Page 7 of Teasing Flames (Luxe Escape #1)

Why not?

E mbarrassed at being caught, I hurry away, hoping to disappear in the sea of partygoers. But in my haste, I bump into a server carrying a tray of appetizers. “I’m so sorry!” I apologize, steadying the tray for her.

“It’s all right,” she replies seemingly unfazed, and asks with a smile, “Would you like a canapé?

“Maybe later…” I mutter, lowering my head again as I distance myself from the couple. When I pass by the music room, I instinctively duck inside and press myself against the wall, praying no one saw me slipping in here.

As I stand there quieting my breath, I gaze at the extraordinary instrument before me. The four-thousand-pound piano rests on three legs that seem to magically balance on wooden clocks. The exterior lid looks like a painting, with a river flowing through the middle of a landscape as the sun breaks through clouds above it.

Especially charming to me is the little chick painted on the fallboard above the piano keys, with its little beak pointing to D-flat. It holds special meaning, referencing a piece from the composer Mussorgsky.

The entire case of the piano is painted with a scene resembling an art exhibition, complete with people admiring the numerous paintings hanging on the walls. Every detail of the piano is steeped in meaning, honoring a musical piece called “Pictures at an Exhibition” by the composer.

Having only read about this piano in news articles, I’m overwhelmed seeing it in person. Instantly forgetting the embarrassing incident that sent me fleeing to the room, my only desire now is to play the magnificent piano.

Oh, how I long to hear it sing!

I swear the instrument is calling to me, begging me to throw all caution to the wind and sit down on the luxurious red velvet stool. Envisioning my fingers dancing over its keys, I take a step toward it as if in a trance.

It isn’t until I hear Gwen’s voice calling my name that the spell is broken, and I abruptly stop in my tracks.

Realizing I have no business being in this room, I back away from the piano and rush out of the music room—only to crash into Gwen.

“Whoa!” she exclaims, grasping me by the shoulders. “Where’s the fire?”

“I…I just needed a moment,” I stammer.

“Sophie, you look like you’ve seen a ghost. What’s going on?”

My face burns with shame when I confess, “I seriously made a fool of myself, and I had to escape.”

She frowns. “What do you mean you made a fool of yourself?”

“I got caught ogling at a couple while they were kissing.” Needing Gwen to understand, I rush to explain. “I saw this elegant woman on the other side of the room and wanted to talk to her. And you know I don’t normally do that…”

She nods, but I can see the teasing smile curling her lips.

“But before I could talk to the woman, her boyfriend appeared and they started kissing. I mean really kissing. And I…”

She raises her eyebrows. “You what?”

I groan when I tell her, “I couldn’t look away.”

Gwen shrugs, sounding disappointed, “That’s nothing.”

I close my eyes, mentally reliving the embarrassing moment when he looked at me in the middle of their kiss. “You weren’t there, G.”

“You’re totally overreacting.” She tweaks my nose. “You always worry too much, silly goose.”

“You don’t understand! It is a big deal. The guy caught me staring at them like some kind of creeper, and I’m pretty sure they are the hosts of this party.”

Gwen surprises me when she laughs. “No reason to stress about them. Everyone I’ve spoken to says our host is making a grand entrance fifteen minutes before twelve. So, you have nothing to worry about.”

I tilt my head. “Are you absolutely sure?” Wanting to believe her, but feeling certain she’s wrong, I ask Gwen, “Then why was that woman the only one wearing a white mask?”

Her eyes light up. “A white mask? Now, that is interesting. Point her out to me!”

I cringe and back away. “No, I can’t handle coming face to face with those two again. Not after the fool I made of myself. I’m sure he thinks I’m some kind of creepy loser.”

She snorts in amusement. “In this dress? Impossible. I bet he was completely captivated by you.”

“Not a chance. Those two only have eyes for each other.”

“Why don’t I be the judge of that? Point them out to me.”

I sigh nervously as I glance over the heads of the other guests, trying to locate them. That’s when I spy another gentleman with blond hair walking up to join the couple. Straightaway, the two men engage in an intense conversation, and I worry they might be talking about me.

My suspicions grow when I notice the new gentleman also wears a unique mask. His only covers one side of his face, reminding me of the musical The Phantom of the Opera . Naturally, I nickname the new guy the Phantom.

Afraid the new guy might be in charge of security, I quickly duck my head to avoid being seen and whisper to Gwen, “They’re talking about me.”

Gwen chuckles. “Yes, I bet they’re talking about the hot woman in the gorgeous white dress.”

“…which security is about to escort out of the hotel,” I mutter.

“Don’t be silly!” She nudges me in the ribs, then turns to stare at them again.

When I hear her audible gasp, I whimper and cower down even lower. “What?”

She murmurs lustfully, “That man is seriously hot…”

“Too bad he’s already taken,” I tease, knowing Gwen’s always on the lookout for her next conquest.

“I’m talking about the blond,” she chides. Grabbing my hand firmly, she starts making a beeline toward the three.

“Ssstop!” I hiss, desperate not to attract attention. When Gwen ignores me, I remind her, “If they see me, we’re both going to get booted out of this party.”

“But I need a closer look at this guy,” she insists, continuing to drag me forward.

Gwen finally stops to join a group less than eight feet from them. She drums up a casual conversation with the group while I take a cautious peek between two of the people.

I catch a glimpse of the Phantom, who is talking to Quiet Beauty. The side angle I have allows me to see the bare half of his face.

Gwen wasn’t kidding! This new guy with sandy blond hair and a California tan looks just as hot as Handsome Stranger.

“Damn…” I murmur to myself.

“Told you!” Gwen exclaims, bumping shoulders with me.

The Phantom turns at the sound of Gwen’s voice, and I swiftly hide behind her, praying he doesn’t see me. I whisper through gritted teeth, “Are you trying to get both of us kicked out, G?”

Worrywart , Gwen mouths, before turning to give the Phantom a flirtatious wave. “Pardon me, but I need to go introduce myself,” she announces to our small group.

Giving me a quick hug, she whispers, “I’ll act as the distraction while you make your great escape.”

Grateful that Gwen is giving me a chance to get away, I smile politely at the others before heading into the crowd. Determined to put as much distance between myself and the couple, I head to the other side of the room and position myself behind a large potted fern.

Peeking through its leaves, I see Gwen flirting with the Phantom. The couple appears to be quietly listening to their animated conversation. While I watch, Handsome Stranger reaches over to rest his hand on the small of Quiet Beauty’s back. I don’t know why, but the simple gesture gives me pleasant goosebumps.

I long to experience that kind of gentle devotion.

Inspired by the two, I step away from the fern, determined not to waste another minute of this evening.

I want to fully embrace the experience—even if I end up getting escorted out by security.

One of the servers walks up carrying a gold tray of appetizers. “Would you like to try Irka on Blini?”

I smirk. “I don’t know what that is.”

He shows me the tray. “Beluga Caviar on a savory pancake.”

Although I’ve never tried caviar, it does look tempting sitting on top of the bite-sized pancake topped with a dollop of sour cream.

I smile at him. “Why not?”

He hands me a napkin, and I delicately take one from the tray.

As if on cue, another server walks up, offering me a shot of vodka.

“No, no. That’s okay,” I respond politely.

The server nods, but before leaving, she says, “I’m not a vodka fan myself, but this particular brand truly complements the caviar.”

I stare at the oversized shot glass for a moment and think, When am I ever going to have this chance again?

Smiling, I tell her, “On second thought.”

The server hands me the shot glass, and then promptly hands a shot to the two gentlemen walking up beside me.

“Shall we make a toast, mademoiselle?”

I turn to see a masked man with trimmed sideburns and a stylish blue suit holding up his glass to me.

The other masked man is much taller and looks quite distinctive with his black cowboy hat. Tipping the brim to me, he turns to address the other gentleman. “Let’s allow the little lady a moment to enjoy her appetizer.”

I stare at the two, stunned to have two men flirting with me at the same time. Normally I would freeze up, but wearing a mask has its benefits…

I can be whoever I want to be, and right now I want to be the kind of woman who is used to men fawning over her. “Yes! Let’s toast after I find out if I even like fish eggs.”

“You’ve never had caviar?” the first man asks, sounding surprised.

I shake my head.

“Then this will be a treat for you, darlin’,” the cowboy assures me. “Beluga is the best money can buy.”

With both men watching me, I part my lips and pop the perfectly sized pancake into my mouth. Closing my eyes, I chew slowly, enjoying the light texture of the pancake mixing with the pleasant creaminess of the sour cream. Both flavors meld perfectly with the bursts of buttery nuttiness coming from the caviar.

I moan in pure pleasure.

“I knew you were a woman of exceptional taste,” the Frenchman with the sexy sideburns states.

“And I thoroughly enjoyed watching you consume that,” the cowboy says, then adds with a wink, “Perhaps I should call the server back…?”

I find the underlying chemistry between the three of us exhilarating. Raising my glass to the two gentlemen, I declare, “Let’s toast!”

“ Oui ,” the Frenchman agrees, holding up his glass.

The masked cowboy smiles. “Darlin’, we’d be honored if you’d make it.”

“Okay, Lone Ranger,” I answer him teasingly, uncertain if he’ll get my reference to an ancient black-and-white TV show. It was something that played on the Western channel that my dad used to watch when I was little.

While the Frenchman gives me a puzzled look, the cowboy laughs. Glad my joke hit its mark, I raise my glass to my two masked strangers. “Here’s to new adventures in the year ahead.”

“ Santé ,” the Frenchman says with an alluring grin.

The cowboy nods to me before downing his shot. As soon as I swallow mine, he takes my empty shot glass and hands it to the Frenchman before literally sweeping me off my feet.

Lifting me high into the air, the cowboy twirls me several times as if I weigh nothing and calls out, “Hi-ho, Silver…”

I stare into those mischievous green eyes behind the dark mask and giggle when he gently sets me down on the floor.

“Hey, Anderson,” a nearby guest hollers, “I’ve got a friend over here who has a question about your miniature whip.”

The cowboy raises his hand to acknowledge the person, then turns his attention back on me. “Pardon me, darlin’. I trust we’ll have an opportunity to talk again later tonight.”

“I’d like that,” I agree, wondering if he might be a real cowboy. Glancing down, I see his black leather cowboy boots are scuffed with use and feel as if I already have my answer.

“Can I get you another drink, mademoiselle?” the Frenchman asks.

“Actually, I would love a glass of water.”

“My pleasure,” he replies. Before leaving my side, he introduces himself, “My name is Matisse, and you are?”

“Sophie.”

“A beautiful name for a beautiful woman.”

Unused to eloquent compliments, I fan myself after he turns to walk away.

Who knew having the attention of two men could be so much fun?