Masked Encounters (Intoxicating Passion #1) Read Free Page B

to fit. Something about it was…special.
          I undressed
in a hurry. Then indulged my fingers in traveling along the
material, feeling the fabric whisper in a seductive smoothness. It was
amazing. I slipped it over my head, keeping my back to the mirror. Setting the
mask in place, I closed my eyes for a brief moment, before spinning to see my
reflection.
          The
dress fit me perfectly, showing off every curve I possessed. My breasts looked
larger, rounder. The mask hid most of my face, revealing only my lips and eyes.
My dark eyes appeared nearly black contrasted against all the white. My hair,
long and loose around the dress, became a rich brown hue, more chocolate than
faded milk chocolate. Even the wings were perfect, peeking just beyond my shoulders.
          A
knock at the door shook me from my assessing. “ Korah ? You in there?” Leela called.
    Still unable to speak, I opened the door,
eyes wide, and waited for her reaction.
          Her
mouth fell, her pupils grew large. “You look amazing, Korah ,”
she whispered reverently.
          I
ran a hand down my side and across my hip, “Is it ok? Too
much?”
          “Too
much?” she quizzed, placing her hands on my arms. “You look amazing. Beautiful. And not slutty like I’m going
to look. I say get it,” she smiled with all the sincere warmth I loved
her for.
          I
nodded, going back in to take it off. Closing the door, I stared at myself for
several more minutes. My insecurities regularly brought me down, but something
about the way I looked right now…it mesmerized me. I must have this dress. I felt crazy, but I thought this costume was
meant to be mine. After changing back to my clothes, I stepped out to find Lee
eagerly waiting for me.
          “You’re
getting it, right?” she questioned. Leela knew me too
well.
    I normally would back out, but not this time.
“Yeah, I’m getting it.” A smile bloomed on my face all by itself.
    She squealed loudly, causing everyone to turn
and look at us. I made my purchase, ignoring the flirtatious comments from the
guy who helped me earlier, and led Lee out the door. “Lunch?” I asked, nodding toward the small café we liked to eat at during our trips.
    She nodded, linking us at the elbows, and
bouncing down the street. Leela chatted about nothing
in particular, in an animated way that allowed my mind to drift and overanalyze
our day. The bad date last night caused the Christopher nightmares to
resurface. Leela startled me awake, demanding I go with
her to a party, knowing how much I despise them. Why was I going? Good
intentions aside, she always set me up with men who were totally wrong for me.
    But…were all of them wrong? I was broken,
damaged goods, unable to love or be loved. Every guy had some sort of issue; a
reason I was not interested. He wore too much cologne, or his toenails were too
long. Sometimes they did have serious issues, such as being unable to commit.
No matter who it was, I found a problem. A deal breaker that completely turned
off any and all emotions I may have been considering.
    I’d been this way since breaking up with
Christopher eight months ago. I couldn’t stop it; well, more accurately, I
didn’t know how to.
    “ Korah ?” Leela prompted. We
stood outside the café, her giant blue eyes filled with concern, clearly
waiting for an answer to the question I hadn’t heard.
    “I’m sorry, what?” I refocused my attention,
feeling bad for ignoring her.
    “I asked you what exactly happened with Zane
last night. I know you don’t want to talk about it, but he gave me some crazy
story and I want the truth.”
    I told her everything, including the creepy
crawly feeling I got when he leered at me. Her face showed disgust, while her
eyes lit with fury. Leela was overprotective, a
mother hen, and even though she set us up, she wasn’t going to let some punk treat
me badly. She kept quiet, as we walked into the restaurant and requested our