CHAPTER 8: Mason

Isabelle looked beautiful with the smile on her face, making me pause and question it. I immediately went for the question about a date since she looked like she was thinking about someone that she cared for. Her answer made me wonder just what it was, but I sensed that she wasn’t going to tell me. She seemed to freak out, and I wondered what was going on but chose to leave it alone. I watched her hurry out of the building, following the crowd as I watched her walk to her car.

Isabelle was a complex woman and while I saw some pain in her eyes as I looked at her, I also saw a deep-seeded need there. Isabelle was a woman, and she had an interest in me whether she admitted it or not. I had not wanted a woman the way that I did her for some time, but it felt like more to me.

I met my friends for dinner and drinks, opting to go home alone instead of bringing a woman with me. I worked the following day though my friends pointed out that they never stopped me before, making me tell them to shut up. I sounded irritated and could tell by the looks on their faces but I wasn’t ready to talk about Isabelle yet.

I knew the rules of the office but for the first time, I didn’t care. I wanted her. Not only did I want to fuck her, but I wanted to know her as well. Isabelle was not the kind of woman that you slept with once, but she was also a fantastic assistant. Hannah warned me against doing anything to pursue her but there was something between us from the moment that she crashed into me. I feigned the irritation there because I thought that she was one of the most beautiful women that I’d ever laid eyes on. I was drawn to her and ran instead of asking for her number, but my luck made me bump into her within the hour. It caught me off guard and I’d been arguing with myself ever since that day.

I was used to women and their needs and wants. I romanced them as much as casually sleeping with them and I walked to my car to start the engine and head home for the night. I barely drank at dinner so I knew that I was good to get there and unlocked the door and walked inside, looking around the spacious living room. I lived here with my best friend, who worked as a traveling photographer for National Geographic. Most of the time, it was like living alone.

I showered and dressed in shorts to sleep in, turning on the television low as I grabbed my laptop. I still had some energy, and I pulled up the document that Isabelle forwarded to me. I read further into the story, still liking her suggestions for the strong plot as I weighed the option of pursuing her. Was it worth it? I’d lost a few due to their attraction to me that wasn’t returned and Isabelle was the best one yet. I could fuck nearly any woman that I wanted but there was a challenge to her that made me much more interested in sex.

I had not felt this way since the beginning of the relationship with Lana. Would it fade as it had with her?

I turned out the light once I grew tired and thought about how to begin this. I was going to have her and go about that the right way.

I rose early enough to jog and came back to shower again, dressing in my black slacks and blue shirt that brought out my eyes. I knew that I looked good in it and if she was interested in me at all, this would pull her closer to me. I made a point of going to the coffee shop where we met to order us both large drinks, walking them across to the building and getting on the elevator.

I saw her settling in when I came to her desk, wearing a soft pink dress that had a vintage style to it. I handed her the coffee that I purchased for her and Isabelle looked at the cup in surprise. “Thanks.”

“I was going for myself and I’ll never forget the smell of your drink,” I told her as she looked up and met my eyes.

“I thought it was the assistant that was supposed to bring coffee to the boss,” Isabelle murmured as I smiled crookedly, knowing what it did to women.

“Not when I know what my beautiful assistant likes to drink. I am the aggressive one, it seems.” Isabelle widened her eyes and pressed her full, pink lips together as she reached for her cup, inhaling it. “I told you I knew what it was.”

That was enough for now and I walked into my office, leaving the door open. I smiled as I went to my desk and set the steaming cup down, going to take a look outside at the city as I typically did. It made me feel alive though my cock hardening in my pants was from something else entirely.

I got to work, setting up another lunch and sending Isabelle a message to save the date. I had a great time sitting beside her in that booth, feeling the heat of her skin as I carried on business. I wanted to reach down and touch her under the table, but resisted because I knew it was too fast for her. She responded with something positive and I smiled before I opened the story from the previous night to read, leaving email and messaging open in case Isabelle had anything else to say.

I got an invitation to lunch from a manager and agreed to it since I wasn’t going to ask Isabelle yet. I did give her a long look when I passed her desk, seeing her flush a deep pink as she pretended to read the screen. I smiled as I went to meet Nathan and we talked business over the meal since he had a potential client that wanted to meet up with me. It sounded promising, and I agreed as I reached for my water, sipping it slowly. I made a note to contact them and set up lunch as we moved on to other topics, looking forward to inviting Isabelle to another meeting.

We stood to leave, and I told him that I was going to order something for dinner and that I might be late a few minutes. I ordered some pasta for Isabelle to bring back, selecting a chicken Alfredo dish since I knew how good it was. I walked back to the building with the bag, walking right up to her desk to see her still reading. “I thought I might find you here. I brought you some lunch.”

“Oh. You didn’t have to do that,” she said as she looked at the bag.

“I thought of you while I was there. We might have another client meeting soon. Will you accompany me?”

“Of course. It’s my job.” Isabelle agreed, smiling politely.

“Will you have dinner after work with me, Isabelle?” I asked as she looked stunned.

“I can’t. Not only because you’re my boss, but I just can’t.” I saw pain cross her face and then Isabelle looked down at the desk. “I can’t lose this job. It is everything that I need right now.”

“You wouldn’t. That can be handled down the line,” I promised as I stared down at her. “Who hurt you?”

“I’m fine. I just can’t date at work, because I need this. I’m sorry.” Isabelle tried to give me a confident look, but I saw the hesitation in her eyes, still filled with fear.

“It’s fine. Enjoy your lunch,” I told her, pushing the bag towards her before turning towards my door. I focused my energy on contacting Nathan’s guy and setting up lunch at the end of the week. I notified Isabelle about it and assumed she got it since she didn’t respond.

I backed off a bit for the remainder of the week, bringing her lunch if I went out and insisting that she take it. I’d bring coffee if I got it first as well. I let her know that I was still interested that way, but I didn’t pressure her again. We had the long lunch on Friday at one of the best places in town and I could work her then while negotiating with the client. I did my research and found that he had some talent and sold a few books on his own. An author that brings readers with them is always a good thing and I wrote up a basic outline of what to talk about with him.

I came out to get some coffee on break on Friday since I went through mine so quickly. I saw Isabelle on the phone, her face filled with concern as she leaned forward and spoke in a low voice. I paused and looked at her, realizing that she didn’t even know that I was standing there until she ended the call and set the phone down. “Is everything all right?” I asked her, making her jump as she pressed a hand to her chest and took a deep breath.

“Yes, it’s fine. I just had to make some arrangements.” Isabelle had worn a black pencil skirt with heels and a burgundy blouse today and she looked good, making me think that she was doing some shopping for work clothes. “Is lunch still on?”

“Yes, it is.” I assured her as she nodded and reached for her coffee. Isabelle had stopped for both of us today, teasing me that she could do it as easily as I did. She was in a good mood then and I thought that I was getting somewhere with her but now she looked shaken.

“Okay, good.”

“Isabelle, what is it?” I asked her as she sipped her drink.

“It’s fine, Mr. Drury.” She assured me as I stared at her.

“It’s Mason. Call me Mason,” I reminded her as she jumped and stared at me. “If you need anything, please let me know.” She nodded quickly, and I turned to leave, annoyed that she wouldn’t tell me what was going on. The emotion on her face was as strong as the smile that I’d seen that day, making me assume that it had to do with the same thing.

What was so important in her life? Isabelle wasn’t wearing a ring on her hand but I knew little about her. I sat down and looked at the door again, vowing to dig deeper with her. Whatever was going on was something that meant a lot to her and a part of me wanted to help with that.

I didn’t care about women this way. Not since Lana.

I prepared for lunch and left the office, watching her apply some lip gloss for a moment before she grabbed her purse and stood up. “Ready?” Her smile was brighter, and she seemed composed now even though I sensed that she was faking it a bit. We took a cab to the steakhouse and met Nathan’s friend, hitting it off right away. He had a great positive outlook about writing and just wanted to try traditional publishing for a change. He interacted with both Isabelle and myself, making her laugh and relax a bit. I didn’t get to sit beside her here and I had to force myself to look at Brian, wishing that I was the one making her laugh. When we were finished, and a contract was in the works, we finished the meal and stood up. He walked with us to the door and shook my hand before leaning in to kiss Isabelle’s cheek as he said something softly to her. She responded in something like a whisper and pulled away before looking at the floor.

I held in my emotions as he left before us, taking a moment to ask if she was okay. I seemed to be asking her that a lot today. “I’m fine. He just asked me to dinner, and I told him that I wasn’t interested.”

“Son of a bitch,” I muttered as she looked at me with shocked eyes. “I knew that he was flirting with you.”

“He is a great writer. A good guy. What’s your problem?” Isabelle asked as I took her arm and pulled her from the building and around the corner as I stood in front of her. I pulled out my phone to call a cab and then stared into her eyes.

“Do you want him and not me?” I finally asked as she blinked slowly at me.