The Cinderella Cook-Off (The Feminine Mesquite Book 1)

by Sable Sylvan

  Herbert pulled Alice onto his lap and nuzzled her neck, taking in her scent while he felt her curves in his hands for the first time since the cook-off. There was something that just felt so right about having her on his lap, about holding her and feeling her softness against his firmness.

  Alice tried to get into it, but she couldn’t. She wanted Herbert, so why the heck wouldn’t her heart let her body have its way with Herbert? Why were big red sirens going off, alarm bells clanging her, telling her to stop doing what she wanted to do so, so badly?

  As his lips touched hers, Alice’s head wouldn’t shut up.

  The dream was starting again, but this time, Alice was awake to experience it.

  It played from the beginning, fast forwarding through everything that had gone on that night.

  Their meeting on the balcony. Stealing the food and eating it in the private suite. Him sitting next to her, her pushing his hand down, him pulling her down, her lifting up her skirts, him tying her hands, her lifting her hips so that he could enter her and the glowing and then, the darkness. The commotion.

  Her head wouldn’t let her stop with that. No. It kept replaying the events of the weeks after. The search online to figure out who the heck he was, finding nothing. The nights crying into her pillow, knowing she’d never meet him again. The time she’d finally admitted to her mother what had happened, her mom holding her as she cried and admitted that she’d been stupid to fall in love with someone she’d met for a single night, whose name she didn’t know, who she would never see again.

  Alice pulled away from the kiss and Herbert leaned in, thinking Alice was playing the game, but Alice put her hands on Herbert’s chest.

  “I can’t do this,” said Alice, turning her face from Herbert’s and keeping her hands firmly on his chest. Herbert backed off nearly instantly, and Alice put her hands down.

  “Why?” asked Herbert. “Alice, we can slow down. We don’t have to go that far.”

  “No, I mean, I can’t do this,” said Alice, motioning to him, then, to her. “I…I can’t do this. There’s someone else, Herb. I should’ve told you, but, it’s complicated, and I need to go.”

  “Alice, wait!” said Herbert, but Alice was already at the door. Herbert followed after her as she walked quickly down the halls, barefoot.

  “Allie, please,” said Herbert. “Wait. Just tell me what’s going on.”

  “I can’t,” said Alice. “I can’t, Herb. This is bigger than what we have. I can’t be with anyone. It’s not personal. It’s just…it’s what it is. Not every prince gets his princess, and not every fairy tale has a happy ending.”

  “At least let me get you a car,” said Herb.

  “No, my sister can pick me up,” said Alice, turning to Herb as the elevator doors opened. “Don’t follow me. Don’t do anything. Just…just leave me alone.”

  “I won’t follow you,” said Herb. “But Allie, I’m not going to leave you alone. I’m not giving up on this so quickly.”

  “You should,” said Alice as the door closed before she pressed the close door button and headed down to the lobby.

  Alice realized as she reached the lobby she’d forgotten her flats upstairs, but she’d rather go home than have her sister Addison, who she would call for a ride, go and get her shoes back for her. After all, the last thing she needed was yet another reminder of what had happened on the only magical night of her life, ever. This had all been a mistake: Herb, the contest, the date. She should’ve just given him the sauce, and saved herself the heartbreak of having to break his heart…and hers.

  Chapter Nine

  Three…Two…One.

  Midnight.

  The man’s face was at her neck, and he gave her her New Year’s Eve kiss, the snow falling outside their windows on the masses of people gathered in the New York City streets while the pair made love in the privacy of the hotel room. Alice gasped. This was all too much for her. She felt the tension break, the petals fluttering around the stranger’s shaft.

  As Alice came, she felt the man come inside of her, felt his veins pulse as she was filled with his fluids. But then, something else happened, something that she could see even through the thin silk blindfold. The man’s facial features were hidden from view, but what was going on in front of her eyes couldn’t be blocked by a mere piece of fabric.

  The mark on his chest glowed. The crown glowed, and the light turned from pale white to gold, except on the tips of the crown, where a jewel would be inset, dots of red appeared. She couldn’t help but reach up and touch them. The red dots were raised off his chest and felt like faceted gems were embedded beneath his skin.

  As she finished climaxing around him, the lights flickered and then went out entirely…but not just the light on his chest. The electrical lights in the room went out.

  “What’s going on?” Alice said, pulling off her mask and the pocket square blindfold.

  “I don’t know,” said the man. “Let’s stay put.”

  They heard the door open. The electronic security system must’ve failed because of the power going out.

  “Alice?” called a voice.

  “I’m fine,” said Alice, as she pushed down her skirt and looked for her sneakers. She found one and put it on. Before she could put on the second, there was a hand on her arm.

  “We’ve got to go,” said Stacy. “Come on!”

  “Stacy, wait,” said Alice. “I have to --”

  “There’s no time,” said Stacy. “We’ve got to get out of the building. Whatever it is, it can wait.”

  “Cindy?” called a voice.

  Alice looked around, but it was futile. She couldn’t see well in the dark. Stacy was guiding them by touch, and they were following a crowd out to the emergency exit.

  “Come this way,” said another voice, a female voice. “I can see in the dark. You two obviously can’t. Trust me. I’m a shifter.”

  The stranger took the two of them by the hand and helped them down the emergency exit.

  “Cindy?” called the voice again. “Cindy!”

  It was too late for Alice to do anything. She was already going down the stairs. At least she could find the mystery man online. After all, everyone was online, weren’t they?

  “What were you doing in there anyway?” asked Stacy.

  “I was with a guy,” admitted Alice. “A shifter. Bear shifter.”

  “Really?” asked Stacy.

  “Well, that tattoo thing glowed on his chest, so I’m pretty sure he was a shifter,” said Alice.

  “Glowed?” said the stranger who was leading them down the stairs. “Really?”

  “Yeah, really,” said Alice. “Why would I lie about that?”

  “No, it’s just funny,” said the stranger, keeping a firm hold on them. “That was not a tattoo. That was a mate mark. Mate marks only glow when shifters first claim their fated mates. Who was he?”

  “I don’t know,” admitted Alice. “But I’ll find him again. I’m sure I will. How hard could it be?”

  * * *

  Alice woke up early to drop the gals off at the airport. School was starting. It was time for everyone to go their own way. A neighbor who had a son going into junior year, who was headed to the airport that day, had helped them out by driving with them and taking the luggage, as it’d be too cramped for the gals and their baggage to fit in a single car. There were some tears, but not from Alice. She had to stay strong, but as she drove away from the airport by herself, the floodgates let loose. She had to pull over to cry. Her sisters had taken their luggage with them to college, but Alice’s baggage couldn’t be put down that easily.

  Even at home, as Alice cleaned, she couldn’t get thoughts of Herbert out of her head.

  Had she done the right thing leaving Herb there? She’d never forget the look on his face as the elevators closed. It was like she was watching a light inside of him get snuffed out as she told him not to come after her. But when he promised he’d contact her again, it was like she was watching his p
olar bear come to life. Was he really going to hunt her down? Alice scoffed. Herb could get any girl he wanted, on any continent. The last thing he needed was a curvy Texas gal with emotional baggage.

  The doorbell rang. Alice frowned. She wasn’t expecting any company. Was it her neighbor, coming to check in on her?

  She headed downstairs and opened the front door without checking to see who was there.

  In front of her was a man, tall, broad-shouldered and handsome, holding a bouquet of rather famished looking roses and two full brown paper bags. He looked like he hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep all night.

  “Herb?” said Alice softly.

  “Hey Allie, can I come in?” asked Herb. “I brought doughnuts.”

  “You know how to bribe a girl,” admitted Alice. “Come on.”

  Herb followed Alice into her house. The house was small. Did the Quincy girls really live in houses this small? He’d expected his grandpa’s rival’s kin to have a mansion like one of the ones his family had back home in England, or even one of their manses in Norway. This place was tiny.

  Alice pulled a glass vase off of a shelf and filled it with water. Herb passed her the flowers, and she put them in the vase, which she set on the kitchen table.

  “What’s in the other bag?” asked Alice, pointing to the brown paper bag that was on the counter, as Herb had already set the donuts out on a platter.

  “You left something behind last night,” said Herb. He reached into the bag and pulled out Alice’s flats.

  “I guess I did,” said Alice. “Thanks for bringing them.”

  “No problem,” said Herb, putting the flats back in the bag and leaving them on the counter.

  “You want some coffee?” asked Alice.

  “No, I just want to know what happened last night,” said Herb.

  Alice put the mug she was holding down.

  “You really get straight to the point, don’t you?” said Alice.

  “Hey, I’m a shifter,” said Herb. “I told you, that means I’m a hunter.”

  “And what are you hunting now?” said Alice.

  “The same thing I’ve been hunting for a while,” said Herb. “You.”

  “Me,” said Alice, shaking her head. “Me? Me. I don’t know why I find that so hard to believe.”

  “Because I was a pompous, self-centered jackass who approached you at a law firm on the day of the reading of your grandfather’s will, pursuing an old family rivalry that I have no stake in?” said Herb. “That’s just my guess.”

  “No, although hearing you say that is a relief,” said Alice. “I thought you hated me.”

  “I did,” said Herb. “At least, I thought I did. What I really hated was─”

  “The way I made you feel?” asked Alice. “I know the feeling.”

  “Exactly,” said Herb. “Allie, the reason I pursued you, I have to admit, was based on lust at first. You’ve got gorgeous curves, and you know how to use them. But over time, I got to know a woman who was just as fiery and saucy as her grandfather’s secret sauce. You’re a fierce competitor who doesn’t back down. If I didn’t know better, I’d guess that you were part shifter.”

  “And I thought you were a stuck-up jackass, but I saw the effort you put in at the county fair,” said Alice. “I honestly thought that you’d hire help to win the competition for you, but Herb…you don’t let others fight your fights for you, do you?”

  “No way, no how,” said Herb. “There are still things we don’t know about each other, but if you tell me about what’s going on, maybe I can help you. You said there’s someone else? You have a boyfriend, fiancé, husband? You need me to beat him up for you, make him disappear?”

  “No, nothing like that,” said Alice with a sigh. “Come on, let’s go upstairs, to my room. It’ll be easier for me to talk about this if I am doing something with my hands.”

  Alice led Herb up the stairs to her room, which was still a mess.

  “Sit on the bed,” said Alice. “Sorry I don’t have something nicer for you to sit on.”

  “Bed’s fine,” said Herb. “I’m all ears, whenever you want to start.”

  “Give me a few,” said Alice. She went back to sorting the envelopes on her desk. Bills, bills, and more bills. There were so many frikkin’ bills.

  She dusted the bookshelf, put away some laundry, and Herb sat there watching Alice work.

  “Do you want some help?” asked Herb.

  “No, I’m fine,” said Alice. “I prefer to do things myself. I guess we have this in common.”

  Alice sat next to Herb.

  “I guess…it’s easier if I start at the beginning,” said Alice. “I’m twenty-three, and I graduated college this past May. Pop-Pop, my grandpa, passed in July. I went to college in-state, but, and I don’t know how things are over in Europe, in the USA, a lot of kids travel for school. One of my friends was a curvy gal like me, a girl named Stacy. Her parents worked in New England as bankers, so she had gone to school in a big city.”

  “So far, I follow,” said Herb.

  “Well, her parents were rich, and mine, they did okay, but they weren’t as wealthy as hers. So, Stacy invited me to see her world. I stayed at her house for winter break my junior year,” said Alice. “And one night we went to a party.”

  Herbert stiffened. A party? He did the math in his head. There was no way. Could it be? Really? Fate…it had to be Fate…or a sick trick Fate was playing on him.

  “A party?” asked Herbert softly.

  “That’s right,” said Alice. “A party. I met a shifter there, a bear shifter. We sat on the balcony and talked, and then, went to sit in a room to talk, in private. We made love. His chest glowed and there was a blackout. It’s so stupid. Everyone was freaking out, and we were dragged out of the room by strangers. I even lost one of my shoes.”

  “What kinda shoe?” asked Herbert.

  “Y’know, I actually kept it,” said Alice. “Give me a second.”

  Alice walked over to her closet and riffled through her things until she found it. It was a ratty sneaker that had originally been brown but which was now a mix of brown, black, and gray. She carried it over.

  “This is the shoe I didn’t lose, can you believe it?” asked Alice. “I kept the stupid shoe, in case anyone returned the other. I didn’t know the shifter’s name, and we never were able to reconnect. I learned that the glowing marks signaled that I was the shifter’s fated mate. But if I was the shifter’s fated mate, how come Fate didn’t bring us back together? I looked for months and never found him. The stupid thing is, I felt a connection with him, a connection I can’t explain, more powerful than anything I’d felt with anyone before. I know it’s dumb, but, I think it was true love, and it slipped out of my fingers. I’m not over losing him, and that’s why you and I…we can’t date.”

  “I know, you’re right, you shouldn’t date anyone but him,” said Herbert.

  Alice did a double take. “Really?”

  “Really,” said Herbert. “Believe it or not, I know that same feeling.”

  “You lost a special someone too?” asked Alice.

  “Yes, in fact, I did,” said Herbert. “Here, lemme show you something.”

  While Herbert went through his phone, he kept talking.

  “You see, I travel a lot,” said Herbert. “Even in college, I was able to travel everywhere.”

  “Lucky,” said Alice.

  “Yes, I’m very fortunate,” said Herbert. “I have done everything I’ve ever wanted to do. I’ve been to Carnival in Rio and Venice. I’ve seen the Great Wall. Heck, I’ve gone scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef. However, nothing is as beautiful as New York City on New Year’s Eve.”

  “Herb─” started Alice.

  “On New Year’s Eve in New York City, it feels like anything can happen,” said Herbert. “After all, everyone needs someone to kiss when midnight strikes. I met the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen at a masquerade party. It wasn’t a good party, but it was the best
party I’d ever been to because that’s where I met her. We made love, and we blossomed together as the clock struck midnight. My mark, the mark on my chest…it glowed.”

  Herbert took off his shirt and revealed his mate mark to Alice.

  On Herbert’s chest was something Alice never thought she would’ve ever seen again, the mate mark that had glowed on the chest of the fox-faced man on that fated night. It was a golden crown, dotted with red gemstones that were raised from the skin. Alice couldn’t help but reach out and touch it again as tears streamed down her face. Had it really been Herb the whole time?

  “When a shifter’s mate mark glows it means they’ve found their fated mate,” said Herbert. “My mark had never glowed before that night, and it would never have glowed afterward with anyone else but you. After all, why would I try to find anyone else, now that I’d found my fated mate? But, before I could get her name, the lights went out, we were scattered, and all that was left in the room was her ratty sneaker.”

  Herbert showed Alice his phone. What she saw struck her to her core.

  There was the missing shoe. It was encased in a glass box on a fancy hardwood table topped with green felt.

  “I kept the shoe, and gave pictures of it to private detectives in America so they could track down this girl,” said Herbert. “After all, what was more important to hunt than my fated mate? I couldn’t find her, even though I’d tried, so I was willing to throw an ungodly sum into the universe because finding her would be more precious than anything in my collection.”

  “And what were you going to do when you found her?” asked Alice, the tears still streaming down her face.

  “I’d have her sit down,” said Herbert. “And I’d take the missing shoe, and slip it onto her foot.”

  Herbert got down on his knees and took the shoe from Alice. He slipped off Alice’s slippers and carefully untied the shoe, before putting Alice’s foot in the shoe and relacing it. He looked up at Alice, who was feeling the same joy he felt because finally, they’d found each other again.