Cinderella and the Lady Read online

  “I’ve always been, even when I was little. I take after my mother, or so my father told me many times. He said I had her body, but not her agreeable face or charming disposition.”

  Kristina frowned. How dare a parent say such a thing to their child?

  “Your father sounds like a wonderful man.” She drank her wine to hide her outrage.

  Elle didn’t seem to catch the false, droll tone in her voice and shrugged. “He loved my mother deeply, and when she died, he was heartbroken. I guess I reminded him of what he lost and was disappointed with the outcome.”

  Kristina’s grasp tightened around her glass and she cleared her throat. Before she could respond, the skies opened up and a deluge of rain plummeted from the sky. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed directly overhead.

  A soft whimper came from Elle. Kristina set her glass down on the table and curved an arm around the frightened woman’s shoulder.

  “Don’t be scared. It soon will pass.”

  Elle wiped her palms on her skirt “I know. It’s…I’ve always been afraid of storms. Many times I would be locked…um, in my bedroom at night during one.”

  Kristina noticed the verbal stumble but stopped from inquiring about it. She brought Elle closer into her embrace. Elle started to tremble, causing her ribbon to dislodge from her hair and land on the bodice of her dress. Her breathing grew heavy and her nipples speared the fabric of her dress. Another roll of thunder crashed. Elle shut her eyes and her lips fell into a taut line.

  Kristina grew worried Elle might faint or have a fit. She needed to do something to calm the poor woman down. She lifted the ribbon off of Elle’s chest. Suddenly an idea came to her.

  “Why don’t we sit together on the bed? We’ll be more comfortable there and I can fix your hair and make it pretty again using your ribbon.” She stroked the side of Elle’s cheek, hoping her touch would comfort. “But in order to do that you must leave the table and walk the very short distance behind us. I’ll be by your side the entire time.”

  Elle exhaled through her nose and pressed her hand over Kristina’s on her cheek. “All right.”

  “Stand up.” She curved her arm around Elle’s waist and steered her toward the bedding. Thunder boomed again and Elle stopped, clenching her fists.

  “Here we are,” Kristina announced and sat down on the mattress. Elle sat down beside her and hugged her waist. She bent over her knees as if she was going to vomit.

  She had never seen someone act like this and it gave her some cause for concern. She cupped Elle’s cheek and turned her face up toward her own.

  “I’m so-sorry, bu-but I-I’m so-so sca-scared,” Elle stuttered.

  “Lie down with me. I’ll keep you safe from harm,” Kristina said and lay sideways on the makeshift bed. She pulled Elle down next to her and wrapped her in a secure embrace.

  The storm lingered with its whipping rain and flashes of lightning followed by thunder. Elle would flinch and Kristina would hush her by stroking her hair or rubbing her hip and stomach. Elle didn’t respond to her touches other than to wiggle every so often and inhale deep breaths.

  Eventually Elle relaxed. Her head drifted to one side and her stilted breath lessened. Kristina lifted up on her elbow and looked down into her face.

  My sleeping beauty. She brushed the back of her hand across Elle’s pale cheek and smiled when Elle wiggled her nose. She then blindly searched around, finding Kristina’s hand and clutching it to her chest.

  Elle whimpered at the thunder. Kristina crooned in her ear, telling her she was safe and no harm would come to her.

  She watched the rain, content and happy Elle trusted her enough to fall asleep in her arms.

  Chapter Eight

  The pillow under her cheek was soft, unlike the scratchy pillow Ellie slept on in her own bed. Smacking her dry lips, she pressed back against the warm body behind her, enjoying the way something soft brushed over her hands and traced her knuckles and her wrists.

  Warm body?

  Her eyes snapped open. Other than the rain dripping off the roof of the cottage, and the swaying of the tree branches from the left over wind from the storm, it sounded peaceful. Turning onto her back, she stared at Diana’s face. Diana rested her cheek on her palm and looked back at her in return. Her fingers never stopped their tracing and it tickled in a most pleasant manner.

  “I didn’t mean to nod off the way I did,” she said.

  Diana didn’t seem offended. Her thumb pushed aside one of Ellie’s curls sticking to her cheek.

  She swallowed, waiting for Diana to release her and get up from the bed. She did neither.

  “You didn’t sleep long, a half hour by most. The storm has passed.” Diana nudged her chin toward the window. Diana kept her hand against her cheek, her fingers caressing.

  “I feel strange,” Ellie ran her tongue along her bottom lip. Near the junction of her thighs it was tight and damp.

  Diana’s forehead knitted and she brushed the side of Elle’s face with her finger. “Ssh, all will be well. My mother once told me the best way to ignore our fears is to concentrate on something else.”

  “How would we do that?” she whispered, turning her face against Diana’s palm.

  Diana smiled and tapped the tip of her nose. “Close your eyes.”

  Finding the request odd, she did what Diana requested. Her reward came soon after, and was unlike anything she could have imagined or wished for.

  Fingers ran across her lips and around her mouth, drifting down her chin and along her throat. A thumb circled the middle of her chest until it moved down lower and flattened a palm over her breastbone. Ellie dropped her hand over Diana’s and opened her eyes. She had become drowsy again and a yawn built up in her throat. As she opened her mouth to let it out, Diana’s head dipped down and lips landed over hers.

  She held her breath, her yawn forgotten as Diana brushed her lips back and forth, sucking gently. Her fingers linked with Ellie’s, and she increased the kiss, a soft moan leaving her as she broke away.

  “Did you enjoy that?” Diana asked, her free hand coming around to caress Ellie’s face.

  She couldn’t think. Her mind drew a blank. Her lips tingled and the heaviness filling her stomach moved lower and continued to expand.

  “Have I shocked you, my Elle? Are you going to run away now that I kissed you?” Diana lowered her face, her stare bold and heated. “Have you ever been kissed before?”

  Ellie shook her head no, shamed over her inexperience.

  Diana cupped her face. Her eyes had grown dark and her face flushed. “I’m glad I’m your first.”

  “But you’re a woman, not a man. Women don’t go around kissing other women,” Ellie announced and stared up at the ceiling.

  “There are women who enjoy kissing women, like me.”

  She looked back at Diana in confusion. “You do? But isn’t it—”

  “Wrong? Unnatural?” Diana’s lips curled and her hand tightened around Ellie’s lax one. “Most think so, but I can’t stop the way I feel. I’m careful with the women I make lo—kiss.” Her vexation was replaced with a tender smile. “I kissed you because I’ve sensed your attraction toward me.”

  She didn’t know how to respond so she kept her mouth shut. Frustrated tears filled her eyes over her growing feelings for Diana.

  Diana clucked and gave her cheek a soft pat. “Don’t cry, dear. It’s not worth getting emotional over. We can act like this never happened and go on the way we have. It will be our secret between friends.”

  Friends. Ellie liked the sound of that. She sniffed and her lips trembled as they formed a smile. She enjoyed this closeness she had with Diana and didn’t want it to end. She might be confused over what had just happened, but she was curious to see what another kiss would be like. She had very few kisses in her life and wanted at least one more to take with her, to remember when she was alone.

  Diana kissed her on the cheek and began to sit up. Ellie’s hand shot out to stop her, and twining
her fingers into Diana’s hair, she smashed her lips against Diana’s. She sucked down hard, enjoying the texture of Diana’s soft lips that opened to receive her ardor. A moan left her as she increased the pressure of the kiss, arching against Diana in need.

  When Diana’s tongue slipped inside her mouth, she squeaked and jerked back.

  “Why did you stick your tongue in my mouth?” she asked, heat rising up her neck and face.

  Diana laughed softly and ran her thumb across her bottom lip. “Kissing involves tongues. That’s the next step.”

  “It is?” she asked, skeptical a person would want their tongue inside another’s mouth where they mash up all types of food with their teeth.

  “Don’t look at me like that,” Diana admonished and tapped the middle of Ellie’s chin. “You like the way I kissed you without using my tongue, right?”

  She nodded. That part had been very enjoyable. She wanted more of those types of kisses.

  “What if I told you kissing is much better when we share tongues?” Diana’s eyelids lowered and her roaming thumb moved down to brush over the opening of Ellie’s dress near her bosom.

  Ellie swallowed, her heart pounding in her ears. Diana’s touch made her warm and prickly. “What if I don’t like it? Will you stop if I don’t want to kiss with tongues?”

  “Of course.” Diana’s voice came out in a purr and her hand pressed down on Ellie’s chest, her fingers sliding inside the bodice of her dress.

  She shifted her legs to try to stop the pressure building in between there. She wanted to cup herself, to stop the ache, but didn’t want Diana to know.

  Diana brushed her mouth over hers. “Why don’t we take things slow? Trust me, you’ll like it better if we do.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked on a huff and rubbed her legs together. The ache had now reached to a fevered pitch.

  “Why don’t I show you?” Diana sealed her mouth over Ellie’s.

  She clenched Diana’s shoulders and kissed her back. This time when Diana’s tongue touched hers, she didn’t stop. Her tongue tousled with Diana’s forceful one. Diana seemed to appreciate the move and deepened the kiss. Her tongue circled around and swept the inside of her cheek.

  “Oh…” Ellie whispered, pressing her mouth harder against Diana’s demanding one. She lifted her leg up and looped it around Diana’s hip.

  “Hmmm,” Diana moaned, rocking her hips forward. Her hand dipped further down into Ellie’s dress and cupped her breast in possession.

  Ellie inhaled and twisted her face away, breathing heavily. She sobbed when Diana licked the side of her throat at the same time her palm ground against her taut flesh.

  She panted, gasping for air. She closed her eyes and exhaled wordless sighs, letting Diana touch her in a way no one else ever had.

  “Dearest, let me taste you. Please…” Diana whispered against the crook of her shoulder and rubbed her mouth across her damp skin, moving down to kiss the top of her breast.

  Ellie opened her eyes and blinked up at the ceiling. Her body was strung too tight and her inner thighs stuck together as she grew wet. She spread her legs apart, cradling Diana. Her skirt was lifted and cool air met her knees, then her thighs. She met each of Diana’s kisses with her own inexperienced ones. Diana spread Ellie’s dress open and unlaced her dated corset. She then slipped down her many-times-washed chemise. Only when Diana’s mouth left hers, did Ellie speak.

  “Touch me,” she pleaded, and dug her fingers into the back of Diana’s neck, bringing her face down to her chest.

  “Your wish is my command,” Diana said in a low tone and blew over Ellie’s puckered nipple.

  She arched as Diana tongued her nipple. That was almost her undoing, and then Diana stroked her through her drawers. Fingers found the slit in between the thin fabric and speared through her curls.

  “Oh!” she cried out, bucking into Diana’s hand. Her right leg lifted up higher on Diana’s hip and she was rewarded when two of Diana’s fingers curled up and touched her tight, swollen nub that made her shudder.

  “Shh, don’t stiffen up,” Diana ordered, and laid her open mouth over Ellie’s breast, lapping over her nipple. Her teeth scraped her sensitive flesh, causing her to drench Diana’s fingers that pumped in a lazy rhythm in between her mound.

  “Oh…oh…right—” Ellie bit down hard on her lip and pitched her head back against the pillow. Diana responded by sucking down hard on her breast and flicking her fingers inside her cunny, where she rubbed a small knot of flesh that expanded and made her inner muscles spasm.

  Sweat beaded the top of Ellie’s lip and her vision grew blurry. She rocked against Diana’s hand, grabbing her by her nape of her neck, crying out for more. Her voice grew hoarse and she couldn’t catch her breath. When Diana stuck a finger deep inside her, she yelled out Diana’s name and clenched down, her feminine canal latching around the finger and milking it.

  She tried to hide her face in the pillow to stop from being too loud. Releasing her nipple with a soft pop, Diana nudged her face back over with her cheek and sealed her mouth over hers.

  While her body clamped around Diana’s finger and more liquid surged from her cunny, she continued kissing Diana until she couldn’t breathe. Her first sexual experience was with this woman, whom she felt completely safe with. Most importantly, she had been treated with respect and care.

  As those welcoming thoughts filled her mind, her body quaked one last time in pleasure and she broke down in happy tears.

  * * * *

  “What’s this, now?” Kristina held the hysterical woman close. A few of her lovers had broken down when they experienced a violent climax, thanks to her skillful touch, but unlike those other times, Elle’s cries tore at her heart.

  She wiped away Elle’s tears marking a path along the side of her face. She pressed her cheek against Elle’s dewy one and tightened her arms. When Elle quieted down, she lifted up on her elbow and stared down at the woman she had just given incredible pleasure to. Knowing she had been her first made her chest burst not only with satisfaction but in incandescent joy.

  “Was that the first time you came by another person’s hand?” she asked, tracing her fingers across Elle’s chin.

  Elle blinked, and a tear landed on her lip. She used that as an excuse to give Elle another kiss. Elle released a shaky breath and shifted her palm over her cheek. She broke the kiss before it could go any further and held Elle’s palm in place.

  “I don’t understand what you mean.” Elle’s voice cracked and she cleared her throat.

  Kristina smiled, and with a kiss to Elle’s brow this time, untangled her limbs and got up from the bed. She grabbed the bottle of wine and a glass. She poured a glass and held it out for Elle to take. Elle stared at it, confused.

  “Since we don’t have water, we’ll have to make do with the wine. It will soothe your raw throat,” she recommended and wrapped Elle’s fingers around the glass.

  Elle sat up and took a sip. She sat down next to her and took Elle’s free hand in hers. She would have liked to nestle down with Elle and kiss and touch her some more, perhaps teach Elle other ways they could pleasure one another. For now she would wait until Elle wasn’t unsteady and overwrought over their encounter.

  Elle stared down into the glass and chewed on her lip. Kristina gave the abused lip a soft tap, startling her. She was then rewarded with a small smile from her new lover.

  “You should smile more. It brightens up your face and brings out your beauty,” she said and cupped Elle’s breast.

  Elle rolled her lip with her teeth, inhaling through her nose as Kristina gave her nipple one last tug. Giving Elle a soft peck, she removed her hand before she laid her back onto the bed and spent the remainder of the afternoon admiring Elle’s breasts with her mouth and hands.

  “Thank you for being so kind…and for today.” Elle lifted up the straps of her chemise and covered her chest from Kristina’s view.

  Next time those pretties will be all mine to p
lay with. She bussed the top of Elle’s head and grinned. She planned on being very kind to her many more times in the days to come. After today she would do whatever she could to install Elle in her home.

  “I’m pleased you enjoyed what we did together.” She tilted Elle’s face up to hers. Elle didn’t look away like she usually did. Ah, progress!

  Elle sniffed and wiggled her nose. Kristina laughed and gave her a kiss. “You’ve recovered, yes?”

  Ellie half shook her head in affirmation and lowered her eyes. “You like kissing.”

  “Very much so. I enjoy sharing kisses with you, among other things.” She brushed her nose across Elle’s and gave her another kiss with a quick swipe of her tongue.

  Elle’s tongue shot out and joined Kristina’s. A moan left her, and with one last suck and lick, she backed away. They needed to discuss some things before they went further.

  “A few minutes ago I asked you if you had come with another person. I’m assuming you haven’t, and only found your climax with your own hand?”

  A blush rose on Elle’s face and this time she stared at her lap. “You’re the first to kiss me like you did. As for the other things, I…” Apprehension floated in her eyes. “What does it mean, ‘to come’?”

  Kristina covered her mouth to hide her grin. Apparently Elle was a total innocent when it came to sexual desire. She would have so much fun teaching this naïve woman the pleasure of the flesh.

  “Do you remember how you felt when I sucked your breast and my fingers touched your pussy? You had what is called an orgasm, or a climax. Not many can achieve them, but I’m happy to say you did. I would love to show you how you can find that wonderful rapture again. We’ll add it to your writing lessons.”

  “Is this what a husband and wife do together in their bed?” Elle asked, folding her hands on her lap.

  A vision of Elle all dressed in white and her face covered with a veil flashed before Kristina’s eyes. It startled her and she blinked it away. “Ah, in usual married circles, I do believe a husband and a wife share intimacies like we did.”