Chapter Twenty-Three
I was just stepping out of the shop when I heard the roar of an engine coming up the street behind me.
The seductive purr of that powerful engine sent shivers all throughout my insides because I knew who was driving it.
I turned to see the beautiful black car pull up smoothly to the curb, just a few feet from me.
Mason got out, looking as tempting as Sin himself, to get the door for me.
“Wow, how many of these bad boys do you have?” I asked him, regarding the ‘69 Camaro and its brethren.
“I have a fine collection of restored classic muscle cars. Another fact you should know about me.” Mason shifted into first and we sped away; into the heart of Atlanta.
###
I was both surprised and immensely pleased when Mason took me to my very own favorite hole-in-the-wall spot; Pie in the Sky.
We got a little table in the back by the kitchen door, and soon my elbows were braced on the gingham tablecloth, while his respectfully were not.
He ordered a lemonade, since he was driving, while I ordered myself a pint of Lager.
“A beer drinker, huh? Girl after my own heart.” He winked at me and I raised my eyebrows challengingly at him as I sipped my beer.
“You don’t want a girl after your heart, though. This is a business dinner, remember?”
“Is it?” He said, causally. “And here I thought this was just a dinner between friends. We are friends, aren’t we, Annie?”
I gulped down more beer. “Sure. Why not?”
This made his lips twitch. “You shouldn’t flatter a man so, it might go to his head.”
I rolled my eyes and pretended to scan the menu. We both already knew what we were getting.
###
I got a salad with mine, mostly because he ordered first and he had gotten a chef salad on the side. I usually ordered bread sticks with extra dipping sauce, maybe one of those weird dessert pizzas, too, if we’re being entirely honest, but not today; not with Mason Blacksteele sitting across from me with his 2% body fat. And just to be clear, I’m pretty sure all of that fat was in his head.
So we got salad, but we had both ordered deep dish pizza, so we ended up splitting one, with mushrooms and olives and artichoke hearts and other gross things on his side, just mushrooms and pepperoni on mine.
“So, tell me something about yourself and I’ll tell you something about myself and in this way soon we should be able to fool my family into believing we’re together.”
“Right.” I said, after I was done chewing hungrily upon my wonderfully greasy, salty, pillowy pizza crust. Mm, Heaven!
“Uhm, what do you wanna know?” I asked weakly.
“Who was your first crush?”
I rolled my eyes, but I was grinning now. “Uhm, oh, I don’t know. Elvis Presley, probably? When I was twelve, well, I had this poster. And like, every album. I’ve seen every movie.”
“You’re blushing.” Mason chuckled warmly. “Perhaps you’re still harboring a little bit of a crush for “The King”?”
Truthfully, I’d been thinking about how Mason had the same features of Elvis that I had always appreciated; those dark eyes that simply glimmered with charisma, drawing you in. The classic, chiseled features, the sleek dark hair, the deep tan...sigh...
I realized I was mooning over Mason a little and made myself focus elsewhere; finishing off my beer.
“What about you? First crush?” I prompted him.
“Oh, Marilyn Monroe, of course.” He answered with a laugh. “My brother has a thing for redheads, but I, as a gentleman, prefer blondes.”
Here his smile dimmed, however, I couldn’t help but notice.
What was it? Something to do with his brother, perhaps?
“So you have a brother.” I said, pretending like I hadn’t read that article in Men’s Fitness when Penny hadn’t been looking.
“Just the one sibling, Yeah. Older brother. He runs the family business; I just have a piece of it.”
“Your gym.”
“My gym. Colter and I...we haven’t talked...in a while.”
I studied his face closely, but for once, he was the one avoiding my gaze. “What’s a while?”
“Years.”
“Oh, wow. What happened?”
“Nu-uh. You next. Tell me something about your family back in Texas.”
I sighed, pushing my plate away. I was far beyond my limit already. “They’re sweet. I’ve got a brother and sister; both married with 2.5 kids each.”
We shared a wry chuckle over that.
“Honestly, I haven’t seen them in a while, myself. I used to go home for the holidays, but lately, my work...”
I felt my eyes glaze over. I was lying. “No, it’s ‘cause I just don’t wanna face them and have ta tell ‘em...that they were right. That the big bad city really is dangerous and some days...some days...” I trailed off, unable to finish.
###
Mason regarded her and knew instantly that they had tread into dark waters.
As her personal trainer, it was his responsibility to steer them safely out of these dangerous waters.
Mason reached across the table and covered her hand with his. “Hey, it’s okay.”
She lifted her eyes to his face and her hand jerked out from under his.
He grimaced, realizing his mistake right away. “Sorry...”
“It’s-it’s okay.” She said, putting her own hands in her lap.
“No, we agreed...”
“In bed!” She countered, in a harsh whisper. She glanced around the little restaurant to make sure they weren’t being overheard.
“It’s okay. Really. It was a normal human reaction to have; to try to comfort me. It’s not your fault I’m a freak, and you’re not responsible for saving me, Mason. I want you to know that I don’t expect anything like that from you.”
He gazed at her steadily, finding it amusing how as he realized that he wanted to deepen things between them, she worked to build up fresh walls.
“You’re not a freak, Annie.” He said softly. “Now, you haven’t even told me what your parents do for a living.”
She shook her head, however, tucking wavy blonde hair behind her ears. “Nope, you’re up next.”
“Hmmm. Well, I played football in school, I was the star running back at Northgate High.”
“Of course you did.” She sighed.
He lifted one shoulder. “Also, lacrosse, wrestling, and basketball-”
“Stop, stop, you’re killing me!” She groaned, hand on her stomach.
He smiled mercilessly. “What about you?”
“In high school?” She bit out a laugh. “Try Book Club. Trust me, you and I would not have run in the same circles if we’d gone to school together. I woulda been way off your radar.”
He looked her over thoughtfully. “I doubt that. I bet you had guys lined up around the block.”
She scoffed and waved him off. “As for my parents, my dad owns the diner in town. That’s the diner, in Denton, Texas, mind you. My mom works in said diner, as the head cook. She’s an amazing cook and baker, that’s where I got all my skill and talent. I owe it all to them, they taught me that hard work and love always wins the day, and if you wanna make yourself a good life, you get your butt in the kitchen and get busy.”
This made Mason smile. “Sounds like solid advice to me.”
###
“Alright.” I sighed. “Your turn. Tell me something about yourself that I don’t know.”
Mason cocked his head and his eyes darkened. “I want to take you home and screw your brains out so bad I can barely think straight.” He told me softly.
My thighs tightened reflexively under the table and I knew I must be bright red. But I didn’t back down. “That’s something I already know.” I returned, cocking my head to mirror his posture.
Mason merely smiled in a benign fashion. “Your turn.”
“Alright, since we’re putting the cards on the table.” I murmured, leaning forward slightly. “Maybe I want to come home with you, maybe I want to let you-” but here I blushed, “you know.”
Mason’s grin widened. “Yes. But that’s something I already know.”