Page 94 of Mr. Almost

I’m seething mad. This is my place of work. I don’t care that he is the CEO. I refuse to accept special treatment because of him. If hewasn’t the CEO, that little act of dominance would have gotten me fired, and rightly so.

Stalking into the office behind the front desk, I make eye contact with Tristen. She nods, letting me know she can cover for a minute.

Once the door closes behind Mason, I lay into him.

“That was completely unacceptable. I’m not some tree you can posture around and piss on to mark your territory. I know that you own this hotel and you feel you can do whatever you want, but this is my job. I take it very seriously. My reputation with our guests is important to me. Even the slimy ones. You can’t interfere with that.”

He moves closer to me. “I won’t stand by and let some scumbag flirt with my girlfriend. Especially when I know he is married and has two children. He is a complete loser.”

“That doesn’t matter. What he is or isn’t should not be a concern. You should have faith that I know how to handle myself. That I will turn him down because not a single other man is even on my radar.”

“It’s not about trust. It’s about wanting to protect you. I’m going to talk to Max. I think you would be better suited in the office.”

“Excuse me?” My tone drops to a deadly tone.

I’m no longer angry. I am fucking beyond livid. He’s about to flip the bitch switch. The one where I’m so angry, I start crying.

“It would be better for you and me.”

“If you speak to Max, consider our relationship terminated. I can’t believe you would even think I would even consider moving to the offices.” My eyes are tearing up now. I can feel the first one falling. “That you wouldn’t even consider what that office reminds me of. That I’m traumatized because of it. It’s so bad that every time I can, I get one of the other employees to do a run up there if needed. Now you think you can just make a decision about my job without considering how I would feel about that? Maybe I’ve been wrong about you. I won’t deal with controlling behavior, Mason. There are things in my life that you are not allowed to have a vote on. My job is one of them.”

“I’m not trying to take the decision away from you. I’m just trying to do what’s best for you.”

I snort, tears freely flowing now. “The fact that you feel that way has me concerned. Isn’t that the same reasoning your mother gave you about asking me to kill our child?”

That question has him standing stock-still in shock.

“Livvy…” He trails off, swallowing a lump in his throat.

“What, Mason?” I can hear the exasperation in my tone.

I’m expecting an argument. For him to make his demands and this to be the end of it all. I knew it was going too well. I had just gotten comfortable. I’m not allowed to be happy. I know this.

Then he surprises me.

He runs a hand over his mouth. “You’re right. It’s not right of me. I told Max to leave me out of business decisions regarding you because I can’t be impartial. This just proves it. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have stepped in, and I shouldn’t have tried to force a change on you.”

“No, you shouldn’t have. I get hit on all the time. I know how to brush them off. I’m committed to you. You need to trust me.”

“I do. It’s not you that’s the problem. My jealousy got the best of me. That and I never liked Clint much. I only accepted the meeting because his company is looking to sign an exclusive contract for all their travel needs. It would have been a lucrative deal for us, but it’s not worth it. Not to work with someone with his ethics,” Mason tells me.

“That’s no excuse,” I remind him, holding firm.

“There is no excuse. I need to do better. I know that. This isn’t a you issue, it’s me. I’m still new to this whole relationship thing. If you can be patient with me and forgive me for my mistakes, I’m willing to learn.” He steps forward, grabbing my hands. “I have dealt with my mother trying to make decisions for me my entire life. Ones that are supposed to be for my benefit. It has only gotten worse since my father died. I never want to be like that. To you or to Ari. We are partners. We make decisions together. I won’t say I don’t want a vote oneverything, but we can at least talk it all out and come up with a decision together, right?”

He’s making concessions. He’s taking the initiative to make things right. He’s not running.

“Okay. We can talk everything out, but I get the final decision if it doesn’t affect you.”

“Deal.”

He pulls me into his arms, kissing the top of my head.

“I’d say we survived our first fight as a couple, wouldn’t you?” he whispers against my ear.

“We have.”

“I care about you so much, please don’t give up on me. I’m rough around the edges, but I’m worth it. I promise I will be worth it. I’ll put in the work.”

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