AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Anna: I hope you’re having fun, sis. You deserve it.
Zoey: I’m doing my best for you. xx
I keep my mask on when I get off the elevator and come to a full stop. I’ve hobbled into a bar full of casual guests, which I should have expected, since the steakhouse is downstairs from here, and only accessible via a staircase to my right. Many patrons turn to stare, including Mr. Haterade himself, who is sliding from a bar stool, pushing an empty martini glass across the bar and checking me out, one square inch at a time.
He’s slicked his dark hair back with pomade, and wears a brilliant, shiny blue suit. In his right hand, he carries a black satin mask on a stick. He walks my way, raising the mask to his face. A wave of goosebumps rushes from my shoulders to my toes. Maybe it’s the way he’s walking. Maybe it’s the way his jawline looks razor sharp under the curves of the mask. Or maybe it’s the cool breeze of the air-conditioning vent above my head. Whatever it is, I’m suddenly shivering.
“You heading to the Masquerade ball?” Haterade says in a warm, smooth voice. “Shall we walk down together?” He takes my crutch in one hand and holds out his other arm so I can take his elbow before descending the staircase that leads down into the restaurant. He smells like gin and lemon, and a hint of something else, something earthy underneath. Him.
CHAPTERFOUR
SEBASTIAN
Even in flats,Anna’s dress is the showiest of showgirl dresses and it tells me everything I need to know about her intentions for tonight. Not to mention everything Ishouldn’tknow about her impeccable figure. Like every. Little. Curve. Every crease. Even her tight belly-button is encased in hard muscle. The gall of this woman. Everything she was supposed to do with her husband, she’s still doing, but with a substitute guy. It’s disgusting. My heart twists at the thought of telling Mike about tonight.
“I’m Sebastian.” I try to keep my voice civil, but I don’t quite manage it. All I do is lower my range, so it still comes out like I’m spitting the words at her, only deeper. Gravelly.
“I’m Anna,” she responds after the slightest pause, during which she shifts her eyes away to the left and then back to me. Suspicious. She doesn’t seem too thrilled that I’ve taken her arm. I’m going to have to do better.
Introducing myself to her at all is bold, but in close quarters on board this ship, I’ll be better off acting like any other guest, trying to be friendly. That way, I can suck information out of the men she’s here with. Trailing her will not go well when there’s nowhere to hide.
Besides, I need some way of getting more intel. I spent an hour scouring the internet for Man-Bun but turned up very little. So far, I’ve reverse-image-searched my photos of him and Anna. I found his Instagram account and Facebook pages, but they’re both private. So all I know is that his name is Jamie Von Burger, and he met Anna at work. His LinkedIn profile says he’s a freelance hair stylist for film and television, and he appears to do a lot of high-profile work. I found countless mentions of him in press releases going back years. But there’s no overlap with Anna until the current project they’re working on. Whatever is between them must be just physical, since it has to be new. Mike said he heard Jamie’s name from Anna talking about work, but that’s about all he knows.
“Why did you get tickets to the Lover’s Masquerade?” I sound way too abrupt, but talking to Anna is hard. I don’t speak with the wives of my clients; women forsaking all the promises they made to men they supposedly love. I don’t even speak to my slimy, cheating parents unless I’m forced. Infidelity ruins relationships. It breaks up families. It’s immoral, unethical, and downright cruel. I don’t tolerate people who step out.
“Um.” Anna presses her lips together. “I picked the Masquerade for the costumes. Definitely the costumes.” But she says this with little conviction. Again, I can’t help wondering at her flatness, which contrasts so much with her occasional flashbulb smile. What brings that out?
“Why didyouchoose the Masquerade?” she says. I clear my throat, trying not to grin at the way she’s fallen into my trap.
“My buddy picked it,” I say. “Unfortunately, he had to bail on the trip at the last minute. Work stuff came up and he couldn’t come.” I make a sad face. “I love cruises though, so I came without him. What could be better than a Caribbean cruise, am I right?” Beneath her giant mask, Anna purses her lips like she might not agree.
I’ve concocted a backstory that I hope might elicit some kind of emotion in her. I need a response I can use to gauge how she’s feeling about Mike’s bail out. But before she can reply, we’re at the bottom of the stairs and a black-tie clad server intercepts us.
“Tickets please?”
Anna shows her phone to the guy.
“Welcome!” He scans the code on her screen and frowns. “I’m so sorry, but someone has already checked in under one of your tickets.”
“Oh, we’re not together.” Anna moves away from me and takes back her crutch.
“We just met,” I say. “We’re complete strangers.” I don’t want to be mistaken for herdate. “Wouldn’t we, I don’t know, match or something?” I force a grin at the server, but he’s looking at us with a deep furrow in his brow.
“You’re the only two people dressed for a Masquerade.” He draws his head back so his chin sinks into his neck. Impossible. Mike told me what to wear tonight. And then my heart sinks. Mike got his misinformation from Anna. Of course, we’re the only two people here dressed for a Masquerade. Shit. This kind of misstep could blow my cover.
“This makes no sense.” Anna tears her mask off her head, which pushes her updo askew. She stares around the upscale restaurant, taking in the already dining, elegant guests in summery formalwear. Her face grows red, and she makes a low huffing noise.
“Very sorry, madame,” the server says. “This is the formal welcome dinner. There is, however, a Masquerade at week’s end. Perhaps you were thinking of that?”
Anna glances my way, taking in the length of my shiny satin suit with narrowed eyes. Pressing my hands to my sides, I clench my jaw, not loving the way her gaze is doing strange things to my insides, making my stomach flip over and my groin tighten. I would never be attracted to a married woman.Never.
“Unbelievable.” Anna’s tone is flat and cold again. Her face looks like she’s sniffing out a rat. God, I hope I haven’t screwed up this assignment by introducing myself. Mike will be furious if I blew my cover, and there goes my job offer at Ulla Beauty.
“You’re sure you’re not together?” The server laughs awkwardly, glancing between us. “We have very good group couples’ therapy on board this week.”
“I’dnevercome with her. If I had a date, it would be someone—" I stop talking a moment too late. Anna jerks her head back like I slapped her.
“Seriously?” She shakes her head, grabs her phone back from the server, and limps off towards her table.
