Heart's Masquerade

by Tressie Lockwood

  Yasmine curled one side her mouth and narrowed her eyes at Jaz. “I know you, and I saw the way you were looking at that guy.”

  Jaz bit her lip and grabbed her sister’s arm. She dragged her out of the main fanfare of the partyers. “Do you recognize him? He said his name is Tor. What does he look like under the mask?”

  Yasmine laughed. “Down, girl. I don’t know, not having X-ray vision and all.”

  “Ha-ha, funny.” Jaz smacked her arm.

  “Well, he’s been eyeballing you all night.”

  Jaz tried to look confused, like she hadn’t been looking right back. “You’re being dramatic, sis. Besides, you know how horny the guys get who come to these things and drink. They just want to hook up with anything in a dress.”

  “Uh-huh, that’s why you’re fixing your hair.”

  Jaz froze her hand as she tried to lay the flyaways flat. She nurtured her hair like a beast and did all she could to coax to the foreground the Native American blood that was generations back. She’d be the first to admit her hair was her biggest vice. After all it wasn’t like she would get any taller. Then along came Tor, and she couldn’t help soaking in the tall, muscular—single—man.

  “What if he’s ugly,” Yasmine whispered in her ear as if she had read Jaz’s mind.

  Jaz sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes. “I told you I’m working, Yasmine. Charity work keeps me busy. I don’t have time for a man right now. Besides…”

  Her sister shook her head in disbelief. Jaz and Yasmine could never deny being sisters, but Yasmine kept chopping her hair almost to the roots and dying it blond. Besides that, her hips far outdid Jaz’s as she’d given birth to three kids and hadn’t lost all the baby fat.

  “He smells yummy,” Yasmine murmured.

  Jaz rounded on her, frowning. “You forgot about your husband?”

  “Please, Lamont knows I’m not leaving his behind.”

  Jaz scanned the dance floor. Just as Yasmine had said, Tor stood on the opposite side of the room, and his gaze was locked on her. She widened her eyes and smiled, the only expression she could make behind the eye mask she wore. He raised his beer in greeting, and she knew from experience all she had to do was signal, and he’d come right over.

  “You like keeping them on a leash, don’t you?” Yasmine asked, a slight tone in her voice. Jaz glanced at her sister, but Yasmine smirked. “We’ll know for sure in a couple hours.”

  Jaz gasped, and she checked the analog clock hanging on the wall. Yasmine was right. They had time before the unveiling when everyone removed their masks, but she had contests to run. Damn, I wanted to have some fun with him. No, I’m going to have fun with him!

  Jaz drained the last of the punch she had been enjoying and tossed her cup in the trash.

  “You’re going for it?” Yasmine asked.

  A slight buzzing started in Jaz’s head. “Yeah, I figure I’ll enjoy the scent and the hard body.” She winked at her sister. “Maybe I’ll even steal a kiss before the unmasking.”

  “Sheesh, you’re bold.” Yasmine had always been the plainer and the less adventurous of the two of them.

  “Why not? Could be fun,” she said.

  Yasmine waved her on. “Fine. If it turns out he’s ugly, you can disappear like Cinderella.”

  Jaz shook her head. “You know you wrong. We shouldn’t be so shallow.”

  “Who’s shallow?” Yasmine demanded, waving her arm and encompassing the entire center. “We gave our souls to this event. It’s ten times better than last year, all for the kids. It’s human nature to want something good-looking to play with after working hard.”

  “All right, all right.” Jaz pretended to be exasperated with her sister. “I’ll ask the devil to dance, but if he burns me, you’re going to pay.”

  “Whatever.” Yasmine gave her a shove and laughed.

  On her way, Jaz heard Lamont demand of Yasmine where Jaz was going, and her sister told him not to worry about it. Jaz suppressed a chuckle. No two people had been together longer and fought more, at least not in her circle. Lamont and Yasmine loved each other though, and Jaz wouldn’t be human if she didn’t dream of having someone special, too.

  She drew up before Tor and offered him her cutest smile. “So, are you having fun without me?”

  He appeared arrested by her words and then shook himself. “No, and therefore you owe me.”

  “Hm, I thought the last tally was that you owe me, sir.”

  “Is that what you recall?” He pretended confusion and tugged her to him. Jaz caught her breath when he began moving to the beat, quite well for a white boy. One hand circled her waist and splayed across her lower back. “You move pretty well for a black girl.”

  She burst out laughing. “You’re terrible.”

  He tilted his head to the side, and his green eyes twinkled. She felt something stir in her belly. He spun them, and they circled the floor, ignoring everyone else. “You were thinking that about me, weren’t you?”

  “That you’re a black girl?” she teased. “No, sorry, the hands give you away.”

  “Well, I try.”

  She cracked up at the way he attempted to sound feminine and failed with his deep voice. When he walked into the center, he’d seemed so stiff, so self-contained. She would never have believed he would cut up the way he did now. Maybe he was able to let go because of her, or as she had seen it countless times before, the mask let him forget everything and just be himself.

  Jaz drew back and took his hand. “Come on.” She led him from the room and down the hall to the next door. All the while, Tor never pulled away, and she became aware of how soft his palm was. Definitely, not a manual-labor kind of guy like many of the guys she knew around here. Many worked in construction. Maybe Tor worked in an office downtown.

  At the next door, she stopped and tugged a key from her pocket. Tor glanced up and down the hall. “Are you looking for a place to do me in?”

  “Yes,” she joked, “because little old me can take big you.”

  “Can you?”

  She shivered and blinked up at him. Tor stood a foot taller than her even in her heels. His muscular build and the way his T-shirt lay flat against his stomach said the man probably worked out. Either that or he was gifted with fantastic genes. “If we’re discussing a fight, no. I already have evidence of my skills in that area.”

  He reached out a hand to try helping her with the key, but she brushed his hand aside. At last she got the door unlocked and made a mental note to talk to maintenance about oiling the lock. She’d had to shake the key and wiggle the knob as she fought it to give.

  They strode inside, and Jaz hit the lights. The room flooded with illumination to reveal a smooth, glossy floor and mirrors on all sides. Jaz shut the door and locked it. Tor walked to the middle of the floor and spun slowly as he took in the area. “I can still hear the music pretty well.”

  She shrugged. “It’s a really old building. We could use a lot of updates, but we don’t have the funds. As it is, we’re doing all we can to pay the lease each month. The thing I’m worried about is there are rumors the owner wants to sell.”

  While she made this speech, Tor went still. He glanced away from her. She couldn’t see his expression behind the mask, but she recognized the set to the shoulders and guessed it meant disinterest.

  “You don’t have to close off. I was only sharing a little about my work. I’m not hitting your pockets.”

  He peered back at her, his eyes doleful now. “You get that a lot?”

  She shrugged. “I’m used to it. My work is fundraising. Every time I open my mouth, people think I’m trying to get money. That’s why I’ve developed my other skills.”

  “Oh?”

  She strode closer to him and was pleased to see his gaze glide down over her body. Lingering at her belly button, he froze again, but this time, it had nothing to do with being turned off.

  “I usually wear a piercing.”

  “Do you?” His hand came up a
s if to touch her waist, but he curled his fingers into his palm. “How many men have you brought in here?”

  “Excuse me?”

  Fire of a different kind than had been there before sparked in his gaze. “It’s dangerous for you to bring a man into a room alone like this. I doubt you know every one of them out there, and even if you do, there are plenty who would be tempted beyond control by the way you’re dressed.”

  “I’m not stupid.”

  He appeared doubtful, and she raised her voice to call out. A door opened, which he obviously hadn’t noticed, and a man stepped into the room. “What are you yelling about, Jaz?”

  She grinned and gestured. “This man with muscle on top of muscle is my big brother Rhashon. He teaches Tae Kwon Do and sports conditioning here. He has no problem breaking you in five places should you touch me against my will.”

  At her words, Rhashon’s expression changed, and he started forward. “Wait, he’s messing with you, Jaz?”

  To his credit Tor didn’t appear alarmed, but maybe that was just his demeanor. She grinned and waved her brother off. “No, just giving him a warning.”

  Her brother strode over anyway and gave Tor a once-over. “He doesn’t look like he’s from around here. Not like that last bozo you dated, sis.”

  Tor appeared to bristle with offense, and Jaz didn’t blame him. She didn’t date a bozo, nor was she dating Tor now.

  “If it were any of your business, I’d say I am from around here,” Tor shot back.

  “Whoa, he’s got bite, Jaz.” Her brother chuckled and stuck his hand out. “Rhashon Crane. Don’t fuck with my sister, and I won’t have to kill you. Cool?”

  Tor shook his hand but made no promises. With him not saying a word, Rhashon took it as acceptance of his threat and slapped Tor on the shoulder before leaving the room. Jaz noticed her brother had left the door partially open and smiled. Tor saw it, too.

  “You knew that room was there?”

  “Yup.” She winked. “Like I said, I’m not stupid. My family is all around me. They look out for me, and I’m there for them. I love being back here, and I’m never leaving.”

  Jaz didn’t know why, but she sensed a bit of sadness from Tor. Next door in the dance hall, the “Monster Mash” came on, and she walked over to the light switch and changed the setting from white to orange strobe lights.

  “I should be there starting the contest.”

  He came up behind her and pulled her away from the lights and into his arms. She forgot about the stupid contest. His gaze drew her in, and his touch at her waist ignited feelings of desire that took her breath away. “Tell me where you were,” he said.

  “Are you interested in me?”

  “You know I am.”

  They didn’t speak for a while, but they swayed to the music. Jaz laid her head on his chest, and his hold tightened just a little. She heard his heartbeat, so fast, and his body beneath his T-shirt felt hot but not sweaty. Breathing deep, she took in his manly scent, like a fresh shower and natural not cloying from cologne.

  After some time, she raised her head. “I went to Baltimore to school for a while. University of Maryland. Then I had an apartment over there with a boyfriend. I thought it would lead to marriage.”

  “He was a bozo?”

  She frowned. “Don’t listen to Rhashon. My ex wasn’t a pothead. Well, okay, he was, but I thought he had potential and…”

  “Would change?”

  She sighed. “Don’t we all have people in our past who we made concessions for over and over? Years pass and still nothing. One day I woke up. I was twenty-nine. That’s when it always happens. That was last year. I let go of a nice-paying job to work at the outreach center and here.”

  He raised her chin, and she shivered. “Do you regret it?”

  “Not for a second. Like I told you, I’m back with my family who I love so much. I’m still doing what I believe in even if I’m getting paid less for it. I’m happy. That’s all that matters to me.”

  His voice dropped low, rumbling along her nerve endings with him standing so close. “What about love?”

  “I’m still looking.”

  He raised his mask until half his face was revealed. She held her breath, and then he took it off completely. She was sure she’d creamed her panties. The man was sexy as hell, and the green eyes only complemented the strong jaw, the straight nose, and the all around good looks. He seemed to know it without coming off as arrogant.

  Tor let the mask fall to his feet, and his arms encircled her once again. She melted into his embrace, drinking him in. In her dating career, there had been various men, and good and bad experiences. She had never limited herself to just black men or any one or two races for that matter. Yummy men were yummy men, and Tor took the prize one hundred percent.

  His breath warmed her lips. When did he lean down so much that their mouths were less than an inch apart? She started to lick her lips but realized she might lick his instead. The thought froze her and gave her delicious ideas she had no business thinking about this early in the game.

  Oh the hell with it.

  She leaned in closer and touched her mouth to his. Tor took full advantage and dragged her tighter to his chest, closed his lips over hers, and kissed her until her toes curled. She drew back to catch a breath of air. Tor allowed her that much and then swooped in again. He tore a moan from her when he captured her bottom lip between his. When his hand slid down her back to her ass, she didn’t protest. The costume panties were no barrier to his hand, and she felt his heat through the material. If she didn’t put a stop to things right now, she’d be in trouble. Her rational mind argued she needed to cool her jets. A desperate need to be satisfied sexually spurred her on. She pushed into Tor and wrapped her arms around his torso. Her breasts flattened to his chest, and his growing erection pressed into her belly.

  “We shouldn’t do this,” he murmured, and traced kisses along her neck. He stopped at the pulse at the base and stuck the tip of his tongue out.

  She almost howled in pleasure but controlled the impulse. “Why not?”

  “Because I just met you today.

  “You’re probably right.” She panted but didn’t pull out of his arms. Neither did Tor let go.

  “I would enjoy making love to you.”

  “I bet you would,” she teased. Her body cried out for her to let him put his hand between her legs, but even with her liberal attitude regarding people doing whatever they wanted to do, she couldn’t let it go that far. Somehow, Jaz managed to pull herself from his hold, and Tor let her go. “Let’s get out of here before we do something we’ll both regret.”

  Tor bent down to retrieve his mask and slid it over his head. She wondered that he didn’t just leave it off. He followed her out of the room. “I’m pretty sure I won’t regret it.”

  Jaz bit her lip and hurried to lock the room, then returned to judge the contest.

  Chapter Three

  Tor found himself dragged into being a judge for the dance and costume contest. Not that he minded with Jaz keeping him close to her side. He did, however, keep his gaze on her more than on the contestants.

  “Okay, let’s go dance over there with them,” she said, pointing out a couple, one an angel, the other a demon. Both costumes were common but so imaginative and obviously homemade. The angel’s wings seemed to sprout straight from her back as did the horns seem to grow from the man’s skull. As Tor moved closer, he couldn’t see a band anywhere that would mean the horns were connected to a headpiece. The guy’s irises were like molten lava when he turned their way, and Jaz squealed in delight.

  Jaz tapped the couple on the shoulder and shimmied her hips with them. Tor danced up behind her and rested hands on her hips. He glanced over the top of her head and met Rhashon’s gaze on him, arms folded over his chest. Next to him was a woman with similar appearance to Jaz, the same one who had stood at the door with her. He knew immediately this was Jaz’s sister. The woman looked on with excitement in her g
aze.

  Tor swirled Jaz and drew her close. Then he allowed the other demon to dance with her while he danced with the angel. Annoyance at losing her came over him, but he hid it. She had her duties, and he needn’t be rude to the angel. When he was about to take her back, he met the gaze of still another man. This one, an African American in an ill-fitting suit—maybe he was going for the mobster look?—glared at Tor and at the other demon. Another protective family member, he guessed. A tinge of jealousy hit him. While he didn’t need anyone to protect him, he thought it might be nice to have so many that cared around him. Instead, he had an absentee godfather and Kenny, who hated his guts.

  Okay, enough with the self-pity, Torrian.

  “What do you think?” Jaz asked when she danced him away from the couple.

  “About?”

  She rolled her eyes and leaned in close to him. He breathed her scent in deep. She smelled of cinnamon and vanilla. After kissing her, he wanted to eat her up. While he had planned not to come back for a year, no way would he leave without getting more of her.

  “Focus, Tor,” she demanded.

  He liked the way she said his name and wondered what it would sound like if she said it fully. “Okay, I’m focused.”

  She raised an eyebrow at him and smiled. “So do we move them on to the next level?”

  “Yes, for the costume. No, for the dancing.”

  “Wow, that was a fast answer.” She pressed a hand to his chest and leaned in even closer. He thought he’d burst through his pants. No wonder the party was packed this year. She needed more than her brother to protect her. He’d caught the glares from the other men in the room.