I look around, only ever expecting to see Krystal, but she’s not here.
Not yet.
There’s the boring, bland meal which is followed by the equally bland speeches.
Once again I notice how obvious it is I’m being ignored, despite plenty of glances and nods from the people I know will be voting in a day’s time.
It’s like having teeth pulled, but finally, there’s the announcement that the ball will begin in a half hour sharp.
I make the silent promise to myself that if Krystal’s a no show at the ball, then dad and I are going for a little drive.
Have a little talk.
Election be damned.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Krystal
I’ve never driven so carefully. All the way home it feels like the slightest bump or pothole is going to undo everything.
The confident feeling I had at the salon is gradually being replaced by nervous energy rippling across my insides every time I think about James, the masked ball, or my dad.
Trouble is, I have all three racing through my brain and I have a few more hours to kill before I even attempt to try out my newfound disguise-ability.
Once I make it home and realize I won’t crack or melt if I move, I want to relax but the flashing light of the answering machine on my office desk sets my insides spinning all over again.
“Honey, it’s me. I hope you’re just napping or something… Look, I meant what I said about tonight but I’ll make it up to you I promise… Once the election’s done and dusted we can go away for a few weeks, just you and me, okay…?”
There’s a long pause and I’m waiting for dad’s apology, but it doesn’t come.
What’s gotten into him? This is so unlike him it’s almost scary.
“…Well, I guess I’ll see you at home after the… If you’re still up I’ll see you when I get home,” he says firmly before hanging up.
I’d normally feel like crying all over again, but makeup or not, I just can’t anymore.
It’s not worth crying over. I’m an adult now, making grown-up decisions and strangely enough, it’s my dad who’s acting like the spoilt child.
If anything, hearing his message has only made me more determined to not just go to James, but to go to the masked ball and maybe even really enjoy myself for the first time in my life.
Luckily I can slide into my gown feet first so I don’t have to risk upsetting my hair or face. The whole mask thing can wait until I get there, and so can my nerves.
Pacing the house and waiting for Ball o’clock isn’t gonna work either, so with some time to kill I decide to drive around town for a while and convince myself again that I’m doing the right thing.
The streets are empty, but not everyone is at the dinner and ball. Plenty of folks in the area couldn’t care less, so there are loads of houses lit up with people doing what they do every other day.
I find myself gravitating towards James’ place. Switching off the motor and even going to his front door, which makes my heart beat a thousand times faster once I realize it’s unlocked.
Oops, how did that happen?
Before I know it I’m flicking on the lights in his office, and then his bedroom.
His bed looks like it’s never been slept in and all his clothes are laid out as if he’s just unpacked.
The whole place smells of his cologne, of him and I find my own temperature rising in time with my heartbeat as I start to touch his clothes, his things.
Feeling the man through his things, shivering as I bring one of his shirts close enough to smell without covering it in makeup.
He’s not here though, and probably just as well. A part of me wishes he would suddenly turn up, catch me snooping, and then have to punish me somehow.
He could walk in suddenly, catching me pleasuring myself with a pair of his boxers before commanding me to finish myself off in his mouth.
But I know it’s not that simple either. I have to go to the Ball, hope my disguise works and find him.
I have to show him my outfit and hopefully have his satisfaction as my reward for doing as he’s asked by being there in this outfit.
The Town Hall’s parking lot is full and so are most of the streets surrounding it, but I spot a car leaving and manage to pull up behind a large tree that gives me some extra cover.
I don’t know why, but it feels like all the windows of the building are eyes, that my dad’s gonna leap out of the shadows at any moment and expose me as the worst daughter ever for disobeying him.
But nothing like that does happen.
Clutching my gloves and mask, I move around the side of the building, knowing I can get a good view of what’s going on without actually having to go into the dining area.
It looks like the dinner is wrapping up, and my heart stops when I see my dad giving one of his longwinded speeches, looking right at the window I’m peering through for a moment.
But he can’t possibly see me outside, there’s too much light inside.
Gathering up some more courage, I lean in closer, scanning the room and looking for James.
I can’t see him.
A wave of panic ripples through me as I boldly press my face against the window now, needing to see James in there.
He’s running for Mayor and yet I can’t see him at the main table with all the others including my dad.
I feel something drop in the pit of my stomach, certain something terrible’s happened to James and my mind starts to race with the most insane possibilities.
Everyone is suddenly clapping and then they all get up to leave the dining hall.
Looks like the dinner is over and the Ball will be starting soon, but where the heck is James?
I move from window to window, watching everyone filing out into other parts of the building, but no James.
A few hundred people I’m guessing and he’s not the hardest person to spot in any crowd, easily standing six inches higher than most people.
I can hear some branches being crushed under me as I scramble for a better look when a sudden beam of blinding light is reflected back into my eyes from the window.
“Alright, easy does it. Step out of the bushes, miss…”
I freeze on the spot, realizing that even without my mask or gloves on I’m not entirely invisible.
Before I can even think about it, I’ve slipped my mask over my face in a desperate attempt to maintain some anonymity.
“C’mon miss, back it up out of the shrubs.”
I turn to try and see, but that damned light.
The voice is familiar, one of the Town Hall’s security team who also doubles as a janitor when there’s nothing happening.
I stumble out of what I now realize is a juniper bush, towards the light.
“Bit too much wine at dinner?” he asks with a chuckle before I see his outstretched hand offering to help me back onto the path.
He pulls me from the bushes onto the path, but also a little too close to his own body for my liking.
I feel my chest pressing against him and he makes a low sound as I try to pull away.
“Now, now. Don’t resist or I might have to call the sheriff,” he sneers, and I catch the smell of liquor on his breath, which makes me start to panic until I hear another familiar voice.
“I’ll take it from here,” The deep, smoky voice says with complete authority, the guard drops my wrist straight away and steps back.
James!
“I was just…” The guard stammers as James’ shadow falls long and tall over him as he moves forward.
“You were just apologizing before disappearing out of my sight,” James says with strained anger in his voice, holding his hand out for me, which I rush to clutch hold of with both of mine.
Like finding a life raft after falling overboard.
James.
Like anyone who receives a direct order from James, the guard does as he’s told and disappears swiftly, not wanting to get anywhere nearer me or J
ames for the rest of the evening, I’m sure.
Once he’s gone. I grab hold of James, throwing both my arms around his waist, and hug him tight as I feel his huge arms envelop me, one of his hands moving to stroke my hair before he thinks better of it.
Instead, he lifts my chin with his thumb and forefinger, looking into my eyes with his own full of concern.
“Just tell me you’re alright,” he says and I nod once before I feel his whole mouth over mine.
Warm, wet, and with such pressure and intensity it feels like everything my first kiss should be.
My own mouth opens, but James is a gentleman, only proving how much he cares and just how much he’s waited to do this.
I hear myself moan softly and my knees feel weak as I lean into him fully, running one hand down his front and feeling his chest and abs flexing through his tuxedo before I hook both hands around his waist again as I press myself against him.
We stand there for a while, just him holding me, his strong heartbeat mirroring my own.
Neither of us saying anything because we don’t have to anymore. We both know how it’s going to be but at the same time, it’s exciting because we don’t really know either.
We just both know and feel that we’ve finally found each other. We’ve made our first step towards being whole for the first time.
I shiver with a mix of cold and excitement and feel his huge warm hands run down my shoulders as I look up at him again.
“It is you, isn’t it Krystal?” he jokes, and I punch him softly in the chest before lifting up my mask for him to see.
“It’s me,” I tell him, trying not to cry as I give a little laugh, so happy and full of so many other emotions all at once I don’t know how I feel, except I love it.
I love him, and I want to tell him.
Maybe too soon for that Krystal, don’t scare him off for God’s sake!
“Do you wanna get out of here?” James asks, putting both his hands over mine and leaning down to kiss them gently.
“No,” I hear myself tell him, “Let’s go to the ball, and have some fun.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
James
Just when I think she’s a no show, when my mind almost convinces me her old man has something more sinister going on than just giving me a crummy table, I see her.
Or rather, I feel her first.
The weird thing with Krystal, I’m thinking about her non-stop but whenever she’s close by… It’s kinda hard to explain, but I can just feel her.
Like I can feel my hands or feet if I really try. I can feel her just the same way.
Sense her.
Although this time I almost laugh out loud, she’s in a bush outside with her face damn near pressed right up against the glass.
I know who she’s looking for too, and I feel my heart go because of it.
Because of her.
While everyone else is making their way to either change into their masked ball costume or to just grab another drink from the pop-up bar, I make my way past the crowd and head outside.
Looks like security has beaten me to her, but once I get the vibe from the guy I feel my back going up and I step in, taking over.
Taking charge of her, protecting her like I’ve sworn to.
And I will continue to do from this day forward.
She’s okay, a little shaken but okay.
I don’t feel any hesitation anymore and I do what I should have done the minute I first laid eyes on her in person.
I kiss her.
It’s a tender, passionate kiss that I hope tells her how I feel about her.
If her kissing me back is anything to go by, I think we’re both safely home now.
We’ve found each other for good and I don’t want her apart from me for another moment in this life from now on.
I’m all for getting out of here, heading back to my place, and doing what we both feel should come naturally, but she wants to stay.
So we’ll stay.
I’d recognize her anywhere, but seeing her in the outfit I had made, with her mask and those sexy gloves once she stretches them over her arms and hands, it’s like see-through gift wrap I just wanna tear off her.
“You look beautiful,” I tell her, stopping before we head inside and take another opportunity to kiss her again.
I can feel my own arousal taking over, and her chest against my body tells me she’s getting just as worked up as I am.
“Do you think anyone will recognize me?” she asks, shuddering as she claws lightly at my jacket, straightening up my bowtie as I wipe a smudge of lipstick from her mouth.
“Only one way to find out,” I tell her but those words have the opposite effect.
She recoils from the door, looking like she’s suddenly changed her mind.
“When I look at you, Krystal, all I see is you. Not what’s on the outside, not what you’re wearing,” I confess.
“I see something so beautiful all I want to do is…” My hands give her the idea as they grip her fine ass and pull her front right up against me, my hard on pressing into her belly and making us both groan softly.
I know she’s worried about being spotted by her dad, or by anyone who might give her up, but I need her to know that no matter what happens, I’m here for her now.
“You belong to me now, Krystal. Nothing bad’s ever gonna happen to you. Not tonight and not ever, understand?” I ask her, relieved when she nods and smiles.
“Mine,” I whisper softly in her ear before I kiss it gently, and taking her hand in mine I walk us both up to the main entrance, my eyes adjusting to the brightness of the lights compared to the darkness of the grounds around the side of the Town Hall.
There are a lot of people mingling around the bar, with only a few making their way into the ballroom.
No sign of Mayor Newland yet, but as we make our way into the Ballroom, I shield Krystal with my body a little when someone lurches in front of us.
She looks like… I dunno. Is it part of her costume? I thought it was a masked ball, not a circus.
“Mr. Silver fox,” she slurs, her glassy eyes rolling back in her head slightly as she stumbles forward and then back a few steps, somehow balancing on six-inch heels.
“I think you owe me a dance,” she finally manages to say before quietly belching into the back of her hand.
I can feel Krystal tensing up next to me and I give her a gentle, reassuring squeeze.
The woman’s all hair and chest, with a waist that looks like her belt could cut in two if she did it up another notch.
I feel myself making a face, my head shaking from side to side out of reflex, but Boozed-up Barbie isn’t taking no for an answer and she lunges for me once more.
It’s at that moment I spot Mayor Newland coming down the stairs, and quickly point him out to the woman who I can’t get away from fast enough.
“I heard Mayor Newland say you were his date. I don’t want to get in any trouble,” I lie to her, spinning her on her heel and gently pushing her towards Mayor Newland while Krystal and I slip into the ballroom.
I fish in my own pocket for my mask, which I slip over my eyes, challenging Krystal to not lose sight of me in such a heavy disguise.
“Don’t even joke about it,” she says, clutching me tighter but relaxing once I lead us both out onto the dance floor, a slow number striking up from the MC to start with.
I don’t take notice of anyone else except Krystal. And, I hate to say it, her terrible dancing.
I’m no expert, but it only takes a few moments for us both to realize that ballroom dancing isn’t and probably never has been a thing in Woods End.
“Sorry,” she murmurs, and then again. And again.
Each step of her feet on mine makes me smile though, and by way of compromise, and given the length of her gown, I suggest in her ear that she just rest her feet on top of mine.
It takes her a minute to get used to balancing on the balls of her feet on top of mine, but not long afte
r we look like the best dancers in the building.
Not surprisingly, once the song finishes, there’s a fair bit of applause and I feel Krystal tensing up all over again as we become the focal point of the whole ballroom.
“Well, well. A man of many surprises,” Mayor Newland drawls, clapping a firm hand on my shoulder and trying to turn me around but failing.
I turn my head, only long enough to glance at his hand which he quickly removes.
“You dance very well too, Miss?” he asks, taking Krystal’s gloved hand before kissing it.
I wait for her to say something, but her eyes are wide with a mixture of fear and astonishment.
“Karla’s from out of town,” I finally suggest, inventing a new persona for her on the spot.
“Doesn’t really speak English,” I continue, watching Krystal nod slightly, smiling nervously and pretending to not understand anything perfectly.
“Well, that’s alright,” her dad says, moving to put his arm around her waist.
“We can have plenty to not talk about while we both have the next dance-”
But it’s my turn to have a hand on his shoulder.
“Uh, Mayor Newland. Karla’s with me. Tonight, the next dance and every dance after that, understand?”
His eyes widen in surprise and he raises both hands in cheerful surrender, “Okay, okay. Sorry James. Just trying to be a friendly local,” he says, finally shrugging to Krystal and moving away from us, being latched onto straight away by the blond drunk we just got rid of.
“You okay?” I ask Krystal once we move away from the dance floor, nearer the exit where it’s quiet.
She gives a nod but I can tell she’s upset and not just from being a terrible dancer.
“Can we go?” she whimpers, her lower lip starting to tremble and a silver streak of a tear forming in one of her clear blue eyes under her mask.
“I thought you’d never ask,” I tell her, relieved and gripping her by the waist, I lead us both outside as I hear the next song startup inside. Louder than before and making us both feel the instant relief of the cool night air.
Electing For her Curves: An Instalove Possessive Age Gap Romance Page 7