"Wear this," Georgia instructs as she shows me a black mask with flecks of gold around the edges. "Turn around."
"Is it really okay for me to be here?" I ask as she ties the ribbon at the back of my head. I feel so out of place. The people here are big-time businessmen and women. Owners of the big companies that basically run the industry. I'm no one.
I hear the sharp sound of the cloth fastening and feel soft lips press on the side of my neck. "You're perfect."
I suck in a tight breath. Perfect where?, I want to ask her. My outfit for tonight is a simple black tux and a white dress shirt paired with a bowtie. My hair is tied in a low ponytail at the back of my neck. No makeup of any sort. With my non-existent boobs and the mask I'm wearing, I bet I could even pass for a guy.
Georgia, on the other hand, is looking like she's ready to snatch all the men's hearts in the event. The dark-blue satin gown she's wearing hugs her body in all the right places. A plunging neckline outlines her well-endowed breasts. Two, thin straps that go from her neck to her back intersect in the backless gown.
"I thought we agreed no kissing." I croak.
She laughs and I feel the warm air come out of her mouth. I bite my lip on impulse. "Did we? Because I wanna eat you out right now. Is that considered kissing?"
Blood rises up to my face. "I-I think we should go." I hurriedly open the door and step out of the Limo. Georgia follows a few seconds later, a gold mask mounted on her face.
I offer her my arm and she takes it without hesitation, a beaming smile plastered on her face. The slit on her gown makes her already sexy look even more daring. She loops her arms in mine and we make our way inside the Grand Hall.
Georgia makes sure to stop by on the photo booth to get our picture taken. Thankfully, the heels she's wearing were not high, and I still look taller than her. As we pose for a picture, I snake an arm around her waist and pull her closer to me, making sure to graze the skin showing on her back just to tease her.
A smirk form on her lips. "Game on," she announces confidently and leads me to the crowd.
A middle-aged man with a sharp tux and gray hair approaches us and for the first time since I met her, I see Georgia smile with warmth. She gives him a cheek kiss.
"Georgia. Glad you could make it." He tells her.
"It's not like I have a choice." Georgia rolls her eyes jokingly.
The man eyes me. "And this is?"
"Alex, sir." I hold out a hand.
"Lincoln." He shakes my hand firmly, looking me in the eyes. I catch a glimpse at his somewhat-familiar blue eyes. He turns back to Georgia. "Enjoy the rest of the night."
A waiter passes us and Georgia grabs two glasses of champagne. Georgia introduces me to every person she knows, which is almost everybody. And as if shaking too many hands and drinking too much champagne wasn't enough, Georgia kept on giving me those eyes—suggestive, sultry, lustful.
After what felt like forever, we finally get to take a seat. I pull out Georgia's seat and help her ease into the chair before sitting on my own. She grins at me. "What a gentleman."
The compliment makes me smile. "My parents raised me well."
"Wish my date had at least half of your decency." Someone speaks beside me. A girl about my age stares back at me, her brown hair styled in a braid. Even with the red mask that matches her gown, her beauty stands out.
"Too bad she's not a real man." A boy who looks a few years older than me speaks beside her.
"I don't have to be a man to show basic human decency." I smile at him. The girl tries to hide a smile.
Georgia rests a gentle hand on my back. "As insecure as ever, I see," she butts in. "Not everything revolves around having a dick, Ethan. You rely on your four inches too much."
Ethan doesn't reply but the daggers he's shooting in Georgia's direction is enough to tell me he didn't like her comment.
"When will you bring a male date in an event, Georgia? You're disgracing your family." Another male voice speaks. This time, it comes from Georgia's side of the table.
"Unless males magically grow a vagina, the answer is never." Georgia rebuts. "And I don't think you're someone qualified to be lecturing me about family, Carlos." She adds, her voice turning cold.
Carlos scoffs. "Yeah, you would fucking know, wouldn't you?"
I'm not sure if it's just me or the whole table seems to harbor some kind of animosity towards Georgia. Rich people issues, I guess? The two chairs directly in front of us are still empty so I brace myself mentally for more arguments coming our way.
"Does everyone in this table hate you or something?" I ask Georgia.
"You could say that," she admits. "Does it make you uncomfortable? I can arrange for us to switch tables." She offers.
"No, no. I'm fine." Georgia never talked about her family with me. I tried asking her a few times, but she always finds a way to change the subject. "Are you okay?"
Georgia gives me a smile that doesn't reach her eyes. "I'm used to it."
"Just because you're used to it doesn't mean you're fine," I place a hand on the bottom of her back. It's an old habit of mine. I often find the small gesture soothing. "You can talk to me."
Georgia rests a hand on my thigh and looks me in the eye. "If you keep doing things like this, I might have to take you up on that offer."
"What offer?" I grab a glass of water from the table and take a sip.
"To be your girlfriend." I almost choke on my water.
"Don't joke like that." I put down my glass and wipe the drop of water on my chin with the back of my hand. "You just want to sleep with me."
"Hey, where'd you get that idea? I genuinely like you." She squeezes my thigh. "Although I admit, I also want to sleep with you." Her hand slides into my inner thigh and slowly makes its way upwards. I pin it in place before it gets too close to its destination.
"Behave," I scold her. I really can't let my guard down around this woman.
My eyes scan the crowd, wondering who's going to be sitting in front of us. As soon as the emcee announces for the people to settle down, they disperse into their respective seats.
Then someone catches my eye and my vision tunnels. She's wearing a white off-shoulder gown that dips just before it reaches her breasts, showing just enough cleavage to make her look daring. Her dress is cinched at the waist and it reveals a high side split as she walks closer. She looks divine in white.
Gray carries herself with such elegance no one dares come near her. Our eyes meet. I can almost see the shocked expression behind her white and gold mask. With every step she takes closer, I feel my heartbeat start to quicken. Finally, she stops. In front of the vacant chair in front of me.
"Good evening." She makes her presence known before taking a seat. If she's the untouchable princess at school, her presence here is much more intimidating. Just looking at her makes me want to bow down in her glory.
"Easy on the only-heiress-of-the-Dyers-Financials aura, will you?" Georgia teases. "You're unreachable, we get that."
"It's not her fault these low-lives are intimidated by her." Janelle takes a seat beside Gray. "Good evening."
Why didn't I see this coming? Of course, they'd be here. This is a rich people's gathering—I'm the one who has no place here. And it's not helping that Janelle looks impeccable, as usual. With a purple velvet dress adorned with intricate jewels, she matches Gray's elegance with her grace. They really do look good together.
"Is that you, Janelle?" Ethan asks. "I haven't seen you for years! Where have you been?"
"Places," she answers plainly.
"You came together?" This time, Carlos is the one who asks.
"You bet they did." Georgia snickers. I'm ashamed of myself for snorting on her comment.
Janelle and Gray shoot us both a look. "We did."
"Where are your brothers?" Carlos continues to interrogate Gray. "And your father?"
"My brothers are busy. My father's in Asia."
Their small talk gets interrupted when the booming voice of the emcee echoes through the hall. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Before we start, our generous host, Lincoln Morgan, would like to say a few words."
The man we met earlier takes his place in the podium. He says a few words of gratitude and proceeds to say something about his family. It turns out, Carlos and Ethan are his sons. In the duration of his speech, he kept on glancing at our table. It was in his parting words that I realized why.
"He's your father." It's not a question. Now I know why his blue eyes seemed oddly familiar.
Georgia looks at me in surprise. "How'd you know?"
I look at Lincoln. "He's proud of you," I tell Georgia. "And I can tell he loves you very much."
Georgia's eyes twinkle. She cups my cheek and plants a soft, gentle kiss on my lips. Unlike her other kisses, it wasn't seductive nor forceful. It's a pure, heartfelt kiss. "Thank you."
I was too stunned to react. My eyes automatically flit to Gray to see her reaction. Her lips press into a thin line. She's not happy.
"Get a room." Gray breaks the stunned silence.
Georgia smirks. "Jealous?" She loops an arm around mine. "Sorry, she's mine."
Over dinner, the rich people went off with their rich people talk while I listen in on their conversation. One thing they love talking about is business, which I know nothing about so I kept my mouth zipped. From time to time, Georgia rests a hand on my thigh to check if I'm okay.
Gray and Janelle weren't being as clingy as I expected. These people know them as best friends who grew up together and nothing more. They're putting up an act to keep their relationship hidden.
As the live auction I didn't know was part of the program starts, Georgia tugs on my sleeve. "Let's go get some fresh air."
"Great idea." I stand up with her and leave the hall.
Georgia takes me to the balcony connected to the event hall. We're still within earshot from the hall but far enough to have some privacy. The people inside are busy bidding on the auction while we stare at the amazing view of the city lights.
I scan the sky looking for the moon but it's hidden from view. I look at Georgia. Maybe this beauty will suffice for tonight.
"You don't want to participate in the auction?" I ask her.
She smiles a carefree smile. "I donated half of the lots up for bidding."
Sometimes, it slips my mind that Georgia is a wealthy woman because unlike the people inside the hall, she has a blithe disregard for fame and power. She's achieved a lot at the young age of twenty-one that I don't think I ever will in my lifetime.
Georgia leans on the balcony's railing, looking over the twinkling lights that drenched the city. I stare at her exposed back and realize she's wearing next to nothing in this cold night air. I make a move to take my coat off but she stops me. "Just hold me."
I comply with her request and wrap my arms around her shoulders. "Is this okay?"
She snuggles closer to me. "Yes, thank you."
I make sure to keep my face looking forward. From where I'm standing, just a slight dip of my head will give me a full, close-up view of Georgia's breasts. I gulp.
"Do you like me, Alex?" She asks out of the blue.
"I find you attractive."
"Yet you don't want to sleep with me."
I chuckle. "If sleeping with a girl is how you measure attractiveness, let's just say I would have slept with you thrice."
Georgia turns beet red. "What are you so afraid of?"
"You're going to leave me once you get what you want."
"What makes you say that?"
I shrug. "You don't want commitment."
"It's just sex, why do I have to commit to anything?"
I shake my head. "You see, that's the problem. It's not just sex for me. You're too damn gorgeous I'd end up falling for you. And you'll end up breaking my heart."
Georgia licks her lips, bites. She takes my hand and leads me to the far end of the balcony. My back is facing the wall separating us from the hall.
I raise an eyebrow even though I know she can't see it through my mask. "What's wr—"
Georgia seizes my lips. I wouldn't call it kissing. She's devouring me. I react almost instantly. I've been trying so hard to control myself for the night and this just does it.
In a flash, I switch our positions and pin her against the wall. I remove my mask and hers and throw them on the floor. Georgia's eyes widen. I take her mouth in mine and our tongues dance with each other. My hands find their way into the slit of her dress. I squeeze her thigh and she lets out a moan.
My body tingles. If I wasn't shaking five seconds ago, I am now. Georgia's hands fumble around with the button on my tux. After unlocking that, she proceeds to do the same with my shirt.
Will we really do it here? Now? Will I be able to do it? Do I want to do it?
"Georgia," I gasp.
"Jesus fucking Christ please don't tell me you're chickening out."
I pause, straining to hear the voice that was getting louder by the second. "Someone's calling you."
Georgia tenses. She promptly straightens herself up and fixes her dress. I move to grab the mask I threw on the floor and place it back on her face. Just after I've finished putting on mine, Janelle appears with Gray by her side.
Janelle examines us, her eyes going back and forth between me and Georgia. "You might consider doing a little retouch before going back inside. Your dad's looking for you."
Georgia purses her lips trying not to smile. "Got it. Thanks." She turns to me and smirks. "Thirty more seconds and I would've been able to speak French between your legs." She fixes my bowtie and buttons my tux.
She pulls me in for one last kiss before heading back inside, our fingers intertwined.