Escape With Me (Love With Me 1)

“It's time to get you to the ball,” he said. Cassie could only imagine that this was how Cinderella felt. Instead of a pumpkin, it was a black SUV, but Cassie still felt like a princess. She couldn't wait to meet her Prince Charming.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Cassie

Cassie bounced her knees with excitement and just a little bit of nervousness as the SUV drove up to the ball. The hotel looked like a castle as they approached, and Cassie couldn't help but stare out the window.

She'd been here once before for a conference. The hotel was a legend with eight pools, two golf courses, spa, and stunning mountain views. The ballroom was the biggest in the state and usually booked out for months. She'd peeked into the rooms during the conference, and the hotel manager in her had fallen in love.

This was bigger than anything she wanted to run. While she enjoyed working at a major hotel, she preferred a more intimate experience. She liked interacting with guests and making the experience personal to them. That was hard to do in a huge hotel.

Still, she loved this hotel. It was like going to Disneyland. It was a chance to see how things were done on a bigger scale with a larger budget. Cassie's hotel only held business events, so getting to see a social event would be new and exciting.

The charity ball was held here annually. Wyatt's company held several of these balls in multiple states across the country. All the proceeds went to charity, and it was usually one of the most significant social events for each individual city. It was pure luck that the Phoenix ball was being held the week Wyatt was in town.

Expensive cars lined the drop-off area in the front of the hotel. A red carpet rolled out from the entrance and into the lobby. Photographers snapped photos as the high society of Phoenix arrived for the charity ball.

Men and women in beautiful clothes stopped and paused for photos as Cassie exited the SUV. Her stomach twisted and churned with nerves. For the first time, she was a guest at one of these events, not a worker.

As an event manager, she knew where the kitchen staff was supposed to be. She knew what table linens and silverware should be out, and that the emcee of the event would keep the schedule.

But, as a guest, she wasn't sure what to do. Should she go to the ballroom? The dinner area? Was there a posted schedule?

Cassie stepped out onto the red carpet and was immediately assaulted by camera lights.

“Are you and Wyatt Landers a couple? Why is he back in town? What's Wyatt Landers doing in Phoenix? Are the rumors that he was working on an island true? What island in the Caribbean were you on? Is this a publicity stunt to launch a new product?”

She didn't know how to answer so many questions thrown at her at once. She shied away from the cameras and hurried inside the hotel. Inside at least, the security kept the press out. Only a few photographers were in the lobby, but they all wore a very clear badge indicating they were associated with the ball. They, at least, asked before taking a photo.

Elegant guests milled around the beautiful lobby, sipping on drinks and murmuring with conversation. The red carpet led directly to the ballroom, where Cassie hoped she'd find Wyatt. They hadn't really discussed where they were meeting, which Cassie was now regretting. The last thing she wanted to do was wander around an event like this without the guest that brought her, so she followed the carpet, feeling a bit like Dorothy trying to find the Emerald City.

Two massive and ornately carved doors stood like guards to the ballroom. Cassie continued to follow the red carpet, trying hard to blend in with the other guests. Despite the dress and the hair, she still felt like everyone could see she didn't belong here. Every time someone looked in her direction, she wished she had on her simple black work suit and had a clipboard and headset.

The ballroom shimmered with light. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling and iridescent fabric draped delicately around the room. It looked like something out of a fairy tale. Cassie stood near the entrance, open-mouthed and smiling as she looked around at the grand display.

“You look amazing.”

Wyatt stood in front of her, his expression filled with awe. The look on his face made everything worth it. He looked like he was under her spell.

“So do you,” she told him.

He looked good. Really good. The black tuxedo fit perfectly, outlining his broad shoulders and trim waist. He'd slicked his blonde hair back into a sleek style that looked like he'd stepped out of a GQ magazine.

She was Cinderella, and he was indeed Prince Charming.

Wyatt offered her his arm, just like in the fairy tale. She rested her hand lightly on the stiff fabric of his jacket as he walked her to their table.

They were forced to stop and pose for pictures no less than three times in the fifty-foot walk to their reserved table. Everyone was polite, but she knew that cell phones were snapping photos of them even as they walked past. Wyatt kept smiling and moving them along, staying polite but giving away nothing.

Everyone wanted a piece of the missing billionaire and his mystery woman.

“They're all staring at us,” Cassie whispered, feeling dozens of sets of eyes glance their way. Even over the soft classical music, she could hear the whispers as they walked. Wyatt's name echoed softly at every table they passed.

“I can't blame them,” Wyatt said. “You are absolutely stunning.”

She took the compliment with a smile and a slight shake of her head. He was trying to make her feel comfortable, and it was working. Now that he was with her, her nerves were starting to settle. She felt like she could make it through the night without needing a million drinks. Her stomach still knotted up inside of her, but at least she no longer felt like puking.

“How do you do this?” she asked as Wyatt pulled out a chair for her to sit. They were near the front of the ballroom, near the stage at a prime table. “This ball is a little overwhelming.”