“April, show some fucking support for once. I support you financially. I pay for everything. Fuck knows what you do with your wage and the money I give you. I don’t think it’s too much to ask you to attend one work function for me so my employees can see you actually exist,” he grumbled.
“Fine, but I’m not driving. Drop me at work in the morning and then pick me up on the way. I should at least be able to drink enough to tolerate yourfriends,” she snarled.
Domestic bliss indeed. As he waited outside her office block, he wondered if she and Mason had chatted today and discovered they were both heading to the same bar. He hoped not. The greatest factor in this was the surprise element. Mason and April being able to collude on how to play this was not how Anna wanted it to go.
April sighed dramatically as she climbed into the backseat. She eyed Brax nastily and scrunched up her nose. “Usually, gentlemen give up the front seat for ladies,” she sneered.
“Well, when a lady comes along, I’ll give up my seat,” Brax shrugged.
She glared at Shane as if to say, “are you going to let him talk to me like that?”
Shane ignored her, enjoying her frantic and anger-fueled attempts to pull on her seatbelt. The harder she pulled, the more the belt jammed and wouldn’t release.
“Fucking hell. I hate this stupid car!” she shrieked. The belt finally released, allowing her to secure it. She crossed her arms and stared angrily out the window.
Perfect. She was already frustrated and pissed off. Tonight was going to be amazing, everything Anna deserved it to be. He thought he might even enjoy this, even if it was just on behalf of Anna. While he was angry at April, he was way past the hurt and revenge-seeking stage. He just wanted to see the back of April’s head shrink as she moved further away into the distance. This was Anna’s show, and he was a supporting cast member. And if he was honest, the longer this played out, the longer he had a legitimate reason to be in Anna’s life. Once it was all done and April and Mason were left in the dust, would Anna still want his company? She baked for him, she checked in with him to ask how he was feeling, and she had begun to send memes. That must mean something.
The ride to the bar was awkward. Brax and April antagonized each other with barbs and dirty looks, though Brax seemed far less affected, which only served to infuriate April further. Brax was enjoying himself, having been given free rein to piss April off.
They walked into the bar and Shane opened a tab for his guests. A few of the patrol guys and the HR team had jumped at free drinks and so had their partners, so it was a decent-looking turnout. He scanned the bar and spotted a sweet, familiar face. Anna was here with five other women, a few men and a harsh-looking older woman with a gray bun. Which one was Mason? He’d seen the man’s penis in photos, but nothis face. He examined the small party. One guy was clinging to a blonde woman, so he couldn’t be Mason. Another man was flirting openly with the other guy, which left one man. A stressed-looking piss ant. This was Mason? He looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders and appeared to be annoyed by his conversation with a Latina woman, who seemed to be enjoying his discomfort.
He suggested his group move closer to the television, which was playing a football game. He didn’t give a fuck about the football, but he had to get closer to Anna’s group. Close enough that April would notice Mason.
Anna was stunning. She was wearing a red dress, tight on the top, with a flowing short skirt, and the black boots that he’d grown to love so much. He felt his heart rate increase as he imagined kissing her. Kissing her face, her neck, and moving down to those amazing breasts. Reaching beneath that skirt, making her moan for real, not choreograph new dances in her head while tolerating his mouth on her pussy. Fuck, her pussy. The thought ...Focus, he thought. This night was going to be awkward enough without the risk of random boners.
To kill his developing hard on, he sought out Mason again. He was wearing a gray suit; his tie was loosened around his neck. He kept grabbing at it, even though the knot was already sloppy and his neck was not restrained. Stress response ... tick! And the night hadn’t even begun.
Anna and the Latina woman exchanged glances with him, and the latter smiled and winked. Yep, she was definitely part of the supporting cast. He watched April carefully to monitor her reaction. She was busy harassing a poor waitress about the wine list options. Eventually, she scanned the room, her eyes widening when she saw Mason. Bingo.
Anna
Rosa glanced at Anna and winked at Shane. Game on. Mason was already pissed off. Rosa had been grating on him since he arrived. He asked her if she had gained some weight, and she asked him if he’d lost some height. He didn’t like that at all.
“I’m just saying that my abuelo started shrinking in middle age. It’s possible, Mason. And you sit at a computer most of the day. Your spine is probably compressing. I could show you some stretches,” she reasoned.
“You’re always so—” Mason cut himself off abruptly. Anna knew why. She was curious about how they would play this. Would they pretend not to know each other? Would they wave casually as people would if they saw a colleague in a public place?
“You okay, Mason?” she asked, placing her hand on his arm.
“Um, yeah. I just wanted to get an update on the football score,” he lied.
So that’s how it would be—pretending they didn’t know each other. Not on her watch.
“Hey, isn’t that the woman from your work? Alice or something? I met her at the Christmas party,” Anna offered innocently.
“Who? Um, yeah, I think so. I don’t know April that well,” he answered, desperately prevaricating.
“Don’t be rude. Invite them over!” she urged.
“I don’t really know her that well. And she’s the office bitch. Let’s just leave it,” Mason replied quietly, ducking his face down away from April’s view.
“Rubbish. April, hey April!” Anna yelled over the noise of the bar.
April looked her directly in the eye. Confusion and panic flooded the other woman’s face. She stared at Mason, and then up at Shane, and waved tentatively before looking away.
“Do you know that chick? Avril, is it?” Rosa asked, helping Anna move things along. “Invite her over. Her friends are hot. Wow, is that her husband? He’s huge.”
“No, I just ... how long are we even going to be here?” Mason complained.
