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I’d seen the look in her eyes as I’d left the gallery, the longing that couldn’t be denied for any reason. However, she was already close to the edge, fearful I wasn’t who I said I was. Not that she knew anything other than my name and the glossed over resume. The good senator wouldn’t tell her a damn thing. He knew the rules. To break them would mean total destruction of his world.
And he liked his sadistic proclivities too much to do anything foolish.
As I swirled the liquid in my glass, I allowed my filthy thoughts to continue.
My beautiful Eden, the girl who’d run away from everything and everyone in her life would soon learn there were consequences for every decision, whether good or bad. After tomorrow night, there would be no turning back.
Checkmate.
CHAPTER12
“You wear a mask for so long, you forget who you were beneath it.”
—Alan Moore
Eden
I no longer recognized the girl who’d left Chicago. She’d been foolish and naïve, acting as if the tragedies in her life hadn’t shaped her, disfigured her in a way that could never be repaired. I’d run from everything I’d known, taking almost nothing with me but the money I’d been able to keep in a safe place, away from my uncle’s prying eyes. It had taken me years of planning to finally have everything I needed in place.
Little had my uncle known I’d learned from his cunning ways, finding someone I could trust to provide me with new identification. Then I’d left in the middle of the night, heading first to a small town in Missouri where I spent almost a year. A year of waiting, worrying, and believing that at any day someone would kick in my door, grabbing me by the throat and dragging me back to the posh prison I’d been forced to live in for years.
I’d moved again, thinking I’d settle in San Antonio. Then I’d seen one of my uncle’s men in town. I’d left once again in the dead of the night. That’s how I ended up in New Orleans, now a city I loved with all my heart, one I never wanted to leave. It had finally felt like home after three years of hard work and planning.
No one knew the girl hiding behind the mask. No one had any idea how valuable her life was. Now, as I stood in front of the mirror, studying my reflection as I’d been doing for the last ten minutes, I realized I’d forgotten about who the other girl really was. Had she been hopeful she could live another life? Had she resigned herself to what had to be, her place in line for handling her uncle’s business?
She was a woman, a threat to many, a bother to her uncle. I never understood why he didn’t marry again or simply knock up a woman to create an heir. It was a question I couldn’t ask for fear of being punished.
And I had enough scars from my impetuous behavior already.
Sighing, I reached for my wine, hopeful the glass of merlot would calm my nerves. Why did I feel such anxiety about going to dinner with Cruz? “Because you know nothing about him.”
Saying the words out loud didn’t make the butterflies go away. The man and his mystery were extremely exciting, enough so my pussy had already dampened my panties.
Correction, my new very expensive lingerie provided along with a stunning dress and heels by the very man I couldn’t stop thinking about. The dress was exquisite, the dark emerald color highlighting my eyes. The silky material accentuated my rounded curves, the slit in the front sophisticated in its design. Even the diamond-shaped cutout in the back screamed of elegance. Everything had come from one of the finest and most expensive women’s clothing stores in the city. That alone should be enough of a warning, but here I was standing in the ensemble, feeling more and more like a princess with every passing minute.
It was obvious the man had money. That in itself shouldn’t bother me, but it did. I didn’t want him to think he could buy me under any circumstances. I grabbed the locket, securing it around my neck. It was the single piece of jewelry I’d brought with me, the stunning sterling silver piece accented with emeralds, my mother’s birthstone. As I wrapped my hand around it, my thoughts drifted to a moment of ugliness from the past. No, I couldn’t do that to myself. Sadness had no place any longer.
I also hadn’t been able to shove aside the ugly vision of the bloody rat. At least there hadn’t been another incident before I’d managed to lock up for the night. I took a step back, twisting one more time before glancing at my watch. Jameson should arrive at any time. I wanted to feel like a princess being escorted to a ball, but a strange sense of nagging continued to pepper my mind with tiny red flags. Not so much as to ignore the invitation but just enough I planned on asking Cruz several additional questions about himself.
If the man had wanted to lock me away, he would have done it already.
I’d casually asked a few of the other guests if they knew who he was. While at least two of the women’s eyes registered instant recognition, not a single person said anything other than he was a powerful businessman in town conducting business.
That could mean anything. Anything at all.
Including for nefarious purposes.
Without a last name or a picture captured on my phone, I wouldn’t be able to make a positive identification. There was a huge part of me who didn’t want to burst the magical bubble. It was crazy of course, reckless for a girl who had no business getting involved with anyone in the first place.
Maybe I’d just continue to think of him as Zorro, a masked man with decadent intentions.
When I heard the buzzer for my apartment, I took a deep breath, lifting my head high as I stared at the girl one last time. Why did I have the distinct feeling that tonight would change everything?
As I grabbed my purse, I took a few seconds to finger the velvety petals on the roses. Then I twisted my head, studying the glass ones I’d kept in a colorful vase on my nightstand.
Tick. Tock.
“Stop it,” I hissed.
