The Art of Possession

LAUREN

Mason ditched his car. He claimed he’d rather walk than drive around the city.

Deep down, I knew he did it for me.

He wasn’t the type to just stroll around like an average Joe.

A billionaire walking around the city without protection or bodyguards was a rare sight. And that’s because it just didn’t happen.

When you’re wealthy and have enemies, your life is valuable.

You could be at risk of being murdered or kidnapped. Mason believed only cowards hid behind their bodyguards and cars.

His conviction that he was invincible was starting to bug me. I had to keep reminding him that he wasn’t bulletproof. His skin could be pierced.

We spent the rest of the day outside, visiting a few places. I had to coax Mason to keep going when he shot me a glare every time I suggested another place I wanted to see.

I was admiring a statue I found beautiful when I felt his presence behind me.

When he came to stand in front of me with his hands tucked inside his pockets, I glanced briefly at him before returning my gaze to the statue.

“Do you want a statue of you?” I asked casually, thinking it was something Mason might want. But as soon as the words left my mouth, I realized how silly the question was.

“No,” he replied nonchalantly. He looked my way and found my gaze already on him.

“Do you want a statue of you? I can make it happen. You just have to say the word.”

I laughed. “Okay, crazy. I don’t want it, but where would you have put it?”

His gaze turned dark and smoky. “Where everyone can see you and admire you, knowing they can’t have you,” he rasped.

Even though my cheeks were almost bright red, I still managed to meet his gaze with a small smile.

“That is not your property. You can’t just put a statue in a public place, Mason.” But clearly, his arrogance didn’t agree with something being illegal to him.

“You really underestimate what I can and cannot do, Lauren. We have to change that.”

“Please, no. I know you’re crazy and I’m scared of what you might do to prove it to me. So, I believe you. You don’t have to show it to me.”

“You’d look beautiful outside the palace.”

The next place we went to was Mason’s choice. Even though I was a little surprised he didn’t want to go straight back to the hotel, he was keen on taking me to an art museum.

After saying it was one of his favorite places, it suddenly became important to me.

He showed me a few of his favorite paintings and I listened as he talked about their significance and the symbolism hidden in them.

The one I was most fascinated about was a painting of a couple.

Their faces were only shadows, but the man stood in front of the woman, his back to her, and the woman peeked her head around him, their hands clasped together.

They were standing in a field, surrounded by lush grass. The sun was bright and shining in the sky, and in the far distance were mountains.

What also piqued my interest were the people standing not far from the couple. Even their faces were just shadows.

“It’s so pretty,” I gushed, unable to take my eyes off it. I almost wished I could touch it or take it home with me. It seemed to be the second thing apart from Mason that fascinated me.

“Art isn’t just supposed to be pretty,” Mason whispered in my ear, his breath hitting my neck. He was standing behind me so close, yet not touching me at all. “What do you see?”

His voice penetrated my senses, making my body quake with awareness. “A couple. The sun. People. Mountains,” I replied in a low voice.

His soft chuckle and the way it sounded made the hairs on my neck stand up for attention.

“Not quite. If you look closely at the couple, the man is trying to shield the woman from the people.” His hands ran up my arms, but I still managed not to lose my words.

“Oh, why is that?”

“That’s a good question. But he’s protecting what’s his. That is a powerful message, don’t you think, Lauren?” He kissed me on my neck, sending chills down my spine. “Just them against the world.”

My throat emitted a little groan before I could stop it.

“Mason, we’re in public.” PDA was the sort of thing I didn’t think he was a fan of, but I also remembered that he didn’t care what people thought of him.

He didn’t care. He would do what he wanted to do in public, people be damned. And that’s what I most loved about him.

He turned me away from the painting and grasped my chin in a tight, unyielding grip. I watched the flash in his eyes and quaked all the way down to my toes.

“What makes you think I care?” He ran his hand over my curves, tracing a path up my spine before clasping my neck. “You’re mine to do with as I please. Anywhere.”

He tightened his hold on my neck, so it was almost painful. “Anytime.”

I tilted my head to look at him.

“Fuck everyone?”

A wicked grin spread over his face.

“Fuck everyone.” He pressed his hot mouth against my lips.

***

After leaving the museum, we wandered the streets of Paris and settled at a cafe just outside the 7th arrondissement. Despite our agreement, Mason called Athena to check in. I didn’t mind, I found myself sitting at a table outside with an espresso, taking in the sight of passing Parisians.

Two guys stared at me from across the street, and they weren’t doing a great job of hiding it.

They looked about my age, maybe a bit younger. They were standing just a few feet away, dressed in baggy clothes and sporting hair dyed in shades of green and orange.

I tried to ignore them, focusing on my phone, but soon their shadows loomed over me.

Looking up, I found the two guys standing right there, grinning at me. I fought the urge to grimace.

“Can I help you?”

The guy with orange hair extended his hand for a shake. When I didn’t reciprocate, he smoothly ran his hand through his hair. “I’m Andre.”

“And I think you’re hot,” his friend chimed in, giving me a once-over.

“Excuse me?” I was taken aback.

“Do you look familiar? Have we met before?”

“~Maybe in my dreams~. We’re throwing a party tonight. Best DJ in town,” Andre’s friend added.

“Can you guys please leave? I’m not interested,” I said firmly, scanning the area for Mason. He had wandered off during his call with Athena.

I needed these guys to leave before Mason returned and found them chatting me up. Knowing his possessive streak, he might do something drastic.

“Aw, come on, ~belle~. I promise you’ll have a great time. You’re so beautiful.”

“Excuse me, gentlemen.”

“Mason,” I breathed out in relief.

His face was expressionless, his demeanor calm. There was no sign of the chaos I was expecting.

I braced myself for an explosion, but it never came.

“You’re a bit late, ~monsieur~. The lady is coming with us,” Andre’s friend said, waving his hand dismissively. He didn’t even look at Mason when he responded, but when Andre looked up to face Mason the smirk on his face quickly vanished.

I watched as the blood drained rapidly from his face and he pulled on his friend’s sleeve to get his attention. At first his friend shook off his attempts, but then Andre mumbled something under his breath.

“Le Présage Sebastian, Le présage. The Omens.”

His friend turned towards Mason, craning his neck slightly to look up at him.

“Sacre bleu,” he spluttered. “Je suis désolé. We didn’t know. We promise, we didn’t know.”

Both men started to back away slowly, terrified of Mason. I imagined they should be given the way they were talking to me, but there was something else underlying their fear, it was almost as if they recognized him.

I looked at Mason, but his expression was unreadable. He smiled politely at them and that only seemed to scare them more.

I was about to ask what was going on, but before I could open my mouth, the two men backed away.

“Where do you two think you’re going?” Mason asked, a hint of menace in his voice.

Both men looked at Mason completely dumbfounded. Andre tried to speak, but when he opened his mouth, nothing came out.

“Don’t be so shy now,” Mason said. “Don’t you think you should apologize to the lady for disrupting her afternoon?”

Andre and his friend looked between each other and then back towards Mason.

“We’re sorry,” they said together in unison, their voices quivering.

“Don’t apologize to me you prats, apologize to her.”

Mason stood over them with his arms crossed, waiting for their apology.

“Oh, that really isn’t necessary,” I said. I was starting to feel uncomfortable and I could feel the stares of other cafe patrons and passersby.

“No, Lauren,” Mason said authoritatively. “These two will apologize to you and they will apologize to you now.”

Andre twisted uncomfortably, sweat collecting on his brow. He turned to face me. He looked at me with terror in his eyes and his friend did the same.

“We are sorry mademoiselle. We did not mean to interrupt you.”

Once they squeaked out their apology, they looked to Mason once more. When Mason turned his head and took a seat next to me, the two of them ran off as if a rabid dog was chasing them.

I sat in minor shock, still trying to process what had just happened. Obviously, there was something I was missing and I couldn’t shake the feeling it had something to do with what Andre whispered to Sebastian when he first saw Mason.

“Well, that was a bit annoying, wasn’t it,” Mason said nonchalantly.

“That seems like the understatement of the day,” I muttered. “What happened? Did you know them?”

Mason shook his head and laughed.

“I have no idea who those two wannabe gangsters were, probably just some dumb kids,” he said, brushing off my concern. “Let’s not let them ruin the rest of our day. I’ve got another surprise for you.”

I smiled and reached for Mason’s hand. He held it in his, looking it over and contemplating the way our hands fit so neatly together.

I was excited to see what the next surprise was, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of unease that had settled over me.

~What was Mason hiding?~