Page 54 of The Billionaire and the Maid

He looks me up and down. “Now. I don’t want to miss dancing with you, and right now, I’m not needed for anything.”

I grin up at him and nod. He leads me to the dance floor where a handful of people are dancing already.

“I’m surprised people are already dancing,” I say as he spins me around.

“They’re paid,” he says.

I pull back and look up at him in surprise.

“We pay a few actors with ballroom training to dance so that others will come out to join them,” he explains.

“Wow…I, uh, would have never thought about that,” I admit as we begin moving again. His large hand spreads out across my back, pressing me to him. I feel his erection against my belly and look up at him. The heated gaze is back.

He leans down and presses a kiss to my lips and then whispers in my ear, “If I didn’t have to be here for at least two more hours, I’d be escorting you to my apartment right now. You look ravishing, princess,” he whispers, his teeth grazing my earlobe.

I feel the heat rush from my chest to my cheeks. “Maybe I can have a rain check for that in about two hours?”

He leans back and smirks. “Oh, don’t worry. I have plans for you later.”

I roll my eyes. “Alpha male much?”

He smirks again. “You have no idea.”

I groan. And he laughs. I can see Nancy glaring at us, and I focus back on Chase, trying not to let her get to me.

“Just remember, I know Ace, unlike this lot,” I say as I motion around us with one hand.

“That you do, Lady Eleanor, that you do,” he says and spins us across the floor, making me giggle and forget about everything and everyone else except for him. He has an uncanny ability of being able to do that.

When he spins me out, his gaze looks down and he stops for a brief moment and then slowly continues.

“Can I see your shoes later?” he asks, his eyes looking down once again.

I frown and follow his gaze, watching my feet for a second. “Do you like them?”

His brows knit together, and I look up at him in confusion. “I do. Very much. That’s why I’d like to look at them,” he says but I feel like there’s more to that. I’m about to ask why when someone taps him on his shoulder.

“Your father needs to speak with you for a moment,” a man says. “Is this the…girlfriend?”The man motions to me like I’m some sort of accessory and I immediately don’t like him.

“Ken, this is my girlfriend, Ella. Ella, this is Ken. He works for my dad and is helping out tonight since Ward isn’t available,” Chase says with a tic in his jaw. Just then, Gus and David swirl over to us and stop.

“Ella, I’ll be right back,” Chase says as he gives me a quick kiss on the cheek.

“OK,” I whisper as he makes eye contact with me as if assessing whether I’ll survive a moment without him. I give a little nod and he returns it before walking away in search of his dad.

“Hey, we’re getting drinks, care to join us?” Gus asks.

“Oh, yeah, that’d be great,” I say as I nod to Ken before walking over to one of the bars with Gus and David who are going on and on about the decorations and how great they are and how they remind him of the holiday decorations in Europe. I ask about their trip, and David shares a funny story of Gus looking for the perfect Christmas ornament at a holiday market.

Gus leans in and whispers, “Is there like a little girls’ room somewhere around here so I can powder my nose?”

I roll my eyes. “Yes, Queen, there is.”

“We’ll be right back, David. Order us both gin and tonics, OK? Muah!” Gus says as he air kisses David, causing David to stop storytelling, and then pulls me toward the entrance to the ballroom. “Which way?”

I purse my lips. I know where the bathrooms are for parties. They literally have bathrooms with multiple stalls in them. It’s insane. But there is a private bathroom down the back hall. I peek around the corner to see if any security guards are there, and seeing none, I take Gus’s hand and drag him to a little alcove where a bathroom the size of my bedroom is empty. I lock the door and turn to him.

“I don’t know if I can do this,” I admit nervously as I look in the mirror to see if I’ve turned into a pumpkin or something. I feel like an imposter like everyone can tell I don’t belong here.

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