Mason was right on time. I was pleasantly surprised when he got out of the car and went to open the door for me. I’d gone out with a bunch of broke guys and none of them ever felt the need to do that for me. Seeing such a rich and powerful man do it made me feel so honored.“You didn’t have to do that,” I told him.He smiled. “I had to. You deserve everything, April Hartfield.”The driver started the car as soon as Mason and I were comfortably settled in the back seat. The luxurious car smelled perfect. It had the same woodsy scent as it's owner. I was not used to classy things, so it made me feel out of place and more nervous than I should have been.“You have a great car,” I commented, not liking the silence. It was making me more nervous.“Thank you,” he said. “What kind of car would you buy if you had all the money in the world?”“I’ve never thought of that,” I told him. “When I have enough money saved up, I’ll just buy a regular car. I don’t think I’m ever going to afford luxury.
As expected, my best friends wanted to know everything about the date. I told them everything and smiled as they made unrealistic conclusions."Sleep well, princess." Bea said as she opened the door. "You too," I said, standing up to go and lock the door. Suddenly, my tiny phone started ringing. Bea and Maria paused by the door while I went to pick it up. My lips curved into a wide smile when I saw the caller ID."It's him, isn't he?" Maria asked, returning to the room."Go away," I went and pushed her and Bea out. They tried to resist but I wasn't having any of it. After locking the door, I went to receive the call, but the phone stopped ringing."I hate you both!" I yelled at Maria and Bea who probably had their ears stuck to the door."We hate you, too!" They said in unison, laughing while dragging their feet across the veranda. I was debating on what to do when the phone rang again. This time I answered immediately and lay down on the bed."Hello!" I said, unable to hide the exc
"It's time," Jenny said, rubbing the back of Kara's head. "Go in there and rock, girls."I sighed, tightening my hold on Bea's hand. You never really got used to those things. Being the lead singer was always nerve wracking for me. Jenny had refused to tell us the name of the host of the party so we had no idea what to prepare for. Seeing that it was in one of Miami's best hotels, it had to be someone with a lot of money. Was it Mason? I hoped so. He and I had talked a lot in the last two days but he had not said anything about a party. Maybe it was a surprise.Kara rolled her eyes when Jenny pushed me to the front. She liked attention and I'd have gladly let her take the lead if it wasn't for Jenny.I walked to the stage with a big smile on my face, waiting for the moment I'd see Mason's face. But things didn't go as I hoped. It was a surprise, alright. But not from Mason. My face fell when I saw the leering smile on my former landlord's face. Ryan Waters shamelessly nodded at me w
On realising what I'd done, I quickly pulled back, mortified. "I'm so sorry." I said, still feeling the heat of his lips. Mason stared at me in silence.He stepped forward and cupped my face with one hand, his thumb sensually caressing the cheek. The closeness of his body overwhelmed me, causing a tremor to roll across my skin. I couldn't hear my heartbeat anymore.Then his lips touched mine. The kiss was soft. Heat raged in my body at the slightest brush of his lips on mine. I wanted more. I needed it.Mason drew on my lips softly, rubbing the side my neck with gentle fingers. I moved closer, wanting to feel every part of him, rubbing my throbbing core against him.He pulled back. "Are you sure about this?"I didn't know what to say. Was I? I barely knew the man. Was I really ready to go down that road?Taking a step back, I ran my hands through my hair. "I don't know what came over me. Sorry I was too fast." Mason drew closer. "I'm not complaining. I just want to be sure that you'
Mason.I'd never wanted a woman so much. I knew I was whipped but there was nothing I could do about it. April Hartfield was one hell of a woman. She looked meek and unassuming on the surface, but deep down lay a sensual goddess waiting to be released.I never imagined she would kiss me. I'd wanted to kiss those luscious lips from the day I saw her singing in my yard. Every minute with her tortured me, because I could only stare at what my entire soul yearned for.I had thought about kissing her countless times, but couldn't figure out if she was ready. Now she had taken the lead and shown me she was ready for that more.I was going to give it to her. I spent the first half of the night thinking of ways to get to that moment we both desperately wanted. The image of her mortified cute face after kissing me was stuck to my head, and it kept making me smile. I replayed the sweet moments over and over until sleep decide to have mercy on me.After my morning jog, I grabbed the paper from t
After seeing the altered photos, I didn't leave the motel room for three days. The paparazzi had camped outside the motel and I couldn't go anywhere without being barraged with questions. Maria and Bea brought me everything I needed but by the third day, I knew they were tired of me moping around. "It's not that we're tired of you," Bea said said. She came and sat on the lower edge of my bed. "You need to get out and prove your innocence. If you keep staying in, they'll think it's true.""My friend Daniel told me you can even sue the newspaper that published the photograph," Maria chimed in, sitting next to Bea. "We can make crazy money out of this.""I want to stay in here forever."They both groaned upon hearing that. Maria stood up and suddenly pulled the blanket away. "Hey!" I yelled, clutching on to the sheet. "Give me that. It's cold.""I swear if you don't get out of bed, I'll let the paps in so the whole world can see all the mess in this room.""Okay, fine. I'll get up.""Y
Mason.Hate and anger poured through my body. I had started to believe April's version of the story but seeing her with another man brought out the worst in me. Getting up from my seat, I stalked over to their table. It was when I got there that I realised the foolishness of my decision. April didn't look up, but focused on the napkin before her."What do you want?" The guy with her asked."Hi April," I said. She looked up and my anger vanished instantly. One look into those glassy blue eyes turned my insides into mush. Why did this woman make me so weak? I'd planned to yell, and confront her but the negativity was gone in an instant. "How have you been?""I've been alright," she said, coldly. It felt like a stab to the heart. "Thanks for asking.""Enjoy your evening," I said, before walking back to my table. The anger returned, but this time it was directed to myself. I had made a fool out of myself. As I ate, I found myself going through social media to disrupt myself from what I
My phone had to ring at the worst time. "Answer it," Mason said."Are you sure?"He nodded. "It could be something good."For some reason, I doubted that. I swiped across the screen and placed the phone on my ear. "Get out of that car," the caller said. "and don't say anything about this. I have bad news for you."I glanced at Mason. It didn't look like he'd heard anything."Is everything okay?" He inquired.I grabbed the door handle and opened the door. Mason grabbed my wrist. "Where are you going?""I have to get this. You leave, I'll see you some other time."Stepping out, I started walking away from Mason's car. All of a sudden, someone grabbed the phone, removing it from my ear."Who the hell are you?" Mason asked the caller. His face was twisted in anger. I took the phone from him and saw that the call had ended."Who was that?" He asked."None of your business. Leave me alone.""Is someone threatening you?" He asked. "I can help you. We can catch that criminal and put him beh
Mason’s POVA continuous beeping sound woke me up. Opening my eyes, I squinted at the brilliant white ceiling before closing them again. Whoever thought it was a good idea to use such a bright color for a hospital room must have been mad.I could tell I was in the hospital by the smell and beeping machine with a cord attached to my hand. After blinking several times to help my eyes get acquainted with the light, I opened them fully. I was alone, thankfully. I looked at the blue bed sheet covering my body and pushed part of it off.Memories of my last minutes of consciousness flooded my mind, reminding me of the problem at hand. Hannah was still missing. I pressed the sound button by the bed to get someone in the room. I needed to get out of there.Almost immediately, the door opened and Carolina walked in. I frowned. Was she the one taking care of me? I was definitely not happy to see her.“Finally,” she said, coming to the bed and kissing me on the forehead. “You’re awake. Was almost
April's POVImages, video footage and text swirled over the screen intermittently as a female reporter's voice spoke in the background. I backed off to the nearest chair, letting my body collapse on it. With wide eyes, I continued to stare at the screen, which had now switched to the station’s studio and listened to the news reader as he spoke about the shooting that had left Mason Steele in hospital fighting for his life.Despite knowing it was futile, I dialled his number and held the phone to my ear. No one answered just as I expected. I had been trying his number in vain for hours. Quickly getting up, I grabbed my purse from the table and walked out of the apartment.Chilly midnight air greeted me when I left the building and drove the car I'd parked outside. I drove like a mad woman, in the bid to reach my destination as fast as possible.My heart relaxed as the hospital came into view. After parking the car, I stalked to the building. A team of paparazzi hounded me but I refuse
Mason’s POV“You have to do everything possible to find her,” my aunt Eleanor said, clutching my hands over the table. Her grip was tight and her knuckles were extremely pale. I wondered what was wrong with her. She seemed so scared, even more scared than I was, and yet I was sure she didn't love Hannah that much. For the most part, they didn't get along very well.“I’m trying, aunt Eleanor. You know I will do everything possible to find her.”“You need to find her before anything happens.”“What are you scared of aunt Eleanor?” I asked. She quickly withdrew her hand and jumped in her seat. Her unexpected reaction was starting to make me feel suspicious. “What kind of question is that? Hannah is my dear niece. We might not get along all the time but I don't want to see her die.” “She will not die,” I said. “Please leave now. I have some work to do. I’ll call you in case of anything.”I felt more relieved after she left. Settling down, I started to do some paperwork. The cops had p
April's POV“It’s her,” I said thirty minutes later. We were in a private jet on our way to Miami. “It has to be.”Mason turned and gave me a confused look, his brows furrowing. “What are you talking about?” He asked.“Carolina Mendoza,” I replied. “I think she’s the one who has kidnapped your sister.”Mason’s eyes narrowed. He didn't seem convinced. He had probably never considered it, given that Carolina was a good friend of his. “Why would she do something like that?”“Because she wants to separate us.”“I know Carolina likes me but I don't think she would do something like that just to get rid of you. She’s quite stubborn but not immature enough to play high school games.”“You clearly don't know her well enough. You have no idea about all the things she has done to me in order to keep us apart.”“You never tell me anything. What did she do?”I studied his face, looking for signs that he would believe me. “She-”The door to the cockpit suddenly opened and the young copilot steppe
Two hours later, Mason and I were riding down a smooth footpath. Having never been on a horse before, the experience was quite daunting at first. Mason seemed like a reckless schoolboy ready for adventure when he climbed on a black stallion without fear. Meanwhile, I'd settled for a little brown mare that seemed almost as timid as I was when the stable boy helped me settle on it.Although I was very scared at first, Mason’s confidence soon gave me the energetic boldness I needed. Within a few minutes, I was racing him down the hilly path.Trading words every now and then, we found ourselves in a small artificial forest that we had been briefed about. It was a beautiful forest with many beautiful trees, well kept bushes, painted stones and manicured picnic lawns.“I wish we hadn't eaten,” I said, staring wistfully at one of the picnic areas. “Would have loved to have my lunch over here.”Mason smiled as he studied the area. “Certainly looks very nice,” he commented. “We need to get of
April.The single’s event was held in the resort’s conference hall. When I went in, a middle aged woman was giving a speech about how to interact with new people. Soon, she wrapped up.“We’re going to start with a game called lock and key,” she said. “For this game, men will be given a lock and women will receive a key. We’ll have enough time to mingle with each other. After speaking to a person, you’ll try the lock to see if it opens. If not, proceed to another person and try again. It will be a fun game. You all need to stand and let our employees move the chairs to the back of the room so that we can use the space for the game.”People stood up and started moving around, leaving the chairs. Suddenly, there was considerable silence. I turned to follow everyone’s gaze, then I realized why they had frozen.Mason Steele was walking into the room. He wore a dark blue suit and had his dark hair combed to the side. The tall and handsome man exuded sophistication and confidence which had a
April.If I had to do one more interview with Nicky Jones pretending to be deeply in love with him, I’d go mad. After a long day of interviews, fake smiles and kisses, I impulsively packed up a few things in a suitcase and left Miami. I switched off my phone to avoid calls from Nicky and Kylie who couldn’t get enough of the fake romance. I was done. I didn’t care about the consequences anymore. Faking it was not in me.When I arrived in the peaceful small town called Flowood, I booked a room in a midrange resort. I had the most peaceful night I’d had in a while. No one seemed to know me, or they didn’t care. I choose a quiet place in the bar and enjoyed a few drinks before going to sleep.As I had breakfast in the morning, I was given a flyer by one of the staff. It was for a single’s event, a matchmaking affair. I didn’t plan on attending anything that put me in close vicinity with other people. The town might have been in the middle of nowhere, but there was possibility of one of th
Mason.I woke up in an unfamiliar place. I could tell even before I opened my eyes. When I opened them, the confusion turned into horror as I saw Carolina lying next to me peacefully. Seeing that we were both stark naked, I figured we must have had sex. Although Carolina was a very beautiful woman, I didn’t want any of that to happen.I turned to lie and my back and stared at the ceiling, trying to recall the events of the previous night. How on earth did I end up in Carolina Mendoza’s bed? I remembered her invite and having fun at her game party. When everyone was gone, she poured me a drink and a few minutes later, I lost conscious.“Fvck!” I cursed loudly. And then I turned to look at the woman beside me. She looked so peaceful, and yet she was a conniving b*tch. I was sober when my cousin left, so how did half a glass of whisky make me drunk. Realisation dawned on me. Carolina had put something in my drink.I sat up. “Carolina.”She stirred in her sleep and her right hand moved to
Mason.“I can explain.”I was on a date with a beautiful nurse when I received the message from April after ignoring the calls. After reading it, I switched off my phone, feeling angry. How dare she? Did she think I was a love-struck fool who had lost his mind? She was living her best life, kissing her new boyfriend in front of cameras. I was angered by the fact that she thought I could listen to her. My days of being a simp were over. April Hartfield was not the only amazing woman in the world.I was a billionaire for fvcks sake, able to get any woman I set my eyes on. April slipping through my fingers did not mean I could not do better. There were many great women from all walks of life, and I could choose from a wide variety because of my status in society.“Are you okay?” Melanie asked, her blue eyes showing a great deal of concern.I smiled, looking into her mesmerizing eyes. She had a sweet smile to accompany them, making her easy on the eyes. Her only flow was the inability to