Resolution (Heart of Stone) (12 page)

At 8 O’clock
Mason was leading me into an expensive Italian restaurant in the city centre
and we were shown to a private room that had a small circular table, decorated
with tea light and flowers and soft music was playing in the background.

“Wow” I
whispered and his hand swept my hair to the side from behind me as he planted a
small kiss to the nape of my neck.

“I figured
we needed some alone time, baby.”

I nodded and
turned my face to kiss him. “It’s stunning” I smiled and his thumb swept over
my cheekbone.

“Very” he
whispered, as his eyes never left my face.

The waitress
pulled out my chair and tucked me in as I sat and handed me my menu. “Would you
like to taste the wine while you choose, Sir?” she asked and I could swear she
fluttered her lashes at Mason.

I glared at
her as she couldn’t take her eyes off him but she didn’t even notice me as I shivered
at the her address to Mason, every time I heard someone say ‘Sir’ it always
reminded me of Dane.

Mason
frowned at me and I shook my head faintly. “Yes please” he smiled at the
waitress and her blush spread from her neck all the way up to her cheeks, the
usual female response to Mason’s smile.

I rolled my
eyes at her obvious longing as she poured a mouthful of white wine into a glass
and Mason tasted it. He nodded and grinned at her and I narrowed my eyes on him
as she gave him her sweetest smile, showing her perfect white teeth.

I noticed
the way she pulled her shoulders back slightly to make her breasts look larger
and I think Mason noticed too as he quickly looked at me and I wondered if he
was struggling to keep his eyes on me rather than her chest.

She
half-filled our glasses with the wine. “Can I get you anything else, Sir?” she
asked again.

“Can you
call him Mr Fox please?” I grated through my teeth, trying to suppress another
shiver. She eyed me curiously as though I had two heads and I sighed heavily
“Please” I tipped my head at her suddenly feeling exhausted. She nodded but I
knew she didn’t like it.

 “Could you
leave us for a moment please?” Mason asked and she turned to him and nodded
with a grin.

“Of course,
Sir.”

I bit my lip
at her obvious ignorance and I saw Mason eyes darken and he looked up at her
slowly as his eyebrows rose but she had already turned to leave.

“Baby?
What’s wrong?” he asked with concern and I shook my head, feeling foolish at my
behaviour. “Tell me, Ava” he demanded softly and I chewed on my little finger.

His eyes
dropped to my mouth and he reached across and pulled it away, wrapping his
fingers around mine. “Baby, talk to me.”

I picked up
my fork and started fiddling with it. “Dane made me… I had to call him… Sir” I
revealed.

Mason’s face
darkened. “Oh baby” he sighed but I shrugged.

“It’s just
me being stupid but when I hear it… well it kind of… you know” I explained and
he smiled softly at me.

“Yeah” was
all he said but I knew he understood my discomfort.

“Do you
think you’ll be able to talk about it?” he asked and I knew he wanted to know
what had happened in that room but I just shrugged.

“I dunno,
maybe… one day.”

I glanced at
him and he held my gaze. “Ava don’t be… don’t be worried about my reaction. If
it will help to talk then…” I took a gulp of wine and sighed.

“I was thinking
of going back to see Dr Greene.”

I picked up
my fork again, fiddling with it so I wouldn’t have to look at Mason.

“If you
think it’ll help” he said and I could hear the disappointment in his voice.

“Mason” I
held his eyes as I spoke. “I don’t think you’ll… I know, you won’t like… well,
it’ll hurt you if I tell you what…” I looked away as the waitress returned.

“Have you
chosen, Sir?” she asked and I grit my teeth as I shivered.

This time
Mason noticed and he turned slowly to look at her. “If you call me Sir one more
time I will personally make sure you never work in another restaurant again, my
Fiancé has asked you to call me by my name and I’d appreciate if you could honour
that request” he glared at her as she squirmed.

“Yes of
course Mr Fox, please accept my apologies” she hummed and Mason sighed.

“You could
start by apologising to my Fiancé, not me” he snapped.

She bit her
bottom lip as if it would cost her, her life to address me. “I’m really sorry,
Miss” she grated out with a smirk and I curled my lip at her but didn’t answer.
She turned to Mason once more “Are you ready to order
Sir
… Mr Fox?” I could
see the glint in her eye.

“Just one moment”
I sighed.

I stood and
left the room and made my way over to the Maître d. “Is it possible to speak
with the manager please?” I asked.

He frowned
at me but smiled. “Of Course, one moment Miss” he disappeared into a door
behind him and I started wondering if it was such a good idea to leave her
alone with Mason, she was probably straddled across his knee already.

 “Miss Stone?”
A young dark haired Italian man spoke and I tipped my head in query and smiled
at him.

“Are you the
manager?” I asked thinking he was rather young to be running his own restaurant.

“I am, Ben
Rossi, pleasure to meet you Miss Stone” he smiled and showed me his brilliant
white teeth.

I held out
my hand to him. “Hi, I’m dining with Mason Fox in the private room and I’m
having trouble, what shall I say,
warming
to the waitress. She’s rude,
arrogant and she looks at my fiancé like she wants to rip his pants off and sit
in his lap.” His eyebrows rose. “And I was wondering if it would be possible to
substitute her with a different waitress or am I allowed to…
modify
her
without the risk of getting arrested?” I smiled.

He looked at
the floor and I noticed him trying to hide his grin. “I will personally see
that a replacement is made immediately and please accept my apology for the
behaviour of one of my employees, I shall make sure I…
modify
her myself”
he gave me a wry smile and his eyes lit with humour. I tipped my head at him.

“Thank you
so much, I’ll make sure Mason tips well” I smirked and winked.

He smiled
again as I turned and walked back to our room and Ben followed me through the
door, to where I found our waitress sat in my chair, leaning over the table
towards Mason, showing him her ample cleavage.

I harrumphed
and glowered at Mason, whose eyes were wider than the waitress’s huge arse!

 “Clarissa!”
Ben growled behind her and she flew off the chair and stood to attention at the
sound of his voice. “Come with me please” he said pleasantly but I could hear
the underlying anger in his voice. Her eyes shifted quickly to mine as she
stared daggers and I raised my eyebrows at her.

She muttered
something under her breath and turned to Mason, a sly smile curving on her lips.
“Don’t forget to call me Mason” she simpered and I sucked in a breath.

“OUT!” Ben
bellowed as I bit my cheek and clasped my hands together before I dragged her
across the room by her hair and forced her fake smile through her large arse.

“I’m so
sorry about Clarissa, I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again” Ben apologised
but I only had eyes for Mason who looked thoroughly guilty and I wondered if he
had actually took her number.

 Ben and
Clarissa left the room and I stood glaring at Mason. “Sit down, Ava” he sighed
but I narrowed my eyes on him. He held up a piece of paper that looked remotely
like a napkin, screwed it up and threw it across the room.

My brows hit
my hairline. “So you did actually take it then” I scoffed and he glared at me.

“Sit down”
he demanded.

I huffed but
sat and he cocked his head at me. “Baby, sometimes it’s easier to just take
their number and throw it than keep fighting them off” he stated and I snorted.

“And how
many do you actually throw away Mason and how many go in your pocket?” I asked
through gritted teeth.

He narrowed
his eyes. “Ava…” he cautioned but I shook my head.

“And while
we’re on the subject of your many tarts, do you want to explain what happened
with you and Rebecca, while were ‘
talking
’.” I drained my wine and
filled it up straight away.

 He pinched
his temples and let out a heavy sigh. “Are we just going to argue all night?”
he tested quietly and I bit my lip.

“I dunno,
are we? It wasn’t me ogling the fucking waitress” I retorted.

His head
snapped up as his eyes bore into me intently. “I was not ogling the waitress”
he exclaimed and I scoffed and shook my head at him.

“Mason,
nobody gives their number out if they haven’t been encouraged. Shall I just go
up to somebody in the restaurant and say ‘here’s my number, ring me’?”

His lip
curled and he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “For fucks sake Ava, I
didn’t encourage her. What the hell is wrong with you tonight?” he demanded and
I huffed in disbelief.

“Does it not
occur to you that I might have reason to not trust you? After Rebecca, Blondie
and now back to Rebecca and whoever else you’ve fucked while you’ve been
fuelled up on fucking coke, Mason?” I seethed.

He cringed
but scowled at me, his eyes dark and flinty. “Well?” I asked smugly.

“Ava please
don’t do this now, we’re supposed to be having a nice evening together.”

I reared
back, “I thought you brought me here to talk, so talk!” I ordered.

He rubbed his
face in his hands and groaned. “Why do you have to be so difficult?” he asked
and I scoffed.

“Me? Is this
your sneaky little way of changing the subject away from your ‘fuck whore’?”

I was on a
roll now and I could tell from his expression that he was doing exactly that… changing
the subject and I was starting to be a little concerned why.

A waiter
entered the room and smiled politely at us. “Good evening, I’m Michael and I’m
your new waiter for the evening. Are you ready to order?” he smiled and I think
he caught the atmosphere.

“I’ll just
take Steak and salad please” I told him with a huge smile on my face. His lips
curled slightly as he perused me and then he nodded as he wrote down my order.

“Anything
else Ma’am?” he asked and I tipped my head and pursed my lips.

“Let’s see,
is there anything else you can help me with?” I asked with a twinkle in my eye

“Ava…” Mason
hissed but I ignored him. See how you like it!

Michael gave
me a cocky smile and raised an eyebrow at me. “What did you have in mind Miss?”
he asked cockily.

I snatched
up a napkin and scribbled my phone number down and passed it to him.
“Apparently it’s perfectly normal for me to give you my number… so here you
are” I grinned and his eyes widened as he flicked a glance towards Mason, who
swiftly seized the napkin.

“What the
fuck, Ava?” he raged but I shrugged and turned back to Michael.

“Just the
steak and salad then” I scowled playfully and I could see him trying to sustain
a smile as he turned to Mason.

“Are you
ready to order, Sir?” he asked.

I groaned
loudly, my temper finally blowing. “For god’s sake his name is fucking Mason,
you got that? - ‘
Mason
’.” I took a deep breath and fought back the urge
to vomit all over the table. “In fact, just forget it” I stood up, my chair
flying backwards and I reached for my bag.

“Ava! Sit
fucking down and behave” Mason ordered and my head shot up.

You are
my Master and I must behave, Sir.

“Yes,
Master” I shouted and strode out of the room, my temper frayed and my teeth
nervously chattering and the vomit was seriously threatening to surface.

If I heard
‘Sir’ one more time tonight I think I might actually pass out. The nausea was
rising rapidly and I was starting to panic, tears filling my eyes and spilling
onto my cheeks as I heard the words repeatedly in my head and I sucked on my
lips and raced out of the building, swiftly looking for somewhere to throw up.

I felt
Mason’s hands wrap around my upper arms as he swung me round. “Ava! What the…”
he didn’t finish as I spewed spectacularly all over his crisp black Armani
shirt and trousers… at least you wouldn’t see the stain with the colour of the
shirt.

“
Fuck!”
 
He growled and stepped back.

“Just fuck
off and leave me alone” I shouted as I scanned the area for a place to
substitute a toilet for.

I spotted a
flower bed and successfully reached it as I continued my stomach explosion. The
words were still flying through my head as I retched and I grabbed at my hair,
pulling it desperately as I tried to take the concentration off my thoughts and
onto the pain but they were getting louder and I sunk to my knees, tears
streaming down my face.