“I mean, this one is going to highlight your beautiful eyes, but I think red is going to make you stand out in the crowd. I’ve seen all the ladies wearing silver and cream tonight… so boring. And your boobs will look amazing in it,” she explained, giggling away. Cindy wasn’t sure if she wanted to show off her cleavage, but she didn’t want to be rude, so she kept trying on dresses over and over until she put on a stunning, long red dress that accentuated her curves. It was shiny, with tiny inlaid crystals shimmering like diamonds throughout the entire gown. It made her feel like a real princess.
“And now we need to add jewellery and shoes,” Martha said, scanning Cindy up and down. “Stick with me, girl, and you’ll be just fine. And tomorrow when you get your prince, tell your stepmother to get lost.”
Cindy didn’t have a chance to thank Martha, because the other girls had sat her in a chair and started sorting out her hair and putting makeup on her face. Her long hair hung in tangled waves, because she never really had the time to brush them. It took a while for the girls to get her hair just right.
After an hour or maybe two, she stood in front of the mirror not recognising herself at all. Her blond hair was curled and pinned up in a fabulous bun; she wore long silky gloves and a beautiful red dress that shimmered in the soft lighting as if it were embodied with a thousand crystals. Someone had given her matching six-inch high heels, and as soon as she tried to walk in them, she struggled a bit, but overall she couldn’t stop staring at herself in the mirror—the heels she’d have to get used to.
“Oh my lord, I look beautiful. I can’t believe it,” she whispered and tears began streaming down her cheeks.
“No, silly … don’t you dare cry on me. You’ll ruin all your makeup and we’ll have to start over. Now come on, let’s get you to that fucking ball,” Martha shouted and all of a sudden all the girls were pushing her out of the door, talking at the same time again. She was moving through colourful corridors and then downstairs finally realising that she was really going to the ball and for the first time in her life she didn’t have to worry about her stepmother.
Chapter Five
The girls and Martha took her outside the building. Cinderella was grateful for everything that Martha had done for her, but she still had no idea how she was going to get to the ball.
“I do appreciate the dress and everything else, but the castle is quite far away. I can’t walk all that way in these shoes,” she said, sounding a little apprehensive. She wasn’t used to people being kind to her, and felt a little uneasy that Martha had done so much to help her.
“Don’t worry, love, everything is under control. I’m a changeling not a human, remember? My magic’s very powerful. I don’t use it very often, but tonight I really want to see you arrive at the ball in style.” Martha then brought two fingers to her mouth and whistled really loudly.
Cindy and the other girls looked like they had no idea what Martha was planning. They were all glancing around at each other, confusion in their eyes. Several moments later, two beggars came running from around the corner. Cindy couldn’t believe that three poor men actually responded to Martha’s whistle. They were filthy, toothless and Cindy thought they must have been living on the streets for years.
“Oi, you three stand still and try not moving for a bit. Both of you will go to sleep with full bellies tonight and you may even find some gold in your pockets tomorrow morning,” Martha said with a smile. The beggars looked at each other shrugging their shoulders, and when Martha threw a huge piece of bread to each, they wolfed it down straight away. The poor men were starving.
Before Cindy and the rest of the girls could figure out what was going to happen next, Martha began dancing around, releasing a stream of colourful magic from her fingers. Warmth spread down Cindy’s body, and she instantly felt happier, less anxious. Martha must have been telling Cindy the truth all along, because in a matter of seconds, the two beggars changed into splendid white horses. Electricity danced along her skin, lifting the tiny hairs on her body.
There were gasps and snippets of conversation amongst the girls, and Cindy stood by them widening her eyes.
“Right, ladies, give those two some straw, and I’ll sort the carriage,” Martha said, rubbing her palms together as she disappeared somewhere around the corner. Cindy’s heart pounded in her chest as she tried to make sense of everything that had happened tonight. When Martha came back, Cindy was stroking the horses, thinking of what else the crazy hooker could be planning. The third man turned into a handsome coachman who bowed toward her.
The girls ran to Martha helping her pull an old trolley filled with rubbish and pieces of old furniture. Cindy was just about to ask Martha what she wanted to do with the trolley when a bright yellow light blinded her. There was a loud bang and then a burning smell wafted around.
Cindy coughed a few times, clearing her lungs, and when she looked up, the trolley was gone and in its place was a stylish white carriage with the two white horses in the lead. The coachman sat in front, holding a whip in his hand. All the girls looked impressed, completely awestruck, walking around and admiring it. Cindy was gobsmacked, but stopped questioning anything at that point. She was going to the ball, and nothing else mattered.
“Go on, girl, jump in and try to have a good time. You have until midnight, and then all the magic will disappear. Oh, and don’t screw anyone while drunk.” Martha winked, looking proud of her accomplishments.
Seconds later, Cindy hugged her, trying not to cry at the same time. She squeezed all the girls too, thanking them and saying that she would never forget them or their kindness.
“Right, go, go…otherwise you’ll miss your prince,” Martha kept saying, pushing her towards the carriage. The girls wished her good luck, and she waved to them as the horses pulled the carriage forward.
She sat back and tried to relax, wondering if it was too late to get to the ball. The journey to the castle took a while, and Cindy had no idea how the horses/beggars knew the way. She began to think that magic was most likely guiding them and told herself to stop worrying.
Finally, the carriage stopped in front of the royal castle. Cindy sat inside for a few minutes, trying to take it all in. Then a very handsome guard opened the door, smiling at her. He was dressed in a smart white uniform, and when she stepped out, he bowed in front of her. Carriages were still arriving, and Cindy knew she wasn’t as late as she thought she was. She heard the orchestra playing inside and gazed up at the enormous castle that looked magnificent in the moonlight.
Cindy’s heart pounded nervously in her chest as she followed other ladies and gents into the castle. When she walked inside the ballroom, what she saw was absolutely breathtaking—better than she could’ve ever imagined. There were tables decorated in black and white table coverings with intricately etched silver and gold lining, and elegant candle centrepieces. An elaborate chandelier accenting the entire ballroom, giving it a soft, enchanting glow. She noticed several couples dancing, but there were quite a few single ladies spread throughout the vast room, some were dancing, while others were drinking and eating. As she looked around, she began to recognise a lot of people from town. She knew that somehow she needed to keep far away from her stepmother and stepsisters.
She had no idea if Ida would recognise her looking so beautiful, but it was better to be careful. Soon, she spotted a group of ladies on the other side of the room surrounding someone who was engrossed in deep conversation. Cindy’s interest was piqued and she decided to head over there to see what all the fuss was about. She noticed a few men were starting at her with interest, and smiling as she walked by. For now, she tried to ignore them, heat rising in the pit of her stomach—the last thing she needed was to blush crimson—the same colour as her dress. That would’ve been embarrassing.
It looked like the crowd of ladies was surrounding Prince Eric. Cindy was quite tall, but she had to wait several minutes in order to get to the front. There, she saw a man around her height who wore a gold unif
orm with royal symbols. Cindy recognised Prince Eric from the posters around town and she had to admit that he was quite handsome. He had short brown hair, high cheekbones, and bright hazel eyes.
“I don’t know, ladies, it’s hard to decide. There are so many of you here,” the prince said. Cindy was amazed by how many girls were trying to get his attention. Most of them were smiling, giggling and waving at him. Two very pretty blondes were standing on each side, running their hands over his arm. “I must say that my good looks could easily overshadow all of you here. I don’t want to sound too vain, but I’m just too handsome, and my wife has to be beyond beautiful.”
Cindy frowned, thinking that Eric sounded exactly just as he had said—vain. She looked around, seeing that a lot of girls sighed loudly. Some were elbowing each other, trying to get closer to him.
“Yes, he’s right. There isn’t anyone here better looking than him,” a girl on Cindy’s right admitted, staring at Prince Eric like she was about to faint.
“I wish he would pick me to dance with him,” another sighed. Cindy knew that she had heard enough and it was then when she realised that Eric didn’t even notice her standing in front. His arrogant attitude didn’t appeal to Cindy at all and she wondered why she wanted to meet him in the first place.
“My lord, look around. All these beautiful ladies here expect you to pick at least one of them to dance with you. Remember what your father said. He wants you to find a wife by the end of the night.”
A shorter man dressed in a blue uniform was talking to Eric, reminding him of his responsibilities. Suddenly, two women pushed their way through to the front and Cindy’s heart leapt to her throat when she realised that it was her stepsisters.
“I’ll dance on my own if I have to; there isn’t anyone worthy of my attention in here, Duncan. Maybe later I’ll pick up a woman who won’t steal all my glory.” Cindy overheard Eric responding to the man who seemed to be his advisor.
She needed to disappear fast, knowing Teresa and Susan would make a scene if they recognised her. She didn’t want to listen to the prince any longer. She thought his arrogance was appalling.
She proceeded to walk towards the drink table, wondering if she’d made a mistake by coming to the ball tonight. After all, the only man she was ever interested in brought his ex-girlfriend, Red Riding Hood, as his date.
Cindy drank some champagne, aware that after what happened in the forest she didn’t want to risk walking back to the house on her own. The champagne tasted heavenly and Cindy knew she needed to eat something so she wouldn’t get too tipsy. She turned around and saw Charles from across the room. He was waving his hand at Red and it seemed they were fighting about something. Other people were staring at them, and Cindy’s heart sank when she saw Charles shake his head and walk away, leaving Red alone, looking completely miserable. It looked like their reunion was only temporary.
Charles didn’t choose Cindy, and after his treatment of Red, she wasn’t planning on taking advantage of the fact that he was alone again. Maybe it was time for her to get over him, and start talking to other men. The forest ranger just lost his usual appeal—he didn’t know how to treat women and definitely wasn’t the man Cindy thought he was.
She decided to head to the other side of the room, but then saw her stepmother walking towards her and Cindy panicked. She turned around abruptly with the intention of running, but instead she walked straight into someone.
Someone with a defined, muscular chest. Cindy swallowed hard and raised her eyes, meeting the gaze of a man who had the most mesmerising dark eyes that she had ever seen. Her heart jumped in her chest and slow waves of electricity zoomed throughout her body right down to her core. She gasped, realising that the man was much older than her, but he was incredibly handsome, with longish black hair and a wide jaw. Dressed in a sharp black suit, he outshined any other man at the ball.
All of a sudden, Cindy experienced tingles of heat between her thighs that instantly made her wet. He was taller than her, and something gleamed in his eyes, maybe surprise, astonishment, or even admiration. She wasn’t sure, but she knew that her cheeks were most likely red by that point.
“Oh sorry… I didn’t see you, I was just—”
“It’s perfectly all right, nothing to be sorry about. On the contrary, I’m so glad to have bumped into such a beautiful creature. I feel incredibly fortunate,” the stranger responded and smiled brightly. Another shot of unexpected desire jolted through her core again. Cindy was surprised and overwhelmed with intense feelings she’d never in her life experienced—she only felt like that when Charles was kissing her. This was something more primal, a sexual need, an unexpected craving for the man standing before her.
She couldn’t stop staring at the handsome stranger. All she could think about was that she wanted to be ravaged by him—to have his hands and mouth all over her body. No, what the hell was wrong with her?
Just a second ago, she was running away from her stepmother, still thinking about Charles and Red. And now, she couldn’t stop staring at some strange man—a gorgeous man, but a stranger nonetheless. She had no idea what to do with herself. She needed to disappear, but her legs seemed to be chained to the floor—she couldn’t move.
“Thank you. My name is Cindy,” she blurted out, aware that the man most likely wasn’t going to care, but his eyes flickered with even more lust than before. Unexpectedly, the stranger took her hand and lowered his head, kissing it ever so gently. A shudder of excitement shot through her again, and she gasped for breath. There was something really wrong happening to her. She had never felt so overwhelmed with desire before. Was he dousing her with some kind of strange magic?
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Cindy. Is it short for Cinderella?”
She nodded, shocked that the man’s voice sounded so sexy. She could listen to him speak all day long.
“My name is Caspian and I’m the father of Prince Eric. Please allow me to show you around. If I had known such a stunning woman would decide to show up at the ball I would have welcomed you at the door myself.”
Cindy blushed even more, parting her lips. She couldn’t believe that the prince’s father, the king, had actually taken an interest in her. She didn’t care about Eric at all; she thought he was narcissistic and vain anyway. The king, on the other hand, was well mannered and making her feel things she’d never felt in her life. Her heart was beating frantically in her chest, which wasn’t normal. She never thought in a million years that King Caspian would be so incredibly good looking. She always thought of him as a decrepit, balding old man—not that she’d seen him of course, but her mind had a silly way of imagining things.
She bowed before him, forgetting about her stepmother or the fact that she was ready to leave.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness,” she said.
“No, please call me Caspian. I hate all of the formalities,” he said. “Tonight’s orchestra is very good. Would you like to dance with me?”
She felt like she was in a fog, unable to take a full control of her body. The king was asking her to dance. She couldn’t talk, so she nodded instead. Moments later, they joined other couples on the dance floor. The king brought one arm around her waist and her whole body seared with heat. The fire in her core wouldn’t stop burning.
“Stunning…you are absolutely stunning, Cindy, and I can’t believe that our paths haven’t crossed before,” he said to her, moving his dark gaze down to her lips. Other couples were dancing around them and at some point, Cindy noticed Prince Eric. He was moving around the dance floor, pretending he was holding someone by his side. Some people laughed at him, but other girls were staring at him, still mesmerised.
“Thank you, I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it,” she said, as naughty images flashed in front of her eyes. She was seeing King Caspian pushing her on the bed, then spreading her legs and staring down at her with a mischievous smile. Her thoughts were making her weak.
“I’m so happy you'r
e here. In a few minutes, I'm going to take you upstairs and make passionate love to you—make you scream my name and give you the best orgasm of your life. Trust me when I tell you how much I desire you, Cinderella—more than I've ever desired any other woman in my entire existence.”
Chapter Six
Cindy’s body tensed under his touch, and her stomach twisted in nervous knots when the king pulled away from her ear. She couldn’t comprehend that he dared to say something so hot, yet outrageous to her. Inside, she knew she had never been so turned on before. Then he smiled at her while carrying her body along with the rhythm of the music, almost like they were dancing, suspended in the air. His touch was too much and yet not enough.
“And I must apologise for my son. He doesn’t seem to understand that tonight he was supposed to choose a woman who could potentially be his wife. He’s much too in love with himself it would seem,” the king admitted, bringing Cindy back to reality from her lust-crazed state. She glanced at him, wondering if she had imagined him telling her that he wanted to make love to her. Maybe her mind was playing tricks on her.
“Yes, your son is very handsome, but I don’t think any girl here is good enough for him,” Cindy said, as her voice vibrated with emotion.
The king sighed loudly, like he wanted to disagree, but instead he said, “So tell me something about yourself, Cindy. Is there anyone in your life who is holding your heart captive?”
For a split second, Cindy could have sworn she saw fang-like teeth, but then she quickly dismissed the thought. Her father had talked about vampires in the past like they were real, but Cindy knew that he was only trying to scare her when she was younger. At the same time, she remembered how she got to the ball. Martha admitted that she was a changeling and then displayed her extraordinary magic. Maybe it was possible after all.