They turned into Jude’s office and sat across from each other at the big conference table.
“Nothing much. He wanted to welcome me and give me some work tips.” Careful not to say too much, Mason opened his laptop. “He seemed very nice.”
“Everyone here is very nice,” Jude said casually. “We have a non-fraternization policy, just so you know.”
Mason cocked a brow. “Are you trying to warn me?”
Jude frowned. “Should I be? You haven’t even worked here one day. This is a place of business, not a bar.”
Anger shot through Mason. “What the hell are you talking about? I never said it was. Are you accusing me of something?”
Jude remained silent, then tossed his pen down. “No. You’re right. You haven’t done anything wrong. I’m sorry.”
Dumbfounded, Mason stared at him for a second. “You’re apologizing to me?” He pulled his laptop closer and began to type.
“Yes, I am. What’re you doing?” Jude put a hand out, but Mason drew the computer closer.
“Don’t touch. I’m commemorating this day.” He continued to type. “July twenty-second. The date Jude Staubman told me he was sorry. A day that will live in infamy.”
“You’re an idiot,” Jude huffed, but Mason caught a quicksilver upward tilt of his lips.
“Who do I report you to for being rude to me?”
Laugh lines crinkled in Jude’s face. “You’d get me in trouble every day, wouldn’t you?”
“Eh. I probably would.” Mason gathered his things. “Sometimes you have to break the rules or bend them a little.”
The light faded from Jude’s eyes. “I don’t believe that. Rules are there for a reason.” As if he realized he was enjoying himself, the soft lines of his face hardened. “Don’t forget your meeting with Personnel. You need to do all that before the end of the day; otherwise your paycheck will get held up.”
Mason checked his phone. “I won’t. It’s in ten minutes. You know, it’s funny. I never even asked what my salary was.” Beforehand, Jude hadn’t needed to know how desperate Mason was for the job, but now that he was here, he figured he should ask. “I assume I’m being fairly compensated?”
Jude let out a belly laugh. “You’d take anything to get away from Silvia; who are you kidding?”
Mason couldn’t help staring wide-eyed at Jude. As a tough, controlled man, Jude projected both restraint and dynamic power, and that, along with his natural good looks, made him hot as hell. Mason always got off on slightly older, powerful men. Maybe he had a thing for natural arrogance. But watching Jude release all that tension and let go was fucking beautiful, not to mention sexy, and it robbed him of his breath. Since when did he find Jude so…so human? So damn attractive?
So damn fuckable?
Since always.
Before he did or said something stupid, he shut his laptop with asnapand stood. “I-I gotta go.” He ran out of Jude’s office and across the hall to his, where he closed the door and leaned against it as if afraid Jude would come after him.
He shook his head at his own foolishness. Jude had already made it perfectly clear that what occurred between them was a mistake, never to be repeated.
Mason was there to do a job, nothing else.
Chapter Seven
When Jude thought it was going to be a long month with Mason working for him, he’d imagined it would be because Mason would fuck up as he usually did, and Jude would spend most of his time cleaning up his best friend’s brother’s mistakes. He’d already anticipated sitting down with Doug upon his return from the honeymoon with a list of reasons at the ready as to why Mason had to be let go.
Damn, he hated being wrong.
Already on Mason’s first day, he’d shown himself to be a hard worker who didn’t hesitate to contribute to any discussion without needing to make it all about him and helped Jude without having to be asked. Jude could see he wanted to prove he was capable, but what he appreciated more was how quickly and seamlessly he blended into Jude’s team. Mason had many bad qualities, but with his sunny disposition and confidence, he’d never had trouble making friends or fitting in.
Unlike Jude, everyone liked Mason.
Except for Pryce. At six thirty, Jude was about to head home, when Pryce planted himself in a chair in Jude’s office and started whining about the perceived injustice and slight of having a person like Mason question his authority.
“He’s never worked on a campaign before. He doesn’t understand it isn’t a matter of DMing people you might’ve met while partying and asking them to do you a favor.”
