Chapter Two

Mason sat and stared out of the window as his mother droned on and on about all the eligible ladies that would be coming to her club’s annual Match dinner on Tuesday night. He couldn’t possibly be less interested than he was. He’d been running his family’s holdings since he’d gotten out of University four years ago. His father couldn’t seem to retire fast enough and Mason took the responsibility very seriously. Who had time for silly galas and old ladies match-making when there was so much work to be done?

“Honestly, Mason. Are you even listening to me?” His mother's voice broke through his thoughts once again.

“I’m sorry, Mother. I really don’t have time for your event this week.” He excused himself gracefully. “Besides, I believe you’ve already introduced me to all of the eligible females in your friends’ circles, and none of them was my mate.”

The look of surprise on his mother’s beautiful face was unexpected.

“Why are you so shocked, Mother?” he asked gently. “You and Father have a true mating. How can you think I would settle for something less when I’ve seen how wonderful it can be?”

Mason swore he saw tears in her eyes briefly before she smiled back at him.

“I don’t know, my boy. I suppose you just always seem so—well, sensible. I didn’t think you had that romantic streak in you.”

“Well, I’m glad I can still surprise you with something.” He kissed her cheek.

“I just worry about you, Mason. How will you find your mate when you are working all the time?”

“Actually, Wade and I are taking a week to look into the new utilities on The Wild Side. So perhaps we’ll meet someone while we’re aboard.”

“The new ship for the cruise line that launched six months ago?” His mother looked surprised. “I thought Simon was looking after Wild Desires? Have you found something amiss in his quarterly report?”

Just like that, his doting mother flipped the switch to keen businesswoman. Just because Mason’s father had wanted to retire didn’t mean his mate was ready to spend her days golfing and lunching with the ladies at the club. Mason had noticed how incredibly bored his mom had seemed the last few years.

“Yes, well, you know Simon.” He tried to place a non-judgmental look on his face when speaking about his little brother. “He’s more interested in how many dance clubs the ships have on board than the fact that their revenue has dropped.”

“I suppose.” She frowned. “But your brother has to learn to take his share of responsibility in this family, Mason. You can’t baby him forever. If you try to run it all like your father did, you’ll just end up burning out the same way.”

“You know, Mother,” his tone gentle, “you didn’t have to retire just because dad did. You don’t seem like you’re enjoying the lifestyle, and there’s always a need here for your skills.”

His mother’s face went from worried to stunning in a second. She truly was one of the most beautiful women he’d ever known. Tiger shifters were, in general, a good-looking bunch, but his mother had always been the epitome of grace, intelligence, and natural beauty. It was nearly impossible to find a woman who could compare to that—perhaps that was why Mason was so convinced that a true mating was worth waiting for. His perfect match was out there somewhere … he just had to sniff her out.

“My Mason, always looking after everyone, aren’t you?” She reached up to cup his cheek affectionately. “I promised your father that I would give retirement a try, and as long as we’re traveling and seeing the world together, I’m loving it. I just get bored with all the dinner parties and luncheons when we come home. Honestly, I didn’t realize how tedious the other ladies at the yacht club really were. Who can talk about shopping and gossip all day? It’s beyond me.”

She sighed, then her resolve seemed to return.

“But you boys go on and make sure you enjoy yourselves at least a little and let me know if you need any paperwork from the office while you’re investigating.” She laughed. “How fun! I’m almost jealous.”

“I’m certain Wade will make sure we have at least a little bit of fun.” He walked his mother to the elevator.

“Oh, yes. I imagine that boy will.” She shook her head as she entered the elevator, the affection for Mason’s childhood friend obvious, “Talk soon, baby.”

He was still smiling when he walked back to the receptionist’s desk. He knew Patty would have overheard his mother’s term of affection, but that didn’t bother him.

“Patty, did the package I was waiting on arrive today?” he asked the young blonde woman.

“Yes, sir. Here you go. Everything else has been booked under the names you requested, and the car will pick you up on Sunday night to take you and Mr. Richter to the airport.”

He took the heavy envelope from her and thanked her before he gathered his briefcase and left for the day. Mason didn’t want to admit it, but he was almost looking forward to a week in the sun on the water. Sometimes a tiger just needed a day off.

****

Wade was already in the limo when Mason slid inside Sunday evening.

“Did you get the passports and IDs we needed?” His best friend was dressed in a pair of expensive jeans and a button-down shirt, similar to his own outfit. They were registered on the cruise under fake identities. Mason’s face wouldn’t be recognized as the head of the Veris Corporation since he was rather private, but his last name certainly would be if they’d used it. If they were going to investigate the employees on this cruise, then they needed to be anonymous.

“Of course, here you are.” Mason handed Wade his package before opening his own.

“Wade Lincoln?” His friend peered over at the other ID. “And Mason Collins? Aren’t you worried that someone will become suspicious?”

“You said you triple checked the registry and there’s no one with any connections that knows what we look like.” Mason shrugged. “It’s not like we’re super spies, Wade. I figured it would be a lot easier to pull this off if we didn’t have to remember to answer to new first names.”

“I guess you’re right.” Wade’s sulky tone almost made him laugh—the two-hundred-fifty-pound tiger shifter sounded like a ten-year-old. “But I totally wanted to have something cool like Carson or Deacon—especially since you won’t let me take any guns.”

“Normal shifters do not carry guns, Wade. If we’re just two guys looking for a good time, no one would have any reason to attack us,” Mason argued. “Besides, the only reason I let you be armed all the time normally is because of the possibility of non-shifter attacks.”

“Always so logical, aren’t you?” Mason didn’t miss the sarcasm in Wade’s tone. “I swear, I’m going to get you hammered on this trip if it’s the last thing I do. When was the last time we went out and just had some fun?”

Mason had to think about that for a few seconds, and then he remembered with a smile.

“Monte Carlo.”

“Oh, yeah,” Wade whistled low. “That little fox shifter with the legs that went on for miles.”

He could tell that Wade was remembering that night months ago, just as he was. They’d gone out for dinner after a meeting and ended up leaving with Miranda, the concierge. She was a hot little number that had been more than willing to spend the night submitting to the lusts of both men. Mason and Wade had been sharing their women ever since university, when they’d discovered how exhilarating it could be to satisfy a woman in ways most men couldn’t do on their own.

“Jesus, that was almost four months ago now,” Wade cringed. “Has it really been that long since we got laid? Shit, brother—your workaholic tendencies are hurting us both.”

Mason couldn’t argue with that.