’t tell her that I thought about her this weekend, wondering what she was doing and how her daughter was feeling. I didn’t mention how much I wanted to call her. I pulled away for a moment and she dropped her head to my chest. “We are going to get no work done like this, Mason.”

“I won’t keep you in here all day. Don’t worry. I just need a morning kiss, maybe lunch every day in here that we don’t have a meeting, and a good night kiss. Is that too much to ask?” I asked as she laughed and kissed me again. We parted, and she went to her desk after fixing her gloss in my mirror, settling down to finish the book she’d started two days ago.

I ordered lunch in and asked if Isabelle wanted to join me for sushi. She did and closed the door as she looked over the generous plate of various kinds. “How is your daughter feeling?”

“She bounced back the next day. We kept the weekend low key, but she was ready for school today.” She smiled after reaching for a piece once she checked with me to make sure that it was cooked.

“That’s great. She stayed with the neighbor all night?” I asked as she nodded, chewing slowly. “Where does your family live?”

“San Diego. Dad is a military man though he recently retired. I wanted to get away and be on my own without being thousands of miles away. Kendra loves them and we try to visit one another as much as possible.” Isabelle shrugged as she watched me reach for another piece. “How about you?”

“My parents and siblings are all local, apart from a brother. We’re very close and my uncle owns this company.” She smiled and nodded as I laughed. “I worked my way up. Trust me. He’d never been easy on me.”

“It seems to have worked out well for you.” Isabelle told me before finishing off her sushi and sipping her water. “Is this going to make people talk? Eating lunch like this?”

“I order in sometimes when I’m busy. You’re my assistant. It’s as simple as that.” I smiled wickedly at her as she blushed and ran a hand through her hair. We finished eating and put the rest of the sushi in the break room with a note to enjoy it before Isabelle followed me back into my office. I closed the door and kissed her since the windows were already closed, dropping to the couch as I pulled her over me. Isabelle groaned softly as she straddled me, feeling my hard cock against her. I slipped my hands down her body and pulled her closer as our tongues danced together.

I knew that this was risky but I couldn’t help myself. Isabelle was all too eager with me and I slipped a hand into her hair and held her still, kissing her harder.

The phone rang, making us both jump as Isabelle pulled away. I reluctantly asked her to move so I could answer it, surprised to hear my uncle’s voice on the other end. Isabelle waved and headed back to her desk with a smile, and I watched her hungrily. “Mason? Are you there?” Ken asked as I blinked.

“Yes, I am I was just telling my assistant something before she left. Continue.” I urged him as there was a pause on the other end.

“I heard that it didn’t work out with Brianne. How is the new one?” Ken asked as I smiled to myself.

“We work well together. I hope that she lasts,” I told him, meaning the words in more ways than one.

“Good. You have a lot of work on your plate.” Ken replied as we moved on to the holidays. Our families spent them together apart from Logan and it was a big affair. I thought about Isabelle and her daughter, wondering what they did. Maybe they went home to be with her parents, which was a good thing. We ended the call about a half hour later and I pulled up my email to see what was in the queue. I knew that Isabelle would be finished with her current project soon and decided to pull something off the list to start until then.

We met back in my office before it was time to leave for a goodbye kiss. I longed to ask her to go out to dinner even if it involved bringing her daughter, but I knew that she wouldn’t do it. I didn’t know if Isabelle ever would and I watched as she pulled away and looked at me. “I have to go get Kendra. I’ll see you tomorrow.” One more soft kiss and she left before me to pull any attention from us leaving together. I stepped out of my office a few minutes later and took the elevator down, seeing Isabelle speaking to one of the guys that worked at the coffee stand, her face creased with worry. I looked at him, closer to her age and clearly into her as he smiled and said something to her. Isabelle glanced at her watch and said something before leaving, a small smile on her face.

Did she like the attention?

I walked to the door and followed behind her a bit as she hurried to her car, hopping in and leaving the garage. I started my car and wondered what kind of future this might offer me if any. Did I want a future that involved a child?

I pulled out and headed home for the night, making some pasta before I sat down to watch some football. I normally didn’t mind being alone but tonight I kept thinking about Isabelle. I pictured her coming for me again, her face twisted in pleasure as she rocked forward against her hand. I could see that it was a meaningful release for her and wondered if it was due to the amount of time that it had been for Isabelle or the fact that it was with me.

Jesus. I sounded like a teenage boy and I thought back to the days when everything was casual in my life. The betrayal of my girlfriend and brother had hit me hard although more from him than Lana. I didn’t want anything more than that until I met Isabelle.

I also didn’t want to risk my job or hers. Isabelle needed it with a daughter and I was trying to work my way to replacing Ken when he retired. Isabelle could get another job with her skills but it might not be as good as this one, leaving her to struggle. I sighed and wondered if I should end this thing between us. She was beautiful and would find someone that was worthy enough to meet her daughter and move into their lives. Isabelle had a bright future ahead of her, full of accomplishments and hopefully someone to love her.

I pushed away the nagging thought that I already might. I didn’t know her that well and we’d only fooled around a few times. We never went out together one-on-one and that was probably going to be rare. Was that what I wanted?

I fell asleep on the couch, missing the win. I woke up in the morning and went for a run before showering for work and getting dressed. I was sore from my sleeping position and walked through the building feeling irritated. I noticed that Isabelle wasn’t at her desk yet and kept walking into my office as my phone vibrated. I set my coffees down and checked it to see a message from Isabelle explaining that she had a hard time waking Kendra up. She apologized and promised that she would be here as soon as possible and I told her to drive carefully.

I set her cup on her desk and turned on my computer to start the day. I hoped that she was all right and worried about her daughter as I opened up my programs. Was she getting sick again?