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“Thank you. I’m sorry about…that…” Her words dried up on her tongue as she met a unique gaze. Startling and beautiful.... The man she had been thinking about a few seconds ago was standing in front of her.

"Timothy!" she said.

“I’ve heard of Cinderella showing up late to the ball dressed in a beautiful gown. But not running away from it... Well, except at midnight and it's not midnight yet.” He held the clutch out to her, arching an eyebrow.

“I think you need an upgrade in fairy godmothers.” he added.

“Yes, well, Cinderella was high-maintenance,” she murmured, accepting the clutch.

A sharp bark of laughter escaped him, and from the slight widening of his eyes and the surprise flashing through the dark depths, it seemed the crack of amusement caught him off guard.

“And you’re not high-maintenance?” he asked, slipping his hands into his tuxedo pants.

The movement opened his black jacket, offering a glimpse of his white shirt stretched across a broad, powerful chest and flat abdomen. He