Page 4 of The Cinderella Secret
“That’s so not cool.” Aiden was horrified that she knew Rolo’s fucking habits.
“Particularly when I’m trying to do homework,” she said bitterly.
“I have that same problem with my roommate,” he said.
“Noise-canceling headphones,” she said. “It cuts it down, but it’s not really enough, is it?”
“Not really,” he agreed. He couldn’t believe he was having this conversation.
She tip-toed forward and peered around the corner into the TV room, her dress making a soft shushing noise against the wall. She gestured to him to follow and then quickly dashed across the open doorway to the other side of the hall. They came to an open area, with several doors opening in every direction. One door was surrounded by bright white paint and over the door was a mural of a bird.
“What’s wrong with that door?” he asked. “Did she forget where to find the devil’s paint chips?”
Cinderella giggled. “That one’s mine. She disapproves.”
“Nice bird,” he said. It was Chinese in style, swooping with a calligraphic dive toward the door. He liked the line of it.
“Thanks. My middle name means…” she hesitated, as if looking for the right word. “Bird. Come on, let’s get this over with.”
She went to the large double doors and tried the handle. It clunked hard, without moving. “It’s locked!” She turned to him, panic hovering in her eyes, all of his effort to make her laugh gone in an instant. “She never locks it!”
Aiden hesitated. Behind them, the couple in the TV room were getting louder, and someone must have rolled over on the remote because the porn on the TV suddenly joined them in a rising cacophony.
“Fuck it,” said Aiden, and he kicked the door open.
They both froze, waiting for the inevitable yelling, but nothing happened. The woman in the TV room came with a loud shriek, but nothing else in the house moved.
With a grimace, Cinderella stepped inside the room and gently shut the door. “We’d better leave tonight or I really am in such deep shit.”
“I’m more worried about how we’re going to get past the porno fans,” he said.
“We can climb down the balcony, but I’m going to need some help due to the…” she gestured at the poof ball of a skirt.
“Right,” he said, grinning.
She moved a painting and opened the safe within moments. She hiked up her skirt, revealing a tantalizing flash of thigh, and tucked the passport somewhere he probably shouldn’t think about. At the last second, she reached in and pulled out a necklace with a ring on it.
“Belonged to my father,” she said, dropping it over her head and settling the ring into her cleavage.
She put the painting back and they went to the balcony. He looked over and was relieved to see she was right. A vine covered trellis extended all the way up to the balcony—getting down would be easy for him. He glanced back at the princess. She was looking doubtful.
“Wait for me to get down,” he said, swinging himself over. Once he was on the ground, he looked back up at her, a slender figure glimmering in the moonlight. “OK, drop over the edge and hang down, and when I saynow, let go and I’ll catch you.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, sounding skeptical.
“Once you’re dangling, it’s barely one story. It’ll be easy.”
It was easy. Except for the dress. It took him twice as long to get free of it as it had taken to catch her. By the time he was done, they were both laughing. “I don’t think you needed me to catch you in that dress,” he whispered as they made their way back to the bungalow. “I’m pretty sure you would have bounced.”
She covered her mouth, smothering a giggle, and then froze. “Mom!” she whispered, pointing urgently. They ducked behind a shrub.
He risked a glance over the greenery. Slutty Cleopatra was getting closer. “We wait until she walks by,” he whispered. “Then you go back to the bungalow and I’m going to the fighter’s area.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Fredrico,” said Slutty Cleopatra, slurring slightly. “I’m sure she’s enjoying herself immensely. I’m just going to go check on her.”
Cinderella stared at him in panic. There was a call from another female voice and Slutty Cleopatra walked away from the shrub. Aiden grabbed Cinderella’s hand and they sprinted for the bungalow, trying to stay low behind the shrubs.
“OK, what do we do now?” gasped Cinderella, as they shut the door behind him.
