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2
ATLAS
Later that night, I stand in front of the full-length mirror in my bedroom. I study the pink evening gown with white tulle overlay that makes me feel like a princess who just stepped out of a fairytale.
“If only Geek Charming would notice me,” I mutter to myself.
Fluffy, my chubby cat, studies my dress and tips her head as if there’s something she wants to add to the conversation.
“Yeah, I guess Miss Karma would have to show herself to catch his attention.” I sigh. That’s when the mask that accompanies the dress catches my eye.
“What if Miss Karma did show up?” I ask Fluffy, an idea forming in my head. I could show up with my dad then change and have “Karma” appear beside Eric. Would he be able to tell it was me?
I toss and turn in bed all night long. When I finally get up the next morning, I know exactly what to do.
I’ll give it a try—appearing as Karma and proving to Eric we have amazing chemistry together. Then I’ll remove my mask and he’ll be speechless but happy. He’ll take me in his arms and kiss me slowly.
I can practically hear the love song play as the credits roll. It’s perfect. I’ll finally get a chance to show Eric who I really am.
* * *
Eric
“Tell me again why I have to be at the masquerade,” I grump to Michael on our Saturday morning run. He’s the CEO of the company. I don’t see why I need to go and kiss ass along with him tonight.
But Michael expects all of his top people to be at the masquerade that’s also a silent charity auction. Apparently, I made the list of top people. You wouldn’t be on there if he knew your dirty thoughts about his daughter.
Mexico changed everything. It started as a simple request from Michael. He had a business meeting and couldn’t go to watch over Atlas and her girlfriends on spring break. He asked me to travel with them in his place.
Before that trip, Atlas was just a sweet kid and my friend’s daughter. Things were simple. Easy.
Then she grabbed me and kissed me—opening her mouth eagerly to my tongue and purring into my throat. I stopped it before it could go further. But cold showers are a daily part of my life thanks to that one moment.
Now, I spend every encounter with Atlas wondering if she’s making that purring sound with some frat boy from her college that wouldn’t know the first thing about how to please a woman.
“That’s why you have to be there,” Michael finishes his explanation as I’m mentally bedding his daughter. Again.
I push thoughts of Atlas aside as Michael slows for a water break. He fiddles with his watch like he’s uncomfortable.
“What’s on your mind?” I ask when the minutes have stretched on.
“I want Atlas dating,” he answers. “Nicole was married with a child on the way by the time she was twenty-one.”
I feel for him at the mention of his late wife. A former foster kid, I learned early in life that attachments only lead to grief. “You heard her yesterday. She’ll find somebody.”
“Not at this rate.” He resumes his pace again. “Nicole passed away when Atlas was at that age. You know, when a girl is supposed to go boy-crazy. Now, I keep waiting for it to happen but so far, nothing.” His voice trails off.
“So, she’s a late bloomer,” I answer, thinking of Mexico and the way her legs wrapped around my hips in the dimly lit hotel hallway. Guilt surges through me as I remember the hurt on her face when I abruptly told her I wasn’t attracted to her.
“It’s my fault,” he says as we make the loop back to his neighborhood. “I left Atlas alone in a sea of grief.”
After Nicole’s death, Michael put the same drive and determination into his business that he’d used in his wife’s cancer battle. Alpha Defense Industries tripled its profits in the months after her death. It’s continued to grow every year since.
“She knows you love her.” It’s obvious from the way that she dotes on him that Atlas loves her dad, too. Yet another reason I can never touch her. It would damage her relationship with Michael.
He grunts and slows to a stop in front of his modest two-story brick home. He studies the place as if seeing it for the first time. “I want you to find her someone.”
“She’s a grown woman,” I answer. A woman with curves in places that make my mouth water and my blood head south.
