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“I have to go,” I said, then headed straight for them. Part of me felt a bit bad for abandoning Travis, but a much larger part felt an undeniable pull from Mason.

Mason rose from his seat as I approached, and the memory of what we started on the couch ignited a need deep within me. His eyes roamed over my body from head to toe and back again, and his Adam’s apple bobbed in obvious appreciation. He held out a hand as I came around the table to join him.

“You look incredible,” he said in a low whisper that made my toes curl.

“Likewise,” I said, admiring his tux that appeared so natural on him.

He pulled me closer, his hand settling at the small of my back and sending tingles through all my nerve endings.

“Samantha, I’d like you to meet my parents,” he said.

“Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. Delighted,” I said.

Stacy Bennet stood and offered me a hand. “Of course, Miss Meadows. I’ve known you since you were a toddler. Congratulations on graduating summa cum laude from MIT in Artificial Intelligence. Is there a reason you didn’t accept the research assistantship and scholarship you were offered there?”

She continued speaking before I could even take a breath in preparation.

“It wouldn’t be because you were holding out for a position at Bennet University, would it?” She winked, pulled me into the seat Mason was occupying moments ago, and leaned in conspiratorially. “Let me cut to the chase. It seems we have a small glitch in the AI here on Paradise Atlantis, and since we all want that fixed as soon as possible, I want every available hand on it. You’re quite gifted in the area, and there’s nothing I love more than honing the skills of gifted young ladies. You’d be guaranteed a spot in the PhD program in AI at our university come the fall, full scholarship of course. But should you prove useful to the team, you’d also be well compensated and set to join the full team at Bennet Systems the moment you’re ready.”

My ears buzzed from the sudden halt of her voice, while my head spun. Had she just offered me a job and a scholarship? To what? Help solve the issues with Alyssa’s AI?

Mason’s hand on my shoulder brought me out of my trance. I looked up to find him glaring with cold eyes at his mother, with an undeniably clear message. She pretended not to notice as she accepted a refill on her red wine from a passing robowaiter.

I nodded as he offered me a glass, then ran my finger along the rim. The job was a chance to see the inner workings of this place, which I couldn’t help but feel excited about. That was a huge check on my “reasons to go on this crazy trip” list after all. It was also a chance to potentially find a sense of control over my less-than-desirable surroundings. The month would fly by if I was working. I didn’t have to take the spot at the university, or the job, if I didn’t want to when it was over. I sipped my wine, contemplating as I warmed to the idea of a simple month-long distraction.

“You’re offering me an internship?”

“So to speak,” she said. “Report to engineering level first thing tomorrow morning. I won’t take no for an answer.”

Before I could respond, she turned toward her husband, her bare back dismissing me.

“Hungry?” Mason asked, biting off the word as he continued to glare lasers at her back.

“Starving,” I said.

“Then let’s get some food.”

I followed Mason to the buffet, horribly aware we were the first ones. He, however, acted completely nonplussed. He jabbed slices of roast beef and slammed them onto his plate. It didn’t take long to figure out what was on his mind, since halfway down the line he spun on me, blotchy red marks coloring his cheeks. I took a step back.

“Don’t do it,” he pled.

“Excuse me?” I asked, glancing around at the closest tables, where people stared because of his raised voice.

“Don’t take the internship. She’s doing this to spite me. She isn’t trying to help you out. And she’s never going to let you go once she has a hold on you. That’s how she works.” He slammed the plate down on the edge of the table and took my arms in both hands, appearing crazed.

“Mason,” I said, trying to muster a serene voice, when I really wanted to kick him in the balls for being so self-centered and making a scene. “Calm down. Please.”

“Excellent advice!” The real Candice’s sugarcoated voice manifested out of thin air. The Bennet’s COO wore a long, purple, mermaid-style dress with a giant flower on the shoulder that my eyes kept settling on. “I’m sure your mother would be devastated if anything happened to sully this moment.” She placed a hand on Mason’s frozen arm, and he shrugged it away. She continued in a hushed voice as though nothing happened. “Not that anything did happen of course, but appearances can be everything.” She smiled her strained, fake smile and walked off with a high-pitched greeting toward the nearest table of gawkers.

I wondered why Candice would care about Mason making a scene, but I had more pressing issues to deal with.

Mason finally released me, staring at his hands like alien objects. “I’m sorry, Sam. She knows how to push my buttons. I didn’t mean to drag you into this family war.”

I sighed, picked up my own plate, and started filling it. “I really don’t see what your family issues have to do with me.”

“She’d love nothing more than to take a woman I may actually have feelings for and make her company property.”

I stopped, a spoonful of mashed potatoes hanging in the air, forgotten. “What did you say?”