Let Me Go (16 page)

Her grand plan for freedom was to seduce
Mason, even though manipulating him went against everything that
she was taught. Yes, it most certainly did, but she was dying to
get out. Just because she was a compassionate human being that
cared about Mason and truly wanted to help him deep down didn’t
mean she was crazy enough to sacrifice herself for it. She wanted
to come and go as she pleased. She wanted to go outside whenever
she wanted. She wanted to answer to herself and no one else. She
wanted to depend on herself for food, shelter, clothes, a job, the
list went on. She deserved freedom, and maybe once she got it, she
could help Mason. But until then, she was getting out.

The only real thing bothering her was the
actual seducing part. She realized just being her natural self was
enough to get to Mason, but it wasn’t enough to get him to fall for
her. She had always been incredibly shy, so she wasn’t quite sure
how was she going to become a seductress. She’d have to remember
just about every movie and book she ever read and hope that helped.
But she wasn’t sure exactly what seducing entailed.
Oh God.
She hadn’t thought about the fact that she would probably have to
offer her body. She wasn’t sure she could really use her body for
something like that. She wasn’t a virgin, but she had only had one
partner – Seth. And he was her long-time boyfriend, a man she
loved, someone she thought was her future. She couldn’t believe she
was thinking about just having casual sex with someone. And this
wasn’t even just casual sex. This…this was something else. She
would essentially be offering herself in exchange for something
else. She wondered if that was technically a form of prostitution.
She decided that she didn’t care.

Maybe if she thought about how nice it felt
to be in Mason’s arms and how she actually cared about him, this
wouldn’t feel so bad.
Yeah right. Who was she kidding?
This
situation totally sucked. But she didn’t have a choice. If she
wanted out, she had to work the angles she could and, apparently,
she was the angle this time. She would just have to suck it up.

She didn’t know how long she had been
thinking about all this when Mason interrupted her thoughts. “Oh
good, you’re up. How are you feeling?” he asked as he buttoned up
his shirt, stepping closer.

He put a hand to her forehead and all
lingering thoughts trailed away at the feel of his gentle touch on
her face. “You’re not hot, but you did toss and turn while you were
sleeping. You feeling rested?”

“Feeling much better. Thank you, Mason.
Thank you for taking care of me.” She was putting on the charm, at
least she hoped she was. But secretly, it was easy to do around
Mason. She felt so comfortable around him lately. And the way he
was staring at her now, like she was more than just a plot point in
his revenge scheme, like she was more than just a passing
acquaintance, made her almost blush.
Damn!
Maybe this
seducing idea was bad news. She cared about him without any signs
of a relationship, especially a physical one. She didn’t know if
she could really just cut her feelings off and sleep with Mason
without getting attached. But she would have to. It was so easy to
see him as just “a plan” when he wasn’t around. But when he was
near her, he was human, he was real, and he was an extremely
complicated but beautiful man. She would just have to push all that
aside.

“Like I said, you’re my responsibility.” She
smirked to herself, wondering how long he was going to keep telling
himself that was the reason for his actions.

She looked down at herself and then back up
at him. “How did I get dressed? I mean, I remember being near the
closet, but I don’t think I was dressed.”

Mason’s eyes shifted away from Kat. He
couldn’t look at her and Kat had her answer. He had seen her in her
underwear. Well, he practically saw everything on display on a
daily basis when she wore that stupid little maid outfit, but this
was different and she blushed. She actually blushed.

“I dressed you, but I didn’t look,” he
answered and Kat snorted. His eyes snapped to hers, and he looked a
little flustered.

“I think I can overlook you seeing me like
that considering the circumstances but you can trust I’ll repay the
favor.” She didn’t know how she did it, but that sounded an awful
lot like flirting to her. She mentally patted herself on the back
as she watched Mason’s eyes bug out of his head. She waited for
some reply, but he clearly wanted to pretend she hadn’t said
anything, because he changed the subject quickly.

“I have to go to work, but Benny will be
here soon to look after you. You stay in bed and rest. He’ll get
your meds and make sure you eat something. There are a few
different types of soups in the fridge. I’ll be back in a few hours
or so.”

“Not that I don’t enjoy Benny’s company, but
I’m fine Mason. You don’t have to baby me. Really, I’m feeling much
better. Don’t worry about me.”

“I’m not worried, just making sure you can
get back to cleaning this place up as soon as possible. So rest up,
stay in bed, maybe get up and walk around a bit, but don’t put too
much pressure on yourself. Doctor’s orders.” He smiled.

“Well, if it’s doctor’s orders, then I’ll be
sure to follow everything you said.” She smiled back.

“See you soon,” he called out as he
left.

Shit!
He really was a ridiculously
nice guy when he wanted to be, so much so that her heart actually
fluttered when he just spoke. She couldn’t wait until Benny got
there. She needed a distraction.

Chapter 25

Kat didn’t have
to wait long before Benny showed up.

“I hear you’ve been sick. Personally, I
think you just got fed up taking care of Mason and wanted some love
in return,” he joked as he walked into her room.

“Yep, that’s it. I made myself sick so I
could get a vacation from being a prisoner,” she only half-joked
back.

“Oh hell, Kat, don’t think you can do that
with me. I know you better than you think and I know.”

“What do you mean?”

“That prisoner bullshit comment you just
made.”

“It’s not the truth?” she countered. “Can I
come and go as I please? Can I go outside without Mason letting me
out like I’m some dog? Can I pick my own clothes to wear each day?
Can I make my own decisions? And let’s not forget the fact that I
was brought here without my permission in the first place.” Her
face got a little red as she huffed out the last words.

“And yet you take it all and still come out
cheery and smiling. Can’t say I’m not in awe of you. You’re pretty
special. Knew it the first time I met you. I even told Mason that.
And don’t think I haven’t noticed how you act around Mason and how
he is around you.”

“How you can get me riled up and calm in the
span of a minute, I don’t know, but that’s why I consider you my
friend, Benny.”

“Yep, Kat, I am your friend. But I’m also
Mason’s friend. He tells me just about everything. And I know he
cares about you. You should have heard him freaking out when he
found you. He was so worried. Of course, I’ve only known him a few
years, but I’ve never seen him like that. But that’s not what I’m
interested in. What I want to know is how much you care about
him.”

She wondered why he wanted to know and how
much she should tell him. She considered him a friend, which wasn’t
necessarily saying much. She didn’t really have the opportunity to
make many friends being stuck in this place. But he was right; he
was Mason’s friend too. In fact, his loyalty remained solely to
Mason. If not, he would have helped Kat get out of this place a
long time ago. No, she couldn’t confide her true plans to him. She
couldn’t tell him everything that was in her heart and mind, but
she could give him a big part of the truth. It wouldn’t hurt. And
maybe, if he ever told Mason, it might work in her benefit.

“All right, fine. Having no freedom
completely and totally sucks big time. But, as bad as this
situation could have potentially been, it’s not that bad. When
Mason’s not being an ass, I like being around him. He’s
surprisingly gentle and caring. He has a sense of humor, or well,
he tries to. He’s taken care of me and protected me. He’s easy to
talk to. And I see why he did all this, which doesn’t mean I agree
with it, but I understand. I understand him. I see that he’s
damaged, and I want to help him break free of the chains that drag
him down. So if you are asking me if I care about him, yes, I
do.”

“Oh, Kitty Kat, you don’t have to be blind
to see you care about him. That wasn’t my question. I asked how
much, but I think I just got a pretty damn good idea.”

She didn’t know what Benny meant by that. It
was obvious she cared in the sense that she was human after all.
She did have a heart, but she didn’t know if it was more than that.
And she questioned what he meant when he said that he got a pretty
good idea of how deeply she cared.
Of course she cared.
As
much as anyone else would. Mason truly wasn’t a bad guy. But the
smug expression Benny was giving her was turning her stomach into
knots.

“And what’s that good idea, huh Benny?”

He just smiled wider. “I just saw some
wheels turning in that head of yours, Kitty Kat, and now my hunch
just got stronger. Doesn’t matter though; it won’t do you or Mason
any good hearing it from me. You’ll realize it yourself soon
enough. So now a change of subject. How you feeling?”

Kat didn’t want to change the subject, but
if she had learned a few things about Benny, she knew once the
topic was done, it was done with him. She sighed and figured she’d
ponder what he told her when he left.

“Much better, but I think I could use some
real food. You mind?”

“Nope, not at all.” He fed her, helped her
walk around, and kept her company until Mason got home.

*****

Mason didn’t technically have to go to work.
He could have just said he wasn’t taking this job, but Kat was
getting to him and he needed out. He had called Benny to take care
of her, and he left. That hadn’t really done him much good seeing
as he couldn’t get her out of his mind the entire day. He hated to
admit that Adam was partially right about him. He had clearly been
in an emotional state with Kat, and that’s why he didn’t see her
illness for what it was. Of course he was emotionally involved; he
had lived with the girl for months. They weren’t friends, but that
didn’t mean he didn’t have any compassion. That also didn’t mean he
cared about her in the way Adam had implied.

He really did like the way she felt in his
arms when he held her as she gained her strength. He liked the
flirty playful nature that came out when she realized he had taken
care of her. It made him feel alive, and he hadn’t felt that way
since before he took Kat for his little revenge plot. And that was
something he sure as hell hated to admit to himself, so he tucked
that little nugget of information in the back of his mind.
It
wasn’t her
, he told himself. It was the fact that things were
working out in his favor. He had successfully captured Kat, and she
was living as his personal slave. That had to be the reason he got
glimpses of his old, happy, normal self. It had to be. Because
there was no way he had feelings for the woman who ruined his life,
at least not those kind of feelings.

He made it home in one piece, despite barely
remembering the drive home. When he walked through the door, he saw
Benny on the couch.

“Honey, I’m home,” he joked as he sat down
next to him. Benny just smiled.

“How’s the patient doing?” Mason asked.

“Oh, you mean the one you ran away
from?”

“What are you talking about? I had to work.
And keep your voice down.”

“She’s in the shower, man. She’s doing much
better. Let her rest another day and she’ll be back to her normal
self. But no changing the subject. We both know your jobs are just
day to day bullshit. You didn’t have to go if you didn’t want to.
You could have stayed and taken care of her yourself, seeing as how
worried you’ve been. So tell me, why’d you run?”

“I didn’t run. I haven’t gotten many jobs
lately. And I was going a bit stir-crazy, so I had to get out.”

“Oh? And what was making you crazy? Huh? Was
it the sexy little Kat that has been getting under your skin for a
while now?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about,”
Mason countered.

“Don’t you? Damn, man. You care about her
something fierce. It’s as plain as day. Why you don’t see it, I
don’t know. But who could blame you? She’s got legs for days and a
body worth killing for, not to mention she’s hot. But forget all
that. She’s fun and feisty. She’s sweet and caring. And when she
turns those sweet innocent big hazel eyes on you, man, you
melt.”

Mason glared at Benny.

“What? Don’t look at me like that. I’m a man
after all. Shit, you think I’m blind?”

“So you have a thing for Kat, huh?”

“Don’t go getting jealous on me, Mason. That
girl’s only got eyes for you. Anyone can see that just as clearly
as they can see you pining away for her. Every time you are around
each other is just pure entertainment. I never know whether I’m
going to see the ‘let’s pretend we hate each other’ show or the ‘oh
man, if we don’t kiss, I’ll burn’ show. Don’t get me wrong, you
guys are a blast to be around, but as your friend, I think it’s
time I clued you in on something you haven’t figured out yourself.
You love her.”

“Ridiculous,” Mason interrupted.

“Is it? Look, I know why you feel like you
can’t love her. But whoever she was in the past, that ain’t her
anymore. You have to let go of this need for revenge you’ve been
carrying around and let her know how you feel. Hell, allow yourself
to realize how you feel.”