Six Masters Island - The Cinderella Syndrome Read online

  “No way. Come on, I want to see them,” Liam persisted.

  “Nope. You’ll drop my butt back on this bumpkin road, and I’ll miss my concert.”

  “Are they red?” Liam asked, intrigued. He had heard that happened sometimes.

  “No, they aren’t red.” Frances changed the subject. “What kind of work do you do?”

  “Nope,” Liam replied. “I guess we’re at a stalemate.”

  Frances talked about college and how her mother had run off when she was ten. Her dad was okay, but he was marrying a woman who thought that Frances looked creepy, and she scared the lady’s kids. She figured she had about six months left at home before she was going to have to try to figure out a way to get a job and move out. Frances had not realized that Liam had slowly been coaxing information from her.

  “In high school, there was this one girl in particular. She was tall, and of course, beautiful. Every guy wanted to date her, and I think most of them had. She used to be so cruel to me. Not just teasing, like some of the other girls, but really mean. She used to tell people they could catch my disease if they got near me. I mean, even though I think the kids knew it wasn’t true, she’d been saying it since we were in second grade. If someone moved over the summer, she would convince the other kids that they caught my weird disease and that’s why they were gone. She would always find ways to get near me, because I think it made her feel even prettier. She was so pretty, and she used to say, ‘Poor Fanny, white as a baby’s butt. Do you know that white is the absence of color? That’s what you are, Fanny. Absent.’”

  Frances shook herself out of the memory. “Sorry, it gets to me sometimes. Kids can be pretty mean, and I don’t think they understood how much it hurt me. Heck, I don’t even know if they cared, because no one really talked to me much. I mean, I couldn’t do the stuff that they did, and with all the shades pulled down at my house… my eyes are really sensitive to light… they used to make up stupid stories like I was a vampire, or something.” Frances shrugged.

  She looked at the car and the clothes Liam had on, and finally, her curiosity got the better of her. “Seriously, are you a drug dealer or something? This is a pretty expensive car.”

  “Nope, not until I see the eyes,” Liam answered, setting his jaw.

  “Well, shoot. All right, but you had better pull over. I don’t want you wrecking or anything,” Frances mumbled. What the heck… he would probably see them when it gets dark, anyway.

  When the car braked, Frances turned to him and lowered her oversized sunglasses. She waited for the nervous freaked out look from him. Instead, his green eyes narrowed for just a second, and then filled with… lust? Is that what that is? Frances was not sure, as no boy had ever looked at her with sex on his mind. Running away, maybe, but certainly not the desire she thought she was seeing.

  “Oh, wow. You’re beautiful,” Liam whispered in true awe. The translucently fair creature had mostly pale blue eyes, with a hint of pink that made them appear to have lavender striations through them. She had small light pink full lips that formed a pretty shape when she pursed them together nervously… like she was doing now.

  “Okay, so what do you do?” Frances asked, pushing her glasses back up before the noon sun irritated her eyes too badly. She had always been careful to even wear tinted lenses in school. Fortunately, with all of her other strangeness, her eyesight was still pretty good. She only had trouble with very small writing, like in some of her schoolbook footnotes.

  “My brothers and I collect exotic flowers for my mother,” Liam replied.

  Frances thought he was kidding, until he put the car in gear and resolutely pulled back onto the road. “Flowers? I didn’t know there was that much money in them.” I guess rich people pay a lot for all sorts of weird stuff, so I guess if she is into flowers, it’s possible.

  “A lot of money,” Liam agreed. “She and father have other income, but mother spends a lot of time training her flowers until they are exactly the way she wants them… and then, she sells most of them to buyers overseas.”

  “What an interesting thing to do,” Frances replied. “I only had a few plants in my room while I was growing up. My parents let me know pretty quick that outside gardening was not something I should aspire to,” she laughed softly. “Or tag, or bikes, or swimming… or any of the other stuff that keeps kids from calling you a freak.”

  “I don’t want you to take this wrong, Frances, but you look like a little fairy to me. If anything, I think the girls should have been green with envy, and the boys were idiots to let you get away.”

  Frances looked up at him in doubt. This hottie could not be serious. She had the weird feeling that he was, though. One of the few things Frances remembered clearly about her mother from when she was very young, was her reading her the story where the prince fit the glass slipper onto Cinderella’s foot. She had kissed the top of Frances’ head and said, “That’s you, Frances, a princess… and there is a slipper for every foot. Just be patient.”

  Frances had no idea what she had meant, until the girls in high school began dating and eventually getting ready for prom. She actually looked outside her window at a star, praying for a fairy godmother to appear. She ended up spending the night of the school dance curled up with a romance novel and a glass of wine that she snuck from the liquor cabinet.

  They drove through the night and Liam bought them breakfast. “I’m staying for the concert,” he announced. He managed to pay a scalper for a ticket for the sold out event, and then he suggested, “I’m going to get us a room so we can wash off the road dirt and get a little sleep.” Liam raised his hands in surrender. “Hands off, I promise. I’ve just been driving so long, I want to get some rest so I can enjoy the concert.”

  Frances agreed. She was still bewildered that this guy… this incredibly good looking guy… talked to her like a real person instead of some kind of pariah. They got to the room and the first thing he did was make sure the drapes were sealed tightly, and he even unscrewed one of the light bulbs from the lamp before switching it on. She deferred the shower to him first, and he came out in a bath towel and collapsed onto the bed. Frances showered and slipped on some shorts… only worn inside… and a long tee-shirt. She curled up on the other bed, and fell asleep with a smile on her face.

  Liam lay awake for a while, staring at the wall before turning over when he heard the even breathing of her sleep. Her pale lashes fanned over her white cheeks, and the edges of her long, thick white hair were drying to their pearl shine. His cock was as stiff as his forearm, but he could not force himself to go near the girl. Several times he had visions of her writhing in some delicious agony… but the reality was that he felt uncharacteristically nervous to touch her.

  Daryl thought of how ecstatic his mother would be to procure such a rare flower. It caused a building, sickening cramp in his stomach to think of the girl in the dungeon… under someone else’s control.

  Shit. Okay, we’ll go to the concert and I’ll ditch her. I gotta’ hurry and find a replacement, he decided, and closed his eyes to a fitful sleep that finally calmed to a scene of her angelic face.

  * * * * *

  He did not ditch her at the concert. What he did instead was to convince her to visit his family. She had two weeks before her classes resumed, and he told her he could get her a bus back home. While Frances called her father from the motel phone, Liam paced down to the end of the walkway in front of the room and dialed his mother on his cell phone.

  “I don’t know what the fuck is wrong with me, mother. I mean,” Liam ran his hand through his hair in frustration. “I’ve invited her home to meet you.” It was too absurd, and he imagined his mother scowling and his brothers laughing at him.

  Instead, Cynthia asked in a warm voice, “Tell me about her, Liam.”

  “She’s albino,” he blurted out. “But not weird looking, mother. She’s… she’s like an angel.”

  “And her family, has she told them about you?”

  “
She’s talking to her dad now. I guess her mom took off a long time ago, and he’s getting ready to marry some woman. He wants Frances gone.” Liam added angrily, “He told Frances that she scares this woman’s kids.”

  Cynthia felt a brief grip on her heart as a memory of how it felt to be so unwanted washed through her. “Bring her home to us, Liam. I’ll have the guest quarters by the pool set up for you so we can keep things from being too awkward. The garden will be put on notice, and I’ll let the family know that you are bringing home a guest.”

  “Are you sure, mother? Maybe I should just take off and leave her here.” He felt ill at the thought of deserting Frances, but these other feelings were overwhelming.

  “No, Liam. You bring her home. She has enough people making her feel unwanted. Take a few days for the trip. Sloan and Daryl are back, but Kyle called and said he won’t be in until tomorrow. I’ll need a couple of days to transplant his flower,” Cynthia decided.

  “Okay,” Liam said quietly. His mother was always right about things, and as he had no idea what he was feeling, he decided to follow her advice. “I just don’t know what happened this time,” he admitted.

  “Oh, Liam,” Cynthia said gently. “You’re in love.”

  Liam heard the smile in her voice. He said, “I’m not sure I like this, mother.” They hung up with her laughter still in his ear.

  Liam spent four days driving Frances to the estate, getting more nervous the closer they got to his home. He had taken her to movies and out to dinner, reserving quiet walks around lakes at night when she could take off her glasses and enjoy the colors… albeit in darker shades. Ironically, the dark castle of the estate would suit her condition well.

  Frances sensed his agitation as they continued south. “You’re afraid of what their reaction will be, aren’t you?” She had become completely comfortable around him. It was a feeling she had never experienced, even from her father who tried in his own way but always made her feel like a separate species who had to be protected.

  It had not occurred to Liam that she would reach that conclusion. “Hell no, Frances. Mother already adores you. She had an isolated childhood, and I think she feels an almost kindred alliance with you.”

  “Then, what is it, Liam? I can tell that you’re nervous about something.”

  Liam’s eyes fixed on the road, and suddenly he blurted out, “I want to fuck you.” He almost swerved off the road in horror at his outburst. His cock was aching to be inside of her.

  Frances’ mouth dropped open. She slowly reached a pale hand over to cover his. “Not quite the most romantic of proposals, Liam, but okay.”

  “God, I’m sorry Frances. That’s not what I meant to say.” What the fuck is wrong with me? He heard the memory of his mother’s voice, telling him that he was in love. How could he be in love with this beautiful creature? She would hate him if she knew what he wanted to do to her.

  “You don’t want to fuck me, Liam?” Frances asked.

  “No… no, I mean, I want to. Shit, I’m screwing this up.”

  “Just find a place for the night, Liam.” Frances was scared to death. No man had ever seen her naked, much less wanted to touch her pasty looking skin. Still, even she recognized the heat in his eyes when he looked at her. It caused a reaction from the pale pussy that she expected to have remaining empty and abandoned, and she would not forgo this one chance… even if he turned away in revulsion.

  Liam was shaking as much as Frances was by the time they got to their room. “You’ll have to tell me what to do,” Frances said. She turned red with embarrassment, which gave her a beautiful pink glow.

  Liam sat her on the bed and wrapped his arms carefully around her and kissed her gently. When their lips separated, she whispered, “I won’t break, Liam.” She pulled him tightly against her and crushed her lips into his.

  Liam had been so filled with arousal since he had seen her, his hands moved quickly to unbutton her blouse and she shrugged it off without halting her tongue from exploring his mouth. Only one other boy had kissed her, and that had been on a dare from his friends in eighth grade. He reported back to them that it had been like kissing a cold, white codfish, and no one would agree to even a dare after that.

  This… this was wonderfully warm… almost hot with passion. Frances felt hands unhooking her bra and she lifted the hem of his shirt. He pushed her back onto the bed without breaking their kiss… and then, a thought flashed through his mind. It would not leave, and he finally separated their lips, and asked, “Frances, can I tie you up? Not tightly, or anything. It’s just something that I, um…”

  “Yes, Liam.” Frances pushed his wavy hair out of his eyes, and felt her pussy cramp in response to the desire she saw in them. She smiled, “I told you, I don’t really know what to do, anyway.”

  Liam opened his pack, and if Frances thought that it was unusual that he already had rope with him, she made no mention. He tucked facecloths around the loops so that the rope would not abrade her pale skin. The trust in her eyes was a paradox for the fear he usually craved. This was a different feeling for him, as the arousal and desire for her were more than he had ever experienced.

  Liam knelt over her and ran his hands down either side of her ribs. She was so small, maybe five-three, and it had not occurred to him that she would have the full breasts of a woman. The white globes were incredibly soft, with perfect rosebuds at their peaks. Perfect little light pink nipples, the color of her lips before they had become slightly bruised with their kisses, had just the right sized erect nubs pointing up at him.

  Liam made an almost growling sound, and when his lips surrounded one nipple, Frances gasped. His hands worked her jeans and panties down her legs, and she kicked them off just when she felt his teeth nip her. The sensual deep sucking with the added slice of erotic pain made her squirm. “Oh god… oh god, Liam.”

  With her nipple still pinched between his teeth he looked up at her. The lavender tinged blue gaze was lit from behind with passion, and Frances said, “Don’t you dare stop.” If he deserted her in the morning after seeing she lacked the warm glow he deserved, Frances would understand. “Just give me this one night, Liam. This one time.”

  Liam’s mind was swimming. He expected this beautiful girl to be afraid of him, as his passion rose and he fought for control. Yet, when he squeezed her other nipple between his thumb and finger, harshly… he knew it had to be excruciating… she moaned and wrapped her legs around his, pulling him close.

  He released his grip and began caressing her breast, gently rolling it, and he stopped biting her other nipple and sucked softly, playing his tongue across the tip. “No… like before, Liam. Sparks were shooting through me,” Frances quivered encouragement.

  “Frances, I’m afraid I’ll hurt you,” Liam admitted, although gentle was completely against his nature.

  “I told you, Liam, I won’t break. I don’t know a lot, other than what I’ve read and heard, but I think I know what you want. It excites me, Liam. Teach me.”

  He did. He tied her ankles apart… still padding the ropes… and the look in her pale eyes was intoxicating. He gazed at the white hair that barely concealed the fat lips of her pussy. He would not have her remove the curls. They were a part of his beautiful angel. Her clit was pink and swollen, even more so when he spread her with trembling fingers and nipped her folds and nerves as he had her nipples. With her clit between his teeth he looked up to see her eyes half-closed and her head swaying her white curtain of hair across the pillow while she moaned and gasped in pleasure.

  The only thing he refused to hurry was the slow entrance into her moist depths. Her muscles squeezed him in welcome and he stilled when he broke through her barrier. It was she who lifted her hips in frustration, encouraging him to thrust deeper. “Oh, oh god, Frances,” he groaned.

  He rode her to climax and Frances bit her lip to keep from screaming out loud. Liam untied her and she curled onto his chest. “I had no idea, Liam. I imagined… but I had no idea.”
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br />   Liam squeezed her in the arm he had around her, and he kissed the top of her head. “I’m not always so gentle, Frances,” he whispered.

  Frances’ hand stilled from brushing his chest and she looked up into his eyes. “I hope not,” she smiled.

  They spent two more days at the motel, even having their meals brought to the room. Liam relaxed when he realized that Frances really would not break, though she marked very easily. They both enjoyed the erotic bruising marking her pale body as a result of their passion.

  Frances had a cramping feeling in her chest, and she knew that she was in love. Even if she only had this magnificent man for this small period out of his life, she had experienced the passion of a man that most women only dreamed about.

  On the fourth day, they reluctantly admitted they needed to continue their trip. There was worry shadowing behind both their eyes, with Frances afraid of the time when Liam would ask her to leave, and Liam afraid of her answer when he asked her to stay.

  Chapter V

  “He calls her his angel,” Cynthia said. “You should hear his voice when he talks about her, Alexander. My poor little boy is so confused.”

  Alexander hugged her while they walked through the dungeon garden, and they continued on towards Orchid’s cell. “I was confused when I first saw you, Cynthia. I was so damn angry at Ava when I found out that you were a member of the family… and being treated as their servant. All I could think of was getting you out of there as quickly as I could.”

  Alexander chuckled. “God, I’ll never forget that woman’s expression when you stood up to her. There you were in that plain rag of a dress, and she knew that no matter what she did, her daughters were ugly bitches just like she was. Can you imagine how your presence must have tormented her?”

  Cynthia stopped abruptly, and a slow smile crossed her features. “You know, Alexander, I never really considered that.” She turned and kissed him. “You always know how to make me feel better.”