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Ho-ly shit.
It wasn’t closure just yet, but it was a start.
Chapter Four
Apparently, the first order of business between Mason and myself was a meeting at his office to go over “basics.” From what I gathered during our conversation, we were about to map out a syllabus called “Pissing Off Aaron 101,” and I was very much on board with that, along with the fact that Mason called a luxury sedan to pick me up at my apartment and bring me to The Leo Group.
The offices were located on Park Avenue, at the top of the iconic Tate Building. The commercial tower was home to Manhattan’s most famous companies, and everything from four-star restaurants to esteemed news studios, so the entrance was ever the revolving door of very busy and important people. I couldn’t help but feel completely out of place as I strolled through in my jeans and reliably warm but admittedly hideous down jacket, armed with the sole purpose of trash talking my ex.
Surprisingly alone in the elevator, I tapped my heels anxiously up to his office on the forty-third floor, my eyebrows arching when the doors opened to a spacious waiting area flanked by two walls of floor-to-ceiling windows. To my relief, it appeared to be a busy day, so I went mostly unnoticed as I made my way to the sleek, black surface at reception. The ultra-focused woman behind it angled her face to me, greeting me first with a smile before her eyes slid away from her screen. “Good afternoon. Can I help you?”
I spoke over the sounds of her typing a mile a minute. “Yes, please, I’m here to see Mason Leo.”
“Name?”
“Taylor Simms.”
She frowned at her screen. “I’m sorry, it looks like you missed your appointment.”
“My appointment?”
“I have your appointment here as two-thirty and it’s nearing three now, so I’m afraid I can’t fit you in. Mr. Leo’s schedule is especially tight as he’ll be out of town next week.”
“Oh.” I paused then laughed at myself, embarrassed by the line I was about to use. “He… asked me to come. I’m actually his, um…”
“Girlfriend?” The pity in her tone had me quickly realizing how many women came to reception and claimed to be Mason’s girlfriend. At the end of the desk, a young man and older woman exchanged knowing looks and suddenly, I realized I looked like an idiot. Damn it, Mason, you asshole. Grabbing my phone, I shot him a text.
Hi. Your receptionist thinks I’m a lying groupie. Come get me.
I sent the text, but it took till after being asked to “please step aside” for Mason to finally came to my halfhearted rescue. I had hoped he’d come outside and grandly claim me as his beloved girlfriend but instead, he called and I simply watched as the receptionist picked up, blinked with brief surprise then hung up. On the bright side, it was like a magic trick watching her look of apathy transform into a warm smile for me.
“Miss Simms, I’d be happy to show you to Mr. Leo’s office.”
Great, I grumbled inwardly, though as icy as she was, I couldn’t hold my grudge against her as I trailed her down a sundrenched hall toward the office at the very end. She was only doing her job. Mason, however, was an asshole for leading on however many women he did, forcing the poor souls at the front desk to be dubious of anybody coming in and presenting herself as his girlfriend.
“This is clearly going to be a new experience for you,” I said to Mason once I made it into his office, the door shutting behind me. He sat at his glass desk in a dark suit, the jacket unbuttoned over a crisp white shirt and grey tie. Setting his pen down, he leaned back in his leather chair and cocked an eyebrow.
“What is?”
“Acting like you’re in a committed relationship. First off, would’ve been nice for you to come rescue your girlfriend in person. Second, we’ve barely started this little arrangement and I’ve already been reminded of what an unlikely, womanizing choice of a boyfriend you’d be for me.”
Mason set his work aside, looking utterly unfazed by my words. “Well, that’s precisely why we’re having this meeting.” He gestured for me to take the seat across from him. Sinking into the leather chair, I shrugged off my coat, brushing away the feathers it left on my pants and feeling severely underdressed despite being in just an office.
“What are we covering then? I’m guessing if you want to look like a good boyfriend, you should know things like my favorite food and restaurants. Probably my favorite movies, shows on TV.”
“I’m already well versed on the reality trash you fall asleep to, but that’s not the information I’m looking for anyway.”
My arms crossed over my chest. “Fine. What is it then?”
“Slightly more personal details – namely things Aaron always wanted from you but never got.”
“Please don’t tell me you’re talking about sexual positions.”
Mason laughed. “You’re not too far off.” He seemed to take pleasure in the horror that struck on my face. “Realistically, once Aaron sees us together, he’s going to challenge the idea of us as a couple. He’s going to watch us closely and ask a million questions so for the sake of firing him up, I want to find out what would kill him to know that you provide me. Preferably things he didn’t get. Home cooked dinners, massages. Stripteases. Specific positions in bed.”
“I sat down two minutes ago. I can’t believe you’re already asking me to tell you details about my bedroom with Aaron. And before you make a joke about how I live in a shitty studio, you know what I mean.”
Mason leaned forward with a slight crinkle in his long, straight nose. “Trust me, I don’t want to hear the details of your sex life with my brother. But the point of us being a couple for this wedding is to make Aaron jealous – to piss him off to high hell and drive him fucking insane over the fact that you’re not only with me but showing me things he never got to see. Right now, he thinks he’s seen everything from you. Our job is to convince him that he hasn’t and still wants you.”
