Turning Lena asked, "I don't understand. What is it you expect me to do? I'm not his keeper. He hates me."
Wendy shook her head. "No he doesn't. He hates what you did."
Lena sucked in a deep breath and Wendy nodded, "Yes. We all know. We're family, but he doesn't hate you."
Shelly took Lena’s arm and whispered, "I'll come with you."
Lena turned toward her friend and looked at her as though she were insane. "You'll come with me where?"
"To rescue you're stupid prince." she paused blowing out a big sigh. "Do you really want that slimy witch on him?"
Right now as Lena looked over at Trisha clinging to Mason's neck she thought she didn't care what happened to him, but that wasn't true. Although she felt she would regret it she glared at both Wendy and Shelly and dropped her bag on the seat and huffed out, "Fine." and marched toward what she knew was about to be an ugly battle.
Mason's head was fuzzy and Trisha was sitting on his lap stroking his hair like an animal. It was starting to really annoy the shit out of him but he was to drunk to do anything about it. Originally he’d decided to drown himself in scotch then Trisha had arrived and he’d changed his mind and decided to drown himself in her instead. Now as he sat here with her clinging to him and petting him like a prized Labrador he thought, big fucking mistake.
"Oh I've missed you so much Mase." she cooed into his ear.
Her perfume was overly flowery and was tickling his nose so much he thought he was having an allergic reaction to it. Then he laughed to himself because he thought it was hilarious that he could actually be allergic to her instead. He felt her mouth and her warm breath on his ear right before a tongue flicked out and traced it. He shivered and not in a good way, what the hell was he doing? He was about to push her off, when he heard a woman beside them comment, "Well, isn't this cozy?"
Mason looked around Trisha's shoulder and almost pushed her to the floor when he spotted Dr Shelly Monroe and Dr Lena O'Donnell standing at his bar. It seemed as though the scathing comment had delivered by Dr Monroe, since Lena was glaring at him with a look of pure disgust. So instead of dumping Trisha on the floor Mason wrapped his arms around her waist and hauled her onto his lap. She let out an ear piercing giggle and he watched Lena's eyes narrow and Shelly arch a brow.
"Evening Dr's." he managed and was impressed he didn’t slur his words.
"Casanova." Shelly said tipping her chin down in greeting and then glared at Trisha when she giggled.
"Casanova? What does she mean?"
That's when Lena decided to step in and unpin her first grenade. "She means he's a player. Didn't you know that Trisha? He was dubbed that in a national article?"
Trisha ran a hand down his chest and Lena watched the move with narrowed eyes and a fury he’d never seen on her. She looked absolutely murderous and then her eyes turned to him and she just looked disgusted. He couldn't honestly say he blamed her but he'd be damned if he admitted it.
"Really?" Trisha asked leaning in about to kiss his cheek. He pulled his head away and Lena rolled her eyes. Trisha didn't seem bothered and then asked him, "I thought Casanova was a great lover? The ladies all wanted to be the one with him, maybe that’s why they call you that Mase."
Shelly snorted and Lena raised her hand to the bartender. Greg, came down and she ordered herself a White Russian and Mason felt a jolt go through him, remembering a night when he’d made her White Russian's. A night that had ended with him in her bed for the first time. Lena turned then and moved around Shelly to stop beside them, looking over Trisha as though she were a bug under her shoe. He also remembered the first time these two had met and it had gone completely different, Lena had been intimidated then. Whoever that Lena had been she was not here tonight. Tonight, pissed off, grenade throwing Lena was in full force and she had her target locked on Trisha and him.
"No Trisha." she said slowly as though she were talking to a two year old. Shelly was watching from behind Lena and her eyes were twinkling at him as though she knew he was about to get his ass kicked and she was looking forward to the show.
"One of Casanova's favorite and most appropriate quotes is, 'Desire is only kept alive by being denied: enjoyment kills it, since one cannot desire what one has got' so what do you think that means for you?"
Mason felt Trisha sit up on his lap and his eyes narrowed over her shoulder at the pissed off Lena. She was fuming mad and she was directing it all, surprisingly, at Trisha. He was sure he was the one that deserved it, and honestly she was cutting him down by saying he slept around, but right at this moment he almost feared for Trisha's life. Completely disregarding him as though he was not there Lena moved in closer and put a hand on the bar and narrowed her eyes on Trisha.
"And do you know what they say about desperation Trisha?"
Trisha blinked at her and shook her head, Mason almost groaned knowing she was walking right into that one.
"It stinks."
Lena sniffed the air picking up her glass and taking a sip, "In this case like a bad floral arrangement."
Shelly let out a loud laugh and Mason couldn't help it, he did too. Trisha jumped down off his lap and turned to face him. "Why are you laughing at me? That wasn't funny Mason." and she was right, it’d been bitchy, but Trisha was the queen when it came to bitchiness, she was just upset that tonight she’d been out bitched.
Lena shrugged and looked her up and down once more. "You should cut your losses Trisha."
Then she flicked her eyes to him and for the first time, he felt nothing there. They were empty and cold as she turned back to Trisha
"He's drunk. He doesn't really want you, he's just looking to escape. Do you really want to be that?"
Mason sat up straight now and his mouth fell open, "Hang on a minute."
Lena's eyes flicked back to him. "No you hang on a minute. You should be ashamed of yourself."
Trisha's mouth fell open and she picked her purse up. "I'm gonna go." she turned to Mason, leaned in and kissed his cheek, she whispered call me but he was to busy glaring holes at the infuriating woman in front of him to care. She turned and walked away without either of them noticing.
"Excuse me? This is my place in case you’ve forgotten." he said on a deathly whisper.
She didn't back down however, she moved in close and asked. "Have you?"
He blinked at her and tried to focus, the alcohol was swirling through his head and his eyes kept losing focus. "Have I what?"
"Forgotten that this is your place? You look horrible."
Mason's mouth snapped shut and he stood. "Fuck you."
He watched as she tossed her hair back over her shoulder and reached out to take his glass of scotch, she downed it in a quick gulp then placed the glass back and sneered up at him.
"I'm sorry, that option is no longer available to you Casanova."
She might as well have just said , asshole. "What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded.
"I'm here with work. I was about to leave when Wendy begged me to rid you of the fungus growing to your arm." she paused and looked him over again in a way that said she didn't find one thing about him appealing.
"Do yourself a favor Langley, go home and take a shower. Shave, cut your hair and pretend to be the man you use to be. At least for the people around you."
He moved in closer infuriated by her. After all, knowing she was telling him the truth and hearing it, were two totally different things.
"Where do you get off telling me what to do?" he hissed leaning down at her. "What right do you have?"