“I’m offering to marry you and help you get what you want and you’re giving me a maybe?” I tilted my head in shock. “Really?”
“What you’re offering isn’t exactly what I had in mind. I’m not saying no—I’m definitely leaning towards yes.” He nodded quickly. “But I want you to have some more experiences before you leave the World Ball. Tonight, I want you to choose the guy that you leave with.”
“Haven’t I done that already?” I twisted my mouth in confusion. “I swear I chose you and Simon—Lenny is the only one you’ve chosen for me.”
“Not really.” He shook his head back and forth. “I pursued you. Simon pursued you. I want you to do the pursuing tonight. I want you to walk in there, find the hottest guy you see and even if he’s out of your league—which I don’t think anyone is out of your league—but regardless, I want you to leave with him.”
“That’s ridiculous.” I scoffed and exhaled sharply. “I can’t do that.”
“Yes you can.” He nodded. “You’re not giving yourself enough credit. If you want to be my wife one day, you’ve gotta learn to charm people.”
“Okay...” I sighed and stared at the table for a moment. “I’m not one for charity normally, but will you buy me a new dress?”
“Whatever you want.” Maximo smiled and stood. “Let’s take a shower together. I want you one more time before I send you out into the wild.”
Chapter 9: Dane
Seven years ago
“You hit her!” I tried to get past my ex-wife, who was blocking my path, as my daughter screamed from the corner of the room.
“Oh fuck off, I didn’t hurt her. She’s just being dramatic!” Maggie backed away from me and grabbed my daughter, Adeline. “You’re fine, aren’t you honey?”
“You hurt me.” Adeline started squealing, holding up her arm that had a welt where Susan had struck her with a wooden kitchen spoon. “Daddy, I want to go with you!”
“You’re not going anywhere with him, and when he’s gone, you and I are going to continue this discussion. You thought that spoon hurt your arm? Just wait until you feel it on your ass, you little brat.” Maggie shook Adeline—hard.
“Daddy!” Adeline squealed again.
I reacted violently. I wasn’t going to let the psychotic bitch hurt my daughter. I lunged and tore Adeline from her by force, pushing my ex-wife so hard that she spun in a circle. Her feet came out from under her and she tripped, going headfirst into the kitchen counter. There was blood—a lot of blood. It looked like something out of a horror movie. I put Adeline down and did everything I could to stop the bleeding as I called 911.
Please don’t die—even if you are a psychotic bitch.
I knew I was fucked. My ex-wife was bleeding on the floor and I was the one that put her there, even if it was an accident. The welt on Adeline’s arm wasn’t going to be enough to justify what I had done, especially in the South where corporal punishment wasn’t really frowned upon. There was no way that I was going to stay out of prison. When the ambulance showed up and I knew Maggie was in good hands, I ran out the back door, holding Adeline in my arms. I just wanted to get her as far away from there as possible and I wasn’t thinking rationally. I didn’t get far. I refused to use Adeline as a shield or subject her to another horrifying sight, so I surrendered to the police that drew their weapons on me. Adeline was taken to her grandparents and I was taken to jail.
I’m sorry, Adeline.
“THIS IS ALL THE MONEY I have.” I sat down across from a young woman that had most of her head covered with a hoodie. “I just want a chance to start over.”
“I’ve checked out your story, and I believe you’re telling me the truth.” She nodded and pulled the hood down close to her eyebrows. “After your divorce, your ex-wife’s parents took custody of your daughter. The records are sealed, but it was pretty clear there was an incident.”
“I know.” I sighed angrily. “I promised Adeline I would never let her mother hurt her again, and I sat in prison while that promise was broken. I can’t be there for my daughter. Even if I could, the restraining order would just get me tossed back in prison.”
“And you can’t do much on the outside with a felony conviction on your record.” She nodded. “I have a friend that went through something similar with an ex-girlfriend. I get it.”
“People say you’re the best hacker in the world.” I put my hands flat on the table. “Can you help me try to live what is left of my miserable life without this cloud hanging over my head? I would never hurt anyone, I swear it.”
“Yeah, I can help you.” She nodded. “But keep your money. I don’t need it as much as you will.”
The woman pulled out a laptop and opened it. She started typing furiously, with her fingers moving across the keyboard so fast that I thought she was going to break the keys. I had no idea what she was doing. I was fairly incompetent when it came to computers. I leaned back in my chair and waited, unsure what else to do except put my money back in my pocket. I had no idea what to expect when my cellmate told me there was a support group for people who were serving time for domestic violence when they were really the victims. I didn’t feel like a victim. The day I pushed Maggie would be scarred into my memories forever. I was trying to save my daughter and instead I lost everything.
“Okay.” She closed her laptop. “You died in a fire last night.”
“What?” I snapped back to reality when she started to speak.
“There was a John Doe. Now he’s Paul Lawson.” She nodded. “Every public record reflects it. The newspapers will publish your name tomorrow and that will be the end of your life as you know it.”
“That’s crazy.” I shook my head in disbelief. “So what should I do now?”
“You go here.” He dug into her backpack and pushed an envelope across the table. “Tell him Violet sent you and that you’re a Gary.”
“I’m a—Gary?” I blinked in confusion.
“He’ll know what it means.” She stood and reached for her backpack. “But if you ever say either of those names again, everything I just did will be undone.”
I did what the young woman said. The place she sent me to was some sort of facility. It was the beginning of a painful year. The first procedure they did was on my face. They said they were just changing it enough that facial recognition couldn’t pick me out of a crowd. Anyone that looked me dead in the face would probably recognize me if they knew who I was. My fingertips were mutilated, healed, and then reformed so that my fingertips were different. The only thing they didn’t seem to be able to change was my DNA.
There will always be a risk, but this is beyond anything I ever imagined.
Paul Lawson was dead. Dane Ussery was born. I grew up in Alabama, which explained my accent. My parents were dead. I was the only surviving member of my family. When I left the facility, I had a new social security number, birth certificate, driver’s license, and even a passport, not that I really planned to use it. I relocated to New York, where I was able to get a job as a telemarketer. My accent seemed to work wonders over the telephone and I lived a comfortable life. It would have been much better if I had Adeline there with me, but I knew I had to let her go.
I love you, baby girl, more than you’ll ever know.
Maggie might have been crazy, but her parents were good people. My parents promised they would make sure Maggie never got custody again. My brother and his wife had offered to take her in if they couldn’t and fight Maggie with every dime they had to protect their niece. I doubted that would be necessary. Maggie didn’t seem to care much about Adeline. She only filed for custody because she didn’t want me to have her. With me supposedly in the ground, I doubted she would ever try to get her back.
“WHAT’S THIS?” I LEANED over and picked up a piece of metal that was glimmering on the sidewalk. “It looks like it is made out of gold—maybe I should hang onto it.”
The piece of metal I found appeared to be some sort of pin. It had a globe in the m
iddle and the name Xavier Miller inscribed on the back. Underneath the name was a set of dates. The first one had passed, but the last one was still a few days away. I put it in my pocket and decided I would look up the owner when I got home. Finding an Xavier Miller in New York seemed like a shot in the dark, but I didn’t want to leave it on the sidewalk for a bum to pawn if it meant something to someone. I sat down at my computer when I got home and started researching it. I was still a novice with them, but I knew how to search for stuff. A few clicks led me to a website with the logo that was on the pin.
The World Ball? Is that going on now?
I remembered hearing about the World Ball a few times, but I had no idea that it was actually going on currently. It was located in a very nice section of New York, one that I didn’t visit. There was one thing that was pretty clear, though—finding Xavier Miller was going to be impossible if he wasn’t even from New York. I let the pin sit on my desk without thinking about it until I got home from work the next day. I picked it up and stared at it for a few minutes. It had been a rough day and I could use a little bit of distraction. Seeing how the other half lived sounded like it might be a fun distraction. I got a cab to the location and when I got inside the entrance of the building, I realized that it was a masquerade.
Well shit, I don’t have a costume.
As it turned out, finding a costume wasn’t that hard. There were a few masks that had been seemingly discarded since the event was well underway. I picked one up and walked into the bathroom. I was wearing slacks and a white shirt. A stroke of genius hit me. I unbuttoned my shirt, untucked it from my pants, and slipped the mask on my face. The years in the prison weight room were about to count for something, because I was going to try to walk in as Chippendale dancer. I pushed the pin into my lapel and walked in without a hitch. The people at the door only seemed to be focused on confirming that the person had a pin when they entered, which I did—thanks to Xavier Miller.
I guess Dane Ussery gets to take the night off. Maybe him and Paul Lawson can hang out together while Xavier Miller gets to play.
Chapter 10: Lyric
My thoughts were in turmoil as I walked into the Grand Ballroom. I wanted to help Maximo. I was willing to do something crazy that could benefit us both. I was also thinking about Lenny, the sexy man from Kentucky that slept beside me the night before. And then there was Simon, the unbelievably hot older man that didn’t want to be called Daddy. All of them had left a mark on me. I wasn’t sure if it was because my sexual awakening was too new to avoid an attachment when a man shared my bed or if it was something deeper than that. I spent the day shopping with Maximo and I was wearing a dress that was far too expensive for me to afford. It was a variation of my first mermaid costume, but it was far too elegant to compare the two. I was supposed to be pursuing someone when I walked in, but once I saw Simon, I couldn’t help but approach him.
“A pirate?” I looked at the costume he was wearing.
“Arr!” He chuckled and nodded, but then his mouth fell open slightly. “Wow, you either let someone spend money on you or you stole that dress.”
“Do I get a spanking if I stole it?” I tilted my head and grinned.
“I should give you one for leaving me out here on my own last night.” He narrowed his eyes at me. “I tried to get to you, but I didn’t pick you out of the crowd quick enough. You were already leaving when I saw you—with two guys.”
“Yeah, last night was interesting.” I nodded and sighed. “Tonight, I have a new mission.”
“A mission?” He tilted his head inquisitively.
“The guy you saw watching us, the one I told you that I lost my virginity to?” I pulled him away from the main part of the crowd.
“Yeah, he was one of the two you left with last night.” Simon nodded in confirmation.
“I guess we’re—kind of playing a game now?” I shrugged and sighed again. “He wants me to find someone and seduce them on my own.”
“Well, you’re dressed for the occasion.” He looked at my curves. “I’m already hard. You can seduce me right now if you want.”
“I think he wants it to be someone new.” I bit down on my lip in concern. “I really have no freaking idea how to approach a guy.”
“I’ll make a deal with you, call a sub-game to the game you’re playing with Maximo.” Simon leaned close to my ear. “You pick the guy, I’ll tell you what to do.”
“Okay...” I nodded hesitantly.
“You finish him off quick, but you don’t spend the night. You come back to my room after you’re done.” He put his hands on my hips and squeezed my ass. “Whether you stole the dress or not, I’ll still spank you.”
“Deal...” I wiggled my ass against his palms.
I looked around the room for several minutes. I had arrived when the party was already going and a lot of guys had already partnered up with others. The crowd also seemed to be thinned out a fair amount, so I suspected a number of people had decided not to stay past the third day. I walked to the bar with Simon and got a glass of Champagne. My eyes continued to scan the crowd until I saw a man walk in wearing black pants, a mask that actually looked like it was designed for a woman, and a white shirt. That wasn’t what caught my attention, though. What caught my attention was the fact that his shirt was unbuttoned and an incredibly muscular torso with several tattoos was on full display.
“That guy.” I pointed at the man walking in the door. “He’s hot.”
“Not my cup of tea, but hey—it’s your body.” Simon chuckled. “Okay, here’s what you do...”
Simon said some things to me that made me blush, but the next thing I knew, I was walking across the dance floor with as much confidence as I could muster. The guy looked a little lost, much like I did when I arrived at the World Ball for the first time. His eyes focused on me when I got closer and I prayed he didn’t make a move. If he made a move on me, I wouldn’t be seducing him. He must have noticed that I was headed his way, because he just stood still and stared until I was almost there. A guy tried to approach me, but I dodged him before he could get his words out and kept my attention on the sinfully delicious man with his chest bared for the world to see.
“I like you.” I put the sexiest grin I could muster on my face and pulled my tongue across my lips. “I want to take you back to my room and see if you have any tattoos I can’t already see.”
“I’ve got a few.” He nodded and squinted his eyes. “You don’t waste any time, do you?”
“Not when I see a man that I want inside me.” I exhaled as if I was having an orgasm—another trick Simon said to try, and then reached for his cock. “I bet you could fuck me all night long with this.”
“Uh, yeah.” He seemed bewildered, but I felt his dick starting to get hard. “I guess I could.”
“Then let’s go. Trade pins with me.” I reached for my pin and started to remove it.
“Don’t you even want to know my name?” He continued to look confused, but his hand was moving towards his pin as his cock continued to swell.
“It’s Xavier.” I turned the pin over in my hand. “It says so right here.”
“Yeah, okay.” He nodded and I started walking towards the door, literally leading him by his engorged dick.
That was the end of Simon’s lesson. I hoped Xavier took the lead after that because I was definitely writing one hell of a sexual IOU that I had no idea how to cash. Maximo had given me his key card and told me to bring the guy to his suite. I didn’t even know if Maximo would be there. Xavier and I stood awkwardly beside each other as we waited on the elevator. I was more nervous than I had been during any of my other encounters. I couldn’t believe I had gone from a timid virgin to actually seducing someone on on my own, although it was really Simon that told me what to do. We got to Maximo’s floor and I led Xavier to the door. I pushed it open and stepped inside to see Maximo and Lenny waiting.
“Oh, what the fuck is this?” Xavier shook his head back and forth.
“Relax.” Maximo held up his hands. “Nothing has changed. You’re still going to get to fuck her.”
“Um, what kind of weird shit are you into, woman?” He looked at me with a strange stare. “I’m out.”
“Not yet.” I heard a voice behind me and turned my head to see Simon. “At least hear us out.”
“Simon?” I blinked in confusion. “What are you doing here?”
“Ask him.” Simon pointed at Maximo.
“Seriously, I’m just gonna bounce.” Xavier pulled away from me and sidestepped Simon as he entered the room.
“I don’t understand. Maximo, what is going on?” I looked at him with the same confused stare on my face.
“I decided to play two games today.” Maximo chuckled, but I didn’t feel like it was the appropriate time for humor. “I guess you could say it was the same game, but with more players than you realized. I sent you out into the wild to find someone and I told Simon what I was doing. His part of the game was simple—help you cheat.”
“Cheat? I didn’t cheat.” I shook my head back and forth.
“Yeah, you kinda did.” Simon nodded with a chuckle. “You had no idea what to do. The only reason this gentleman is here is because I told you how to seduce him.”
“Well, this gentleman is leaving.” Xavier started towards the door, but Simon held his hand against it.
“Not yet.” Simon shook his head. “Like Maximo said, you’re still going to get to fuck her.”
“This really wasn’t what I had in mind. Maybe I should have known something was wrong because of how strongly you came onto me, but I guess I was just horny.” Xavier looked at the door again.
“You’re in the game now, my friend. You might as well play.” Maximo took a step closer. “You see, what we have here is a little cheater. A little cheater that is going to have to be punished.”
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