by Dover, L. P.
Owen gently pulls away and cups my cheeks. “Will you please be my date to the charity dinner? I’d love to have you by my side.”
His hands slowly slide from my cheeks and I smile. “As in a date?”
He gives me that sexy grin of his. “If that’s what you want. I know I’d like it to be.”
“Then it’s a date.” There’s no denying it now. I know he’s my Gatsby. I just have to wait for the right time to tell him I’m his Daisy.
8
Owen
“Tonight, I will tell Ensley the truth.” I stand in front of my full-length mirror and give myself a pep talk. The charade must end and is going to with one of two outcomes. Ensley is either going to accept the fact I’ve lied to her about who I truly am or she’s going to slap me in my face, punch me in my junk, and spit on my crumbled body. I am really, really, hoping for the former. I can’t imagine not having Ensley in my life right now.
When Ensley kissed me the other night at her house, while we were enjoying the hot tub, I wanted to blurt out I’m her mystery man, I’m the one she’s secretly been involved with. I have no doubt in my mind she’s isn’t dating anyone other than me, even though we aren’t exactly dating. I’m that confident, especially when she invited me over to her house. To me, it was a sign.
A sign I should’ve opened my mouth and told her I’m the Gatsby to her Daisy, but once again, I chickened out. I’m not even sure why. I think it’s because as soon as I’m near her, the only thing I want to do is kiss her and take her to bed.
“Okay, I can do this.” My hands tug at the lapels of my tuxedo. “I can tell the woman who is driving me crazy in the best way possible I’m the one behind the mask.” Even as I look at myself, I’m not sure I’m confident enough to say those things to her. But damn it, I’m going to try.
I take one last look around my apartment, satisfied with how everything looks. Ensley will be coming back here tonight, no masks, and no more secrets if all goes as planned. I’m thankful she had a keen sense of mind to book the ballroom in the same building as my penthouse. Not only is it spacious enough, but the ceiling is glass, and there is an expansive balcony that allows the guests to mingle outside. It’ll be a chilly night but I have a feeling Ensley saw this beforehand and has heaters set up.
The doors of the elevator open, and an employee of my building greets me. “Good evening, Mr. Jameson. Enjoy your event.”
“I plan to,” I say with a nod. As soon as I enter the ballroom, I accept a flute of champagne. I take a sip as I look over the people who have once again come out to help raise money for charities near and dear to me. Everyone from pro athletes, movie producers, and directors, to some of the most influential businesspeople in North Carolina are all here to help me.
My eyes scan the crowd for Ensley. I know she’s here and we agreed once the event got underway, she would be my date for the evening. Honestly, I expected her to tell me no, that I’m paying her to work for the evening, but she told me Jordan could handle everything. It’s such a relief because after tonight, I’m really hoping to introduce her as my girlfriend next week at another gala I’m invited to.
“Wow, this turn out.” Damien stands next to me, holding his champagne. “The auction items are amazing. Our network really came through.”
“I know,” I say, taking another sip. “I’m about to throw down some serious cash on the football Cam Newton and the Patriots signed.”
Damien sighs. “The Panthers were stupid to let him go.”
“Did you see he had almost four hundred total yards the other week? Once the Pats defense figures things out, they’re going to dominate the league again.”
He laughs. “New England sure has embraced him.”
“Lucky bastards,” I mumble.
Damien and I part ways. Even though this is my event, he will circulate and greet people on my behalf. That’s what partners do. Going into business with him has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
The second best—Ensley. She’s been worth every penny I’ve spent on events, just to have her in my life, and I’d spend it all over again if I had to.
The woman of my dreams and fantasies is coming toward me in a black dress with a slit up to her thigh. If I’m lucky, I’ll get to her sprawled out on my bed, without a mask on. As soon as she’s within reach, I don’t hesitate to place my hand on her hip and pull her closer. I also don’t care who is around or watching us as I press my lips to hers. She gasps, in surprise, and I love every second.
“I’m sorry for kissing you like that. I supposed I should’ve asked first.”
She shakes her head slightly. “Not at all. I certainly didn’t ask you the other night when I kissed you.”
I lean down and whisper in her ear. “If you hadn’t, I would’ve.” I can feel her cheek rise. I love that I can make her smile.
When we pull apart, I keep my hand on her hip and gaze into her eyes. I’m about to tell her who I am when an old family friend approaches us.
“Owen, it’s good to see you.” Mr. Richter sticks his hand out for me to shake, leaving me no choice but to remove my hand from Ensley’s hip. In this moment, I despise my father’s old golf buddy.
“Mr. Richter, thank you for coming. Allow me to introduce you to Ensley Anderson, party planner extraordinaire.” The two of them shake hands.
“Owen’s mother has told me all about you. I hear congratulations are in order.”
Ensley looks at me questioningly. I shrug having no idea what he’s talking about.
“So, when’s the big day? The Mrs. And I don’t want to miss it.”
“Oh,” I say. “We haven’t set a date yet, but I’ll make sure my mom lets you know.” Within a few seconds, he’s gone and I’m wide eyed staring at Ensley. “Shit, I’m sorry. My mom mentioned Mr. Richter was having issues keeping things straight but I had no idea he was that bad.”
“Oh, it wasn’t that bad, to assume we’re getting married before we’ve actually started dating or getting to know each other.”
“Haven’t we?” I ask, taking the window of opportunity.
Ensley meets my gaze. “Excuse me?” she says softly.
I set my empty champagne flute down and ask her to follow me, even though I’ve taken her hand firmly in mine and have tugged her behind me. It takes me a moment or two to find a secluded space among the party goers, but do outside. When a waiter and another tray of champagne walks by, I grab us each one, needing the liquid courage.
“I have something to tell you, but I need you to listen before you say anything or walk away from me.”
“I’m listening,” she says.
I clear my throat and take a drink of the champagne. Here goes nothing. “In college, I was a flirt and dated, but never found someone I wanted to spend any time with. And then, Damien and I opened the company and women flocked to us, but none of them ever sparked any interest and after a month or two, I knew none of the women I dated at the time were the one for me.
“Then, I went to this gala back in September and met this woman and I knew she was the one I’ve been waiting for. But the problem was, we met while wearing these masks and neither of us were willing to take them off because I think we both liked the mystery and the thrill of what we were doing. We didn’t exchange names and by morning, she was gone.
“I couldn’t get her out of my mind and did the only thing I could think of and reached out to the owner of the Panthers and asked for the guest list because I needed to find out who this woman was. When I described her to him, he actually laughed at me and said my description sounded like Ensley Anderson, the party planner.
“To the web and I went, and as soon as I saw your picture, I knew it was you but couldn’t for the life of me, figure out how to tell you I wanted to see you again, so I decided to throw the Halloween bash, and I fired the other party planner I had used before to do this charity event because I had to put myself in your path.
“Earlier, I referred to you as extraordin
aire when it came to your planning services, but a word like extraordinaire doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of who you are to me. I know I’m risking it all, our friendship and budding romance, when I say this, but I’m the one behind the mask. The man you’ve shared secret rendezvous with, who you’ve allowed to ravage your body in ways I only dreamed possible. I’ve wanted to tell you so many times but haven’t found the courage and even now I’m sweating bullets and my heart is beating out of my chest. I’m so afraid you won’t want to be with me after this confession.”
“Ensley, there you are,” Jordan interrupts.
Ensley tears her gaze away from mine. “What is it, Jordan?”
“The ice sculpture is melting into the cake. The fondue fountain is burning the chocolate. I can’t find the catering manager. The champagne fountain is overflowing.” Jordan throws her hands up in complete exasperation.
Ensley looks at me and I tell her to go. It’s her company, her job. I have to respect that and knew she would have to work some of the night. I just had no idea everything would go to hell in a hand basket as soon as I started spilling my guts.
I lean over the railing and look out over the city. Many times, the media conglomerates from New York City and Los Angeles have tried to buy Damien and I out or have come to use with proposals to merge and move to either city. Each time we’ve said no and worked to make our company bigger and better. The day we landed the Panthers broadcasting contract was huge but made sweeter when we signed the deal for the Hornets. Damien and I realized we don’t need the big city because what we have here is perfect.
“How’d she take it?” Damien mimics my stance.
“Don’t know, she got called away.”
“How do you think she took it?” he rephrases his question.
I shrug. “The other night at her house, we kissed. I think if I would’ve put more moves on her, we would’ve ended up in bed or fucking in her hot tub. I like her a lot and I think she likes me. The question is, does she like the guy behind the mask more.”
Damien looks over his shoulder at the party. “You can have your pick of single women in there. Hell, even some of the married ones. Are you sure the party planner is the one?”
I turn and lean my back against the railing. Damien’s right, we’re surrounded by Charlotte elite, but it’s Ensley, who is busy working to make sure my event goes off without any issues that catches my attention. From where I am, she looks calm, cool, and collect. She’s not frazzled or freaking out because something isn’t going her way.
“Without a doubt, Ensley Anderson is the one for me.”
“So, what are you going to do?”
“Besides wait for her response to what I’ve just admitted?” Damien nods. “I’m going to woo the fucking shit out of her if I have to.”
He slaps me on the shoulder. “Good luck, my friend. I think you’re both amazing and would really like to have her around more.”
“Me too, Damien. Me too.”
9
Ensley
He knew the whole time.
I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel right now. In a way, I’m flattered and intrigued, and slightly pissed I got pulled away from him. Of all nights for Jordan not to be able to handle things on her own. My heart is beating out of control and my patience is wearing thin. I want to get back to Owen. It takes me a while to find the catering manager and to get things sorted out. We moved the ice sculpture away from the cake, the champagne fountain was overfilled so we fixed that, and the fondue was burning because there wasn’t enough chocolate in it. Once everything was fixed, the auction had already started. Everyone was at their tables, including Owen. The seat beside him that’s supposed to be mine is now filled with a busty blonde.
A ping of jealousy spikes in my gut, but I stand back with Jordan as all of the amazing gifts are auctioned off. Jordan leans in close. “Did I interrupt something between you and Owen?”
She has no clue he’s my mystery man. “Just a little,” I whisper. “Remember my mystery man from the gala a while back ago?”
Her brows furrow. “Yeah. What does that have to do with Owen?”
All I do is stare at her and she slaps a hand over her mouth. “Oh my God, are you serious? Owen Jameson—is your that guy?”
I nod. “Yep. And the same guy I slept with at the Halloween ball. He found me there too.”
Jordan’s eyes light up and she squeals under her breath. Some of the guests turn their heads to look at us, and we both smile. “This is amazing,” she whispers back. “What are the chances of that?”
“Pretty good, as a matter of fact. After our first night together, he found out who I was. That’s why we were called in to plan the Halloween party.”
Jordan’s gaze averts over to Owen. “Sneaky bastard. I think it’s romantic. He has tons of producer friends here. Maybe they’ll turn your little saga into a movie.”
I roll my eyes. “No, thank you. What I really want to do is talk to him. He confessed everything right before you drug me away. I haven’t been able to speak to him about it.”
Jordan blows out a heavy sigh. “Dear God, he probably thinks you’re pissed.” She nudges me with her elbow. “Go talk to him. Tell him you’re not angry.”
I can’t pull him away from the event. “I will when the auction’s over.” Which feels like it’s going to take an eternity. I think I’ve known it was Owen for a while. Every time I heard his voice, it’s like I knew. And not to mention, the times we’ve touched. I’ve only gotten that electric spark with one man.
The charade is finally over.
The auctioneer goes through all the motions and as each second passes, I find myself more and more impatient. I want to know what’s going through Owen’s mind right now. Every time he starts to look back at me, someone snags his attention. Whether it’s stopping by his table to shake his hand or to talk to him. He’s a popular man. This is his night and his event. I don’t want to take him away from any of it.
Once the auction’s over, everyone stands and mingles around the room. I’ve lost sight of Owen from all the people. Jordan pushes me toward the crowd. “Go find him. I’ll handle everything else here.”
I stare at her questioningly. “Sure about that?”
She waves me off, her expression sheepish. “Okay, I’m sorry I have horrible timing. I promise I won’t interfere this time. Now go.”
All I want to do is find him. There are so many people it’s hard to get through without bumping into someone. I also don’t want to seem rude. Taking my time, I smile at everyone as I pass.
“Ms. Anderson,” Damien calls out from behind me. My impatience grows thinner, but I turn around and smile. Damien walks up to me with an older gentleman beside him with combed over white hair and wearing an awfully expensive designer tuxedo. Damien flourishes a hand in the man’s direction. “Ensley, I’d like for you to meet Simon Jennings. He’s a well-known music producer in New York.”
“Hello,” I say, extending my hand to him. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Simon shakes my hand. “The pleasure is all mine, Ms. Anderson.”
Damien pats Simon’s shoulder. “My friend here wants to hire you for some party planning coming up soon.”
Simon nods at me. “If that works for your schedule.”
“Of course,” I reply excitedly. “We will make it work. I look forward to it.”
Simon’s grin widens. “Perfect. I’ll get your information from Damien. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to find the man who outbid me for the Maldives vacation. I really wanted to win that one.”
Damien chuckles. “That man’s your brother.”
Simon nods. “Exactly. He knows I wanted it.” He winks at me before disappearing through the crowd. Damien moves up next to me and chuckles again. “The Jennings brothers are crazy. They always try to outbid each other. Last year, Simon won.”
“Thank you for introducing me to him. I really appreciate it.” I stand on my tip toes and search
the crowd for Owen.
“No, problem.” He clears his throat. “Are you looking for Owen?”
“Yes. Do you see him?”
Damien points over toward the exit doors. “He’s all the way over there. Want me to call his cell?”
He starts to pull out his phone, but I place my hand over it. “No, I got this. I really need to talk to him.” Damien has a mischievous glint in his eyes, and I can’t help but wonder if he knows. “You know about me and Owen, don’t you?”
He smirks. “What part?”
“Everything. The masquerade, the Halloween party.”
Damien averts his gaze and laughs. “The man’s in love with you, Ensley.” When he turns back to me, I can see the seriousness on his face. “I thought he was crazy for doing what he did, but there was no stopping him. He would’ve done anything to get close to you.”
It warms my heart to hear it. Maybe I am a hopeless romantic after all. “He probably thinks I’m mad at him. He confessed everything to me, but then Jordan pulled me away.”
Damien’s eyes widen. “Seriously? Yeah, he’s probably freaking out right now.” Quickly, his eyes scan the crowd. “Dammit, he’s heading out. Hurry.”
Heart racing, I rush as fast as I can through the people without knocking anyone down. I can see Owen exiting the doors to the lobby and pressing the button for the elevator. When I finally make it out, he’s nowhere to be seen. The elevator door begins to close, and I step in its way. Owen’s eyes widen when I push my way in and press the button to close the doors. I don’t want anyone else in there with us.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” I say, glaring at him.
Owen sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “Trying to avoid this part right here. The last thing I wanted was for you to be angry with me. Guess I was giving you some space to think things through.”
“I don’t need space.” I press the stop button on the elevator, and it stops immediately. The alarm goes off and I smile as I wrap my arms around his neck. “The second you kissed me, I knew. I was waiting for tonight to tell you, but you beat me to it.”