Fuck, who was I kidding?
He probably ran out of models and I was the next best thing.
Just a back-up.
The girl he turned to when supplies dried up.
“Why don’t you come back to my hotel room with me?” he growled, low and seductive. “We’ll have privacy that way.”
The air burned in my lungs.
He was insane if he thought I was going anywhere with him.
We stared at each other, tension rising.
“Fine. We’ll just talk right here then,” was his purposeful voice, eyes mesmerizing my soul. “Here is fine, if that’s where you want it.”
But I wasn’t going to make the first move. He was here, on my territory, so I remained mum, waiting for him to explain.
The alpha took a deep breath, blue eyes distant for a moment as he looked out the window.
“I made a terrible mistake,” came the rumble from deep in his chest.
Oh, here we go. The clichéd speech every guy makes whenever he wants to get back together with his ex. I’ve seen it a million and one times on TV. He confesses everything, there’s a tearful reunion, and they walk off into the sunset, arms around one another.
But that’s TV. This is real life. So I cut him off before he could say another word.
“Don’t bother, Mason,” was my sharp entreaty. “If you’re here to apologize, there’s no need. I forgive you already.”
As soon as I spoke, he grabbed my wrists, holding them so tight I couldn’t pull away. But the big man is always gentle, and the grasp didn’t hurt. If anything, my heart beat faster, mesmerized by his touch.
And that blue gaze grew intense, burning into my own. “Please. Just listen to me for five minutes. That’s all I’m asking.” The words sounded almost desperate.
Mason Evercore was pleading with me?
Me, the no one? The wife he dumped unceremoniously?
Something had changed. So I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, if only because I couldn’t leave.
And seizing the opportunity, Mason pounced.
“I made a mistake,” he rasped, thumb gently caressing the back of my hand. “My lawyer showed me these photos. You were with a man, and I lost it. I saw you kiss and hug him. You were clearly fond of him. I jumped to conclusions. I thought you were cheating.” He reached into his suit jacket and pulled out the photographs, spreading them out across the table.
I stared at them. They were me and Jim, out and about in the city.
“Are you kidding me?” I said slowly, turning my eyes to him. “Where did you get these photographs?” I picked one up, recognizing the scene where I had broken up with Jim.
Mason was silent for a moment.
“Tell me!” I demanded, fingers curling on the prints.
The billionaire ran his fingers through his hair before confessing, a guilty look on his face. “From a private investigator,” he admitted. “My lawyer hired him to make sure you weren’t sneaking around behind my back.”
I was stunned. What? Why? Confusion and outrage swirled in my head.
“So while you were in prison, you had a team spying on me,” I said slowly. “Me, your wife. Or your ex-wife. Have you ever heard of something called trust? People tend to trust each other when they’re in a relationship.”
I shook my head. This had to be some kind of a joke and yet, the photographs on the table were all too real. “Why?” came my voice again, a note of pleading in the tone. I hated myself for it, but there was no way to stop. “Why?” came the plaintive word again.
The big man growled, eyes intent, making me shiver once more.
“You know I’m a rich man. Worth billions. And my lawyer thought it was the best thing to do,” he shrugged. “Women always pull fast ones. They always say one thing, but do another. So he convinced me to hire a PI,” were his careless words, tossed off like they meant nothing.
But I wasn’t taking it. Outraged, I leapt to my feet.
“Don’t blame this on your attorney,” were my harsh words. “Like you said, you’re the boss. He only does what you tell him to do. So don’t you dare try to pull the wool over my eyes and play innocent because I know damn well you’re the one who ordered this.”
Silence settled in the coffee shop following my outburst. A few people cast wary glances in my direction, but I didn’t care. Blood boiled in my veins even as a dagger shredded my heart. How could he?
But Mason knows how to play his cards. Because slowly, the big man nodded.
“Yes, I did,” he enunciated clearly. “The buck stops with me.”
That only made me angrier.
“Tell me,” I spat furiously. “Did you have them follow me even after we got married? After you said all those things about loving me till death do us part? Or did you just want me to be your fuck toy because there were no better options while you were locked away?”