Page 14 of Dangerous Men (Fortune City Mafia #1)
SYDNEY
Mason Sterling.
Mason.
Sterling.
Whatever Chase and Alec are saying to one another now is lost to me. I can’t hear a single word of it over the sudden rush of blood to my ears.
There’s absolutely no way I heard him correctly.
Because there’s no way that Alec—my bookstore Alec—is actually Mason Sterling, the multi-millionaire owner of every hotel and casino in Fortune City, who swept into town just a few years ago and suddenly seemed to own everyone and everything.
The Mason Sterling who founded the Sterling Children’s Foundation.
The Mason Sterling who is responsible for this entire charity dinner.
Caroline’s reaction to him makes a lot more sense now.
“Well, thank you so much for keeping my date company,” Alec—or, rather, Mason—says, his voice pulling me from my stupor. “Come, Sydney, darling. You owe me a dance. A genuine pleasure to meet you, Chad. ”
“Chase,” Chase corrects through gritted teeth as Caroline wanders back and delicately presses a beer to his palm. He doesn’t even look at her as he takes it.
The dismissive gesture Alec gives him as he pulls me to the dance floor makes it clear he doesn’t care either way.
I’m speechless. Numb, and barely aware of what’s happening, as Alec pulls me to face him, taking one of my hands in his and sliding his other around my waist.
“He’s still watching.” Alec drops his head to whisper the words in my ear. “Let’s give him a show, shall we?”
The orchestra strikes up a song, and then we’re moving, Alec taking the lead and my feet mindlessly following as he leads me through a waltz.
Mason Sterling.
“You told me your name was Alec,” I manage to say. The words sound flat.
“And it is,” he assures me. He moves with an impossible grace, pulling me along with him, leading me effortlessly through the dance. “My full name is Mason Alexander Sterling. But I’ve always gone by Alec to my friends and family.”
“I see,” I murmur. It’s a lie, I don’t see at all.
I can’t reconcile the nebulous idea of Mason Sterling, millionaire businessman rumored to be involved in numerous illegal activities, with the Alec I’ve been lusting after these last few weeks.
The Alec I’ve been fantasizing about. Sure, I knew he must have been well off, but…
We spin, moving across the dance floor with an ease that people stop to watch. I can feel eyes on us from all around the room. It’s not just Chase who can’t look away.
“I hope I didn’t offend you by stepping in,” Alec says. His hands shift where he’s holding me, and I realize how closely he’s pressed against me. How good his hands feel on my body, and how effectively he’s leading me through the steps of this waltz.
And I’ve never ballroom danced a day in my life.
“With Chase?” I ask, tilting my head up to look at him.
He nods.
“You looked… upset,” Alec explains, jaw tightening. “I thought you might need some backup.”
“You didn’t offend me at all,” I tell him honestly. “Surprised me, though.”
“Surprised you?” he asks.
“I didn’t even know you would be here,” I admit. “The Alec you, I mean. Not the Sterling you.”
I can feel the laugh as it rumbles in Alec’s chest.
“Were you hoping to see me, Sydney?” he asks in a husky voice. That voice. It does terrible things to me, instantly making me melt. “Hoping to find me here?”
“Maybe,” I answer, a little breathless.
His hand moves to the small of my back, pressing me to him harder than necessary, as he leans down to whisper near my ear.
“Be honest, darling. Were you hoping I’d swoop in and save you?”
“No,” I answer, with more bite than I feel. “I don’t need someone to save me. Not even from him.”
“Good,” he tells me, voice turning dark. “Because I’m not a savior, Sydney.”
He’s close enough I can feel his next words warm my skin. “But if you gave me a chance, I would happily get on my knees for you and make you see God.”
The music stops. For a moment, I think it’s just that my hearing is gone, all the blood rushing out of my head. But no. The song has finished, the orchestra coming to a natural pause .
I can barely focus on the room around me. Did I just hallucinate? Did this man really just say those words to me?
My mind is completely blank except for one treacherous thought: There’s nothing I want more in this world right now than for Alec—Mason Alexander Sterling—to get on his knees for me.
Other dancers are applauding the orchestra, but I’m frozen in place as Alec runs his hand down my side until he reaches the high slit in my dress. His fingers slip below the fabric, caressing my thigh.
“I love this dress you’re wearing. It’s so beautiful,” he says, voice breathy. “But you have no idea how much I want to tear it off of you.”
My breath hitches. I’m so turned on I'm shaking, hyper-aware of every part of me that’s pressed against him.
“I…” I open my mouth, but nothing more comes out.
Before I can pull myself together, before I can even get my breathing calm or figure out what to say to him, I feel a hand on my shoulder, and I turn.
It’s Ashton. Alec’s coworker. The mouthwateringly muscular coworker…
“Mind if I cut in?” he asks with a bright grin. He’s not asking me, I realize. He’s asking Alec.
A brief flicker of irritation cuts across Alec’s face, but he inclines his head and steps back, gesturing for Ashton to proceed. And just like that, I’m moving again, the orchestra striking up a new song, Ashton pulling me close for an entirely new dance.