Page 68 of The Guy Who Fake Dated Me

William grunted.

“What?” I asked.

“I was hoping I could ask Victoria to dance once.”

William wanted to dance with Victoria? Any man would, but he hadn’t shown any interest in her before now. I resisted the urge to narrow my eyes and ask him why. Instead, I shrugged and said, “It’s fine, as long as she’s down.”

“Excellent. Thank you.” He looked me right in the eye and added, “I’m not trying to steal her. I have a few questions for her. Nothing more.”

“Okay.” I smiled, trying to put the poor guy at ease.

He winced. “Courtney is going to ask you to dance as well.”

That pushed me back on my heels. We’d been cordial, but that’s it. “Why?”

“I don’t know. She says she wants some time with you.”

I swallowed, wondering if she was going to bring up the past. If she did, I needed to be ready. Ready to walk away and not look back.

Just like she’d done to me. “Thanks for the warning,” I said to William. “I guess I can dance with her while you’re with Victoria.”

“That would be acceptable.”

I almost laughed, thinking William was trying to be funny, but one look at his face told me he was one hundred percent serious.

He wouldn’t last a whole song with Victoria if he couldn’t at least crack a smile, but he was welcome to try.

Kyle, who wore black trousers and a long, old-fashioned looking jacket with pointed tails decorated with crystal beads, climbed up a few steps and waved all the men to silence. His wolf mask looked like it was dripping with diamonds. Hopefully they were fake.

“Thanks for coming tonight. Natalie has always wanted to do a masquerade ball, so instead of having a boring rehearsal dinner, we decided to do this.” He grinned like only a man in love could. “The ladies wanted to make a big entrance and should be ready in just a minute. When your partner reaches the bottom of the stairs, please meet her and take her to a spot at the edge of the dance floor where you can watch everyone else come down.” He held up a hand. “Don’t worry, after that, you’re free to do whatever you want. Just do me a favor and ooh and ahh when Natalie comes in.”

That got a lot of nods and more than a few chuckles. Apparently, Natalie wasn’t above a bit of pageantry.

A single violin began to play a dramatic tune full of movement and power. A spotlight lit up the top of the stairs, and a woman in a long, full-skirted, plunging-neckline, light blue gown and feathery mask stepped to the edge of the landing. She paused, struck a pose, then began her descent.

A man in a gray tux moved forward to take her hand as she reached the last three steps. He twirled her once, then she accepted his arm, and they moved toward the far end of the room.

“This is going to take quite a while,” William stated as the next woman appeared.

“Agreed.” Hopefully Victoria would be near the beginning so I would have someone to talk to who would get my jokes.

Four more ladies came down before Victoria stepped onto the landing.

I’d seen her dress hanging in her closet but had purposely not imagined what she would look like in it.

Nothing in my mind could have compared with the real thing.

We’d been to dances before. I’d seen her in nice dresses, but this was on a whole new level.

Instead of her signature pink, she’d gone with a dark maroon, which made her pale skin and blond updo look amazing. Wide lacy straps covered just her shoulders and the neckline dove much lower than anything else she’d ever worn. The waist hugged tight, then the long skirt cascaded to the floor. The material shimmered in the lights, as did the maroon detailing on her black mask.

To say she’d taken my breath away would be a vast understatement. The moisture evaporated from my mouth, making it impossible to swallow. The collar of my dress shirt felt way too tight, and I wondered if I’d get in trouble if I ripped off my jacket and bowtie so I could get some air.

“She does have a keen sense of fashion,” William said.

I barely heard him. Victoria only paused for a moment before she started down the stairs. Her skirt was so long I could barely see the sparkling black heels she wore underneath. She was halfway to the bottom when William nudged me.

Right. I should go pick her up.

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