Unmasked (Godmother Security Book 1) (3 page)

“Add in the playboy factor and you have three ways to get close enough to kill him with no mess.” Cindy added.

“Exactly. You are catching on my dear.  Of course, you can’t just walk up to someone like Prince and get a private audience, even in the bedroom.  You have to take your time and get introduced and get his interest.”

“I see where you are going with this.  You have to get an initial meeting, and what better place than a charity ball that is open to the public.  Well, the public that can afford the $5,000 a plate ticket.  With a little money you can get a ticket, some fancy clothes, and slip right in.  And we know the assassin has access to money.” 

Realization dawned on Cindy.  “So this is where I come in.  I’ll be going as Prince’s date?  Trussed up in that dress I’ll fit in and be able to stay close to him and keep an eye on who approaches him.”

“Ehh, it’s not quite that simple.”

Cindy didn’t like the look that crept into Faye’s eyes.  “Spit it out.”

“He just went through a very public breakup with his latest squeeze dujour, so every woman in the place will have eyes on him.  If we send him in with an unknown date it would rouse suspicions.  Besides, Sebastian knows about Jack and Gus, but he won’t know we have any other agents there.  You are my little secret.”

“So, I’m supposed to use my feminine wiles to get close enough to him to see who talks to him?”

“Yeah.  It’s pretty simple.” Faye said, unconcerned. 

“So you say.  They probably taught seduction 101 at spy school, but if they taught it at Quantico, then I missed that day.”  She’d been trained to adapt to any situation, and for the most part, she was good at it.  As much as she balked at putting on that fluffy, lacy dress, once she did she’d be able to slip into character and no one would know she didn’t belong at a high society charity ball.  She would stand next to women who paid more for their spa day than her monthly mortgage payment and blend in seamlessly. But she’d never been very good at faking sexual or romantic interest, and this man was used to being fawned over by practiced sex kittens.

“Nonsense.   You will be fine.  Besides, it’s all about presentation, and I got you one kick ass dress.  Now let’s go do something about your hair and nails.”

Cindy had to give it to her aunt; it
was
a kick ass dress.  It had looked like a black birthday cake on its own, but on her body it was a dream.  It was strapless, with a gold satin bodice and a plunging sweetheart neckline that would have been indecent if it were any deeper.  The back dipped low in the back and laced up like a corset with gold ribbons.  The dropped waist rippled out into layers upon layers of frothy black tulle all the way to the floor.  It would have been too much, a prom nightmare, if it hadn’t been for the slit in the center of the front that started, or ended if you looked at it that way, mid-thigh.  The slit was parted just enough to see a hint of skin.  But when she walked every step showed a length of silky leg. 

The dress was sex on a stick without being over the top or tacky.  Perfectly decent, but enough to give a man ideas about what lay underneath.  The shoes, however, were lust personified.  They were five-inch heeled gold sandals on a one inch platform with two rhinestone encrusted straps that went across the top of her foot and two others that twined up her leg to the middle of her calf.  It looked like she had strings of diamonds wrapped around her leg.  Cindy was pretty sure the shoes had cost as much, if not more than, the dress.

The ensemble was finished off with a black and gold mask. This was a Masked Ball after all.  She’d thought it would be a lace mess, but when she saw herself in the mirror she’d been stunned.  Her honey-blond streaked hair had been done up in a riot of curls pinned all over her head in a sexy, messy bed head look. The mask ties had been laced through and pinned into her hair so they didn’t mess up the style.   She used a smoky gray shadow on her lids, and lined them with dark kohl to make her eyes pop behind the mask.   She finished off the look with bold red lipstick. 

For her jewelry she wore a necklace and earring set that had belonged to her mother.  The simple gold chain bearing a diamond pendant and matching earrings were one of a kind, designed by her father and given to her mother to wear on their wedding day.  Cindy had never had reason to wear the set before, but it had seemed perfect to go with this dress. 

She couldn’t believe how incredibly beautiful and sexy she looked.  Even without the mask she hardly recognized herself.  Faye had been right, she needn’t worry.  She probably wouldn’t even have to open her mouth to get close to Sebastian Prince.  Her feminine wiles were on display for all to see.      

“Cynthia!  Are you listening?”

“Yes, yes, I hear you.”  Cindy said offhandedly. 

“So, you will be at the curb at midnight?”

“Yes. Wait. What?”  She turned her head to see her aunts perturbed look. 

They were in the back of a limo on their way to the ball.  Though Faye wasn’t attending, she had insisted in riding along to give Cindy her final briefing.  Unfortunately since they’d pulled away from the building that housed Godmother Security, Cindy had been lost in her own thoughts and hadn’t heard a word her aunt said.

“Sometimes your attention span makes me wonder how you can be as good an agent as you are.  Distraction can get you killed.”  Faye chided in a tone not unlike a mother scolding an unruly child.

“I was just going over my strategy to get close to Prince.” It wasn’t really a lie.  Besides, her mind only wandered before a job, helping her get relaxed and ready.  Once she stepped out of the limo she would be focused and on task the rest of the night.  “What about midnight?”

Faye sighed.  “The ball isn’t set to be officially over until one.  Prince is scheduled to make a speech and announce a huge contribution to the charity at midnight.  After that they will start announcing the winners of the silent auction.  The party goers will stay for Prince’s speech, but they will start filtering out afterward. I want you out before then.”

They were nearing the hotel where the ball was being held.  Cindy pulled a small compact from her purse to do a last minute makeup check and asked, “Wouldn’t it make more sense to have me hang around and help keep an eye on Prince?  If someone were going to strike tonight, they would do it when there are less people around.”

“Don’t worry.  Once his speech is over Jack and Gus will be escorting Prince to his suite upstairs.  From that moment on, he is in Godmother Security custody, so to speak.” Faye replied.

Cindy shot her aunt a quizzical look as she touched up her crimson lips.  “And you don’t want me to blow my cover by accompanying them.”

Faye nodded.  “That, and I have another job for you.  I have a room in the hotel across the street set up for surveillance.  Frank will have the limo at the curb at midnight on the dot to pick you up. That’s the only way we can insure you don’t get caught in a throng of party goers eager to leave.  He will make sure the limo is at the head of the line.  There will be a change of clothes waiting.  Frank will circle around and drop you off on the next block behind the hotel.  There will be a keycard to access the back entrance and the room with the clothes.  I want you in that room as quickly as possible to help me watch and photograph everyone who comes out of that party.  Since the party is a masquerade, our best chance at catching people without their masks is as they leave.”

As she finished, the car pulled to a stop and Faye switched to the seat opposite Cindy so she couldn’t be seen when the door opened. 

The car door opened and the driver’s gloved hand reached in to help Cindy out.  “Looks like I’m on,” she said, taking the proffered hand.

“Good luck.” Faye said.  “And don’t forget.  Midnight.”

“Yes, got it. Midnight,” Cindy said as she climbed out of the car and the door shut behind her.

The venue for the ball had obviously been decided by the fact that Sebastian Prince owned the hotel, but whoever had decided on the theme for the charity’s event deserved a raise.  The hotel’s glittering grand ballroom was the perfect setting for a fairytale masked ball.  Cindy stood just inside the entrance on the second floor balcony that overlooked the main floor below.  She peered down at the marble dance floor crowded with men in tuxedos and women in brightly colored ball gowns.  Everyone, including the silver attired wait staff, wore masks.  Only security personnel had unadorned faces, and even they were in perfectly tailored tuxedos. 

It didn’t take long for her to spot Jack and Gus.  They stood next to each other against the wall at the far end of the room, looking every bit the bodyguards they were.  Only they had no body to guard.  There were no guests at all near them.  She should have known it wouldn’t be that easy to find Sebastian Prince. 

She knew he didn’t want visible bodyguards, but she’d hoped he’d stay somewhat close to Jack and Gus, even if for no other reason than so she could spot him quickly in the crowd.  Of course, he didn’t know she was looking for him, so it was a moot point.  All she knew was he would be wearing a gold mask and a gold lapel pin in the shape of the charities logo.  Cindy briefly wondered if Faye had picked out her outfit deliberately so that she would match Prince, or if it had just been coincidence; but if she thought about it she knew the answer.  Cindy didn’t believe in coincidence, and neither did Faye. 

She spotted a couple of men with gold masks, but none that fit Sebastian’s build and hair color.  She couldn’t see lapels clearly enough from the balcony to see a pin even if she did find a man that fit his description.  She was just going to have to go downstairs to mingle and find him that way. Though, for the life of her, she still had no idea how she was going to approach him.

She began descending the wide, curved staircase, her eyes darting around the room looking for a sign of Sebastian.  She had just reached the next to last step when the heel of her shoe snagged on something and she pitched forward.  She grasped at the rail, but it was too late.  Cindy squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to see the marble floor hurtling towards her.  Suddenly, sooner than she expected, she landed against something hard.  It was softer than marble, but just barely.  Before she could register what was happening, two strong arms folded around her and she was pulled tighter against the hard male chest.

Her feet left the floor for a brief moment as she was swung around and her rescuer put her safely on the ballroom floor.  “Thank you,” she mumbled into his chest, his grip too tight for her to look up.  As if reading her thoughts, he loosened his grip, but didn’t completely release her. Breathless, she looked up into the most beautiful blue eyes she’d ever seen.  Blue eyes surrounded by a gold mask. 

Cindy took a step back, forcing him to loosen his grip.  He slowly dropped his arms from around her as she righted herself, now able to see him clearly.  She let her eyes fall to his lapel and sure enough, there was a gold lapel pin in the shape of the charity logo, but she hadn’t needed to see it to know she was looking at Sebastian Prince.

She’d spend the entire day staring at photos of the man, and had actually used a marker to draw a mask on one of the photos.  The amazing color of his eyes and the strong set of his jaw were more pronounced in real life and made him easy to recognize.

   Ironically, when she’d been debating on how to get the man’s attention once she found him, she’d dismissed throwing herself into his arms as too forward.  Yet she had quite literally done just that, and it seemed to be working.

His blue eyes slowly slid over her, making her feel as if he’d actually touched her.  “Are you okay?” 

“Yes.  I’m fine,” she replied.  Before she could think through what she’d say next she heard herself say, “Sure as hell ruined my moment though.”

“Excuse me?”  His bewildered tone told her his eyebrows were scrunched up behind his mask.

“My moment,” she said, straight faced.  “You know, the one in movies when women come down stairs in a spectacular dress, looking amazing and not at all like themselves, to their date waiting for them at the bottom, staring at them as if they were the most beautiful woman in the world.  That moment"

"Oh.”  He swiveled around looking around.  "You have a date waiting for you?"

“No, I’m alone,” she said simply.  “But that doesn’t mean I can’t have my moment.”

Deep, rich laughter washed over her like a warm wave.  “Well, I saw you coming down the stairs, and you were the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.”

Cindy cocked her head to one side.  “You are just saying that so I don’t feel embarrassed for throwing myself into your arms.”

“Perhaps,” he said, something sparkling in his eye.  “But please don’t feel embarrassed by that.  It was truly my pleasure.”  His voice dropped, sending a shiver of sexual awareness up Cindy’s spine.

Her mind seemed to go to mush all of a sudden, because she couldn’t think of a witty comeback.  Her body wanted to scream that it had been her pleasure as well, but she certainly couldn’t say that.  While she floundered, he continued speaking.

“So, isn’t there a saying that once you save a life you are responsible for it?  Does that make me responsible for you now?”  He teased.

Her wit returned suddenly.  “Ha! You hardly saved my life.  Okay, so maybe you saved me from a horribly embarrassing evening, and perhaps saved me from having a sprained ankle.”  She pulled the slit of her dress aside and stuck one silk clad leg out.  “That would have been a terrible waste of these fabulous shoes.”

His eyes slid down her leg to her shoe and back up again, the heat of his gaze almost a physical caress.  “Those are some magnificent shoes.  It would have been terrible to deprive them of a night of dancing.  If I’m not responsible for your life, I at least feel responsible for making sure you and your shoes have a good time tonight.”

“Well, I wouldn’t mind a drink, and then perhaps a bit of that dancing you mentioned.”  She smiled in what she hoped was a sexy come-hither manner.

“Your wish is my command.”  He flashed that uber-sexy smile again.  “First I should introduce myself, I’m…”

“No,” she cut him off mid-sentence holding her hand up so that the tip of her finger touched his soft, sexy lips.  “Isn’t tonight supposed to be about mystery?  I mean, isn’t that what the masks are for?”

He took her hand from his lips, and turned it to drop a kiss across her knuckles.  When he looked up his eyes were dark and his voice was low, “Indeed it is.  But won’t I need something to call you, besides beautiful?”

Her mush brain had returned the moment her fingertips touched his lips, so it took Cindy a moment to form a coherent reply.  She’d planned a name for her cover, but it had oozed out in the mush.  She gave the only name that came to mind.  “Ella.  You can call me Ella, and I’ll call you Charming.”

His laugh was low and throaty.  “My lady’s wish is my command.  Now, shall we get that drink, my beautiful Ella?”

“Yes, please.”  Cindy said.  He was still holding her hand and used it to lead her towards the bar against the far wall.