Chapter 6 The Art of Deception

Mason's POV

My brother's starting to freak out, his anxiety medicine doing nothing to stop his shaking or rapid intakes of air.

"Declan, you have to calm down."

"I can't, Mase. I'm getting married to the love of my life in thirty minutes." He clutched his chest, wrinkling his tuxedo. "It's starting to feel very real."

I grabbed his hand, pulling it away from his suit. Smoothing out the wrinkles he caused, I instructed him to take a few deep breaths with me.

"Hey, what's going on?" Our father asked, slipping into the room with Paxton and Silas behind him.

When it comes to getting my brother to calm down, my parents and Aya are way more successful than I am.

I gave my cousins a head nod, thanking them for going to get my father. "Declan's getting cold feet," I tell him.

My father's eyes flicker to Declan, his voice calm. "Okay, give us a minute."

Leaving the room with my cousins, they join the rest of the groomsmen while I remain out in the hallway so I can call Amelia, the owner of the escort agency I contacted a few days ago.

She told me that she had the perfect escort for me. And I don't know what to expect, because I never received a picture of the woman. The only thing she did tell me was that her name was Dove.

"Hello?"

"Amelia, this is Mason. Is Dove here yet?"

"I just spoke with her on the phone. She's heading into the building."

Thank God.

"Okay, and what does she look like?"

"You'll know when you see her." I pull the phone away from my ear when the dial tone sounds.

What kind of cryptic ass comment is that?

Shaking my head, I put my phone on silence and shove it into my back pocket. Too paranoid for this sketchy ass shit, I start down the hall so I can make sure I'm not being punked.

I pause when I hear my mother's voice. She steps off the elevator wearing a violet purple off-the-shoulder gown that shows just how good she looks at her age.

A smile is plastered on my face. Despite being in a hurry, I can't help but to take a moment to admire how beautiful my mother is.

"You look gorgeous," I whisper, kissing her cheek.

"Thank you, baby," she replies with a smile, reaching up to adjust my tie. "You look quite gorgeous yourself."

"Thanks, mom. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go see if my date has arrived."

Her eyes sparkle with curiosity and excitement. "Date as in singular?"

"Yeah."

"Does this mean you're done being a slut?"

A laugh escapes me. "No, of course not."

She smiles and shakes her head. "Will your dad and I at least like this one?"

"I hope so."

I really, really hope so.

****

Harlynn's POV

I'm blowing up Amelia's phone with text messages, wondering where the hell this Isaac Mason guy is.

I don't know why she didn't just send me a picture of the guy. That would have saved me so much more time.

Me: Why can't you just tell me what he looks like?

She used to send me a picture of the person beforehand so I know who to look for. It seems she decided to do something differently this time. I wonder why.

Amelia: You'll know when you see him.

Me: What is that supposed to mean?

If I've never met the guy, then how the hell am I supposed to know I've found the guy I'm supposed to be escorting?

When I didn't receive an immediate reply, I huffed in annoyance and decided to just go and sit wherever there was an available seat.

The double doors opened and out came the man who I assumed was the groom. He was dressed in a black suit, ink marking his hands and neck. Green eyes quickly darted around the room as he made his way down the aisle.

He was visibly nervous, his hands now shoved in his pockets while he took a few deep breaths. His eyes never stopped moving around the room, even when the ceremony finally began.

The pianist played a mellow tune as everyone a part of the wedding walks out and takes their respective place.

Starting with the maid of honor and best man, all of the paired up groomsmen and bridesmaids follow suit. The men are wearing a traditional tuxedo, while the women are dressed in long beautiful gowns the color of lavender.

Everyone in the audience smiles and awes at the flower girl who enters next, her dark curls bouncing with each step she takes. White flower petals are being tossed into the air, a beaming smile on the toddler's face.

When she reaches the groom, he bends down to kiss the little girl on the cheek before her grandmother swoops in to grab her.

The sound only intensifies when an older man who the groom resembles very closely, enters through the double doors with an infant in his arms. With the assistance of his grandfather, the ring bearer is the last to make an entrance before the bride.

A classical version of "All of Me" by John Legend plays, and as if on cue everyone rises to their feet. The double doors are opened for the last time and bride, along with her father, makes a grand entrance.

Murmurs of approval spread throughout the golden chapel, the groom's anxiety seeming to dissipate as his eyes settle on his soon-to-be wife. His emerald eyes brim with tears, his attention on no one but the bride.

Which I don't blame him for. The bride looked absolutely gorgeous in her wedding dress. The lacy strapless gown hugs her curvy frame perfectly, the sheer veil atop her head as long as her dress.

The bride's dress trails behind her, rose petals temporarily disappearing under her as she slowly makes her way towards her future husband. The bride's father happily gives her away, to in which the groom helps his wife up onto the dais.

Smiling, my attention drifts away from the two lovebirds when I feel a pair of eyes on me. My heart drops, the smile on my face replaced with a surprised frown as they lock onto a familiar set of green eyes.

Mason.

I contemplated simply walking out, but decided to stay because I didn't want to be rude. Besides, I am here to do a job. And I have yet to find this Isaac Mason guy.

Throughout the entire ceremony, Mason's eyes remain locked onto me. His burning gaze

manages to singe the growing hair follicles on my legs, my eyes darting back and forth between the bride and groom and him.

I can no longer focus on the beautiful ceremony taking place, the dress I'm wearing suddenly feeling uncomfortably tight. I'm having a hard time breathing, my heart thrumming wildly in my chest.

Why of all places did he have to be here? Swallowing, I'm having a difficult time keeping my eyes off him. He's looking at me in a way that should not have made my heart pound the way that it did.

His words continuously play on a loop in my head, which makes me that much more uncomfortable.

I guarantee you that one day my name will leave those beautiful lips. And when that day comes, it will hopefully be because I fucked it out of you.

"Does it seem hot to you?" I ask in a whisper, speaking to the guy beside me. He looked to be about in his mid to late forties, the crows feet around his eyes faint.

"No, not at all," he replies back, running his fingers through his blond hair and smiling.

I'm about to ask him if his name is Isaac, but his attention shifts to the beautiful Asian woman sitting beside him. I overheard her address him by the name of Zack, which answered my question about whether or not his name was Isaac.

So instead, I lean in to ask them another question. "Do you guys happen to know anyone by the name of Isaac Mason?"

Now probably wasn't the right time to be asking, but I needed to make sure I was at the right place. And if this guy was even real.

"Do you mean Mason Isaacs?" The woman questions.

Knitting my brows together in confusion, I quickly pulled out my phone to re-read the text message Amelia sent me regarding his name.

No... that can't be right.

My eyes widened in shock. I had misread the text message, and had somehow switched his first and last name. Which means the guy I kept running into these last couple of days is the one I'm supposed to be escorting.

Amelia's mysterious text message replays in my mind and that's when it hits me. She's the only person I talked to about Mason. She had to have googled every guy named Mason with green eyes and dark hair in the area.

Damn her!

That sneaky little- I knew it! I knew she was planning something. For fucks sake, why must she always meddle in my private life! Sighing, I keep my head down as Mason walks past.

I really need to learn to stop telling her things.