Bought at a price #SYTYCW15 #PRESENTS - completed

Part two - Chapter One

Daughter of a cleaner, pretending to be a rich socialite would be so funny, if it wasn't true.

Breaking free to escape out onto the balcony of one of the elitist hotels in Melbourne, Sara Williams breathed in deeply. It was good to have a break wondering how Cherry survived this. How did Cherry talk her into this farce? How did she in all honesty believe she could pretend to be an heiress to a fortune? Thank goodness for the mask, contact lenses, and a wig. She must have been mad or desperate. Desperate was the answer.

Five hundred for one performance. The night was nearly over. Her problems weren't. She had to find a job. A real job. She didn't want to work in hotels like her mother did. Cleaning up after other people's mess. She was better than that. Blinking back tears, Sara shifted closer to the balcony rail. Clasping the rail her hand as she took a deep breath, staring across the YarraRiver. The CBD on the other side.

"So, this is where you've disappeared to, Cherry," an English accented male voice came from behind her to stiffen. "You should've known better than leave your guests unattended." Briefly, she closed her eyes. What she had been dreading all night. Someone who might actually know Cherry would turn up and expose her for the fraud that she was. Placing a smile on her lips, she started to turn. Facing her worst nightmare. "Then again, I have to ask myself, who are you really?" She froze. Eyes widened behind the mask to look up into shrewd green eyes to blink as she stared at the owner of those incredible emerald-green eyes.

Although the dark mask covered most of his features, his magnificent bone structure couldn't be hidden. He was tall, towering over her 5'8, immaculately dressed

in a black tuxedo, hands in his pants pockets. His broad frame blocked her from the only exit. "You see, I know Cherry, and she looks nothing like you."

Softly she cursed, wishing now she hadn't gone for the tight, figure hugging, backless with dangling draped pearl beading ivory lace dress over white satin to the thighs that fishtail out to the floor. She should've known this couldn't possibly work. To be proven right. 'No-one knows me,' Cherry had promised her.

Sara lifted the glass of very expensive champagne that she had brought with her to her lips. She sipped as she gave him a long, and lingering once over. Taking in his dark - jet black hair, darker colouring of skin that had nothing to do with the sun. Middle Eastern she would hazard to guess at a pinch with a very strong British accent. Interesting. "How intriguing, sorry, I can't remember you at all," she noted softly, bluffing. It was all she had.

He closed the distance to stand at her side, removing his hands to grab the rail enjoying the views she had been viewing until he had come upon her, unexpectedly. "The dead giveaway is the red hair."

She blinked "It is?"

"Yes, you're not a natural redhead, Cherry is."

She arched a brow that was wasted behind the mask. "What? You're a colour expert? A hairdresser?" He shot her a hard glare, unimpressed. She bit back a smile to lean back on the balcony rail with her elbows. "No? You can pull at my hair to see it isn't a wig." she dared. It was. "Believe me, sir; I'm indeed Cherry Stafford of Stafford Industries."

His gaze caressed over her, melting her insides to liquid. He was deadly. "You do have her act down pat; however, she would never lean against a rail as you are. Instead, she would be pressing up hard against me, showing off her assets by now. And I don't mean money."

She couldn't help smiling, because she had seen Cherry in all those photos on the Internet, and her gorgeous companions, wondering if she had seen him. There had been a lot of very attractive men at Cherry's side at different functions. How could they even think they could actually pull this off? "I'm sure you don't. Please remind me again, where were we supposed to have met before?" She just had to keep bluffing, and wasn't ready to go back inside. To be honest, she was enjoying this. "By the way, I thought I would give the whole come on a break tonight."