“And a male PA is good for optics. Shows no gender bias and such. That’s even better. He may look effeminate with that long hair, but there’s no chance you’d fuck him now, is there. You’re no fucking poof.”
My hand flew to my face, heart aching for both Trystan and Mason, and the poison pouring from that hateful man’s mouth.
“And when I think I have you all figured out, you surpass my assessment by putting on that chubby lass. While she may have those big blue eyes and a healthy set of tits, you would never tap that either. Not in a million years. Old, male, and fat. Perfect. Every time Michael and Mitchel moan about company structure and you being a liability, I point to what support you have behind you, and the lessons both of them could learn. From you.”
Mason never mentioned the exchange, and I never brought it up. He had perhaps forgotten I was still in the suite, where I often took up position at the office easel because the light was cool. Artificial, just like every other fucking thing in the building or bound to the blood of that wretched family.
My main positive from that time was my friendship with Trystan, and the reason I can recount those months and not break down into heaving sobs. We rarely talk about the conduit that was Mason. I don’t believe I’m strong enough to utter his name, although Trystan argues the opposite, telling me at every opportunity he’s certain I still love him. Somewhere, in the nucleus of one dormant cell, maybe I still do? I’ll never forgive his repetitive, abhorrent behavior, not just toward me but toward Tryst as well. Trystan says I don’t need to forgive him, but forgetting would be preferable to holding a caustic, hate-filled torch ready to burn the world down. Cortisol, and all that.
“I’m not that bitter,” I gasp with a hand on heart, knowing he can’t see me through the phone.
“Oh, girl, both of us have every right to be, but it helps no one. We’re both still imprisoned by King Mason. I want to be your knight and break you free, but I’m locked up in an adjoining cell. There is a reason he was often described as unforgettable, and it wasn’t lazy copy. He was, and still is, I guess, the most remarkable man.” His words drift, lost in thought. “That’s the reason I never fixed my nose properly. I could have, but wanted a reminder of what we shared. Every time I look in the mirror I remember what we were to each other. Only fleetingly, but it’s still my memory to hold on to. My imperfect nose reminds me of those days. All the raw emotion that preceded the punch.”
He’s right, of course. In the days AM, I couldn’t bear the thought of conversing with a single soul, opting to hole up in a motel in Newport. The idea of running into him, or anyone other than Nic and Marin in that family, brought on anxiety-fueled hives. I ditched my cell and number, picking a new one up at a store at the airport. I told Trystan I needed both time and space, the one indulgence requisite to any semblance of healing. He agreed, swearing that no one would follow me ortry to contact me until I contacted them when I was ready.When I was ready. Fuck, would I ever be?
If it pained Trystan not to share my location with his boss in the weeks he served out his notice, he never mentioned that either. Should consuming prepackaged food and binge-watching reality shows ever become an Olympic sport, give me my gold right now. I earned it. Other than those two pursuits, I texted Pen to relay that I was alive, but far from fine. I texted Mom with the same message, albeit a diluted version. She told me that someone had come to the door with a gift for me that required a signature, and no, she couldn’t sign for it on my behalf. So, the courier departed with the box in hand. It was Mason’s way of testing the waters, trying to pry my location out of my well-meaning, but no doubt distracted mother. She also commented on the number of expensive-looking black vehicles that seemed to have taken up residence on our street yet didn’t belong to any residents.
“Who would leave a car like that out on the street?”
“They’re not left there; look inside and you’ll find suit-wearing security. Trust me.”
“Security for who, us? Do they realize the four brawling Broe brothers could take down half a pub? And your dad would get involved, even at his age, stupid man.”
I miss my mother; I miss my sister. I miss my whole family. But I knew with those blacked-out cars there would be specific instructions to alert Mason if I came to the house, and who knew if the telephone lines were bugged. The media have been caught out doing that before. The way billionaire heirs spend their money is both unique and offensive. I’d walked out on him, after all. A wounded animal hissing and snarling in its cage of marble, granite, and triple-glazed windows. Would he be licking said wounds, or intent on doling out an appropriate punishment for my audacity. Who the fuck cared? Deep down,I wish I could say that I didn’t. But I’d promised to stop lying. Part of me wrestled with the reconciliation of his distinct personalities. The sweet, caring man who loved me with his body like no one ever had. He stimulated my mind with remembered Latin phrases and stories about ancient royal courts and revered pharaohs. He was highly educated, highly sexual and, unfortunately for me, highly reactive to perceived disloyalty. It was up to me to decide if I defined him based on that drunken night while he flipped a poker chip over and over between his thumb and fingers, or the man who honored the contract, depositing one million dollars into my bank account with the reference: you earned it Bri. Did I? I put up with his oscillations in moods and anger, especially after he cleaned out the Mercer family house and razed it to the ground. I hope Alice’s fucking plants burned metaphorically too. What a toxic human.
Six weeks later
(To the Group Chat)
Jaspar
Was it dinner, then drinks, or drinks then dinner?
Ed
How do you adult?
Me
Both. In no particular order. It’s chill, Jas, don’t fret, pet.
Jas
I love it when you talk dirty to me,cheese.
Pen
Now he has visions of a collar and lead and being led around the bar.
Jas
Now we’re talking.
Ed
Eww. I’m going to need more alcohol for that.
Jas
