Page 29 of The Billionaire's Masquerade Ball

Chapter 8

Xander stomped through his office, pacing from magnificent window view to his desk and back. Wyatt sat at the conference table with his laptop. He was trying to look calm, but Xander could see his nerves in the way he kept running his hand through his hair. Wyatt’s hair now looked like he had just rolled out of bed. If Xander hadn’t been so frustrated, he would have laughed.

“I won’t have it,” Xander said. “I don’t want to simply let this go.”

When he had showed up late to the office Monday morning, Wyatt and Judy were both waiting in his office for their normal weekly meeting. Though he hadn’t been late in years, neither seemed surprised by that. Or by his foul mood.

Xander had spent two almost-sleepless nights thinking about it. Not just the event, but two specific women at the event. It had clearly been a mistake that he couldn’t get his emotions under control for the gala. First there was the woman in the mask. She had been a mystery, not just because he didn’t know her face and name, but because she was hard to read. Flirty one moment and then nervous to the point of running away the next. He had almost kissed her, which would have been completely out of character for Xander. Though in the moment he had felt disappointed, Xander was actually glad. That was far too impulsive.

He had still been reeling from that encounter when he went with Patrick to the kitchen to check on some of the back of house details. Things really devolved toward the end of the night and he had wanted to know why. He also planned to ask Patrick about the masked woman, but then witnessed him becoming handsy with Cynder.

Maybe it was because he had let his guard down so much with the masked woman, but he found himself flirting with Cynder too. He wished his cut had been worse so he could have spent more time with her taking care of it. She made him laugh so easily and had that kind of girl-next-door beauty with her hair pulled up in some kind of messy style. She even looked good in the all-black clothes meant to make her unnoticeable. She could have worn a trash bag and been noticeable. Her touch had been so warm and comfortable. He even liked how she went from tender with him to being strong and firm with the staff members who had been drinking on the job.

Xander traced the cut through his dress shirt. It was healing nicely, barely sore now. Since that night, he kept finding himself drawn to it, touching the thin line, thinking of Cynder.

Like the woman in the mask, Cynder had run off as well, even if it was to do her job. Now Xander found himself feeling both frustrated and foolish. His nerves felt like frayed wires, sparking and jolting through him. They had since that night. Sometime around Sunday afternoon all his frantic energy turned outward toward a different source: Patrick. He had behaved inappropriately toward both women. And because Patrick worked for Looking Glass and Looking Glass worked for Xander, he didn’t want to let it go.

“Just reach out to Gail directly,” Wyatt said. “She probably would want to know that one of her employees is sexually harassing the other staff and guests at events. You’d want to know, right?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t tolerate it in my own company and I won’t work with companies that do. That’s why this bothers me so much.”

Not just because of the two women that he was harassing.

Xander’s lip curled just thinking about Patrick. Focusing on that problem kept him from thinking about his other, bigger one. The one about the two women and his bruised heart.

For the first time in years, Xander had felt true attraction. Like a schoolboy with a crush, he couldn’t calm his excited nerves or stop himself from thinking about not one, but two different women. Both of whom essentially ran away from him. It was ironic, really—he had built up a fake playboy reputation when it was the furthest thing from the truth. Then he met two women the same night that he was interested in. Maybe that wasn’t irony. Self-fulfilling prophecy? Some kind of cruel joke from the universe?

Patrick. Think about Patrick.Xander fought the urge to throw his coffee mug at the big glass window. It wouldn’t break—the windows were reinforced shatterproof glass. But it would still feel nice.

Judy sat quietly in her usual spot on the couch. “Is that all it is? Not that it’s a small thing. I just wonder if something else is bothering you.”

Xander couldn’t even look at her. She was too perceptive for her own good.

“Want me to get Gail on the phone?” Wyatt asked.

“Do that.” Xander stopped, mid-stride. “No! Let’s go down there.”

Wyatt looked up, shocked. “Down … where exactly?”

“To Looking Glass. I’ll tell her in person.” And if he happened to see Patrick on his way into her office …

“Interesting,” Judy said, a small smile on her face. “You want to not only handle this yourself, but actually go in person?”

Wyatt looked from Judy to Xander. “If I may, that doesn’t seem like the best idea.”

Xander spun to face Wyatt. “Want to tell me why?”

“I don’t think you particularly need an assault charge right now,” Wyatt said, a slight smile on his face.

Judy laughed.

“I’m glad you both find this amusing,” Xander said. “We’re talking about sexual harassment here.”

“Is that what we’re talking about?” Judy asked.

Xander put his hands on his hips and stared at her. How could she possibly know? Judy hadn’t been at the gala. She didn’t come to most events, especially the ones at night. Xander didn’t think anyone saw him with either woman and he hadn’t talked about his feelings. Yet Judy seemed to sense it. Even Wyatt had a knowing smile.

“Is there something I don’t know about that you two do?” Xander asked.

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