Chapter Two
Harper
I hung up the phone, looking over at Avery. She was already absorbed in the latest gossip from the pages of her favorite magazine. But when she sensed my silence, she looked up.
“I’ve just been invited back to the mansion, this afternoon.” I said.
“Is there an event going on?” Avery asked, her voice already going up a pitch. I knew she wouldn’t like it if I had gotten invited to a mixer and she hadn’t.
“I don’t think so,” I said, fiddling with my hair. It stood in wet tangles across my shoulders. Maybe I should take another shower and use Avery’s shampoo, the kind that always made her hair silky smooth. And makeup, I needed that. My thoughts were racing.
“God, you look like you’ve just seen a ghost,” Avery said, still observing me.
“I met that staff member last night,” I told her. For some reason confiding in Avery made my heart beat a little slower, allowing me to think more clearly. “That was him on the phone. Mason.” A small shiver crept up my spine. My dream. I shook myself out of my thoughts; it had been a dream, that was all.
“What does he want with you?” Avery asked.
“I don’t know.” I said, shrugging and twisting my hair around my finger again. “I guess I’ll have to go and find out.”
“Well, damn, girl!” Avery said, laughing. “Aren’t you lucky! I saw him, last night. He was pretty hot. And behaved like a gentleman.”
I rolled my eyes at her. “Yeah, I ended up in bed with the last guy I thought was a “gentleman,” Avery, and he called me Stacey.”
She bit into her apple again, hiding her smile behind it. “So you’re thinking he’s too good to be true, just like Jake?”
“Precisely,” I said, shaking out my hair. “But I still plan on finding out for myself. Because why not, right?”
“Just don’t do that thing...” Avery said, grabbing her phone and checking it so she didn’t have to meet my eyes.
“What thing?” I asked, slightly offended.
“That thing,” she insisted, giggling a little. “Where you shut off and don’t give anyone a chance. You got paid last night, remember, and you didn’t even have to talk to the bachelor. That’s a pretty good deal.”
I thought about the envelope from last night. It had been filled with cash, just like the one before. But this time I had felt guiltier. I hadn’t done a thing, after all. And I had actually met a man; a man who worked for the company throwing the event. Should I really be getting paid for that? “I think I’m going to bring it back.” I said, clicking off the coffee machine. I wasn’t a huge coffee drinker, but today I needed something to wake up.
“I wouldn’t,” Avery smirked. “I got paid the same amount and I had to work for it. And besides, there’s no harm in playing the field. I bet this guy has a lot of power, if he works for those rich people.”
“A lot of power or a lot of disregard for money,” I said, pouring some of the brown liquid into a mug.
“Well, I say give him a chance. I’ve got a date tonight, by the way,” she smiled, half skipping toward the door. “If you’re back, don’t wait up.”
I took a large gulp of my coffee, scalding my throat. “When I’m back,” I corrected her, but she had gone.
I knew deep down that I wasn’t going back to the mansion because I wanted to play the field. I was going back simply because I was attracted to Mason, in more than one way.
Avery let me borrow her Gucci black sleeveless dress, insisting that I needed something to impress Mason. I had to admit, I liked the way it hugged my curves, emphasizing all the right parts of my body.
“Good luck,” Avery said, giving me another wink.
I took one last glance in the mirror, applying some last touch-ups to my makeup. I didn’t really know why I was trying so hard. Mason was either too good to be true, or he just wanted to use me.
On that thought, I ran back into my room and slipped the money from last night into my purse. I wasn’t a call girl, and didn’t plan on being one, either.
* * * *
“Hey,” a familiar voice greeted me as I opened the door on my way out.
I stopped in my tracks. Jake stood there, hands in his pockets. His beat up hoodie and slumped posture infuriated me. I had worn that hoodie, before, without pants on. My cheeks heated.
“You asshole,” I barked at him as I attempted to push past him.
“Harper,” Jake said, taking a step forward. “I’m really sorry about the other night. I really do care about you, baby.”
“Don’t you call me that,” I said, gripping the doorframe with my fingers tightly.
“I just want to talk with you,” Jake begged, stepping even closer. “Why are you all dressed up?”
“Get the hell away from me,” I ordered, making sure to shut and lock the door behind me before trying to get past him.
“Oh, come on,” Jake begged again, fingers tugging at my skirt. That domineering approach might have gotten me at one time, but suddenly I felt afraid.
I slapped his hand away, brushing past him and making my way down the hall as fast as I could in my heels. “You’d better not be here when I get back.”
He didn’t reply.
If ever I needed my car to make it somewhere, it was now. For one, I thought Jake might try to follow me out in the parking lot. And two, I was seriously beginning to run late for my date with Mason.
Date. Listen to me, wishful thinking.
“Come on, baby,” I whispered to her, deciding to reclaim the term Jake had just attempted to manipulate me with. I stroked the worn steering wheel as I turned the key, hoping that sweet words would get my car to start.
It took a couple of tries, but it worked. The Camry roared to life. Thank God.
The day was sunny and beautiful, a perfect time for a drive, but I couldn’t enjoy much of it; my car was running, but barely.
“Almost there,” I pleaded with her. She had almost stalled on the freeway and my heart had dropped. But somehow, the faithful machine made it all the way up the driveway to the mansion.
The place looked different in the daylight. Not exactly one to appreciate the finer things in life, even I marveled at its elegance, the architecture of the building, and its yard decor. A seven-stall car garage I hadn’t noticed was tucked behind the huge pillars and tinted windows. The whole thing was exquisite.
I didn’t know where to park, so I chose to put my car as close to the house as I could. No one seemed to be around, though a couple vehicles littered the roundabout driveway. My heels clicked on the sidewalk as I walked up to the huge oak door, knocking tentatively. I ran a hand through my hair, trying to get rid of these pre-date jitters.
Pre-date? This isn’t a date, I reminded myself. Or, maybe it was. Mason had been oddly cryptic over the phone.
I almost toppled over at the sight of Mason, who answered the door himself. A thin white shirt hugged his muscular upper half, while fitted black pants covered his legs. His hair just barely curled around the collar of his shirt. “Hello,” he smiled cheerfully, stepping aside to let me come in. “Hungry?”
“A little,” I admitted, walking in, noting the absence of security guards.
Even the furniture looked different, as we walked into the main living room. The bars had been removed, replaced with decorative couches that I was sure served very little function other than to be admired. In one corner of the room, by the huge window that led out to the back terrace, sat a slightly more comfortable looking couch, with a few trays filled with finger snacks on the coffee table in front of it.
“Sit,” Mason commanded, in a gentle way.
I couldn’t, not yet. The view from the terrace, something I hadn’t been able to see properly in the dark when I had gone out there with Xander, drew me in. The mansion sat atop a great hill, looking out over the lush forest surrounding the area and the hills in the distance. The view took my breath away.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Mason asked, his voice quiet.
“Yes.” I drew a little closer to the window. Something shiny near the roofline caught my attention, where I had noticed it before. This time, I could clearly see the lens of a camera peering down. “Ah,” I said, coming back to my senses. “Is he watching?”
“Is who watching?”
“Asher,” I said, motioning to the camera and repeating the name I’d heard the night before; the man I assumed to be in charge of all this.
Mason laughed. He had a nice laugh, not too gruff. I tried not to notice that, and kept my wits about me as I crossed my arms.
“Asher’s not watching through the camera, not today,” Mason said. “Don’t worry about him, Harper. Asher is pretty damn impressed with you. Just relax.”
I wasn’t exactly sure how to take that, so I said nothing.
“Champagne?”
I declined. “I appreciate the offer to come back, but I’m not interested in meeting any more bachelors. I only came back the other night for my friend.”
Mason nodded. “Did you at least enjoy last night?”
Unable to find my words with his gaze upon me, I simply nodded.
As I sat down, Mason reached across the table and grabbed hold of my hand. I resisted the urge to pull away; far greater was the urge to keep my fingers interlaced with his.
“I’m glad you came. I wanted to see you again.” Mason said. “I’m really impressed with you, Harper.”
There was that word again… impressed. It felt so formal, like he was about to offer me a job.
As he continued talking, I could feel myself slip back into my dream, imagining Mason laying me out and having his way with me. I knew if I were Avery, I’d have had him under me by now... I smiled to myself, hoping he didn’t notice.
“So, what do you think?” Mason sat anxiously, waiting for my response.
“I’m sorry, what?”
He looked amused, the corner of his mouth tilting upward in a crooked smile. “Do you want a job? No attending mixers as a bachelorette. You’d be staff.”
Of course. He was offering me a job.
“I don’t know anything about that sort of thing.” I immediately protested.
“The compensation is similar to what you’d earn if you were a guest,” Mason continued, as if I hadn’t spoken. “And we’d have a chance to work together.”
I realized we were still holding hands. I removed mine, feeling suddenly awkward. He didn’t seem fazed. “I...” I fumbled with my words. “I don’t know. Can I have a chance to think it over?”
“Of course.” He said, his voice smooth. So smooth. “We don’t need to talk about it right now. You mentioned you’re a part-time student, didn’t you? What do you study?”
I couldn’t remember ever telling him I was a part-time student. I had said as much to Xander, but not Mason?
His phone rang. He apologized, answering it.
“Ah,” he shook his head as he hung up the phone, “Looks like you’re off the hook with that last question. I’m needed. If you can just wait a few moments, I’ll get right back with you. And eat something, for God’s sake.”
He stood, motioning for me to stay seated. His piercing eyes lingered on my face for a moment, before I blushed and turned away, uncomfortable under his intense gaze.
I looked down at my purse, sitting next to me on the couch. A white slip of paper was peeking out.
The envelope!
I looked up, planning to return it to Mason, but he was already gone.