Page 47 of The Billionaire's Masquerade Ball

Chapter 12

Xander may have spent the rest of Tuesday and Wednesday in meetings, but his mind was always on Cynder. He was hyperaware of her presence, whether she was sitting with Xander at the conference table or in one of his meetings or talking with Judy. His body gravitated toward her and he often found himself turned slightly sideways, his chest open and facing her even when he wasn’t looking right at her.

His mind, too, constantly flowed toward her, wondering what she was thinking and how she felt about him. Was that smile just friendly? Was that look a casual glance? Could she possibly be thinking about him as much as he was thinking about her?

The effect was that Xander felt completely wired, a frenetic energy laced with frustration. Which is why he was currently on mile six at a punishing pace in the corporate gym.

Few people used the gym, despite research on productivity in the work place. Xander usually worked out at his home gym, but every so often when things got too stressful or busy, he would put the time in here. It was a great space and he looked out over the city as his feet pounded on the treadmill belt. If only he was actually getting somewhere.

He couldn’t seem to outrun his feelings for Cynder, which seemed to grow by the hour. He also couldn’t outrun the problem of what to do with those feelings. They filled him with a protectiveness, which made him want to care for her, soothing her grief and providing a job and income. But then the job made it so that he couldn’t do anything about his other feelings, which made him want to pull her into his arms and kiss her.

She was unlike any other woman—or person—he had met. Her emotions were all right up front; Xander had seen her in tears or almost tears no less than three times since he had brought her back to work on Tuesday. In the past he had always hated when women cried. It made Xander feel panicked and sometimes, especially with the kinds of women who had been in his life, manipulated. With Cynder, it was endearing. Her tears were a natural overflow of her passion. She seemed unable to put any barrier between how she felt and her outward reactions. It was strangely refreshing.

More than she cried, Cynder laughed. She had a way of drawing others into good humor with her fast quips and bright smile. Xander studied her as she interacted with the other employees, realizing that the way she allowed her emotions to overflow naturally was a sign of strength. She had a bravery that he couldn’t fathom and one that he had shied away from, terrified to let his emotions out of the box.

She took in the same kinds of details the same way that Xander did, but where he filed away information for later use in a business sense, Cynder found ways to use these details to bring joy. She gifted Wyatt a box of Ticonderoga pencils after he motioned being a snob about pencils. She brought in muffins one morning. Not just any muffins, but pineapple-carrot muffins that Xander happened to know were Judy’s favorite kind, from her favorite bakery.

Xander’s desk now sported a tiny succulent in a coffee mug because Cynder heard him say that he wished he didn’t have a black thumb. The mug read “World’s Best Boss” and she smirked as she gave it to him. It was the same coffee mug Michael Scott from the show The Office kept on his desk. Xander couldn’t remember even talking about the show in front of her, but it was one of his favorites. As he held the mug with the tiny, waxy-leafed plant in his hand, his emotions swelled to the point that it was hard to even croak out a thank you.

As for her work, it was so clear to him why Looking Glass had been so highly recommended to him and also why the company had done so poorly for his gala. It had clearly flourished under her care, but suffered when Gail took over. During a debrief meeting about the event, Xander had called Cynder in to give her opinion. She looked surprised, but stood in front of the room with full confidence, even though he hadn’t given her time to prepare.

No one in the meeting knew she had worked for Looking Glass. They never would have guessed as she unflinchingly laid out every mistake and misstep the company had made and created a custom list of vendors that would be good to use again if Obsidian needed to hire a single company for an event. Only Xander noticed the way her eyes brightened with tears as she tore down the company that had been so important to her. He knew what it must have cost her to say those things.

Gail didn’t realize what she’d had or what she had lost.

Xander was still trying to figure out what to do about Cynder’s job. Knowing that she needed it, he wasn’t willing to let her go. But he truly didn’t need another assistant and didn’t have any open positions. It was his company, so he could simply create one. But there was the matter of not being able to date her so long as she worked for him. If he created another position for her within Obsidian, that would look terrible. It would violate policies while also looking like he hired his love interest.

Xander was stuck. He slammed his hand into the red stop button and let his legs slow to a stop.

“Is it working?”

Cynder’s voice had him spinning toward the doorway, where she leaned casually. He wondered how long she had been there. “What?” he asked.

“Running from your problems on a treadmill?”

She spoke lightly as she crossed the room toward him. Ever since he had gone to her apartment, their interactions had been weighted with so many things unsaid. He wasn’t cold, the way he had been the first day she was in the office. But he also was struggling to keep some distance, some professionalism. He worried that his feelings were completely obvious to everyone in the office.

He especially couldn’t be as close as he was in her apartment, when he had crossed a line by holding her hand. He was sure that his feelings had bled right through the touch. Maybe they had, but so far Cynder had kept him at a safe and professional distance as well. If she suspected or felt something in return, she did not show it.

“I wish it were that easy,” Xander said, wiping his face with a towel. He was aware of how he must look and probably smell. His shirt was soaked through, clinging to him, and sweat dripped from his hair. “You aren’t exactly dressed for a workout.”

She smiled. “I don’t run. Even when chased. I came to find you, actually.”

“Oh?”

“Judy suggested that I sit in on a meeting you’ve got in about thirty minutes. With, um, Olivia?”

Xander had forgotten about the meeting, probably because he didn’t want to be having it. He could hear in Cynder’s voice that she had not forgotten the way he had dismissed her in front of Olivia. She looked down at her shoes. Why did Judy want Cynder in there with Olivia?

“So, do you need my help for that?” Cynder sounded like she hoped that he didn’t.

Xander took a drink of water, considering. Judy had good instincts. She was also trying to push him at Cynder. Judy stopped just short of completely embarrassing him with her pointed comments. But having her attend a meeting with Olivia would not be about that. If anything, that kind of meeting could be very awkward, especially after the way Xander had slighted Cynder in front of the other woman.

There must be a very good reason that she wanted him to have Cynder there. It frankly sounded like a bad idea to him. But he also trusted Judy.

“That would be great,” Xander said. “I think you could be very helpful.”

Cynder seemed to relax. “What do I need to know?”

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