Page 53 of The Billionaire's Masquerade Ball

Chapter 14

Cynder wanted to get out of the office without seeing Xander. She knew she’d have to face him eventually, but wasn’t sure how angry he was going to be about the event tomorrow. It wasn’t going to be an event so much as a meat market. With Xander as the meat.

Olivia had been sending the article Cynder wrote to her editor. Cynder saw it on the website within twenty minutes and gaining traction on social media already. It was a great story: Billionaire seeks to reconnect with mystery woman. It was probably a dream for half the women in Chicago and Cynder knew that women that weren’t even at the masquerade ball would be lining up tomorrow to meet Xander in hopes of being the woman he wanted to take on a date.

Cynder stuffed the last of her things into her bag, trying to stifle a twisted smile. She knew he would be furious, but in a small way, it felt like justice. Xander’s playboy reputation would come back on him—in a controlled environment. Surely it would be preferable to having his private history splashed on the pages of the Tribune.

When she thought of the idea, she knew he would hate it. But it was perfect for Olivia to sink her teeth into. And it couldn’t be that hard, could it? He was used to having women chase after him for his money. He probably would have had them chasing anyway, just from his looks and his personality. It had only taken Cynder days to become totally smitten with him and she could care less about the money.

Which is the other reason she needed to get out of here. While the idea was perfect, Cynder could not curb the irrational heat of jealousy that flashed through her thinking about Xander and scores of other women. Women who were better-suited to him and his lifestyle. More attractive women. Women who weren’t twenty-six without having been kissed. Xander would see that when he spent a day talking to beautiful women who wanted him. Whatever feelings she hoped he might have would be gone.

Just before she opened the door to the office, it swung open. Cynder stepped back in surprise and immediately Xander was crowding into her space. Her back hit Judy’s leather sofa, leaving her no room to move.

“Xander,” she said, feeling breathless. Anger was etched onto his perfect face, and she felt a rush of heat she felt having him so close.

“Explain,” he said. His eyes smoldered, looking more amber than brown, a look that would have been attractive if it hadn’t been for the anger. She could sense more of it below the surface, as though he was keeping it tightly coiled, just releasing enough of it as needed.

Cynder blinked at him, then turned her face away. She didn’t know which explanation for her actions would calm him. Maybe none. But she certainly didn’t want to reveal everything she knew, not at once anyway. He hadn’t shared his past with her and it felt like she shouldn’t know if he hadn’t been comfortable telling her.

“Olivia found out that there wasn’t actually a Sarah Ryder. She knew the back story for the Foundation was fake. Her goal was to push that out as a way to discredit you and the work you’re doing.”

“I see. And what did you tell her?”

Cynder blinked up at him. “That it was marketing. You needed a human element for the Foundation, so you created one.”

Xander shifted his weight to his heels, giving Cynder a tiny edge of room. Pulling out a single sheet from a folder, he began to read. She already knew the words. She had written them.

“‘Find Your Happily Ever After with a Billionaire! In what can only be described as a modern fairy tale, Xander Callahan, the CEO of Obsidian Development, hopes to reconnect with a mystery woman. He met her at his masquerade gala launching his charity, the Sarah Ryder Foundation for pancreatic cancer. She slipped away without giving him her name. Are you the woman in the mask who spent time with Xander Saturday night? The Obsidian offices will be open Friday from 9am to 5pm. Come in your dress from the ball and be ready for your happy ending.’”

Xander tossed the folder behind Cynder, where it skittered across his desk and fell to the floor. She flinched away from him, looking down.

“Why?” he said. “Why did you do this?”

“It was a good way to get the Foundation’s name out there. And with your reputation, having to deal with hundreds of women shouldn’t be that difficult for you.”

He made a low sound in his throat.

“Cynder, why?”

“It was a better story for Olivia. She loved it. The paper loved it. Social media is already going crazy. Your Foundation’s name is on everything, so it’s win-win-win.”

His eyes narrowed on her face and she knew that he could sense there was more. She slid away from Xander, clutching her bag and heading for the door. He cut her off in a few strides and put his palm flat against the wall next to the door. She shifted the other way and he placed his other hand flat against the wall on the other side, boxing her in.

Cynder leaned back on the wall and closed her eyes. He was so close. She should have felt frightened or at least nervous because of his intensity, but she felt desire burning through her chest instead.

“Why.”

It was a whisper, but it was also a command. When he spoke, his breath fluttered the strands of hair that had escaped her ponytail. Her skin broke out in goosebumps. She liked standing so close to him. She loved the way she felt safe somehow in between his flexed arms, even though the stance was meant to be intimidating. She wanted more.

Opening her eyes, she stared at the starched white shirt in front of her. Slowly, her gaze moved from his chest up to his face. The anger was still there, but there was a different kind of heat, too. The fiery smolder of his eyes was now a steady burn and his gaze was fixed on her lips.

“Tell me,” he said.

Wincing, she gave another answer, another half-truth. “You wanted to find her,” she whispered. “I thought that’s what you wanted. The woman in the mask. Her.”

Not me.She didn’t need to say the words; hurt colored her voice. It was a declaration of how she felt. She knew that Xander recognized it for what it was, because he drew in a breath and then met her eyes again.

“What if I changed my mind? What if I told you that I didn’t want her after all?”

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