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Chapter 36 - Teasing

The next day, Bailey, Kelsey's manager, apologized repeatedly after finding out that Kelsey was Mason's fiancée. Although Kelsey have told her many times that everything was fine, Bailey watched herself around her and felt completely uncomfortable around Kelsey's presence. Kelsey felt bad and she really hated the fact that everyone in the staff was uncomfortable working around her as if they were walking around a fragile eggshell.

After work, she decided to apply for another job and started handing out her resumé to a few restaurants and cafés nearby. She found herself lucky when a small café, at least five blocks away from La Mille, said that they really needed a cashier. She got even happier when the manager said that she could start the next day.

She got home with a smile on her face. She was glad that she was hired and she could start working to earn the money she needed to pay Mason with.

"Where have you been?" A husky voice asked right when the front door shut closed. Kelsey looked at her watch and saw that it was only five-thirty in the afternoon. Mason was still in his suit with his arms crossed around his chest. He was leaning against the wall and he looked so good with his tousled hair. Kelsey hated herself at the moment for thinking such a thing.

"Why are you home so early?" She stated as she strolled towards the couch and placed her bag on it.

"I asked you first." Mason smartly retorted as he watched her every move.

Kelsey shot him an annoyed look and rolled her eyes at him. "You're so immature." She muttered under her breath.

"Says the girl who just rolled her eyes at me." He argued back. "Now answer me, where have you been? You should have been home thirty minutes ago."

"Out." She simply answered while shrugging her shoulders to act like it wasn't even that big of a deal.

"That's it?" He pressed on and Kelsey got more irritated by him.

"What do you want me to say, Mason?" She sighed in annoyance.

"That you handed your resumé out and got hired at Sweet&Dream café as a cashier." Kelsey's head snapped at his direction so quickly that she felt like she got a whiplash.

"How did you..." She thought but it suddenly clicked in her head. "Enrique." She muttered her driver's name with disgust.

"He's my employee, I pay him. Therefore, he stays loyal to me."

"Noted. Tomorrow tell him to drive you instead of spying on me. You're not going to win, Mason!" She snapped as she made her way to the kitchen. Mason followed after her and smiled as he stared at her annoyed face. She looked really cute, he thought.

"You do know I'm friends with the owner of Sweet&Dream café, right? I can easily tell him to-"

"Don't you dare get me fired, Mason!" She outrageously cut him off as she sent daggers in his direction though her fierce-looking eyes. Her good mood had suddenly become sullen because of the infuriating man in front of her. "That's cheating!" She added.

"I don't think we've set any rules." He shrugged his shoulders as he strolled towards her. "Besides, I told you." He started as he leaned down and placed his lips near her ears. She could smell his manly yet amazing fragrance. The butterflies were roaming around her stomach again and her breath seemed to have been hitched on the back of her throat. "I never lose." Mason finished as he pulled back and stole the can of juice in her hand and popped it open.

Kelsey eyed him in bewilderment and released the breath that she had been holding. "Thanks for the drink." Mason said with a playful smirk on his lips before he left a very stunned Kelsey in the kitchen.

~ * ~ * ~

Mason had just finished showering and strolled towards the walk-in-closet to change into a pair of boxers. He entered and was surprised to see Kelsey inside. She had her back facing him and he couldn't help but admire her beautiful figure. "Were you waiting for me?"He teasingly asked with his arms crossed on his chest.

Kelsey jolted and dropped the clothes she was holding on the floor. She turned around to snap at him for giving her a fright but the words got stuck in her throat as she stared at the half-naked man in front of her with widen eyes. The water from his hair was dripping on his very toned and muscular chest and the white towel was hanging loosely on his waist that his v-shaped torso could be seen. Kelsey audibly gulped and realized what she had been doing, ogling and gawking at him like an idiot. She quickly turned away and closed her eyes tightly as she felt her face flushed red.

Mason smirked and chuckled. "Did you like the view? Don't worry, you'll be seeing more of it when you lose our deal and have to sleep in the same bed with me. You can even touch it if you want." He seductively said, causing Kelsey to gasped in embarrassment and astonishment. She turned around with closed eyes and threw a piece of shirt at him before twirling around again.

"In your dreams." She mumbled as she took the clothes she dropped on the floor and hurriedly escaped the closet without glancing at him.

"I do hope that I dream about it, babe." He said before she could completely leave the walk-in-closet and go to the guest room she considered as her room ever since she moved in. The word 'babe' echoed in her head and it brought weird tingles in her body.

~ * ~ * ~

The next day, Kelsey was excited to start working at Sweet&Dream café. After her shift ended at four-thirty at La Mille restaurant, she quickly headed to the café. It was a long walk but she didn't complain. She needed the exercise anyway. Enrique was there to drive her but she refused his service, telling him that she didn't need a spy following her around. Enrique only scratched his head in embarrassment and called Mason to inform him about it. Mason told him to let her be but follow after her anyways.

Kelsey's shift in the café started at five until eleven in the evening. It was really busy during those hours and she couldn't help but feel tired a few hours later. It was already ten-thirty when the customers died down. She sighed in relieve as she wiped a table clean. There were only a few customers left, but it was still a bit early 'til closing. The café closed at 1:00am so she was sure more customers would come later. She was just glad she got to go home in thirty minutes.

She went back to the register and cleaned around the area. "I'm going to take my ten-minute break, Kelsey. Is it okay if I leave you for a bit?" Her manager, Nick, asked her. She nodded her head and shot him a reassuring smile. He left the café and she was left by herself. There were three of them before but her other coworker left because her shift ended at seven o'clock. There was supposed to be another teenage boy coming in but apparently he called in sick so Nick would have to do closing by himself.

"Excuse me, Miss?" A familiar voice caught her attention, causing her to stop from scrubbing the counter. She looked up and met the very beautiful orbs of hers. The woman scrutinized her gaze at her as she tried to remember where she had seen her before. "Kelsey? Kelsey Parker, right?" She asked as Kelsey bowed her head in embarrassment.

Kelsey forced a smile out and spoke, "What can I get you, ma'am?"

"You work here?" Claris asked and Kelsey's cheeks burned in embarrassment. She was for sure that she was going to get an earful from Mason later. She sighed and nodded her head in response.

"Yes, ma'am. Just as a part-time job." She explained. "What can I get you?" She repeated, hoping that she would just say her order and leave. She didn't know why but she found Claris' presence irksome and irritable. She knew she had no right to feel jealous since her relationship with Mason wasn't real, but she still couldn't stop herself from getting annoyed every time she saw Mason's stunning and gorgeous ex-girlfriend. Kelsey couldn't help but feel insecure about herself, from her looks all the way to her status in life. She was no matched in comparison to her.

Claris shot her a smile and she couldn't seem to figure out whether it was sincere or fake. "I would like some pumpkin spice latte, no whipped cream." She confidently answered as Kelsey punched in her order.

"Would that be all, ma'am?" She politely asked her.

Claris stared at her with a smirk on her face. Kelsey patiently waited for her response with a raised brow. She was getting under her nerves but she couldn't let herself lose control or she was going to get fired on her first day.

"Who are you, Kelsey Parker?" Claris asked with curiosity in her tone as she crossed her arms across her chest and studied the woman in front of her with scrutinizing eyes.

Kelsey forced another smile her way and ignored her question. "That would be $6.55." She informed her.

Claris chuckled at the feistiness of the woman her ex-boyfriend was currently engaged with. She fished out a twenty dollar bill from her purse and handed it to her. "Keep the change." She said as she rudely left and sat on the corner table.

Kelsey sent daggers towards her direction. Now she knew exactly why Ella didn't like her. Claris was surely a two-faced witch. She certainly got under Kelsey's skin and it annoyed her that such woman could make her feel so mad yet insecure at the same time.

She quickly made her drink and she was so tempted to spit on it. But Kelsey held herself back, she wouldn't stoop so low. She wondered why Claris was acting so friendly and nice on the night of the premier. Was it only for show? Was it because Mr. and Mrs. King were there? Kelsey groaned and shrugged the topic out of her mind. She placed the cup on a tray and delivered it to the frustrating woman.

"Here's your coffee, ma'am." Kelsey announced as she placed the cup of coffee in front of her. "And here's your change." She added and left the change on the table as well. She took the tray with her and was about to go back to the register when Claris spoke.

"It's my tip. I'm sure you need it more than I do." Claris stated as Kelsey's hand balled into a fist. She placed an innocent smile on her face before turning around to face the she-devil who was madly smirking at her.

"Thank you for your kindness, ma'am. But I don't need your donation." She proudly said as the smirk faded off Claris' lips. Kelsey twirled around again before she could say something that would get her fired.

"Is that why you're clingy onto Mason." Claris asked in challenged. She wasn't just about to lose a fight and she was determined to get back what was once hers. She couldn't lose to such a petty woman who looked like a gold-digger leech. "I wouldn't be surprised. I mean, he is the CEO of one of the biggest company in the world. He makes billions of dollar in a year and -"

Kelsey noticed that the customers that were there were eying them in interest and eavesdropping in their conversation. They were whispering among each other as they stared at the two ladies. Kelsey then decided to cut her off before she get fired. "I'm sorry, ma'am. But please do not make a scene here." She politely told her off.

Claris crossed her arms and smirked. "Why? Are you ashamed? Are you afraid that everyone in here will find out who you really are?" She asked as her voice started to rise to catch the attention of all the customers.

Kelsey couldn't speak, she couldn't breathe. Her knees were starting to buckle and weakened as she watched the customers flipped through their phones, possibly searching them up. She was for sure that they recognized Claris though. She just wished they wouldn't recognize her or she was totally going to get a beating from Mason.

"Is there a problem here?" Her manager, Nick, asked as he stared at the scene before him. Kelsey couldn't speak and explain herself though. She was just embarrassed and afraid of what Claris' would do.

Claris innocently smiled at him and took a sip of her latte. "Not really." She answered. "I was just telling your waitress that the coffee was a bit blunt. That's all." She said as she shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. She took her purse on the chair and left the café with her head held high, leaving the barely touched coffee and change on the table.

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