“I don’t care what race you are, but there are other factors to consider.”
“Obviously you do care since you brought it up. As for your son needing a black male influence in his life, do you think he really cares about race, either? When he made friends with Ben, do you think he saw a color? I don’t think so.”
“Why are you being so difficult? It was your idea to just have sex.”
“And we both know I just said that so you would agree to see me again. I’m not going to pussyfoot around the issue and tell you that I don’t want our relationship to extend beyond the bedroom, because that wouldn’t be true.”
“Well, sex is all I’m willing to offer.” That sounded cruel to even her own ears, but if she conceded anymore of herself to him, she didn’t know what would happen.
“Fine,” he said through clenched teeth. “I’ll see you Friday.” He made it a statement.
She wanted to tell him no, but her traitorous body wouldn’t let her. “Yes.”
“Okay. I’ll see you then.”
She watched him walk away. He was still wearing the bib. “Umm, Mason….”
He turned around with an expectant look. “Yes?”
“You left your bib on.”
His face fell. Ripping off the paper bib, he threw it to the chair before stalking away.
What was she getting herself into?
He wished he could shake some sense into her. Mason wanted much more than a physical relationship with Brandi, but he supposed he would have to settle for what he could get from her. For now. At least he was making some progress.
Mason dreaded going back to the car dealership. When people weren’t kissing his ass trying to get into his good graces, they were cowering in fear when he walked by. One thing he knew for sure, working at the car dealership wasn’t his cup of tea.
As he pulled the Mercedes into his reserved parking space, he took a deep breath before getting out.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Collins.”
Gina smiled at him as he walked into the building. “Good afternoon, Gina. Any messages?’
“One from your ex about a function your son is having at school, and one from the manufacturer,” She handed him two handwritten messages.
“Okay. Thanks. By the way, have you had a chance to start looking at schools?”
“I have! I think I may enroll at Arcadia. It’s so great that you reinstated the tuition reimbursement program.” She paused. “I…I broke up with Peter.”
“I’m really sorry to hear that.”
“It was for the best. He wanted to keep me dumb and dependent on him, so I have you to thank for giving me a better opportunity.”
“No. You have yourself to thank. I’m glad you’re taking advantage of the program. Good for you.” He took his messages and headed to his office.
“Mason, can I talk to you for a minute?” Bill Nixon intercepted him just as he walked through the door.
“Sure, what can I do for you?” Mason sat in the big leather seat behind his desk and stared at his sales manager. Bill took the seat opposite of his.
The man looked nervous about something. What little Mason knew about Bill was positive. He seemed very trustworthy and dependable. “Well, spit it out,” Mason said impatiently when Bill didn’t say anything.
“It’s about Dylan.”
Mason frowned. If he remembered correctly, Dylan was one of the salesmen who ran the other way when he saw Mason coming. “What about him?”
“You wanted me to let you know if he didn’t make his quota for the month again.”