A Date for the Masquerade Read online

  Praise for A Date for the Regatta

  Loving this dynamic duo and their wonderful dating series.

  —Michele McMullen

  Full size enjoyment in pint size stories. These two authors have really created something special here.

  —Marybeth

  This was a good story, and a great addition to the series, complementing the ones I've already read. This is a fun, light feel-good romantic comedy.

  —Ree

  Get ready to set sail for romance! Hot, and sweet with a splash of angst, this voyage is one highly satisfying ride. Five stars for this must read.

  —One More Chapter

  I was pulled right into this story. The story has laughs, secrets, and heartbreak.

  —Renee Entress

  Praise for A Date for the Fair

  I was pulled right into this story. The story has laughs, secrets, second chances, and heartbreak.

  —Renee Entress

  A heart felt novella you will want to read over and over.

  —Krista Ricchi

  I love a good reunited story.

  —Tina

  I've been hooked on The Dating Series from the jump, and while I LOVE everyone of them to date, I always crave more the moment I finish each of these novellas.

  —Jennifer Pierson

  Can I get a funnel cake please? Lol I love how you get swept up in these stories.

  —Jennifer Millaway

  I am becoming addicted to these quick fun romances that the authors are releasing.

  —Trudy Dowling

  Praise for A Date with a Foodie

  I’ve been left hungry, wanting for more. Deliciously romantic, and although it is short it will satisfy your appetite for romance.

  —Yoneidis Martín Martínez

  Ok as a foodie I loved this book!!!! A quick read as always and fun.

  —Jennifer

  This romance is one tasty morsel that will have you savoring every turn of the page.

  —One More Chapter

  One way to my heart is food...and this book delivers just that.

  —Christina Wilson

  Praise for The Dating Series

  McLaughlin and Dover give sex appeal a heart.

  —Isha Coleman

  In less than 100 pages, theses 2 authors have made me laugh, blush and fall in love with their characters.

  —Yoneidis Martín Martínez

  I loved it, I couldn't stop laughing and smiling!

  —Dana for Bloggin’ With M. Brennan

  The Dating Series has been, by far, my favorite reads of the year. I’ve devoured them all and can’t wait until the next one comes out.

  —Crystal

  Praise for Society X

  There are no words to describe how much I LOVED DARK ROOM. My two favorite authors come together to write an EPIC SEXY story! Parker is off the charts SEXY!! I couldn't get enough of him!

  —Amy, Goodreads

  Two of the most amazing authors come together to write this hot and steamy story.

  —Tamara, Goodreads

  Let loose your inhibitions, because being in the Dark Room will have you googling to see if one is near you.

  —Lexy at All Is Read

  After Dark Room, book one in this series, I was expecting BIG things from this book. Dark Room was a top read from me. I am a huge L.P. Dover fan and an even bigger fan of Heidi McLaughlin... but man these two ladies together are dynamic.

  —Brianna at Renee Entress’s Blog

  You know this book is going to be hot when they give you a warning before you start the reading the book! What I love about this book is it's ability to surprise me. I should know by now to never underestimate Heidi & LP when reading their books.

  —Annie, Goodreads

  What a steamy and hot read!! It started out steamy and sweet and ended with suspense and excitement!! Loved it!!

  —Kim, Goodreads

  Out of all the Society X novels, Play Room is hands down my favorite. I loved Alexandria and Kai together. They were sweet almost from the moment they met. This series was addictive from the start, and although it's over I look forward to what these two authors come up with next.

  —Rebecca, Goodreads

  Heidi McLaughlin & L.P. Dover deliver once again!! Loved the latest in the Society X series! Okay let's break this down shall we?!

  —Amber, Goodreads

  The Dating Series

  A Date for Midnight

  A Date with an Admirer

  A Date for Good Luck

  A Date for the Hunt

  A Date for the Derby

  A Date to Play Fore

  A Date with a Foodie

  A Date for the Fair

  A Date for the Regatta

  A Date for the Masquerade

  A Date with a Turkey

  A Date with an Elf

  A DATE FOR THE MASQUERADE

  THE DATING SERIES #10

  Copyright © 2020

  Heidi McLaughlin & L.P. Dover

  All rights reserved.

  The right of Heidi McLaughlin to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her under the Copyright Amendment (Moral Rights) Act 2000. This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced, copied, scanned, stored in a retrieval system, recorded or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without prior written permission of the publisher. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and events are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  COVER DESIGN: MadHat Studios.

  EDITING: Briggs Consulting

  Contents

  1. Ensley

  2. Owen

  3. Ensley

  4. Owen

  5. Ensley

  6. Owen

  7. Ensley

  8. Owen

  9. Ensley

  More Books from Heidi & L.P.

  Also by Heidi McLaughlin

  Also by L.P. Dover

  About Heidi McLaughlin

  About L.P. Dover

  1

  Ensley

  “Talk about a year we’ll never forget!” Jordan exclaims as she gets into my car.

  Once she’s in, we head on our way to the radio station. “Tell me about it. We’ve made more money this past year than we have in the prior seven years combined.”

  All it took was planning a party and having the right people in attendance, which was the Valentine’s Day ball in Raleigh for the mayor’s daughter. After that evening, we booked up solid. We even planned a few weddings here and there. Those aren’t exactly what we’re known for, but I’ll still prepare them. One day, I’ll be able to plan my own. I’ve been envisioning it my entire life. What Jordan and I do love most is the Halloween season. Masquerades and costume parties are my specialty. I have a soft spot for them. Maybe it’s because my parents made it one of the best times of my life growing up. My mother would paint my face to go with whatever costume I had picked out, we’d decorate Halloween cookies, and then Halloween night, we’d hit all the haunted houses in the area. They keep waiting for me to have kids so they can spoil them as they did me. Unfortunately, I’m thirty-two years old and have yet to meet my soulmate and start my own family.

  “Last weekend’s party was pretty epic,” Jordan says, drawing my attention away from my inner thoughts.

  “Yes, it was,” I agree.

  She snorts and looks over at me. “And I still think you’re crazy for turning down Brent Davidson. He’s the freaking running back for the Carolina Cougars. If I wasn’t married…”
>
  I roll my eyes. “He’s a womanizer, Jordan. The last thing I want is to be in the tabloids like all his other conquests. I feel sorry for all the women he dupes.” Don’t get me wrong, the man is not only famous, but he’s gorgeous. We had the privilege of planning the team’s Halloween party this past weekend. We made five figures from that one party, and they asked us to plan their Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve gatherings as well. Never in my life would I have thought I’d be making as much money as I am doing what I love.

  Jordan sighs. “Yeah, it’d probably be bad for business if you got mixed up with him. It’d make for planning their next parties very awkward.”

  “Exactly.” I nudge her with my elbow. “Although it was nice being flirted with.”

  She narrows her gaze, giving me that mischievous grin of hers. “I seem to recall a little more than flirting going on at the masquerade party we put together last month where someone in this car mixed a little business with pleasure.” Her eyes widen. “Maybe that’s why you didn’t want to get it on with Brent. You’re still hung up on your mystery man, aren’t you?”

  Groaning, I smack a hand to my forehead. “Please don’t remind me of my indiscretion. I let a little intrigue cloud my judgment. It’s never going to happen again.”

  Jordan fans herself. “Well, whoever it was behind the mask had an amazing body and sexy hair. I can’t believe you didn’t get his name.”

  “That was the whole point. We didn’t want to know each other’s names.” The masquerade party was for one of Charlotte's biggest architectural firms held at one of the nicest hotels downtown. The owner had all of his employees from both the east and west coasts come in. There were hundreds of people. All decked out in formal wear and masks. When the mysterious man with the striking gray eyes came my way, I couldn’t seem to tell him no. I didn’t want to say no. A round of drinks turned into another and another. The next thing I knew, we snuck out of the ballroom to a hotel room upstairs and made a night of it. What I loved most about him was how attentive he was to me. He made sure I enjoyed myself. By three o’clock in the morning, I was exhausted, but I slipped out before I could fall asleep.

  Jordan releases a heavy sigh. “Oh, to be single again. Sometimes I wish I had done spontaneous things like you. It sounds so exciting.”

  I shrug. “It’s not all it’s cracked up to be,” I say, even though I’m sort of lying. The night I had with my mysterious man was one of the best times I’ve ever had. Would I like to do it again? Most definitely. “I’d give anything to find the man I’m supposed to be with,” I add. “Maybe get married and have children. I’m not getting any younger.”

  “Please, you look amazing. And thirty-two is not old; it’s prime time. I swear, every year you get more and more beautiful. I’d kill for your auburn hair and bright green eyes. Not to mention, your boobs look amazing in those skintight dresses you wear to the parties.”

  “And your ass looks amazing in yours,” I quip back. “You have the curves I want.”

  We pull into the radio station parking lot, and I grab my bag out of the backseat which has our portfolio with pictures from all of the parties we’ve planned over the years. The Nightmare Ball for 95.1 The EDGE is one of the hottest and largest Halloween events in the Queen City. When Jordan and I got the call the other day from one of the radio hosts, we couldn’t say no. I’ve been looking forward to this meeting all week.

  Jordan takes in a deep breath and blows it out slowly as we get closer to the door. “Relax,” I say, giggling under my breath. “We got the job already.”

  “I know,” she replies nervously. “I’m still shocked they booked us without meeting us first.”

  It surprised me as well, but what I figure is we came highly recommended by someone we’ve worked with before. When we get to the door, it opens, and a young man with dark hair and a wide, bright smile greets us. He holds out his hand to me first. “You must be Ensley Anderson.” I recognize his voice from the radio; it’s Damien Forrester, the man I spoke to on the phone who was told to hire us.

  I smile and shake his hand. “I am.”

  Then he turns to Jordan. “And, Jordan McMahan.”

  She shakes his hand, and he opens the door wider. “Come on in,” he says. “My name’s Damien Forrester. We spoke on the phone the other day.”

  I walk in and turn to him. “It’s nice to meet you.” Jordan agrees with a nod.

  He flourishes a hand toward the hallway. “The meeting room is right down the hall. I’m looking forward to working with you both.”

  “Same with you. Halloween’s my favorite time of the year,” I say as we follow him.

  “Glad to hear it.” He walks into the giant meeting room with a large oval table that can seat twelve people. Jordan and I take our seats, and he sits across from us.

  “I don’t know if you wanted to look at our portfolio, but I brought it just in case you were curious to see what we can do.” I look over at Jordan and then back to him. “Guess you can say we were a little shocked the station hired us without a meeting first.”

  Damien waves me off. “You came highly recommended. One of Tri-City Media Group’s owners attended one of your parties and was thoroughly impressed. He convinced the others you were a sure fit to make our event a success.”

  The compliment makes me smile. “We’re flattered. Thank you so much for the opportunity.”

  Damien sits back in his chair, his gaze roaming back and forth from me and Jordan. “The station wants this year’s party to be different from the others. We want it bigger and better, which means we need a different venue. I was hoping you’d have some suggestions. We also want to make this year’s event for singles only. There have been lots of requests for it.”

  Interesting. It’s actually not a bad idea. It just so happens I have a ton of ideas. I slide my small notebook out of my bag and write down some notes. “Don’t worry about the venue. Jordan and I have put together many events in downtown. I know the perfect place.” We just had a party at a nice hotel in downtown that’d be perfect. It’s also convenient having it at a hotel since it’s a singles only ball. I’m sure a lot of the hotel rooms will be booked up that night once it’s said and done.

  I scribble a few more notes into my notebook. “How about food?” I ask, meeting Damien’s gaze. “Open bar? Dessert only? Costumes mandatory?”

  His grin widens. “All of the above. I’m leaving it all in your capable hands. There’s no money limit on this. I was told to give you free rein on whatever your creative mind comes up with.”

  Never in my life have we been given such freedom with planning a party. I honestly don’t know how much to do. Jordan seems to be in just as much shock judging by her gaping mouth. She looks at me and laughs. “Wow. This is a first.”

  Damien slides an envelope my way. “My boss wanted me to give you this upfront. It should cover the entire party, and also, your fee for planning.”

  The envelope isn’t sealed and I really want to peek inside, but something tells me it’s going to be way more than enough. “Thank you,” I say as I slide the envelope into my notebook. “We won’t let you down.”

  Damien stands and holds out his hand. “I know you won’t. We’re all looking forward to the party. The tickets usually sell out within the first hour they’re posted. We’ll wait to put them up for sale until we hear from you on the venue. This way, we can figure out how many tickets we need.”

  I shake his hand, and Jordan does the same. “Sounds great,” I tell him. “I’ll contact the venue as soon as we leave here and have an answer for you later this afternoon.”

  Damien nods happily. “Perfect. I look forward to hearing back from you.” He walks over to the door and opens it. “Do you need me to walk you out?”

  “Oh, no.” I wave him off. “But thank you though. We know where to go.”

  He says his goodbyes and heads in the opposite direction down the hallway. Jordan leans in close and whispers in my ear. “How much is in
the envelope?”

  My heart races excitedly. I slip the envelope out of my notebook and pull the check halfway out. It’s like the air whooshes out of my lungs the second I see the figures. I slap a hand over my mouth. “Holy shit. It’s half a million dollars.”

  Jordan grabs her chest. “Oh, my God. This is insane.”

  Quickly, I push the envelope back into my notebook and take a deep breath. I thought we made a lot of money from the Carolina Cougar party, but this one takes the cake. I grab Jordan’s arm so we can get out of there. What I really want to do is scream at the top of my lungs and do a victory dance. I’m just floored at how far Jordan and I have come in just over eight years.