Unmasked

Audrey tried not to roll her eyes as Trent kept talking. This guy really enjoyed the sound of his own voice and she occupied herself by imagining what it would be like to slam one of the hors d'oeuvre trays over his head. The small cluster around them finally dispersed, and Trent focused all his attention on Audrey.

"You look great," he said.

"I'm aware."

He smirked slightly. "So what are you doing here with that nobody? Trying to make me jealous, or just going through a riff raff phase?"

"You have to be the biggest asshole on the planet," Audrey said in exasperation. "Matt and I have nothing to do with you. I happen to like him and find him a refreshing change from guys like you."

Trent leaned closer to her, his breath tickling her ear until she wrenched back. She had to forcibly stop herself from throwing her champagne in his face. No sense in starting soap opera worthy drama at her own company's party. Trent's mouth was open slightly, like he'd been about to say something. He seemed startled by her sudden movement and there was a flicker of frustrated disappointment behind his ever-charming mask. He took a swallow of champagne to cover the moment.

"I'm just saying, Audrey. You could do better than Mr. "Between Jobs.""

"I think my definition of better and your definition are quite different," Audrey replied tersely. "Now please go find someone else to annoy and flash your unnaturally white smile at, Dr. Rathbone."

She set her champagne glass down a little harder than she needed to and spun away to go in search of Matt. She had gone on all of two dinner dates with Trent, and he had never stopped dogging her heels ever since. He'd skulk off and pout whenever she told him to kick rocks but he still hadn't taken the hint.

Audrey slipped out to the terrace to hunt for Matt, spotting him leaning against the railing. As she drew closer he didn't notice her approach right away, and a trace of cigarette smoke made her eyes water. Scowling, she marched up to him and fairly wrenched his arm out of the socket as she spun him around. He looked comically stunned as Audrey snatched the cigarette from him and stomped it out.

"Are you seriously smoking?" she demanded, hands on her hips.

"I was just-"

"Matthew, for Gods sake. I run a company that makes medical equipment. I have a serious anti-smoking policy."

"I don't smoke anymore I was just-"

Audrey slapped a hand over his mouth to silence him. "Smoking leads to lung damage, Matt. You need lungs to breathe. Therefore, you should not be smoking."

She pulled her hand away and crossed her arms while he looked sheepish.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"Why'd you come out here to smoke anyway?" she asked, disgruntled. "I didn't think my charm would wear off that fast."

Matt winced slightly. "It has nothing to do with your charm, Audrey. You're practically perfect in every way."

"Bonus points for the Mary Poppins reference, but you're not off the hook. What's up with you, Matthew?"

"It's getting kind of chilly out here. We should go back inside."

"Oh no you don't. We're not going anywhere till you spill. Besides, I've seen you sit around in boxer shorts and a t-shirt while Cyrus had the thermostat set at about freezing. I know you don't think it's chilly out here, Queen Elsa."

Matt made a face at the name. Audrey just kept staring at him, foot tapping against the ground as she waited for an answer. Finally he let out a heavy sigh.

"I was worried you might be, you know, embarrassed by me."

Audrey's foot stilled its tapping as her brows furrowed in surprise and confusion. "Embarrassed by you? Why would I be embarrassed?"

"Because you're richer than Midas, Audrey. And I deliver cheese bread for a living."

"And if that mattered to me, I wouldn't be dating you, asshat," Audrey said irritably. "Do you really think I'd be that shallow?"

"No! No, I don't think you're shallow at all. I just think maybe I'm not exactly, I don't know, good enough." He gestured helplessly and Audrey socked him hard on the shoulder.

"Some guy like Trent looks down his nose at you and you run out here to smoke and sulk? You could own your own country and Trent would still try to scare you off. He's a fuckhead with a God complex, Matt. You should know me well enough by now to know I'd never want a guy like him."

"I know," Matt said, fending off another punch. "And I'm sorry. I just feel incredibly out of place here, and you're so effortlessly perfect at everything."

"I most certainly am not," Audrey snorted. "I hate big formal events like this. I only suck it up and do it because my parents would have wanted the family to stay involved with the company. I was only enjoying myself tonight because you're here."

"Really?" He perked up slightly as Audrey scowled at him.

"Of course, you big dumb idiot. Why do you think I asked you to come with me? You're sort of my boyfriend and all."

He gave her a crooked, chagrined half smile and tried to pull her into a hug. She tried to tug free until he gave her a wounded puppy face, and then she leaned into him and fixed his bow tie.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to ruin your evening," he said and Audrey shook her head. She glanced back toward the party inside.

"It's not ruined," she said. Her gaze slid back to him, a smirk pulling at her lips. "But I can think of a way we can make it better."

Even in her high heels she had to yank his face down to her level so she could kiss him.

"My mood does feel significantly improved," he said. Audrey pulled a mint out of her clutch and forced it into his mouth.

"Now if you're a good boy and promise not to smoke anymore, I happen to have a regular room at this hotel."

"Won't they miss you?" Matt asked, gesturing to the people inside. Audrey waved a dismissive hand.

"They won't notice if I'm gone for an hour." She grabbed his hand and pulled him back inside, slipping out of the banquet hall and toward the lobby.



Audrey and Matt had been gone a little more than an hour, but by then the party had hit full swing and most in attendance were too tipsy to care if Audrey North was there or not. The next day she woke content as a cat, stretching and trying to tame her fluffed up hair. She heard her phone ping and rolled over to see a good morning text from Matt. She smiled, feeling like a giddy thirteen year old.

She hummed to herself as she made breakfast and decided to blow off going to the office today. Instead she went to the park and fed some bagels to the ducks; something she hadn't done for years. She was practically skipping as she walked and had to keep from grinning stupidly at complete strangers.

Audrey hardly felt like herself at all as she sailed through the door of her favorite cozy downtown bookstore, and if Nichelle had been there Audrey was fairly certain she would say, "who are you and what have you done with my Audrey?"