His Games, Her Rules

Monique pulls her Maserati to a stop and we step out of the car. A valet approaches us and takes the car key. I take a deep breath, smelling the glamor from the outside even before we step in.

God, this brings back memories.

My family always throws fundraising events to raise money for a cause. In the end, only about 5% of the donation is used for the cause while the rest of it is used for things that my parents wouldn’t tell us about, and other times, it’s the family business. One of the reasons I didn’t want to come to this event in the first place is that it’s hosted by one of the richest men in the country and even the world, and there’s a probability that an acquaintance of my family might be present. My family mingled with people in the society that mattered and they too mingled with people that mattered in the society, and parties like this, a place where they can boast about their wealth, is the kind of place they would be.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

I exhale deeply as we climb up the concrete steps. Monique hands her invitation card to the bouncer standing out front and he lets us through. And just like I imagined, this place looks like a ball. The women and men are dressed glamorously with masks on. You really can’t tell who’s behind the mask unless you know them before.

I’m wearing the dress Monique bought me. It’s a long, satin red dress with spaghetti straps and a deep V-neck that shows a good amount of cleavage. The dress is a little tight below my bust area as it flows to the floor. There’s a high split on my left thigh. The back of the dress has a criss-cross design. For some reason, I feel powerful in this dress. My feathered mask covers the upper part of my face, reminding me nobody from my past life would recognize me if they managed to be at this party. My hair is in a loose wave as it cascades down my back to my mid-back.

A server approaches us and offers us champagne. I grab two champagne flutes off his platter and give Monique one.

“This place is beautiful,” Monique says as she glances around the huge hall with hundreds of people. The floor we’re standing on has a bright red carpet, with expensive chandeliers hanging off the ceiling. The wall is covered in cream-colored paint and there are a few long signboards that boldly say, “Save an asthmatic child today. Your donation counts.”

“They did put a lot of thought into this,” I mutter, bringing the champagne flute to my lips as I take a few gulps.

“They did.”

“Seen anyone you know?”

“Nope.” Monique answers as she throws her head back to gulp her champagne. She plants the empty glass on a passing server as she takes a deep breath.

“Ladies and gentlemen. May I have your attention please?” A voice says into a mic.

Everyone in the room stops their chattering as they turn to the woman standing on the stage. She’s wearing a mask too, with a floor-length satin dress.

“Thank you everyone for coming. My name is Marianne Cooper, a representative of The Gray Foundation. Why don’t we get into the topic of why we are here tonight? Tonight’s event is hosted by our founder, Dominique Gray, CEO and founder of The Gray Empire. To some of us, Mr. Gray is a friend, a colleague, and a business partner. But we’re not here to talk about Dominique Gray, now, are we?” The crowd murmurs in agreement. “Tonight’s event is to give exposure to one of the deadliest illnesses in The United States and the world in general. Asthma can be dangerous and life-threatening. It takes a lot of care, provision, and stability for adults to handle asthma symptoms and attacks. I would like you to imagine what that would be like when it’s a child. A child without no means of livelihood, medical care, and support.” The woman says as she looks at the audience before her.

“Now, why don’t we have a clear picture of what we mean by asthmatic children with no care…” The lights go off and slowly, a large projected image starts to display different asthmatic children from different backgrounds behind her in different bedridden situations, some of them cramped together in a small room as local nurses try to give them help.

“Your donation matters tonight and whatever you choose to donate, I want you to remember you’re saving a life. Your donations would go a long way by providing medical assistance and care for these children and that includes medication.” She continues to speak as different images of asthmatic children zoom in and zoom out.

I’m a nurse and I feel a twist in the pit of my stomach as I watch the projected images. The woman on stage, whoever she is, she’s good at grabbing people’s attention. If you watch these images and listened to her speech and you didn’t donate, you’re probably the devil. A few months ago, a foreign woman who was visiting New York with her only son, was rushed to St. Jose. Her son had had an asthma attack and the woman was scared to death that her child was not going to live. Asthma is oftentimes overlooked like it’s nothing, but it’s a scary condition and I can’t imagine a child without proper care going through a condition as such.

“You can go online to our website, www. thegrayfoundation. com, and donate to save a child’s life today. But if you like, you can vote offline and we accept multiple kinds of payment methods. Thank you as you save a life today.” The woman finishes her speech as she climbs off the stage and the audience applauds her.

I notice people around me bring out their phones as they begin to go online, probably to donate.

“Wow,” Monique says. “That was one hell of a speech.”

I smile, finishing my champagne as I drop the empty glass on a passing server. A live band mounts the stage as they begin to perform a song.

“Hello, beautiful ladies.” A familiar voice says as a masked man in a black suit stands in front of us, smirking, and with his hands in his pants pockets.

“Hi.” I smile at him, seeing the familiarity in his face even though he’s wearing a mask.

“Leonardo Gray,” I say.

“Yeah. She remembered,” Leo says as he smiles at me.

“Of course.”

“You look beautiful,” he says as he gives me a quick once over, and then he turns to look at Monique. “And who’s your beautiful friend?”

“Hello. I’m Monique.” Monique says, a small flirty smile on her lips as she stretches her hand toward Leo. Leo smirks, biting his bottom lip seductively as he takes Monique’s hand and slowly brings it to his lips, and kisses it. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

Monique blushes, biting her bottom lip as she smiles.

Oh, boy. What the fuck am I looking at?

“If you don’t mind, Robyn, can I snatch your friend for a minute? I promise to return her untainted.” Leo says as he winks at me.

I nod, shrugging as I turn to look at Monique. She tilts her head and gives me a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Don’t miss me too much, ‘Kay?” She smiles at me as she leaves with Leo.

Did I just hook them up without really trying?

Leo seems nice and more like a gentleman. So maybe Leo might be good for Monique even though I’m not in a position to decide that.

“Why do I feel like you wore this for me?” A familiar husky, and yet sexy voice whispers into my ear.

I turn around, locking eyes with fiery ocean-blue eyes that do things to me that I can’t seem to fathom. Even with a mask on, I know it’s him and he recognizes me too.

Did he ask Leo to take Monique on a walk just so he could talk to me? That’s something Dominique is capable of. He’s dressed in an expensive custommade, dark blue three-piece suit and a white dress shirt. From his head to his toe, he looks dangerously attractive, with no sign of his tattoos anywhere.

“Hello, stranger,” I say, and Dominique surprises me by smiling, pearl-white teeth sparkling.

He stands in front of me, eyes slowly drinking me in as he bites his bottom lip. He brings his gaze to stare into my eyes and my stomach flutters.

“Aren’t you the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen? And you in that dress, boy, you don’t know the commotion you’re causing.” Dominique smirks. “Are you here with anyone? I’m afraid a beautiful woman like you wouldn’t be here all alone.”

“It would surprise you to know I’m not alone. I came with a friend.”

Dominique nods. “I’m Dominique Gray. What’s your beautiful name?” He asks, wearing a seductive smirk as he looks me in the eye.

“I’m Robyn. And you’re the infamous Dominique Gray? I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Have you?” He raises his eyebrows, a flirtatious smirk on his full lips.

“Yeah. And all of this” I wave my hand around the room. “is nice. I may have underestimated you.” I smile at him.

“I guess it’s safe to assume you don’t know a lot about me even though you claimed to have heard a lot about me,” Dominique says as he takes a step forward, breathing the same air as me. My god, he smells really good.

“You know,” I whisper, locking eyes with him. “You could try and convince me that you’re more than you let the world see and maybe I’ll believe you.”

Dominique chuckles and bites his bottom lip. “Can I buy you a drink?”

“My mom told me not to accept drinks from strangers.”

“Well, you’re in luck, I’m not just any stranger, am I?” He raises an eyebrow as he shifts his gaze to my lips.

“One drink.” He offers and I smile.

“One drink then.”

With his hand on my bare, lower back, Dominique walks me toward the bar, with his focus on me and me alone.