CINDERELLA At 3 AM: MASKED SEDUCTION

ELISSA’S POV

•••

“You need to ease up, Elissa.” Ava catches me glancing at my watch for the tenth time. “The party is not ending until dawn.” She adds, and I immediately I look up at her.

“Dawn?” I repeat, not wanting to believe that.

It's a little after seven in the evening, and we are at a masquerade ball. My friend here is a city elite and has persuaded me to accompany her to this party. With the flashy clothes and business talks, I feel out of a place.

Some hours ago, I was only a lady waitressing at HappyBites eatery. Now that I look at my reflection through the wine glass, I don’t even recognize myself anymore. My make up is a little too perfect, and my blonde hair is tied up in a bun to reveal my neck and cleavage.

Ava pats my shoulders, breaking my thoughts. “Why do you sound so alarmed? C’mon, you should relax. There are plenty of hot men in the building.” Her eyes twinkle.

I roll my eyes. “Being entangled with any man is the last thing I want—“

My words are cut off when the guests begin to clap and cheer. I turn my head, wondering what is happening when I notice the spotlight coming down the stairs.

Then, I see a tall man under the glowing spotlight. Dark brown hair falls around his strong face, and a pair of blue eyes peek through his black mask. He looks like he belongs in one of those Renaissance paintings, where the sun shines and all the colors are rich and vibrant.

The room lights up when he walks across the floor towards us, and as he passes by, his presence feels like it envelops every inch of space, and strangely, even between my legs.

I look back at Ava, who is grinning wildly towards him. “That’s Mr. Thane, the host of the party.” When I just stare at her blankly, she continues, still smiling from ear to ear. “Have you ever heard of the saying ‘hottest man alive?’ He totally fits that description. Wait till you see him without that mask—“ Her grin fades when she notices my reaction. “Don't be rude!”

I fight back a chuckle. The crowd’s cheer fades as the mysterious hottest man alive—stated by Ava—stands in the center of the hall with a microphone in his hand.

“It’s a great evening, distinguished guests.” Thane begins to say something into the mic. Even something about his voice makes my body tingle, which I don’t think has happened in a while.

Luckily, I get distracted by Ava as she shows me a text on her phone. It’s a message from Dave, a guy I wouldn’t exactly call her boyfriend, but then, they fuck enough for me to give them a pass.

“Dave’s around?” I ask, taking my eyes off the screen.

She nods eagerly while typing on her phone. “God, I have been soaked enough while waiting for him.” Her voice takes on a dreamlike tone.

I clear my throat, my voice lowering into a whisper. “You know you are not supposed to say that out loud.”

She ignores me with a laugh. “Well, I will be back. Make sure to stay where I can see you when I come--”

My eyes widen. “You are leaving?”

“C’mon.” She gives one of her coy smile. “None of us will have any fun tonight if we stay glued together.” She winks.

My shoulder raises with anxiousness. “But I'm not here to have fun. I just accompanied--”

“You can be so clueless, Elissa. All you do is work all week.I didn't tell you to come here just so you can accompany me...” She pats my hand sympathetically. “You're always such a serious person. I thought you would enjoy yourself.” A mischievous smile plays on her lips.

I sigh. “Fine. But don't expect me to stay all night. I have a job waiting for me tomorrow morning.”

“That's totally fine. I will be back before then.” She tells me, but I don't buy her words. “I will go meet him now.” She says as she quickly places her unfinished drink in my hand. “Please, help me put this away.”

“Sure.” I shrug. We exchange smiles before she turns around and leaves. As soon as she disappears into the crowd, I sigh to myself once again.

“Have fun...” I repeat her words, knowing well the only fun I’d be having tonight is with alcohol.

I shove down the two glasses of wine in my hold. “I guess I shouldn’t complain about getting drunk later…” I mutter darkly, looking at the wineglass and swirling it slowly.

Slowly, my attention returns to the masked man in the center of the room, and he is still talking.

My gaze lowers, wondering what more that mouth of his can do, and my mind goes into a frenzy trying to imagine the feel of his tongue tracing against my skin, finding its way between my folds while he slides his fingers between them.

I close my eyes and groan at my imagination. I swallow the last sip of wine, feeling its warmth burn down my throat, and I curse at my lack of self-control.

“What's wrong with you?” I scold myself mentally. Drooling over a stranger? That's totally unlike me. Especially after sounding so holier-than-thou to Ava not so long ago.

Yet, there is something about this man that totally makes me want to break my principles. Even if it's just for tonight. Because I have heard people falling in love at first sight, but he makes me horny at first glance. The kind of horny where my entire body vibrates and my panties are damp with my own excitement. Which is ridiculous, since I've never felt that before.

My phone beeps a message, and it’s from Ava.

[AVA]: We’ve barely met and I can’t feel my legs no more, Lisa. The arousal vitamin I drank with my wine is totally making everything more fuzzy.

My brows immediately raise at those words. ‘Arousal vitamins?’ What the hell does she mean by that? I type a reply quickly, hoping she is not saying exactly what I'm thinking.

[Me]: Arousal vitamin?

I hold my breath as she types. But when her reply comes, I was heavily in shock.

[Ava]: Yeah. I put it in the wine I told you to put away for me.

I gasp even more. If she’s talking about her unfinished wine which I have drank, then I am totally cooked. Now I totally understand why I feel so horny that I could fuck a pole right now.

‘You have screwed me, Ava.’ I quickly type before finding my way to the bathroom.

I can't help it and hate to admit it. But I have to touch myself as soon as possible before I shamelessly hook up with a random stranger for the night.

After locking the bathroom door behind me, I pull down my panties in a haste, and my fingers immediately reach between my thighs which is already moistened due to imagining Thane’s hands all over me.

“That mother fucking Thane...” I mutter with a moan as I push a finger inside, gasping as I stroke myself. In this shameless act, all I can think about is Thane doing this to me instead, while he takes my breasts, licks my nipples until they become sore--

“Motherfucking Thane?” A deep masculine voice suddenly interrupts my erotic fantasy, coming from behind the door, and it sounds terribly familiar, whispers behind me. More importantly, the person must have heard my words, and my... embarrassing moans. I didn't even notice when someone else walked into the restroom.

Startled, I drop my hand and jump up, and my heart thunders as I quickly pull down my dress. There’s a moment of hesitation before I slowly open the door, and my eyes widen at who I see standing in front of me.

Dark brown hair framing deep blue eyes. His tall frame blocks the doorway with his muscular arms crossed in front of his chest.

My mouth hangs open with shock, and my cheeks instantly redden at the sight. It's the man from the spotlight.

It's that freaking seductive Thane...