She wasn’t. More than anything, she was confused. If she talked now, she’d open herself to a barrage of questions she couldn’t answer. Not because she didn’t want to, but because she was unable to, which was a big reason why she didn’t bring it up in the meeting and why she had to be vague about it all now.
Didn’t matter that talking about the specifics wasn’t an option with Viola. Even if she had someone outside of work to talk to, she doubted she could even begin to articulate what was going on. She’d have to get a handle on this all by herself.
“I’ll be okay.” There was no other option. She’d either power through and deal with all this after the assignment was over. Or…or she could use her time on this case to dig a little into her sexuality—to see if this was something she wanted to pursue in life or if she was just making the best out of the situation. There was no reason she couldn’t do both.
Viola’s lips pressed together in obvious disbelief. Shelby couldn’t blame her. The woman shouldn’t believe she was okay. After staring at her for several seconds, her head jerked in a quick nod. “All right. But invitation still stands. I have a feeling as this investigation continues, you’re going to need it.”
“You and me both,” Shelby muttered. “You and me both.”
“Carl keeps rambling on about the Culpeper Hedge Fund. Did you get it resolved?” William asked Mason as his boss sat across from him in his office Monday morning.
Friday night with Shelby had been damn near perfect, and he’d spent the rest of the weekend allowing himself to relive many of those precious moments in his head. If he had it to do over again, it would be to omit Rafe from the evening. But since he’d started Shelby’s four-part learning experience and submission test with the help of his partners, he couldn’t change the plan now. His colleagues would grow suspicious as to why he was suddenly acting like a dog guarding his favorite toy.
Which was exactly how he felt. He wasn’t one to believe in an immediate attraction like this, but he couldn’t explain his reaction to himself either. Shelby was a breathtakingly beautiful woman, one who wanted to experience something he lived for. When a Dom connected with a sub on that level, it was magical. Or so he’d always believed. He’d never felt like this with a new sub before. Or any woman prior to meeting Shelby. Feeling anything beyond the need to teach her the ways of the lifestyle wasn’t part of the deal, so he needed to stick to the new plan. As much as he hated the idea even more so now, his partners must be included in her scenes.
Those guys being there with Mason might keep him from becoming too attached to her. He couldn’t lose his control over his emotions. It was why he’d brought his partners in to assist. And yet…he couldn’t wait until this Friday when he’d be able to see her again.
Yes, he was conflicted. He didn’t like having a grasp on what was happening, but he’d taken measures to mitigate any damages. Now it was best to just put it aside and focus on work. No matter what, he was always the type of man that could shut down his personal side for business matters. And with Carl running around blabbing to anybody who’d listen, it was very important that Mason do just that. He squared his shoulders and looked at his boss. He’d dealt with Shelby as best he could, and now he must handle this issue. At least with business, he could be totally emotionless.
“There’s nothing to resolve. He found some things he thought looked suspicious and started throwing around dangerous words like fraud and front-running. I told him that Fieldstein and Baxter did not engage in illegal activity.” Mason stared at William. The silence stretched, thickening into something else. A challenge, he knew. But Mason refused to back down.
“Do you think he’s a threat?” William finally asked.
Mason shrugged as he shuffled some papers on his desk. “Don’t know. If he goes to the feds, it’d surely throw us into an audit. They protect whistleblowers and don’t think too kindly of people who are allegedly stealing money.”
“What do you propose we do? We can’t just let him go around waving a bunch of red flags.”
Mason crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. “Don’t worry, William. You asked me to handle this, and I’m on it.”
William glared at him. “Just what the hell are you going to do about it?”
It was time to dangle the carrot in front of the jack-ass-rabbit. “It’s best if you don’t know. The fewer people who are in on this, the better. Trust me. I know the score.” He leveled his stare, conveying with actions what words would not do.
The other man stood. “Don’t get fucking caught. I’m not spending time in jail over this shit.”
Got you. His response implied there were other shady dealings he deemed more worthy being involved in that could result in prison time. How the man lasted this long in business had Mason wondering just how far his treachery went. He readied himself for any clue William might drop.
“Sometimes, legality is just a frame of mind, William. There’s too much gray area for there to always be right and wrong. Don’t you agree?” He smiled as he remembered telling Shelby something similar the other night. It was interesting how many things didn’t fit into one mold or another, regardless of the topic.
His boss left without responding, and Mason just sat there staring after him.
