by Candy Gray
Chapter 8
Aiden
I was just about to go and greet my guests when all of a sudden Halle and Sadie Blue stepped out in front of me. Neither had their masks on, but both wore a cunning smile as if they had some kind of mission in progress, a dirty little secret that would be revealed soon enough. I tightened as they approached and stopped in front of me about five feet from the door.
“Aiden Prince,” Halle crooned. “Zep.” While my welcome was a warm smile, Zep got the curled upper lip. Halle didn’t seem to want to play with him again, but as my best friend stepped forward and showed her a little bit of attention by kissing her hand, she lifted her shoulder and tucked her chin like a shy schoolgirl.
Sadie, whose mouth turned down at the corners, didn’t seem too thrilled by Zep’s presence and I could only wonder if the two wanted me alone to themselves. They’d tried that on me before, but I’d never been a fan.
Her sister did not falter and eyed me like I was her prey. “Great party, Aiden. I notice you’ve left the backyard gate open.” Sadie eyed a girl who passed by with a drink in hand, and I realized she must have recognized her from the club. The girl was a receptionist, and it was probably her first formal party.
“Everyone invited is my friend, so I’m not quite sure what you mean.” I knew exactly what she meant, and I reminded me that my mother’s opinions of people weren’t too far off the Blue sister’s, which was disappointing. “I see you’re not wearing your masks.”
Halle giggled. “Please, Aiden you know we’re not much for playing by the rules. Besides, it’s not like everyone wouldn’t know who we are anyway. I mean, we knew who you were, so it’s not like it matters.”
“I agree, you really don’t matter.” The statement was harsh, but Halle laughed it off and turned her eyes back to Zep.
“So, how’s the reality show life treating you two? Did you get renewed for another season?” Zep was all about conversation with his twin fantasies, and I wished he’d toned it down and let them go back to whatever rock they slithered out from behind.
“It’s going well. Our manager is certain we’ll get the new contract and well, we’ve put a few plans into play to get what we want.” Halle shrugged her shoulders like it was nothing, but we’d all heard about her sex tape rumors and Sadie’s DUI. That mother of theirs, no matter what you want to call her, manager or manipulator, had leaked just enough to get attention without doing any damage. She played the game well.
“Lucky girls,” said Zep. He played the games better than anyone and knew just how to keep Halle eating out of his hand. Sadie was the problem, his kryptonite, she always had been.
Sadie’s eyes lowered as if taking in the sight of my well-fitting tux and everything beneath it. “Well, I’m sure we can catch up later. Like maybe tonight when this little shindig of yours is over?” She stepped closer and rested her hand on my chest.
“That sounds like a wonderful idea.” Zep smiled at Halle who nudged her sister.
“Yeah, Sadie. You’d be game wouldn’t you?” Halle’s look was to convince, and Sadie shrugged.
“I’d play if Aiden did. That could be a lot of fun. The more, the merrier.” I caught the grin the two exchanged and then, as I shook my head and looked away, I caught a glimpse of the most beautiful girl at the door.
Though her face was covered with an intricate filigree mask, her bright eyes seemed to illuminate despite it, and as my eyes panned down, taking in the perfect swells of her breasts and the soft curve of her hips beneath the blue silk she wore, I grew giddy. Then I realized I had no idea who she was.
I was quite certain I’d never met anyone with that figure, so perfect, it was like she’d bribed God himself to hook her up, and that beautiful long, blond hair, though it was pinned up like a coronet atop her head, would look just as sexy down. I had a quick vision flash before my eyes as I imagined it brushing against her ass as she arched her back beneath me.
Her eyes pled to the guard at the door, who was one of my mother’s hired thugs and no more courteous than a bouncer at a club. He shook his head and held up an official invitation for the woman to see what was required to enter.
I leaned my head toward Zep. “Do you know that woman?” He and the sisters sized her up as the guard continued to shake his head.
“No,” the twins said in unison. “She’s nobody,” finished Sadie.
Zep shook his head and let out a chuckle. “She’s a knockout.”
Halle nudged him. “If you like that type.” The twins were the total opposite of the beauty at the door, and while they were both dark-haired and as mysterious as the night, she was a golden beauty, as bright as day.
“Who wouldn’t?” I mumbled, my voice barely a whisper, but loud enough to get Sadie’s hackles up.
“She’s just another blonde bimbo.” Sadie folder her arms and I could have sworn I heard her sigh as I turned my eyes back into the girl’s direction. She was having no luck with the hired guards, and it was time for me to intervene.
“Excuse me.” I pushed my drink into Zep’s hand and took a step toward the door.
“This ought to be good,” said Halle with a wicked giggle as I left them to greet the timeless beauty at the door, still searching my brain for how I knew her, and not caring if I didn’t.
I would. Before the night was over, I’d not only know her, but I’d have her. A small inner voice was telling me that she was the one. The reason for the party. But it was so surreal that I pushed it to the back of my mind.
“What seems to be the trouble?” I said stepping up to the door.
“This is business with the lady and me.” The ogre’s voice was like he should have been chasing some poor kid up a beanstalk, but worse than that he had no idea who I was. I reached up and took off my mask, giving him a pointed glare. “Anything that takes place in my house is my business.”
“My mistake, sir. It’s just this one doesn’t have an official invitation, and your mother said—”
“I’m quite aware of my mother’s intentions, but seeing as this is my party and this beautiful young woman is a friend of mine and hardly a threat to anyone here, you’ll please step aside.” I pushed past him and took the young the woman, whose face now ringed a bit red around those sparkling blue eyes, which only made them bluer.
She practically fell into me, leaning close to my side as she began to ramble. “My apologies. I was supposed to ride in with my friends, but we were separated. I was hoping I’d find them outside, but then I noticed they must have already gone inside and since they had the only invitation—well, anyway, thank you.” She clutched my arm with a bit of relief and then pulled away as if she realized the gesture was a bit too intimate for strangers.
“You’ve nothing to apologize for, and you’re perfectly welcome. I’m glad you came, and I do hope you have a wonderful night.” I looked down, noticing she had a couple of extra masks in her hand and then she nervously put them behind her clutch bag as if she was embarrassed to be carrying them.
“I guess I should find my friends.” She looked around the room as I glanced up to do the same and found Zep standing alone. He held up his glass, and then a couple of our friends stepped up to greet him and then waved me over.
As she stepped away, I took her hand. “I’m Aiden. I’d love to talk later. I’ll find you...”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I’m Ella, and I’d like that very much.” She hurried away before I could get out another word, and all I could do was watch her go.
I stepped over to the crowd, wishing I’d gone after her, but then Zep was all about introductions, and as she disappeared around the corner, I greeted my other guests.
I let Zep carry on, still lost in a daze over the beautiful girl and wondering where she’d gone off to.
Chapter 9
Ella
I had seen the twins scurry away from the front doors as Aiden Prince had greeted me, and so as soon as I could break away I headed back to find them. As soon as I rounded the corner they grabbed me,
each pulling me by one of my arms until I thought I might lose my footing or come apart at the seams.
“Easy, you’ll rip my arms off,” I snapped as we entered the ladies room. “You left me on purpose!” I wasn’t going to let them get off without at least mentioning what they did, but they made no apologies.
“You’re here, aren't’ you? You’re damned lucky that Aiden took pity on you. He said you looked like a fool and he didn’t want the other guests to be embarrassed as they came in.” Sadie’s voice was tinny and tinged with the perfect amount of acid.
“Well, I wouldn’t have been standing there like a fool if you hadn’t left the house without me. You knew I’d need the invite to get in.” I knew that was the point. Neither had wanted me to get in, to ruin their night.
“Well, you sure wasted your time making doe eyes at Aiden Prince, and if you’re a smart girl, you’ll stay away from him. He’s ours and much too far out of your league.” Halle rolled her eyes as she spoke and wrapped her arm wrapped around her sister’s.
“I’m not interested in Aiden.” I clasped the pendant at my collar bones. “I’m only here to entertain your parent’s idea of the two of you needing a babysitter, but don’t worry, I have plans of my own.”
“And what would that be?” Sadie sneered and crossed her arms in front of her.
“I’m here to socialize to hopefully gain interest in my jewelry line.” I held my head high, I was Layla Ford’s daughter, and the idea wasn’t that far of a stretch, even though the two broke out in laughter and exchanged a creepy smile.
“Good luck with that,” Sadie said with an eye roll.
Halle nodded and stepped closer. “Yeah, good luck, because no one here is going to want your crappy jewelry. They’ll see you as a Layla Ford knock off and nothing more.”
Sadie let out a long breath. “Just make sure that you’re not in our way, and I don’t care who you peddle your shit to. But don’t tell a soul you’re with us and stay away. We don’t want you making us look bad like you did the other night in the club.”
“Yeah, pretend we don’t exist and consider this a night off.” Halle narrowed her gaze into a warning glare as if her dead eyes were staring straight through to my soul.
“Yeah, you won’t have to worry about me.” I tossed their masks onto the counter and turned and stormed out.
Who the hell did they think they were? I’d not even wanted to go to the gala to begin with, and it was only by her parent’s encouragement that I decided to attend. As for Aiden Prince, who’d actually said he wanted to talk to me later in the night, I was sure he’d already forgotten all about me.
I stormed away and left the girls in the bathroom. I could only imagine what kind of trouble they would get into through the night and I’d probably take all the blame. Those two could rob a bank, and their mother would hold me responsible.
I walked out of the hallway and into the huge front room where the party was crowded masked people. It was kind of eerie in a way, not knowing who was who, not that I knew everyone anyway. Other than the twins, not a soul.
“There you are.” The familiar male voice sounded behind me, and I turned to look over my shoulder at the gorgeous man standing there as handsome as humanly possible in his fitted tux.
“Hi.” I looked around to see if the twins were over my shoulder sharpening their knives for me talking to Aiden.
“Did you find your friends?” His eyes and warm smile were full of genuine concern, and I wanted to reach up and pull off the rest of his mask to see what else I was missing.
“I did, but they’re busy.” I lifted a shoulder casually and glanced back over my shoulder, anxious that at any minute they’d see me there with him, and worse, they’d see the smile he was giving me, one I’d be certain they’d not appreciate.
“Would you like to get busy?” His face fell the moment the words left his mouth. He held up a hand to apologize and shook his head. “God, that came out all wrong. I just mean we could do something too. Would you like to dance?”
“I’m not sure it’s a good idea.” I glanced over my shoulder and then around the other direction, but still no sign of them. Aiden took my hand and led me to the other room with him, and I let him feel more confident that we wouldn’t be caught there together by the twins the moment they stepped out of the bathroom.
“It’s a wonderful idea,” he said, stepping us through the crown and toward the dancefloor. “Besides, you can’t turn down the host for a dance. It’s considered bad manners.”
I felt the blush rise to my cheeks as he put his arm at my waist and held my hand. “You look stunning, by the way. I meant to tell you that earlier. I bet you hear that all the time.”
“No, not really. My mother always said it, but you know, she’s biased.” I was quite aware I made it seem like she was still alive, and for the moment, I liked pretending she was. That I could go home to her at the end of the night and tell her how amazing it was to catch Aiden’s eye and dance with the richest man in the city.
“I bet you look like her,” he said.
“A bit. I have her smile, but my eyes, they’re probably like my father’s.” I stiffened knowing he’d caught that.
“Don’t you know?” He spun us around, and I caught a glimpse of the twins looking through the crowd but never saw me as they continued to the next room where the refreshments were.
“No, I never knew him or who he was.” I lowered my chin, and he seemed a bit embarrassed for changing the mood of our conversation.
“My father died,” said Aiden.
“I’d heard about that. I’m sorry for your loss.” I let out a long breath and sighed. I’d always hated hearing that from other’s when my mother passed. It was such a generic thing to say, and hardly ever enough.
“Thanks.” He narrowed his eyes as if sensing my distaste for the term.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound insincere, it’s just after my mother’s death, I’d vowed I’d never say those words to another. They just don’t seem to cut it.”
“They’ll do. It’s enough just knowing someone understands you’re hurting. That’s all those words ever meant to me. And I appreciate it.” He took a deep breath and stared down into my eyes. “So, did you lose her recently?”
“Yes.” I didn’t want to talk about death or my mother or anything else that would bring me down. Despite the twins and their drama, I wanted to have a fun time. At least make the most of dancing with him, which would surely end the moment the twins found us.
“That’s a beautiful necklace.”
“Nice subject change.” I figured he’d only remarked on my necklace realizing I didn’t want to talk about death.
“I’m serious. It’s beautiful. But, yeah, I wanted a way to steer away from that darkness. I know all too well, believe me. It sounds like we’re going through something similar.”
“Thanks. I made the necklace myself, though, in case you’re interested. I like making jewelry, and it’s always been a passion of mine.” His eyes seemed to light up with surprise, and I wondered if it was the fact that I could make such intricate pieces, or if he was surprised someone like me had passion.
“That’s amazing. You’re very talented. May I?” He gestured to the pendant, and when I nodded, he took the cool, silver pendant into his fingertips. “You’ve got passion and skills. I like that in a person.” He tilted his head and dropped his hands back down to mine. “I’m glad you came.”
“Thank you. It’s a lovely party.” I looked around at the decorations and could see the gorgeous mansion beneath it all. This was all his, and taking it all in. I realized I was dancing with a billionaire. The entire place was decked out in gold and white for the gala, with big vases of the biggest red roses I’d ever seen.
“Oh, it’s okay. It’s not really my style. That’s why I insisted on inviting the locals. She wanted the entire party to be nothing but rich snobs, but I thought that inviting all of my friends would be a bit of a shake-up.” His
playful grin sent chills down my spine.
He’d invited all of these people solely to get a rise out of his mother. It wasn’t that they were his friends or he’d wanted to enjoy their company or even meet someone new, nope, he thought inviting the locals would be a nice dig at his mother. My stomach turned thinking he was probably the conceited asshole that rumor had labeled him, and I didn't want anything more to do with him.
“You’ll please excuse me. It was lovely talking to you, but I think I had better go freshen up.” I stepped away from him before he could say much in protest.
In my heart, I was upset that he’d turned out to be just another jerk, but I knew I’d dodged a big bullet.
Chapter 10
Aiden
Ella tore away from me so fast that I was left spinning in my mind. I thought about what I’d said and hoped that nothing had distracted her. Surely, she was just worried about her friends. I walked across the room, and Zep came up behind me tapping me on the shoulder.