I give him my order, and he goes to the counter.
I sit and scroll through my phone, wondering whether I can text Luce now to save me. The thought gives me pause, and I look up at Joey. He hasn’t done anything wrong; he just doesn’t understand where my head is at. And maybe that’s on me.
Once he’s sitting back down, I prepare myself, searching for the right words to say to him.
“So, I wanted to apologise for last week, and you should know I’ve forgiven you,” he says.
What?
He forgivesme?!
I swallow the anger bubbling up in my throat. “Sorry, you forgive me for what exactly?”
He seems surprised, his brows dropping low. “For leaving with that dickhead who hit me.”
I sit back in my seat, trying to mask my annoyance. “Joey, you need to understand something, and I’m sorry for putting it so bluntly, but I’m not interested in anything other than a friendship with you. And, who I spend time with has absolutely nothing to do with you. I certainly don’t want your forgiveness.”
“Oh, of course. I didn’t mean it like that. I just thought… you know. You didn’t know him so…”
“As I said, it’s really not your business. I’m sorry for everything that happened in the club and the way things ended.” I pause. “You did hit him first, though, Joey. You almost hit me.”
He runs his hand over his face. “I know. I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me.”
My shoulders sag, feeling better now I’ve been honest with him. “It’s fine. It’s done now. Let’s just move on from it.” I give a half smile, feeling awkward and wanting to wrap things up.
“Yeah, sure, and I’m sorry again.” He steeples his hands, resting them against his mouth, a pensive look on his face.
My knee bounces under the table, my patience wearing thin. “What is it?”
“I have a huge favour to ask, and you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. I feel like I’ve screwed things up to be honest, and I probably shouldn’t ask, but you are kind of perfect for it.” He watches me for a reaction, but I keep my face stoic. “I have a unit coming up in my course that looks at the art of dance. We are required to capture it in images. I’m hoping you can help me?”
My brows rise involuntarily, not expecting what he has said at all. I should say no. But it’s dance, and it’s what I know. He has me intrigued, and I can’t help but want to know more.
“What are you studying?” I ask.
Joey’s face drops, and I bristle in my seat. Crap! I’m presuming he’s told me before, and it only makes me feel worse.
“Photography. The gallery I work at will display the prints as well, so it’s great publicity for you and the company.”
It does sound good. My classes are mostly full, but I have room for more. And I want more. I want to grow the business more than anything else.
I grab a pen from my bag and start to scribble my email down on the napkin. “Could you send me some more details? It sounds really?—”
“Like you’re trying to piss me off,” Mason’s voice comes out a growl at my back.
My pen falls to the floor as I spin in my seat, my eyes going wide when I find him standing behind me.
The man makes me feel unhinged.
A mixture of anger and elation that he’s shown up stirs in my gut, and it’s somewhat frustrating—but mostly intriguing.
Today’s suit is black pinstripe, and I momentarily allow myself to imagine the pleasure it would bring me to remove every single piece of it, right down to his tie pin. My eyes move to his beautiful face. His jaw is locked tight, his lips mashed in a thin line. “Out now,” he barks, and although it’s meant for me, his eyes are fixed on Joey.
If looks could kill, Joey would be in a box on the way to the morgue. To his credit, he doesn’t cower down to Mason. He sits tall.
A laugh bubbles in my throat, and I try to find the right words as I’m bamboozled by Mason’s balls. I mean, they must be pretty freaking huge at this point. “Who do you thin?—”
“Don’t speak to her like that! You can’t tell her what to do,” Joey’s voice rises, shaking with anger.
