Part 13 (1/2)
Mason settled back in his seat, letting the satisfaction and excitement blanket him. This was going to be an awesome night.
The smell of vanilla and honey hit his brain, and his head lifted instinctively toward Kevan, where she stood in a checkered top tied snug below her round b.r.e.a.s.t.s and jeans rolled to her ankles, her very s.e.xy, tattooed ankles. Her dark hair spilled in waves over her shoulder and was pinned on one side with a huge velvet rose. Mason's mouth went dry, and his heart beat faster than a hummingbird on speed.
A very awesome night.
”Mr. Dillon? Are you there?” A voice crackled over the speakerphone, snapping him out of his trance.
”Yes. Tell Dan I'll be there in a few minutes.”
”I'll do that,” the secretary said.
He ended the call and fixed Kevan with a stare. ”You look fantastic.”
She frowned. Not the reaction he expected.
”Who was that?” she asked, setting her jaw and squaring her shoulders in her cla.s.sic fighting stance.
”My surprise. Dan Carver's secretary. Dan is the event director for High Energy Bottling.”
”The guy you said might be interested in sponsoring the band?” Her face looked even paler than usual.
”He's an old buddy of mine and interested in adding Manix to the h.e.l.lfire tour next year,” he said, trying to make his words sound casual.
”Wow, cowboy, that's serious firepower. Some of the biggest bands are featured at h.e.l.lfire. Marco and Conner go every year. Honestly, I'm shocked you even know h.e.l.lfire exists.”
Ignoring her dig, he grinned. ”My company pursues fiscally viable commercial talent as a business model, but I personally enjoy a lot of different music genres. I've gone to the h.e.l.lfire festival several times and personally sponsored one of the VIP tents.”
Her face sank a little more. ”Gotta hand it to you-you're good. Really freaking good.”
”I know.” Mason instantly regretted sounding smug. Her uneven smile and dropped shoulders made him suddenly want to wrap his arms around her and tell it would be okay.
Unsure why he felt like comforting his compet.i.tion, Mason ran a hand through his hair. This rivalry was starting to f.u.c.k with his head. The wrong head.
Instead of responding with her usual sarcastic remark, she gave him a determined nod. ”Okay. Shall we go?” He could hear the defeat in her voice as she grabbed her clutch, and he followed her down the steps of the RV with his hand on the small of her back. The need to touch her was too powerful to ignore. They walked out to the parking lot in silence, touching, but miles away from each other. When they reached the side entrance, Mason dropped his hand. The always impeccable Dan stood waiting for Mason.
”Thanks for coming out.” Mason grinned and shook hands with his old friend.
When Mason introduced Kevan, Dan smiled and made an obvious effort not to stare at her. Even a guy still in love with his college sweetheart couldn't ignore Kevan's dark beauty and curves.
Kevan excused herself on the pretext of checking in with the armory's management. She rushed off in the opposite direction, her tall heels clicking on the cement.
”Holy s.h.i.+t, that woman's hot.” Dan grinned. ”I wanna live vicariously through you. Please tell an old married man like me she's yours.”
Mason smiled. Do I wish she's mine?
”You know me. I don't do serious.” His words sounded hollow, even to his ears, as he leaned against the old cement-brick building.
The shorter man reached over and socked him on the arm. ”Good ole Mason never changes, right? Still stupid and single?”
”I guess.” For the second time that night, Mason tried to tamp down the warmth creeping up his neck. He suddenly felt somber and not so confident in his answer. ”How's Julie? And the kids? How old are they now?”
Dan laughed. ”They're great. I'm the luckiest man in the world. But we're talking about you. I can tell that woman is under your skin.”
”She's not.” Was she?
”Then why are you blus.h.i.+ng?” Dan smirked.
”The f.u.c.k I am,” Mason spit out, s.h.i.+fting uncomfortably to avoid Dan's direct stare.
”You're so full of s.h.i.+t your eyes are turning brown. I saw the way you followed her when she walked away. And I saw how she looked at you before she left.”
Mason pushed off the wall to face his friend. ”How?”
”That got your attention.” He snorted. ”Drop the c.r.a.p. Who is she?”
Explaining the compet.i.tion to Dan might tip the scales in his favor. Mason couldn't risk telling him too much. Instead, he shared the basics-they were both interested in signing Manix Curse, and his company was taking a more hands-on approach to expand their talent pool. It was the truth. Kind of.
”So you're not s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g her?” Dan asked. Never one to beat around the bush.
He looked around as the parking lot began to fill with cars and fans lined up outside the venue. ”I didn't say that.”
”So you are?”
”No.” Mason looked down and kicked a stone with his boot. ”But I did. It was supposed to be a one-night stand. I left without saying anything when I figured out we're both competing for the same band's PR business. s.h.i.+t went downhill from there.”
”Total d.i.c.k move, dude. But you like her?” Before the automatic ”no” could roll from his tongue, Dan held up his hand.
”What? Are we in high school?”
”Don't bother trying to distract me. Do you like her, Mason?”
Did he? Yes, probably. Maybe more than he had any right to. He nodded. ”I do.”
Dan grinned and smacked Mason on the shoulder. ”She doesn't look like she'll go down without a fight. You're totally screwed.”
”What the h.e.l.l? You said she was eyeballing me.”
Dan quirked his eyebrows. ”She was, but she seems a little fierce.”
Mason smiled. True that. His girl was a bada.s.s. ”She is.”
Dan gave him a sympathetic look. ”Welcome to the club, brother.”
”What club?” Mason asked, not really wanting to hear the answer.
”The one where you can't think about anything but the woman. All your hard work and drive becomes laser-focused on her. And you won't stop until you convince her she belongs to you.” Dan turned and put his hand on the door handle.