After all, I’m a prime example of just because you trust someone doesn’t mean they aren’t disloyal.
Chapter Nine
Mason
“I took a chance coming in here because I’m worried. You ignored my calls last night. You didn’t answer the door when I stopped by your house, and now you are screwing up those million-dollar hands. Stop, Mason, and talk to me.” I lift a brow. Either she’s genuinely concerned or dumb as hell. Natalie never comes to our house. She knows better.
For her sake, it’s a good thing she didn’t come by when Eden was home. Natalie wouldn’t be standing here right now. She’d be whipping her face off the floor. Or lack of one if Eden was to go at her.
Natalie places her hands on her hips, gaze darting up and down my bare sweaty torso.
There’s no lust, nothing in her eyes, but the set determination for me to give her the go-ahead to set up the boxing match.
How I wish I could.
I internally scoff as my arm glides through the air, my hand taking a brutal hit. Money making hands my ass. It’s these very ones that have been itching to take a swing at someone other than what I’ve been doing.
The ones that didn’t hold his wife last night. The ones that blew up her phone every damn minute all night long, just begging for her to tell me she was safe. The ones that are itching like a scratch you can’t reach to touch her.
Fuck these hands.
“Was it you?” I grit out. Voice defensive, attitude a whole lot ready to drive me mad to get to the bottom of who and why someone decided to butt into my business.
Natalie’s hands go to her throat. A throat I’ll cut if she betrayed me. An incredulous shocking look appears on her face.
Falling into thought, Eden’s snide remarks about Natalie come to mind. I can’t help to wonder if this is the work of my agent. Does she think I’d leave my wife for her? Has she been after me all this time and jumped on the opportunity to fuck with my marriage? My gaze drops from her face to her eyes. I can’t for the life of me believe she isn’t loyal to me.
If Natalie has been acting all this time, if she is behind this, I will drive her out of this town with a fake Oscar for her performance in acting.
No matter how all fingers point in her direction, though, she wouldn’t take my trust and betray me by ratting me out like that. Not like I betrayed my wife.
If Natalie did, her sordid past would come back and bite her in the ass, and I know that is something she’d just soon forget.
The more I think about the blindside, the more I see red.
There’s someone out there wanting to destroy me. I know there is. I intend to find out who right after I get my wife back.
“I sure hope you aren’t accusing me of being the one to spill a story that wasn’t mine to spill. I work for you, Mason, not the other way around. You handled them well, by the way. You gave them enough to go on to keep them wondering.” There’s too much enthusiasm in her tone for my liking.
I say nothing as I drive my fist into the punching bag a little harder. “I didn’t do jack shit except speak the fucking truth for once in a couple of years.”
“I know that. Listen, Mason, we need to take advantage of the media knowing. Hell, this is a much better advertisement than I can give you. If you are angry about the press finding out, then don’t be. I promise Jacob’s team is far from upset. I talked to his agent, who put me on a conference call with Jacob and his publicist. He said he’s in if you’d be willing to sit down and talk one on one. Of course, I don’t think that’s a good idea to sit in on anything without me, but you can do whatever you want. The only one not happy about this is Scott.”
Rage swells. I need to get hold of Scott, my publicist, to clean this shit up before the media turns it into a circus. I wouldn’t blame Scott if he told me to fuck off and find another publicist. He’s left me messages — all I sent to voicemail last night and this morning. I was a little distracted if that’s what one wants to call the havoc I created on my marriage.
I can’t contain my anger any longer. If Natalie is the one catching the brunt of it, then so be it. She needs to back the hell off and give me room to breathe.
“You did what? The hell is wrong with you, woman? I asked you not to do anything. What part of that is hard to understand? I get you had to explain to Jacob’s team, but you had no right to go further. Didn’t you say you work for me?”
Blood rushes to the tips of my fingers. I’m pissed.
“Well, excuse the hell out of me for trying to do my job. There’s a lot to be done, you know. I’m not going to let this opportunity slip through my fingers. Not a chance in hell.” She takes a step back, crosses her arms over her chest, and lifts her brows in a challenge.
Any other day, I’d tell her to go full steam ahead, today isn’t that day. I doubt there will ever be a day she’ll negotiate for me again.
“You don’t stop, do you? You push and push. Don’t get me wrong; it’s how you roll. Damn it, though, Natalie, let up on that shit for a hot minute. Can’t you see I’m not in the mood for it? Someone fed the tabloids a story. I sure didn’t tell anyone, that leaves you. So tell me why I wouldn’t suspect you?”
The need to obliterate. To cause physical pain folds in around me. But it’s directed at me.
Fuck, me.
“I am telling you right now; I did not do it. We’ve met in public dozens of times, Mason. Yes, we should have gone somewhere secluded. We both know why we didn’t, and that is my fault. We tried to be quiet and discreet. It’s obvious we weren’t. I don’t have an explanation to ease your mind, but I swear I will get to the bottom of this. I don’t appreciate you accusing me of something I didn’t do.”
“Someone leaked and that someone has a reason.” The fuck if I can think of why someone would come after me. Not that I give a shit if they do. Let them.
There’s someone out there wanting to stir shit up. The problem is, I have no idea who.
Those thoughts have me grunting and throwing punch after punch. My wrists are snapping back from the contact — the impact is stinging like a bitch.
I welcome it.
I need to feel the pain. Let it course through me until it zaps my heart. Taking it out of shock and shocking it back to life.
I hurt my wife like I knew I would. I hate being responsible for it.
I hate that I want to tell Natalie to do her job so bad I can taste it.
“Oh, my God. You are losing your mind. What the hell is going on? Do you think that I would have a reason other than you getting what you want? If so, by all means, share it with me, Mason. I push because I believe you can do it. I push because I care about your state of mind. I push because it’s my job. The press can find out just about anything; this is Hollywood, after all. You and I of all people know how they work. They sniff around worse than dogs in heat.”
She starts to pace. I’ve no doubt her mind is running back to her scandal.
“God, I hate the media. They have no shame when it comes to privacy. They feed and feed, not caring who they hurt. You honestly don’t believe it was me when all I’ve done is support your wants, do you? You know I’ll find out who is behind this and take care of it. Now stop, or your hands are going to bleed. Tell me why you are so angry? I know you, Mason, there’s more going on inside you than the leak. It’s Eden. She said no. She didn’t listen, did she?” My chest tightens as I try blocking everything out just for a moment of peace.