Page 1 of Mistletoe Masquerade
CHAPTER 1
SACHI
“You wantto hang out in a ballroom … full of cops?” Sante Mancini stares at me like I’ve sprouted a second head. Of course, he would see it that way. He’s in the Mafia, after all.
“Not just cops—maskedcops … in tuxedos!” I grin wickedly, enjoying his discomfort. Teasing him is so much more fun now that I know him better. In the past few months, I’ve become good friends with his wife, Amelie, who I met through my best friend Dani. The three of us girls are always together these days, which means I see their husbands quite a bit, as well.
Sante grimaces. “Doesn’t sound like a Christmas party to me. More like a Halloween nightmare.”
Before I can reply, Tommy jumps in. “But you were raised Buddhist, right? Buddhists don’t celebrate Christmas.” Tommy is Dani’s husband. He often sees things in black and white, so explaining the intricacies of culture and religion isn’t something I’m delving into right now.
“My parents are Buddhist. That doesn’t mean I can’t love all things Christmas,” I offer vaguely, then turn back to Sante. “Which includes the annual policeman’s ball when said ball is going to be a fancy holiday masquerade with glittery decorations in a gorgeous hotel ballroom.”
“That ballroom can be fancy as fuck, but it’s still gonna stink like a barn if it’s full of pigs.”
Amelie smacks his chest indignantly. “Hey! Not all cops are bad. Quit raining on her parade.”
He gapes at his wife with a petulant innocence, as though he has no idea what he did to deserve her reprisal. The sight makes me chuckle.
“It’s fine, Amelie. He can think whatever he wants. It doesn’t change my opinion that it would be fun to finally attend one of these fancy parties instead of delivering food and leaving. The occupation of the other guests is irrelevant. And this event is a masquerade ball, so it would be even easier to pretend I’m just another guest.”
“I think you should go for it,” Dani chimes in. “It’s not like they’re going to arrest you for crashing the party.”
“Agreed,” Amelie says. “And like I said, they’re not all bad. Malone is a good guy.”
“Yes!” Dani’s eyes widen. “And he is seriously pretty to look at. I can only imagine him in a tux.”
Both men make faces as though they’ve just swallowed a spoonful of mud.
Sante raises his hand. “Hold up. Calling him a good guy is awfully generous. Let’s just say he’s not a total asshat.”
I ignore Sante and grin at the girls. “A few months back, Sante took me home, and on the way, he stopped at the police station. He met up with a man in front of the building, and the guy was one yummy piece of man candy. I stayed in the car but could see the two of them. The guy had blond hair and a body that would make Superman weep. Is that him?”
“That’s him,” Amelie agrees. “A man-dy cane, if you will?”
All three of us girls burst into a fit of giggles while the guys roll their eyes.
“Seriously, Mel?” her husband groans.
She shrugs with a wry grin. “It’s true. He’s an absolute snack.” She’s getting a rise out of goading her husband, and he’s too naturally possessive not to take the bait.
“I suppose if you like a Goody Two-Shoes who thinks his shit don’t stink,” Sante grumbles.
Tommy glares at his friend. “You’re the one whopractically has the guy on speed dial. Wouldn’t be surprised if you sent him a Christmas card.”
“Oh, now I gotta hear it from you, too. Is that it? Like you’ve never called the guy for a favor.”
“A reciprocal swap of information isn’t a favor,” Tommy points out plainly.
“Poh-tay-to, poh-tah-to, Tommy. You needed intel, and he agreed to an exchange. Same difference.”
I can tell Tommy wants to argue over the distinction in that technical way of his, but Amelie cuts him off.
“Sach, I think you should do it. And if you need a dress, I’ll ask my sister if she’s got anything you can borrow. They do samples for the holiday season ages in advance. I’m sure she’s got something lying around.”
Her sister is a badass fashion designer with her own label. As a sculptor, I’m an avid supporter of all the arts. Wearing one of Lina’s dresses would be a dream come true.
“Oh my God. That would be incredible.”
