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

by Sable Sylvan

“Well, hello princess,” said Herbert. “After all, if the shoe fits…”

  Chapter Ten

  “Herbert, I can’t believe that I was so blind,” said Alice. “I didn’t realize it was you. How could it be any more obvious?”

  “None of that matters anymore,” said Herbert. “We’re together, Alice, and nothing, and I mean nothing, will tear us apart…not even us.”

  Herbert sat on the bed next to Alice. Her room was plainer than the New York hotel where they’d last sat together, but this time, they weren’t masked by fancy masks or fancy clothes. No, they were together and ready to bare their souls and bodies to one another.

  Herbert pulled Alice close, and Alice leaned into the kiss. She had wanted this so badly, to kiss Herbert, as well as to kiss the man from that party, and now, both of her wishes were coming true at once. She no longer needed to feel guilty. She knew that Herbert was truly the one for her.

  Herbert pulled Alice onto his lap and felt her curves. The polar in him roared. After all, he was a bear, not a monster. How could he resist celebrating this happy ending?

  Alice held onto Herbert’s shoulders and kissed him. His body was so strong, so firm, so muscular, and at the same time, so familiar. She had missed this body for years, and now that she had it back, she wasn’t about to ever leave its embrace.

  “Do you want to─” started Herbert.

  “Yes,” said Alice. “Ever since you showed me that picture. Ever since the date. Ever since…embarrassingly too long.”

  “Then it’d be awfully impolite to keep you waiting,” said Herbert. He quickly rotated Alice so she was on her back on the bed and Herbert was above her, knee between her legs, just like that fateful night.

  Alice slipped out of her shirt while Herbert dealt with her jeans. She stood up to kick off her jeans while Herbert took of his pants and they finally got to work. Both were ready and wanting.

  Herbert entered Alice suddenly and filled her fully. She was so tight and wet and wanting, just as he’d remembered, just as he’d imagined on many a lonely night with only his hand for company.

  Alice’s body took Herbert’s meatiness with ease, relaxing and letting more of him slide into her body. They were becoming one.

  Alice reached up to touch Herbert’s chest. It was a mark that she had seen so many times in her dreams, but even in her dreams, it had been shrouded from her by the silk pocket square.

  The mark was white, with a curved base, straight sides, triangular spikes on the top, and the spikes were topped with circles. It was the mark that Alice had seen that night when it had glowed, but it was all white, with no hints of gold or red.

  “It’s like how I imagined it,” said Alice. “Well, nearly.”

  “I guess it’s a good thing you don’t have to imagine it,” said Herbert. “I imagined your face, but nothing I imagined could live up to the real thing.” Herbert ran a hand down Alice’s face, to her neck, and he tipped her chin up and to the side so that he could kiss the neck he had missed so much.

  “Oh, yeah, baby, just like that,” said Alice, pulling Herbert closer as she hiked her legs more fully around his thick, muscular waist. His hips were pumping into her as if they were just two primal beings with one goal: to mate.

  “You have no idea just how badly I’ve needed you,” said Herbert. “You have no clue what I’ve fantasized about doing to you.”

  “Show me,” dared Alice.

  Herbert didn’t need to be told twice.

  Herbert turned Alice over, so she was on her knees and entered her, filling her from an angle that enabled him to get even deeper into his fated mate. Alice gasped as Herbert hit her special spot over and over. His cock was so thick that it didn’t hurt much, his helmet-shaped bell-end rubbing against her hard as if he was using his fingers. Herbert’s fingers were digging into her hips, and then, one hand moved up, holding her by the shoulder. One hand on her hips, one on her shoulder, Alice knew what Herbert was doing. He was doing what he had started to do that one New Year’s Eve that felt like it had happened both yesterday and a decade ago. He was claiming her, although he already had, so long ago. Just the thought of the pain she’d felt, the heartache of missing him, brought a tear to Alice’s eyes, and soon she was sobbing.

  Herbert pulled out and turned Alice over.

  “Baby, what’s wrong?” asked Herbert. “Did I hurt you?”

  “No, it’s just…this is all I ever imagined,” said Alice. “Ever since that night, I have only had two kinds of dreams. One is a dream of what we did that night, every second from the moment we met until the moment we were separated. The other, well, they’re fantasies about what we could do.”

  “So why are you crying?” asked Herbert.

  “Because I don’t have to dream about it anymore,” said Alice. “I’m so happy we’re together, Herbert. You’re making all my dreams come true. Keep going. Don’t stop.”

  Herbert reentered Alice. Had Alice really had the same dreams he’d had, dreams of what they had done together, what they could have done together? Well, it was time for him to make two peoples’ dreams come true.

  Herbert pulled Alice close and entered her deeply, but he moved his hands up from her hips to pin her wrists down, on either side of her pillow, holding her down so that the firm thrusts of his hips wouldn’t knock her up and down and off the bed. He leaned in close, scenting his mate’s pheromones. She was telling the truth. These weren’t tears of sadness. They were tears of joy. He could smell her ecstasy along with her arousal.

  Herbert kissed the dew drops from Alice’s cheeks and pressed her wrists down hard. He kept his forehead against hers as he entered her, looking deep into her eyes, to see exactly what he could do to make her come. He watched her eyes for any sign of arousal or boredom, hunting the first and fleeing the second.

  Herbert broke his gaze, moving his lips to Alice’s left wrist and giving her a trail of kisses down her arms, tasting the underside of her curvy forearms and upper arms, moving to her shoulders and leaving those special soft curves smooches of their own, before moving across her ample bosom, leaving small kisses before moving up to the other wrist, and then, doing it all over again.

  For Alice, it was absolute agony. Herbert was doing her hard, holding her down, taking her in such a primal way, but he was using his mouth to pleasure her, to worship every last inch of her body. She had only experienced this once before, and that was the first time that they’d been together. He was the only man who could make pleasure feel like pain and pain feel like pleasure, who could dominate her with his body and make her mind submit to him with gusto. There was no question that this was more than just chemistry, but the chemistry they had certainly helped.

  The back and forth banter they’d had before was replaced by their bodies speaking a language of their own. Their barbed tongues had been silenced but were at work tasting and exploring every last inch of each other. Their gesturing hands had been put to rest but were busy holding each other’s flesh, hers soft and feminine, his hard and masculine. Rolling of eyes had been replaced with roving gazes that tried to take in everything at once, so as not to miss even a single moment of what was going on, recording this session so that it would never, ever be forgotten, because even though this was their second joining, it felt like the first, and that was the highest compliment that Fate could be given for her handiwork.

  “You’re bringing me to the edge,” said Alice. “I’m…I’m so close. I can’t hold back much longer, Herb.”

  “Don’t hold back, baby,” said Herbert. “We’ve held back for so long. Never again. Never, ever hold back, you hear me?”

  “Yes, yes, Herb,” said Alice, and as she said Herbert’s name, she couldn’t hold back anymore. The pent up sexual tension she’d experienced with Herbert from the moment she met him through the cook-off and their dateneeded a release, and the release was happening whether she wanted it to happen or not. She pulled Herbert close and had her nails on his back, holding him tight.

 
Herbert’s eyes flashed. He was close. The polar could feel it. The hunt that he’d been on since he came to America was about to end, in the best way, in the only way it could end, in a glorious climax. Herbert pulled Alice close and gripped her hips, hard, unable to control himself. He needed to hold onto her. He felt like if he didn’t hold onto her, he’d float away from her again.

  Finally, it hit them both at the same time. It was like the pair had been caught in a freak thunderstorm, drenched by rain from a cloud of pleasure, their other senses shocked by the sight of rain and the sound of thunder and the smell of electricity in the air. What was happening between the pair was much more primal, more of a sensory overload than anything Mother Nature could conjure. After all, what was happening was the work of Fate.

  As Alice and Herbert climaxed together, they let go of each other. They watched as a light filled the space between them and Herbert pulled back, looking down while Alice looked forward at Herbert’s chest.

  It was the mark. Just like that night in the hotel, it was illuminated. The mark was glowing again. It changed in front of their eyes, the mark glowing a bright white at first, the entire crown glowing white until the light turned from a cool blue-toned light to a warmer yellow-toned light that turned pure golden yellow. Spots of reds appeared on Herbert’s chest, on the tops of the crown. The marks were like rubies. The light from those spots was a low red color.

  “It really is you,” said Herbert. “The mark─”

  “It glowed, I saw it,” said Alice.

  “You don’t understand,” said Herbert. “Yes, it glowed, but it changed. When we first made love that night, the mark never changed color. Afterward, the mark was still white. But now it’s changed. You know what that means, right? You know what we are?”

  “I know that it’s you, it always was you,” said Alice. “I remember, that night in the hotel─”

  “The mark, it glowed then too,” said Herbert. “I will never forget. You could see it glow through my pocket square?”

  “Yeah, and I’d never seen anything like it,” said Alice. “That is, until today. Did it change after we made love in that hotel room?”

  “No, it stayed exactly the same,” said Herbert. “It had never changed before. The mark appeared around my eighteenth birthday, but it never, ever glowed with anyone else, and it never, ever changed.”

  “So why didn’t it change that night in the hotel?” asked Alice.

  “I don’t know,” admitted Herbert. “There’s a lot of mysteries surrounding shifters. But if I had to hazard a guess, I’d guess that it glowed because we’re fated mates, but it only changed because we were finally ready to admit that we were looking for more than just a roll in the hay. We were ready to admit that this was love. Even if we didn’t say it, our hearts knew it, and Fate knew it.”

  “I have to admit, I wasn’t looking for anything serious that night in the hotel,” admitted Alice. “I wasn’t expecting to find true love.”

  “Neither was I,” said Herbert. “But when I met you, I knew I had to have you. I didn’t pursue you, because I was worried. What if my mark didn’t glow? What if I was destined to wander the earth without a mate? But, when you told me your story─”

  “It was like a fairytale come true,” said Alice. “And you knew that we were meant to be, the way I knew that we were meant to be. What comes next, Herbert?”

  “You’re my fated mate,” said Herbert. “That’s what comes next.”

  “That’s all?” asked Alice. “So that’s just what it is?”

  “You really don’t know what that means, do you?” asked Herbert. “It means that we’re meant to be. The feelings I’ve had for you, they don’t just magically get strengthened because something on my chest glowed. All that is is a confirmation from Fate herself that you and me we’re meant to be together.”

  “Being together…what exactly does that entail?” asked Alice.

  “Well, first off, I have a lot to explain to my grandfather,” said Herbert. “After all, I need to be sure he’s going to drop the petty suit. It really wouldn’t do, having my own family sue the family of my fated mate, now would it?”

  “Ugh, you’re so formal,” said Alice.

  “What, would you prefer my grandfather get lawyers involved? No way, no how,” said Herbert. “I won’t let any Scoville stress you out again, and that includes me.”

  “Okay, what else?” said Alice.

  “I’m done with college, you’re done with college, and there’s a hot sauce company that is in need of my expertise, and your sass and fire,” said Herbert. “You do the math.”

  “Are you saying what I’m thinking you’re saying?” asked Alice.

  “That’s right,” said Herbert. “My grandfather has been trying to get me to pick a company to run, as a starter company of sorts, to prove I am a worthy heir. Well, I think I found the perfect company.”

  “Not so fast,” said Alice. “I’m not about to give up my company.”

  “Nobody’s asking you to give it up,” said Herbert. “I’m asking for a job.”

  “You’re asking me for a job?” asked Alice. “Are pigs flying?”

  “No, but I’m sure I could arrange for that,” asked Herbert. “You’re the owner of The Quincy Hot Sauce Company. I’m merely applying to be the CEO.”

  “Well, I don’t see a resume on my desk, and we’ll have to arrange for an interview,” said Alice.

  “Seriously?” asked Herbert.

  “Of course! We wouldn’t want people thinking you just got this job because you’re sleeping with the boss,” said Alice. “No, of course not, Herb. I’m joking. Joking! Me! Who would’ve guessed? Now, how are we going to run the company with you in Europe?”

  “Allie, I’m not going to be living in Europe,” said Herbert. “I’m going to move to Fallowedirt.”

  “You’re gonna move here?” asked Alice. “And give up your household and staff?”

  “Nobody said anything about that,” said Herbert. “Employees can move.”

  “This house isn’t big enough for you and your staff,” said Alice.

  “Which is why I’ll be buying us a new house,” said Herbert.

  “I’m not sure if I want to sell this house,” said Alice. “It has a lot of sentimental value.”

  “Nobody said anything about selling this house,” said Herbert. “I don’t need the money from this house to buy one of our own, you know.”

  “You keep using that word… ‘our,’” said Alice. “Why?”

  “Allie, the hot sauce company is yours. I’ll sign a prenup if you want,” said Herbert. “Imagine that. A Scoville alpha male signing a prenup.”

  “I’m sure your Viking ancestors are rolling in their graves,” said Alice.

  “Try Valhalla,” said Herbert. “And let’m. I don’t care. There is nothing more alpha or primal than making the woman you love happy.”

  “So what do you want to do all day, my alpha male?” asked Alice.

  “You have the house to yourself, right?” asked Herbert.

  “Yes, and?” asked Alice.

  “Well, you have two options for entertainment today,” said Herbert. “There’s a box of French movies downstairs, or you can play with your new toy.”

  “I’ll play with my new toy,” said Alice, kissing Herbert before they started to get ready for round two.

  Chapter Eleven

  The next morning, Alice woke up in her bed as she always did, alone.

  Alone?

  Wait, where the heck was Herbert? They’d made love all day, ordered pizza, watched a movie, and gone to bed together. She looked. His side of the bed looked made. Had he been with her last night or had it been a dream? No. She was sure that he’d come over. After all, there was a pizza box in her bedroom trash can. Where the heck would he have gone, unless…

  …Unless he had decided she wasn’t really his fated mate.

  Alice’s heart sunk. Before she jumped to conclusions, she might as well see if he was
in the bathroom or something. She put on her robe and slippers and walked down the upstairs hallway to the bathroom, but, the door was open, and there was nobody inside.

  Alice leaned in the doorway of the bathroom, her head in her hands. How could she have been so stupid? Why would Herbert have changed his ways for her? This must’ve been some sort of sick revenge plot he’d brewed up to break her heart. She cried softly into her hands as she thought about how every kindness he had showed her had been part of this plot.

  Alice heard steps coming up the staircase and looked to see what the heck was going on. Had someone broken into her house? Had one of her sisters flown back for some reason?

  No, what she saw surprised her.

  It was Herbert. He was wearing a tuxedo, complete with tie and cufflinks and leather shoes. In his hands was one of the lap trays from the cupboard in the kitchen, and on top of the tray was a donut with a cup of tea.

  “Herb?” said Alice softly. “Is that really you?”

  Herbert looked down the hall and saw Alice. He put the tray down gently and walked over to her.

  “Allie, of course, it’s me,” said Herbert, wiping Alice’s tears away with his knuckles. “Who else would it be? Why are you so surprised to see me?”

  “I thought that you’d left,” admitted Alice. “Why are you in a frikkin’ tux?”

  “It’s not important,” said Herbert. “I left a few hours ago to go take care of some things. I thought I’d get back before you woke up, so I didn’t leave a note. I’m sorry, I thought you would still be sleeping. Allie, you know that I would never, ever leave you, right? I only just found you again. I’m not letting you slip through my fingers again, okay?” Herbert took Alice’s hands in his, and she could feel the firm, strong polar bear paw pads. Herbert’s eyes had flashed as he spoke, a brilliant pale blue light that reminded Alice of lightning in a storm. Herbert was serious, and neither the billionaire heir or his shift were ever going to lose her again.

  “I’m sorry. I must seem ridiculous,” said Alice. “It’s just, I really, really was scared that you were gone.”