Doll House: Book Three

seven | posture

Thelonious Monk played somewhere nearby and the sound of running water was promptly shut as Candy opened her eyes slowly, fully aware that she wasn't in the whimsically feminine penthouse but rather in a place that was quite the opposite. A conventionally masculine apartment.

As she lifted her body a bit she noticed that the floor to ceiling windows across the room revealed a dark purple sky above several ornate building facades. It was nighttime?

Candy turned her body more to see Mason leaving the kitchen and walking toward her with a bottle of sparkling water in one hand and a mug in the other.

"What time is it?" She asked, following his movement.

"Eight." He set both beverages down on the wooden coffee table. "How did you sleep?"

"Like a baby." She said and reached for the water.

Mason let out a soft laugh, "I guess that's on brand for you."

"What's that suppose to mean?" She furrowed her eyebrows but as quickly as she'd asked, she realized exactly what it meant. "Oh. True." Candy touched the space around her in search of her phone. "Did anyone call for me?"

As if on cue, a vibration sounded. Mason pulled her phone off of the charger then passed it to her.

"'The Bitch' is calling you." He smirked.

Candy shook her head then grabbed the phone and set it down. "That's my-my mother."

"Creative name. For a while I had my dad saved as 'V'." Mason sat on the arm of the sofa. "If you need some privacy to answer I can-"

"No. I don't need to talk to her." Candy rolled her eyes. "Ever."

Mason nodded then checked his watch.

"Then let's drop this. You wanna grab dinner before I take you back to soho?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. Was it really that simple for Mason to essentially "read the room" and drop it? No prying, no mocking, no condescension. He sensed her discomfort and responded accordingly.

"Yeah, dinner sounds-uh-sounds-" Candy was slightly distracted so she summoned the courage to ask, "Why did you save your dad as 'V'?"

Mason leaned forward a bit and shrugged, "I didn't like his business choice, I didn't like that he came out before divorcing my mother, and I didn't like how famous he got." He sighed. "We only started talking again a year ago when I moved back to New York."

Candy could only nod. It wasn't often that she met a person that had similar parental issues as she. Mainly because no one cared to talk to her about anything other than being a fantasy for men who wanted a nymphet character without the guilt. Even Hodges didn't know everything she left behind for the Doll House family and lifestyle.

"Is that why I've never seen you before? Not even at Rebel Room?"

"That's one reason." Mason said. "The other reason is that I want nothing to do with the porn industry."

"Yet here you are. With me. A person in the porn industry." She smirked, leaning forward to match his posture.

Mason chuckled then pointed to the mug. "Drink that, it'll give you some energy before you get an actual meal."

"So I'm the exception." She said, lingering on the porn topic.

"Drink the tea." He insisted before standing up and walking back into the kitchen.

Candy continued to smirk, slightly pleased at Mason's assertive nature. She took a few sips of the bitter tea before leaving her position on the couch to follow him.

"Where are we going for dinner?" She watched as Mason put a green tin back into the cabinet then focused on Candy at the opposite end of the kitchen.

"What do you want?" He asked, leaning back on the counter to listen.

She was naturally indecisive but there was something so comforting about Mason that made her feel confident that he would wait as long as it took for her to make a decision. Maybe she was wrong and just projecting what she hoped for because they had shared a moment of vulnerability. But regardless, she knew that Mason was genuine throughout her entire time here and that was-different.

"I want another round." She lifted herself onto the counter in on motion. "Right here."

"So, we're not gonna eat?" He kept his eyes connected with hers despite her entire body being on display like an appetizer.

Candy bit her bottom lip as she slowly separated her legs. Mason's gaze finally shifted down while he started to approach her.

"We can eat." She ran her fingers over her breasts and batted her lashes. "But you can go first."