What about you? - 14

Chapter 14

Tilly paused from pouring coffee to look at Kate again. It wasn’t out of character for her to turn up like this, out of the blue. But there was something not right in this situation. Something stank.

                “What’s really going on Kate?”

Kate looked up her eyes no longer focussing on a knot in the wood of the table, “what do you mean?”

Tilly shook her head, “Kate, it’s me. What’s happening? You look awful, something has happened, hasn’t it?”

Kate felt the tears she’d fought since walking away from Mason start to well, and spotting them Tilly rushed over and pulled her into her arms, “what is it mate? You’ve got me worried now.”

Between tears and cups of coffee, Kate outlined the last few days, from visiting Peter, to turning up at Mason’s door, the wonderful time there, and then finding out that he’s Peter’s cousin.

                “Well it’s all a bit ironic isn’t it? But then they say there’s only six degrees of separation, so in theory it was always possible!” Tilly say back and looked at Kate, “so after finally making this step forward, you’re now running scared again?”

Kate recoiled from the harshness of her friend’s voice; she had expected more sympathy if not empathy. “I’m not overreacting Tilly.”

Tilly sighed, “I’m not suggesting that you are. It just seems that Mason did try and have a serious conversation with you, but you were too scared to hear anything that would remind you that there was life outside your little cocoon. I know you too well Kate Michaels, you forget that! Shall I expand?”

Kate sat back stunned, it was a long time since she’d heard her friend be so blunt, Peter had become a topic they agreed to differ on and so rarely dissected in any great depth.

Tilly took that as an invitation to carry on, “You’ve finally met a man that makes you realise that this sham with Peter is just that. I know Peter wants to marry you, actually thinks that you can live together happily, but it’s not ever going to happen love. You know that, he’s like an over eager school boy, but he’s not a partner, an equal or a lover. You’ve waited and waited for signs that he is the man you remember, but he isn’t and six long years have passed.

“Now you’ve found out that things are a bit more complicated and it’s given you a route straight back to guilt central! What difference does it make that Mason is related to Peter? If anything he’ll be more tolerant and understanding.”

Kate was reeling, “it’s not that they’re related, though I find that far too convenient for words, it’s that he didn’t tell me Tilly. You’re right I finally meet a man who I think can change my life...and I find out that he’s lying to me. I mean did he come to the wedding just to...” she shook her head as horrible thoughts of being used came to her mind.

Tilly reached out and squeezed her hand, “there was no benefit for him in that love, what would he have achieved?  There was no motive for that sort of behaviour.”

                “Peter’s father hated me, he thought I wasn’t good enough...”

Tilly again intervened, “No. Kate, his father’s dead, you’re hardly after the family jewels, if you were you’ve had ample opportunity.” She again consciously softened her voice, “I think you need to think about things Kate, because if you’ve spent as much time with this Mason as you say, then he’s someone special, you’ve not been short of interest over the years. If he’s finally got under your skin then you can’t throw it away. Honey you deserve this, don’t be thinking that you’re betraying Peter. You have to let him go.”

Kate had never imagined there would be a time when she wouldn’t have Peter in her life, and she knew that she was also in some ways clinging on to that familiarity. She’d never been very good with introspect, but she also knew Tilly was rarely wrong.

                “What should I do?”

Tilly sighed, “look what happens with Mason is just that what happens with Mason. This is about you moving away from Peter, stopping the guilt, the obligation, and realising that you deserve your own life. I know it’ll be hard. But you are not responsible for him. “

That completely floored Kate, but as she thought about the words her friend had spoken she realised that this WAS about her. If she wanted more from her life then it was her decision to make, and shouldn’t rest on whether or not she had a relationship with Mason. What happened with him, as Tilly said, was a separate issue. She just had to decide whether she could fight her own demons.

This was the first time she’d looked at herself at her life and she could feel the tears start to well. As they rolled down her cheeks she turned to Tilly, “it’s my fault he’s injured. It was all my fault.”

Tilly had heard this protest so many times, “he was driving Kate, he hit the ditch, not you.”

Kate shook her head, “I shouldn’t have let him leave, he was angry, upset, he’d been drinking...”

                “All his fault love, not yours!” She reiterated.

Kate shook her head again, “I was leaving him Tilly, I told him I didn’t love him anymore, that I wanted to move out of our flat...he wouldn’t listen, wouldn’t take no for an answer, so in the end I told him I’d met someone else, that I loved another man. I didn’t...I just couldn’t put up with him anymore, he’d become so controlling, he was getting his father’s arrogance and I’d had enough. When he stormed out of our home and got into the car I was relieved, I thought it would’ve been harder to get through to him. Then within half an hour the police were at the door...”

Tilly was in shock, mouth open, and it was moments before she could speak again, “why have you never told me that? I can’t believe you’ve carried that all these years.” Tilly was on her feet and pulled Kate up in to a bear hug. “And it is still not your fault you stupid girl! He made those decisions, he chose to do what he did. That was not your fault!”

Tilly’s anger was making it hard for her to formulate her words, “if he wasn’t in the state he was I’d be going straight to see Peter Wightman and giving him a piece of my mind.” Seeing that her friend was devastated, completely emotionally wrecked, she took her hands, “I can’t believe you haven’t told me this before. I’m amazed, and really sad too, that you’ve carried it alone for so long...”

Tilly led her friend into the lounge and settled her on the sofa and poured her a large glass of brandy.

As the afternoon became evening, the two friends talked and talked. They’d always been close, but suddenly they were closer than ever. By the time Ashton appeared to drive Kate home, she’d agreed with Tilly’s suggestion that she see a counsellor. She’d also agreed that over the next few weeks she would start to separate from Peter.  She’d have to explain to his mother, and knew that it would implicate on her, but she had to finally start standing up for herself. Now as she brushed her teeth in the bathroom mirror, Kate was dreading the day ahead. Her ‘to do’ list was humongous, and firstly she had return to work after her few days sick the previous week. As she sat on the tube crossing the City, she couldn’t quite believe how much had happened since the day she left the building to find Mason outside.

Mason. She’d thought about him so much over the last twenty four hours, wondering where he was, if he’d dealt with the problems in the business, whether he was back in Dubai, or still in the city.  She’d been tempted to call him, just to hear his voice. But she hadn’t, she had to do this first. And as she finally strode out into the December sun, Kate smiled. This seemed to be a turning point in her life.

After a busy day playing catch up, Kate had her usual trip across town to visit Peter. He was in a particularly angry almost petulant mood, and the staff were more than grateful to see her. Taking his hand, she led him to one of the activity rooms and sat him down. After reading a few books, a couple of games of Cluedo – a difficult game for just two to play but Peter’s favourite, he settled in his room for the evening.

There was the same similar sense of relief as she made for the late night bus back to her home. It was as she was sat there, waiting for the vehicle to pull off that her phone rang. She saw Peter’s mother’s number pop up on her display and groaned, she wasn’t ready for this.

                “Clarissa? How are you? How’s your cousin? Is she better.”

The responding voice was upbeat, “I’m at the hospital now, she’s improving. Hopefully she’ll be home soon.” She could tell by Clarissa’s voice that there was a reason why she had called, and Kate felt apprehensive.

                “I was only hoping that as my cousin is coming home, and she lives alone...well I was hoping that I could maybe not do a few visits. I don’t know how else we can all manage.”

Kate sighed and blinked away the tears of desperation that welled in her eyes, “don’t you worry about a thing. I’ll be fine. And so will Peter. I’ll do your visits, it’s so much easier than if we don’t!”

Clarissa sighed, “we’ve spoilt him Kate, he expects too much...” There was a wistful sound to her voice and it almost broke Kate. She knew the older woman was feeling fragile, mortal almost, and worried incessantly about what would happen to Peter when she passed. That had been why they’d moved him to the Residential place he was in now. It was very expensive and a long way from his family home, but they had the best record of long term integration into society, the psychologists still held out hope that he’d manage to function on a fairly independent level as a fully functioning member of society. One day.

Clarissa loved the new home, had fallen in love with it instantly, but the family were almost bankrupt, an irony that Kate acknowledged but couldn’t find humour in. When Peter’s father died Clarissa envisaged financial comfort, after all they were an almost titled family. Unfortunately weeks prior to his death, he’d invested heavily in some form of scam deal. He’d lost everything bar the basic pensions that paid out a small amount on his death. So far Clarissa had managed to stay in the failing family home, but this lack of funds, the debt she’d been left with all meant that she couldn’t afford the new home for Peter in its entirety, so Kate paid half. That was the main reason that a successful adverting executive still lived in a rundown shared rental house. It was the only thing she still hadn’t told her friend.

                “No Clarissa, I’ll manage Peter this week. But we really need to talk about things. Long term, you know?” So much for her new found resolution. She didn’t need counselling, she needed assertiveness training.  

What about you? - 13

Chapter 13

Mason had watched the whole interaction whilst hearing about the almost downfall of his whole business world via the phone at his ear. And he could honestly say there was only one of the situations that he was really concerned about. He silently gestured a ‘she’s ok’ in reference to his mother to his Aunty, then agreed to fax some information to Brandon asap. It was long minutes before he hung up the phone and literally ran after Kate.

There was no sign of her in the corridors, or the downstairs reception when he got there, so he ran out into the street. In the distance at an almost running pace he saw her, just about to disappear from view.

He’d never run so fast, his lungs felt like they were imploding, the cold air assaulting his body with every snatched breath. He knocked into at least a dozen people, each time registering amazement that so many people were suddenly up and about so early on a Sunday morning. Rounding the corner, he slowed a little then again spotted the flash of her red coat between two parked trucks. He’d closed on her considerably. Again at a full pace run, he crossed the street and was rewarded with the view of the back of her just a few yards away. He could barely breathe, his whole body screamed at the abuse it was suffering, but he needed to talk to her, needed a chance.

                “Kate, stop...please!” He gasped as he closed on her.

She stopped dead and then turned slowly to look at him, and the expression on her face, the pain, the hurt and the devastation almost cut him to the core.

                “I tried to talk to you...” he could barely string half a dozen words together because of his breathlessness. “I wanted to explain...”

Kate snarled at him, “explain? Talk to me? Just when exactly?” She sighed, going from angry to resigned, “I knew it was all too good to be true.”

As she turned to walk away he saw red, reaching out and he grabbed her upper arm, “don’t just walk away Kate, for god’s sake! That’s all you ever do is leave!”

She stopped and looked at him, hating that she was so transparent. All she wanted was to run home, throw herself on her bed, and rue the fact that she’d opened up to him, that someone had finally got close enough to upset her life, her balance. Instead, she was in the street, in the worsening rain, facing him as her heart felt like it was breaking.    She’d spent so long protecting herself from this, from other people, from pain. How had he got past her defences? How had she let this happen?

“Ok Mason, let’s talk. Did you come to the wedding purely to find out who I was? Did you stage it all? Is this another ploy to discredit me? I know Peter’s father never thought I was good enough for him. Is this him still thinking I’m not good enough from beyond the grave?” Mason stuttered in amazement, but now Kate was in full swing, “I have done everything to please the bloody Wightman’s, and now I have THIS! You worming your way in to my life, for what reason Mason? What do you get out of this? And why the hell are you doing it?”

He was still floundering, he hadn’t expected this, had no idea that this relationship was so precarious. Suddenly he was speechless. How the hell could he answer a question on a subject he knew nothing about?

                “I don’t know anything about that...”

                “Typical!” she snapped trying to walk away again but once more he restrained her.

                “You asked me a question! What do I get out of this? Time with you! Don’t you see that? It’s all I want. Why am I doing it? Because I haven’t felt so alive in the last ten years. All I need is you to believe me, to trust me.”

Kate scoffed, “Trust you? Ha-ha-ha! I wish I could believe a word you say, but you’ve had ample opportunity to explain things, to make it just a little bit easier to cope with than this. Instead you’ve lied to me. How can I believe a word you say? What evidence is there that you are anything more than a liar?”

He was silent for a moment, digesting the situation and how awful this all appeared to her. “There’s so much to say Kate, I agree, so much that I haven’t told you yet!”

                “’Yet’?” she repeated the word, “a single word that can mean thousands. You had so many opportunities to tell me that you’re related to Peter. You KNEW this was a very emotional subject for me, that all the guilt I feel is because of me betraying him, and now I find out it’s with his cousin?” She shook her head in disgust at both him and herself.  “There was also time to tell me more about yourself, your family, your job...I know as much about you know as when I left the hotel room four weeks ago. You keep telling me you want more than a one night stand, but honestly...do you?”

Mason was struggling to find solid ground, Kate was asking more questions than he could process, and he was unable to formulate an answer that wouldn’t incense her more.

                “Come on Kate, neither of us has talked anything of real substance, but that’s because we’re at the beginning of something new, it comes with time. I was honestly hoping that later today I’d be able to sit with you and talk...but up until now we’ve both been unable to keep our hands off each other. This was definitely NOT pillow talk. We have something special here, you and I both know that.  I was wrong to get this far without telling you about my family, but I honestly didn’t know back in your brother’s wedding. You blew me away that day, and you still do now! Don’t think I don’t see that your using this as another opportunity to hide, run away...when are you going to get past this? You have NO future with Peter, he offers you nothing. Why can’t you see that?”

The words hit Kate like sharp knives to the chest, until then he’d almost started to make sense, but those words were so hurtful, so brutal that they instantly rebuilt the animosity. It took her more than a deep breath to calm her nerves and her anger, “so you see yourself as some sort of Romeo do you? You’re better than Peter? Or are YOU the man to finally bring peace and happiness to my life? Is that it? Are you the ‘Catch of the Century’? There’s nothing worse than a conceited and egotistical man!”

                “Kate! This is such a ridiculous argument, we’ve both got a past, we both know that. None of this is as you think. We just need to calm down and talk.”  At that moment his phone rang and despite everything he had to check. A glance down confirmed his worst fears, with THE worst timing, he saw Brandon’s name there, flashing with urgency.

Connecting the call, he simultaneously tightened his grip around her arm, stopping her running.

                “Brandon?”

                “I need you to get to the Paris office asap, the documentation is being prepared there. It has to be faxed before this evening. Can you get make it? It’s the only way we can stop this, and I don’t have to tell you what that means.”

Mason groaned, legal jargon, it had wound up one of their employees, and if he didn’t sort it now, it would not only be devastating to his and Brandon’s business, it could ultimately bring them down. He hated the word bankruptcy, but with the financial world being so precarious he knew anything was possible. He had a few hours to act on this, then he could give Kate all his time. It wasn’t ideal, but it was all he had.

                “I can be on the Eurostar in an hour. It’s just over two hours to Paris.” He glanced at his watch, “I’ll be in the office by two pm, that’s sixish with you. Is that ok?”

                “It’ll have to be!”

Mason sighed at the anger in the other man’s voice. He should be with his wife and new baby son, instead he was fighting to save their company, doing things that he should be doing. He had every right to be angry, abrupt. “I’ll call you when I’m en route. I’ll have my laptop with me, ok?”

Brandon hung up with a grumble, and as Mason glanced down at Kate he groaned, her eyes were wide, there was the slightest look of concern there. This was his chance to get through to her, but he had to go, he couldn’t delay in getting to Paris. The last few weeks the business, his career was meaning less to him. He was almost thirty four, he’d lived a very happy, productive live as a bachelor, but the last month, with Brandon having a baby, moving on, his time with Kate...he knew he wanted more from life, knew that he was looking to head in a different direction. At this second stood looking down at Kate, he knew this was the turning point, for him anyway. But he owed it to his employees, to Brandon and Lydia, he had to sort this problem out, then he could make the life changes he wanted.

He only hoped that Kate didn’t hate him too much by the time he returned.

                “I can’t leave...” He offered, but already he could see she was resolved, determined to keep herself removed from the situation.

                “I don’t want this, and I don’t want you. So I suggest you go back to Dubai and sort out your emergency. I won’t say I didn’t enjoy the last two days, I did. You’re a great lover...but that’s as far as this goes.”

With a smile she walked away. And Mason let her. 

What about you? - 12

Chapter 12

Mason didn’t as much wake up as come around. The last hour...he glanced at his bedside table, make that two hours had been out of this world. Kate was in a similar catatonic state draped around him. He loved the feel of her long legs entwined with his, her perfect pert breasts nuzzled into his own chest, and her silky head tucked under his chin. Nope as he leaned back against the pillows, he couldn’t remember ever feeling that things were so...idyllic.

But there was that nagging voice, telling him he’d been the lowest form of cad, letting the last two hours happen without telling her who he was. Without trying to explain about Peter.

He tried to slide out from under her, but she shook her head, “oh no Mr Fitzgerald! I think you’ll find that you can’t leave this bed until you untangle our limbs, and I’m not ready for that!”

                                                                                                                                               
To emphasise the point she moved one arm around him to cup his naked buttock, her arm joining the legs that were curled amongst his. Her remaining arm she slid between them until she found the past of him that proved her words and actions were having the desired effect.

It was dark when Mason finally pleaded dehydration. Leaving her curled under the duvet, he crossed the apartment to find an ice cold bottle of wine he’d left in the fridge, perfect. They drank a couple of glasses each, lounging there still naked half under the duvet, until they were interrupted by Mason’s phone.

Glancing at the caller id he recognised the hospital number and swore under his breath, “Shit, I forgot about my mother!”

Kate watched him quizzically as he quickly connected, “Mason Fitzgerald.” His face paled as he listened to the voice on the phone. Kate sensing his distress placed a hand on his thigh in support. He smiled at her but it wasn’t a natural happy smile. When he hung up he turned to her.

                “I’ve been in bed this afternoon because I spent all night at the hospital. My mother had heart surgery overnight, an emergency. That was the hospital saying she’s woken up...”

Kate sighed, “And you were meant to be there, but I tempted you away from your duty?”

Reaching out he cupped his hand around her jaw and smiled, “I’d take the temptation any day. Will you stay here? Can we talk a bit later?” Suddenly the need to tell her who he was, to explain his past was priority, but he had to dash to the hospital.

Kate watched him pull on jeans, then a clean t-shirt from the cupboard, dragging his hands through his hair he came towards her and stooped to kiss her. As her tongue flicked out and met his he groaned against her lips, “you are a minx, do you know that?”

She chuckled, “I just want to make sure you come back!”

                “No danger of that not happening,” he sighed looking down at her the duvet barely covering her nakedness, he’d give anything to throw off his clothes and explore her all over again, but his poor mother had come around from her operation and he wasn’t there. “I am so tempted again!”

She grinned then ran her hands down her body covering every curve, “promise I’ll wait for you, ok?”

He nodded, unable to believe he was actually closing the door behind him.

Kate had plenty of time to think as she moved around the apartment dressed in just his shirt, and now that she’d made the conscious decision to come here, to contemplate more with Mason, her mind was wild with activity. She was still worried about how she managed Peter, how she changed things with him, and she knew she had to speak to his mother Clarissa the next day. It wasn’t a conversation she was looking forward to, but at least it would lift some of the burden she had. She could never not be there for Peter, that wasn’t an option, but she finally realised that she deserved a life outside of him.

Smiling, despite her apprehension, she made for the kitchen, ravenous. There was very little in the refrigerator, so she searched the kitchen drawers for some take away menus. She fancied Chinese, but there were none anywhere. She thought of her phone, after flicking on a Black Keys album that she found in the lounge, she perched on the arm of the sofa and Googled Chinese take-aways within a five mile radius.

By the time Mason called her, to tell her he was on his way home, she’d narrowed her search to one.

                “Any preferences?” she asked once she’d told him about her plans.

                “None really, but get lots, I’m starving!”

The food arrived five minutes after he got back. On seeing him at the door, Kate’s initial instinct had been to throw herself at him again, but he’d just visited his mother as she recovered from major surgery, the last thing he needed was her dragging him back to bed, but for some reason, now that she’d made her decision, chosen Mason, she was desperate for more of him. A voice at the back of her head warned her that he lived overseas, that this was unlikely to be the perfect fairytale, but as she watched him spread the cartons of rice, noodles across the table between them, she blocked those fears. Suddenly she was optimistic, for the first time in years she had something to look forward to.

                “So how was your mother?” she asked as she scooped some rice into her mouth, her eyes on him.

He shrugged, “she was sleepy, her doctor is happy. I need to go back in the morning though.”

When she nodded, he added, “Kate, we need to talk, there are things...important things we need to discuss.”

Kate shook her head vehemently, “can’t we just ignore that tonight. We have tomorrow to talk, tomorrow to be serious. It’s been a long time since I’ve had so much fun. Can’t we just...be?”

Despite agreeing, Mason felt torn, half of him wanted more of her, wanted to spend the night with her. The other half knew that he sooner he came clean, the better the chance that she’d understand, forgive. Instead he asked questions about her work, the projects she was involved with, her housemates, the friend he’d spoken to on the phone. Anything personal but not leading, he was so aware that they both had such large areas of their lives that were taboo.

To wake again the next morning with Kate wrapped around him was bliss to Mason. He was glad at that moment that they’d not talked that he hadn’t blown it all. Glancing at the clock, he saw it was well after eight, he’d promised to take get some goodies for his mother, and had wanted to arrive by nine, so when Kate was still asleep after his shower, he placed a note on her pillow, begging her to not move an inch until he returned.

Kate awoke when a shaft of winter sunlight sneaking between the drawn curtains shone brightly on her eye. Reaching around her she could feel the dent where Mason had fallen asleep; opening her eyes and glancing to her left she spotted the folded paper sat on the pillow. Unfolding it, she glanced at the scrawl and smiled.

“You have NO idea how much I didn’t

want to leave. I’ll be home soon, I can

only visit for an hour. Keep my pillow

warm?”

Smiling to herself, Kate stretched luxuriously, like a starfish in the huge bed. Torn between more sleep and a shower, she rolled on to her front, closing her eyes and tried to catch a few more minutes sleep before the real harsh reality of morning hit her.

She must have drifted off, because she was woken by an incessant ringing. Realising immediately it wasn’t her phone. Normally she would have ignored it, but knowing that Mason’s mother had been so ill, she thought it may be an emergency. Jumping out of bed, she located the cordless handset which was in the bathroom.  Connecting the call she gasped a breathless “hello?” into the mouthpiece.

There was a pause then a disgruntled male voice snapped, “Fitzgerald? Is he there?”

Smarted at the rudeness emanating from the other man, she instantly got defensive, “no he’s visiting his very sick mother. Can I take a message?”

There was a groan, “he’s not answering his mobile phone...ah hospital! Ok, I need him to call Brandon asap. We’re having a MAJOR crisis at work; I need to speak to him yesterday. I can’t stress the urgency. Is there any chance you can get him to call me in the next twenty minutes?”

She instantly realised this was the latest addition to her family, the brother of her brother’s new wife. Because of the link to her family, she was immediately a little less angry at his aggressive manner, “Look I can try and contact the hospital,” she glanced across at the clock; it wasn’t quite nine am yet. “But I don’t think he can stay there that long anyway. He’s planning to be back soon.”

A sigh preceded the words, “time is one thing I don’t have. He has to call me now,” he added, “please,” as an afterthought.

It was a cold winter morning and Kate was more than reluctant to step outside, but after phoning his mobile repeatedly and getting his answer phone, she realised she needed to get to the hospital. She’d not normally make such an effort, but there had been the hint of desperation in the voice of Brandon. Wrapped up in her coat and woolly hat, she braved the cold.

It wasn’t far to the hospital, but there wasn’t great transport on a Sunday so she was grateful to see an empty cab approaching, its yellow ‘for hire’ light a welcome sight! Diving in she reeled off the hospital address then rubbed her hands warm.

The hospital was large and imposing, but she was easily directed to the cardiac unit. At the reception she suddenly realised she had no idea what Mason’s mother was called, despite sharing such intimacy on so many occasions, they knew virtually nothing about each other. ‘Mrs Fitzgerald’ got no recognition, and she was all out of other options. As she was about to leave she heard a voice deeper in the unit. Mason.

So she called out his name. As he turned and saw him she saw initially pleasure at seeing her, but that was immediately replaced by confusion, maybe anger. He obviously didn’t want her invading his family life, as her heart sank he rushed over.

                “Hey Kate! What are you doing here? I thought you were relaxing...”

She smiled apologetically, “I was fast asleep, but Brandon called, he needs you to speak to him in the next...” she glanced at her watch, “three minutes. He couldn’t get hold of you and he said he was desperate...so I came to find you!”

He sighed, “thank you so much, you didn’t have to do that!”

Digging in his pocket for his phone he finally smiled, “why don’t you head back? The doctors are due around in the next twenty minutes. I’ll come back via the supermarket, breakfast in bed?”

As she nodded in agreement, the call obviously connected and he lifted the phone to his ear, instantly deep in conversation. Suddenly relieved that he wasn’t repulsed by her being there, she made for the reception, a heavy weight lifted. But she’d only travelled a dozen steps when she came literally face-to-face with Clarissa Wightman...Peter’s mother.

Kate gasped in an instant panic, she’d planned on calling the woman later that day, to let her know she’d met someone else, to beg her to help her manage Peter. As it was she was here in the flesh.  Despite her panic she greeted her pleasantly, commenting on how well she was now looking after her recent illness.

                “What are you doing here?” She asked holding Kate at arm’s length.

                “Just passing on a message, it’s a long story. What about you?”

Clarissa dropped her hands, “visiting my cousin, she had heart surgery last night, and I’m desperate to know how it went. Oh!” She was suddenly distracted, “there’s Mason, I need to go and see how she is. It was lovely to see you!”

Kate felt the room start to spin, she slowly moved her eyes from Clarissa along the corridor to Mason who had paused in mid sentence and was watching her, a look of horror across his face. Guilt. That was that oh so familiar emotion she’d seen earlier when she arrived. Mason’s mother’s cousin was Peter’s mother...it was an unfathomable; indescribable...he’d played her. All that time, he...as he shook his head trying to end the call she turned and moved as quickly as she could, trying to place one foot in front of the other and get out of there whilst she still could, before the walls of her World caved in on her. 

What about you? - 11

Chapter 11

Mason had had a reasonably disruptive childhood. An only child, he’d grown up trying to protect his mother who’d always been the delicate flower that she was now, his father in contrast was hard, an angry man, crushing any vitality she had on a continual basis, regardless of whether Mason was there or not. In his adult years looking back, he always wondered how the hell they ever came to be married. He’d still only been young when they split, just a week after his twelfth birthday. The breakup, he later realised, was because his father had impregnated his secretary, and his mother in response had a nervous breakdown.

With her institutionalised for the next few years, he’d been forced to spend time with his father, and so became the object of this same anger. Mandy, the second wife was no doormat like his mother, and the anger that his father felt at the lack of control he had over his new and errant wife became ammunition for his treatment of Mason. He’d got older like all boys, and started to stand up to him, and then his mother was out of hospital, getting married and wanted him back.

Mason knew it was a bleak part of his life. Hitting seventeen he firstly started an affair with Mandy his thirty four year old step mother, which lasted six months, only to be discovered by his father. When it ended, it left him VERY sexually experienced, and instead of being mortified at his behaviour and the way it crushed his father, the pleasure such revenge brought meant he only looked for more controversy.

It was then he’d become a real player, sleeping with more girls than was wise, after being completely shunned by his father. His mother took him in on his breaks from university. But that came to an equally rapid end when his step father Derek found him to quote the older man in flagrante with his sixteen year old daughter and he was banished by those too.

Alone again, Mason had taken an apprenticeship with a petroleum company straight from University. The animosity towards both himself and his parents had only fuelled his desire to succeed, and he became a success, working and playing hard until he took on an executive position whilst still in his mid twenties.

He’d rarely been home since that fateful day when his mother had looked at him with sadness and disappointment in her eyes. But the death of his step father earlier that year and meant that he’d seen his mother the previous month when he’d come home for the wedding. It was only the fourth time he’d seen her in more than twelve years and he knew that it was his doing, his behaviour that had devastated her over the years.

If he’d been home, or at least in more regular contact with him mother in those intervening years  then he’d have instantly realised that the man who Kate was guiltily devoted to was his own second cousin Peter. He vaguely remembered hearing about the dreadful accident, but had never shown enough interest to appreciate the extent of his injuries, and the implication it had had on all of his family. It had happened maybe six years ago, and wasn’t discussed any more. Also Peter was almost ten years younger than him, he’d been a small child when Mason had been pushed out of family life, he didn’t even know the other man.

Back at the apartment that night he could barely sleep. All he could visualise was her, Kate, clothes and hair still crumpled from bed, face fresh looking up at him, then when he’d kissed her, her hands and lips reciprocating his own investigations.  Mason realised he’d spent the last few weeks groaning, sighing and ruing his wrong decisions over Kate, and now he knew that he may never see her so desperate for him again. Hell he may never see him smile again. It was going to be a long night, and he had no chance of sleeping.

It was Saturday morning, and finally Kate felt back on form. Physically she was fit, she was well rested, but emotionally, that was a different story. Her time with Mason had fragmented her. For the first time in ages she didn’t know what to do. He was right. She was lying to herself. But she’d always known that. She was never going to have anything back from Peter, he was purely an emotional responsibility. At some point she had to think of the future, not just hers, but his too. He was so dependent on her, if anything happened to his mother, she’d be all he had. Even more commitment and heartache.

Sighing, she dressed in jeans and a sweater, it was definitely her time to take Peter out, and having missed two evenings with him she wasn’t anticipating him being easy to manage. She was right.

Two hours later she was sat on the floor outside his bathroom. He was barricaded inside. This was typical for him, his bolthole. Originally the staff at the unit panicked trying to break the door down, worried about him injuring himself, but these days they were more relaxed.

                “Come on Peter. I told you I was sorry. But I was very ill. I couldn’t get out of bed. But this is the first day I’m well and I thought we could go to the cinema, come on. There’s a 3D showing of Toy Story at the Capital Cinema. Your favourite!”

His only response was a grunt, so she started to talk about Weedy the Sheriff. He was a huge Woody fan, even before his accident, and she knew firing his anger was a sure way of getting him to unlock the door.

Before she could count to ten the door swung open and he burst out scowling. “It’s Woody Kate! NOT Weedy! Come on!”

She rose to her feet then smiled at the troubled boy in a man’s body, “sorry Pete, forgive me?”

He bit his lip nervously then fell into her arms sobbing, “I missed you, I hate it when you don’t come, you’re the only one who knows me, we have fun don’t we? We have fun?”

He’d lifted his head and stared at her eyes, every inch of him waiting for her reassurance. She smiled and wiped the tears from his eyes, “of course we do. We’re best mates, aren’t we! And we’ve got an hour to get to the cinema...that’s if you want to see Toy Story!”

Giggling he rushed to find his shoes.

The film was a success, though he knew it word for word, and they followed it up by a surprisingly uneventful trip to KFC. Fed, watered and both shattered, they made their way back to the home holding hands and giggling. As soon as he was safe, Saturday evening in Brentfort usually involved swimming in their basement pool, and a late supper watching DVD’s, so he never minded going back on that day, Kate stepped out on to the winter street and gave a huge sigh of relief.

Walking without a real care, she found she was meandering in the opposite direction to her home, and it wasn’t until she saw the entrance to the apartment block she’d left the previous afternoon that she realised where her subconscious was taking her. Mason. He said he was leaving, she didn’t know how soon, but she knew more than anything she wanted to see him, tell him she’d been wrong. Ignoring the lift she ran the four flights of stairs, glad of the distraction of her shortness of breath and lack of fitness from the target who may or may not be at the end of her climb.

Puffing and panting she knocked the door. Then waited. And waited. After an almost hopeless second knock with no answer, she was just about to turn and call the lift when the door in front of her opened revealing the object of her affection. Mason, sleep ravaged, eyes half closed, only those damned cotton shorts covering that memory creating body.

                “Kate?” he was rubbing one eye and staring in surprise.

                “I didn’t know if you’d still be here.” She offered suddenly nervous, biting at her lip. She heard Mason groan, a tortured sound, and suddenly felt more optimistic.

                “I was supposed to head back last night, but I had a family emergency. So I’m still here.”

                “I’m glad!” She burst out before realising what she’d said. “That you’re here I mean, not the emergency!” He chuckled a deep warm laugh and it made Kate’s knees weak.

                “I had to come and see you, you see I realised you were right, well partly. And I wanted to tell you.” Suddenly she was tripping over her words and she could only rely on showing him how she felt.

Before he could ask her what he’d been right about, she lunged forward her arms draping around his neck and she’d crushed her lips rather inelegantly over his. Instinctively Mason slid an arm around her waist, pulling her against him, with the other hand he slammed the door. Before Kate had time to register what was happening, she was pressed up against the now locked front door, his hard and rather excited body was heavy against the whole length of her. She hadn’t intended to throw herself at him like this, but as soon as she’d set eyes on him, that pent up desire seemed to come from nowhere, and she no longer had any control.  

Mason could barely believe that she was here, with him, wanting him and this. She’d come to him, found him and almost admitted that she wanted him as much as her.  It was more than he’d ever dreamed of.

                “Oh Kate,” he whispered as his mouth finally left her passion bruised lips and tracked along her jaw to the sensitive soft flesh at the base of her neck. And if she could have tilted her head anymore, offered him any more she would have, but she was wedged up against the door and could barely move. But her hands could, her hands were all over him, his broad shoulders, toned back, snug buttocks. It was when her hands drifted under the waist band of his shorts, and came around to the front that he pulled back, lifted his head and looked down at her.

                “Not here.” He breathed, “not like this. Never like this!”

Lifting her she wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed his neck with a hunger she’d long forgotten as he carried her through to the bedroom.

Setting her down he proceeded to slowly remove every scrap of her clothing, his mouth covering every inch of the flesh he revealed equally as slowly, equally as erotically. Kate was full of pent up emotions, she needed more, faster, harder, quicker, there was definitely an urge she needed to fulfil and this slow deliberate tease was too much for her.

Tugging him back to his feet, separating his talented ever pleasing mouth for her sensitive stomach, she pushed him back towards the bed. His calves hit the mattress and he toppled backwards, landing flat on his back. With a grin he watched her climb like a tigress onto the bed and over him. He’d loved his slow leisurely pace, but as she pulled off his shorts, threw her underwear across the room, and sat astride him completely naked, he knew he loved her fast pace too.             

Mason loved her body, it was made for his hand, his mouth, and it seemed that his body responded equally well to her touch. Gasping at the way she moved over him, he buried the niggling reminder that he had to be honest with this woman, and rolling on top of her went with the moment.

What about you? - Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The next morning was definitely better than the day before. Kate stretched in the bed before opening her eyes, and appreciated the fact that her body wasn’t aching, when she did open her eyes there was no throbbing pain. Smiling she sat up. She felt as weak as a kitten, and really washed out, but otherwise a million times better.

After a quick shower, she made for the lounge, still aware she was in Mason’s clothes. He was curled up awkwardly on the sofa, the duvet barely covering him. Grey shorts slung low on his hips the only clothing he wore. Kate bit her lip as she paused for a moment watching him sleep. She was really attracted to him, if she was in any doubt of that the response of her body, the increased heart rate, her almost breathlessness at the sight of him. Shaking her head, she made for the kitchen. She needed coffee.

She’d barely turned on the machine when she heard him wakening behind her. By the time she stepped back and looked towards the lounge, he was stood in the centre of the room, stretching, arms broad, bare shoulders and chest so enticing, those simple cotton shorts so low on his hips. It was such an intimate moment that she looked away, trying desperately to recover from the dry mouth, the tingles of anticipation.

                “Morning!” his voice was husky with the roughness of morning. “You look better, much better.”

She nodded, “I feel it thanks.” Their argument the previous day still sat there, between them creating a new level of awkwardness. “I should be getting home, my phone’s out of charge, people will wonder where the hell I am.”

He half sighed, “someone called Tilly phoned you last night, I told her you were ill, but safe.”

Kate groaned, yet more ammunition for Tilly to fire at her, “you had no right!”

                “You were asleep I checked, she told me not to wake you...I wasn’t trying to control things, I swear!” He looked a little coy, “come on Kate, surely we’ve gone past this point, scoring cheap points and sniping.”

Holding her hands up in exasperation she stared at him, “I want to go home, we had a fling, it shouldn’t have happened. And that’s it!”

Back to this again! Thought Mason, he was annoyed because he knew another day or so and he’d have been able to convince her, talk her around, or rather make her see sense, as it was he was due back in Dubai in the next twenty four hours, the spanner in the works.

He crossed the room to her and stood where he knew he was invading her personal space, too close. His eyes owned hers, he knew could tell by the way she bit her lip that it was all bravado. She wanted this as much as him. Nervously her tongue flicked over her bottom lip and he almost lost his composure...almost.

Leaning in to her, he brought his mouth to her ear, “I wish I had more time to prove that you’re lying. I remember that night SO vividly, and it was perfect! You don’t get perfect twice in your life.”

                “You’re going?” her voice was a whisper, a sudden sense of bereavement already taking hold of her, battling through the overwhelming yearning for those lips that brushed her hair, to touch her skin, just once.

                “Yes,” he lifted his head and met her eyes again. “I’ve got to get back to Dubai. I was thinking I could’ve stayed a bit longer...”

She bit her lip again, and he spotted a tear well at her eye. It was all the encouragement he needed. Lowering his head he met her lips with his. A possessive, demanding, controlling kiss, his lips, tongue and teeth assaulting hers, but she wasn’t intimidated, she responded with the same level of fervour. Soon his hands were under her sweater reacquainting themselves with her delectable curves. Naked curves...he groaned, this was not part of his plan, another step and he’d be out of control too. Pulling back he looked down at her flushed face, bruised lips, and tried to quell the fire that licked through his body.

                “That is not the response of someone in love with someone else!” He forced animosity into his words. “You’re lying to everyone, me, yourself and definitely Peter.”

Anger replaced the dazed contentment she’d been feeling and Kate came back to life with a bang, an instant reflex she lashed out with her hand and hit him square across the cheek.

Mason stepped back instantly his own hand flying to his cheek, “so she bites!” He broke into a broad seductive grin, “but then we already knew that didn’t we!”

Shaking her head she pushed free of him, “how dare you!”

His laughter curbed her words, “I think you’ll find that was a very mutual kiss. Like I say you can keep lying to everyone Kate, and you can hide behind Peter for the rest of your sad and lonely life. None of us is perfect; I have my own set of skeletons in my closet that I rarely share. I know how you feel. But I’m not a fool. I can’t throw myself at a brick wall anymore.” He threw a business card down on the work surface, “IF you wake up and smell that rather delicious coffee you’re brewing, I’ll be waiting.” He crossed the room to the bedroom before he turned back, “keep the clothes, yours are at the cleaners. The ticket is with your phone. You can let yourself out.”

Three hours later Kate was still restless. Her lips still seemed to tingle from the red hot kiss, her mind was foggy with all that he’d said, all that he’d done...and all that she wanted and more. Since she’d got back to her home in the taxi she’d ordered in haste, she’d been unable to function. Her boss had left a couple of messages hoping she was well, that he was worried about her. Then Tilly had left half a dozen messages. In a similar vein, but with the addition of the comment “he sounds, well...WONDERFUL!”

Kate threw her phone onto her bed in exasperation, he was infiltrating every inch of her life, and now he was leaving her in such limbo. Ransacking her bag, she tipped everything out until she spotted the three inch by two inch piece of card that he’d handed her earlier. Glancing at the gold embossed name Mason Fitzgerald followed by a rather executive title, she ran her thumb over it thoughtfully. She didn’t want to let him escape like this, to leave her in such turmoil, but on the other hand, she knew things could go no further even if he stayed.

It wasn’t until she flipped the card repeatedly between her fingers that she spotted the scrawl on the back.

                “Things are never as they seem

                and there’s so much more to this.

                Hope you do call, Mason.”

She stared at the message for an age, unable to fathom the cryptic nature of it. He’d talked about his own skeletons, now he was hinting that her life wasn’t as it appeared. Just who was Mason Fitzgerald? And what the hell did he mean?

The insistent ringing of the doorbell dragged her from her reverie, just as she was about to re experience that kiss...AGAIN!

Tilly stood lounging against the door frame, her umbrella dripping from the rain folded in her hand.

                “So Miss Michaels, I want to know all about being shacked up with the sexiest voiced man I’ve ever come across...and DON’T spare the details.”

Groaning, Kate stepped back to let her in and followed her into the kitchen. Filling the kettle she grabbed the instant coffee and was halfway to making two mugs before she spoke.

                “I’ve never felt so ill...I thought at one point I might be dying. It would have been scary if I hadn’t had Mason there.” It was the first time she’d actually admitted it to herself and to say the words out loud was strange. She didn’t know how she felt about her sudden dependence on this man who was still a virtual stranger.

Tilly digested that for a moment, “you could have come to me you know?”

It was only then that Kate realised her friend was a little hurt, so she went on to explain how he’d arrived after work, she’d fallen asleep, then when she woke was already feeling ill.  She also told her how well Mason had taken care of her.

                “So how did it all end? Are you seeing him again?”

Kate sighed for a moment, reaching into her pocket to finger the card protectively, “he told me I was hiding behind Peter, lying to myself, so I slapped him!”

Tilly shook her head, “you always were scared of the truth. He won’t be there forever you know, at some point he will give up and leave you. You do know that don’t you?”

Nodding Kate sipped at her coffee, “he’s made that perfectly clear, but I can’t just drop everything Tilly, you know that. This is my life. It’s not some drama I’m acting in and can just go home and get on with a different life. This is how it’s mapped out.”

Tilly knew once she was talking like this there was no reasoning, so she sighed, “no one says you have to torture yourself. I wish I knew why you are so obligated to do this.” Seeing Kate jump to her feet and turn away from her, she only confirmed what Tilly had always known. There was more to this than she’d ever let on, but in six years she’d not even hinted at what fired this ridiculous situation. Peter couldn’t, or maybe wouldn’t shed any light, Tilly’d tried that in the past. She could only hope that Mason would unlock something inside Kate, bring about a change, and maybe make her friend love herself again.

It was late afternoon, the day had been dark and gloomy all day. Mason had slowly packed his things, hoping and praying that his phone would ring, or the door would be knocked, that Kate would come back. He’d intended to tell her a lot, maybe not everything, but at least part of the truth, part of his past in the hope that she’d share back. Saying that there was a lot that she'd hate him for, even he thought things seemed contrived. He was annoyed that when she was finally well, when he had the chance to settle things with her at last, he'd blown it. Instead of explaining, sorting things out, he’d kissed her, mauled her. Then to top it all off insulted her. He was so angry with himself that he didn’t know what to do.

As he zipped his last bag closed, his mobile rang. Reaching for it he breathed a “hello?” into the mouthpiece before he’d registered who was calling.

                “Mason, it’s Clarissa...” he groaned at the irony. His mother’s cousin, and best friend.

                “Hey Aunty C, how are you?” he’d not seen the woman more than twice in the last ten years, but she’d been good to his mother over the years.

                “It’s your mother!”

Suddenly Mason froze. “Is she ok?”

There was a rather dramatic pause, “she’s in hospital, she collapsed, I don’t know why, but she’d love to see you...”

Of course he’d be there. As soon as he had the details, he dialled Brandon in Dubai with the bad news, he’d return asap, but he had to see his mother.

Within an hour he was sad beside his mother’s bed. She was weak, frail. The doctors’ were talking about a heart attack, she looked so deathly pale. As the doctors left and he squeezed her hand, he heard a slight noise behind him. He turned to see Clarissa hovering.

                “How long can you stay Mason?” she asked after giving him a desperate hug.

                “I was due back to Dubai today, but I’ve postponed it. I’ll stay as long as I have to.”

Clarissa sighed, “I’m relieved. She’ll be so pleased, it’s been so long since you were around, and I’m committed elsewhere I’m afraid.”  When he raised an eyebrow she sighed, “my son?” When he nodded she sighed, “I’m down on some help at the moment, so I’m more tied than normal.”

Mason groaned as he had to ask the question, already both knowing and dreading the answer, “do you get a lot of help?”

She nodded, “Kate, his girlfriend is brilliant with him. But she’s not well. So I have to visit him in her place.”

Mason smiled, “well you’ve no need to worry about my Mum, ok?”

As Clarissa retreated smiling, he slumped against the wall with a groan, his family history was so complicated. But since he’d put two and two together he had no idea how he was going to explain the fact that Peter, poor dependent Peter was actually a relative of his, albeit a fairly distant one. Sighing at the irony, he shook his head, Kate was a lot of things, but rational wasn't one of them, he'd blown his chance to explain this link over the last few days, and now he feared her finding out. But he couldn't hide it much longer. 

Update

Love that you are all enjoying this story, and thanks for commenting! Next chapter is fighting me at the moment, but will be up some time today, not too long I hope! 


Annie - Kate is really stubborn over this, almost to the point of being annoying, but I think that's because she's been fighting everyone for so long. Hope Mason has enough patience to work it all through!


M.C. - Isn't he just? But he's got a past too. So he's not perfect...but then who is?? :)


nessa - Glad you're making sense of it all, there are a lot of characters, more than I normally have, and a few subplots, hope that's not too confusing as it all comes to a head!


Terah - great to hear your comments, not envying you your finals! Glad you loved last story, it was shorter than I envisaged, but I was happy with it at the end! This one is still building! Will look forward to comments in March!! And good luck with exams!


Samaira T - She is stubborn and annoying on times, and Mason does seem perfect. Nothing is ever as it seems, but well...we need to know more about him, don't we??? :)


diya - So glad that you're hooked!!


Will def have next chapter out soon...just not quite happy with where it's going, so I'm trying to satisfy myself over it!!


Thanks all again,


MZ