Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 34098 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 170(@200wpm)___ 136(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34098 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 170(@200wpm)___ 136(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
The man looked like he was going to argue with her. Seconds passed, and if he didn’t take her, she’d go to the next man.
“Follow me,” he said.
He walked down the street toward a parking lot. He held open the back passenger seat of the car and she slid inside. He closed the door and she watched him, knowing he was already contacting Mason to let him know she was coming.
She didn’t care. Let Mason know she was coming. This conversation was long overdue.
She didn’t know the man’s name. She’d seen him hanging around the library and now outside the park. He pulled out of the parking space, and they started to drive, going through the city, and she knew they were heading to Mason’s main nightclub. He owned several around the city, but this one, the place she danced in, was the first one he’d opened.
The drive took about forty minutes as there was a lot of roadwork and traffic. She didn’t stop as there was already someone waiting for her at the front door. The man who drove her didn’t come inside with her.
“Mason’s up in his office,” the man she recognized from the bar said.
Nerves were getting the better of her, but she didn’t stop in her tracks. She walked up the back stairs, going to Mason’s office. She didn’t knock. She twisted the door handle, and then stepped inside.
Mason was leaning in front of his desk. His gaze was on the door, but now it was on her. Neither of them spoke for several seconds, or it might have been minutes. Time passed and she looked at him.
“Is this the part where you throw my ring at me, call me all sorts of fucked-up names, threaten to go to the police, and then leave?” Mason asked.
Holly stared at him.
“I take it William filled in all the blanks for you,” he said. “He found out I had proposed to you and he wanted to be the good guy, didn’t he? I bet he even told you he was in love with you.”
“William has never told me loved me and he didn’t tell me now, and how about rather than assuming what I’m here to say, you shut up and let me speak?”
She’d surprised him.
Holly removed her hat, then her scarf. She hadn’t put the gloves back on, but she still held her lunch.
“This was delicious, by the way. Thank you.”
“I’ll pass your compliments on to the chef.”
“Do that,” she said, nibbling her lip. She paced the length of his office, frowning as she did, not knowing exactly how to start this. She stopped suddenly and turned toward him. “Do you think I’m stupid?”
“What?”
“I just … I need to know. Do you think I’m stupid?”
“No.”
“Because my ex has just called me stupid two, maybe three times, and it has really pissed me off.” She hated being called stupid. In fact, when it came to William, she hated all the insults he threw her way. This wasn’t the first time he’d insulted her but it would certainly be the last.
“I know you saw your ex.”
“Oh, you did, did you, and you still don’t think I’m stupid?”
“No, you know I don’t think you’re stupid. He told you, didn’t he? He told you who I am, what I do, all of it?”
Holly looked at him. He had his arms folded across his chest and he didn’t look happy, not even for a second, and she hated that.
“William didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know,” she said.
Mason frowned and she started to pace the width of his office.
“I know who you are, Mason. It wasn’t exactly hard to figure out. I was married to a defense attorney for nine years. Trust me, your name came up. I didn’t know who you were exactly that first day, because I didn’t know what Mason Campbell looked like. It wasn’t hard to find out. All I had to do was search your name on the internet and find it. I did that, and put two and two together.”
Mason frowned. “Then why did you continue seeing me? Weren’t you afraid?”
“No, I wasn’t afraid of you.” She stopped and looked at him. “I kept seeing you because for the first time in my life, I finally felt alive, I felt free. I felt … wanted. I know that’s crazy, but I loved that feeling. I loved the way you made me feel, and after nine years of being ignored, it was the most amazing feeling.”
“And now?” he asked.
“And now I’ve fallen in love with you and it’s been weird, I won’t deny that. It’s been crazy weird, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. William can list the bad things you’ve done, I don’t care. It probably makes me sound heartless, but in a weird way it makes sense.” She took a step toward him. “You were a child on your own. There was no one willing to hold your hand, to love you, to take care of you. You were on your own.”