Page 47 of Playing with the Boss
TWENTY
Mason
The longer she’s gone, the more I start to worry. My things sit packed in a neat and orderly pile on the table, ready for me to pick up and take when the cab arrives to take me to the hotel for my last night in town.
She took the news well. Probably because it hasn’t sunk in yet that selling my residence and relocating could take weeks, possibly months. I scroll my emails on my phone to avoid the staff who come and go while I wait for Lisa. There aren’t many new messages; the confirmation from the airline for my flight tomorrow at the top of the list.
I don’t want to go. What have I got to return to? A bare apartment because I never found the strength to redecorate after my ex cleaned out most of our stuff? Long solitary nights where I immerse myself in work that really could wait until the next day, all so I don’t have to face the confrontation of my own company at home?
I can see a life with Lisa. I can spoil her rotten, have something worthwhile to work for, a person I love enough to provide for.
She’ll never have to worry about job security again if I’m here to take care of her.
Never.
“Thank God, you’re still here.” The woman of the moment sweeps into the break room, as stunning as ever.
Her hair sits on her shoulders, perfectly framing her face as she looks at me with wide, eager eyes.
“What have you done?” I set my phone aside and rise from the God-awful plastic chair.
“So call me crazy, but”—her hands wave through the air as she speaks in an apparent need to expel her pent-up excitement—“I quit too.”
“You what?”
“I quit,” she repeats with a wide grin. “I figured, why should I work for people who want to bully me about my personal life? You know as well as I do that if I had stayed here while being with you, they wouldn’t have let me forget it.”
She has a point. “But you keep telling me how much you need a job, baby.” I take hold of her hand and kiss the knuckles.
“I know.” She tips her head dismissively. “But I figure I might have somebody who’s willing to help out with a place to stay while I find another one.”
She really hasn’t figured it out yet.
“It could take months before I sell my place and relocate here.”
She chuckles. “I know, silly. Why would I wait until then?”
Say what? “You better run this by me again,” I say as calmly as I can manage. “And this time, don’t spare the details. Your plan, start to finish, Lisa.”
“I quit,” she says slowly as though to spell it out for me. “Because I want to stay with you. At your place. I quit so I can move to be near you. Long distance problem—gone.”
“You’re right,” I say with a laugh. “You are crazy.” I tug her to me, no fucks to give on what any of the arrogant old bastards think now she no longer works for them. “But that’s part of why I love you.”
“You’re not mad at me?”
I sweep my lips across hers, peppering kisses to her nose and forehead. “Not even close.”
She sighs, snuggling into my hold. “I couldn’t wait until you moved here. The thought of how long that could take panicked me.” She smiles softly. “I’ve got no ties here, Mason. There’s no reason why it couldn’t be me making the sacrifice to be with you.”
“What about Emma?” I frown.
Her fingers trail down the front of my shirt, her eyes hungry as she tracks the path. “She’s my best friend. She’ll understand.”
God, I hope so. I really don’t need to add to the list of people who have it in for us.
“So,” Lisa says with a lift of one eyebrow. “What time do we leave?”
“You’re coming straight away?” I honestly thought she’d take some time to pack her things up, make sure her affairs were in order. “Not that I’m complaining.” Goddamn—my flight just got way better.