I slept in late the next day. Sarah was probably still asleep since we've agreed to meet in the evening. Our compatibility as travelling partners were one of the reasons of our friendship.
We were both prodigiously lazy, free and easy travellers. There is no schedule nor hurry or need to fill our time with activities. Free time is a luxurious commodity.
John and Thomas texted in the chatroom we created for easier communications.
There were a couple of "Wake up, ladies", spam messages. The latest was a picture of both of them drinking in an Ice Bar captioned, "Found your home, Brooke".
"Be there soon. I'll see if Sarah's awake", I replied.
I texted Sarah and she's woken up a few minutes ago. We agreed to meet Thomas and John. By the time we've arrived, the both of them were there with our food ready.
"This is so you in your element", comments Sarah as we enter the Ice Bar.
"I know right", I grinned, taking a bite of the garlic lemon butter lobster that John ordered for us.
"Any longer and my manhood is going to shrivel", mumbles Thomas shivering despite the wearing the coats provided.
"We'll leave soon. After this meal and one drink", I promised.
"What do you boys have in mind after this?", asks Sarah.
"I'm trying to convince Thomas to watch a Broadway show", replies John. Cupid certainly nailed it right for Sarah and John. They are a match made in Heaven.
"Let's go. I saw the brochure. Hair Spray is starting in half an hour", answers Sarah with a smitten smile on her face. He definitely had her at Broadway.
"Have fun guys, I'm going to the spa instead", I replied. Broadway shows are enjoyable once in awhile, though it loses it's appeal when you've watched it a dozen of times, like how I'm forced to accompany Sarah till I memorize it by heart.
"That sounds more like it. Let's go Morgan", says Thomas.
We split into two and went our separate ways. "John matches well with Sarah", Thomas remarks.
"Yes they do. I'm glad I cleared the air with John. He's a nice guy".
"We match pretty well too, don't you think?", says Thomas with a mischievous smirk.
I laughed aloud. It wasn't the first time Thomas brings it up, though we both knew it will never happen. "We probably won't last 3 days".
"You're right, besides it'll be inconvenient to have another crying lady next to my room in the firm", he chuckles.
"I'll make sure you won't be able to work in peace. Plus you can't do your vanishing act", I laughed, referring to his common disappearance after a week or two of romantic liaisons.
"Do you think karma will bite back on day?", he asks, turning sombre.
"Yes. The one girl that's going to steal your heart and shred it into pieces when you ever fall in love".
"For a moment I thought Graham was a changed man. He looked different in Bali. Almost domesticated", he remarks, referring to Nate out of the blue.
"So did I, till it was the other way round and the jokes on me", I chuckled, making light of the conversation.
"You seem fine now though".
"I am. We're supposed to be heartless remember. Quick to sell and fast to move on", I quoted a stock market mantra.
"Preach on, sister", grins Thomas.
"At times, you're like the hot gay best friend that every girl needs", I teased jokingly.
"That'll be a disservice to all the women in the world", he exclaims in dramatic fashion.
The spa therapy was top notch, comparable to the one Sarah and I religiously attend. I took the 4 hour top to toe package including facial and full body massage.
Since Thomas opted for 2 hours, he left earlier once his treatment finished. By the time mine ended, my skin was glowing and my body was no longer tensed.
I ordered in room service and commenced to get ready for the masquerade ball. After trying on a few dresses, I decided on a dark forest green tulle strapless long evening gown that was fitting from the bodice till the hips and flowy at the bottom with a slit in the middle that only shows when I walk.
The elegant bodice had subtle intricate black tiny beads embroidered on it, completing the dress. I styled my hair in loose side waves and applied my make up. The finishing touch was a pair of emerald stud earrings, matching bracelet and a black feathered eye mask.
The overall look was dark and mysterious, exactly what I was aiming for. Sarah looked stunning in a strapless ivory gown with a sheer lace overlay and matching champagne coloured mask. If we were to describe our personalities by the seasons, she would be summer and I am winter.
"I feel as if I'm in the Regency era", exclaims Sarah, twirling in a small circle before doing a curtsy.
"I'm quite certain if we show up in a ball during the Regency era with our strapless gowns, we would be frowned upon and scorned by the general public", I pointed out with a smirk on my face.
"Will it kill you to refrain yourself from dumping cold buckets of reality on me?", she sighs dramatically.
"Isn't that what friends are for?", I smiled sweetly, interlocking her arm around mine as we proceed to the ballroom.
Inside the main hall, the architecture inside were baroque inspired with elaborate pillars, ceiling carvings and painting. The lighting was dim in a tasteful red and black burlesque themed setting. The fusion between both the styles created a dark and cryptic ambience.
"I have no complains but this wasn't what I was expecting. Jake sure knows how to throw a party", Sarah murmurs as we step inside.
"I know. This looks like something out of an underground 'Eye's Wide Shut' party", I replied, watching the sea of masked men and women hanging around in dim corners
"Let me text John to bring us to our table", she says.
"Good idea. I doubt we can recognize them".
After a few minutes, John arrives and lead us to our designated spot for the night. Needless to say, it was handy having them around.
"Is it me? Or do both of you look more handsome with your masks on", I teased while Thomas pours drinks for Sarah and I.
"We're always handsome", came an unexpected reply from John.
"Wow John, did you grow an ego after putting on a mask", says Thomas, catching on to John's remark.
"This is the outcome of hanging out with you Thomas, deal with it", answers John.
We clinked our glasses and have a drink, warming up for the night. "Why are you alone tonight?", I asked Thomas.
"Masks can be deceiving. I need to be sure of the pretty face beneath the mask", he answers scouting the room.
"You're hopeless", I shake my head warily.
"I know. Though I might go to hell, at least I'll have a blast on earth", he smirks.
John asks Sarah to the dance floor, now filling up with couples ballroom dancing.
Soon after, a man in a Venetian mask holding a single pink rose comes over. "Brooke?". It was Jake's voice.
"Ah, you found me", I smiled.
"For you", he says, handing the single stemmed rose.
"Thank you. Was it tough finding me?".
"Do you want the half truth or full truth?", Jake asks
"You ready?", he asks.
"Yes", I replied. I used to take ballroom dancing when I was a teenager.
He twirls me around confidently and soon we were gracefully waltzing around the space. His lead was surprisingly strong and effortless as we glided across the dance floor, with the crowd making way for us.
It was easy to dance with his lead. "So you do know how to dance", I remarked as we stepped and slide.
"So do you", he grins charmingly, bowing slightly when the music ended. We were interrupted shortly by a voice that I instantly recognized.
"I'll have to intercede for this dance", it was Nate, wearing a plain black half mask in a long tux.
He holds me by the waist, with that possessive grip of his and pulls me close to him. I did not need to see his face beneath the mask, nor hear his voice to know it was him. The memory and sensation of his touch was embedded in me.
It was undeniable that despite our time apart, our sexual chemistry has not fizzled.
"So, we meet again. I'd recognize you everywhere, even with a paper bag over your head", Nate whispers with the promise of sin in his tone of voice.
"What do you want?", I asked him curtly, as he slides me into a tango lunge pose, the slit of my dress exposing my thighs.
"Last I checked, it wasn't a crime to dance with an ex lover", he answers, flashing his signature cocky grin, slowly leading me back up as we Tango walked, with our knees and ankles brushing.
"Are you dating him?", he asks, as his dips me down, causing my hair to fall back revealing my bare neckline.
"I have no obligations to answer you anything", I replied as he pulls me back pressed to his chest.
Dancing with Jake was child's play compared to Nate, as he lifts my right thigh up in sensual tango pose, the slit revealing my bare leg as he traces his hand slowly across my outer thigh.
His eyes burns into mine. I know that gaze, it is the "I want to shatter you and fuck your brains" out stare.
He turns me to the front sharply and pressed himself against my back. His hands trailed skilfully across my collarbone to the side down to my lower abdomen as we swayed to the sensual tango beat.
"You can feel it don't you? Your body still belongs to me", he breathes into the nape of my neck.
"Stop it", I replied, a little more breathlessly than I wish I sounded. It was dangerous to be in any close proximity with him, notwithstanding the fact that the Argentine Tango is named the dance of passion.
Coincidentally, it was also the unspoken dance of our previous arrangement. I was led blindly by only feelings, as he would invade my space and I'll move backwards to let him in. If he led me forward, I followed obediently like the doormat I despised to be.
Nate didn't say a word thereafter, instead he let the dance do the talking. Though we have never danced Latin together, our bodies knew what the opposite wanted, translating into the raw and intimate fluent flow of the tango.
After our song has ended, I recollected myself and peeled away from his firm embrace. The crowd erupts into cheers, and I realised that they have cleared the dance floor for us.
The last thing I saw was the enigmatic smile on his face, and an unreadable expression on his eyes before I turn around and returned to my table. It was comparable to a Cinderella moment, except I wasn't running nor missing Louboutin pumps.
The moment I was back at our table, Jake appears and we danced again. Though he danced well, and we were compatible dance partners, it felt nothing compared to the one with Nate.
If Jake noticed the tension between Nate and I, he didn't show it. He was cordial and pleasant. Was he a nice guy or a pushover? No. The word to describe the feeling with Jake was safe.
After several dances from Viennese Waltz, to Fox Trot and Rumba, we finally took a break and rested our feet.
"Lucas mentions you're a hedge fund manager", Jake mentions casually while taking a sip of 1949 Domaine Leroy Musigny Grand Cru red wine.
"Yes, are you close to Lucas? I heard you bought a land together and planned to develop it", I replied, tasting the earthy, dry red.
"That's the plan. We've known each other for a couple of years now".
Then came the silence as we stared at the couples on the dance floor and described the texture of the red we were drinking, as if we were wine connoisseurs.
Which I wasn't. Give me a single malt whiskey on the rocks anytime.
"Have you ever thought of listing your company?", I asked, it was at the minimal least better than resorting to the weather.
"My board of advisors has been talking about it. What's your opinion on it", he asks earnestly.
"I don't have your company's financials, hence it's hard for me to judge. The main advantage would be unlocking it's value and the increase in price growth overtime. The main con is to be under public scrutiny and the mercy of analysts", I answered unbiasedly.
"You're right, it's my main concern too. Would you buy my company shares?".
"Depends. Are you going to share insider tips?", I joked light heartedly.
"I forgot what a shark you can be", he grins broadly.
We were joined by Sarah and John a few seconds later as I welcomed the relief. Thomas was probably somewhere in a dark corner with a new prey.
I flashed Sarah a knowing grin, upon spotting them holding hands with their fingers interlaced.
She smiles shyly and mouthed, "Tell you later".
Jake excused himself shortly after his staff appeared for assistance with an unknown matter.
"I'd like to see you again, back in Manhattan", he says before leaving.
To be honest, I was quite surprised. Besides the dance, we hardly had much to talk about. "I guess I'll see you around. Thanks for the dances", I politely replied.
He leans in for a hug, and disappears into the sea of masked men and women.
Across the room was Nate, Izabela and the group he came with. He was hard to miss with the tux framing his shoulders and even beneath the mask, there was an undisputable alluring air of confidence around him.
He could be staring back, though I wasn't sure. My poor eyesight at night wasn't a great help. Regardless, I looked away. He laid a snare on the dancefloor, a trap I intend to avoid.
Sarah must have noticed me glancing at Nate's direction, "She looks bored as hell. Beautiful, but bored", commenting on Izabela.
I chuckled, reflecting on my own experience, Nate wasn't the most fun loving guy on earth. Even last night at the pool party was an example. He was dry, sipping on his scotch like a dark overlord surveying the crowd from his cabana. I definitely couldn't imagine him going down the slide.
Yet that was part of his charm. Nate was aloof and unreadable, keeping you on your toes at all times. Once in awhile he will surprise you with his sweet actions or words, knowing very well he doesn't have a romantic bone in his body.
That was the reason why I doubted Sarah's observation. It's hard to be bored with a guy like that. The thrill itself from unpredictability comes as part of a bad boy package.
"Do you girls want to leave? It's ending soon. Thomas just left with the girl he was with", suggests John.
"Good idea, I'd rather skip the crammed elevators", I agreed, picking up the pink rose on the table from Jake
John walked us both back to our suites. Upon reaching the doorstep of our respective room, he looked a little reluctant to leave and finally blurted to Sarah, "Can I have 5 minutes with you".
"Brooke, I'll join you in 10 minutes. Don't sleep", says Sarah.
I grinned knowingly and entered mine, closing the door shut and giving them the privacy that they need. Upon removing my mask, I placed the rose on the table and kicked off my heels, feeling an instant relief upon my feet. I was about to take a quick shower when the doorbell rang. Whatever John wanted to say, he was definitely fast about it.
"Tell me everything", I demanded excitedly opening the door. Instead of Sarah, it was Nate standing in front of me without his mask, looking delectable in his long tux.
"It's you", my expression turned wary and my voice was artic cold.
He grins deviously, looking taller since I was without my 5 inch heels and made his way inside effortlessly despite me blocking the entrance.
"Is this is how we greet each other now?", he asks sounding amused. He sat on the couch, making himself comfortable as if he owns the place as usual like he always does.
"How did you know which room I'm staying?", I asked, not budging from where I was standing.
"Nothing a small bribe can't do", he replies staring at the rose on the table.
"Are you serious? You bribed the receptionist?", I asked, incredulously.
"Money buys, you know that".
"Cut to the chase. It's late, what do you want?", I snapped agitatedly.
He looks away from the rose and now at me, "I just want to catch up with you", he answers almost innocently except for the cunning glint in his eyes that gave way.
"Where's Izabela?", I asked pointedly.
"She's somewhere. Why? Do you mind?", he answers, motioning me to go over and sit next to him.
"Your personal affairs, have nothing to do with me", I replied in an impassive manner, unwilling to budge from my where I was standing.
"Really? Then why did you ask about her, unless you still care about me".
"That's not the point", I retorted.
"Then what is?", he challenges.
"You're incorrigible", I answered, profoundly vexed by then.
"As always. Sit down", he orders.
"No", I replied defiantly. The doormat is dead and never to be seen again. I wasn't going to bend over to his commands.
"Sit, or I'll force you to", he warns with a dark tone.
"I'm shivering in fear by your threat", I answered sarcastically, crossing my arms and looking down at him from where I was standing. There was no way I was going to give up my leverage on that, from my high and mighty standing position.
He looked mildly annoyed for a second and stood up, striding across the room to where I was standing, removing the advantage that I had. I was now forced to look up at him again.
"Is that your new guy?", he asks, dead serious.
"We just met".
"He's decent looking", he comments grudgingly.
"Yes he is", I gave my reply in curt and short responses.
"Have you fucked him?".
"No", I replied with one word answers.
"Good", he replies smugly with a satisfied look in his eyes.
"Maybe I will", I defied out of spite determined to erase the smugness off his face.
It must have worked, his eyes narrowed, "No one can fuck you the way I do", he answers in a dark tone.
"I guess I'll just have to find out", I rebutted, summoning the bitchiest tone I could muster.
He grabs my waist about to claim my lips when I found myself landing a slap across his cheeks, "Your tact no longer work. Now, leave".
I was genuinely pissed off at this point. Who the hell does he think he is, to come and go as he pleased and demands that my body was his. Besides he had all the time in the world to call, yet he disappeared once he left the door that day only to be acting this way when he sees me with another man.
I wasn't going to let him strip me off my pride and dignity left.
Nate looked genuinely surprised at the slap I left on his cheek. If he thinks I would have complied and still be under his spell, he was wrong. Even if my body was, for a split moment on the dancefloor, I would bury that secret with me in my grave.
"You never give up, do you? Just like old times", he chuckles changing his strategy.
Thankfully, before it was my turn to answer, the doorbell rings and it was Sarah this time.
"There you are", I opened it, grateful for her impeccable
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