4. Ryan

CHAPTER 4

Ryan

T he party is in full swing when I arrive. Part of my plan is to make sure I'm neither the first nor the last to arrive. I don't want anyone to suspect that I'm the host.

It's refreshing being able to walk through the crowd without anyone expecting anything from me. No one recognizes me. I can be myself.

Surrounding the ballroom are balconies which give the guests a place to rest as they watch the events below. Walking through the colorful ballroom are jugglers, clowns, and fire dancers entertaining the crowd.

I take a seat in one of the empty balconies and look out on the dance floor below. From where I sit I can also see the entrance.

The ball has two rules—no one is allowed to arrive with another person. Everyone arrives solo. Another rule is that no one is allowed to exchange names. That is a rule I added more recently. It allowed me to get to know someone before they learned who I am.

A member of the waitstaff hands me a glass of champagne as I watch the steady stream of people entering the party.

The women are dressed in gowns. Their hair and jewelry add to their princess mystique. There are plenty of beautiful women there, but none have the spark.

An hour passes, and I'm beginning to lose hope that my spark is going to show up. While the guests take great pains to disguise themselves, after three years I'm able to recognize many of them. So far none of the guests seem like anyone new. No one is attracting my attention.

Eventually, the steady stream of people arriving slows. I can admit when I'm wrong. Telling the trustees I would meet her tonight, telling David to mark my words, I was wrong. She's not here. Not tonight at least. Today is just another masquerade.

After finishing another glass of champagne, I rise to my feet intending to leave when there's a flash. It happens again and I catch the spark out of the corner of my eye. I turn towards the direction of the spark, curious at what it could be.

A curvy woman enters the ball timidly. Her honey-blonde hair is styled so that the top of her hair is held in place with a glittering clip, letting her waves cascade past her shoulders, joining the rest of her hair. Her dress is a white strapless gown, with a full skirt that flows from her waist, exaggerating her curves. She is breathtaking.

She stands at the edge of the dance floor, with her hands hugging her arms as if she needs comfort. She looks lost but with a slight air of sadness around her.

I push my way through the crowd to reach her. As the years of the ball went on, I had increased the number of invitations hoping the odds would work in my favor. Right now I'm regretting that. The crowd slows me down.

She closes her eyes and her lips move as she talks to herself. She opens her eyes and enters the crowded dance floor.

As she slowly makes her way through the crowd, I finally reach her.

"Looking for someone?" I ask. She jumps, startled at hearing my voice, and then giggles as she puts her hand on her chest to calm her heart. She turns to me and smiles, lighting the entire room.

"Oh, no. I was just looking around. This place is huge. And I didn't expect to see fire dancers and Moko Jumbie."

"Yes, stilt walkers." I find myself smiling back at her. "Not many people know that's what they're called, but it wouldn't be a carnival without them. I'm guessing you're a virgin."

Her eyes widen, and her face turns bright red as she giggles and looks at the floor. I laugh, realizing what I said.

"I'm sorry, that's not what I meant. Is this your first time at the Carnival?"

"Oh, I should've known," she says as she rolls her green eyes. "Yes, this is my first time here. I didn't even know something like this existed until the other day." She looks around the room with a bit of awe on her face. "It's like something out of a fairytale."

I nod, agreeing with her. At that moment she looks every bit the princess, and I am happy to be her prince.

"Well if this is a fairytale, then the princess should dance at the ball." I bow to her as I hold out my hand, keeping my eyes focused on hers.

Her smile widens, making her eyes crinkle. While earlier I saw the spark, now I feel it. My heart quickens in a way I have never felt before.

She takes my hand and we reach the center of the dance floor. With one hand around her waist, and her small hand still in mine, I lead our dance. She looks up at me with a glimmer of mischief in her eyes. I'm hooked.

"So I'm guessing you're not a virgin?" she asks.

Laughter bursts out from deep in my chest. The couples next to us turn to look at us, but I ignore them.

"No, I haven't been a virgin in a very long time," I say with a smirk, pressing the small of her back so I can feel more of her soft body against me.

While we dance she looks around every once in a while, taking in all the grandeur of the ballroom. When she looks back at me, her eyes meet mine, and hold them steadily. She doesn't shy away. She has a confidence that is greater than her years.

The song finishes and there is a brief lull as the band prepares for their next song. We're still dancing, even without music that everyone can hear. We had our own.

I cup her face with my hands and lower my lips to hers. She leans against me, and I deepen the kiss as the band begins again. I end the kiss with a gentle brushing of my lips on hers. Everything about her feels right.

"What's your name?" I murmur, knowing she can't hear me.

The more we dance, the more my body responds to her. Despite the desire building in me, I want to know more about her. I lean down to her ear, breathing her in. She smells like peaches and honey.

"How about we go somewhere a little more private?" I whisper into her ear.

Her breath catches, and I feel the warmth of her cheeks as they reddened again. She doesn't say a word, only nods.

Taking her hand, I carve our way through the crowd towards a sweeping staircase at the furthest end of the ballroom. I consider bringing her to the balcony where I had been seated earlier, but I want more privacy. I need to be alone with her.

Her mask is exquisite with its diamond accents, drawing the eye away from the person underneath. It covers enough of her face that I can't tell if we have ever met before. I doubt it though. Masked or not, this is a woman I wouldn't forget.

As we reach the top of the stairs, she licks her full ruby-colored lips. Like a siren song, I'm called into them. I already miss their softness. I pull her to me and my lips softly touch hers. I need more.

She tilts her head and I press her full body against mine as my tongue meets hers. My hand locks behind her head, my fingers in her silky hair. Her hands clutch onto me. I pull away, both of us breathless and suddenly very aware of everyone around us.

Without a word, with her hand in mine, we continue down the hall, past the entrances to the balconies. At the end of the hall is another doorway, one that I had never taken anyone through before.

The doorway leads to a hall with numbered doors like a hotel, but no one is sleeping. The sounds of the party below dim. Moans, grunts, and the occasional laugh come from the doors as we walk past. Her hand tightens around mine.

"Don't worry," I say. "We're not going into any of those rooms."

A double door with a digital lock is at the end of the hall.

"I'm the only person who knows this code," I say as I enter the number on the keypad.

"So you do this so often they gave you your own room?"

"No." I pause realizing I've said too much. I don't want to tell her too much about who I am just in case. "It's just my room, but I've never used it before."

"So you're saying I'm special?" The mischievous look from earlier appears on her face again.

"You have no idea how special you are."

I kiss her forehead and then swing open the door. The lights come on as we enter. Music from the party streams softly into the room.

At the center of the room is a modern gray couch and a coffee table. The walls are dark, almost black, the same color as the plush carpeting beneath our feet. In one corner is a bar. The far wall is glass and looks out at the ballroom below.

"Special, huh? I bet you say that to all the girls."

She walks to the glass wall, then turns to me, her eyes bright, and a big smile spreads across her face.

"This is amazing," she says. "I can see everything."

"I thought you'd like it. But I also thought it would be a nice place to talk and get to know each other better. It's too loud down there for that."

I walk to the bar, leaving her to admire the view.

"Do you want something to drink? There's a full bar."

"Yes, that would be great. I could really use some water. I was so nervous coming here that I didn't drink much all day."

I set a couple of glasses on the bar, and drop a few ice cubes into each before pouring a bottle of water into each glass.

She took a sip of water as soon as I handed it to her and almost choked as she laughed to herself.

"What's so funny?"

"No, I can't tell you. You'll think it's stupid."

"Try me."

She eyes me suspiciously, then nods to herself.

"If I'm being honest when you said you wanted to go somewhere private I got a little nervous. I mean here I am alone at this fancy party, and I just met you, I know nothing about you. You're a stranger. But I still go to an empty room with you. So first of all, I'm probably stupid." She laughs. "Second, I thought maybe you would try to get me drunk and have your way with me. Isn't that what happens at these kinds of parties? I mean we did just walk down that hall on the way here. And then you fed me that special line. I've seen movies, I know what happens next."

"And what's that?" I can't help but grin while we speak.

"You don't know? You might need to read more, or maybe see more movies. It's a classic trope. The handsome older man meets a beautiful young woman and sweeps her off her feet. The next thing you know they're having sex."

"Well if that's what happens next, I wouldn't want to disappoint you." I take our water glasses and set them down on a nearby table, then turn back to her. "You are stunning. And no, that's not a line, it's the truth." I run the backs of my fingers from her bare shoulder down to her hand then lift her hand to my lips. "Have I swept you off your feet yet?"

She bites her bottom lip as she nods, her eyes wide and innocent.

"What's your name?" I ask as I unbutton my suit jacket and neatly toss it onto the couch.

She shakes her head. "I… I can't say."

"It's alright, I won't tell. I know it's the rules, but I made them. You can tell me. And then I'll tell you mine."

"No," she whispers. "I can't."

I unbutton the cuffs of my shirt and roll up my sleeves. With her big doe eyes, I feel like a wolf ready for his meal.

"I wish I knew your name," I say as my hands slide from her shoulders, down her arms to her hands. I take her hands and place them behind my neck.

With my hands on her hips, we begin swaying to the music. Her fingers play with my hair. I kiss behind her ear, and down her neck to her collarbone. Her breath catches, and her body trembles.

I want her, but I'm going to take my time.

My hand follows her curves over her dress up from her hip, then over her breasts. Her skin feels cool to my touch. My mouth lowers to her cleavage, and a shock spreads over her body.

"Wait," she says. "I... I think I should tell you something."

"Do you want to stop? I can stop, just say the word."

I lift her covered bosom to my lips and bite into her soft flesh, before sucking gently. She moans.

"Don't stop. I want to…" Her voice is breathless. "I want to, but I think you should know that I'm… I'm a virgin."

I look at her in disbelief, then remember her blushing earlier. "But how? Why haven't you…"

"I never really dated. It wasn't important to me. I mostly just take care of my grandma." She sighs. "I just ruined it, didn't I? I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, don't feel bad. You didn't ruin anything, not at all. But are you sure this is what you want? I'll say what I said earlier—I don't want to disappoint you. And I know I won't. But you never forget your first time."

"Then what a first time this will be," she said. "At a ball, a princess with her prince. Just look at all of that." She motions to the party below. "But this is my first time. I don't want it to be awful for you, stuck with some virgin."

"Clearly you need to see more movies if you think that's a problem." I laughed. "I can think of worse things to do than having sex with you. And I want you. I've wanted you as soon as I first set eyes on you."

"But how do you know? Maybe having sex with me will be awful."

"It won't be. I'll go slow. I'm going to savor every lick, touch, and taste of you." I press her against the glass wall and lift her hands over her head as my lips crush hers. My hands slide down her arms and over her body. She trembles and her breath catches. "But first, I'm going to make you come."