by Tia Wylder
“How so?”
“Intimate moments should be about showing someone you care about them, not how big of an audience you can get.”
“Sounds like you have some pretty big ideas about the world.”
“I don’t know about the world, but I have some reserves about the way some people choose to live.”
“Oh, really. Like what?”
“Well, like this party for one thing.” As much as she wanted to enjoy the night, she couldn’t ignore her true feelings. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m having a wonderful time, but I just can’t help but wonder what else this money could have been used on.”
“And, what would you have used it on?” He was gazing at her, amused.
A cool breeze whispered along her collarbone. A small smile lit up her face. She looked a million miles away as she spoke. “I would have used it to help the kids at Saint Catherine’s. The money used here could have paid their utility bills for months. That would have let them use the money typically designated for bills to do something nice for the kids there.”
“Saint Catherine’s?”
Hayley nodded. “Saint Catherine’s Home for Children. It’s an orphanage I volunteer at. The kids there are just amazing. Sometimes I think they see the world more clearly than the rest of us, you know?”
“You volunteer, too?” Was this girl for real? He raised his eyebrows, but they were hidden behind his mask.
“I feel like I’ve been given so much, and I need to give back. It makes me happy.” Suddenly, she became very aware of how much they had been talking about her. “You know, I typically don’t talk about myself or what I think, but with you, it’s just kind of tumbling out.”
“Please, tumble away.” He leaned in closer. The breeze carried his cologne towards her again.
Hayley’s heart skipped a beat. She cleared her throat and pulled away. Giggling nervously, she tried to get the focus of the conversation off of herself. “What about you? Do you agree with the way this money was spent?”
He leaned over the balcony and turned his head to look at her. His eyes glinted mischievously. “I think that money should be spent however its owner chooses.”
Inside, the music stopped. There was a slight murmur amongst the guests. A woman’s voice echoed through the room. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for coming this evening. Now, I believe it is time for a word from our gracious host.” Applause erupted from the guests. The woman paused, looking around for someone.
The man in the silver mask sighed and smirked one more time before walking back inside. “Excuse me. That’s my cue.” Hayley trailed along several paces behind him. His presence parted the crowd. She felt a cold wave of petrified embarrassment wash over her as he joined the woman who had been speaking on a staircase. “Thank you for coming this evening. I hope you all had a wonderful time. It was my great pleasure to host this event for you. It was wonderful to see you all.” His eyes seemed to linger momentarily on Hayley. “Please, help yourself to any of the remaining champagne or food. Safe travels.” He gave a bow and ascended the staircase.
Hayley watched, rooted in humiliation as he walked up the stairs. Her head drooped. She had insulted their host! A slender arm looped through hers. “Ready?” Chelsea smiled at her. Her lipstick was smudged around the edges. Hayley nodded and let her friend lead her towards the exit.
The cool, night air reminded her of her time on the balcony and only served to refresh her shame. Their car was waiting not far down the circle driveway. The two girls piled into the backseat. Chelsea slipped out of her heels with a slight groan. Sliding her mask up, she was positively beaming.
Not wanting to diminish her friend’s evening, Hayley gazed out of her window. The glittering lights of Kyle Manor twinkled in the distance. Her Cinderella moment was over. She had blown it. No princess was ever swept off her feet after she insulted the prince. Hayley untied her mask and rested her forehead on the glass of the car window as they drove back into the heart of the city. Fairytales were for little girls.
Chapter 3: Behind the Mask
Ice clinked in Charlotte Kyle’s tumbler. She pursed her red lips and sipped the amber liquid. “Well, Deckland, any young ladies catch your eye?” Lipstick stained the rim of her glass.
Deckland untied the silver mask from his face. “Mother, are you sure we have to go through with this?”
Charlotte’s eyes filled with momentary anger, but it quickly shifted to a resilient determination. “We are doing this for you.” She placed her glass on the mantle of the fireplace in the upstairs study. Her hands clasped his arms. “I know this isn’t the way you wanted to get married, but we are on a bit of a timetable now. Your father is going to announce his heir by the end of the year. Charlie is already the favorite, there’s no arguing that. His dead, saint of a mother made sure of that.” Her lips tightened in contempt as she recalled the stories of her husband’s first wife. “You chose to live this cavalier lifestyle, and I let you do it. I guess I’m partly to blame for where we are today, but there is no use crying over spilled milk. What we have to focus on now is the future. We can still turn this around.”
“You keep saying ‘we,’ but I’m the one who has to get married.” Deckland tossed his mask onto the sofa.
“I have made sacrifices to get us where we are today. Do not insinuate that I haven’t! Now, it is your turn.” Her voice was quiet but stern. “Now, did you find anyone at the ball or not?”
The image of the girl in the white dress popped into his head. “There was one.”
Charlotte’s demeanor changed instantly. “Well, go on. What was her name?”
Deckland ruffled the back of his hair. “I didn’t get her name.”
“Did you recognize her?”
“No, I’ve never seen her before. I don’t think she knew who I was, either.”
“How could she not know who you are?” She scoffed and grabbed her drink again.
Deckland shrugged. “The way she talked…It was like she had no idea.” A bemused smile settled on his lips.
“Okay. So, we have a girl at a masked ball, and we don’t know her name. Well, that’s more than we had this morning at least. What was she wearing? I’ll put out my feelers and see if anyone knows her.”
“White.”
“Was it the one you danced with? She seemed a bit…stiff.”
“That’s the one.”
“Right, well, get some sleep. We have our work cut out for us.” Charlotte gave her son a kiss on the cheek and left the study in a bustle of skirts.
Deckland massaged his neck with one hand and scrolled through his social media page with the other. Pictures from the evening flooded his feed. He was scrolling aimlessly. Girl after girl in varying dresses posed in their best angles—most of which involved quite a bit of cleavage. Most of them weren’t bad looking, but most of them were too easy to offer much sport. No, what he was looking for he didn’t even think existed until tonight. A girl who was able to resist him. She had piqued his interest, whoever she was. The image of her face, half covered in white lace hovered in his mind, taunting him.
Deckland opened his bedroom door and started unbuttoning his dress shirt. His thumb gave one final scroll. A flash of white rolled past the screen. He quickly backed up. There she was. It wasn’t a picture from the party. It must have been taken when she was getting ready. Another girl stood beside her, pouting at the camera. Chelsea Monroe. Deckland recognized her from previous events. The Monroes were a fairly prominent family. Old money. Maybe it would be easier to find his mystery woman than he thought.
He clicked on Chelsea’s name and started typing out a message. A cocky smile twisted the corners of his mouth.
Chapter 4: Networking
“You did what?!” Chelsea couldn’t help but gape at her friend.
Hayley buried her face in Chelsea’s pillow. Chelsea had convinced her to spend the night. “I told him the money spent on the party would have been put to better use if it had been dona
ted to the orphanage. I didn’t know he was the host!”
“I seriously doubt anyone has ever told Deckland Kyle anything like that before. The only reason he would donate something would be for the tax breaks.” She giggled into her wine. “Are you sure you don’t want a drink? Sounds like you could use one.”
Hayley thought about it but shook her head no. “I bet he thought I was so stupid. I was so embarrassed.” She hugged the pillow to her chest.
Chelsea’s phone chimed. “I wonder if that’s Brent.”
“Brent?”
“Brent is the reason my lipstick was all messed up.” She winked at Hayley and checked her phone. “No. Freaking. Way.”
“What?” Hayley was trying to figure out what could make Chelsea’s eyes widen that much.
Her friend quickly typed something before looking up and clutching her phone to her chest. “Okay, so you know how I like to beg forgiveness instead of asking for permission?”
Hayley’s blood ran cold. “What did you just do?”
“Deckland just sent me a message.” Her phone chimed again.
“What?! Why?” Hayley’s heart thundered in her chest.
“He wanted to know who the girl in my picture was, and I gave him your name.”
“You did what?! Oh no. What’s he going to do? Should I apologize?” Chelsea peeked at her phone again and smiled. Hayley’s phone buzzed in her pocket. “What did you do?”
“I may have given him more than your name.”
“Chelsea, no!” Hayley pulled her phone out in panic.
“Chelsea, yes! You’ll thank me later.”
A number she didn’t recognize flashed across the screen of her phone. “What do I do?!”
“Most people answer the phone when it rings.” Chelsea swiped to answer Hayley’s phone.
Swallowing hard, Hayley lifted the phone to her ear. Her voice squeaked as she spoke. “Hello?”
A familiar voice replied on the other end of the phone. “Hi. Hayley? This is Deckland from the masquerade tonight.” She was silent. Was she shocked he had called her, or had he been that unmemorable? Maybe he needed to jog her memory. “We had some lovely conversation on the balcony.”
Hayley winced. “Mhmm. Yep. Yes. I remember.”
“I was calling to see if you would like to perhaps talk some more. Say, something along the lines of a date.”
Was she hearing him correctly? This had to be a daydream. “I’m sorry?”
“Don’t tell me you already have a boyfriend.” She could hear his smile over the phone.
“No. I just don’t think I heard you correctly. Did you say you wanted to go on a date? With me? Are you sure you haven’t gotten me confused with someone else?”
“A date!” Chelsea squealed. Hayley shushed her and shooed her away.
“Well, I only danced with one woman tonight. She was in a white dress and had some very keen criticisms on how I should spend my money. Does that ring a bell?”
“Yes.” The embarrassment in her voice bled through the phone.
“Yes, it rings a bell, or yes you will go on a date with me?”
Hayley’s mind raced through possibilities. “What would we do on this date?”
“Anything you want. The world is your oyster. Literally, if you have your passport. We can go anywhere, do anything you want. Just say the word.” Money wasn’t an issue. The goal was to get her to fall in love with him by any means necessary.
“Anything?” She bit her bottom lip.
“Anything.” Deckland’s voice was honey as he said the word.
“When?”
“How about tomorrow?”
“Okay.”
He frowned a little. She had given in easier than he thought she would have. It was a bit of a letdown, but this was what he had wanted, right? “Alright, what would you like to do?”
“That is a secret. Pick me up tomorrow. I’ll text you the address and time.”
A secret? Maybe there was still some fun to be had after all. “Looking forward to it. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Bye.” Hayley quickly hung up and looked down at her phone. Had all that really happened? Her ears were ringing.
“You’re going on a date with Deckland Kyle?!” Chelsea shook her by the shoulders.
“I think so.” She was still having trouble believing it herself.
“What are you guys going to do?”
“It’s a surprise.” Hayley’s fingers fumbled across her phone as she typed out Chelsea’s address for him to pick her up in the morning. Maybe some fairytales came with second chances.
Chapter 5: Better than Money
Hayley barely slept that night. Chelsea’s soft snores weren’t the only thing keeping her awake. She didn’t do dates. She wasn’t even really sure how all of this worked. Butterflies tossed and turned in her stomach. The short stints of sleep she did have were plagued by masked men and women. Her childhood fantasy quickly took on a darker tint as unknown people whirled around her in various dances.
By the time it was morning, she was exhausted from a mix of lack of sleep and fitful slumber. Chelsea scowled at her before whisking her off to a table strewn with makeup. After several swipes with sponges and brushes. Chelsea let her look in a mirror.
“I feel like this is false advertising.” The girl in the mirror was beautiful but caked with foundation.
“Nonsense.” Chelsea brushed aside her comment. “You look amazing. So, what are you two going to do today?”
The doorbell buzzed. “Saved by the bell.” Hayley smiled and walked to the door. A middle-aged man with dark hair stood at the door. Had she remembered him completely wrong? “Hello?”
“Miss Reams?”
“Yes.” She tilted her head to the side, a little confused.
“Mr. Kyle is waiting in the car.” He moved aside to show her a black car similar to the one she had ridden in last night.
This was going to set the tone for the whole day. He was sitting in the car, masked behind tinted windows. Hayley crossed her arms over her chest. “I see. I’m Hayley. I didn’t catch your name.”
“My name is Jim, Miss Reams.”
“Well, Jim, could you please tell Mr. Kyle that I was brought up that the man should always come to the door when he asks a girl out on a date.” Hayley’s heart seemed to stop beating as she said the words. It wasn’t like her to be so bold. Her mother had always taught her that if a woman did not put her foot down when she was disrespected, then it was like she was telling the world it was okay to be treated that way. She didn’t want her first date to start out like that. This was something she needed to do for herself. Knots rolled in her stomach. She had to fight the urge to back down.
An amused look crossed Jim’s face. He walked back to the car and tapped on the window. She saw him lean down as the dark window slid down to reveal light blonde hair. Deckland. Her heart stuttered. What if he just left? She tried to convince herself it would be for the best if he did, but it was hard not to want him to stay. He was handsome. There was no denying that. Deckland glanced past Jim to where she was standing. He raised an eyebrow and then gave an almost imperceptible nod before climbing out of the car. Hayley breathed a small sigh of relief as he walked towards her.
“My apologies, Hayley.” He offered her his hand just like he had at the ball. Once again, she felt electricity race through her as she placed her hand in his. “Shall we?” He led her to the car and held the door open for her.
“Thank you.”
“Where to?” Jim asked from the driver’s seat. Deckland looked to her questioningly as he climbed in beside her.
Hayley rattled off an address to Jim. “Do you know where 423 South End Street is?”
Jim looked surprised at the address. “Certainly, Miss.” The car purred to life as they wound their way through the streets away from Chelsea’s house.
“So, are you going to fill me in on what we are doing today?” Deckland looked at her with a sparkle in his eyes. So far, he
was not disappointed. She was even more beautiful than he had imagined. Her tight curves that had been accentuated in her dress last night were now hidden modestly under a baggy shirt and blue jeans. He could still see the mounds under her shirt, and it made him wish she was wearing less clothing. Who knew where the day would take them? A fantasy of her topless played in his head.
“I’ll tell you when we get there.” Hayley could feel his eyes on her, and it made her nervous. She wasn’t used to being looked at like that.
“You know, most girls would kill for this opportunity. A date with no spending limit with me. Do you know how lucky you are?” He tried to smile charmingly, but she seemed to pull away from him.
“I do know how lucky I am, but it’s for different reasons.”
It wasn’t the response he was expecting. Typically, by this point he would already be making out with the girl in the backseat, getting her warmed up before dinner to help close the deal later. This girl was certainly making him work for it. “How so?”
“Well, I’m lucky because of the friendships I’ve made, and because of my mom.”
“Your mom?” Deckland’s conversation with his own mother replayed in his head.
“Yeah. She made a lot of sacrifices when I was little to make sure I had the best opportunities that she could give me. I really appreciate everything she did for me.”
“I see.” He sounded distant. To distract himself from the conversation, he looked out the window. “Jim, did you make a wrong turn?” The buildings outside were crumbling and faded.
“Nope,” Hayley leaned up and pointed to the side of one of the buildings, “you can park right over there.”
“Where are we?”
“Saint Catherine’s.”
“The orphanage?” Deckland looked at her in disbelief. She had to be joking.
“Yeah. You said we could do anything I wanted, right?”
His words turned to sand in his mouth. “Yes, but I thought you would pick a fancy restaurant or a day trip to the beach.”