Table of Contents
BILLIONAIRE EROTICA Title Page
The Billionaire's Invitation by Sandra Sinclair
About Sandra Sinclair
The Billionaire's Wicked Proposition by Logan Woods
About Logan Woods
Catering to the Billionaire by Dara Tulen
About Dara Tulen
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Copyright © 2013 Steam Books Erotica & Romance
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You are cordially invited to the Annual Christmas Ball held at the
Tower Ballroom of the Bellagio
this seventeenth of December at 8 o’ clock in the evening.
I read the invitation one more time, holding the single sheet of cotton paper in my trembling hand, and blinked.
I had returned from my lunch break at work earlier that day to find a mysterious white box on top of the reception desk with a single red rose and an envelope on top with my name on it. At first, I could not believe it was mine, since I did not have a boyfriend nor knew anyone who had a reason to send me such an elegant-looking package, and so I asked around at the office. Since no one else claimed it, I had no choice but to bring it home, but after reading the invitation, I was even more convinced it wasn’t for me.
Who on earth would send me an anonymous invitation to such a prestigious event?
For a moment, I just stared at the box, afraid to open it, but curiosity got the better of me and so I did, gasping when I saw the one-shoulder, bright red, chiffon empire dress wrapped in parchment paper inside the box.
Unable to resist, I took the dress out of the box, marveling at how exquisitely beautiful it was, like one of the gowns actresses wore on the red carpet. It felt exquisite, as well, the fabric smooth and rich yet delicate beneath my fingertips, and when I held it up against my body in front of the mirror, I realized that it was just the right size for me, letting me know that the package was, indeed, meant for me, sent by someone who knew me well.
The thought scared me and piqued my curiosity at the same time and I sat on the edge of my bed, wondering if I should accept the gift and the invitation and attend the ball or not. Part of me feared that it was just a prank but the more sensible part of me told me no one would spend so much money – and I was sure both the invitation and the gown cost a lot of money – on a prank. In fact, it told me there was no harm in going, just the chance of playing Cinderella for a night.
While Cinderella was not exactly my favorite fairytale, I could not deny that I liked the thought of pretending to be rich even just for one night. I had come from a family that barely had enough, after all, not even able to afford sending me to a university so that I had to attend a community college and work part-time while attending there. Even now, I still didn’t have much, simply working as one of the receptionists at a law firm in downtown Las Vegas that specialized in divorce cases and staying in a small apartment, splitting the rent with a casino attendant who worked the night shift, Carrie.
Indeed, going to a masquerade ball at the Tower Ballroom of the Bellagio, which I had heard was simply lovely but had never set foot in, seemed too good to be true, and yet, the gown on my lap and the invitation on my bed proved it was, which left only one question – Should I ignore the invitation or go to the ball wearing the gown and make the most of the opportunity fate had somehow given me?
I was still trying to come up with the answer, although I was already leaning towards going, when my phone rang.
I looked at the screen, half expecting an unknown number to appear. It was only my friend Samantha calling, though, and so I answered it with a smile.
“Yup?” I spoke into the phone as soon as I placed it near my ear.
“I need your help,” Samantha spoke on the other end.
“Well, you know I’m always here to help, just as long as I don’t have to lend you money because you know damn well I don’t have any.”
“Don’t worry,” Samantha said. “It’s not about money. I’m supposed to go shopping tomorrow and as I was looking through my list, I realized I wasn’t getting anything for my mother-in-law, and now that I’m thinking about it, I don’t know what to get her.”
I raised an eyebrow. “This is an emergency?”
“I never said it was an emergency,” Samantha said.
“Hmm.” I scratched my chin. “Now, this is tough since I don’t have a mother-in-law.”
“Well, you better have one soon, girl. How old are you again, thirty?”
“Twenty-eight,” I corrected. “And unlike you were, I’m in no rush to get hitched.”
Samantha snorted. “All the single ladies say that.”
“So, about the present,” I said, wanting to get back on topic instead of getting Samantha started on the topic I liked the least. “How about a set of Bath & Body Works lotions, or maybe a scarf? She lives on the East Coast, doesn’t she?”
“Hmm. I have to say those are good suggestions. You really are a lifesaver.”
“No problem,” I said. I was about to end the call when suddenly, I remembered the invitation. “Mind if I asked you a question?”
“Shoot.”
“What would you do if you got an anonymous invitation to a party, like a really glamorous party?”
“You got an anonymous invitation to a glamorous party?”
I rolled my eyes. “I said ‘what if’ at the beginning, Sam.”
“Alright, alright. Well, if I got one, I would…probably go.”
“You would?”
“Absolutely,” Samantha said. “Even if I don’t know who sent the invitation, there’s a chance I’ll meet him or her at the party and I can find out why he or she sent the invitation then. And even if I don’t, at least I got to go to a nice party instead of just spending another night at home, right?”
I smiled. “Thanks, Sam.”
“Care to give me more details on that invitation?”
“Good night, Sam,” I said, ending the call.
Samantha was right. The only way I would be able to find out the identity of my mysterious invitation sender was if I went to the ball, and I felt like I owed it to him to do so, considering that he took the trouble of sending me an invitation with my name on it and buying me a beautiful gown just my size.
Him.
Samantha had said the sender could be a man or a woman yet already, I was hoping it would be a guy, a charming prince who would sweep me off my feet.
I smiled.
Cinderella was attending the ball.
~ ~ ~
I was beginning to wish I hadn’t attended the ball.