“My office is on West Broadway, so I don’t care about that. What’s the rent?”
“It’s small.”
“I’m only one person.”
“And there’s no stove, only a cooktop.”
“I eat sushi three days a week. I can eat cereal the other days, if need be. The rent?”
“Three thousand a month.”
“Forget cereal, too expensive. Make that boxed mac-and-cheese.” Mason expelled a harsh breath. He had more than enough after saving so much the past years, but damn. “Jesus, that’s highway robbery.”
“It’s the city, and it’s SoHo. So you’re not interested?”
“Hell yes, I’m interested,” he blurted before he could stop himself. “When can I see it?”
“Six thirty?”
“Perfect.”
Wilder gave him the address.
“See you there.”
He disconnected the call and checked the time. Ten minutes until he had to meet with Jude for an overview of the next day’s calendar. Just enough time to slip in a quick text to Doug.
Hope you’re having fun. Don’t worry, everything here is good.
He waited a few minutes and laughed out loud at the response.
You haven’t killed each other yet? Win-win. Having a blast.
For a moment Mason wondered what Doug would say if he knew about him and Jude having drunk sex and the strange undercurrent between them now. He winced and shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts but found that harder than expected. He gazed at Doug and Ilana’s picture, recalling his only trip to Europe with Warren Colchester.
They’d spent three days in Paris, then headed to the yacht docked off Monte Carlo. Mason went off by himself, hiking in the mountains. Warren had no desire to accompany him, and Mason had been glad to be alone, at one with nature. It was there, feeling small and insignificant with the huge trees towering above him and the wide expanse of sky and countryside spread out before him, that Mason decided he no longer wanted to continue being Warren Colchester’s personal assistant. He needed to go home.
When you get to Monaco, try the hiking trails along Via Alpina. Breathtaking scenery. Have fun.
The thumbs-up he got in return made him smile. He was going to make sure Doug and Ilana had a trip they would never forget. Feeling better, he opened his computer and started preparing for his meeting with Jude.
Chapter Eleven
He knew having Mason come to work at The Company would be a mistake. As if it wasn’t enough that their drunken hookup replayed nightly in his head, Jude found himself thinking about the man when he should be concentrating on business.
That near encounter in his office was the final straw. He couldn’t risk having something like that happen again because he knew it wouldn’t be long before he crumbled. And damn Mason for making it easy.
“Idiot,” he muttered, knowing full well the blame rested solely on his shoulders. He was in charge and he’d set the rules, only to break them the first chance he got.
As angry as he was with Mason, Jude was angrier with himself. He knew what he had to do, and it was a damn shame since Mason was proving himself to be not only a hard worker, but dynamic, sharp, and ahead of the game, more so than some members of the team. Jude had passed by Pryce’s office when he knew the two were meeting, and seeing them working together as a cohesive unit had given him hope.
But then he thought about that almost-kiss between them, and his mind went straight to the gutter. Once again he sank into a fantasy of Mason over his desk, begging Jude to fuck him. Or Mason on his knees, sucking him off.
He grew hot and loosened his collar. It had to stop, and there was only one way to do it. He picked up the phone.
“Can you stop by before you leave?”
“Yeah, sure,” Mason said a bit breathlessly. “I’m walking out the door as we speak.” A moment later he poked his head into Jude’s office. “Hey. Everything okay? I know it’s only five forty-five, but I have to be somewhere at six thirty.”
