Read Masks for Free Online Page B

way again.
    “Hey,” he protested as she moved against him. “That tickles!”
    Chloe looked up at him. “I’m sorry—it’s bothering me too. And yours must be getting hot, huh?” She looked at the black leather mask that framed his eyes and covered the sides of his face.
    He shrugged noncommittally. “I can stand it.”
    “Well, I can’t.” The third rule is never take off the mask! her sister’s voice whispered inside her head. But she had broken all the other rules and besides, she felt like taking a chance. A chance on herself and on the man lying beside her in the bed. Chloe had told herself she felt a real connection to him—but how would she know unless she revealed her true self and asked him to do the same?
    She sat up in bed abruptly and looked down at him. “Let’s take them off, what do you say?” Her fingers were already tugging at the band that held the beautiful feathered mask in place as she spoke.
    Mark’s blue eyes were doubtful. “I don’t know…”
    “Oh.” Chloe stopped pulling at the mask abruptly. How stupid she had been! Of course he didn’t want to take off his mask—this was supposed to be an anonymous encounter. Zoe’s voice rang in her head again. This is a business transaction, not a romantic interlude , her sister had said.
    Chloe wrapped her arms around herself, covering her breasts protectively. “I’m sorry, that was a stupid suggestion. I…I just didn’t think.” Just because she had felt a connection didn’t mean that Mark had, she told herself.
    He picked up on her mood immediately. “Hey, no, it’s not like that,” he protested, sitting up as well. “It’s just that…well, if I take off the mask, you might not like what you see beneath.”
    Chloe frowned. “Are you speaking literally or metaphorically?”
    “Whoa.” He grinned. “You must have been an English major.”
    “Elementary education,” Chloe said, feeling herself beginning to relax a little. “What about you?”
    “Computers and communication.” He grinned at her. “I’m a complete geek.”
    Chloe allowed her gaze to travel the length of his body, lingering appreciatively on the well-muscled chest and arms. “You, uh, certainly don’t look like one.”
    He laughed. “What can I say? I’m a geek that likes to work out. As far as that goes, I’ve never seen an Education major that looked quite like you, either.”
    Chloe blushed and looked down. It was true she kept in shape, she just didn’t wear provocative clothing to show it off the way Zoe did. “I jog,” she said. “Usually in the morning before I go to work.”
    He groaned. “A morning person! Here I was halfway in love with you and you tell me you’re a morning person.”
    His words were obviously joking but Chloe’s heart skipped about half a beat anyway. “Yup, just can’t help myself. I’m up with the sun.” She tried to keep her words light. She was waiting for him to ask how an Elementary Education major had become a dominatrix in the first place and then she would have to tell him everything. But the question didn’t come. Instead, Mark tilted her chin to look into her eyes.
    “I’d like to see you up with the sun sometime. I bet you look even more beautiful with sunlight on your hair.”
    His words decided her—she was going to take a chance. She looked up at him. “Look, do you want to take off the masks or not? I mean, I’ll understand if you don’t—this is supposed to be anonymous and all that but I thought…”
    “I thought so too,” he said quietly. “All right, I guess we’d better before this goes any farther. You first.” He propped himself up on one elbow and nodded at her.
    Feeling self-conscious, Chloe reached up and slipped off the feathered mask, shaking her hair free. She looked at him, completely bare for the first time, the last rule broken. “Now you,” she said bravely, gesturing at the leather mask.
    His deep blue eyes looked suddenly sad. “All right, you asked for