I followed her to the lobby and giggled when the alcohol finally reached my bloodstream, making me lightheaded.
She approached a man in a suit behind the concierge desk, and he produced a pen and paper. My eyes widened at all the selections. There was an age block, fetishes, hard limits, and a line for any extra notes. I made sure to write down Camden’s name and my father’s in the space for requests the match not be, because better safe than sorry. I crossed off the option for a room, wanting to be able to escape whenever. What that meant, I didn’t know, but a thrill shot through me thinking about all the places that could replace a room.
Without thinking too much, I slid the paper back to the man and pulled my hand back before changing my mind.
“Instructions will be delivered when a match is made,” he said with a curt nod.
Raelynn linked her arm in mine and tugged me back into the ballroom. “You won’t regret this. I’ve never had a bad experience.”
“How often do you do this?”
“Why do you think I actually attend these events?”
I thought of all the times she’d gone home to attend a gala with her family over the years. “Damn, Rae.”
“Hey, no judgment.”
“None at all.”
“Come on, brave little toaster. I think one shot is in order.”
On our way to the bar, my eyes caught on a familiar silver mask. He stood taller than the others in his circle of conversation, but his attention wasn’t on them.
It was on me.
My heart fluttered like a bird trapped in a cage, begging to be set free. A thrill of excitement shot through me, imagining him as the man I got paired with tonight. His head tipped to the side, and I held his stare until a group of people moved between us, breaking the contact.
“Two shots of tequila, please,” Raelynn ordered once we reached the bar. With glasses in hand, we lifted them high. “To bad influences.”
“To the best influences.”
We tapped our glasses and downed the tart liquid, bringing a lime to our lips.
“Hey, I see an acquaintance. Do you mind if I leave your side for a moment?”
“No. Go ahead. I think I’m going to hang out here for a bit.” I could use some time in the corner of the bar to gather my bearings.
“Okay. Let me know if you need me.”
Surprisingly, only a few minutes after she left, a man approached, sliding a folded card across the bar top, meeting my gaze with a serious one of his own before releasing the card and walking away.
I snatched it up with trembling fingers and swallowed hard, opening it.
Meet me on balcony four.That was it—nothing else. No time. No instructions or hints about what would happen.
Balcony four was the one on the floor above us. I wasn’t even sure if I could get there.
Would I be able to make it to where he wanted me? What if I didn’t? Would I miss the opportunity? Did I ask for a redo?
I shook my head. If I let myself, I’d sit there all night, thinking of every scenario, but none of them mattered unless I actually tried. I’d come this far, I needed to go all the way.
Pulling my shoulders back, I gripped the card tight and walked with confidence. If I looked like I belonged, maybe no one would stop me.
I climbed the stairs, and the music slowly faded. The carpeted floor muted the sound of my heels as I approached the closed doors, fully prepared for them to be locked. No one was around when I gripped the handle and tugged, surprised when they opened without a fight. Slipping through the crack I’d created, I looked around to see if anyone noticed, but I was alone. In the dark, I could make out a smaller ballroom with glass doors across the floor, leading to the large balcony.
Twisting my mother’s ring again, I took my first step, halting at the loud clip my heels made on the hardwood. Rather than giving in to the tension screaming at me to turn and run, I pushed on. Power and strength surged through me with each step closer to the balcony.
I half expected someone to be waiting for me when I opened the glass doors, but it was merely the dark sky sparkling with the lights of the city. Faint music reached up, and I walked to the railing to find the party right below us. Partygoers mingled on the balcony below, smoking and laughing with friends.
I’d been so focused on everyone else, I hadn’t noticed I wasn’t alone until two hands with long fingers wrapped around the edge of the stone railing. Arms encased in black caged me in. Heat poured off him, bringing my skin to life before he’d even touched me.