Page 34 of The Billionaire's Masquerade Ball

Cynder had heard the phrase “seeing red” before and always thought it was a cliché that made very little sense. But in that moment, she felt the red heat of anger in her very bones and understood the phrase completely.

“Hold this,” she said, shoving the box to Xander, who had the good sense to obey.

And before she could let herself weigh the consequences, she flew at Patrick, connecting her fist with the side of his face. The pain in her hand was instant and intense. The nerves in her thumb screamed in agony, the pain traveling up her arm.

With the adrenaline coursing through her body, she was able to ignore it, standing firm as Patrick stumbled back and then whipped his head back toward her. She had struck his cheek, but it would have been more satisfying if she had hit his nose or lip. Something to see blood. Instead there was just a red mark.

His face contorted and he stepped back toward her, eyebrows narrowing. Xander stepped in his path, shoving the box at him, just as Cynder had done to him moments earlier.

“I wouldn’t dream of it. Just walk away,” he said.

Cynder couldn’t help the thrill that went through her body at the sound of Xander’s voice, which held a power and command that she couldn’t help but feel drawn to, despite still being furious with him. She didn’t think of herself as the kind of girl who liked a powerful man, but the power in his voice sent her heart into rapid fire. She had heard the fun side to him, but this strong side was incredibly attractive.

Patrick gave Cynder a wide berth as he moved toward the building, flicking his gaze between Xander and Cynder. “You’re going to lose your job, you know,” he said with a sneer.

“Already lost it,” Cynder said. “Not much else to lose. The best part is never having to see your face again.”

Patrick had the audacity to laugh as he walked away, throwing a hand up in the air as a sort of goodbye. Cynder sent one last glare at his back and then turned that same intensity toward Xander. He looked surprised, as though him talking to Patrick could somehow make up for what he did. She was slightly distracted by the pain in her thumb, which was now bordering on excruciating. Punching looked much easier in the movies. Though it was as satisfying as she could have hoped.

Xander’s face softened. “You lost your job? I don’t understand. That wasn’t my intent.”

“What was your intent? What did you think was going to happen when you told her?”

He grimaced. “Not this. I wouldn’t have come if I thought … I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize he was her son. I thought he would get fired.”

Cynder put her hands on her hips, but winced as pain shot through her right arm. She tried to bite back a groan of pain. Xander’s eyes flicked down to her hand and she put it behind her back.

“Wait, what?”

Xander spoke in a soothing tone. “I know you said not to interfere, but I didn’t know Gail was Patrick’s mother. I went in and told her what he did to you Saturday night.”

Cynder blinked. “That’s what you told her?”

“What did you think I told her?”

Cynder’s gaze flicked to Xander’s assistant. He looked like he was about to say something and she shook her head slightly, hoping Xander didn’t notice. If he still didn’t know that she had been the one he had danced with, she didn’t want him to. The assistant gave her a small nod.

Turning her attention back to Xander, she said, “Nothing. Never mind.”

“How can I help?” Xander asked.

She wished that his brown eyes weren’t so expressive. She wanted to be angry with him. Anger kept her safe from being hurt. From thinking about his handsome face and how she wanted him to hold her hand again.

No, Xander Callahan was a guy who flirted with—as far as he knew—two different women within an hour of each other. He wasn’t much better than Patrick, was he? She couldn’t like someone remotely like that.

A thought struck her and Cynder squared her shoulders.

“You could give me a job,” she said, before she could change her mind. The resolve in her voice surprised her almost as much as it did him.

“You—what?”

“It’s only fair,” Cynder said. “You got me fired. You give me a job. Not like you can’t afford it.”

Don’t blink. Don’t blink.

Cynder felt the bravery she had been channeling for the past few minutes ebbing away as the adrenaline began to slow and die out. Her thumb was killing her. Any minute she was going to burst into tears from the sheer pain.

What was she thinking demanding a job? She bit back the pain again and kept her gaze level.

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