Chapter 12 –Cinderella

Faeryn

The alcohol had sufficiently loosened my inhibitions. I gathered the bottom of the gown I was currently wearing, so that I wouldn't trip over the hem, and sauntered over to him. I asked daringly, "Do you like what you see?"

From my peripheral vision, I saw Catelyn's mouth drop open.

"Very much," he purred, in his deep, gravelly I-want-to-sex-you-up tone, meeting my challenge head on.

Heat wound through my body, but shockingly I still felt in control. It must have been the alcohol. I grinned, "Excellent." And then spun on my heels to go try on the next dress. As I changed, I wondered how long he would stay.

When I emerged, I noticed he was still there, but he hadn't just captured my attention. I watched him stand when Marie-Claude approached him, and kiss the back of her hand. Even from halfway across the room, her reaction to him was obvious in her flushed skin and bright expression. If his body language was any indicator, he was clearly enjoying her infatuation as well. I recognized his sly smile and he held her hand a touch too long, in my opinion. I frowned.

Without warning, some sort of defensive mechanism in my head automatically snapped into place, effectively locking down my emotions. I gasped in surprise. I wasn't exactly sure, but it felt like a mental barrier, and instinctually, I tucked my irritation and jealousy behind it. Whatever it was, I was hugely thankful for it. I was determined not to make a fool out of myself again. The last thing I needed for him to see was me acting like a jealous twit. He had already made it perfectly clear that his intention toward me did not surpass simply student/teacher. Still, it didn't quite alleviate my ever-increasing desire to claw her eyes out.

Quite suddenly, Gwion's head snapped toward me. His eyes narrowed and he seemed to study me intently. I wondered what he was looking for. I threw him a cheerful fake smile, and then spun around to ignore him completely, making my way over to Catelyn who had just emerged in another gown.

Her eyebrows rose at the slightly sour expression on my face. I shook my head minutely indicating I didn't want to talk about it. I glanced down and snatched up my champagne from the side table. There was just a little bit left in the glass. I tossed it back, finishing it completely, curious to see if Hottie Employee showed back up. I could really use some positive male reinforcement attention right now. Right on cue, he was by my side with another full glass.

I giggled, "How do you do that?"

"Do what?" he grinned.

"Always know the exact moment I need another drink," I giggled again.

"That's easy. I never let you out of my sight. It's days like these that I love my job. I get paid to satisfy the most beautiful girl in the world," he teased, the intensity of his gaze bordering on scorching hot.

Oh my!

I asked breathily, "What is your name?"

"Daniel," he answered, his blue eyes sparkling.

I replied, "I'm Faeryn."

He smirked, "I know."

I giggled. Of course he knew.

Shit, I was doing a lot of giggling. I knew the alcohol was affecting me, but right now I just didn't care. His positive male reinforcement was working beautifully. I tipped my glass toward him and purred suggestively, "Thank you Daniel, for satisfying me."

"Absolutely any time," he replied huskily and winked again before walking away. It was clear his offer of satisfaction extended well beyond his ability to hand me a drink.

Catelyn had listened to our exchange silently. I moved to walk past her, back to the dressing room, when she whispered urgently, "Faeryn..."

I looked at her in confusion. And then realized she was staring over my shoulder again. I turned to find Gwion watching me, his countenance clearly angry. I inhaled sharply, startled by his fearsome expression, but then recovered, irritation washing over me. How dare he look at me like I was doing something wrong? Particularly after he seemed to find immense pleasure in Marie-Claude's feminine charms!

I wasn't going to give into his foolishness. I would not let myself react to him. Instead, I turned and walked into the dressing room so I could finish what he sent me here to do.

No sooner had I slipped out of the gown and stepped into the next one did both the attendants scatter out of the dressing room. I looked up in surprise in the mirror, to find Gwion standing right behind me!

"What the fuck are you doing?" I snapped in shock. I clutched the dress to my chest, thankful that I had gotten it that far before his unexpected entrance.

He reached for the back zipper, and closed it so that I wouldn't have to hold it up. Well that was certainly better, but it still didn't explain his ridiculous behavior.

"Why are you blocking me?" he demanded.

Blocking him?

What the hell was he talking about?

I turned to face him and stammered in confusion, "I'm sorry, what?"

"You are blocking me. You've locked me out of your emotions. And I want to know why," he insisted.

His words caused a slowly dawning awareness to hit me. I asked incredulously, "You can sense my emotions?!"

"Of course I can," he hissed, as if that point was entirely irrelevant. Which it entirely wasn't.

Fury rolled through me and I shot back, "How dare you eavesdrop on how I am feeling?! You have made the boundaries of our relationship perfectly clear! My emotions are none of your damn business!"

He disagreed heatedly, "Your emotions are certainly my business, particularly when it comes to your safety and well-being!"

My well-being?

What did he mean by that?

I knew he cared about my education, and I guess my safety would make sense, but since when had he ever been bothered with my well-being? I had no idea how to respond.

He read the confusion in my eyes. His expression softened as he took a step forward, eliminating the space between us. His fingertips came up to lightly stroke my cheek as he murmured, "Your well-being...your happiness...is very important to me."

I trembled at his closeness and the intensity in his dark liquid eyes, losing my grip on my newfound defense mechanism. I felt it slip a little.

"That's it...let me in," he encouraged me softly.

Well, if there was any doubt before, it was clear now he obviously had an inside track to what was going on in my head. But I still wasn't sure if I wanted him to.

Without waiting for my answer, he murmured softly, "She means nothing to me."

I stared at him with wide eyes. He knew. I guess I hadn't covered up my irritation and jealousy as well as I thought I had. I looked away in embarrassment and muttered shortly, "You don't owe me an explanation."

"I'm not telling you because I think I owe you. I am telling you because I want you to know where you stand with me. I want you to know how important you are to me," he replied gently.

I was stunned. His words certainly did not sound like the normal student/teacher relationship. I searched his expression for any hint of insincerity. I found none.

His left hand found my hip, keeping me close to his body, as he leaned down and whispered in my ear, "Let it go. I promise your emotions are safe with me."

I trembled from head to toe.

I couldn't resist him, and let the barrier drop away.

"Good girl," he murmured approvingly as he backed a step away. He glanced down at the dress I was wearing. "You truly are striking. This one is quite lovely, but I would like to see the others."

"You want me to model them for you?" I asked in surprise.

"Oh, yes," he replied, his voice dropping into the one that curled my toes, every time he used it.

Heat shot through my belly in response. I held a finger in the air and waited until I could speak without panting. And then demanded sternly, "Okay, I'll keep my emotions available, but you have to stop using that tone of voice."

He smirked, "What tone of voice?"

"Oh, don't play innocent with me. You know exactly what tone I am referring to. The 'sex-me-up-sex-me-down' one...that one."

"Get changed," he laughed and kissed me lightly on the forehead, before leaving the dressing room.

I stared at his retreating back. It hadn't missed my attention that he, in no way, agreed to my request.

Almost immediately, Rachel and Amanda, my two attendants, rejoined me. Both of them discreetly ignored Gwion's surprise visit, but I could tell they were a little awed by him.

I bit my lip and stared at my remaining options. They were pretty, but none of them were quite perfect. Seeing my look of indecision, Rachel murmured. "I might know just the right one." She disappeared.

I waited for her curiously and then gasped when I saw her reappear with the most beautiful dress I had ever seen. It had several different fabrics in coral and fiery orange hues, and black tulle, that billowed out from the tight fitting sleeveless bodice, adorned with black embroidery.

I decided I would try that one on last, slipping into a pretty pink chiffon number instead. I made my way out of the dressing room. Gwion was reclined on the couch with Reuben.

It appeared that I had his captive attention once again. If I were being honest, it appeared that every person's attention in the room was 100% focused on the interaction between Gwion and me. I guess they had all noticed his visit to my dressing room. And I realized with a slight blush that all of the vampires would have been able to hear our conversation easily.

To alleviate my brief moment of embarrassment, I spun theatrically and grinned. "This one reminds me of the fairy godmother in Cinderella."

He chuckled, "Fairy godmother?"

I rolled my eyes. How could he not know basic fairytales? I explained, "You know, the one where the wicked stepmother and stepsisters keep Cinderella from going to the ball, but her fairy godmother shows up with her trusty wand."

I tapped into the now very familiar vibration in my body as I snapped my fingers, causing a wand to appear in my hand.

Several people gasped, clearly not expecting the illusion.

Gwion nodded in approval.

I waved the wand in the air, and then pointed it toward an empty corner in the room, making a pumpkin magically appear. "So the fairy godmother turned an ordinary pumpkin into a royal carriage," I continued to explain. I twirled the wand and immediately a full-size carriage took the place of the pumpkin.

There were more loud gasps in the room.

I finished with a flourish, "She went on to transform Cinderella's dress into a stunning ball gown and even changed the mice into carriage foot men for the evening."

"I see. It is a lovely tale," Gwion chuckled.

I grinned, letting the wand and carriage disappear, as I returned to the dressing room. I tried on two more dresses, laughing and joking with Catelyn, while Gwion looked on and occasionally talked with Reuben. As I slipped into the last dress, by far my favorite, I was intensely curious what Gwion would think. It lifted my breasts provocatively and clung to my waist and hips, before flaring out and pooling at the floor.

I stepped out and was immediately irritated again. Marie-Claude had taken it upon herself to sit next to him on the couch. I knew I shouldn't overthink it. She did own the store, and was probably discussing business with Gwion. However, I doubted it, considering the way she leaned forward, giving him a better view of her cleavage.

He looked over to me, and his countenance changed instantly. Very slowly, his eyes traveled up and down my body, drinking in my features. There was no mistaking his noticeable appreciation. Marie Claude was animatedly speaking to him, but it was clear he was no longer listening to her. I wondered if he even remembered she was in the room, with the way his eyes were trained on me. He stood to his feet, leaving Marie-Claude obviously flustered, and walked over to me.

Adrenaline slammed through my veins at his approach.

When he reached me, he drew a line with his fingertips along my revealed collarbone. Flashes of heat sparked along my skin wherever he touched. He coiled one arm around my waist, pulled me flush to his chest and leaned down. My heart pounded as I wondered if he was going to kiss me. Instead, his mouth moved to my ear and he growled low, "This is the one."

There was that damned sexy tone of voice again.

Fire seemed to spiral out of my core and shimmer along my skin.

"Yes," I answered a little shakily.

He stepped back and I desperately hoped I wasn't going to fall over. I quickly grabbed my glass of champagne, finishing it in an effort to cool myself down. From my peripheral vision I saw Daniel, the gorgeous staff member with the unending supply of champagne, appear and make his way over to me.

Oh shit.

Gwion must have noticed him as well, because he took possessive hold of me around my waist, and pulled me tight against his body as he turned toward Daniel. Gwion didn't utter a word, but the feral expression in his suddenly crimson eyes must have been enough for Daniel to get the message. He halted in his tracks and backed away.

Gwion turned back to me and said softly, "Let's go home."