by West, Harper
It seemed odd to appear so sad in the most beautiful dress I had ever seen. I was wearing my sister's creation, a wonderful mixture of white satin and silver chiffon that sparkled every which way I turned. Truly, it was a dress made for Cinderella. The bust was a strapless corset with a broach in the shape of a diamond that matched the sparkling stars glittering from top to bottom.
The bottom of the dress dusted the tile floor, and my heels were made to match. I even had a tiara in my hair that accentuated my black bangs while the rest of my hair sat up in a braided bun. There were jewels in my hair as well. I was covered.
And I felt like a lie.
“You look amazing!" Peyton shouted from the doorway. She had a way of being super annoying without really being annoying—but I think it was just a sister thing. “I have to get the photographer. Did you get your mask?”
I held up the crystal mask in my hand, the one that would cover the top half of my face. I was more than happy to participate in this ball as long as I had the mask. I didn't really want anyone to know who I was, but I also did. I wanted to show people that bookworms could be successful and sexy. It was the condition upon which I showed up.
I wanted people to see me instead of the mound of books surrounding me.
“No one will ever believe it's you,” she said giddily while stepping up beside me. “And you'll blend right in.”
“I did that pretty well before.”
“Oh, don't be drab, Brook. It's going to be an awesome night. Maybe you'll hook up with somebody, maybe even Brett.”
“Not with my old boss.”
She shrugged. “He is sort of boring, isn't he?”
“Well, he's just like me, so that's saying something.”
“No way! He's boring because he chooses to be boring. You're just full of information, and people can find that boring. I certainly don't.”
“Don't feel obligated to compliment me tonight, Peyton.”
“You're my sister. I'm always going to compliment you.”
I smiled warmly at her reflection while rubbing my bare arm. “Sorry—I'm just really nervous. I never do these things.”
“That's why I invited you. You're always in that library with those dusty books. All that dust probably clogs up your brain. You need to unwind, sissy.”
“A few drinks should do it.”
“Should we have our famous cocktail?”
I giggled. “You mean the one we named after our favorite movie star?”
“Let me get a J. Reynolds, please.”
We broke into laughter as two women wandered into the restroom. As they passed us, we headed for the door. Peyton tangled her arm around my waist, and I fixed the mask over my face. We were fast approaching the entrance to the ball.
It was my moment to shine.
Now, if I could just keep from shaking, I'll do just fine.
Peyton was known for throwing the most lavish parties in town in the most luxurious of spaces. No expense spared—that was her motto. The proceeds always went to charity, which drew in the most expensive tastes in Arizona from men's magazine owners to fashion designers alike. Everybody was drawn to the party—and to Peyton.
She was always pretty and popular, successful, and sweet. I never quite understood how we were sewn from the same fabric. I was so much more drab and different from her, a truly old book that was bound with fine leather but ultimately looked unappealing. Peyton could socialize. I couldn't. That's all.
When we walked through the doors, the entire room turned to greet Peyton. I guess they were looking at me, too. There were so many masked faces, and I wasn't sure if that made me feel better or worse—I guess that would depend on how drunk I could get.
I wandered away from Peyton as a small crowd gathered around her. She was definitely the popular one. She could talk to just about anybody in a room while all I wanted to do was find the nearest exit and bolt. But I had promised her I would come. I had sworn that I would wear this dress and make my appearance. I would socialize and try to fit into the elite crowd that really just made me want to barf.
I headed for the bar. There was a medley of choices, all of them more appealing than the last. I chose a whiskey sour to start. I needed to hit hard if I was going to make any progress in lubricating my social skills. A tall man in a fine suit drew up beside me.
“Hey, Brook,” he said. “You look wonderful.”
“Thanks, Brett. How did you recognize me?”
“Peyton told me what you were going to wear.”
I rolled my eyes. “Of course, she did.”
“Should we go for a dance?”
“I don't know. The floor is empty. I don't think I've had enough liquor yet.”
He placed a reassuring hand on the small of my back. I gave him a polite smile.
“Well,” he said. “There's always time for another drink. Let me get your next one.”
I leaned against the bar, his hand still on my back. It felt nice to have human touch for a moment. I wasn't worried about it being inappropriate considering he was my previous boss. His opinion—whether it was high or low—couldn't influence my current job.
I turned slowly and he turned with me, keeping an arm around my waist. I felt claimed. It wasn't the best feeling, but it was at least keeping most of the men in the room away from me. There was more testosterone present than at a wrestling match—and I could feel the tension in the room.
I took a sip of whiskey and sighed. "So, how goes it at the university?"
“Oh, you know—same shit, different day. We had to order a new set of encyclopedias because the old ones were burned up in the fire.”
I frowned and met his gaze. “Fire? What fire?”
“You didn't hear? The University of Arizona had a little break-in last weekend. Somebody decided to torch the library. It was lucky that I had forgotten my favorite book that night—and my favorite book survived.”
“Oh, Brett, that's terrible!”
“We almost lost the contribution you made.”
I shushed him. “Hey, nobody is allowed to know about that book. I wrote it in college, remember?”
“Don't worry. It's still listed under your pen name. Nobody would ever know. But consider releasing that information soon. It could really skyrocket your reputation.”
“I don't know about that. Everybody will just bring back my dreadful nickname.”
Brett laughed. “We've all grown up, Brooklyn. Nobody is ever going to call you that ever again, okay? I'll make sure of it.”
I turned my gaze away from him. I didn't want to talk about that silly romance novel. I had moved on to bigger and brighter things—the types of things that were much more intelligent than that ridiculous novel. I was a highly regarded librarian who was consulted by most professors across the state. A published book from my college days might ruin my reputation.
The music from the speakers around the room started to play a lively waltz. Brett nodded toward the floor, and I grimaced, taking the rest of my whiskey in one swig. I let him take my hand and tug me out to the center where there was practically no one else, a horrible experience for an introvert like me. The people surrounding the floor all looked at us including Peyton who gave me two thumbs up.
I smiled at her.
Alright, this isn't so bad , I considered while swirling around the floor. I bet I look really pretty. This dress makes me feel like a princess. I wouldn't mind doing this every now and then.
As we twirled around the floor gracefully, I heard passing bits of conversation:
“Who is she?”
“Absolutely gorgeous.”
“That dress is from a fairytale.”
“Was she with Peyton? Maybe that's her sister.”
“Impossible. Booklyn would never come to one of these.”
The sound of my nickname made me slightly furious. But instead of allowing it to ruin the moment, I let Brett twirl me around one more time as people started joining us on the dance floor. I weaved through
the growing crowd back toward the bar. As I shuffled between masks, I ran into two men who hadn't stepped out of the way in time.
“Hey, watch it, jerk,” I shot angrily while fixing my dress. “That was rude.”
“Apologies, my lady,” the tall one expressed as he bowed deeply. “Can we make it up to you by buying you a drink?”
I eyed them carefully.
The tall one had chin-length black hair that he had combed back, a lock of his rich raven hair hanging over his masked face. His eyes were dark, so deeply black that I could nearly see the reflection of the room in them. His bulbous nose and square chin made him look like a prince from a fairytale.
Well, I guess I fit the part, I joked internally.
I studied the other man—he was slightly shorter with reddish-brown hair that fell to his eyes. It was ruffled but still looked stylish and I could smell the pomade he used to style it. He had stern-looking features with a long nose but his eyes were what caught my attention—they were bright green.
The two wore matching suits.
“Well?” the green-eyed man asked. “Can we make it up to you?”
I shrugged. “I suppose.”
I grinned happily at each one even though I wasn't necessarily excited about being lured away by two men. However, it was nice to get away from Brett. He was a good friend and a sweet man, but he was also too much too often. I couldn't stand his long rants about intellectual pursuits. I didn't really care for them.
As I wandered over to the bar with my new escorts, I caught another glance from Peyton. She raised her eyebrows approvingly at the men on either side of me. I leaned against the bar. The tall man held out his hand. I took it.
“I'm Cooper,” he introduced. “And this here is my best friend, Jack.”
“It's nice to meet you two.”
“What will the princess have?”
I smiled warmly. “The princess will have a whiskey sour.”
Cooper arched a brow with a look of intrigue. “You're not at all delicate.”
“Not by any means,” I assured. “And you two look familiar. Have you been to the University here?”
“That's where we got our business degrees,” Jack replied. “Maybe you'll recognize us.”
They both took off their masks, and I had to hide my shock.
I did know them.
They were the two guys that used to tease me in the library all the time.
The ones who coined my nickname.
Within seconds, I had gone from shock to panic to pure calm. I had a plan. I could absolutely seduce them and then ditch them. It would finally put the past at rest. I could take them down easily while also slapping Brett away.
It was the perfect plan.
And I planned to make it happen.
Continue Reading THE BILLIONAIRES AND THE BOOKNERD HERE!
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About Harper
Harper West is a Cali girl through and through, and she’s hella addicted to iced tea. She loves some theme park time, visiting the ocean and the mountains in the same day, and spending time with her kitties as she explores this writing journey.
When she’s not enjoying everything Cali has to offer, she can be found on social media or sitting in front of a fire on a rainy day, staring at the mountains. Sign up for her newsletter to stay up to date on all of her journeys and new books!