The Hunt Masquerade - Milly Taiden Page 0,8

business and a loan shark on his back. It would be the worst possible time to have his attention divided and monopolized by the frenzy mates brought out in each other.

Rush sat on the edge of the bed, taking his phone from his back pocket. With a few clicks, he brought up the business plan he had painstakingly created over the last month. It was a balance. One he could only hope Jeremy Winslow would go for. The plan was beneficial for both hotel businesses. But it would leave the Jensen Hotels under Rush’s control with Jeremy as a silent partner.

The Jensens would keep all profits for the first five years, while they stabilized the business. Once things were more settled, the profits would be divvied up on a sliding scale, always keeping the Jensens in control of their own properties.

He viewed and reviewed the whole of it multiple times. It would be seven o’clock soon. The masquerade would start, and though Rush knew Marlon believed in being fashionably late, there was no reason to draw this out. It would be best if Rush tracked down Jeremy, tried to strike the deal, and left. He had no intention of spending the night, no matter what Marlon said.

With any luck, the party would be a dull dud of a time, and they could leave before midnight. Rush wanted to be in his sweats with a beer, watching television by that time. Not at some stuffy party in a tux and mask. Not when the other shifters would all be going sex crazy.

Rush seriously doubted that the shifters would be able to keep from their sexual antics until after midnight. He would have bet three different hotels that he would spot at least six different couples going at it in the ballroom by ten.

The Hunt parties put on by the Birch family were always (insanely) crazy.

And he wanted nothing to do with it. He needed to save his family business, and that was it.

Shortly after eight, Rush got tired of waiting for Marlon. He knocked on the adjoining door, but there was, unsurprisingly, no answer. He could only hope that Marlon hadn’t gotten himself into any more trouble. Rush grabbed his phone and sent a series of impatient texts, pacing the hallway's length until Marlon exited a room up the corridor.

“Good lord, could you be any more impatient? I was trying to convince Ella to spend her night with me.” He wiggled his brows.

“She is not your mate,” Rush pointed out.

“God, could you imagine the lucky man who would get a woman like Ella? No, she is not my mate. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to get all up in that. She is a tall drink of water, and I’ve been parched for way too long.”

“You had a date last night. I found her underwear in your car. You’re not that parched for female attention.”

Marlon snapped his fingers dramatically. “No, that’s right. I’m getting it confused. You’re the one who needs some good sex to remove the stick up your ass.”

Rush rolled his eyes. “Let’s just go, find Jeremy, and get this over with.”

“You’re such a joy to be around, big brother,” Marlon teased as they made their way down the spiral staircase toward the large ballroom at the other end of the hotel.

A tall, burly man stood by the set of double doors, looking mean and angry. He wordlessly held out his hand, waiting for the invitations. Marlon riffled through his tux for the thick paper passes before handing them off to the guard with a wide smile.

“Have a wonderful evening,” Marlon sang as they headed into the ballroom.

The vast space was pitched in near darkness. Quite a few chandeliers were hanging from the high ceiling, dimmed down to their lowest setting. Tall taper candles burned brightly from each table.

If Rush looked at the space subjectively, it was pretty enough. The setting was romantic and added mystery to the masks every ballgown and tuxedo-clad guest wore. Waiters walked around with platters of drinks and appetizers. The food would be good, and maybe Rush would indulge.

But he knew what was in the drinks.

They were dosed with sense inhibitors that blocked the mate sense as well as a few other shifter characteristics. There was no way in hell he was touching that shit when he needed his edge to speak with Jeremy. If the other wolf decided to partake, that was on him.

Already, there was a bit of chaos in the