Page 15 of One Weekend in Sydney

Her brows furrow, and she’s silent for a while. “It’s not that I’m not comfortable being myself, but yes, I guess there’s that element of not wanting to show the public everything about me. I’m currently in the middle of...a stoush, shall we say, with my enemy. He would twist things just so he could come out on top.”

“He sounds like a piece of work.”

“He is. I was actually supposed to join my best friend in her bachelorette party at the Wild Boys showboat. But I heard that he sent spies to record me letting my hair down with strippers and use it against me.”

“What?! That’s insane!” Of course, I already knew that, but my outrage is real.

“There are some dirty people in my chosen field,” she laments.

“And not the fun kind of dirty,” I say dryly.

Tara chuckles. “Unfortunately, not. But…you know what I just realised?”

“What?”

“That I really don’t want life to just pass me by without enjoying some things?—”

“Hello, beautiful people!” a woman interrupts. She’s in a tight-fitting burlesque outfit, and the man with her is in a sleeveless blue suit.

“Hi,” I greet in a friendly tone. “How’s it going?”

“Great,” says the man. “You two wanna join us?”

“Thanks, but we’re the one-on-one type,” I answer.

They both scrunch their noses. “Pity,” the woman declares, and they leave.

Tara leans closer to me. “Thanks for that,” she whispers. “Is it hard for you to say no?”

I chuckle. “Not at all. Discounting the fact that I won’t have sex with anyone on this boat, I’m not into group sex.”

“Can I ask you a question?” Tara’s face has gone beet red.

“Sure.”

“If we met outside of this boat, would you have considered a one-night stand with me?”

I smile. “I’d have been naked before you can say another word.”

She smiles shyly. “Thanks. I’m… uh… a little insecure when it comes to men. It’s nice to know you weren’t just letting me down gently like you did with Cat Woman.”

My heart pinches. Did she develop her insecurity because of what I did?

Tara throws her hands in the air. “God, what is it about you that makes me want to confess these things?”

“Like you said, it’s the anonymity,” I say with a laugh. If only she knows that I, too, feel that strong connection similar to the one we used to have.

“Yeah. It’s crazy, isn’t it? Now I get why people become members of groups such as Masks On. The only negative thing is, I imagine some people here feel safe enough to cheat on their partners because they can remain anonymous.”

“That’s what I thought at first until the owner told me that most members are anti-commitment, so they’re mostly single.”

Tara lifts her brows. “Hm. That makes sense?—”

The woman across from us suddenly lets out a cry, her mouth open wide in ecstasy, while her companion’s hand is furiously moving underneath her skirt.

Tara’s breath has become heavy, judging by the rise and fall of her chest, as she watches the couple. Then her gaze flicks to my face before looking away, biting her bottom lip as she lets out a soft, embarrassed chuckle.

God, she looks so damn adorable. The urge to kiss her is so strong that I have to remind myself that I’m Mason—the idiot who humiliated her and broke her heart. I’m not going to do that again, so I have to keep my hands off her, much as she’s giving me subtle signals.

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