3

3

Amelia

Our heels click on the steps of the Magnolia Hotel.

I turn to Mia. “I still can’t believe I agreed to this.”

She laughs. “Come on. It’ll be fun.”

“Do I really have to go all evening not knowing my mystery man?”

We reach the front doors of the hotel. “No, the last hour of the party is the reveal. Everyone takes their masks off and you get acquainted with your date.”

I give Mia a friendly poke to her ribs. “Well, you never told me that.”

Mia laughs.

I adjust my mask as we step into the ballroom. I gasp. “Oh, would you look at this?”

“The flowers.” Mia’s eyes are like saucers as she takes in the stunning decorations. “Oh, my goodness.”

Each table, with its’ crisp white tablecloth, is adorned with bouquets of red and white roses along with candles and tiny white lights. Beautiful. Each place setting includes red dinnerware and gold napkins. The sweet fragrance of roses fills the room.

I’m greeted by a man just inside the door and he hands me a single rose along with a box of chocolate candy. “Welcome to the Valentine ball, my lady.”

Talk about Valentine-themed.

He leads me to the attendant’s table. When I hand the older woman behind the table my invitation, she greets me. “Welcome, Lady Catherine. You’ll be dining with Sir Alexander this evening.” She points to the gentleman accompanying me. “Please show Lady Catherine to table sixteen.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He takes me by the arm and leads me to the corner of the room where a handsome stranger rises from his chair.

My skin tingles and my mouth goes dry. My mystery man is tall, about my age, with short dark hair, and his eyes sparkle behind the mask.

“Enjoy your evening, my lady.” My host bows and leaves me with my date.

Sir Alexander is wearing a black suit, a crisp white shirt, and a silky red bowtie. He grins as I approach. “Lady Catherine, I presume?”

“Yes, Sir Alexander.”

We shake hands. “You’re lovely, my lady. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

So formal.

“I’m pleased to make your acquaintance, Sir Alexander.”

He smiles. “No need to be so formal. You can call me Alex.”

He pulls out my chair. “You can call me Cat.”

His smile warms me. “Cat.” He chuckles. “I like that.”

My eyes dart around the room, barely able to take in my surroundings. A hint of gold lighting puts a soft glow on the space. Women are dressed in luxurious gowns and men are in sharp suits, some wearing tuxedos. Wait staff in black and white scurry around the room with trays of drinks and hors d’oeuvres.

“Is this your first time attending the masquerade ball?” Alex asks. He takes a drink from his water goblet.

“It is. And it’s beautiful. What about you?”

His eyes sparkle. “This is my sixth time.” He shrugs and his grin is mischievous. “My parents met here, and they always hoped we’d find our significant other here too.”

“We?”

“My brother and I.”

“I assume that hasn’t happened.” I give him a flirty grin. “That you haven’t met your significant other.”

Alex points his index finger. “You must work in the jurisconsults section at the palace.”

I laugh. “One would think, right?” I wrinkle my nose. “I can be quite the sleuth.”

Too bad I wasn’t such a great sleuth when my fiancée was draining our bank account.

“Well, perhaps you’ve found your calling, my lady. You’re quite observant.” He shakes his head with a grin. “No, I haven’t fulfilled their dream of marriage and grandkids.” Alex takes a drink from his wine glass. “What about you? Single? Divorced? Separated?” He winks. “Married?”

I chuckle. “Single. Never married and no significant other.”

I don’t want to appear weak to my date, so I don’t mention the rat I was once engaged to who belongs in jail.

The waiter serves our dinner. I have chicken, asparagus, and a dinner salad and roll. Alex has steak, a baked potato, which he loads with sour cream and butter along with a dinner salad and roll.

I nod to Alex’s plate. “Care for some potato to go with your butter and sour cream?”

Alex laughs. “I’m gonna need to spend a little extra time in the gym next week.” He rubs his flat stomach.

Although he’s wearing a white dress shirt, it’s obvious he’s in shape with well-defined muscles.

You don’t get that hot body from not spending time in the gym. Another dallop of sour cream isn’t going to hurt that body one little bit.

He takes a bite of the steak. “Perfect.” He moans in pleasure. “Not often I have a steak dinner. How’s the chicken?”

I nod as I chew. “Good.”

“Hopefully I can fit into my doublet tomorrow after eating all this.”

I laugh. “Your doublet?”

“Yeah, you know, the Renaissance jackets the dudes wore.”

“Oh, I know what it is.”

He grins and adjusts his already perfect tie. “I had to wear this suit. My crown and doublet are being cleaned.” He winks. “Hope you’re not too disappointed.”

Love his sense of humor.

“I would think a man of your caliber would have more than one royal doublet to adorn himself with for occasions such as this. What are these?” I ask as I point to his suit.

“Clothes of a commoner.”

“A pity.” I take a small sip of wine.

“Indeed.” He wipes his mouth with the cloth napkin and sets it aside. “If I haven’t already mentioned it, your gown is beautiful on you, my lady.”

My face is hot as I fight a blush. I nod. “Thank you.”

“You’re blushing. Not used to a compliment?”

I don’t tell him that my only compliments from Collin came from buying the brand of beer he preferred.

“Not from a royal gentleman.”

“A shame.” Alex grins. “A beautiful lady can never receive too many compliments.”

My body shakes. I’m not used to having somebody this attentive. My spine tingles.

What is this guy doing to me?

We chat over dinner, but don’t give away too much. We don’t want to reveal our true identities until the appropriate time. The more he talks, the more he gets under my skin. He’s putting a spell on me.

After we’ve finished our meal, a waiter stops by, clears our dishes, and refills our water goblets.

“May I interest you in a dance?” Alex rises from his chair and reaches for me.

“I’d love that.” His hand slides to the small of my back as he guides me to the dancefloor. His hand is warm and small volts of electricity rocket through me.

When was the last time a man touched me? Too long.

We reach the dancefloor and Alex wraps his arms around my waist. I put my hands on his shoulders.

“I hope you’re not too disappointed, but I’m not much of a dancer,” he confesses.

“Clothes of a commoner and lacking in dancing skills? Tsk. Tsk.”

“Oh, I make up for it in other areas.” He gives me a wink. My mouth goes dry.

“Really,” I deadpan.

He looks around as if to make sure no one hears him. He clears his throat and whispers. “In the royal bed-chamber, my lady.” He laughs and winks. “No pressure though.”

“Of course not.”

Alex makes me laugh with his sense of humor. When he smiles or chuckles, his eyes light up and for some reason, his sexual confidence and teasing only make him more attractive.

“So, let’s hear more about Lady Catherine. What do you like to do for entertainment?”

“Entertainment? Well, I have a few girlfriends and we like to go out to karaoke night.”

“Karaoke? Yeah?”

“It’s fun and one of my friends is a good singer. What about you? Do you like karaoke?"

“Trust me. You don’t want to hear me sing.” He shakes his head as if to shake off the idea. “I’d be thrown out for sure.”

“That bad, huh?” I look up into his eyes and smile. “So, what do you like to do? Besides your bedchamber activities?”

“Good one, Cat.” He pulls me closer. “I run. It relaxes me, but I work quite a bit.” He grins. “At the palace.”

“Your royal duties.”

“Exactly.”

“Kind of a workaholic?” I ask.

He nods. “I am, but I do make time for the gym. I’m faithful to my workout schedule. When I’m not working though, I love to travel. Wish I had time to do a lot more of it. What about you? What do you do?”

“I recently finished college and I’m working. I wouldn’t consider myself a workaholic, but I’m busy.”

I don’t mention I’m working hard to pay my debt.

Sam

In the years I’ve attended this event, I’ve never made a connection. I’ve met some nice women, but once the masquerade ball was over, we never saw each other again. I never left feeling like I wanted to start a relationship. It feels different with Cat. She’s funny and keeps me laughing, and I haven’t felt this relaxed on a date in years. Besides that, she’s beautiful.

I take a glance at my watch.

“Am I boring you?” Cat smirks.

“Of course not. Why?”

“Checking your watch. Need to return to the palace?”

So witty.

I chuckle. “Yeah, I need to get my doublet hung up.”

“Don’t you have a royal staff for that?”

“You’d think so, right? What about you? Do you have a royal staff who attends to your every need? To turn down your bed? Run your royal bath water?”

She grins, her eyes full of mischief. “They dress me.” She gives me a smirk.

“And they undress you?” I wink. “I’m jealous.”

“It’s getting warm in here, Sir Alexander. Shall we step outside?”

Don’t have to ask me twice.

I lead her across the dancefloor and out a set of double doors onto the balcony. Other guests are enjoying the beautiful evening and are seated at tables. A few couples stand at the railing and peer into the night sky. The weather is perfect. Cool with a slight breeze that catches her hair. I take her by the hand and descend a set of stairs that lead to a patio.

The area is mostly dark except for a few nightlights built into the surrounding cobblestone wall.

I lean against the wall. “Much better. Couldn’t ask for a nicer evening for this.”

The clear sky is lit up with stars and I grin as I see her enjoying the view.

“Beautiful sky tonight,” she says in awe.

I lean forward, take her by the hips and pull her back. She squeals as I turn her to face me. Her breasts push against my chest.

“Hello, Cat.”

“Hello to you too.”

I lean into her. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to do all night.”

“And what’s that?” she whispers.

“This.” I pull her towards me and capture her mouth in a kiss. I groan when she opens for me.

She’s so soft. So voluptuous. We deepen the kiss as I run my fingertips on her soft skin just above her low-cut neckline.

I can’t get enough of her.

We break the kiss, and her eyes move to my fingertips. She grasps my hand and moves my fingertips just inside her neckline.

I could take her right now. Lift this dress and ravish her.

She looks into my eyes and plunges forward to capture my mouth. Our lips and tongues work in tandem, our breath heavy as our kisses deepen.

My hands ache to touch her and I need to erase all the distance between us.

My fingers work their way through the low cut of her gown until they meet the edge of her lacy bra. I reluctantly release our kiss and move my mouth to her ear as I inhale her sweet scent.

“You’re beautiful.”

“Don’t stop,” she whispers.

My fingers move inside her lacy bra and skim across her breast. I push my erection into her hip. “This is what you’re doing to me,” I whisper.

She sighs. “You feel so good.”

I slip inside the cup of her bra and her breast fills my hand. Our passionate kisses continue as she rubs her hip into my erection. Voices are nearby and I quickly remove my hand and right her dress.Our breaths are heavy.

“Although I’d rather sneak out and do unnoble unmentionables.” Our lips meet in a kiss. “Once the reveal’s over, I could rent a suite for the night.”

“Oh my.” She fans herself. “What are you suggesting, Sir Alexander?”

“A night with you in my arms. In my bed.” I run my tongue across her bottom lip. “We could continue right where we left off. With my mouth all over your skin.”

She smiles. “I’d like that.”

Amelia

It’s been over a year since I’ve been intimate with anyone. My body is on fire— craving the touch of a man.

Did I just agree to a hotel room? With a stranger?

I’m not sure about Alex, but this is totally out of the normal for me. I’ve never slept with someone on a first date, never had a one-night stand, and certainly never agreed to a hotel suite with a masked man wearing a suit.

What am I doing?

I enjoyed our dinner so much— the conversation, the dancing, the flirting. Although we joked a lot, which I loved, we have a lot of things in common. He hates mornings and can’t function until he’s had at least one cup of coffee. I can relate. He loves the jazz bar on Syracuse. I’ve only been there once, but I want to go back. I can’t wait to find out more about him at the reveal.

Alex slips his arm around me as we enter the ballroom.

“Once the reveal’s over, meet me in the lobby.” He grins. “Just so you know, this isn’t my normal M.O. I don’t usually invite women to my hotel.”

Although I know there’s a chance that Alex isn’t telling the truth and maybe he does this sort of thing all the time, I don’t care. I feel good. This feeling of being cherished and treasured by a man feels so wonderful that I’m not going to deny myself the long-overdue attention.

“This isn’t how things usually go for me either.” I smile. “There’s something different about this. Something about the way I feel.”

He nods. “Something about you.”

The dancefloor is empty, and the music has stopped. Smoke lingers by the bright house lights.

“What’s going on?” I ask Alex as we return to our table.

“Not sure.”

An announcement comes over the speakers. “Please stay calm, but there’s been a slight mishap in the kitchen. We ask—” The sound goes dead.

The room’s overhead sprinklers turn on in full force. Chaos ensues as guests’ voices rise and they scurry around, soaked as they try to grab their belongings and head to the exits. I grab my purse and move toward the door. Panicked guests, shoulder to shoulder, bump into me and I turn to find Alex behind me. He rests his hand on my shoulder. As I’m swallowed up by the crowd, Alex’s hand slides off and I start to move away from the exit instead of toward it. The crowd continues to flood the exit and I crane my neck and search for my mystery man.

I get outside and scan the group. No Alex.

Mia finds me. “Oh my gosh, are you ok?”

“I need to go to the lobby,” I insist.

“The lobby? Why?”

“I need to.”

Why does Mia have to be so difficult?

“No one’s allowed in the building. They’re even evacuating the hotel rooms. Did you lose something?”

“I guess you could say that.”

“Let’s get the hell out of here.” Mia takes me by the hand and leads me across the crowded parking lot as my head is on a swivel, searching for my date.

My fairytale evening ends. No horse-drawn carriage and no prince charming. Only a twenty-five dollar wet updo that’s fallen to my shoulders, a soaked dress, a soggy box of chocolates, and a ride back to Mia’s apartment in a car that feels more like a pumpkin.