Page 37 of The Billionaire's Masquerade Ball

“She hadn’t even finished filling out the paperwork yet. And since her thumb is sprained, she can’t actually do anything. It was a terrible hire. A lapse in judgment. Besides, you can’t leave. I’ve told you that when you leave, I leave. And I’m not ready to retire.”

“I think that forcing me to stay violates labor laws.”

“I’m not forcing you,” Xander said with forced sweetness. “I’m nicely requesting.”

“Manipulating.”

“Requesting. Anyway, I doubt she’ll last a week here. I only hired her because her job let her go and it was slightly my fault. Maybe you can help her find something else more suited to whatever her skills are, whether that’s here or somewhere else. I don’t need any more assistants. I have enough people meddling in my business.” He gave Judy a pointed look.

Judy smiled and headed for the door. “That’s wonderful to hear. If she won’t stay long, then you can date her as soon as she stops being your employee.”

The door closed behind her with a firm click. Xander glanced over at Cynder. She was already looking at him and smiled before Wyatt drew her attention back to the paperwork. This was torture having them work in the same room. Cynder had been surprised that she and Wyatt were set up at the conference table in his office. Xander didn’t know where else to put her yet and had always preferred sharing a workspace. It used to be Jake, who could have cared less about having his own office. Now it was Wyatt. And Cynder.

Now he wished more than anything for privacy. He never should have let his guard down on Saturday. After the woman in the mask had somehow cracked his wall, Cynder finished the job, crumbling it to dust. Xander’s head snapped up with a sudden thought.

Crossing the room with quick strides, he stood facing Wyatt and Cynder. Who were, in his opinion, sitting a little too close together.

“I have a job for you,” Xander said.

“I hope it doesn’t require thumbs,” Cynder said.

He ignored the quip, slicing a hand through the air. If he was going to maintain his professionalism, he needed to cut out all joking and anything that could be construed as flirting. Immediately. “It doesn’t. I need you to find someone. It might be difficult, but I can give you a good start.”

Cynder sat up straighter. “I like a challenge.”

“There was a woman at the gala. I didn’t get her name and I’d like you to track her down.”

“Did her check bounce or something?”

Wyatt snickered and Xander silenced him with a look. “No. Nothing like that. She and I shared a dance and had a conversation about some business struggles she was facing. I’d like to follow up.”

Cynder had gone completely still. “Oh?”

“Yes. I thought you might look through the press photos and the guest list. She wore a gold mask and a dark blue dress that kind of … shimmered. It should be a fairly simple process of elimination. Wyatt can print out the guest list and the names of those who made donations that night.”

Wyatt leaned forward. “I don’t think you—” He grunted and stopped midsentence, shooting a surprised look at Cynder. It almost looked like she kicked him under the table. Xander looked between them. “I’ll get right on it. Printing the guest list and donations.”

Cynder had not responded. Xander stared hard at her, making the most of his intimidating position standing above her. She looked down at the table, avoiding his eyes.

While he hated closing himself off from her, it was safer this way. Treating her more professionally would create distance. Asking Cynder about another woman should make it very clear that he wasn’t interested in her.

The more he could put back some semblance of a wall between them, the better. If she found the mystery woman, Xander could figure out what to do then. He wasn’t sure if he would be happy or disappointed. Somehow that woman paled in comparison to the feisty one sitting quietly for the first time all morning.

“Well?” Xander said.

“I’ll do my best,” Cynder said. She did not sound confident.

“Great. Consider it your interview for the position.”

Xander strode back to his desk, wishing he felt more pleased with the idea that had come so suddenly to him. Instead, he felt a little sick about it. When Cynder spoke, he almost jumped in his seat. He hadn’t realized she followed him to his desk. She stood before him but didn’t meet his eyes.

“I thought you said you were hiring me,” she said in a quiet voice. “This task is my interview?”

Xander steeled his face to mask the bruise-like pain that he felt at the sound of hurt in her voice. “I could hardly hire someone without a proper interview. I already have several assistants and I don’t need someone to deliver coffee in the mornings. I might be able to find you something elsewhere. This task is as good an interview as any. The permanence of your position depends on what I see from you by Friday.”

“Five days?”

“Four and a half now. Do you think you could do this more quickly? I could make it Wednesday if you’d prefer.”

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