Chapter Nine
Like what you see, Mr Hunter?
He swallows hard, his eyes finally meeting mine. "It's working fine," he replies, sounding a little confused.
"Oh, so do you always end your calls like that?"
His brows furrow. "Like what? Have you been watching me?"
"Watching you smash your phone against a bench? Nope."
His face relaxes a little. "Well that's a relief. I've never been good at coming up with excuses."
That's probably why your wife has hired me. I shake my phone around in the air, doing all of the stereotypical things people do to try and get service. "I need to make a call. Is it okay if I borrow your phone?" He frowns and I can tell that he's about to say no. "I promise I won't steal it or anything." I hold up my purse. "Here, you can hold my purse while I use it if you want, kind of like insurance."
He laughs. "That's hardly a fair swap. My cell in exchange for a sparkly purse?"
"A sparkly designer purse. It's probably worth more than your cell." In reality, it was only ten dollars from Target but he doesn't need to know that. This wasn't part of the plan but neither was Mason storming out of the restaurant. It was pure luck that I glanced over my shoulder at the exact same time that he was walking outside. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do and right now I need to try and seduce an angry man who is only just meeting me for the first time. He stands up and closes the gap between us. Jesus Christ, he smells good. I have to stop myself from leaning in and taking a huge sniff of him. He hands me his cell. "I trust you."
Bingo. This might be easier than I first thought. "Thank you." I look down at his cracked screen. "Wow, it's in excellent condition. Not a scratch in sight. You must take good care of it." A hint of a smile appears on his face. I dial Lori's work cell and hope that she has it with her. We both have one for times like this when we don't want to expose our personal numbers. Just when I think it's about to go to voicemail, she picks up. "I'm here, I'm here! Is everything okay?"
"Hey. Yeah, everything's fine. I just wanted to let you know that I can't get service on my cell. I didn't want you to worry if I didn’t text you back. Also, did you remember to feed the dog?"
We don't have a dog. About a year ago, we came up with a secret question, kind of like a codeword, so that the other person would know we were on a trap and in earshot of the guy. I have no idea what to say next but I needed a quick way of stopping Mason from leaving and I'm pretty sure he won't leave while I'm using his phone. "Yay! I've been waiting to have this conversation for ages." She giggles. "Yes, I fed the dog. Whose phone are you using? Is it his?"
Of course I have to play dumb. "I'm not sure, just some guy's. He let me borrow it to call you."
"I'll take that as a yes. You've only been there for half an hour and you're already using his phone. Bravo, my friend."
I ignore her and turn towards Mason. "She's asking me who you are in case you end up being an axe murderer."
"Yes, that's exactly what I'm fake asking," Lori says in my ear.
Mason smiles. "Don't worry, I don't have an axe."
"Did you hear that?" I ask Lori. "He doesn't have an axe. I'm safe."
"Let's play a little game," she replies. "Pretend that I don't know what he looks like. How would you describe him to me?"
"Um, he's around six three, maybe six four."
"Oh he's going to love you for saying that. All men wish they had an extra couple of inches." She begins to snort and I have to bite my lip to stop myself from laughing. "Sorry, carry on," she says when she finally stops giggling.
"Brown hair, blue eyes. Wait, they could be green." I take a step closer to him. "Nope, they're just really light blue."
"Rate him out of ten, boost his ego."
I laugh. "I'm not going to rate him out of ten, he's standing right in front of me." I say it purposely to peak his interest and it works. He raises his eyebrow and leans his head to one side. "Please go ahead," he says. "Don't let me stop you."
"Well this is a little awkward."
He shrugs. "It's only awkward if your answer is below a six."
"No pressure then?"
"None at all."
"I need a minute to think. Something this important requires careful consideration."
He nods. "I understand. Take as much time as you need."
I take a step back and begin to peruse every single inch of him. I start at his feet and slowly rake my eyes upwards. His suit is tailored to perfection, accentuating his broad chest and strong shoulders. What is it about men in suits? Even though every inch of him is covered, I can't help but wonder what's underneath. By the time our eyes meet, I'm pretty much a puddle on the floor.
"Satisfied?" he asks, his voice noticeably huskier than before.
Very. "Hmmm, I guess so."
"So what's the verdict?"
"A solid six point five."
He laughs. "I'll take it."
"Maybe even a seven when you smile."
"Wow, only half a point for my smile? In that case, I'm not sure it's worth the effort. All those muscles that are involved."
"Well shit," I hear a distant voice say. It takes me a second to realize that I still have his phone held up to my ear. "I was planning on starting Colleen Hoover's new book tonight," Lori says. "But I think I'll just listen to you two instead. Who needs fiction when you've got the real thing? I could do with a little more description though. How would you describe the sexual tension right now? Are you aching for him? Is he smouldering?" The only words I hear are 'sexual tension' and 'aching'.
Mason drags a hand across his jaw. "It's the stubble isn't it?" he asks. "Would you give me a better rating if I was clean shaven?"
I laugh. "Actually, you'd be a six without the stubble."
He raises his eyebrows. "Ah, so you're a stubble kind of girl." He taps the side of his forehead. "I'll try to remember that."
"Maybe I should record this and try to upload it to Audible." Lori's voice breaks me out of my trance. "My bookish friends would kill for it. Do you actually need me to do anything or shall I just sit back and enjoy the show?"
"I have to go," I reply. "I'm not sure what time I'll be home. My date decided to stand me up so I'm probably going to stay here and drown my sorrows. See you later."
"Have fun trapping that handsome son of a bitch."
I hang up and pass the phone back to Mason. "Thank you and sorry about my friend."
"No worries. It's saved me at least five minutes of shaving time tomorrow."
I laugh. "Can I buy you a drink? You know, to say thanks."
"You don't have to do that."
"I insist. Besides, I could use the company."
"So you're just using me? Am I your plan B?" He grins and I'm pretty sure I have this in the bag until his phone lights up in his hand. We both look down at the same time and I catch Emily's name flash across the screen. It's a text message but I can't see what it says. He swipes his finger across the screen and his eyes turn serious. There's nothing I can do except stand there and watch as he shuts down and builds his wall back up. "I have to go. I'm sorry."
"Are you sure? You really look like you could use a drink."
"You're right, I could, but I should leave."
"Okay, well I guess I'll just stay here for a while and make sure the bench doesn't piss off anybody else."
He smiles but it looks forced. "Have a nice evening." He begins to walk away. After taking a couple of steps, he holds up his cell. "Thanks for not stealing it."
Before I get the chance to reply, he's gone. And just like that, I once again have a new record for the shortest trap, except this time I failed. I can't help but think about the money I've just lost out on. It would have easily paid for a few months rent. Because I failed to trap Mason, I don't receive a dime. Kristen does it on purpose to make us work harder. The last thing I want to do is spend several hours seducing a man only to go home with nothing to show for it. That's why I can count the number of times I've failed on one hand but for some strange reason, this time feels different. I usually hate failing but a part of me is secretly pleased that Mason didn't take the bait. Maybe it's because he seemed like a nice person or maybe it's because Emily didn't. Or maybe, just maybe, it's because I like the thought of a man being able to say no. It gives me a little bit of hope that one day I'll allow myself to have a normal relationship and put my trust in a man once again.
Pain is real, but so is hope.
Lori claps excitedly when I arrive home. "You're in love with him, aren't you? You're in love with him and you're going to have his babies!"
I roll my eyes. "Stop it right now. You read way too many books."
"Can I be your Maid of Honor?"
"For somebody else's wedding, far away from me, then yes."
"You're perfect for each other."
"You're crazy, do you know that? Like actually certifiably crazy."
She shakes her head. "I'm not. I failed an online psychopath test the other week. Anyway, stop trying to change the subject. You can't deny it. I heard it all. Hell, I felt it and I was on the other end of a telephone."
I try to escape into the kitchen but she follows close behind. "Go on then, humor me. What did you feel?"
"Your connection."
"I was faking it. It's all part of the job, remember?"
"Nobody's that good at faking it."
"Trust me, after years of dating my ex, I'm good at faking a lot of things."
She wiggles her eyebrows up and down. "I bet you wouldn't have to fake it with Mason."
I can't help but blush. "Oh my god, Lori! Stop it right now!"
She holds her hands up. "Just saying."
"Well I'm sorry to burst your bubble but he left."
Her eyes go wide. "What?"
"He left. I asked if I could buy him a drink when I got off the phone to you and he said no then left."
She squeals. "This is perfect!"
"What the hell?"
"You can marry him after all!"
"Are you on some kind of drugs?"
"No. I was secretly hoping that you wouldn't trap him because if you did then he would hate you forever but now you can have your love story."
"Earth to Lori. This is real life, not some cheesy Nicholas Sparks movie. He's married and that's the end of it. I'll never see him again."
Famous last words.