The gala masquerade
902 Words
"Why am I even here?"
Ariel muttered the question under her breath as she adjusted the thin strap of her gown. The mirror in Ethan’s penthouse foyer reflected a woman she barely recognized….hair swept into soft curls, lips stained with crimson, black silk hugging her frame.
"You’re here," Ethan said from behind her, his reflection appearing like a shadow, "because appearances are currency. And tonight, you’re the most valuable coin I have."
She turned, heat rising in her chest.
"That’s all I am to you? A coin?"
His eyes swept over her slowly, deliberately. When they finally met hers, something darker lingered there. "Don’t tempt me to answer honestly."
The air snapped between them, sharp as glass. He offered his arm without another word. She hesitated, then slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow, feeling the coiled tension in his muscles.
At the Gala
The ballroom glittered under chandeliers like frozen stars. Crystal glasses clinked, violins sang, and every corner of the room seemed dipped in gold. Wealth pulsed in the air, intoxicating and suffocating.
Ariel stayed close to Ethan, her nerves buzzing. Everywhere she looked, strangers in diamonds and tuxedos sized her up…curious, judgmental, envious.
"Smile," Ethan murmured at her ear, the brush of his breath sending a shiver down her spine.
"Or they’ll eat you alive."
She tried, but the smile felt brittle.
They were halfway across the floor when a voice cut through the music.
"Ethan Blackwood. Always a spectacle."
A tall man with a glass of scotch in one hand and mischief in his grin appeared before them. His golden hair and easy confidence made him seem carved from sunlight.
"Elias Monroe," Ethan said coolly, jaw tightening. "I didn’t know parasites were invited tonight."
Elias laughed, ignoring the barb, and turned his attention to Ariel.
"And who might this be?"
Before Ethan could speak, Ariel lifted her chin. "Ariel Carter."
Elias took her hand, brushing a kiss across her knuckles. "Charmed."
Ethan’s eyes darkened, and though he said nothing, his hand at Ariel’s waist tightened, possessive, warning.
“Ouch” Ariel yelled when she felt his firm grip on her waist.
“Are you ok?” Elias feigned concern.
“She's fine” Ethan answered even before Ariel could open her mouth to utter a word.
“I'm fine” she said as she smiled at Ariel but looked at Ethan with a look that screamed.
“No one asked you”
She secretly loved the way he held her waist to mark her territory.
A blush appeared on her cheek like a painting by an exceptional painter.
As the night wore on, the tension deepened. Elias lingered, always too close, always too charming. Ariel caught Ethan watching them from across the room, his gaze like storm clouds gathering.
"Careful," Elias murmured to her when Ethan was pulled aside by a councilman.
"Blackwood doesn’t like his toys touched."
Her spine stiffened. "I’m not anyone’s toy."
Elias’s smile turned sly. "Then why are you wearing his leash?"
The words stung because they echoed her own doubts. She tried to shake them off, but her phone buzzed in her clutch…another message from the unknown number.
He’s not what he seems. Ask him about the fire.
The fire.
Her pulse spiked. She looked up and found Ethan across the ballroom, his eyes locked on her, unreadable, as if he knew.
Later, when Ethan pulled her onto the balcony to escape prying eyes, the air was colder, fresher, but no less suffocating.
"You enjoyed yourself with Monroe," he said, his voice controlled but simmering.
"He was polite," Ariel replied, crossing her arms. "Unlike you."
His gaze burned. "He doesn’t want to be polite. Men like him see you as a challenge. And challenges are meant to be conquered."
She bristled. "And what about you? Are you any different?"
The question landed between them, jagged and raw.
For once, Ethan didn’t have an immediate retort. He stepped closer, so close she could see the faint tremor in his jaw.
"You think I don’t fight it every day?" His voice was low, ragged. "You think I don’t want to…"
He cut himself off, teeth gritted, as if the words themselves were dangerous.
Ariel’s heart hammered. "Then say it."
But instead of speaking, he kissed her.
It wasn’t gentle. It was fierce, consuming, a collision of restraint and hunger. The world dissolved into heat and trembling air, her hands fisting in his jacket as his grip seared into her waist.
When he pulled back, his breath ragged, his eyes were wild with something unmasked, something that terrified her because it mirrored her own.
"You shouldn’t make me weak," he whispered, almost a plea.
Her lips trembled. "Then stop pulling me closer."
Before either could say more, the balcony doors slammed open. Elias stood there, smirk wiped clean, his expression grim.
"Ariel," he said, urgency cutting through the charged air.
"You need to leave. Now."
Ethan stepped in front of her instantly, shoulders squared. "She’s not going anywhere with you."
Elias’s jaw tightened. "You don’t get it, Blackwood. Someone put a target on her back tonight. This isn’t about you….it’s about her."
The city noise below suddenly seemed too loud, the shadows too deep.
Ariel’s blood went cold. "What are you talki
ng about?"
Elias’s eyes locked with hers. "The fire wasn’t an accident. And if you stay at his side, you’ll burn too."
- Writer
