The glass slipper, p.18
The Glass Slipper, page 18
“I’ve been writing constantly,” he said. “You were right about the passion. Once I got started, I could hardly stop.”
Which meant, he might actually go ahead and produce something she’d have to take a look at. And probably have to trash if she was to be honest with him. She’d trashed enough of her own early pages.
“That’s great, Vaclav.” She patted his arm. “That’s the only key to writing...keep doing it.”
He didn’t miss the body contact. His gaze deliberately went to her fingers and then up to her face, and he smiled, leaning a bit closer. “I thought we could go over them together.”
“Ah...sure thing.” Good grief. He had her babbling. She’d said exactly that a few seconds earlier.
“How about right now?” he said.
“I don’t think we should leave the ball. Isn’t it in your honor?”
“A state visit. We’ve had dozens of those over the years, my cousins and I. Very dull.”
It didn’t look the least bit dull to Casey, not with the gowns and the jewels, the fine food and wine, all the handsome men and the dancing. And Kurt was out there somewhere, unless he was still fuming back in the music room.
“I need your opinion on something,” Vaclav said. “Is it wise to start a book with the hero making love to the woman who will soon be murdered?”
Great. Now they were going to talk love scenes. “It’s your book. It needs to start with what feels right for you.”
“I want to show his passion.” Vaclav raised his hands in front of him, almost in a prayerful gesture. “I want to show how deeply he loves this woman so later the reader understands how far he’ll go to get his revenge.”
“You do know most mysteries end with the detective turning the killer over to the police, don’t you?”
“Police, bah. I want my hero to tear the killer apart with his bare hands.” Vaclav curled his fingers into fists to emphasize his point.
“That’ll make for an interesting twist, for sure.”
Casey searched the crowd for anyone who might rescue her from the dude. Kurt still hadn’t reappeared, and Felice and Dev stood at the other end of the hall. Lady Marta may have finally blended into the non-existent wallpaper, and Friedrich certainly wouldn’t offer any help.
“Of course, he’ll have sex with many other women during the course of the book,” Vaclav said. “He’s a man of powerful appetites.”
“I see.”
Vaclav leaned even closer. “I modeled him after myself.”
Oh..kay. Definitely approaching TMI territory.
She took a discrete step away from him. “I guess we all do that with our characters, don’t we?”
“I find the whole process exhilarating.” Vaclav took her empty glass and exchanged it for two full ones from a passing waiter. Lady Marta had done the same, but she’d done it to reassure Casey. Vaclav had a different motive, if she could read him correctly.
He clinked his glass against hers. “So, do you write love scenes, my dear Casey?”
Miss Vaughn was gone, but then she’d used his first name. “My dear” was something else altogether.
“I’ve written a few,” she said. “For romance novels.”
“The woman always climaxes, doesn’t she?”
“He wouldn’t be much of a romance hero if she didn’t.”
“You see.” He pursed his lips in what looked like thought...sort of. “I don’t know what a female climax feels like.”
She nearly choked on her wine but managed to get the swallow down without sputtering much. “I’d guess it feels like a male climax.”
“And how would you describe that?”
“Um, climactic,” she said. “Really good.”
“Ah, yes. Of course. But cunnilingus is not like fellatio, is it?”
“Say, do we really need to discuss this?” she said. “Someone might overhear.”
“That’s why I suggested we leave.” He gave her his phony smile again.
“But I’ve never been to a ball before. I might never go again. This might be the only ball of my entire life.”
“How thoughtless of me, sweet Casey. And your gown and hair are so beautiful. We must make this a grand evening you’ll never forget.” He took her glass and disappeared for a moment. Just as she was about to make her escape, he showed up again and put his hand at her elbow. “We’ll dance.”
“I’m not sure that’s a great idea.”
“It’s a ball,” he declared. “What else does one do but dance?”
“I kind of have two left feet.”
“Nonsense. I saw you with Kurt.” He’d propelled her onto the dance floor. She would have had to dig in her heels too stop him.
“You dance beautifully. It’s a simple waltz. Come. I’ll show you.” One of his hands gathered her fingers together while his other arm went around her waist. In a moment, he had her in an embrace and was twirling her around. All the colors blended into a crazy kaleidoscope, and she had to work to keep up with him. Unlike Kurt, who guided her with gentle pressure, Vaclav took command. In a moment, he had her in a tight grip with her breasts pressed against his chest.
She eased a hand between them to push him a few inches away. “This is more comfortable.”
“Understood. My passions carry me away sometimes.”
“See if you can stay uncarried, okay?”
“As you Americans say, ‘okay!’”
They danced some more, and he maintained his distance. In truth, she probably ought to drop the whole ball thing and go back to her room. Though not really drunk, she had had too much champagne to drive a car. If she stuck around and drank more, she’d have a killer headache in the morning. She should find some food. Or Kurt or Marta or Felice. Anyone she knew who didn’t hate her.
While she’d been contemplating that, Vaclav’s hand had moved downward to just below her waist. Now he cupped a buttock and pulled her forward.
She reached behind and put his hand back where it belonged. “Don’t do that.”
“Pardon me.”
The tune was building to a crescendo of sorts. It would probably end in a few more seconds. She only had to tolerate him that much longer, and then, she’d walk away. Courtesy be damned with this lout.
His hand crept lower again, and before she could stop him, he’d grabbed her buttock and squeezed. Enough.
She put both hands on his chest and shoved him away from her. “Get your grimy hands off me asshole!”
In the midst of his assault, she hadn’t noticed that the music had stopped and the crowd politely applauded. Her voice carried over that, and the applause stopped, followed by silence around them.
Oh, fuck a duck. She’d shouted asshole in the middle of a gaggle of blue-bloods. Now they all stood there looking half embarrassed and half amused. One woman covered her mouth with her fingers and tittered behind them. A portly gentleman with a sash across his chest laughed and then covered it up with a cough. Could anything be more humiliating? She’d just proved to everyone here she couldn’t be taken out in polite company.
Failing the ability to vaporize and disappear, she’d have to get herself out of here the normal way. She wouldn’t run, though. That would only draw more attention. Instead, she squared her shoulders and lifted her head and walked at a stately clip toward the exit.
Suddenly, the ballroom seemed as long as a football field. Hell, maybe it was. Across the room, Felice started after her, but Casey shook her head to ward her off. The last thing she needed right now was pity. Worse lay ahead of her. Friedrich, clearly fuming. He’d heard her cursing, obviously. Everyone had. There was still no sign of Kurt. Maybe Ilsa had chased him down again. At least, he wouldn’t have witnessed her humiliation first-hand.
She kept going, her gaze straight in front of her until she’d finally made it to the hallway. When she reached the grand staircase, she took the steps as fast as her feet would carry her. The ball was over. She was outta here.
*
Kurt got through the crowd as quickly as he could and followed Casey out of the ballroom. She’d already disappeared by the time he got there, but she could only be headed toward her rooms. He took the stairs two at a time but didn’t catch her. By the time he got through her sitting room into the bedroom, he was out of breath. She was nowhere in sight, but water ran in the bathroom. After a few seconds, she appeared, scrubbing her face with a washcloth. Her eyes were red. Perhaps from soap or perhaps from tears.
“Ach, Casey,” he said. “I’m sorry.”
She dropped her arms to her sides. “I guess you saw it all.”
He couldn’t deny it. Even the people who hadn’t directly seen her push Vaclav away and heard her profanity had learned about it from others. A lot of tittering and clucking of tongues had followed.
“If it’s any consolation,” he said. “Vaclav truly is an asshole”
“I’ll bet he’s never had someone call him one at the top of her lungs in the middle of a crowded ball before.”
“It wasn’t the top of your lungs,” he said.
“It was pretty loud.” She turned, presenting her back. “Help me out of this dress, will you?”
He went to her and undid the zipper. He’d felt such a thrill to see her in the dress only hours before. She still looked lovely in it. Nothing could truly dim her beauty. But the future that had seemed to shimmer just out of his reach when he’d first seen her in it had dimmed. Then, he’d believed he only needed to convince her to take a chance on a lifetime with him. Now, they had the disaster at the ball to surmount. If he’d thought he could get his father to accept her, that possibility had become decidedly more remote. They had real problems he hadn’t allowed himself to face before.
Burrowing his nose in her hair, he took in the perfume of her shampoo. If he lived to one hundred, he’d never lose the connection of that scent to feelings of belonging and love. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have left you alone.”
“You shouldn’t have to baby-sit your lover to make sure she doesn’t do something colossally stupid,” she said as she stepped out of the gown and draped it over a chair.
“Casey.” He turned her in his arms and kissed her. It seemed so long since he’d simply held her and tasted her lips. Things had been so rushed, so complicated. He tipped his head, fitting his mouth over hers while he put as much love as he possibly could into the caress.
Eventually, she ended the kiss and leaned into his embrace. “I should go home.”
“No.” He tipped her head up so he could gaze into her face. “Why?”
“Why?” she repeated. “Because every day I stay here I make things worse.”
“We’ll work everything out. I’ll make Vaclav apologize to you. That’ll show everyone who caused the trouble.”
“That won’t solve anything. It’ll just get the lurid details out in the open.”
“We’ll take a trip,” he said. “I’ll show you Danislova. The mountains are beautiful. The people will love you.”
“As long as I don’t call any of them assholes.” She rested her head against his chest again. “We’d still have to come home and face your father. What he must think of me.”
“It was a momentary slip. It’ll be forgotten immediately.” God would certainly get him for that lie. Still, he had to do something to avert complete catastrophe.
“But it wasn’t a slip,” she said. “That’s who I am. If some jerk paws me, I’m going to call him an asshole.”
She was right. She didn’t fit the rigid rules of conduct for a member of the royal family. Felice had fit in quickly. What if Casey couldn’t?
He held her without speaking for a bit. He’d wanted her to love his country, but he hadn’t shown her any of it. Only the palace, full of people she didn’t know—one whom had molested her and others who’d judged her. And his father’s incomprehensible and immovable hostility toward her continued. Kurt spent most of his time in New York, where things worked for them, but what would he do if Friedrich never accepted her?
“We haven’t gone fishing,” he said.
“We can do that when you come back to New York. We can go upstate or New England, even Jersey.”
“Yes, I suppose we can.” Well, there, he’d tacitly agreed she should return to the United States. It wouldn’t end things between them, but it was a surrender of sorts…an admission that she couldn’t fit in here.
“You won’t be in Danislova much longer, will you?” she said. “You have work at the UN.”
“Not much longer.” Truly, he had no idea. His father might keep him here in order to separate him from Casey. He might even keep Ilsa around in hopes of a reunion. Long distance relationships did not work. No one he’d known involved in one had ever had a happy ending. If he couldn’t get back to New York fast, they could be in real trouble.
“You see? It’ll all be okay,” she said, although her voice cracked.
“Of course, it will.”
“I’ll go back tomorrow, if I can get a flight.”
“You’ll go in the family jet,” he said. “No argument. It’s the least we can do after bringing you here.”
“All right, and Kurt…”
“What, liebchen?”
She tipped her head back, her blue gaze searching his face. “Make love to me.”
“God, yes.” He took her hand and led her to the bed. For a second or two, she glanced at her gown with a half-smile that said, “if only things had been different.”
This was the last time he’d have her body for some time, and he would not let her be sad. The same for himself, despite the heaviness in his chest. So he smiled at her as he stripped her out of the rest of her clothing and dropped each item to the floor.
“I remember the first time we kissed,” he said.
“In the spare room at Phil’s. The photographer had just left.”
“I wonder if he knew I was fully erect.”
She stepped into his arms, pressing her naked body against him. “Those pants were pretty tight. If the model had gotten a look at you, she might have stuck around.”
Of course, he’d become aroused already, and the soft pressure against his swelling cock could make him more than a little crazy. But this was no time for a quickie.
“I was so glad when I had you alone,” he said. “You hit me with the force of a hurricane or a blow between my eyes. I was dizzy with wanting you.”
She started in on his clothes, removing his jacket and letting it fall to the floor. “And I remember the first time I saw you naked.”
“I was erect then, too.”
“Boy howdy. I thought I must have done something really good for the universe to reward me with a man like you.” She looked up at him with such love in her expression, his heart stopped for a beat. “I had no idea.”
“About my lovemaking?”
“About everything,” she answered. “I do love you.”
“And I love you back. The fact that we’ll be separated for a while won’t change that.” But did he know that, really? What would he do in the mornings without finding her face on the pillow next to his? Without her smile and the first kiss of the day? Coming here had brought them together by taking them away from their jobs and the distractions of the city. Now his father’s ill will, and Vaclav’s ghastly behavior, was driving them apart.
Together, they worked to remove his clothing, and soon each item added to the growing pile. When they got to his briefs, she knelt before them to push them down his legs. He hadn’t even kicked them aside before she grasped his cock at the base and wrapped her lips around the tip.
She knew very well that she could take him apart with her mouth. Other women had done that for him, of course, but none used the exact pressure or rhythm to make him feel as if he’d burst out of his skin. In a moment, she had him throbbing, and he had to gather all of his control not to thrust into her. He was going to make this last, damn it, if it killed him.
Taking her face in his hands, he pulled away. “You’re lethal.”
She was still holding his shaft as she gave him an evil smile. “This is such a fabulous toy.”
“Let’s put it to work making you happy.”
“That’s my guy.”
She rose and went to the bed, and he managed…just barely…not to fall on his face in his hurry to follow her. He kicked his shorts aside and watched her go to the bed to turn down the covers. As she did, she gave him a view of her arse. The image would stay with him through their separation. It would live in his brain for as long as he lived. The perfect heart shape. Female flesh that made his palms itch to touch her. What a miracle he had permission to do exactly that, more or less whenever he wanted.
She crawled into the bed and propped herself up on one elbow to watch him. Instead of snuggling under the covers next to her, he grabbed them and flung them to the bottom of the bed. “No hiding.”
“Caveman.” She grinned at him. “I guess that means we leave the lights on.”
“You bet your ass.”
That made her giggle, a huge improvement from the mood he’d found her in. Now he’d make her coo.
When he lay down beside her, she came to him, offering her precious body and trusting that he’d treat it with the reverence it deserved. He kissed her again, this time with all the passion rising in him, and she answered, taking his mouth hungrily. They both knew these next minutes would have to last until he could join her in New York. The memories they’d create right now would propel him to complete whatever his father had in mind for him and get the hell back to her bed.
By the time he’d finished kissing her, the sound of her breathing surrounded them. Audible proof that she wanted him as much as he did her. He gazed into her eyes for a moment before lowering himself to take one nipple into his mouth and cupping the other breast.
“That is so good,” she whispered. Almost cooing but not quite there…yet. He continued with the other breast, sucking until the tip made a hard point between his lips. This time, he sent his hand exploring, over her ribs and belly. He encountered soft flesh everywhere, perfumed with her fragrance of soap and clean woman.
