Blurred Responsibilities

Prologue

He wears an all black suit, with a black facemask on. His hair is combed back so much, you can see the lines the comb teeth made. I don't know his name, he doesn't speak, and only makes direct eye contact when he's being spoken to.

It's the only gala I've been at, my first one. Everybody is towing the line of formal with a tad of casual. Some people went all out while others took to the simpler route.

It's the slacks for me. Being the 4th Heir of a company you probably can't even pronounce, set some high expectations of me. I can't stand how the slacks rub against my skin. It sends goosebumps up my spine. To hide my face, I pick up another wine glass - must be my third one this evening, and cast my eyes down.

If I keep my eyes down, and off the other "potential" dates, no one tries to connect with me. Which is good, because - well, their physical parts don't suit the likes of me.

From the corner, I can barely make out what the mysterious servant is wearing, no logos, and no hint of a label. It's like he picked out five different shades of black and yet... It's sharper than anything I've put together myself. Can a face mask even look high quality?

Before I can feast my eyes on this savory sight across the Ballroom, it's interrupted by a sleek red skirt. I glare at her, momentarily forgetting my manners. She painted little red swirls where an eye mask would be and smiles. "Not much of a dancer?"

Not much of being a rich person either. I set my wine glass down and offer my hand. "I can always try. If anything, it'll be quality entertainment." I smile because what's a date who's not witty? I pull her to the center of the floor gently and try not to wince when she pulls me closer.

It's not that I can't dance, I'm just distracted by the mysterious man who hasn't moved an inch from the corner. Still, I spin the girl around with ease, my footwork like my second nature. As she smiles, I try keeping up with her upbeat vibe though it's exhausting. I'd love to try my hand at the man however, in more ways than just one.

Blessedly, the jingle of the song ends and the Host comes on stage. I try breaking away from the girl and somehow she leads me to her own table. How did that happen?

We get seated and I try paying attention to the speaker but the Shadow Man moves down the wall towards the speaker. Not servant then.. security perhaps?

"Oh yeah, that's my uncle. He's the head of security and works for Mis. Paunch. Third leading owner of home security."

I close my eyes. Fuck.

Most of what the Host person is saying is blurred. They're doing a fundraiser to help those in bad neighborhoods. Something apparently the Top company in this shit ranking can't do. Turning back to my odd date of the night, she's enthralled, not taking her eyes off the speaker.

I hold in an eye roll and look at my options. Some of the guests are speaking in hushed tones and I can spot my own brothers a mile off. I have 4 but they're all older than me. They've definitely seen me dancing with this lady. This... Obnoxious redhead that she is. Is she actually obnoxious? Probably not but I could care less about her. Yet if this mysterious person is truly her Uncle... Maybe I could play my cards right and get close to him?

The dull speech ended up finishing quickly, and I was surprised they didn't tack on a presentation. My redhead date took her glass and held it up to her family before lightly sipping it. "So, what's your story?"

My mouth goes dry like it usually does when the Business gets brought up - I'm not a fan of either happening. Though it has its perks, and museums thank us, tracking them can be tedious at best. I swallow down my 'ums' and stick with the script. "I'm part of a preservation business. We track down historical pieces, give them life again and then sell them to different Museums. My mother owns it, and my two brothers are next in line for the so- called throne." I try tracking down her uncle again from the corner of my eye but he seemed to slink back into the shadows. Captivating.

"I've heard of such a business! Fascinating, all that history. You must be proud of it." She has that face you do when you're interested in somebody. The small, cunning smile, the glint in the eyes as you hold the glance.

It makes my skin want to crawl. Onto the next topic. "Since this is your family's fundraiser, who did the decorations?" The floor was huge, glossing with shiny, treated redwood. It has decorative faux leaves glued to the woods, probably to celebrate the late autumn season. The windows are all covered in a deep red, and though I couldn't spot it before, there are six small cameras alone that I caught just now. The tables are hexed with purple wine and very fragile glasses.

The redhead waves me off. "It's nothing really. My aunt picked the curtains, I picked out the wine, we all pitched in, servants did the rest."

Aunt? "Is the Aunt, by any way, married to your Uncle? The one who's the head of security?" God I hope not to sound too eager.

She shakes her head and hair doesn't move an inch. "Gods no. I have a pretty big family and the only one who's wed currently out of all of us is my brother. He'll be running a computer business very soon." She leaned across and spoke in hushed tones. "But you didn't hear that from me!"

I wasn't about to play into her gossip. "That makes Miss. Paunch your...?"

"Third Aunt. We're all trying to expand Topaz. We're hoping that alone will jump us up into second place regarding technological security."

Topaz? Fuck. Leave it to me to end up picking out someone who's head of security in a family owned business that's the third leading company. Leave it to me who devised a plan to get close to this girl.. to get close to him. Yeah. Totally not going to ruin the very slim chance I already had at my own throne. Alas, I'm no stranger to a bit of scandal. Game on. I offer my hand and do my best faux sincere voice. "I apologize deeply, here I am, asking about your family when I didn't even tell you my name. I had no right to do that. Let me start over and not waste anymore of your time. I'm Ryan." I hold her gaze because that's what people of stature do and let a tiny smile out. The Guilt Look. Gladly, she takes it.

"Isobel Quartz."

Ahh, this will be way above my pay grade. Maybe this is why it's only my first Gala. So hard to behave. Still though, I smile. "Will you wait here while I use the Loo?" Only at her permission do I finally leave this ridiculous scene. The hallways are darker compared to the bright ballroom I was in. There's tall lamps strategically placed along, making way for tall shadows like my own. I finally find the bathroom and rush to the sink to get my bearings in place. As I'm splashing the cold water on my face, I hear the sink running next to me and upon looking, it's Isobel's Uncle. Having nothing better to do, I freeze.

He's definitely scrutinizing me and he's still wearing the facemask. He doesn't look away as he dries his wrists for longer than necessary.

I stop myself from swallowing and it's a long, intense staring contest. He just saw me chatting up with his niece, dancing with her, and shaking hands. I feel like he could corner me with his bright eyes if I wasn't so determined to keep my place. From this distance, he's only an inch taller than me but oh my god, he fills out the damn suit so nicely. I feel baggy compared to him...and yet small. God the control raiding from him, I can almost smell it.

And then it's over. He turns sharply on his heels and walks off, throwing the towel away. He leaves me catching my breath, and closing my eyes. I don't even know what the rest of him looks like and already I can feel my dick rising.