Chapter 2

Lisa Woods was speechless.

There was something about the man that just made her stupid. She was unable to speak, think, or construct coherent thoughts. His kiss was exactly how she pictured it in her fantasies and imagination, and it was hard to believe this was all happening. Her legs shook and wobbled, and she prayed she wouldn't fall because of her high heels.

Nothing in the world could have prepared her for what just happened. Mason had kissed her. He'd not just kissed her but dragged her away from the crowd and ravaged her.

Her lips still tingled from his sensual assault. She was wrecked. Wrecked. Was she dreaming? She knew she hadn't drunk that much, so she was sure it wasn't the alcohol. It was Mason. The man was lethal to her senses. Her fixation.

Oh God, she felt sorry for Ross. Her little feelings for him had just been flushed down the drain. In total honesty, she was never actually in love with him. Their families sparked their relationship, and he had been attempting to win her over for years.

He was a great guy, a nice guy who treated her well, especially with his money, but Mason had always piqued her interest from the moment she first met him. Still, she wasn't expecting this.

What the hell just happened? Would she ever be able to move on from this? She thought.

She stood there staring at him in bewilderment, wondering where the honest Mason Remington was hiding. The man she'd known all her life, who seemed to have always avoided her, had just kissed her.

“You'd better stop looking at me like that or it'll get you into some serious trouble,” he growled.

“And just how am I looking at you?” she asked huskily.

“Like you want me to peel that pitiful excuse for a dress from your body and fuck you right here, right now.”

She swallowed. Hard. Oh my God! She couldn't believe he had just said that. Had she heard correctly?

This was definitely not the Mason she had always known. She should ask him to be sure he didn't hit his head or something. Or not. She didn't know and had a hard time controlling her breath as it was.

It was probably better not to say anything at all. She was still recovering from what had just happened here. Her senses were shocked, and she couldn't quite come to terms with the fact that Mason had just kissed her and then talked about fucking her on the terrace of his hotel.

The man she had tried for years to forget about and move on from, but also spent her whole life with the ridiculous notion that he would one day notice her and decide he had to have her. For years, she was stuck with the ridiculous back-and-forth idea, trying her best to fit her life into one of them.

He moved in close again until his heat swallowed and consumed her. Her pulse beat increased erratically, and her breathing was ragged and tight. His scent taunted her. A touch of spice without being too overpowering. The cologne he wore was a good match. It complemented his natural scent while simultaneously giving that tantalizing hint of masculine, rugged, outdoors, and... Sophistication. She could smell him, and damn, he smelled so good. Too good.

“It's a good damn thing Chris isn't here,” Mason said. She cocked her head and stared up at him in question.

“Why do you say that?”

“Because he'd have a heart attack if he saw you in this dress. Not that there's enough of it to call it a dress.” He said, glaring at her body from head to toe.

Smiling, she showed a beautiful dimple already formed on her cheek. “Well, since Chris isn't here, he can't very well say anything, now, can he?”

“No, but I damn sure can,” he said bluntly.

“Listen, Mason, I don't need two big brothers. I assure you one's enough.” She said, glaring at him with fire in her eyes.

His gaze narrowed, and his lips thinned. “Lisa, I have no desire to be your goddamn big brother.”

Her boldness suddenly disappeared, and she was hurt. If he hated her so much, why did he kiss her? If spending any time with her was such a chore, then why had he approached her? Why hadn't he done what he'd been doing all this time and ignored her?

She stepped further from the back, slowly dissipating the warm buzz of being so close to him, of having his arms around her, his hands on her body.

She shouldn't have come. It had been stupid and lame to try to represent Chris. All she had to do was tell him that something had come up. And he would have looked for a replacement. Even though the only reason she agreed was because of Mason. But he didn't have to know that.

She would have stayed at home baking or watching N*****x, and she had a lot of shows she had to catch up with instead of standing outside of the terrace embarrassed by Mason's rejection. His eyes narrowed as he took in her reaction, and then he sighed. The chilly night air with city lights twinkled and dazzled the sky, and the distant sounds of traffic disrupted the quiet.

He simply stared at her for a while, and she wondered what she'd done that offended him so much. She couldn't also understand why he would just kiss her suddenly out of the blue, not when he had never shown even a slight interest in her as a woman.

“Come see me tomorrow, Lisa. At my office. Eleven am sharp.” His voice broke her thoughts.

“W-why?” she stammered out. His expression was stern, and his eyes were serious, shining with a light she couldn't interpret.

“Because I just said so.”

Her eyes widened, and then he reached out to take her hand, pulling her back toward the entrance to the event room. He pulled her through the crowd and kept walking until they reached the lobby. She struggled to keep up with his stride as her heels tapped across the marble floor.

“Mason, where are we going?”

He walked until they were outside and motioned to his doorman, who rushed over. A few seconds later, a black Bentley car pulled up to the front, and Mason then ushered her inside and shut the car door.

He stood, then bent over after gesturing for her to wind down the window.

“First, I will have my driver take you home, where you will get out of that fucking dress and give it to him. I already gave him instructions to burn it,” he said. “Then tomorrow, you're going to come to my office at eleven.” He stood straight, turned, and started to walk away before halting in his steps once more to say this.

“And Lisa? You better be there.”