Fascination: (Billionaire Venture Capitalist #9): A Friends to Lovers Romance Page 2

  “Thank you,” I whisper as I fight back the tears. Mason, you’d better pull through this. I have a lot to tell you, and if you think you can die, you’d better think again.

  “He’s strong. This coma will only last a few days,” Dr. Severs assures me

  Chapter two

  Mason

  “Hey,” I rasp. “What happened?”

  I watch CeCe sit straight up and smile at me. She looks so beautiful, but she’s tearing up.

  “You called 911 and told them that something wasn’t right and you needed the ambulance and the police, and you specifically asked for Detective Lenning.”

  I remember now. I was finishing the dinner the housekeepers left me, and my heart began to race like a Formula One race car. “I remember a little now.”

  “Well, you most likely saved your own life.”

  I look around the room and see only CeCe is here. “Where’s Annabelle?”

  “That’s the million-dollar question. We’ve all tried her cell phone, but it goes right to voice mail. No answer at the house and no response to texts.” She reaches for my hand, and it feels warm and comforting.

  “How long have I been here?”

  “A little over a week.”

  A nurse comes in, and CeCe steps out of the room to give me privacy. I wish she’d stay. It makes my heart flutter—in a good way—that she’s here.

  The nurse asks me a dozen questions, and I lie there answering them all. She shows me how to use all the pumps and gadgets so I can self-manage my pain meds.

  The nurse leaves, and CeCe returns. “I just texted everyone. They should be here shortly. Hadlee and Greer are down with Emerson, Dillon, and Liam. They’re finally being released today.”

  “Who’s Liam?”

  “He’s their giant bundle of love.”

  Of course, the baby. I’m so mad that I’m here and can’t be there for two members of my team. I attempt to get up, but all I seem to be able to manage is sitting up. “I need to go see him.”

  “Don’t worry, you will. Relax. We’ve all been worried about you.” She grasps my hand again and squeezes it. The small gesture relaxes me. “Do you know where Annabelle is? I should let her know you’re awake. She’s going to have a fit when she finds out I’m here and she isn’t.”

  I don’t care if she has a fit. “Well, now I know what it takes to get your attention.” I try to smile and I adjust to face her, but it hurts.

  “A phone call is all it takes to get my attention,” she says warmly.

  “How did you know I was here?”

  “Pure luck. Evelyn from my office called to tell me she saw you being wheeled in—”

  “Hello, Mason,” Detective Lenning says as he enters the room with a different doctor, who introduces himself as Dr. McMahon. CeCe and I both look up at him expectantly, hoping for good news.

  “Hello, Dr. McMahon and Detective Lenning. What’s your news today?” CeCe asks.

  Looking at us both, he studies his notes. “We determined what happened. The good news is the numbness, tingling, and burning in your fingers and toes should reduce over time. Your shortness of breath should decrease, and we’ll get you back with a physical therapist to help with some of that. The ongoing chest pain should go away as well. We still see an abnormal heart rhythm, so we’ll have to watch that. We’ve confirmed your blood work indicated aconitine poisoning. We believe it was long-term poisoning by wolfsbane, so we’re pretty concerned.”

  “Wolfsbane? What is that?” CeCe asks.

  “It’s actually a flowering plant that can be highly poisonous. Now we’re concerned about long-term damage. We want to continue to look at your liver and your kidneys. We did a lot while you were in the medically induced coma to save those organs, and we’ll want to watch over the long term to make sure we were successful,” Dr. McMahon shares.

  “How was I exposed to the wolfsbane?” I can’t quite put together everything he’s saying. What does it mean?

  “We’ve gone through everything in your trash and refrigerator at home and your office, and we’re not 100 percent sure. We’ve tracked your meals before you got sick, along with any pills you may have ingested, but we just can’t be sure where you came into contact with it. What do you recall eating that night?”

  I’m exhausted, and I have to concentrate on recalling what I ate. I don’t really pay attention; I just eat what is left for me. “I had pork chops, if I remember correctly, rice, green beans, and salad, all made by my housekeeper.”

  “Tell me, what was in the salad? Were there any greens you were unfamiliar with or that you hadn’t seen before? Were there flowers on it?” Detective Lenning asks.

  “No, I don’t think so. She likes these dandelion leaves and kale, which are always bitter greens and don’t taste great.”

  “You still eat them?”

  I nod. “As long as I smother them in plenty of blue cheese dressing, I can manage them.”

  “So much for eating healthy greens,” CeCe snickers.

  Her comment distracts me, and I want to reach out to her.

  Detective Lenning tries to get my attention again. “Okay, can you recall what you had to drink?”

  “Iced tea.” I think about it a minute, my brain still a little foggy. “Maybe a beer. I don’t recall exactly. Do you think someone poisoned me on purpose?”

  “We believe so, yes,” Detective Lenning shares.

  “There was nothing in your stomach. You’d digested everything before we were able to figure out what had caused your illness,” Dr. McMahon states with great authority. “You should know that it was your phone call when your chest pain and the dizziness started and you telling the paramedics that everything was purple that was the giveaway for the poisoning. But, we’ve no conclusive evidence how you were poisoned. Had you not called an ambulance, you would’ve been in really bad shape and probably passed away in your home.”

  “We’re having problems locating your girlfriend. Could she have been behind this?” Detective Lenning asks.

  “I can’t believe Annabelle would’ve done that. We broke up a few weeks ago, and she moved out. We really haven’t been talking. I know she was upset when she left, but I can’t see her doing anything like this. Honestly, I’m surprised she isn’t here. I wish I knew where she was.”

  “We want to make sure that we find how you were exposed so it doesn’t happen again,” Dr. McMahon says.

  “How long do you expect to keep him here in the hospital?” CeCe asks.

  “We don’t know for sure. It will be several weeks. The tingling, dizziness, chest pain, and shortness of breath need to go away. He’ll be weak for some time and will need some round-the-clock care for a while. But, before we can release you, we’re going to have you go through a battery of tests,” Dr. McMahon states.

  Dr. McMahon leaves, and I put my head back and look up at the ceiling. I can’t believe I got myself into this situation. I still can’t buy that Annabelle is behind this. She hasn’t been to the house for some time. How would she have poisoned me? But the question remains, where the hell is she? “I have no idea where Annabelle is.”

  “When did you break up?” CeCe asks.

  “She moved out shortly after the trip to Vegas.”

  “Oh, Mason, I’m so sorry.”

  “There’s nothing to be sorry about. She wanted to get married, but I didn’t. I know everyone hated her, but she was sweet in a lot of ways. But we didn’t love each other, and I feel that’s important when you get married.”

  “I think that is a perfect description. But why would you live with her if you didn’t want to marry her?”

  “Because I liked her. But also because I was convinced she was the mole, and I wanted her right where I could see her,” I admit out loud for the first time.

  “Mason! What were you thinking?”

  “I thought I could control the situation. I knew she wasn’t the mastermind of everything, but I thought if I could get her to open up to me, we could figu
re out a way to double-cross the mole.”

  “Do you still think she’s the mole?” Detective Lenning asks.

  I hadn’t realized that when Dr. McMahon left, Detective Lenning remained behind. “I’m not 100 percent sure. Maybe 75 to 80 percent sure,” I hedge.

  “That’s still pretty confident. What makes you unsure?” Detective Lenning presses.

  “It really hurt her feelings to watch others around her get married and not her,” I answer simply, hoping it ends this line of questioning.

  “That’s good news, at least,” CeCe muses.

  I want to explain myself, not only to Detective Lenning but also to CeCe. “Someone else has my heart, and she knew that. She didn’t know who it was, but she knew I’d already given it to someone else. Plus, I’m not sure she loved me. She loved the idea of being married to me; she loved the money and the access it provided, but she didn’t love me,” I assert.

  “Who did you give your heart to Mason? Who—” CeCe questions.

  “Oh my goodness! You’re here, and you’re alive. Thanks to the Almighty.” My mother has arrived and in a full-length fur coat, dripping in diamonds, and wearing too much makeup. She launches herself across my body, and I cringe just as the nurse comes in.

  “Mason, I’ll have a few more questions for you, but I’ll let you manage this.” Detective Lenning motions to my mom and the chaos she brings with her.

  “Mason! I just heard you were poisoned. Don’t you worry, mommy’s here to take care of you.”

  I’m struggling to breath with my mother’s fur coat in my face and her laying across my chest. The thought of her taking care of me turns my stomach. I love my mother, but these days I take care of her, not the other way around.

  “Get off my patient. You can’t lie all over him with that rat coat you’re wearing. It could cause him an infection. Get off him before I have to call security.” The nurse reaches for the room telephone.

  “It’s okay. It’s his mother. She just arrived and was very anxious,” CeCe is quick to explain.

  My mom looks at CeCe and scrutinizes her. Then her eyes register who she is, and she bubbles over in her best Valley Girl impression, saying, “Oh my God! You’re Caroline Arnault.”

  The nurse looks at her. “You’ve now met his girlfriend. Now get off your son right this instant, or I’m calling security.”

  My mom stands upright, trying to reclaim her dignity. I watch her extend her hand to CeCe. “Hello, I’m Janice Sullivan Harris.”

  “So nice to meet you, but I’m not Mason’s girlfriend. I’m one of his friends.”

  “Mason, you didn’t tell me you knew Caroline Arnault.” She turns back to CeCe. “You’re even more beautiful in person.”

  Mortified. Positively embarrassed by my mother’s behavior. I love her, but she has no understanding of discretion. I’m sure she’s told every person she’s met some inflated story about my company and me. I love and hate that about her. She’s a proud mother, but maybe a little too proud. “Mom, thanks for coming.”

  “I should be running. Mrs. Harris, it was a pleasure meeting you. I’ll be checking in on Mason tomorrow. I hope to see you again.” CeCe gathers up her things and begins to leave. She winks at me, and my dick responds. Great, my mother’s just layed on me, and now, I’m going to get a hard-on from just a wink. The blanket on the bed is thin and everyone is going to see it. Can the earth just open up and swallow me whole?

  “Wait, you don’t have to go.” My mother’s begging. Lovely. “I was reading on the plane about your prince boyfriend. What a loser. A porn star? She obviously has no problem with public sex.”

  “Yes, well, it wasn’t really a shock. We’d been on the outs for a while.”

  “Well, he missed out.”

  What the hell is my mother talking about?

  “Have a good night.” CeCe leans down and embraces me and kisses me softly on the cheek, and I smell her subtle Chanel No. 5 perfume. Classic, just like CeCe.

  “Don’t be a stranger.” I squeeze her hand.

  “Never.” She waves and leaves. I’m sad to watch her go. I wanted to tell her all about Annabelle.

  I look over at my mom, and she has tears in her eyes.

  “I can’t believe I almost lost you.”

  I’m convinced if she could crawl into bed with me, she would.

  “I’m here, Mom. What did you mean about Caroline’s prince?”

  “It’s in all the gossip rags. I don’t usually read them, but it was a way to pass the time on the plane. He dumped her for that porn star, Savannah something. I guess she got caught going down on him under a table at some fancy New York event.”

  “Thanks, Mom. I’m not sure I needed that visual.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were friends with Caroline Arnault?”

  “Did I tell you I was friends with Greer Ford?”

  “No. Who’s Greer Ford?”

  “She’s another one of my friends. It doesn’t matter who they are; it matters how we treat one another.”

  “Well, Caroline is loaded. I remember when she and her twin brother, Trey, inherited billions when their grandfather skipped their father because he didn’t go into the family business.”

  “Charles did go on to start Sandy Systems with his wife, and they are self-made billionaires, so I think they’re doing just fine.”

  “Have you met Trey? Do you think he likes older women? I’m a great MILF.”

  I think I’m going to vomit. “Mom, he’s happily married to Sara Arnault, our company attorney, and a partner. Happily,” I stress.

  “I’m exhausted. The flight took forever,” she whines. “Can I crash at your place?”

  “I don’t know, Mom. I just woke up. I need to call the police to see if that’s possible.”

  “Well, I can’t stay just anywhere.” She’s become too spoiled. Growing up, staying at the Holiday Inn was a step-up for us because they had a pool; now, anything less than four-stars is slumming.

  “For all I know, the police have it locked up because it could be a crime scene.”

  “Why would it be a crime scene?”

  “Because I called them as my heart attack started.”

  “Are you telling me someone made you have a heart attack?”

  “Mom, the poisoning presented as a heart attack.” I don’t want to tell her anything, and while I have no idea if my apartment is open or closed, I don’t want her there. “Call the Fairmont. Tell them you’re my mother and get the Presidential Suite. They’ll take good care of you, and I’ll pay the bill.”

  “You mean it won’t come out of my allowance?”

  “No. I’ve got you covered.” It’s just easier giving in to her than fighting.

  She leans down and gives me several quick kisses. “I was so worried about you. I’m glad you’re okay. I’ll be back tomorrow morning.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  After she leaves, the nurse comes back in. “I’m sorry about that, Mr. Sullivan. I was just worried about her lying all over you.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I love her to pieces, but she can be a little overdramatic.”

  “I don’t know if you want to know this or not, but Miss Arnault was here every day and rarely left your side except to go home to sleep each night. She read to you each morning and would just work sitting here by your side.”

  I’m a little surprised by this. “She’s a good friend.”

  “And a pretty one. According to the tabloids, she’s single, too. If I were you, I wouldn’t wait around for an invitation.”

  I laugh. “Ouch. That hurts.” I rub at my chest. “I’ll try to keep that in mind. We’ve been friends for a long time.”

  “I’m pretty certain she likes you as more than friends.” With that comment, she turns to leave. “I’ll check on you at the end of my shift. If you need me, just hit the call button.”

  Once she’s gone, I sit here thinking about what my mom said and what my nurse said. Could our timing actually wo
rk this time?

  Me: Sorry my mom ran you off.

  CeCe: Don’t worry about it. She’s a delight.

  Me: You’re very generous. The nurse tells me you were here all day, every day. Thank you for staying with me. It means a lot to me to know you care.

  CeCe: I do care. I’ll stop by in the morning.

  Me: I’m sorry but not sorry about the prince.

  CeCe: I’m not. We’ve been struggling for a long time.

  Me: I want to take you out for a nice dinner when they free me.

  CeCe: I’d like that. See you in the morning. Let me know if I can bring anything. We need to figure out how you ingested the wolfsbane.

  Me: Agreed. Good night.

  CeCe: Good night.

  I don’t sleep well in the hospital; there’s so much noise, and it always seems like someone is in my room checking my vitals. I mean, how does anyone get any rest around here?

  CeCe stops by when I finally fall asleep. Figures. What crappy timing for me to finally get some rest.

  “Hey, are you going to sleep the day away?” I open my eyes and see Dillon standing over me. “You’re awake.”

  “Hey. Congratulations.” I struggle to sit up, and the small movement makes me feel as if I’ve climbed two flights of stairs. “I understand you named your son after your dad.”

  “Emerson insisted on it.” I see her standing behind him holding the baby.

  “You came to visit me?”

  “We couldn’t let you be awake for long without introducing you to your godson.”

  “Really?” I’ve never been a godfather, but I’m going to be the best one there ever was.

  “There’s no one else we’d ever choose.” Emerson smiles. She extends her arms to me, offering me the baby. I hold him next to me, and he’s awfully tiny. He coos at me, and I’m in love. They’re both taking time off, so they’re out of the loop about what’s going on at the office. We have a few closings coming up. I have no idea who’s handling what. It gives me a headache and my heart races—and not in a good way.