Chapter Three

Frankie

I take another drink of Phantom’s special martini.

It goes down way more smoothly than I expected, and I realize I need to be careful. I can hold my liquor, but this is a strong drink and I haven’t eaten anything since breakfast. I skipped lunch thinking I’d have a big dinner at the restaurant, but I left before we ordered food.

I don’t like myself very much tonight. I acted like an absolute baby at dinner. But on the other hand, none of them remembered what today was supposed to be.

Not that it matters. I’m way better off not being married to Penn. If he was cheating on me before we were married, he’d certainly cheat on me after. Plus, he’s kind of a loser. Sure, he has a trust fund, and I would’ve had fun helping him spend it, but I’m better than that.

That’s what Mandy told me.

“You’re better than that, Frank,” she said after I told her my wedding was off.

Phantom and I don’t talk as we each finish our drinks, but the silence between us isn’t uneasy. We don’t even know each other. I’m wildly attracted to him, and just being near him has my body wound up like a bowstring.

Before I know it, I’ve drained the last of my martini and I’m eating the olives off the toothpick.

“Can I get you another?” Phantom asks.

“No, I’d better stop at one. I haven’t eaten anything yet this evening.”

“Then we should remedy that,” he says. “There are a few tables available. Can I buy you dinner?”

“This is a bar,” I say.

“That’s true, but they still serve great food. You look like you could use a burger with all the fixings.”

As if in anticipation, my stomach lets out a growl.

Phantom smiles.

“Guilty. I am hungry. I’ve kind of been on a diet, though.”

He rakes his gaze over my body, making me warm all over. “You don’t need to be on a diet.”

“Well, I kind of do. I—” I stop.

No. I am not going to obsess about my weight. Time to turn over a new leaf.

“You know what? A big, greasy burger sounds amazing. But first you need to do something for me.”

He smiles. “Other than buy you dinner?”

“I didn’t mean that to sound ungrateful. I’m happy to pay for my own dinner. But I would like to know your name.”

His lips curve slightly downward. “Why should we spoil this with names?”

“How can a name spoil it? I’m—”

He places his fingers on my lips. “Not yet. Not tonight. Tonight, I’m your Phantom, and you are my beautiful angel of music.”

I suppress a shudder.

Something about his voice… The low, rich timbre of it… The slight hoarseness, just enough to be sexy.

And my God, the feel of his fingertips on my lips.

If his fingers feel this amazing against my lips, how will the rest of him feel?

And how will I ever know if he won’t even tell me his name?

“Alfred,” he says, “could you transfer my tab over to table seven? I see that it’s available, and the lady would like a burger.”

“Yeah, of course, Phantom.”

“Everyone calls you Phantom?” I say.

“They do.”

“Why?”

“Because, my beautiful angel of music, it’s my name.” Phantom slides off the stool, his cape drifting around him as if it’s part of him, and then he offers me his hand.

Good thing, too, because my legs have apparently turned to jelly. His strength steadies me as he walks me toward the table, pulls out my chair for me, and then pushes it in once I’m seated.

The table is in the corner, and a small votive sits in the center, casting a glow on Phantom’s face. His masked face. For a moment I wonder if he’s scarred underneath that mask like the actual Phantom of the Opera.

And in this moment, it doesn’t really matter what’s under that mask.

Already I’m beguiled by this man—this nameless, faceless man.

It’s silly, I know. It’s the situation. My evening has been shitty, and I’m ripe for the picking.

But it’s also the mystery, the enigma.

I haven’t had sex in months, and frankly? Things between Penn and me were never that great. I had to teach him where some of the erogenous zones were, and once he learned, he was adequate, but don’t I deserve more than adequate?

You’re better than that, Frank.

The breakup was so out of the blue. Penn just announced that he had been seeing someone else and he was ending our engagement. Almost as if he’d been coerced into it, most likely by whomever he was seeing. I didn’t ask. I didn’t care. I still don’t.

Doesn’t matter anyway. It’s over, and a big part of me is actually relieved.

Except…I’ve always dreamed of being a bride. Having a wedding. Of being a princess for a day.

It will happen for Mandy before it happens for me.

Ugh! I have to get over that silly mindset! I’ll apologize to Mandy for being a brat at dinner. Then she’ll apologize to me again for choosing such a rotten day to announce her engagement.

We’ll be fine. We always are.

“A penny for your thoughts…” Phantom’s sexy voice breaks into my mind.

“Nothing. How about your thoughts?”

“I think I’m sitting across from the most beautiful woman in this entire place.”

The warmth again. It surges through me, and I feel like I’m a lilac flower bursting into bloom.

“You’re even more beautiful when you blush,” he says.

I absently touch my cheeks. They’re so warm.

“So are you sure you want a burger? Or would you like something else?” He pulls the small menus off the side of the table and hands one to me.

“No, I want the burger. And I want it loaded, Phantom. With everything full of fat like cheese and mayonnaise and slices of avocado and bacon.”

He laughs then.

It’s a gorgeous sight and sound, indeed.

Who is this man across from me?

Who is this Phantom?

I really want to find out.

Our server, a young woman named June, according to her tag, approaches us. “Good evening, Phantom.”

“Good evening, June. May I present my angel for the evening?”

Angel for the evening?

He’s had other angels. Other evenings. My heart sinks. He’s probably planning to let me go after tonight. What was I expecting? To meet the new love of my life behind some mask?

“Good evening,” June says to me.

“Good evening,” I echo.

“What can I get for you tonight? The usual for you, Phantom?”

“Yes, I believe I’ll have another. Angel?”

“As delicious as it was, I think I’ll switch to water. Or an iced tea if you have one.”

“I absolutely do, freshly brewed.” June makes a few notes. “Did you want to order any food tonight?”

“Absolutely,” Phantom says. “The lady will have the third-pound burger with everything, including bacon.”

“How would you like that cooked?” June asks me.

“Medium, thanks.”

“Great. And for you, Phantom?”

“I was thinking I’d have the same, but I’ve changed my mind.”

“What would you like, then?” June asks.

“What I really want isn’t on the menu.” Phantom sears me with his gaze. “But I’ll settle for the chicken breast sandwich and a side of fries.”

June must be used to his antics because she doesn’t so much as flinch at the innuendo. “Got it,” she says, “I’ll get these right up.”

My flesh is on fire. I clear my throat in an attempt to get my bearings. “So tell me, Phantom,” I say. “How long have you been coming here?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Everyone here seems to know you as Phantom.”

“Everyone here is paid to make sure the customer is satisfied,” he says. “I prefer to be known as Phantom, so they grant me that.”

“No,” I say. “It’s more than that. They all seem to know you. But you’re the only one here in a mask. What gives?”

“This is just the way I prefer to dress.”

“Yeah…I’m not buying it.” I smile, hoping I don’t have lipstick smeared all over my teeth. “I’m going to figure out all of your secrets, Mr. Phantom.”

“Are you, now?”

“I am.”

“Then you know what that means, don’t you, Angel?”

“What?”

“That means I will find out your secrets as well.”