Cinderella And Prince Dom (8 page)

“Really?”

“Yep, get ready to be pampered.” She stood.

Jaimie followed her into the bedroom, then into the dressing area that was as big as the bedroom in her tiny apartment. Two tables were set up. “Wow.”

The next few hours were, in Jaimie’s mind, every bit as good as the sex. Lucy had not exaggerated. First, they’d soaked in a Jacuzzi large enough to hold four adults, and then had massages, their nails and hair done, and even make up applied. A light supper had been delivered to them as well.

Wearing an ice-blue confection of silk, satin, lace, and ruffles, she could only stare at the woman in the mirror. She not only looked like Cinderella, but she felt as though she were truly a princess. Her blonde hair had been artfully piled on top of her head with glittering combs and topped by an equally glittering tiara. She narrowed her eyes at her necklace, touched the stone, and hoped it was costume jewelry because the diamond and sapphire pendant, if real, had to be worth a fortune!

Across the room, Lucy was helped into a blood-red gown with a flowing, silk cape. “You look wonderful, Luc.”

Lucy twirled in front of the mirror. “And you really look like a princess, Jaimie.” She sighed. “I can’t believe this weekend is almost over.”

“Yeah, when the clock strikes twelve, it’s back to reality.” No more princes for her. She smiled at her reflection. She still had all night, and she planned to make the most of it.

“Your shoes, miss.”

Turning, she held out her hand, then gasped. “Glass?” The three-inch heels and soles felt like glass. The upper was a series of silver straps.

“But of course, miss. If you’ll sit, I’ll help you.”

Jaimie sat and let the maid fuss over her. When the sound of a gong sounded in the room, she glanced around. “What is that?”

Lucy joined her. “That my friend, means the ball is starting. Ready to go find our men?”

“You bet.” Jaimie donned her mask. She was more than ready to be reunited with her prince.

Hand in hand, they followed one of the maids down to the main staircase. There was a line of guests, all women, all in elaborate gowns. She spotted Little Bo Peep in a white ball gown and assumed her men were downstairs.

One at a time, each woman walked down the stairs. When they reached the bottom, they were announced. In front of her, Lucy picked up the hem of her gown and headed down. Hastings, in his deep, authoritative voice, called out, “Little Red Riding Hood.”

Lucy’s wolf, handsome as sin in a black tux stepped forward, hand out. Together, the striking couple headed for the ballroom.

Taking a deep breath, praying she wouldn’t trip, Jaimie picked up her skirts and headed down the wide, curving staircase. She nearly stumbled when she spotted her prince. He wore an elaborate tunic in a deep, royal blue. Both tunic and pants were trimmed with gold. A cloak, fastened around his neck, flowed behind him when he stepped forward. He truly looked like a prince.
Her prince
. His mask hid his beautiful eyes but not the pleased gleam in the teal depths. He held out his hand.

Jaimie took it, then sighed when he kissed her fingers.

“You are beautiful,” he breathed.

Staring at his full, sensual lips and catching a glimpse of his twinkling eyes, Jaimie curtsied. “Thank you. May I say you are a very handsome prince?”

“You may.” He turned and led her toward the music. “Ready to dance?”

“All night,” she whispered as he led her into a room glittering with light.

Stepping into the ballroom, Jaimie felt as though she’d stepped into another time and place. She blinked against the unexpected brightness. A glance up revealed four huge chandeliers. She gasped at the ornate, domed ceiling that reminded her of an old-world cathedral, complete with images of a life hundreds of years in the past when balls were a regular occurrence.

Her prince guided her further inside. “Shall we dance?”

Jaimie winced. “I’m not a very good dancer.” At least, not at this type of formal dancing. The music sounded like a waltz. Now, if the musicians broke out into a fast beat, she could move with the best.

“Follow my lead.”

Listening to his instructions, Jaimie found she could actually follow him without stepping on his toes too many times.

“Relax.”

Jaime found that wasn’t so hard to do. Held by her prince, she laughed in sheer delight when he swung her around the ballroom, past the orchestra that occupied one end and tables laden with refreshments at the other end. Columns framed doorways set along both sides, allowing easy entrance and exit, and chairs were set in small, cozy groupings. “Wow! This is incredible.”

Beneath her heels, the wood floor gleamed, and around her, other couples swung past. The gowns the women wore were every bit as beautiful as hers, and the men in their tuxes were handsome indeed. No one wore leather or wielded their whips or wore skimpy, revealing skirts. Jaimie felt as though she’d been enchanted. Maybe the rich and famous actually enjoyed lavish parties like this, but for her, a night of dancing usually meant a dimly lit bar and gyrating hips bumping and grinding.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” The music had ended, and he led her toward one of the tables.

Jaimie grinned. “Hell, yes. How could I not?” She accepted a glass of wine and eyed her prince. “You are a great dancer.”

He gathered her close. “Just a great dancer?”

“You’re pretty good in the bedroom, too.”

He bent and nuzzled her ear. “Only pretty good?” His voice was a growl.

Giggling, enjoying the lighthearted flirting, Jaimie turned her head so his lips brushed hers. “We’ll add pretty incredible to the list.”

“Better. And when the clock strikes twelve, I’ll prove just how incredible I can be.” He leaned down, his lips close to her ear. “There’s a swing hanging from a tree right out back. I’m going to make you sit on it naked and swing you on and off my hard cock. Then we’re both going to sit on that nice wide bench, and I’ll fuck you while we sway with the wind.”

His low, knee-buckling baritone voice slid through her like honey dripping down the trunk of a tree. Jaimie flushed when he mentioned an intriguing position called the kneeling fox, which he promised would give her a fantastic G-spot orgasm followed by the melody maker, then some dirty dancing and ending with a lazy bout of loving in the spider position.

Were those positions even possible?
Damn, she hoped they were. The musicians, who’d taken a break, started back up with a romantic tune full of weeping violins with ribbons of deep longing from the bass woven in.

“Shall we?” Her prince held out his hand, took her glass, and set it down, then escorted her back into the throng of dancing couples.

The slow dance allowed her to feel her prince. His arms held her close, his breath whispered across her face, and his heart beat seductively against her ear. Jaimie could dance like this forever. But all too soon, the orchestra changed back to a waltz, and she spotted Lucy with her wolf whirling around the floor.

They looked as though they were professional ballroom dancers. Maybe Lucy could give her lessons so if she ever attended another party at Pleasure Manor, she’d be a better dancer. Although, if she couldn’t have the man holding her, she wasn’t sure she’d want to return. She had the feeling her experience was a once in a lifetime thing and would hate to be disappointed because she expected too much. No one could ever be as good as her prince. Deep in her heart, she admitted she was falling in love.

Which was foolish on her part. No strings sex. That was all this weekend offered. Besides, how could you fall in love with someone when you didn’t know their name or even what they truly did? She realized he knew a lot more about her than she knew of him.

So she tried to convince herself she’d fallen in love with an idea. A fantasy. It might not work, but that was how it was. She sighed. “I can’t believe the weekend is almost over.”

She wished they had longer, that she could spend more time with her prince and really get to know him. He’d proved he knew her very well, and the way her body responded to him told her it wasn’t just sex. There was something between them, but unless he revealed himself to her, she probably wouldn’t see him again. For all she knew, he could be married.

That made her frown.

“What’s wrong?”

She shook her head. “Nothing.”

“Tell me.”

Jaimie shrugged. “It just occurred to me that you could be married.”

Bryce gathered her close. “Widowed. Would it have mattered?”

“Yes. I guess I should have asked in the beginning.”

“There are couples who want to play out their fantasies, and yes, there are others who are married and looking for a bit more, but these events are not set up for them. So, what happens to Cinderella after the ball?”

“She goes back to being a pauper and looking for a job. What about you?” She was curious about what he did.

He grinned. “I guess I’ll become one of those rich CEO’s who plans to spend more time with his peons.

“That would be good,” she said. “Had the CEO at my old company been more involved in the day to day running of the firm, the employees wouldn’t have dared to cheat him.”

“You believe that?”

“Yes. Nothing like a bit of fear from knowing the boss is watching to keep most on the straight and narrow.”

“Most CEOs hire people to oversee the day to day operations.”

“True, but the problem I saw was that everyone in a position of authority was too busy furthering his or her own careers to see what was going on. They all had their eyes on that coveted corner office on the top floor instead of on the daily grind. If they’d been doing their jobs, my boss would never have gotten away with the embezzling for as long as he had, let alone recruiting others. If the CEO had been more involved with each aspect of his business, then each man down the line would have been as well.

“You may be right.”

The music ended, and they were right next to Lucy and her dashing wolf. Remembering they weren’t to use names, she smiled. “You’re a great dancer, Red.”

“A bit out of practice,” she replied, catching her breath. “I need to freshen up. Want to join me, Cinderella?”

“That’s a good idea.” She glanced at her prince. He smiled and bowed. Jaimie followed Lucy out one of the doors, down the corridor, then into a large room. “Be still my beating heart,” she whispered.

Lucy giggled and opened a door. “In here. Used to be an office or den. Owner converted it to a ladies room.”

The main room boasted several vanities as well as a maid who was helping Rapunzel with her hair. A short hall led past several full-length mirrors and into a room with sinks and half-a-dozen stalls, each bigger than a handicap stall. She was glad, as maneuvering in her gown required some thought.

The sound of doors opening was followed by running water and two women talking.

“—didn’t know he was going to be here. Sure would love to be his sub.”

“You said he didn’t take part anymore, not since his wife died.”

“Doesn’t. First time I’ve seen him.”

In her stall, Jaimie frowned. Her prince had lost his wife. Were they talking about her Dom?

“Lucky Cinderella. Every woman here would love to have him for an entire weekend. Bryce Langston is one of the sexiest men alive. Rich as sin, too. Can you imagine living here all the time? Sure would love to snag him.”

Jaimie’s jaw dropped. Had she heard right? Her prince charming was the CEO of the company she just got fired from? Couldn’t be. But suddenly, all his questions about her job made sense.

Outside, the two women continued with their gossip.

“Won’t happen, Bo. He’s a Dom.” The voices faded.

Jaimie couldn’t move. She’d been tricked. Lied to. How dare he take advantage of her this way?

“Jaimie?”

Jaimie closed her eyes. She’d forgotten about Lucy. Her eyes flew open, and she burst out of the stall. “You knew! You knew he was my prince.”

Lucy took her by the arm and led her into the now deserted dressing area. “Yes, I knew.”

Pacing, unable to sit, Jaimie felt like a fool. “This is his mansion. He’s the one who put this on.”

“Yes.”

“Is this why you signed me up?”

“No. You were so depressed after things didn’t work out with Mike. I wanted to show you there were men out there who could please you, that sex wasn’t boring.” She held out her hands. “I’m his personal assistant and his admin, and sometimes, he asks for my help with the organizing of the club’s events. Normally, I never know who is participating. I don’t even know the name of my own partner. Only Bryce and Glor—the Queen—have access to who attends, because they are the head Dom and Domme. Even Annie, before she lost her fight with cancer, never knew who was paired with whom.”

“But you knew this time.”

Lucy looked guilty. “Yeah, I knew. I wasn’t happy about it.

“You didn’t say anything.”

“I couldn’t. That would have broken the rules.” Lucy looked miserable.

Jaimie’s throat tightened, her stomach clenched, and her head pounded so hard she couldn’t hear what Lucy was saying. Chills skated up her spine. And she couldn’t breathe. She needed air. And space. She felt betrayed. She turned and left the room, but instead of returning to the ballroom, she ran down the hall, stumbling on the hem of her dress. Stopping, she yanked off her heels and ran barefoot out into the night. The clock had struck midnight.

Chapter Six

Bryce watched Jaimie running across the grass into the dark. Worried she was taking so long, he’d seen her running down the corridor and out a set of French Doors that opened into one of the gardens. Lucy stood in the hall, looking miserable.

It was clear Jaimie had somehow learned the truth. “How?”

“Bo Peep has a big mouth. She was talking to her friend Mary. Jaimie overheard. Should I follow her?”

“No. Go back in. I’ll take care of it.” He waited until he was alone then closed his eyes. He’d planned to tell her everything after the ball, including the fact that he’d fallen in love with her.

“Dammit!” He should have told her that first night, once he was sure of her innocence.