Grand Lies by JC Hawke

12

Nina

This ishow every Monday morning should start—cocooned in the strong arms of Mason Lowell. I smile into his chest, thankful he turned up last night, right when I needed him.

Sleep came fast and hard, the sexcapades of the weekend catching up with us both. He held me all night, and the thought of moving right now seems insane, but I made a promise to myself last night, and it starts with him.

Lucy was right. I’ve known Mason a week, and if I’m honest, I’m in deeper than I should be. I should be able to walk away. Our time together so far has been chaos—toxic even.

It’s time I moved forward. I won’t let my mother’s story control my own. It may be where mine began, but it won’t be how mine ends.

Strong arms squeeze me tight, making me feel safe. I smile wide as I try to move closer.

“What are you smiling at? You know what it gets you,” he says, his voice deep and rough from sleep.

“What does it get me, Mase?” I hum.

He lifts my chin, planting a soft kiss on my lips. “It gets you fucked, angel,” he says, moving to kiss my neck, then dipping lower, sucking down my throat until his mouth wraps around my puckered nipple through the thin cotton fabric. My back bows off the bed, demanding more, craving more.

“Mase?” I purr.

His head lifts from my chest in answer, the light streaming in through the window illuminating his face. My heart physically aches. He is so beautiful, his dark hair a tousled mess, his jaw sporting a light coating of stubble. I trace his crooked nose with my index finger, trying my best to memorise every inch of him and this tender moment between us—both sated from sleep and lost in nothing but each other.

My finger moves to the seam of his full lips, gently tracing along the dark edges.

He kisses the tip of my finger fondly, his eyes lazy and locked on mine. “Well, now I can’t fuck you,” he moans, rolling his eyes and completely ruining the moment.

He climbs above me, arranging my legs accordingly.

“What?” I giggle. “What are you doing?”

He settles himself between my legs, his body blanketing my own. He takes my hands in his, locking them together and lifting them above my head.

“I don’t know, but I can’t fuck you right now,” he says, his eyes darkening.

“Mase?” I smile nervously, goosebumps coating my body.

He doesn’t wait, swooping down and taking my lips in a deep kiss as he slides into me in the same moment. His mouth falls open as he stretches me, stilling inside me.

“Fuck,” he groans, his nose dusting across my own. “Baby, you feel so good.”

He’s too much, too big, too gentle, too beautiful. He overwhelms me in every possible way, but instead of allowing the panic that threatens to push him away and break the connection, I let him in, giving him my eyes.

He begins to move inside of me, slowly, tenderly, with deep rolls of his hips.

Mason has only ever been dominant with me. Pulling and pushing me in a way I have grown to crave in such a short space of time. But instead of my head flying back to the mattress, my body fighting its way to a release, I hold his eyes.

Each thrust, each kiss, it’s all an afterthought, insignificant compared to the look in our eyes. It’s petrifying. He isn’t a part of my outline, he’s just a subplot. In the end he will be gone, barely remembered in the story.

So why is he taking the ink and seeping himself into my soul?

* * *

Mase sitswith his back against my headboard. A coffee in one hand and his phone in the other. His head pops up when I walk into the room, fresh from a shower and still in my towel.

“Come here,” he demands.

I go to him, moving to sit on the edge of the bed, but he grabs me by the hips and pulls me to straddle him.

“I’m going to be late. You’re going to be late,” I complain, but make no move to get up.

“I promise you won’t be late, Nina.” He leans in, planting a soft kiss on my lips. “I need to apologise for what I said to you on Saturday night. It was a heat of the moment comment, which is no excuse. I know I hurt you.”

I drop my head, sitting quietly for a moment, not knowing what to say.

He lifts my chin. “Say something.”

I swallow hard, unsure what the right thing to say is. “I want to start fresh, forget about everything that’s happened.”

“Start fresh.” He frowns. “That simple?”

I lean into him, giving him a long, deep kiss. “Nothing’s ever that simple, Mase.” I smile sadly. “But as far as my mum goes, I want you to forget. I can deal with her. If I need your support, I will ask for it, and I’d like to think you’d do the same with your dad. I only want to know the things you’re ready to tell me.” I pause, thinking about my journey home with Vinny. “I actually have a confession to make, and you aren’t allowed to get mad.”

He frowns, waiting.

“I was in the car with Vinny when you called him on Sunday morning, and I was the one who sent you my number. I needed a lift home and didn’t know who else to call. I asked Vinny not to tell you. I’m sorry. For leaving… and about your dad.” I drop my shoulders, feeling like a weight has been lifted.

He pushes a lock of hair behind my ear. “Vinny already told me.”

My eyes shoot wide. “What?”

“I pay him a lot of money to tell me, Nina. He called after dropping you off at the studio.”

“That bastard! So I can’t trust Vinny. Great.”

Vinny was my favourite.

He chuckles at my dramatics. “Vinny’s a safe bet. If you ever need to trust a man, you’d be wise to pick him.”

I roll my eyes. They clearly have a good relationship with the way they both seem to defend one another.

Mason seems to be lost in thought, staring at his hand on my hip.

“What is it?”

He lets out a deep breath, hesitating before speaking. “Nina, I need to tell you something, something I found when I looked you up. Purely for your flat number, I should add.”

“Yeah, okay, creeper,” I joke, trying to laugh off the knot forming in my stomach. “There’s nothing in my past I want to talk about.” I lick my lips, wanting to retreat away to my safe space again. “Please drop it.”

“I don’t think you know about what I found. I think it was hidden from you. I could be wrong, but—”

“What? What could you possibly know about me that I don’t already? I mean, it’s my flipping life after all.”

“Nina, calm down, please.” He cups my cheek, pulling his lip between his teeth.

Whatever it is, he doesn’t want to tell me.

Dread fills me.

“Tell me, now, Mason.”

He works on a swallow, rolling his lips. “Have you ever met your father?”

His hand clamps down on my waist the second I go to move. “Wait, please. You said you want to start fresh, and if I don’t tell you this now, then it will come back to bite me in the ass down the line.”

Down the line? Like the future?

“Have you? Ever met him?” he asks.

“No.”

“Okay, do you know anything about him?”

“He was a client, someone who tried to have me erased. My mother found out about me too late.” I run my tongue across the front of my teeth in contempt. The more I think about the woman, the more my blood boils.

He pulls me closer, smoothing a hand down my back. “I don’t think that’s true. Your mother has been receiving payments from someone since the day you were born. Every month, for the last twenty-eight years, Nina.”

I lean back, finding his eyes. I think I’m in shock. No words leave me.

“I have a name, if you want it.”

I shake my head, unable to find the words. “I don’t understand.”

“I think he’s your dad, and if the payments are for child maintenance, they aren’t small. It’s a lot of money.”

“I need to get to the studio. I have so much to prepare for the showcase.”

He lets me get up, and I start to dress on autopilot. He stands and reaches for me, clasping my hand in his.

“I’ll call Vinny. Get us a lift. I’m here if you need me, Nina.”

I nod, swallowing the bile that threatens to come up.

It’s all too much.

Fuck this.

* * *

Ninety-seven.The number of water droplets I’ve counted on the Audi’s rain-soaked glass. It’s all I can think about—until it’s not.

My father, the man I thought for years didn’t want a thing to do with me, who I thought didn’t even know about me, has been paying my mother maintenance.

He might know me. My name and definitely my age.

I never cared growing up. Why would I want a dad who was like the rest of them? The vile men who still haunt my dreams to this day. I had learnt to stop wondering, to stop hoping for him to show up, eventually latching onto John.

He was the one who took me to anything important, and when it was time for the dad race on sports day, it was always him who would go twice. Once for each of his girls.

What is my mother playing at? Is the money she has been receiving even for me? What if it’s something else? It still doesn’t explain why she would need more than what she gets from the government and me. The hurt is frustrating, I don’t want to feel a thing for her, not anymore.

I used to hold on to the memories. A handful of good that most would deem just standard parenting. The days she would turn up to school on time, looking fresh and happy. The times I’d open the cupboards and find food. And my favourite thing became something twisted. Whenever I hurt myself, the pain would bring me an embrace. She would hold me in her arms for a while, and life always seemed to feel a little less shit.

She has been lying to me for years, that much I’m sure of, but I don’t understand why? It’s all I’ve been able to think about since Mase told me. Is she that messed up that she didn’t want me to see him? Or does he just pay her to keep her away, to keep me away?

Mason’s strong hand latches onto my inner thigh, pulling my attention from the window. “Nina.”

I wait for him to say more, but he sits quiet, not saying a thing. He feels sorry for me. The pity is etched into the planes of his face.

“I’m fine, Mase.” I turn my face away, not being able to lie to him.

“Nina.”

“What?!” I snap.

He doesn’t hesitate as if he expected my irritation. “I won’t let you be alone in this. You need someone to talk to. Talk to me,” he says, pulling my hand to rest in his lap.

“I will call the girls later.”

I know he is trying, but I’m too far gone in my head right now to focus on him. I need space.

I wish I walked to work.

“I can find my own way home tonight.” I decide.

He stops fiddling with the bangle on my wrist. “You said we would start afresh?” The vulnerability in his voice has my eyes gravitating to his.

Guilt fills me. Maybe he needs me just as much as I do him.

I unbuckle my belt and climb into his lap, hiding my face in his neck like a child. I breathe him in, his woodsy scent grounding me.

“I meant what I said. I want to start fresh, but this” —I gesture between us— “it’s all too much. I have my showcase coming up, and you said yourself I need to get on top of the studio. So much threatens my dreams Mason, and not physically but mentally I can feel myself slipping.” I shake my head. “We don’t need to be one of those things. Just give me time.” I pull back to look at him. “Please?”

“Can I see you tonight?” he asks, pulling me closer.

I smile softly. This beautiful man wants to spend time with me. He’s known me a week and shows more worry for me than most have in my lifetime. “No. But I will call, just give me a few days.”

His shoulders drop, and he lets out a heavy sigh. “I don’t like this.”

“I know. But…” I roll my lips, giving him an inch. “I want to be ready for us, Mase, and right now, I don’t feel like I am. Just give me some time.”

He smiles down at me sadly as he leans in to kiss my temple. “Alright.”

* * *

Vinny followed me home.I’m not sure if he was trying to be discrete, but the Audi was always within a short distance behind me each time I looked back.

Running always allowed me time to think, so the urge to stop and get a lift was strong.

Knowing it is Mason being overprotective, I didn’t stop and bitch at Vinny for following me. If I’m honest, I don’t know how I would feel if the Audi wasn’t outside the studio after I finished work.

Mason’s thoughtfulness and need to keep me safe only makes me want him more. I’ve never had someone take such concern in my whereabouts. Maybe that’s one of the things that is holding me back.

I bend, my hands planted on my knees as my lungs gasp for air. Tilting my head up, I stare up at my building.

“You’re quick, girl!” Vinny smiles at me from the front seat.

He leans down on the passenger side and grabs a bottle of water then holds it out to me.

“Vinny, my apartment is right there. Tell your boss he needs to ease up on the plastic. He is already putting unnecessary emissions into the air by following me home.”

“I’ll be sure to tell him.” He smirks.

I know he won’t.

“See you later, Vinny. Thank you.” I wink, jogging up the steps.

The moment I get to my floor, I hear them, and I close my eyes in anticipation, wondering if I should go back to the studio.

Why are they even here?

I push into the apartment and find the entire living space in smoke. “What the hell?!”

“Nina! Hey, you’re home!” Lucy shouts.

I flap my hand in front of my face as I try to make them out through the smog. Lucy is on Megan’s shoulders, flapping a tea towel at the smoke alarm.

I begin to cough, the smoke being drawn into my lungs. “Jesus Christ!”

I rush to the window, opening it as far as it will go, then stalk to the kitchen where I grab the oven glove and throw the smouldering baking tray into the sink.

“Seriously?!”

Megan ducks down, letting Lucy fall to her feet.

“Chinese or Indian?” Luce cringes.

* * *

“What areyou guys even doing here?” I ask around a mouthful of noodles. The girls sit on the sofa behind me, both with towels wrapped on top of their heads. The apartment still smells like smoke, but at least we no longer do.

“Mason messaged,” Megan says casually.

“And told you what exactly?”

“That you needed us.”

“That’s it? That’s all he said? He didn’t say why?”

“Nope, he isn’t a chatty man, Nina.” Lucy shrugs.

“Sooo… what did he do?” Megan asks.

I face forward again and drop my head back to the sofa. “Nothing. Everything.”

“That’s fucking helpful,” Megan mumbles, poking me in the cheek with her toe.

“Get your foot out of my face!” I slap her away, using the moment to drop the bomb, hoping it will lessen the sting. “My mum has been receiving money from a man for the past twenty-eight years. From the day I was born.”

“What?” Lucy sobers, sliding down to the floor next to me, as Megan appears at my other side. “Do you think…”

“Yup.”

“And she didn’t tell you? Why?” Lucy bites out.

I shake my head, even though I’m certain of the answer. “I’ve been over it in my head all day. I presume he paid her to keep quiet. Mason said it was a lot of money. Maybe Mum was a dirty secret. She said he was a client.”

“Nina, why are you paying your mum money when she is already receiving it elsewhere? What is she spending it all on?”

“I have no idea, but I plan to put a stop to it.” I shake my head. “Mason called you?”

“Uh-huh. He called us.” Megan chuckles, nudging me with her elbow. “You want to talk about it?”

“No, but it beats the hell out of talking about my mum.” I sigh. “God, girls, I don’t even know where to start.”

“This is why we are here.” A glass of wine is slipped into my hand. “Start at the beginning.”

* * *

Mase

Seven days.

I knew she was stubborn, but to go a week, keeping me at a distance, and for what? How much time did she need? She calls every night, driving me nuts with her words, but still, she tells me she needs more time.

I’m just about done with waiting.

With London’s skyline laid out before me, I stand and look upon the people below, wondering what she is doing right now.

My intercom buzzes, Alice’s voice filling the room. “Mr Lowell, your father is on the phone.”

The old man is sober then.

I round the sofa and drop down at my desk. Taking in a deep breath before answering. “Dad?”

“Mason, my boy. How are you?”

I snicker, his false bravado not fooling me. “Me? Shouldn’t I be asking you that question?”

“I know. I promised you and your sister I’d get on top of it. And I am.”

“No, Dad, we need you to get off of it. Not on top of it.” I rub my hand down my face in frustration.

“Mason, I’m doing my best. I haven’t been drinking. Last week was just hard, with your mother’s anniversary—”

“Just stop,” I cut him off, refusing to allow the words to settle in me. I don’t want to be reminded of the day my mother left me.

“Your sister, she is cooking a meal for us tomorrow. She invited the Montgomerys and Charles. Did you want to ask anyone else?”

“No.”

“Okay, please don’t be late, Mason. Scarlet just wants some normalcy. We haven’t had you here for more than five minutes in years.”

I snicker into the phone. He has no idea.

“I’m trying, Mase. It’s all I can do right now.” I can hear him getting choked up, and it’s the last thing I need.

“I will be there. Tell Scar to send me the details.”

“I love you, son.” I hear him say just as the phone hits the cradle.

* * *

Nina

“Girls!”I yell at Vienna and Sophie, who seem to be more absorbed in what’s on the phone in Vienna’s hand than the routine we are working on.

“Ladies, if you want to leave, then go. I’m out to win, and you may be important to that goal, but I will replace you in a millisecond if you don’t get off that damn phone and nail this section.” I give them a nod and leave it at that, not wanting to seem like a complete hag.

For the most part, the girls all love me. We have a tight bond that I’ve spent the last year working for, and I make sure we have fun, but to keep it professional I have to have rules. They know this.

“Sorry,” Sophie says, moving to the back of the group. “Henry is in today, and Vee couldn’t help but insta stalk him.”

“Shameless! The lot of you,” I tease, shaking my head. “Last time from the dip to cross over, and we are taking a break.”

* * *

The girls smashit as always, making me more excited about the showcase. We seriously have a chance, I know it. As newcomers, I want to make waves, and these girls are my tsunami.

Skipping down the steps, I grin wide when I see Henry at the desk. The girls aren’t wrong. Henry is gorgeous—too young for me, but still, I can’t help but enjoy the eye candy down here.

His girlfriend Gemma is on the treadmill, and his eyes are glued to her.

“You look pervy,” I say, elbowing him, then waving to Gemma when she spots me.

“Nina,” he mutters in greeting, making a show of not looking away.

“You need to tone it down; you’ve got my girls all flustered.”

“Just your girls?” He eyes me, popping a brow.

“In your dreams, baby boy.” I laugh, disappearing into the staff room to get my lunch.

It’s a decent size space considering we barely use it. I prefer to eat up in the studio and the boys normally inhale their food before they make it to the rickety old table that’s pushed up against the wall. It’s more of a storeroom for everything we don’t want people to see.

Henry comes in just as I’m manoeuvring my soup out of the microwave. “There’s a letter from the music license company and one from the bank. This one is addressed to a Miss C Langer though.”

He nods his head to the three envelopes, grabbing my bowl and moving it closer when he sees I’m burning my fingers on the tub.

“Thanks, probably a wrong address. I’ll return to sender.”

“Logan found this on Friday too, said you were looking for it.” A key dangles from a chain in his hand.

“Yes! My boys! What would I do without you?” I jump up, punching him in the arm, pleased I won’t have to explain to Erin why she can’t get into the office next week.

In my glee, my hand catches the soup container, flipping it from the counter. It coats my stomach and leg, burning into my skin.

“Oh my god!” I begin to swipe the boiling hot soup off me, but I can feel my skin already tingling underneath.

“Fuck, take off your tights. I will get the first aid kit! I think we have some burn gel.”

I lift my top so that it’s off my stomach but still covering my breasts, then start shimmying out of my tights as fast as I can.

My hands shake from the shock.

I’m standing in my thong when Henry comes back in, but I don’t overthink it—he is like a brother to me. I take the cold cloth he hands me and plaster it to my stomach, where the burning is more intense. He squats down in front of me, ripping open the gel packet and squirting it onto my leg. It runs down my thigh, instantly melting against the heat. My hand dashes out to rub it into the skin.

“How do you fucking manage it, girl?” Henry says, shaking his head at me.

I smile down at him, feeling like a complete klutz.

“What the fuck is going on?” Mason’s voice has me jumping back, my skin prickling at his tone.

Shit.

“I burnt myself. Henry was just helping me.” I try to explain, but I can see the rage as it visibly builds within him.

“Who’s this?” Henry asks, standing at his full six foot two height. He’s big for a twenty-three-year-old. Mason only has an inch on him.

“Her boyfriend,” Mason announces, completely losing his cool—and maybe his mind.

Boyfriend?

He grasps Henry by his vest, pulling him away from me. “Get the fuck away from her.” His eyes blaze over my semi-naked form.

God, this must look awful.

“Mason, calm down. And let go of him.” I try to defuse the situation, but it’s a task when I’m trying to hide from the prying eyes that watch on through the open door.

Gemma steps into the room, spotting Mason and Henry in a standoff as they both grasp one another’s tops.

“What on earth? Henry, stop!” she demands.

Henry eyes her for a second, then reluctantly pushes Mason back with force, removing his hand from his gym vest when Mason doesn’t let go.

“Stupid prick. She burnt herself,” Henry spits out.

Mason looks at me and the red creeping over my thigh and stomach. It’s not as bad as I first thought, but that’s only thanks to Henry’s quick thinking.

“Guys, can you give us a minute?” I ask.

Henry frowns, giving me a ‘are you kidding me’ look.

“Of course! Henry.” Gemma pulls her man from the staff room by the wrist, closing the door to allow me a scrap of dignity.

“Mason, I bur—”

“Don’t,” he cuts me off, shaking his head. “Nina, you’ve kept me away all week, and then I come here and find you like this. I need a minute.”

I wince, trying to tame the words before they leave me. “Uh, maybe I need a goddamn minute.” I take a deep breath through my nose. “I burnt myself, Mason, you insensitive ass! What are you even doing here, anyway?”

“Nothing, it doesn’t matter. Let me see.” He nods to my leg.

“No.”

He sniggers, running his tongue across his teeth. “I will pick you up when you’re finished here.”

I let him leave. If that man thinks that I will be going with him tonight after the way he just reacted, he is sorely mistaken. God, it’s Henry. Does he not have any female members of staff? The thought makes me rage. Of course, he fucking does. I bet the place is crawling with women.

It gives me an idea.

I hobble to my bag and pull out the outfit I brought to wear to dinner with the girls tonight. It’s casual but sexy. I pull the dark burgundy skirt up over my hips and high on my waist, my cropped white singlet moulds to my breasts.

It’s been a week, and I am more than ready to take on Mason Lowell.

* * *

Thankfully the girls are understanding.I had to send them home after the soup disaster, so I promised to work an extra day to cover their class fee to keep them happy.

I did my research, and if my Google Maps is correct, I should be at Ellis and Frey Real Estate within twenty minutes by foot.

I glance down at my feet, knowing it will take me twice as long in my heels, and instead, I call Vinny.

“Miss Anderson, I wasn’t expecting you to call. How can I help you?”

“Hey! I need a lift. If you are free, of course. And I can’t tell you any more than that because I don’t trust you.”

“Well, I should inform you that I sided with you this afternoon. I drove Mason to the studio,” he says, and I can tell he is smiling.

“What a queen, huh?”

He chuckles down the line. “What are you planning, Nina?”

“I’m on my way to his office... I was hoping for a ride.”

“That’s not a good idea, Nin—”

“Vinny, you can drive me, save my feet, and I will love the hell out of you for it, or you can let your boss know I’m on my way and ruin the element of surprise. Either way, I am going with or without you. I won’t cause a scene, I promise.”

“Just wait there. I will be five minutes.” he relents.