It was difficult to think of a single word to sum up the mansion. After a bit of wandering around, I supposed if I was asked to do so, I’d have to go with magnificent. I felt like a fish out of water as I walked around gaping at everything in awe while the rest of the guests lingered around laughing and drinking like it was an everyday occurrence.

Maybe it was for these people, but for me, it was like something out of a movie. I was aware that some people owned mansions and I’d seen a few from the outside, but I couldn’t believe parties like this happened in real life. It was almost surreal to witness firsthand.

“Oh my God, look at her.”

“What is she supposed to be?”

“Um, cheap?”

My face flushed as the women broke into a fit of giggles. Their conversation was hushed, but I wasn’t dense enough to think they hadn’t intended for me to hear. A single glance at the two women who were staring directly at me—totally unabashed—made it very clear that they wanted me to listen to their insults.

Much as I wanted to confront them, nothing came to mind for me to say. I was completely out of my element and it seemed to send the part of my brain that made witty retorts on vacation. All I could do was retreat with dignity.

“She must be someone’s daughter.”

“I bet she’s a working girl.”

“Ooh, I didn’t even think of that!”

So much for dignity. As I pushed my way through the crowd and out of their line of sight, I could still hear them giggling. My face was on fire.

The invitation might not have been a mistake, but it was starting to feel like attending was. The only reason I came at all was to solve the mystery of why I’d been invited in the first place. But how could I find out with these masks? Speaking to strangers to ask about the host felt like an impossible task. What if they all looked at me the same way those women did?

After finally breaking free from the crowd, I was grateful to find myself standing in a deserted hallway. Relieved, I leaned back against the wall and closed my eyes as I mumbled, “Maybe I should just call a cab.”

“Leaving so soon? That’s not a good sign.”

My hand flew to my heart as I shot upright and turned toward the direction of the voice. A masked man was standing a few feet down the hall, regarding me with what appeared to be curiosity.

“Where did you come from? You scared the hell out of me!”

He chuckled—a deep, masculine sound that sent a thrill racing up my spine. I thought I felt another pang of familiarity like I had with the man at the door, but I couldn’t be sure with the rapid strum of my heart from his sudden appearance. I was still too startled.

“I’m sorry to scare you, but it is Halloween. It’s all part of the fun.”

I glanced over his costume, trying not to let my gaze linger over his obviously fit body any more than I had to. I was already embarrassed about the women calling me a hooker—I didn’t intend to give any men at the party a reason to think I really was one.

“So is that your goal? You’re gonna pop out at random guests and scare them in the spirit of Halloween?”

His lips curved in a grin and I swore my heart stopped beating for a moment. Even with the mask, this man was a glorious sight to behold.

“Random guests? No. I plan to focus my attention entirely on you.”

“Me? Why me?”

“You obviously aren’t having a good time. I’d like to remedy that.”

“By scaring me?”

“Precisely.”

“There’s a flaw in your logic there, buddy.”

The mask moved a fraction of an inch and I could just imagine his eyebrows raising.

“Buddy?” he repeated, his tone clearly giving away his offense.

“You aren’t exactly wearing a name tag. Should I call you Phantom?”

“You can call me whatever you like as long as it doesn’t sound like a dog’s name.”

“Hmm. In that case, I think I’ll go with hey, you.”

He laughed hard at that. The sound was contagious and the embarrassment I felt because of those two catty women melted away in an instant. Even as we both regained control of ourselves, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. For some reason, it really pleased me that he seemed to be in the same boat. He was smiling at me like I’d hung the damn moon with my little joke.

There was something about this guy...

Damn masks.

As if on cue, a member of the security team came into the hallway and scanned our faces before nodding to himself and moving on. They really were on the prowl for people ignoring the rules.

The mystery man didn’t seem to have any intention of being the first to walk away, so I looked at him and said, “Since you obviously need someone to scare tonight, I guess I’ll stick around. It might as well be me.”

“Your sacrifice will be remembered,” he replied seriously before breaking into another heart-stopping grin. “You should return to the party. I need time to prepare my next move.”

“Oh boy. It’s going to be a long night, isn’t it?”

He leaned in a little and whispered, “It certainly is.”

With a dramatic whip of his cape, he spun around and strutted down the hallway like he owned the place. Which wasn’t totally out of the realm of possibility.

Could he be the owner of the mansion? He did seem oddly familiar—though I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why. The light laugh lines around his mouth made me think he was a good deal older than me, but who could he be?

It couldn’t have been a family friend. My father could be considered a decently-sized fish in the business world, but only in the small pond of my home state. He was completely unknown in New York. Mom was even less likely to know anyone here and none of my aunts and uncles would either.

“Champagne?”

My feet had carried me back into the main room without my even realizing it. I nodded and accepted a flute, hesitating a little as I raised the glass to my lips.

Once the waiter was gone, I scanned the crowd to make sure no one was looking before lowering the glass without taking so much as a sip.

I felt slightly less out of place while carrying the glass, but I knew it was only a matter of time before someone noticed that I wasn’t actually drinking from it. It was a double-edged sword.

With a sigh, I started mulling around the throngs of people in search of somewhere I could dump the liquid.