5. Grace
FIVE
Grace
“What’s your name?” he asked.
My fingertip traced the rim of my wine glass. “I’m not ready to tell you that yet.”
“Do you have a boyfriend?”
Another laugh snuck out of me. “My gosh, you don’t let up.”
“I’m taking that as a no. I’m not seeing anyone either, in case you were wondering.”
“I wasn’t.”
He smirked like he knew that wasn’t true.
I’d never been around a man with such an intense presence. From the moment I’d heard him speak tonight and seen those broad shoulders, the thick, dark hair, I’d known it was him. The man I’d spilled coffee on yesterday. Who now wanted to “spend the evening with me.”
Who even said things like that in real life ?
Yet here I was, standing beside him at the bar instead of finding Piper. I’d texted where I was, but that I was okay for now. She and Hanson were dancing in some other room.
This night really was surreal. Like something out of a dream.
“How about you call me Lois,” he said. “I’ll call you Clark. Or Superman. Whichever.”
I barked a laugh. That was why I’d stayed. He kept disarming me with his sense of humor. And the way he looked at me…like I was some work of art that he wanted to study and understand and protect.
It was concerning how much I liked that. But we were just talking. No harm in that.
“I’m not calling you Lois,” I said. And I certainly wasn’t going to call him Mr. Hunky McHandsome, as Piper had called him yesterday. “You be Mr. Black, since you’re in all black.” His tux, his shirt, bowtie, and mask were all silky and dark as midnight. “I’ll be…” I thought of the woman in the bathroom. “Ms. Red.”
“Intriguing. And fitting. I like it.”
I played with the stem of my wine glass. “I don’t know the name of the woman who gave me this mask. In my head, I called her Ms. Scarlet because she had bright red hair. She said her date stood her up, but I wonder if it was that guy in the blue mask. Maybe she wanted to get away from him.”
If so, I couldn’t blame her. No wonder she’d said I was doing her a favor. I didn’t look much like her, but the mask plus the shades of red in my hair had been enough to distract her creep of a date so she could make her getaway. I was a touch annoyed that she hadn’t told me her plan. She might’ve thought I’d refuse.
Whatever that had been about, I hoped her night had improved.
Mr. Black frowned. “If you’re concerned, I can let security know to keep an eye out for her. And blue mask guy. He shouldn’t have touched you the way he did. I could have him thrown out.”
I shook my head. “Ms. Scarlet left, and I doubt the blue mask man will bother me again. You make it sound like you’re important around here.”
“Kind of.” He smirked again, but didn’t elaborate.
He was probably one of the VIPs who flew in just for this party. As I’d suspected earlier. That would explain his confidence. My first impression of him yesterday, rich tourist , hadn’t been wrong. He wore that tux like he was born in it.
Maybe he even knew Dane Knightly.
He finished off the liquor in his glass and lifted his finger at the bartender for another. “I hate these kinds of events. I’d rather be analyzing financials. Or reading a book.” He aimed his crooked grin at me. “Or chatting with a friend in a coffee shop.”
“I thought you didn’t have any friends in town.”
“I didn’t exactly say that. I didn’t have friends at this party, but now…” He gestured at me.
“We’re strangers, not friends.”
“You’re tough. But that’s even better. I like when I have to earn it.” The rasp in his voice, combined with the heat in his eyes, traveled down my spine like a caress.
“You’re not earning anything.” But I couldn’t stop smiling, no matter how much I tried to rein myself in.
He was the kind of man I should stay far away from. Yet I wasn’t walking away. Maybe it was the mask, like Ms. Scarlet had said. A chance to be someone else for one night.
Ms. Red .
I’d done Ms. Scarlet a favor, but perhaps she’d done me a favor too. Without knowing it.
The bartender arrived with his fresh glass, and Mr. Black took several folded bills from his pocket and passed them over. “You’re a local, right?” he asked me. “Tell me. What do the Silver Ridge locals think of this place? The ski resort and the hotel.”
I spun to face the room, resting my elbows on the bar top behind me. “It’s mixed. The first ski runs opened on the mountain a few years ago. People were excited. But as the resort has expanded, everything’s gotten more expensive. Seems more like a place for tourists than for us. Especially with this new hotel.”
“Huh.” His eyebrows drew together. “The resort has a new owner though. He probably wants to make the locals happy too.”
“Dane Knightly?”
Mr. Black’s eyes sparkled. “Yes. Knightly. What do you think of him?”
“Do you know him?”
“We’ve crossed paths before.”
I didn’t want to badmouth Ashford’s best friend. But the man hadn’t even come to his own grand opening. He had better things to do. “Knightly has never bothered to visit Silver Ridge. Hard to make the locals happy when you have no clue who they really are or what’s important to them.”
Mr. Black’s lips pressed into a line. His gaze was assessing. “You’re absolutely right.”
The wine had made my limbs feel warm and languid. Throw in the mask I was wearing, and it served to loosen my tongue. “I’m sure Dane Knightly is a nice enough person. For a rich guy. It’s fine to have money. But the wealthy tend to lose touch of what it’s like for everyone else.” I glanced at him. “No offense.”
He chuckled. “You assume I’m rich?”
I pointed at…well, all of him.
“Fair enough,” he said. “Life is easier with money. No denying it. But it can’t fix everything.”
“It fixes a lot.”
He sipped his drink. “If someone handed you a million dollars tomorrow, tax free, what would you buy first?”
“That’s easy. I’d pay off my student debts. Pay for my brother’s wedding and honeymoon. Buy a big playhouse for my niece.”
“That’s generous. But what about something indulgent, just for you? The first time my bank account was flush with money I’d earned, I bought myself a vintage Rolex MilSub 5517. A thing of beauty, craftsmanship, and engineering. Just because I could.”
He stretched out his arm, showing off the watch. Without even thinking, I reached out and stroked the smooth metal, catching his wrist at the same time. He was so warm.
I pulled my hand back and looked up at him, realizing he’d been staring at me. His eyes had darkened, pupils swallowing most of the gray.
I tugged my lower lip between my teeth. “A cheeseboard.”
“Pardon?”
“That’s what I would buy.”
He lowered his arm and stuck his hand in his pants pocket. “A cheeseboard? That’s it?”
“A really fancy one!” I defended. “With artisan cheeses and prosciutto and fresh, handmade bread. And fruit and olives and tiny pickles, arranged like it’s a work of art and not just food.”
His grin was awfully big. “You’re adorable.”
“Don’t laugh.”
“I’m not laughing at you. I love a good cheeseboard.”
My face heated. I wished I didn’t like the way he looked at me so much. Warnings kept shooting off in my brain like emergency flares. Mayday. Don’t trust him.
But I didn’t have to trust him with my heart. It was just a conversation. A little flirting. One strange, unlikely evening spent together at a party. I was a Silver Ridge girl, and he was from…somewhere else. New York or Chicago or LA.
He would leave town soon, and I couldn’t imagine I’d ever see him again.
We talked about our favorite foods and books. And then college football, which I followed because brothers . We talked about things that were personal but also not, and our banter flowed easily. The man was clearly intelligent. Smart enough to steer around the things I didn’t want to discuss, like our real lives and identities.
I skipped the second glass of wine. But I leaned into his arm, feeling his solid bulk up against me. It was distracting enough to feel his body through the layers of his shirt and jacket. But those few times we touched skin to skin, electricity sparked between us. His fingers grazing my ear when he fixed the strap of my mask. My touch on his wrist again to check his watch, even though I could’ve looked at my phone.
Far more than an hour had passed.
“My friend is probably looking for me,” I said. Though we hadn’t left the bar area, so Piper could’ve found me if she’d been so inclined. “I should go.”
“I don’t want tonight to end yet. And I don’t think you do either.”
“Maybe. So far it’s been fun.”
“It has. I like you, Ms. Red. I think you like me too.”
“You have a lot of opinions about what’s going on in my head.”
“Am I wrong?”
“No,” I admitted. “You’re not wrong.”
His fingertips nudged the underside of my chin, urging me to tip my head. Putting me in the perfect position to lower his mouth to mine if he’d wanted to.
“Come upstairs to my suite.”
Liquid heat ignited in my veins. “For what?” I asked before mentally kicking myself. I knew for what . But even though we’d been talking and flirting and touching for almost two hours, I still hadn’t been expecting his invitation.
He laughed softly. “For whatever you like. I’d love for you to spend the night with me.”
Air. I needed air. Every breath I took was infused with his scent.
It took a long time, far too long, to drag the words out of me. “I can’t.”
“You can do whatever you want. That’s the question. Do you want me to take you upstairs and worship you until the sun comes up?”
“Uuurghm.” The sound I made was embarrassing. Nowhere near sexy. Yet for some reason, it made the wicked glint in his eyes flare even brighter.
He knew exactly what he was doing to me, and he liked it.
“I would love to see how far down your body that pretty blush goes,” he murmured.
I couldn’t think. My brain wasn’t working. But the rest of me wanted to strip down right here and let him do whatever he wanted. Which was madness. I didn’t know what kind of sexual superpower he had, what kind of pheromones were mixed into his cologne, but he was dangerous alright.
Tonight, though? I was Ms. Red. And Ms. Red kind of liked the idea of dangerous. Wanted excitement and passion. Things that I normally stayed far away from and didn’t allow myself. When else would I have this chance?
For one night, I didn’t have to be Grace O’Neal.
I’d made my decision, but I could still hardly believe it as I said, “I have to find Piper first. To tell her where I’m going.”
His smile unfolded like a piece of silk. “I’ll come with you. I’ll give her my name and contact info so she knows you’re safe.”
“ No . I’ll tell her your room number. That’s enough.” I didn’t want the temptation to ever contact him again or give him a way to contact me. This was just about tonight. “I’ll meet you upstairs. What room is it?”
“701. Top floor.”
Nerves and anticipation fizzed beneath my skin. I can’t believe I’m doing this .
“I’ll head up and order us a bottle of champagne.” He stroked the back of his hand down my cheek. “I’d love to take off that mask and kiss you right here, but I’m going to save it until we’re alone. That way, I won’t have to stop.”
“Okay,” I breathed.
He pressed a keycard into my palm. “I’ll be waiting.” He turned and walked toward the lobby.
My heart thumped like crazy while my hand squeezed the card he’d given me. The key to his room. No, not just a room. His suite . Where he was heading up now to wait for me to join him. For sex .
“701,” I repeated to myself. I had the absurd thought that I was going to forget the number. “701.” The top floor. Like a penthouse or presidential suite or something?
Opening the flap of my purse, I tucked the keycard inside and took out my phone to text Piper.
Me
Meet me in the lobby? Need you asap
Piper
Of course. U ok?
Yes, but need to talk to you. NOW
I put my phone away and wove around partygoers on my way to the exit. The same way Mr. Black had gone a few minutes ago, though I didn’t see him when I emerged in the cooler air of the lobby. He must’ve gone straight to the elevators and up to his room.
Maybe he was taking off his jacket right now, unknotting his bowtie. Rolling up his sleeves and ordering a bottle of champagne with two glasses.
I wondered what he’d feel like. I could already imagine his large, rough hands on my body. His tongue in my mouth. His cock pushing inside me, filling me while he held me down on the bed.
Oh my lord .
“Miss?”
I jumped at the gruff sound of a male voice behind me, my hand pressing to my throat in surprise. “Yes?”
This man wore a boxy suit and a hard expression. His head was shaved bald, his skin pale, and his goatee was a mix of black and silver. He wore a mask, but didn’t look like a party guest. More like a bouncer. Or private security, except there was something cruel in the twist of his mouth and the lines around his eyes.
“Where did you get the red mask?”
“Why does it matter?” I sputtered.
“Answer the question.”
“I found it.”
“Where?”
“None of your business.” I untied the mask and took it off, lifting my chin defiantly. Something told me not to mention Ms. Scarlet. Just how many men were looking for her tonight? And why ?
A soft hand rested on my shoulder. “Grace, what’s up? You okay?”
It was Piper. I looked back to meet her gaze. “No, I’m not. This guy is—” When I turned to face him again, all I saw was his broad back walking away.
“Was he bothering you?”
“I…I don’t know.”
“You look way too pale. What’s going on?” Piper took me by the wrist and pulled me over to a padded bench by the wall. “Sit. Tell me what happened.”
“I’m not sure where to start.” But I was pretty certain Ms. Scarlet had been escaping more than just a bad date tonight.
“Sweetie, you’re shivering. Do you want to head home? Hanson said he’s okay with leaving whenever.”
I had that keycard in my purse. An incredibly sexy man was waiting for me in his suite upstairs. A man I’d been about to spend the night with, even though I knew almost nothing about him.
What the hell had I been thinking?
“Yeah, I’m ready to go home.” I just wanted to put this entire strange night behind me.
This wasn’t some fantasy. This was real life. With real danger and consequences.
I knew far too much about both already.