City of Sin (23 page)

I didn't care about his past with ex cheerleaders and girls
in sparkly dresses. None of that mattered. What mattered was us, right now. And
I loved us. I needed to stop thinking the worst would happen when all Mason
ever showed me was his best.

I turned the corner and saw him in the distance.
"Mason!" I yelled at the top of my lungs.

He scrunched up his shoulders and picked up his pace.

I knew he had heard me. I picked up my pace and slid on the
wet sidewalk, landing hard on my ass. "Damn it." My hand landed in a
pile of snow. I looked at Mason and then back at the ground. "Hey,
Mason!" I picked up a handful of snow, waded it up, and threw it as hard as
I could.

It hit the back of Mason's jacket. He stopped and shook his
head. When he turned around he was actually smiling. He started walking toward
me. "You're going to regret that!" he said.

Crap.
I turned around and tried to walk as fast as I
could on the wet pavement. A second later, a snowball hit my ass. I heard Mason
laughing in the distance. I grabbed another snowball, turned around and threw
it at him. He easily dodged it, grabbed another handful of snow, and threw it
at me.

I tried to run away again but his snowball hit my ass again.
I felt his hands grab my hips as he spun me around. He was smiling but it
didn't quite reach his eyes.

"I don't like when you're mad at me," I said.

"Then don't make me mad."

I lightly pushed his chest.

He pretend to fall backwards and pulled me down on top of him
into the snow.

"Mason!" I laughed.

"I don't like when you're mad at me either." He ran
his fingers through my hair.

"I'm sorry. I do trust you. I just..."

"I know." He stared at me for a second. "Was
that the closure you needed?"

I nodded. "Am I your type?"

He smiled. "Isn't it obvious?"

I put my hands on his chest. "I don't know how to be
casual. If we're going to do this, I want to be exclusive. I know you don't do
relationships but..."

"We already are, Bee."

He didn't say boyfriend and girlfriend, but he had agreed. I
was his and he was mine. I wasn't sure if anything had ever felt so right
before.

He dusted snow off the back of my jacket. "We better get
home before we're buried alive."

I laughed and climbed off of him. As soon as he got up, he
wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

Mason

"It's so beautiful," Bee said as she looked out the
window.

I plopped down on the couch beside her and pulled her feet
onto my lap. "It's only pretty because we're not out there."

"No, it's still pretty."

We had both skipped work today and had pretended to be snowed
in. It was perfect.
She
was perfect. I turned my attention away from her
and toward the window. "The trash trucks can't get through the streets.
There's trash all over the sidewalks. It's gross."

Bee laughed. "That's a pessimistic view. It's like a
winter wonderland."

I ran my thumb along the inside of her ankle, clearly sending
shivers through her whole body. I loved having that effect on her. She was
looking at me in that way that made my chest feel tight. But I was getting used
to the feeling. I was 80 percent sure it didn't mean I was having a heart
attack.

"I can't even remember the last time I had a snow
day," she said.

I smiled. "Building a snowman with your parents and
neighborhood snowball fights? That's what the suburbs are all about,
right?"

She pressed her lips together and looked back out the window.
"No, not really. I mean, maybe." She folded her arms across her
chest. "I don't know."

I had hit some kind of nerve. Normally I'd change the subject
if a conversation went south. But it wasn't like that with Bee. I wanted to
know these things about her. Hell, I wanted to know everything about her.
"So what was it like for you, then?" I continued to rub my thumb
along the inside of her ankle.

She smiled and turned back to me, but her smile looked
forced. "I mean, it was pretty much like that." She shrugged.
"What about you? I assume you were still talking to your parents back
then? Plus you have a brother. I'm guessing all sorts of shenanigans?"

I lowered my eyebrows slightly. What was it that she didn't
want me to know? "Well, Matt and I had a nanny that we used to love to
torture. We had plenty of snowball fights with her. And hot chocolate. She made
the best hot chocolate. And what about you, Bee?"

"Actually, I could go for some hot chocolate right
now." She tried to move her foot off my lap but I grabbed her ankle.

Her brown eyes got wide. For a second it looked like she was
going to cry. It made my chest feel even tighter. "I'd like to know
whatever it is you don't want to tell me about your childhood. That is, if
you'd like me to know. If not, I'll let you fix me some hot chocolate." I
gave her a small smile.

She sighed and leaned back against the pillows. "It's
not like it's anything interesting. My parents got divorced when I was really
young. My dad basically disappeared overnight. And I didn't hear from him very
much. My mom had to work two jobs to pay the bills, so she couldn't be around
that much either. Not that she had a choice. And I was shy and nerdy. I didn't
have that many friends. I think part of it was that I didn't want to get close
to anyone, you know? I was afraid that they'd leave too. It was stupid."
Bee laughed and looked down at her lap.

"It's not stupid."

She looked back up at me. Her cheeks were slightly rosy, like
she was embarrassed that she had told me about her lame excuse of a dad. I felt
protective of her. She might not admit it, but I could see that it still hurt
her. If I ever met him, I'd have to remember to beat the shit out of him.

"I always loved the snow, though," she said.
"Whenever my mom was home during a snowstorm we'd have a contest to see
who could catch the most snowflakes on our tongues. She'd always make me say my
number first and then claim that she had caught a few less than me."

"Hmmm." I ran my hand along the inside of her calf,
massaging it gently. "Are you two still close?"

"You mean, does she call me all the time wondering if
I've been mugged at gunpoint on the dangerous streets of New York City? And
worry about me going on blind dates with serial killers?" She raised her
eyebrow at me.

It was probably meant to look stern, but she looked adorable.
I grabbed he hand and pulled her onto my lap.

She laughed as I ran my hands down to her hips.

"I hope you told her I wasn't a serial killer?"

"I'm still not completely sure that you aren't. But I
did tell her all about you."

I laughed. "Good things?"

"There aren't any bad things to tell." She smiled
and put her hands on my shoulders.

"Does that mean that you are no longer scared of getting
close to someone?"

"I'm terrified."

I had expected her to laugh. Or deny it. But there was her
answer. She was terrified of getting hurt again. I wasn't going to hurt her.
She wasn't just some girl I was sleeping with. It didn't matter that I was
drunk the other night. What I had said was true. I was falling in love with
her. And it didn't even freak me out as much as I thought it would. It was just
a fact. "I promise I'm not going anywhere."

"Isn't that what they all say?"

"Maybe. But I mean it." I moved one of my hands to
the side of her face. "I can't even remember a time when I was this
happy."

She searched my face for a second and then smiled. "And
here I just thought you wanted me for my body."

"Well." I grabbed her waist and spun her so that
her back was pressed against the mattress and my torso was pinned against her.

She laughed as I pushed her shirt up, revealing a strip of
her smooth skin.

"I'd be lying if I said that wasn't a small part of
it." Her nipples were hard, showing clearly through her t-shirt. She made
me feel like a horny teenager again. As if I had no control of my hormones. I
wanted her all the time. I ran my fingers up her stomach, but she grabbed my
wrist before I could wrap my hand around one of her perky tits.

"Please don't break my heart, Mason." Her face was
suddenly serious. It almost looked like she expected me to kick her out of my
apartment right after she said it. Like this was the final out. After this
second I'd be crossing that line, I'd be hurting her.

But I was already two feet in. Breaking her heart meant not
seeing her anymore. And that wasn't something I was interested in. I liked
waking up to her, and falling asleep with her head on my chest. The look she was
giving me showed me that she was already in too. She was falling for me just as
fast as I was falling for her. And maybe I was just as terrified as she was,
not of the feeling, but of getting my heart broken.

I shifted my weight so that my face was right above hers.
"Baby, I will never get enough of you."

Bee

The office was abuzz this morning. Our first proposed
advertisement for Sword Body Wash was going to be aired tonight and everyone
was doing last minute preparations. And Mr. Ellington was beside himself with
excitement. The FCC had disbanded yesterday with the announcement of the
government shutdown. That had been the biggest worry with the sponsorship idea,
that they'd cut the broadcast when Layla Torrez started measuring men's penis sizes
live on T.V. Now that wasn't an issue. Apparently the C.E.O. of Sword Body Wash
was just as excited. Hopefully they'd still blur everything out. The whole
thing was ridiculous.

"I assume you're staying for the viewing party
tonight?" Kendra said and sat down on the edge of my desk.

"Even though it's the stupidest marketing idea
ever?"

Kendra laughed. "Don't be bitter that Mr. Ellington
didn't go with your idea. We'll all have a good laugh. It'll be fun."

"Does Layla Torrez even know what she has to do? She'll
probably walk off before they even tape the segment."

"Apparently they never tell her what she's guessing
until she's on the air. That way she can't prepare."

"I feel so bad for her."

"Yeah, me too," Kendra said. "But do you know
who I don't feel bad for?"

I peeled my eyes off the report I was writing and looked up
at her face. She was smiling at me.

"Who?"

"Carter told Marie that Mason is going around the office
talking to his buddies about his new girlfriend nonstop."

I smiled to myself. "Really?" He still hadn't said
those words to me. But he had said that we were exclusive and that he wasn't
going anywhere. We were a couple. I felt my cheeks blushing. Hearing that
suddenly made the fact that my ad pitch had been rejected in favor of a
pornographic ploy not matter quite as much.

"Yes, really," Kendra said. "So what Marie and
I are both wondering is why you didn't tell us about this huge step?"

"We hadn't exactly discussed those labels yet. Did he
really say that?" I couldn't help the smile that was now plastered to my
face. Just thinking about Mason gave me this warm fuzzy feeling in my stomach.

"He did. I never thought you of all people would end up
with Manhattan's hottest playboy."

I laughed. "I think that title is a little bold. He's
not really like that."

"Not anymore. He's given up his life of sin. You really
have a hold on him."

I felt my face blush again and looked at the beautiful roses
on my desk. They had arrived this morning with a note from Mason, saying that
he had noticed the other ones he had given me were wilting. Which he had
noticed while he was banging me on the desk. I'm sure my face turned even
redder.

"And you've also been playing hooky."

"It was such a mess out yesterday. Getting to work is
hard in the snow."

"Mhm. So on a scale of one to pre Patrick cheating on
you, how in love with Mason are you?"

I wanted to believe that I was just falling in love with
Mason. That I hadn't actually crossed that line yet. I wasn't the type of girl
that just fell head over heels for some guy. With Patrick, our relationship had
progressed slowly. But with Mason? It was like I had sledded down the steepest
slope imaginable right into his arms. It wasn't just that I wanted to be with
him every second. I needed him. He made me feel happy and desired and whole.
That was it. He made me feel whole again.

I looked up at Kendra. "I've never felt this way about
someone before."

"Holy shit." She dragged out the 'o' and 'y' in
holy. "You like him more than you liked Patrick?"

I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. For some
reason I felt like I wanted to cry. I liked him so much more than Patrick. And
it scared the hell out of me. I didn't want to lose him. I couldn't lose him
too.

"Hey." Kendra scooted off the edge of her desk.
"Bee, what's wrong?"

I wiped the tears quickly off my cheeks.
What is wrong
with me?

Kendra wrapped her arms around me and squeezed me tightly.
"Tell me, Bee."

"Nothing good lasts forever."

Kendra laughed and pulled away. "That's not true. Look
at Marie and Carter. They're so happy."

"They're the only example of a happy couple that I know.
They're the exception. I've just gotten used to the idea that I'm going to end
up alone. Like you said, I'm meant to be a cat lady."

Kendra smiled. "Mason sounds a lot better than a clowder
of cats. I know you were scared to get back out there. But you shouldn't be
scared now. The hard part is finding someone worthy of your love. You've
already found him. And from what it sounds like, he's completely smitten with
you."

"Until he gets bored with me."

"Hon." Kendra put her hand on top of mine.
"Stop selling yourself short. I know how Patrick made you feel. We've all
been dumped. It sucks. But it doesn't mean you give up and buy cats."

I laughed. "I know." I was so scared, though. The
thought of Mason leaving me too terrified me. Patrick had promised me that he'd
never leave me either. A promise was only as sincere as the person giving it. I
wanted to believe that Mason was sincere. He seemed so sincere. And that's why
it was so scary. Because I believed him. And I loved him. I was so in love with
him.

***

The conference room had been turned into a mini theater for
the viewing party. Jenkins was sitting at the front next to Mr. Ellington. His
left knee kept bouncing up and down, clearly jittery with the anticipation of
how all this was going to turn out.

"It's on, it's on! Shhh!" Jenkins yelled as Layla
Torrez appeared on the screen. They had dressed her in an outfit that was not
at all appropriate for a weather girl to wear. Layla immediately asked what she
was guessing today.

The voice of Brian Scott, the news anchor, came through with
a touch of humor. "Penis sizes."

The whole conference room laughed at Layla's shocked
reaction. But I just felt bad for her. The stupid men at Kruger advertising were
making a joke at her expense. This could ruin her career. A few seconds later
the segment went to commercial break.

Mr. Ellington stood up and faced all his employees.
"Here's to another successful campaign. And to the FCC disbanding."
He lifted up his glass of champagne.

It seemed a little early to celebrate the success of the
campaign. Layla still had time to run away screaming. "This is so
horrible," I whispered to Kendra.

"I thought it would be funny, but I feel really bad for
her. Did you see her face?"

"What would you do if it was you?" I asked.

"Well, it's still going to be blurred out, right?"

"I think so?"

"Well, no harm then, I guess," said Kendra.

"They're in a public park in the center of Miami. It's
after work. Tons of people are surely walking around."

Kendra shook her head. "That poor girl."

The news came back on but I tuned it out. "Jenkins is
such an ass. Imagine if he were in her position."

Kendra laughed. "No one would watch the segment if
Jenkins was the one guessing. Unless he was in that dress. Hell, I'd watch
that."

"Gross." I looked up at the screen. Layla had just
pulled out a ruler and was measuring some sweaty guy's junk. "Thank God
they blurred it out."

"The FCC may not be censoring shit, but no respectable
news station would show a flaccid dick to the general public. But considering
how low cut her top is, he's probably erect."

"Do we really have to sit here and watch this?"

"It's kind of hilarious though. Oh my God." Kendra
nudged my shoulder and pointed to the screen.

"What?" I turned my head toward the T.V. Layla
Torrez was taking off her dress. "She barely ever guesses wrong."

"What a terrible day to lose."

"That whole park is seeing her in her underwear. Or
not..." Layla had just turned away from the camera and unhooked her bra.
"Isn't Sword going to get backlash from torturing a weather girl?"

"The body wash that gets Layla Torrez naked? It's not a
terrible sales pitch."

The broadcast had cut to commercial again.

The phone in the conference room started ringing and Mr.
Ellington immediately grabbed it. "Kruger Adver..." A smile curled
onto his lips. "We'll send over our next pitch in a few days." Pause.
"You too." Mr. Ellington hung up the phone and stood up again.
"Everyone's talking about it. Sword Body Wash is trending on Twitter. And
we just secured our biggest client ever." He raised his glass again.
"Great work, Jenkins. This is the kind of thing that makes partner."

I rolled my eyes. I wasn't going to sit here and watch this
shit show. Maybe Mr. Ellington was right. Maybe I wasn't fit to be in
advertising. I didn't want to do anything like this. Advertising was supposed
to be clever and well thought out. Besides, all that was left to see was Layla
do the weather nude, hopefully still censored. I could leave that to my imagination.

"I'm going to get going," I whispered to Kendra.

"Running off to Mason?" she asked.

"And to lick my wounds."

"Your idea really was better. This is the most
ridiculous news segment I've ever seen."

"Yeah." When Mr. Ellington turned back to the screen,
I quietly stood up and tiptoed to the door. When my hand wrapped around the
handle I heard someone clear their throat.
Shit.

"We could probably all use some coffee, Bridget,"
Mr. Ellington said.

"Actually, I was going to get going. It's almost six and..."

"And? I pay you to work the same hours as everyone else.
And you took off yesterday. Which means you owe me more time."

Seriously?
I worked longer hours than everyone else
here. Especially him. And yesterday was the only day I had ever taken off. I was
allowed to have two weeks' vacation. Working longer hours after taking off
wasn't part of that. What an asshole. I swallowed hard.

"If you want special treatment, maybe you should start
dressing like that Layla girl."

Jenkins snickered.

Fuck you.
"I'm just not feeling well," I
said.

"You can take a seat after you get coffee. Decaf for me.
What does everyone else want?"

"I think I'm going to throw up," I said.

"Ew. Get out of here. And don't throw up on the carpet.
I'll just dock your pay."

I put my hand up to my mouth for good measure and grabbed the
door handle. I ran out of the room and to my desk. I wish I did have to throw
up. Because I knew just where I'd do it. All over that perverted, sexist's
desk.