Chapter 30
Mason
Junie popped her head into my office. “Are you busy?”
I shrugged. “Just reviewing a chart. Why? What’s up?”
She looked a little concerned. “Do you have your cell?”
I felt in the pocket of my coat and realized it wasn’t there. “Not on me. Why?”
“Lara called. She said to tell you it was important and to check your messages. She didn’t want to leave a message at the desk.”
“Oh, okay. Thanks. I must have left it in my car, I guess.”
She closed the door and I started pulling open drawers, looking for my phone. I was a little nervous. What could she need that would prompt her to call the office? That was really unlike her. I wondered if she had to go out of town and was cancelling our date for tonight.
I heard a vibration and froze, waiting for the sound again. After several long minutes of not moving, I finally heard it and started laughing. The phone was in my laptop case. I pulled it out and saw I had three missed calls and several texts from Lara saying to call her back.
Immediately, I dialed her number without bothering to listen to the voice mails first. I was a little concerned—no, a lot concerned—that something terrible had happened.
“There you are!” she answered.
“What’s wrong?” I shot back.
“Nothing, but we need to talk. Are we still on for dinner tonight?”
I groaned. “Lara, you can’t get me worried like that and then tell me nothing’s wrong. Something is wrong. What is it?”
“Nothing is wrong. We just need to talk, and I don’t want to do it over the phone. I’m alone in the store and I have a customer. I can’t talk now,” she said abruptly.
“Okay. I’ll see you at six.”
“Bye,” she said, and hung up.
Well, that had been odd. What the hell could have happened in the last twelve hours since I’d spoken with her? She couldn’t possibly know if she was pregnant or not. I ran through various scenarios in my head but didn’t get a chance to explore too long.
“Your patient is waiting,” Junie said, popping her head in.
“Okay. I’ll be right there.”
Lara would have to wait.
Thankfully, I had a last-minute cancellation, which meant I had time to run home and change before I met Lara.
I called her on my drive home.
“I got done early. I’m going home to change and I’ll meet you there. Is that still the plan?” I asked her.
“If you’re going home, I’ll just meet you there.”
“You can’t give me a hint about what’s going on? You’ve got me worried, Lara.”
“Don’t worry. Really. It’s nothing to worry about, but I need to talk to you face to face.”
“Okay. I’ll see you in a few then.”
I hung up, feeling the same knot in my stomach that had been bugging me all day. Why was she being so damn vague? I hated that kind of bullshit! Lara wasn’t the kind of woman who liked to play games—at least I hadn’t thought she was.
Quickly walking toward my apartment door, not giving any attention to my surroundings, I stopped dead in my tracks at the sound of a familiar voice.
Sally was sitting on one of the benches so conveniently placed in the hall for stalkers. I needed to talk to my building manager about it. Lara’s condo didn’t have seating in the hall. I didn’t want seating in my hall either.
“Sally,” I said, hoping by some chance she was waiting for someone else.
“Hey, lover. I haven’t heard from you in a while. I’ve missed you,” she said, sauntering toward me.
Her tiny dress left little to the imagination. It was an outfit more suited to a club than outside my apartment. The woman had a killer body and she knew it.
“Sally, I thought I made myself clear,” I said, taking a slight step backward, away from her.
I had the feeling I was a rabbit being stalked by a lion.
“Oh, now, you weren’t serious. I let you have your fun with that other woman, but now it’s time to come back to me. You know just how to touch me, how to fuck me,” she purred. “I need your dick.”
“Sally, I can’t. This is over.”
She waved a hand in the air as if there was an irritating bug in her way. “That’s silly. We’re never over. We enjoy sex. I like your body, and I know you like mine,” she said the words while running her hand over her breasts.
“I’m sorry. We did have fun, but we both knew it wasn’t serious. It’s time to move on,” I told her, doing my best to be kind. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but she was crossing a line, and I didn’t care for it.
“We had a lot of fun, and we still can. I don’t need a ring on my finger, and I don’t care if you have one. We can still hook up, scratch that itch that only I can reach for you.” Her voice was husky as she closed the distance between us.
She was standing directly in front of me, inches away. I could smell her cloying perfume and nearly choked. Her makeup was heavy and I could tell she had been drinking. Nothing about her made me hard. My fight or flight instinct was telling me to run in the opposite direction.
I had hooked up with her because she was an easy lay. I had been at a bar and one of the acquaintances I had been with at the time had slept with her in the past. He had promised she would give me the ride of my life. She was not the type of woman I was normally attracted to, but I had been lonely and horny and that was all it took.
Looking at her now, I realized I had never actually liked her. The only time we spent together was between the sheets, or rather everywhere but a bed. The woman was kinky and crazy, and when I was looking for empty sex, she’d fit the bill. I didn’t want that anymore.
Before I knew what she was going to do, her arms were around my neck, pulling me down to her face. Her lips were on mine as she rubbed her body against me. I kept my lips sealed tight, hoping she would get the message I didn’t want her, but when she bit my lower lip, I gasped, allowing her to shove her tongue down my throat.
Everything was happening so fast. I moved my arms up to push her away when I heard a small scream of horror behind me.
I shoved Sally back and spun around to see Lara staring at me. Her hand covered her mouth as she looked from me to Sally, shaking her head as if she couldn’t quite believe what she was seeing. I saw the blood drain from her face and realized how devastating this was to her. It felt as if everything happened in slow motion. Sally was still pressed against me, her arms snaking out and wrapping around my waist as I stared at Lara.
“Lara,” I croaked out, hoping to assure her it wasn’t what she thought. My brain was moving too slow. I couldn’t move or speak before she had spun around and was running down the hall for the elevator.
I gave chase, shouting her name over and over, begging her to wait.
“Stay away from me!” she shouted, slamming her palm against the elevator button.
“Lara, it isn’t what it looks like.”
She glared at me. At that exact moment, Sally walked up behind me and squeezed my ass before reaching around and grabbing my dick while leaning into my side. I pushed her off.
Lara looked as if she were going to throw up. Her face was pale and her eyes were filled with unshed tears. My heart ached. I had never wanted to cause her pain, and in an instant, I had crushed her.
I shoved Sally away from me. “Don’t you dare fucking touch me or I will have you arrested for assault.”
Lara turned back around and kept slamming her hand against the elevator button.
“Lara, please, let me explain.”
“Yeah, Lara, let Mason explain how he likes to fuck me while I’m tied to his bed, or sometimes he likes me to spank him. Do you spank him, Lara? You don’t look like the kind of girl that can get Mason off,” Sally spewed.
“Shut up!” I yelled.
The elevator doors opened and Lara stepped inside, pushing the door close button. Her eyes met mine, and I could see the pain. My heart twisted in my chest.
Sally laughed. “You are a fucking idiot. I’m so much better than her.”
I spun around, glaring at her, and contemplated hitting her, but I knew I could never hit a woman. Even a woman as deserving as Sally.
“Stay the fuck away from me, Sally. I will call the police if I ever see you here again. Don’t try me, because I will ruin your fucking life, you stupid whore.”
The words were like razors. I knew they cut deep, but it only stunned her for a second. She was laughing as she pushed the elevator button. “We’ll see who ruins whose life. I think I just took care of that little situation for you. It’s you who better watch your step, Mason. No one dumps me.”
I walked away from her, ignoring her threats. I picked up my briefcase, unlocked the door to my apartment, and tossed it inside before taking the stairs down to the parking lot. I didn’t want to risk running into Sally. I had to get to Lara and explain what had happened. She had to believe me.
When I got to Lara’s condo, the doorman refused my entry. It took a lot of persuading and three-hundred bucks to finally get him to let me in. I knocked on her door, begging for her to let me in, but she never answered.
I stood outside her door and called her. No answer. She had to be inside. Where else would she go?
I took a deep breath and placed another call.
“Hello?”
I cleared my throat. “Brian, it’s Mason. Uh, have you seen Lara tonight?” I asked as casually as possible. I could only imagine what the man would try to do to me if he heard Lara’s side of the story before I could explain.
“I haven’t. Is everything okay?”
It was a relief that he didn’t know, but worrisome because I still didn’t know where Lara was. “Yeah,” I said, then hung up.
Walking back to the lobby, I cornered the doorman. “Is Lara home?” I asked.
The man had the audacity to grin. “No, sir. She called to tell me not to let you up.”
I growled and walked away. The man had been toying with me. He knew damn well she wasn’t home but took my money anyway.
While I paced outside her building, I continued to call her. She never answered. There was still a slim chance she was hiding inside her condo. The doorman clearly had her back and would lie to me to protect her. I liked that, but not in this particular situation.
Calling her again proved fruitless, but this time I left her a long voice mail trying my best to explain the situation. I doubted she would believe my words, but I had to at least try. I walked back to my car, my shoulders slumped and my stomach twisted in knots.
Sally. I fucking hated the woman. I had been so close to finally having peace and happiness in my life, and that woman had ruined it all.