Элла Франк - Exquisite

“Can you not read?”

Mason stared down at the annoying, yeah he was going to think of her as annoying, woman in front of him and wondered how much trouble he’d get in off his mother if he lifted the vase and tipped the contents all over her. Taking a deep breath he decided he didn’t need to put up with this crap. He'd already been there forty minutes more then he wanted to be, so standing there being patronized was not on his high list of priorities.

“Excuse me? What did you say to me?"

She didn’t step back from his cool tone. In fact he watched her spine, if it was possible, get stiffer.

“I asked you if you could read?” she paused then continued with her patronizing ramble. “Because that’s the only reason I can think of for why you couldn’t Brandy who the flowers are from.”

Mason felt his eyes narrow and the hair on the back of his neck rise. Just who did this snotty thing think she was? The Queen? The psycho who was standing in front of him was in sky blue scrubs and had a stethoscope draped around her neck. She had dark brown curls that were tied up in a high top notch bun on her head with several of them escaping around her neck and on her pert stuck up nose were a plain pair of thin wire rimmed glasses that magnified her big bottle green eyes. He swallowed and told himself to calm down, he was doing this for his mother. One other question he wanted answered was, who the hell would ever by this woman flowers?

“Yes. Surprisingly I was taught how to read all through elementary school. I even managed to graduate. The reason I didn’t answer your little peon over there Princess was because A) I didn’t want to, B) The card is sealed and C) I didn’t want to. My job was to bring these flowers to your ungrateful self. Not stand here and take your condescending crap.”

Mason watched her as she listened to him and wasn’t surprised to see no emotion what so ever cross her features. What was wrong with this woman? He thrust the flowers at her along with the clipboard.

“Just sign for them sweetheart so I can get the hell out of here."

Her eyes narrowed at the false endearment and she grabbed the clipboard out of his hands. She scrawled her name across the bottom then snatched the flowers up into the crook of her arm. Turning without another word she stormed back through the swinging doors. Thank God, what an uptight little shrew. Mason turned to see Brandy peeking at him from over her desk then he smiled slightly and waved.

“Good luck with that one.”

By the time Lena reached her office she was furious. Furious with herself for behaving like an obnoxious jerk. It wasn’t as though she didn’t know she was doing it, she did. Her excuse, well the one she used, was that she did it too keep people away. The less people in her life meant the less likely she had to give a shit and that equaled the less possibility that she’d get hurt. It was a good theory, if she didn’t have a soul. Lena put the vase on the edge of her desk and walked around flopping down into her chair. Staring at the flowers she willed them to go away, as if that would actually work. Then when there was no other choice, than to drive herself bat shit crazy, she leaned forward and snatched up the card. Tearing it open Lena thought of the mule headed, freakishly tall flower delivery.. what could she call him? Certainly not a boy. Ok mule headed, freakishly tall flower delivery man. What was his problem anyway? It wasn’t like he knew her, so what the hell did he care if she was the biggest bitch in the universe? Another random thought also came on the heels of that one and it was far less welcome. Why on earth could she not stop thinking about how blue his eyes had been? Pushing his irritating presence out of her mind she looked down at the card in her hand knowing exactly who they were from;

“Lena, Go visit her today. She would want you too.

Mom and Dad”

See? This is what she does to me, Lena thought as she stared at the ceiling. This is why she wanted that moron to tell Brandy. So she could get rid of the flowers in advance and feel no guilt for not visiting her sister’s grave. Just like she'd done for the last nine years.

Mason was pissed off as he stepped off the elevator. God what a piece of work! His jaw hurt from clenching it as he dialed his mother’s number. He mentally told himself not to take his anger out on his mother, or his phone. It rang twice then his mother’s voice flowed into the ear piece. “Precious Petals, how may I help you?”

Mason smiled automatically. “You can take me to dinner to thank me for taking on your customer from hell.”

“Who? Lena?”

Mason clenched his fist as he walked out to his car parked on the street. That name all on its own upped his headache to migraine status.“Yes Lena. Or as I refer to her, Queen Bitch.”

“Mason Nathan Langley!” his mother admonished. “Don’t you dare talk about her like that. That poor girl.”

Opening the car door, to his blue Nissan GT-R, Mason folded his tall frame in. “That poor girl just made me wait forty minutes then had the nerve to ask me if I could read!”

“Well, well. It isn’t often that someone dares to take you on, so good for her.”

Mason pulled the phone away from him and stared at it. Good for her? Is that what his mother had just said to him? What the hell was the world coming to and how did his mother know Queen B anyway? Grumbling to himself Mason pulled the phone back to his ear.

“Never again.”

“Oh come on now Mase."

“No mom, never. Bye.” With that he snapped the phone shut, realizing he hadn’t got an answer about her taking him to dinner.

Mason finally pulled into his reserved spot behind his restaurant, Exquisite, in downtown Chicago. He sat in his car with his hands in his lap just taking a moment to himself. He hated starting his day on a negative note. It always made for one long ass day. Thinking back to only an hour ago he kept picturing the tall infuriating thing, yeah he’d upgraded her from The Queen to a thing now, only because his mom had made him. Still, he couldn't make any excuse for her absolutely obnoxious behavior this morning. More to the point, he couldn't believe his own reaction to her. He was never rude to anyone. Especially a woman.

Usually he had no trouble in that department, women fell all over him and he didn't mind one bit. He loved women, always had. However, that woman, had made his blood boil and it seemed that was the very reason he couldn't get her out of his head. He shut his eyes took a deep breath then unfolded himself out of the car. Stretching his back he sounded the lock and strolled through the back door of the restaurant.

"Oh, hello! Look who decided to show up today. Did you forget how to get here brother?"

Smiling in the direction of the voice he turned and walked down one of the kitchen aisle's to the huge stainless steel prep table where his sister Rachel stood. She was dressed in worn jeans and a black Exquisite T-shirt that had the logo, of a white chef’s hat and a martini glass, on the pocket. Her black hair was pulled up into a bright purple cap and peeking out from the hole at the back were red tips that were gathered into a messy bun, and yet with that bizarre mish mash of colors she somehow looked put together. Her light blue eyes were laughing at him and instantly Mason's day improved. He reached out and tugged the bill of the cap.

"No smart ass. I got held up doing a favor for mother dearest."

She grinned at him then stopped cutting the carrots as he grabbed a black apron from the rack and tied it around his hips.

"What'd she sucker you into today?"

He walked behind her and washed his hands at the large sink. "Oh nothing worth repeating trust me. Let's put it this way, it involved a screaming child, an obnoxious thing, a little woman with thick glasses and about 90% of my patience. So I really hope everything runs well tonight."

Rachel resumed her cutting then smirked as she looked over to him.

"So now probably isn't the time to tell you three of your waiters called in and we have a booking that called last minute for a table of 15 and we’re at full capacity tonight?"

Mason froze, looked up at her, and when he saw her smile narrowed his eyes and pointed the knife he was holding at her.

"You lying little brat."

"Hey what did mom teach you about playing with knives?"

Grinning he started cutting the Portobello mushrooms, "Not a damn thing, she didn't cook."

"Well what do you think she'd have said?"

Mason let out a loud laugh, "Ah Rachel, thank you."

"For?"

Before he could answer he heard Wendy, his manager, walk in frantic as usual but smiling as she rushed through the back door and up toward them. Her blond hair was pulled neatly back into a sleek ponytail.

"Hi." she said looking at them with her head cocked to one side, which wedged her cell phone between her chin and shoulder, as she balanced a box in her hands. "Hi. Yes, no I don't need Cab Sav I need Merlot. I ordered this a week ago. Why am I looking at carrots and mushrooms and no Merlot, Stan?"

Mason arched a brow then looked at Rachel and mouthed, Poor Stan.

Rachel chuckled and Wendy whipped her eyes up to him then rolled them like ‘Stan’ was completely incompetent and in that instant he was reminded of the thing. Wendy in her own way reminded him of her, however Wendy usually had some sweetness, she was just rattled right now. He wondered if Queen B had any sweetness. Then he decided it wasn't even worth thinking about and went back to cutting and washing the mushrooms.

Finally, Lena thought, I have a moment to breathe. She sat down in her black leather chair and looked at the files stacked on her desk then groaned. So much paperwork. Orders, prescriptions, insurance documents. So much protocol. Leaning back she shut her eyes then opened one and looked at the clock on her desk. The second hand ticked it's way slowly around to the twelve and the time read 4pm. She’d been on her feet since 7am, and the day, or should she say days? Were starting to wear on her. She knew she needed to slow down. However, Lena also knew she wouldn't because when she slowed down that gave her time to think, and let's face it nothing good ever came from that particular pastime. Standing up she decided now was probably as good a time as any for her to go and get some lunch, considering she hadn't eaten anything but half a donut since this morning. She walked around her desk and stopped as Brandy came to the door.

"Dr McKinney called and wants you to go to his office."

Lena sighed, there goes lunch. "Did he perhaps tell you a time Brandy?"

Nodding she bit her bottom lip. What was she, two?

"He said pronto."

"Pronto?" Lena repeated not quite believing what she’d heard.

Brandy looked as though she wanted to melt into the wall but nodded quickly still biting her lip. Lena rolled her eyes then walked out of her office. Stalking down the hallway seething she thought, what was she, his child? Pronto? Who even used that word except for an angry parent? Lena stopped at the bank of elevators and tapped her foot. She knew what was coming. She was about to get her ass handed to her on a plate for being constantly late. It was nothing new but this time he was pushing it summoning her to his office like a petulant child. The elevator pinged then opened and several visitors and some hospital personal scrambled off. She stepped in, with a nurse from the 2nd floor that she recognized but couldn't name, and went to the back and leaned against the wall.

"Floor eight, please." she mumbled closing her eyes as the elevator heaved and started its ascent. Lena started thinking about what she needed to do when she got home. There was laundry, her run and then bed. Wow, when had her life become so stagnant? Running every night, in the park across from her house, was her form of therapy. It punched out all the frustration and anger she held inside and she was usually so tired when she was through that she could crawl into bed and not have time to think of anything but sleep. Her existence was simple. It was structured and it was solitary, just the way she wanted it to be. Finally the elevator hit eight. Lena got out turned left and walked down to the end. Stopping she took a deep breath then pushed the door open. Behind the desk was McKinney's version of Brandy, the difference being no glasses and red hair, she smiled slightly at Lena. "Dr O’Donnell. He's expecting you, just go in."