It smelled like Audrey.Or, he supposed, Audrey smelled like her bakery.
Either way, his body immediately reacted, interest perking up, blood humming in anticipation.He felt more awake, more aware.
None of it made sense, and it was driving him a little nuts that he was still reacting like this.
“Wow, that smells amazing,” Yasmine said, walking past him.
“It does.”Mason let out a long, slow breath as he followed her inside.
Pretty much the entire team was there.Ashley’s mom and stepdad were there, sitting with Lincoln at one of the tables, eating and watching Ashley as she moved around behind the counter.Naomi, Drew, Cassidy, and David were at another.The visual of Drew and David’s large, muscular frames seated on the delicate-looking chairs was highly amusing.
In line in front of the counter were Jennifer and Jensen, standing awkwardly beside each other as they picked out their treats.Mason wondered if Jensen had considered the fact that their head boss was also going to be here when he’d invited Jennifer to accompany him.
He would guess not by the way Jensen kept shooting little glances over at Lincoln to see if he was paying attention to the fact that their receptionist/office manager was there with one of his team members.At least, Mason assumed that was what Jensen was worried about—it wasn’t like Lincoln had any room to talk when it came to age gaps in a relationship.
Behind Jennifer and Jensen was Claudia, her brother Manuel, and her brother’s best friend, Ian.They were occasional regulars in the office, stopping by to visit Claudia.Ian’s grandfather had been their client a few times, but it was really his relationship with Manuel that got him inside the office.Manuel had a pass to see Claudia, and Ian could show up with him.
His attention came to rest on the redhead behind the counter.
Hair pulled back in a high ponytail with a navy and cream striped bow adorning it, Audrey was wearing either a navy dress or shirt to go with it, with a creamy apron atop it.Between the apron and the counter, Mason couldn’t tell whether it was just a top or a dress.
Her eyes were bright with excitement, and she was beaming at everyone and everything, happiness practically spilling out of her.There was just something about her that drew his attention, even though he was trying to focus on the woman who’d walked in with him.
As if his thought summoned her gaze, Audrey looked straight at him, and the moment their eyes met, his heart did a little triple beat in his chest.
Fuck.
ChapterTwelve
Audrey
The Outlands looked like a regular building from the outside, though the curtains were drawn over the front window so no one could see into it.The window looked like it was tinted as well, adding an extra layer of privacy.
Trying to hide her nerves as she got out of the backseat of Ashley’s car, Audrey brushed her hands over her borrowed skirt.Her legs were getting cold because she wasn’t wearing anything but a thong and fishnets underneath, and she was starting to regret her decision to wear heels instead of boots.Even if they were her favorite, most comfortable pair of heels that were also incredibly cute.At least she had her coat on for now, which helped with both warmth and confidence.
She was going to have to take the coat off once they got inside, though, and she was a little nervous about that.While she wasn’t a stranger to low-cut necklines, she’d never worn anything like a corset before, and her boobs were pushed up so high, they practically made a shelf.
“You look fantastic,” Ashley, the owner of the skirt and corset Audrey was wearing, reassured her.She was the closest in size to Audrey and had offered to let her borrow an outfit for tonight.While Audrey might not be entirely comfortable with how her boobs were being shown off, she did love the emerald green of the corset and the way the black skirt flirted around her thighs.
Ashley also looked gorgeous; her royal blue peacoat covered most of her outfit, but she was wearing really cute black stockings with seams up the back that were still visible.The coat set off her ivory skin and pink cheeks nicely.Her long brown hair with its blonde highlights spilled over her shoulders and down her back, gleaming even in the lamplight.
“You really do,” Naomi agreed.She was getting out on the passenger side, wearing a fuzzy black-and-white coat of faux fur.Her hair was freshly done in long microbraids that were pulled half back away from her face, in a half-up, half-down style.“New things are always scary, but once you get inside, you’ll see there’s nothing to worry about.”
“Thanks.And thanks for coming with me.”Audrey took as deep a breath as she could with the corset gripping her so tightly.Every breath like that meant her boobs went up again because she couldn’t expand her belly the way she normally would for a deep breath.
Cassidy had offered to have Audrey come with her and David, but Audrey felt like she was already taxing her brother’s sensibilities enough just by showing up.She wasn’t sure he would be able to handle the getting-ready process or actually taking her there.In his head, she was still his baby sister who he had to protect.
“Of course.I had to make sure you would go through with it,” Ashley said with a wink, closing her car door.She looked over at Naomi.“She’s been a bundle of nerves all day.She even started hiding in the back of the bakery with Alexis at one point.”
It turned out Alexis was shy around large groups of people, and she’d hide in the back for most of the day.Which was fine, since her job was decorating, and she had plenty to do to get ready for the grand opening tomorrow.With everything going on, it would be easier to introduce her to everyone on another day.
“I wasn’t hiding, I was helping,” Audrey protested.“Alexis had a lot of chocolate work to do for the decorations for tomorrow’s cupcakes.”
That and when Mason appeared, she’d lost her head a little.He’d come in, and they’d locked gazes, and she’d barely been able to breathe… and then she’d seen Yasmine beside him.Remembered he was completely off limits.And hid in the back with Alexis, helping with the chocolate decorations for tomorrow, until he left.
Yeah, she wasn’t proud of that, but it was better than making a fool of herself in front of everyone.
If she didn’t meet someone new to crush on tonight at the club, she was downloading a dating app on Sunday.Not tomorrow because she was going to be totally focused on her bakery.Though she didn’t have high hopes for tonight, either, just because she was a little nervous about meeting Doms.
