Page 6 of Choosing the right Man

This is the first time I’ve been tempted to cheat, to fall into the arms of another man. Mason’s dangerous, no doubt about it. Even if my relationship with Paul was stronger, I would’ve feltsomeattraction to this man. But I should’ve put him in his place, told him he was acting inappropriately. The thing is, though, my relationship is far from secure. I should quit my job right this minute. But I don’t want to. This may be my biggest mistake yet.

Mason Alexander doesn’t follow me as I rush through the rain. The fates are with me when people are still loading at the bus stop. I jump on before the doors close, not looking back at the office building. I’m too afraid I’ll see him standing there, too afraid I’ll jump off the bus and run right back to him. Instead, I sit and think about home...

Chapter Five

Mason

Chloe gets away from me for a second time. The first time I met her, I thought what I was feeling was a fluke. I’m not thrilled to be so attracted to her. She’s not my usual type. She has dark hair, and I prefer blondes. She has a petite, naturally curvy body, and I like my women taller and sleeker. She has wide, innocent eyes, and I like my women to know the score. To have an affair with her would be foolish. I know this. But without her realizing it, she’s challenged me . . . twice. Dammit!

I walk out of my building to see the taillights of the evening bus disappearing. I know she’s on it. A part of me wants to chase down the bus, to hunt my prey, but I don’t allow myself to do this. She can run, but she won’t get far. I know exactly where she’ll be tomorrow. I’m not a patient man, but I can wait a single night. Maybe I’ll become more rational with a good night’s sleep. I head home and walk straight into my home gym.

I work my body until I feel it burn. It takes a lot. I don’t believe in half measures. I push myself until I can’t possibly push any harder... in all aspects of my life. I think about when I first saw Chloe nearly a year ago. It’s why I made sure the companyemailed her, offering her a position. I had to see if it was a fluke I felt for the woman the first time I laid eyes on her.

I don’t care that she has a boyfriend. Yes, I know more about her than she’d be comfortable with me knowing. I don’t care. She intrigues me, and I can’t get her off my mind... so this means I’ll most likely make her mine... for a very short time.

I was at a restaurant with my mother. It was the anniversary of my father’s death, which is always a traumatic day for my mom. Our lives were uprooted when my father died. The man had only been forty-three when he suffered a massive heart attack, leaving our family reeling. He was the heart of the family.

I was seventeen at the time, and just like that, I had to step up and become the man of the house. Our father hadn’t trusted our mother with his assets. He’d owned a multi-billion-dollar company, and though my mother is far from a demon, she lives a very extravagant life. He wanted to make sure she was taken care of for the rest of her life and that his company would carry on for generations.

My father worked his way up from nothing. He was brilliant, funny, and determined. My mother went into a deep depression after he left her a widow, making me feel like I had to step up and take care of her and my sister. But then she said it was too painful to stay in California. She decided to move to a small coastal town in Oregon for a fresh start where no one knew us, and we could properly heal.

Every single year on my father’s deathiversary, I have to hear my mother cry. I do my best to listen and be here for her. It’s not easy. I still miss my father, though he’d be disappointed in who I am now. Maybe it’s best he can’t see me.

I wasn’t in the best of moods by the time we finished lunch. I walked my mother to her vehicle where the driver held open her door. She clung to me for a long minute, then finally left. I moved across the street to the park. I needed to be outside fora while before heading back to my offices and snapping at my unsuspecting employees.

That’s when I spotted two women standing close to each other. One of them looked up and caught my eye. It was more than clear she had no idea I could hear what she was saying to the other woman who seemed to be off in her own world.

The blonde, who I’ve since learned is Audrey, was stunningly beautiful, probably the type of woman I’d normally go after, but the woman standing next to her instantly held all of my attention. She had dark hair, a stunning body, and didn’t seem the least bit interested in a man approaching. I was fascinated. I had to fight not to smile as I heard their conversation. I took my time approaching. There was no doubt I was going to talk to them.

Audrey was telling her friend that a hot guy was nearing them. The friend looked in the wrong direction, then finally turned her head, our eyes meeting for the first time. I felt as if I’d been hit in the gut by a three-hundred-pound linebacker. It took all I had to stay on my feet. It scared the hell out of me.

I’ve never felt a connection like that with another living soul — not once in my life. I still don’t understand it. I still don’t like it. She looked away, breaking the odd spell between us, and I let out a breath in relief. I’d seen the shock in her expression, the chemistry she was feeling as much as me. It’s more than clear she didn’t want to be feeling it, though. I suddenly felt the urge to run fast and hard.

But this thought stiffened my shoulders, and I continued moving forward. I’m Mason Alexander. I don’t run fromanything. I picked up my pace, making a beeline straight for the women. I stopped in front of them, making sure my attention was directed to the dark-haired woman. I wanted her to know I was choosingher. In my opinion, this is an honor. I said hello ina low drawl that has left many women in a puddle at my feet... then I waited.

Neither of them spoke for several awkward moments, and I watched as the blonde’s cheeks flushed. My dark-haired beauty seemed to be the one with her head on her shoulders, though, because she held out a hand and told me her friend’s name and her own. Chloe. I decided it was a beautiful name. I also decided right then she’d be mine. I was a bit perplexed by my instant fascination with her. We chatted for only a few seconds, then I got the shock of my life.

She dismissed me.

Without even saying goodbye or asking for my name, Chloe took Audrey’s arm, and just that quickly, she turned and walked away. I heard laughter trailing behind her as the two women left the park. She’d blown me off. I was fascinated. Normally I’d dismiss a woman at this point, never to be thought of again. Instead I stood there, gazing after her until she disappeared from my sight.

Then I smiled. I’m Mason Alexander. I don’t lose. If I want Chloe, I’ll have her. I just hadn’t decided then if I wanted her enough to go after her. After nearly a year, I still want her... so I’ve acted on it... and she’s now working for me. We’ll see what comes next. I have no doubt it’s going to be spectacular.

Chapter Six

Chloe

Meeting Mason Alexander for the first time was like feeling the power of a storm — thunder, lightning, one-hundred-mile-per-hour winds. The earth seemed to be washed clean for his entrance into my life. One moment the world seemed empty, normal... predictable. The next, I felt a shift in the air. I thought it was over when I walked away from him on that day in the park. I’ve now found out how very wrong I was. It’s been a year since our brief encounter, and this last one was more powerful than the first.

My life has been predictable for years now. I can admit, I’ve been in a rut. I’m twenty-seven and have been in the same relationship with my high school sweetheart for ten years. He was too old for me when I was sixteen, nearly seventeen, but our relationship is perfectly acceptable now. I was always more mature than others in my class when I was a teen. I couldn’t stand the immaturity of the boys I went to school with. It’s one of the reasons I liked Paul so much.

Life’s different now, though. I go to work, come home, barely talk to my boyfriend, watch some television, and go to bed. I dothis over and over and over again. I don’t know how to escape, how to change my situation. No other options seem feasible. I can’t leave Paul. There isn’t a valid reason to do so. I’m stuck. I’m lonely. I’ve been lonely for so long. And even though we barely are in the same room together, it terrifies me to think of never seeing him again.

Each morning when I look in the mirror, I’m miserable with the reflection gazing back at me. I’m lost. I’m alone. I’m scared. The early part of my childhood was miserable. My father did the best he could, but he was a man, raising a young girl on his own. He also thought we should all go back to the Stone Age where we claimed our land, each person living by the honor system.

Fight the power. That was, and still is, my father’s belief. I don’t know how I grew up thinking so differently than he does. Maybe it’s because I didn’t like being poor. Maybe because I have dreams. Maybe because I want more.

I’m nothing spectacular, standing about five feet, four inches tall, long dark hair, hazel eyes. I haven’t stepped on a scale in over a year, but I’m neither fat nor skinny. I’m neither proud nor ashamed of my body. It is what it is. I wouldn’t be picked for the cover of Vogue magazine, but I also won’t be asked to buy a second seat on an airplane. I’m comfortable with the reflection that gazes back in the mirror.

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