Five Masks of Sin (Haremworld)

“Wow...” She swallowed and exhaled with a gasp. “I probably shouldn’t admit how much I liked that.”

“Are you going to tell me your name now, or should I kiss something else?” I leaned in and let my lips hover above her neck. “You’ve got a lot of things I’d love to kiss.”

“You’re not doing a good job of convincing me I should tell you my name.” She let out another gasp and sucked in so much oxygen her chest heaved.

I moved my lips against her neck and her ear as we danced to the next song. It was a little faster and she definitely wasn’t used to the pace, but I kept her spinning back into my lips every chance I got. My hands moved down her hips and squeezed her ass, which she didn’t fight at all the second time around. I kissed my way down to her shoulder and along the neckline of her dress. I let my tongue graze the center of her cleavage for a second before kissing the other side of her neck. I could feel her getting warm and each time I kissed her, there was a gasp followed by heavy breathing.

“I didn’t come here to hook up with random guys.” She wrapped her arms around my back and kept me from moving my lips back down towards her breasts.

“I’m not looking for anything random either.” I leaned against her ear. “Tell me your name.”

“Lyric.” She exhaled and let her lips linger against my ear for a quick kiss. “My name is Lyric.”

“Is it too soon for me to give you my pin?” I squeezed her ass again. “Cause it’s yours if you want it.”

“That means we have to leave together...” I felt hesitation in her words.

“Yes, and that’s exactly what I want.” I pulled back and stared into her eyes. “But if I leave with you, I might not come back.”

“I don’t know...” She sighed and looked down at the dance floor. “You’ve swept me off my feet and my knees are wobbling, but I didn’t expect something like this so soon.”

“Fine.” I smiled and let my arms slide down her hips before I broke contact at the end of the song. “Go dance with someone else and when you’re ready, I’ll be at the bar.”

I walked through the crowd and left her standing on the dance floor. If it was meant to happen, it would. I really liked her and she was unbelievably gorgeous, but I wasn’t going to force it. There was a time when my possessive nature would have just thrown her over my shoulder and not taken no for an answer, but I was after something a little more permanent than a one night stand. I drank whiskey and watched as someone else walked up to take her hand. He was dressed like a sailor, with a mask that created an eye patch. He wasn’t very attractive, but he seemed to be persistent. She looked over at me for a moment before the music started again and they started dancing.

Chapter 3: Lyric

I always dreamed of meeting the perfect man who would become my husband at the World Ball, but I wasn’t sure destiny moved that quick. Maximo had been a great dancer and he carried me through some of the more complex steps. His kiss lit my world on fire. Underneath his phoenix cloak was a pressed suit that covered what appeared to be a very muscular body. I had never danced with a man like him, much less had one show that kind of interest in me. When I took my next partner’s hand, all I could think about was the first man I danced with. My feet carried me through a routine with a pirate, what appeared to be a lizard, a man dressed in all gray, and then my feet were sore. I walked over to the bar and took a seat, sliding off my shoes for a moment of comfort.

“Did you come to see me or do you just need a drink?” I heard Maximo’s voice and when I turned towards it, I saw that he had removed his mask.

“A drink—for now.” I smiled and took a glass of Champagne.

I could tell Maximo was attractive, even with the feathered mask covering half of his face. Without it, he looked like he was chiseled from a fantasy. He had loosened his tie, and beneath the edge of his collar, I could see a tattoo that ran along his chest and the lower part of his neck. His eyes were almost piercing without the mask to draw my attention away from them. I surveyed the dance floor as I took a drink of my Champagne. It looked very similar to what my parents described, with people dancing on top of each other in a way that someone of their generation would have found offensive. It wasn’t an unusual style of dance for me and I knew it was pretty common, although the girl that was completely twerking her ass against a guy’s crotch on the edge of the dance floor was taking a bit further than she should have.

“Can I have another dance when you catch your second wind?” Maximo moved closer to me.

“Maybe.” I nodded and smiled.

I was wrestling with something I had never felt before. I couldn’t get his lips out of my head. It was the first time I had felt real desire. I had certainly fantasized about a man like him wanting more than just a kiss, but that was just my imagination. The man next to me with his piercing eyes and oh-so-sexy lips was no fantasy. He was real. He had already offered me his pin and that meant he wanted to do more than kiss me. I couldn’t help but wonder if he was really interested in me or if I was a conquest. If I gave in to the desires I was feeling, it meant I was losing my virginity to a man I had just met. My body was telling me to do just that, even if it wasn’t rational. My parents had a love story for the ages and it started in the same place I was standing—or at least somewhere in the vicinity.

“So, another dance?” He extended his hand when my glass of Champagne was empty.

“Sure, why not.” I put down my glass and took his hand.

Maybe it was the Champagne lifting my inhibitions or maybe it was just the repressed sexuality of a sheltered girl coming to life, but when the dance was done, I knew what I wanted. I wanted Maximo. I wanted those big, powerful arms wrapped around me. I wanted to feel his lips against my skin in places that my dress was covering. I knew I was leaving with him even before he kissed me after our second trip to the dance floor, but it still didn’t stop the fireworks from going off in my head. I knew I had to tell him the truth about my inexperi

ence and my innocence before I took his pin.

“My pin?” He removed his from his lapel and offered it to me.

“There’s something you should know.” I leaned close to his ear. “I’ve never done this before.”

“Yes, you’re not the best dancer, but that’s okay.” He nodded and chuckled.

“No, I mean—I’ve never been with a man before.” I felt him tense up and when I leaned back I saw concern on his face.

“Are you telling me that because you don’t want to take my pin?” He tilted his head.