“The better to see how thirsty you look, my dear.”
“Do I look thirsty?” She gazed down at her glass. “I suppose I am.”
“May I buy you a drink?”
“You may. A vodka martini, please.” The woman plucked the skewer from her glass and he watched with anticipation as she sucked the last olive into her mouth. Her gaze didn’t leave his as she chewed thoroughly and swallowed. She had one of the most sensuous mouths he’d ever seen. Maybe it was because it was all he could see, but he couldn’t shake the image of pressing his lips against hers.
“Extra dirty,” she added.
Sutton felt his heart stutter in his chest. Extra dirty, indeed. He had no idea who this goddess in red was, but she already had his undivided attention. Frankly, she could have anything she wanted, but they’d start with a delicious cocktail. “You’ve got it.”
With a smile, he turned and strode over to the bar. He forced himself not to glance back over his shoulder as he did. He had a gnawing worry that if he peeked, she would be gone. A woman like that couldn’t be real. Those curves, those lips, that sass... Maybe the mask added a layer of mystery to his lady in red, but there was more to it than that. There was an electricity, a chemistry between them that hit him like a ton of bricks the moment those big, brown eyes landed on him. He was completely under her spell.
At the bar, he caught the bartender’s eye and ordered her dirty martini. “Put it on my tab,” he said.
“I’d be happy to. But who are you?” the bartender asked, gesturing toward his eyes. “The masks,” he explained.
“Oh, right. Wingate. Sutton.”
“Gotcha. For a second, I thought you were Sebastian. I think you two have the same masks on tonight.”
Sutton chuckled. “Yeah, we ordered both of them on Amazon at the last minute. Most folks can’t tell us apart without a mask, so why make it easy on people tonight? Anyway, don’t let him put any drinks on my tab.”
The bartender chuckled and slid the dirty martini over to him. He was about to reach out and take the drink when he heard a muffled voice sounding over the crowd.
“Everyone, if you could please quiet down for just a moment, I have a few announcements before the evening goes on too much further.”
Sutton turned to look at the stage where a woman in a black, lace gown was at the microphone stand. It was probably his sister Beth, who had organized the ball tonight.
She lifted up her black feathered mask and confirmed his suspicions. “Guess who?” she said with a chuckle that was echoed by the crowd.
“First, on behalf of Wingate Charities and those who benefit from our efforts, I’d like to thank all of you for purchasing a ticket and attending tonight. Despite everything, we are still dedicated to doing our good works for as long as we are able to. This branch of the company has been my baby, and it’s very important to me, so I’d like to personally say thank you again for coming out to support us. I wasn’t sure how many tickets or donations we would receive this year, but I never should’ve doubted the generous and thoughtful residents of Royal. In fact, this year we sold more tickets to the ball than ever before!”
Sutton knew the increased attendance this year probably had more to do with people hoping for a little juicy drama with their good cause, but he wouldn’t say that to Beth and ruin her night. She worked hard to make the charity successful and she deserved the community’s support, for whatever reason.
His sister paused for a bit of applause and to let her glistening eyes dry for a moment. “If you haven’t already noticed, we have an amazing selection of donated items along the back wall as part of our silent auction. I encourage all of you to bid high and bid often,” she said with a smile. “And, of course, we’re also accepting good, old-fashioned checks. If you’d like to donate directly, you can find me near the coat check, where I have my handy receipt book ready. Gotta keep those accountants happy, right?
“Now, before we get back to the dancing, I have one more thing. My beautiful sister, Harley, and her fiancé, Grant Everett, have an announcement they’d like to share.”
The couple came up to the stage with Beth and the band. Harley took the microphone that was extended to her and held it to her lips as she snuggled close to Grant’s side. “Hello, everyone. I don’t want to take too much time away from the celebration, but Grant and I wanted to share some exciting news. So many of you here are like family to us, and I feel like, lately, our family could use some happiness, so we will be getting married next month at the Everett family ranch. We won’t have much time to print formal invitations, but we’ll send out the details to everyone as soon as we can. We hope all of you will come celebrate with us.”
The crowd cheered appropriately. Sutton figured half the applause was genuine, half was polite. Like this party, some people in this town would attend just to see if anything gossip-worthy happened at the wedding. He doubted it. Harley was used to getting her way and she wouldn’t allow anything, even the family’s hard times, to ruin her wedding. She’d already had to concede on the location. Harley had wanted to marry at the Wingate Estate, but they had no idea how long it would be—if ever—before they could step foot back on the property. Apparently she and Grant had decided not to wait and find out. The wedding was already five years late as it was.
His family departed from the stage as the music started up again. That was Sutton’s cue to take his drink and turn back to this evening’s beautiful distraction. He let a heavy sigh of relief escape his lungs when he turned and found his mystery woman was still there waiting for him.
“Extra dirty,” he said, handing her the glass.
“You or the drink?” she asked with a twinkle in her dark eyes.
Sutton clucked his tongue in appreciation. Her flirting game was top-notch and he wasn’t easily impressed. He was certain he knew ev
eryone in this town and all the members of the club for sure, but this woman was new and exciting in every way. Perhaps she wasn’t from around here. That would be even better. If she was a visitor to Royal, she wouldn’t know about the Wingates and their hard times.
“Maybe both,” he drawled. “I am the big, bad wolf after all.”
“Good.” She smiled and took a sip of her new drink.
Two