Surviving the CEO

Chapter 28: Dance with Me

My heart pounds hard in my chest as Mason slowly walks into the room. Everyone is smiling at him, some look at me with disgust and others look at me with lust. A group of women standing near the bar glare at me, causing me to grab onto Mason tighter. He turns to me with a smile, I never realized how handsome he was until now.

His eyes are filled with joy, his smiles are always genuine and he looks absolutely handsome whenever I see him. It makes me wonder why I went after Xavier instead of him.

"Are you okay?" Mason asks.

Not wanting to ruin his night with my lack of confidence, I swallow them and put on a smile.

"Yeah, I stepped on my dress for a second and it startled me. I'm sorry I didn't mean to worry you." I let out a fake laugh to ease his concerns.

"How do you manage to step on your dress when there's a slit in it?" He laughs.

"Well Mister, I happen to be clumsy and I will always find the chance to make a fool of myself." The laugh that comes out of my mouth is genuine, the first genuine laugh in a while.

"Well then Miss, are you ready to make a fool of yourself in front of all these people?"

"I'm ready when you are." He kindly offers his arm, with a smile I take it.

Mason walks toward a stage in the front of the room, and my heart begins to beat wildly in my chest. As he puts his foot in the steps, I pull in his arm.

"Mason, I don't feel comfortable going up there." I look at hm with fear in my eyes.

"Okay love, stay here and I'll be back before you know it." With a reassuring squeeze of my hand, he gracefully walks up the stage.

"Thank you all for coming out tonight..." As Mason talks, I watch him from the side and admire him. I feel the heat of an all too familiar stare.

The eyes I've been trying avoid all night stare deeply into my soul. My breath hitches and the entire world falls silent to my ears. The dark eyes that have been in my head for days are now staring back at me. They rake down my body, taking in every inch of my exposed skin but they seem to linger on the slit that shows off my leg. When they meet mine again, anger and lust swirl within them.

I tear my eyes from his and try to focus on Mason but I can see him slowly start to make his way through the crowd. Panic starts to rise throughout my body and I'm desperately searching for the nearest exit. As he begins to come closer I hear applause erupt. My eyes dart back to Mason who is now walking back across the stage toward me but when I glance back toward Xavier, he's gone.

"How'd I do?" He jogs down the steps and stops in front of me with his boyish grin.

"Absolutely perfect." I reply, a shaky smile tries to hide the panic.

"Hmm, I guess I was perfect wasn't I?"

"Okay mister no need to be cocky now." I roll my eyes at his behavior.

"You wound me." A wink causes my heart to skip a beat.

"How do you feel about joining me for a drink, gorgeous?" He holds out an arm and playfully puffs out his chest.

"I would love to join you, handsome." I link my arm through his.

"To the bar."

We make our way to the bar, where quite a few women stand with their dates. Once we approach, the women try to flaunt their assets while the men attempt to seem more masculine. I take a seat on a barstool with Mason standing next to me, leaning against the bar. An attractive bartender makes his way over to us, his attire even matches the party theme: black pants, red long-sleeve button up, black suspenders with a black bowtie.