Chapter Four
Mason
I got out of the car and turned to help Harper behind me, keeping hold of her hand as we approached the restaurant. I’d been here before, on more than one occasion. Truth be told, I owned the place, but I wasn’t about to tell Harper that. The last thing I needed was to have her completely intimidated by me.
I knew the ins and outs of this place as if I lived here, though, having spent hours upon hours trying to make everything perfect before the opening. I knew the managers really well, too, after setting their son up with a “perfect” match (if there was such a thing). All the staff members would recognize me when we walked in.
Although the prospect of them revealing my identity to Harper made me a little nervous, I couldn’t think of a better place to take her, especially with her in that sexy red dress. The material hugged her curves even more tightly than the one she had worn earlier, and she walked with a special quiet grace that I had never seen before.
I could feel her squeeze my hand, and I returned the squeeze as we approached the huge line of people waiting to get into the restaurant. My chest roared with pride as I saw some of the other well-to-do men looking at her. I couldn’t quite place the feeling; rarely, if ever, did I care what anyone thought. But Harper was mine, at least for tonight, and that had awoken something inside of me.
“I’m certainly a lucky man, tonight.” I told her, pressing my face into her curled hair. I caught the scents of shampoo, hairspray, and a slight dab of perfume. Instantly, warmth filled my body, making me squeeze her hand a little tighter.
She giggled, clutching the sweater she carried. “Not at all. It’s the other way around.”
Tugging on her hand, I led her to the front and gave the security guard a grin. He let us in without question.
I could feel the staff looking at us, stiffening as they smiled brightly. I had met most of them before, and they clearly all knew who I was. When the host, Pierre, turned and saw me, his entire face lit up as he flounced over. The man was shorter than both Harper and I, but stood straight and confident before us.
“Welcome, Mr.—”
“It’s just Mason tonight, Pierre.” I felt Harper’s eyes on me.
Pierre looked at me, then at Harper, blinking only once before waving his hand. “Of course, of course! If you and your lovely date could follow me...”
He led us to the primo table, walking us past dozens of couples and groups. Everyone was dressed up and whining and dining. I could see Harper looking up at the high ceiling in awe. I wondered if she had ever experienced a first date this extravagant. I didn’t think so.
We were seated in a secluded area, occupied by only a few other people. I felt Harper gasp beside me as her eyes looked out over the lit city below. The lights reflected in her crystal blue gaze.
I smiled. “Best view in the house.”
“I believe it,” she whispered.
“Is there anything else I can help you with this evening?” Pierre asked.
“My guest and I would just like some privacy this evening.” I answered in response.
That way I won’t have to worry about Pierre tipping off Harper, I thought.
“Of course, sir.” Pierre replied, bowing out. “Your waiter will be by soon.”
I leaned over the table, watching Harper as her pretty blue eyes took in the entire scene.
“What do you think?”
She blinked a couple of times, as if coming out of a trance. “This is crazy. I had no idea a place like this existed in this area. And you seem to know everyone. Have you been here before?”
“Yeah,” as Asher. I kept my face unreadable when I responded.
I continued observing her as she looked around the room. Something caught her eye, and she leaned forward, speaking to me under her breath.
“Isn’t that guy a senator?”
I followed her gaze and laughed. “Yep. That’s Senator Jacoby and not his wife.”
She looked dismayed. “How sad for her.”
“For the mistress or the wife? Or both?” I teased, trying to lighten the situation.
“The wife,” Harper replied, sticking out her lower lip. She had put on ruby red lipstick again, only emphasizing the natural lusciousness of her lips. I wondered what it would feel like to bite that lower lip, to feel her mouth against my own. If the kiss on my cheek had been any indication of how turned on I’d get... I shivered, not wanting my mind to get carried away.
“Relationships aren’t always perfect,” I said truthfully. “But I hope you know I would never do anything like that.”
Her eyes found mine. I was surprised to find tears glistening behind her lashes. She angrily wiped at them with her napkin. “Sorry. I guess I’ve just been cheated on a lot. It’s a heartbreaking situation, no matter who you are.”
“I understand.” I did understand. I could see the pain in her eyes, the way she no longer held herself with confidence. I took her hand, giving it a squeeze, glad when she squeezed back.
After we had ordered, Harper’s mood returned to normal. Her eyes widened when the waiter brought out the food, which covered nearly our entire table.
“Spare no expense for a beautiful lady,” I advised, laughing at her expression.
“You take that statement literally, don’t you?” She looked at me suspiciously as the waiter left the table. “The car, the champagne, this fancy restaurant where you know everyone—you are truly an enigma, Mason.”
I shrugged. “Not at all. I just have an appreciation for the finer things in life.”
“So do I, but I can’t afford them.” Her tone was not unkind.
“The mansion pays well. You’ll see.” I said, again shrugging. “And it comes with plenty of perks.”
She seemed to accept that answer. I started to say something else, but was interrupted by my phone buzzing in my pocket. I sighed.
“You can look at it, if you need to,” Harper picked at her salad, watching me, amused.
“Not very chivalrous of me,” I muttered, taking out the phone.
“It’s fine, I understand.” She laughed, nudging my shoulder with hers playfully. I grinned at her, slowly moving one arm to draw her chair closer to mine, pressing my leg up against hers. She didn’t protest.
Looking down at my phone, I saw that Natalie had texted. “It’s just Natalie.” I explained. “Trying to get things ready for the upcoming mixers. Got to get everyone in the mood, you know?”
“How romantic.” Harper giggled.
“Well, I guess it’s elimination night, in a sense. I have to talk to the final five men and women for each bachelorette and bachelor, get a sense of where they’re at, that sort of thing.”
“Elimination night. Even more romantic.” Harper rolled her eyes, pressing her leg up against mine. For some reason, I could feel a heat start in my chest and travel downward at the movement. If Harper had one thing, it was spunk. I admired her for it. Beneath the table I could see her legs perfectly, crossed and leaning up against mine. I tried to peel my eyes away.
“Well, better get used to it,” I joked, catching her hand as she reached for some salad dressing and kissing her knuckles. I liked her hands. They were slender, strong, but altogether feminine. “You’re about to become one of us, soon.”
“I am indeed.” Her words were short, clipped. I wondered if my lips brushing up against her skin had awoken something in her, too. I let her hand go.
Avery has been notified that she’s one of the final girls, Natalie’s next text read.
Now, how to handle that. I grinned at Harper, wondering how I was going to explain Avery getting into the top five. Avery had probably noticed that Henry wasn’t altogether interested in her, and if Avery and Harper were as close as they seemed to be, she had certainly told Harper as much. For him to pick her as one of his top five would come as a surprise, perhaps with some uncomfortable questions from Harper about my identity.
“Everything okay?” Harper asked.
“Yes,” I replied, putting away my phone. “Everything is perfect.”