Overtime

Chapter 7

^ Emery's mask above ^

When I wake up the next morning Jackson has already left to get things situated for the masquerade ball tonight. After I shower and get dressed, Jasmine comes into my room to help me get ready for the ball. I sit at my vanity as she begins to curl my hair. We make small talk and I ask about her career. "I'm a model. So there's no need to worry about your makeup because I do mine for a living," she smiles.

"That's awesome. Who do you model for?"

"I do advertisements and occasionally appear in a music video. I've done some fashion shows. I've also been in a music video with a few rappers."

"Really?" I ask, raising my eyebrows. "What'd you do in it?"

She chuckles. "I acted as a stripper but I've done a more intimate one with J. Cole. He was the first to ask me to appear in a video with him. It branched out from there."

"That's amazing. Do you keep in contact with the people you work with?" I ask.

She shrugs. "Some of them. Usually, we only talk about business propositions. Some invited me to parties and stuff."

We talk a little more about her life and I am fascinated with her lifestyle. She has everything and can do anything. Not only is she an interesting person but she's also beautiful.

After my hair is all curled and pinned, she starts on my makeup. Her work is quite impressive and I'm glad she's here to help but just as she's finishing, I remember one of the most important parts of tonight that I forgot. "Oh my gosh," I say frantically.

"What?" she asks worriedly.

"It's a masquerade ball and I don't have a mask. What am I going to do? There's not enough time."

"Calm down," she chuckles. "I have an extra one that'll go great with your dress."

I breathe a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

She adds some finishing touches to my makeup before cleaning up the vanity and heading to her room. I give her time to get ready while I slip into my dress and heels. Beneath my dress is the nicest lingerie I own - a strapless black lace bra with matching panties. I spray some perfume on myself before leaving my room with my phone in hand. My heels click against the floor as I make my way to the guest room where Jasmine is getting ready. She looks stunning as usual. "Almost done," she smiles, putting some lip gloss on.

I spot the masks beside her and smile. There's a black one with very intricate details and diamonds, the other is an off-white color with glitter and jewels. "Which one's mine?" I ask.

"The black one," she says. "We should get going. Ready?"

I nod, picking up my mask. We make our way downstairs where Franklin is waiting to drive us. He smiles as he opens the door. "You look lovely, ladies."

We thank him before hurrying to the car. The masquerade ball is being held at The Regency which is one of the nicest venues around. Valet opens our doors for us and Jasmine turns to me. "Masks on," she says excitedly. "I'm getting wasted tonight."

I laugh as we get out of the car. Once my mask is securely in place, I follow Jasmine inside. There are a ton of people in the lobby but there are even more in the ballroom. A DJ is set up on the back wall with a large open space to dance in front of it. There's food along each side wall and the tables are in between the dance floor and the food tables.
Looking up I notice three huge chandeliers hang from the high ceiling. I continue to look around to find three sets of French doors that lead outside to the balcony. This place is absolutely beautiful.

Jasmine pulls me towards one of the waiters carrying a tray of champagne flutes and grabs each of us one. I take one and she clinks her glass with mine before taking a sip of the sweet liquid. She introduces me to a few people before searching for Jackson.

After a while, she gives up and we end up finding an empty table. I'm looking around the room when I finally spot him standing on the opposite side of the room. Even though he's wearing a simple black mask I can still tell it's him. He's looking around, his eyes passing us but coming back a short moment later. The way he looks at Jasmine makes my heart melt. "Hey, there he is," Jasmine says, finally noticing him as he makes his way towards her.

I clear my throat. "I'm going to get some air. I'll be back in a minute."

"Are you sure? I'm sure Jackson will want to see you."

"Yeah. He'll want to talk to you anyways."

She frowns but doesn't say anything. Grabbing my phone from the table, I go out the French doors near our table and am immediately greeted with the cool air. I make my way down the steps to the large fountain at the bottom. It has lights shining through the water to make the night seem a bit brighter.

I sit on the edge of the fountain with my back to the building then take my mask off. As I look up at the sky, I think about Jasmine and Jackson. They're really close... "Thanks for coming," someone says, causing me to jump.

I turn towards Jackson with a hand over my chest. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

He chuckles. "I apologize. May I?" he asks, gesturing to the spot beside me.

"Of course." He sits beside me and doesn't take his eyes off me. "What?"

"You look stunning."

"As do you," I reply softly.

He smiles a little. "I started the music before I came out. Mind joining me for a dance?"

"Sure. Will you hold this for me?" I ask, holding out my phone.

After slipping my phone into his pocket he stands, holding out his hand. I quickly put my mask back on before placing my hand in his. We go inside where a slow song is playing but he is immediately pulled away by one of the catering staff members. After apologizing, he follows them back to the kitchen, leaving me alone once again.

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