Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 40867 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 204(@200wpm)___ 163(@250wpm)___ 136(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40867 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 204(@200wpm)___ 163(@250wpm)___ 136(@300wpm)
Clearing my throat, I said, “So, Jim, tell me why you picked Jameson Rum to serve at your bar.”
Jim launched into a whole explanation for why he served Jameson. I was glad to see that Mason wasn’t paying any more attention to Jim than I was. At least I was looking at him, pretending like I was paying attention. My boss, on the other hand, was staring at me and then at his phone.
Without a damn clue what Jim just said, I smiled. “Interesting. Would you be willing to jot all of that down in an email so I can print it out and refer back to it?”
With a huge grin, Jim replied, “Of course.”
I handed him one of my old business cards. “I’ve added my current email to the back of that card. Sorry, I haven’t had time to make up new cards yet.”
Risking it, I peeked over at Mason. He had a pissed-off look on his face. Without even glancing up, he said, “We need to get back to the office.”
When I didn’t say anything, he added, “Now.”
My eyes widened in surprise. “Um. Okay, but I haven’t even eaten.”
He looked at me, and for one brief moment, his eyes softened and he gave me the sweetest smile. Something weird happened in my chest. A tightening sensation I hadn’t experienced in a very long time gripped me and kept me in my place.
The last time I felt like this was… When was the last time I felt like this?
“Right. I’m sorry. We’ll grab something quickly.” Turning to Jim, Mason nodded. “Jim, thanks for your help.”
“Yeah,” Jim said with a wide grin. “Anytime.”
I slid off the barstool and Jim called out my name. “So, dinner tonight?”
Shit.
“Let me double check my calendar at the office, and I’ll text you. Sound good?”
He winked. “Sounds like a plan.”
I gave him a smile before whirling around on my heels and walking quickly to catch up with Mason. “The plan is not to text you,” I mumbled under my breath.
“What was that?” Mason asked.
“Nothing. Nothing at all.”
• • •
The emergency meeting Mason had called started in twenty minutes. We were both already in the conference room, and I watched him shovel chow mien noodles into his mouth as he read something on his laptop.
I snarled my lip up.
How does he not get anything on his shirt? And my God, can he eat any faster?
“You know, it’s not very healthy to eat that fast.”
He snapped his head over and glared at me. I looked down at my Chinese takeout and whispered, “Oookay.”
Mason hadn’t said one word to me since we’d left Pete’s. In the back of my mind, I had a terrible feeling he was going to call me out in front of the whole team over how inappropriate it was for me to flirt with Jim.
“Mason?” I asked, pushing my lunch away. I was suddenly no longer hungry.
“What?” he bit out.
“I’m sorry I made dinner plans with Jim like that. I was angry you made a comment about him wasting his time on me. First, I don’t think you know me well enough to say something like that, and second, I didn’t appreciate being treated like I was invisible during that conversation.”
He dropped his fork into his to-go container and studied me for a few seconds.
“Are you going out with him?”
I felt my face scrunch up into a confused expression. “What? No. I never had any intentions of going out to dinner with him.”
His face instantly softened. “I’m sorry I said that. It was rude, and my behavior was uncalled for. It won’t happen again.”
Mason turned back to his food, grabbed his fork, and started eating again. Not even waiting for me to respond to his apology.
I couldn’t help but stare at him as he ate.
Goodness. He made eating look sexy as hell. I found myself wondering what kind of lover he’d be. Rough and hard? Someone who liked to get in there, do his thing, and then leave the poor girl lying in bed, wondering what in the world just happened? Or maybe he was a sweet, slow lover. The kind who made sure a woman was taken care of first.
I could only imagine how Mason might take care of the women he was with. My eyes instantly fell to those soft, plump lips of his.
His mouth. Lord, I bet he was good with that mouth.
“You not going to finish? Are you feeling sick?”
His voice pulled me from my naughty thoughts and I pressed my hands to my red-hot cheeks.
The door to the conference room opened and Mason quickly stood, reached for my lunch and his, and then tossed them both out in the trash behind us. He did it so fast I didn’t even have time to respond.
Looking at me, he winked. “Wouldn’t want to give people the wrong idea.”