“Mason, I don’t know what the hell is going on with you, but there’s a meeting scheduled with Never Too Sweet. Get your ass back here.”The phone went dead.
In typical Jude fashion, he’d focused on the business, but Mason couldn’t possibly face him at the moment. The last thing he wanted was to talk about the past, but he was certain at some point, they’d be having that conversation, and he had no idea what he could say that would keep Jude from telling him to go to hell.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jude caught Pryce on his return from walking Hollister out. “My office. Now.”
With a confident step, Pryce sauntered inside but jumped when Jude slammed the door.
“Sit.” He waited while Pryce chose a seat at the conference table, but Jude remained standing by the closed door, arms folded. “Care to tell me what that was all about?” As livid as he was with Pryce for bringing Hollister to the office to expose and embarrass Mason, he was angry with Mason for hiding it from him. Angry and hurt.
“What?” Pryce tugged at his suit-jacket sleeve.
“Don’t play fucking innocent with me. I’m not in the mood. You set Mason up.”
“Why would I?”
“That’s what I want to figure out. Why was Hollister here today?”
“We were having lunch together, or we were supposed to until you kicked him out. He wanted to say hello to you. How would he know Mason would come to your office?”
Jude itched to punch the wide-eyed look of innocence off Pryce’s face. “He had a whole speech planned and couldn’t wait to spill it to humiliate Mason.”
“You have no problem with Mason sleeping with his boss to get his job? Is that something you condone?”
“You better have a goddamn good explanation for what you said just now, and the only thing I’ll accept is temporary insanity.” He planted his legs wide and stared Pryce down. “Then I’llstillneed a reason not to fire your ass.”
Red-faced, but pale eyes sparking fire, Pryce shot back, “Because it’s all true. He fucked Colchester, and that’s the only reason he was hired. That’s his MO, I heard. Fuck the boss to get the job.” His eyes narrowed. “Isn’t that what he’s been doing here? I’ve seen the looks between you in meetings. I know what’s going on. Everyone does. You’re not fooling anyone, least of all me. I knew it weeks ago. When he wore the tie I gave you as a Secret Santa gift, I figured that was the first time you were together.”
“You don’t know shit. Pack up your desk and get out.” Cold to the bone, Jude had no idea how he held it all together when inside he was falling apart.
“You’re firing me?”
“That’s the first intelligent thing you’ve said all day. I asked you to leave. Now.”
He kept silent as Pryce hoisted himself from his chair and kicked it out of the way. “He’s been after my job from the first day, and you’re too puppy-dog-eyed to see the truth.” Pryce walked out, and Jude slammed the door shut and slumped against it.
Fuck.
He had no one to talk to, and he wrestled with guilt for making his personal life a priority when Ilana faced such life-changing problems. With Doug lying in a hospital bed, broken and in pain, the fear for both his best friend and his sister ran through him like poison in his veins.
Yet knowing Mason left humiliated and hurting didn’t sit right with Jude, and trying to keep a rational mind, he ran through the facts.
Colchester was an incredibly wealthy man who didn’t need to pay people to have sex with him. And Mason did go to business school and was good at his job. But was what Pryce said the truth? Jude strode to his desk, picked up his phone, and searched his contacts. He found what he was looking for and placed the call, his heart hammering against his breastbone.
When you needed the truth, you had to go to the source.
“Colchester.”
“This is Jude Staubman. Mason Reiner works for me?”
“Yes. I remember. Mason is well, correct?”
“Yes. But I’d like to ask you a few questions.”
“About?” Colchester’s guarded tone came through loud and clear.
“How he came to work for you and what his actual duties were.”
