He barked out a laugh. "Pretty much all of the above."
Just as I'd suspected.
I'd grown up doing all the fancy private schools, summers in the Hamptons, and countless charity galas where I'd get lostwhile staring at all the pretty gowns. So I'd been around men like him for as long as I could remember.
While I knew instinctively that was the kind of man I'd most likely meet tonight, I still found myself a tiny bit disappointed. I'd been hoping—no,craving—someone different than the norm, a change from the rich playboys who only cared about their stock portfolios.
"So you're really actually alone tonight?" I asked, just to be sure. Because it still seemed strange to me that a man like him wasn't already paired up. "You didn't come here with anyone?"
"No, I didn't. I came here alone. And what about you?"
"Same." I needed to change the subject quickly because he might ask me the question I wanted to ask him, which waswhy?Why had we both come to this function alone? Personally, I didn't want to even attempt to answer that one.
"Why?" he asked before I could think of something else to say.
Crap. Now what?
I looked out at the city, instead of the handsome man beside me, hoping to find inspiration out there somewhere. "Well, I just wanted to get out of my comfort zone, try something totally new," I finally said.
My peripheral vision caught his nod.
"And you?" I added.
"The same thing really," he admitted.
"There's something freeing about having a mask on."
"I agree. Not knowing someone's real name gives you a different perspective."
"Yes. Exactly right." A horrible thought popped into my head. "You're not a serial killer, are you?"
He laughed outright. "No. No, I'm not."
"A spy?" Remembering my future brother-in-law Max Sterling, I thought of another question. "An undercover billionaire boss?"
"No, none of the above."
"And how do I know that I can trust you?" Because as much as I'd thought about this moment, as much as I'd planned, now that I was actually doing this, I realized I needed to feel completely secure with this man.
"Everyone invited to this thing tonight was thoroughly vetted—background checks, meticulously screened, the whole nine yards.You're safer here than anywhere else in the city."
That was a valid argument, and I knew from my own personal experience that he wasn't exaggerating about the vetting process.
A siren blared to life somewhere below us, causing us to pause our conversation for a few moments, both of us still staring at the city spread out before us.
"What about you?" he eventually asked. "What secrets are you hiding?"
Touché. "Me? I'm, well, I'm not hiding any big secrets..." Just maybe a boring love life, which I would never admit to him. "I'm just a woman looking for a good time tonight."
Was that an okay thing to say? Too forward? Too blatantly obvious and desperate?
Daring to glance over at him, I saw a smile play about his lips. "Ready for that dance, love?"
Yes, I most definitely was. Time to get out of my head and justfeel. I couldn't allow myself to get so distracted or worried or anxious about my original mission. I absolutely had to go through with it. If I chickened out now, I'd never forgive myself later.
Nodding at him, I allowed him to take my hand, and together, we moved a few feet away from the rooftop's edge. His hand, oh my word, it felt incredible—strong, masculine, rough yet gentle at the same time.
Not realizing what he was doing to me with only his hand, he gave me a twirl, my dress flaring out just like I'd practiced countless times in the mirror, something I'd designed specifically for this purpose.
