The Cinderella Obsession Read online

  The Cinderella Obsession

  Opal Carew writing as

  Amber Car

  ew

  Can Vanessa risk falling in love with a man obsessed with a fantasy woman -- even though that woman is her?

  Vanessa always wanted to be Cinderella. Taking the opportunity to attend a lavish masquerade ball -- even if she wasn't invited --was just too delightful an opportunity to resist. When Nicholas Powers dragged her into his arms for the most explosive kiss she ever experienced, she floated on cloud nine. It is a fantasy night she'll never forget, even though she knows she would never have a chance with him. Especially when she winds up working for him as a temp and sees him obsessing about finding his Cinderella... a fantasy she can never fulfill.

  Nick had never felt such fiery passion as he did when he held the dazzling beauty in his arms. She aroused him as no other woman could, then she ran away with his heart, leaving behind only an antique glass slipper earring. If only the mask hadn’t hidden her features. Knowing no other woman could ever make him feel the way she did, he swears to find her and make her his. Why, then, does his little spark of a secretary make his pulse quicken?

  This book was formerly sold under the title "Masquerade of Love".

  Praise for The Cinderella Obsession

  5 Angels!

  "The relationship between Vanessa and Nicholas is magical. The sex scenes sensual, yet steamy! I must say that [THE CINDERELLA OBSESSION] is wonderfully written. It is a journey of discovery, a search for love and a romance like none other. I'd like to recommend [The Cinderella Obsession] to everyone who loves a good love story!"

  Fallen Angel Reviews

  5 Blue Ribbons!

  "[THE CINDERELLA OBSESSION] is an amazing story. There really isn't enough praise for this intoxicating love story between two great characters. …Carew has written a great story, filled with not only a fairy tale romance but some very serious relationship issues… This was a great story from start to finish … will keep you glued to your seat … Carew is definitely an author to keep your eye on."

  Romance Junkies

  4 Stars!

  "Carew has spun an exquisite contemporary Cinderella tale for her readers…[It] was so well written by Ms. Carew that I had stars in my own eyes and felt the blushes of her character Vanessa as she got herself into one dilemma after another. This is a delightful read that will truly entertain and keep you amused to the last happily ever after!"

  eCataRomance Reviews

  "…a wonderfully written Cinderella story with a few twists and turns. … I chuckled aloud… Carew weaves a wondrous tale of romance… I highly recommend this tale to all readers who enjoy a happy ending."

  Romance Reviews Today

  "…a fast paced novel that keeps the reader turning from the first page to the end."

  Romance Reader at Heart

  The Cinderella Obsession

  Copyright © 2012 by Opal Carew

  Published in 2004 under the title Masquerade of Love

  Discover more books by Amber Carew at her website

  www.AmberCarew.com

  All Rights Are Reserved.

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this story are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  First Amber Carew edition: August 2011

  Second Amber Carew edition: August 2012

  www.AmberCarew.com

  www.OpalCarew.com

  The Cinderella Obsession

  Amber Carew

  Dedication

  To Emily,

  thanks for all your support.

  Chapter One

  "Join me for a night of fantasy."

  Vanessa stared at the ragged-edged, golden parchment invitation in her hand. She glanced at Rachel as she unfolded it, then read the details of the lavish costume ball that Nicholas Powers, Rachel’s boss, had planned for tonight. The fairy tale theme meant all the guests would arrive as make-believe characters. Her heart fluttered. She loved fairy tales!

  "You know you want to go," Rachel urged. "Do it."

  Vanessa sighed and handed the invitation back across the table to her friend. "I wasn’t invited."

  "But I already told you. The woman who was supposed to go can’t make it. When she called me to cancel, she told me it would be okay to pass the invitation on to someone else." She pushed it toward Vanessa again. "I knew you’d like to go."

  A child about four years old raced past their table, almost knocking over Vanessa’s soft drink. She grabbed the lidded, paper cup and took a sip thoughtfully, shifting in the hard plastic seat. "I don’t have a costume--"

  "I can fix that."

  "--and even if I did, I wouldn’t feel right crashing the party."

  "You wouldn’t be crashing--"

  "And anyway. I wouldn’t fit in with those people."

  "Those people? You mean rich, handsome bachelors?"

  "Rachel, I wouldn’t know what to say. I’ll stick out like a yellow dandelion in a field of red poppies."

  "Vanessa. It’ll be a huge affair, with all kinds of people. You’ll blend right in with the crowd."

  "Why can’t this person go?" Vanessa asked, waving the invitation back and forth.

  "Because she’s sick."

  "It’s her costume, I assume." Vanessa watched as Rachel nodded while chewing a bite of tomato. "Why do you have her costume?"

  "Nick asked me to arrange costumes for a few of his friends. This woman is one of them."

  Vanessa sipped her drink again, then wiped her mouth on the white paper napkin. "So you should take it back."

  "I could, but it’s already been paid for and they won’t give a refund now. Look, Vanessa. The costume will go to waste if you don’t use it. The food she would have eaten will go to waste, too. It’s not like you’ll be depriving anyone of anything. And I know how you hate waste."

  Too true. It hadn’t been Dad’s fault her childhood home had only enough money for the essentials. Every piece of clothing had been worn to the fullest, and with two older step-sisters, her own clothes had always arrived as hand-me-downs. By the time Claire and Mandy passed them on, little more than patches held them together.

  "And, Vanessa." Rachel’s lingering tone sent a spike of curiosity through Vanessa. They locked gazes. "The costume is Cinderella."

  Vanessa stared at her in disbelief. "You’re kidding."

  "I’m not kidding." Rachel’s eyes lit up in delight. "You should see it. The dress is made of this glittery silver fabric and there are crystal beads and sequins embroidered over the front of the bodice. The skirt’s really full with a crinoline and a draped overskirt."

  Vanessa couldn’t help going a bit dewy-eyed listening to Rachel’s dazzling description, but she tried to get a hold of herself. She picked up a french fry and dipped it in her pool of ketchup. "It sounds lovely but--"

  "And there’s even a tiara."

  "A tiara?" Vanessa parroted weakly, feeling her resolve slipping away.

  "You know what would be perfect? You could wear your gorgeous little glass slipper earrings with it. They’d look absolutely fabulous."

  She remembered when she’d first seen her cherished antique earrings. Aunt Tara, her godmother, had presented them to her on her fifteenth birthday, spinning a lovely fairy-tale. The words lilted through her mind in her aunt’s beloved voice. One day your prince will come, Vanessa, and eve
rything you’ve ever really wanted will come true. She didn’t believe the prediction, but she cherished the sentiment and the exquisite reminder of her dear aunt.

  "I … but what if someone sees me and recognizes me later? The interview went well today and if I wind up working at Power Systems then someone might remember me from the party and--"

  "You’ll be wearing a mask. Stop worrying and go!" Rachel took a sip of her juice.

  "I don’t know. I wouldn’t feel right."

  Rachel threw her hands up in the air. "Okay, okay. I give up. Could you at least do me a favor?"

  "What?" Vanessa narrowed her eyes, knowing Rachel didn’t give up this easily.

  "I’ve got a doctor’s appointment this afternoon. Could you take the costume back for me?"

  Vanessa put her hand on Rachel’s, concern forcing away every other thought. "Is everything okay?" Her friend had been having problems with her pregnancy and now, in her seventh month, Rachel looked far more tired than she ought to be and Vanessa knew she still suffered from nausea. She glanced at Rachel’s plate and realized how little of her lunch she’d eaten.

  "Yeah, sure," Rachel assured her. "It’s just a routine appointment, but I won’t have time to take the costume back. It’s in my car. Will you take it? It’s on your way."

  "Of course." Even though she’d been out of work for the past two months, Vanessa understood the demands of juggling a job and personal commitments. She’d worked full-time for several years at a small electronics company before money got tight and she’d been laid off. Since then she’d been given the odd temporary assignment through contacts like Rachel, but she’d been searching for something full-time.

  Shooing Rachel away, Vanessa cleared their trays off the table before following her friend to the parking lot. Rachel opened the back door of her car and reverently drew out the Cinderella gown.

  "It’s gorgeous," Vanessa breathed as she stared at the dress under the filmy plastic.

  "I told you."

  As Rachel slid up the cover, sunlight caught the crystal beads, sending shimmering rainbows swirling across the ground. She fluffed up the full skirt.

  "And it’s exactly your size," she proclaimed.

  Vanessa smoothed the plastic back down. "I told you I’d take it back, but that’s it." She took the dress and carefully hung it in the back of her compact sedan.

  "I’ve got to go, Vanessa. Here, take the invitation," Rachel said and she dropped it on Vanessa’s passenger seat. "Wait. I’ll get the shoes." Rachel reached into her car and pulled out a red plastic bag. She leaned further across the seat, and Vanessa feared her friend might actually tip over with the weight of the baby. "And for heaven’s sake, don’t forget the tiara."

  "Be careful, Rachel. And listen, you’d better get going or you’ll be late for your appointment."

  Rachel grabbed Vanessa in a big hug and whispered in her ear. "I think you should go to the ball. You deserve to be Cinderella at least once in your life." With that she turned and slid into her car.

  Vanessa watched Rachel drive away, shaking her head at her friend’s persistence. She’d never had a close friend like Rachel before and, as crazy as her ideas were sometimes, Vanessa knew she’d never give her up.

  * * * *

  Vanessa laid the costume on her bed and slid off the plastic.

  This is crazy. What am I doing?

  She had pulled up in front of the costume shop an hour ago and suddenly decided she couldn’t take the costume back without at least trying it on, but now second thoughts overwhelmed her. Why torment herself by putting on a costume she’d never have an opportunity to wear? After all, she was no grand lady who received invitations to fancy balls. Why aspire to things beyond her? Her stepmother had always complained about her penchant for dreaming, telling her to stop grasping for fantasies and accept her role in life. She could still hear that strident voice saying, "You’re nothing but a lowly shopkeeper’s daughter--and that’s all you’ll ever be!"

  Her back stiffened at the memory. She cast a defiant look at the dress lying across her bed.

  She ought to take it back right now. Still, now that she had it here, she might as well see what she looked like in it. She tugged off her jeans and sweater and slowly unzipped the dress. As she pulled on the exquisite gown, she felt like a princess getting ready for her first ball. In the bag with the tiara and shoes, she found a wig of blond ringlets. Perfect. It would hide her short, wispy-cut dark hair, further disguising her appearance.

  Which would be important if I was going. But I’m not.

  She pulled on the wig and slipped her feet into the clear shoes, designed to look like glass slippers. Turning to stand in front of the full-length mirror, her eyes widened, taking in the transformation from plain little blue-jeans Vanessa to glamorous princess. Just like Cinderella.

  If only she could go to the ball.

  She glanced at the clock beside her bed. The costume shop would close at three-thirty and it was quarter to three now. She’d better get these things off quickly so she’d make it on time. As she pulled off the wig, a red plastic bag caught her eye. The tiara! She had to try on the tiara. Tucking her hair back under the wig, she scooted over to the bed. She unwrapped the tiara from the white tissue paper and stared at it in awe. Rhinestones caught the sunlight and glittered invitingly. She’d always dreamed of wearing a tiara and she’d always been so sure it was a dream that would never come true. But now….

  She lifted the small crown from its nest and placed it on her head. Peering in the mirror, she gasped. The three points of the tiara rose majestically from the blond curls and she felt every inch a princess worthy of Prince Charming.

  If only she could….

  She tipped her head, watching the tiara glitter.

  If only….

  The phone rang and Vanessa gathered the skirt together and skittered over to answer it.

  "Hello."

  "Hi, Vanessa. It’s Rachel. Well, did you try it on?"

  Vanessa glanced in the mirror. "You knew I would, didn’t you?" she accused.

  "Of course. Why do you think I asked you to take it back?"

  "So you didn’t have a doctor’s appointment?"

  "Yes, I did, but I could have gotten someone else to take it back. I hoped the temptation to try it on would prove too much for you. So, are you going?"

  She swirled the spiral phone cord around her finger. "I shouldn’t."

  "Yes, you should."

  "But--"

  "Vanessa, you’ll never have another chance like this. Take my advice. Go for it."

  Vanessa didn’t know what to say. She was so tempted.

  "Look at it this way. Your aunt told you you’d live the Cinderella fantasy one day and meet your prince. At least this way, you will have made the fantasy true."

  "How do you figure that?"

  "Well, there’s bound to be someone there dressed as a prince. Just go up and introduce yourself."

  Vanessa giggled. "That’s not what she meant and you know it. Anyway, she meant Prince Charming."

  "Picky, picky. So? Are you going?"

  "Rachel…."

  "Think of what your stepmother would say if she knew you’d gone to a glamorous ball like this."

  Vanessa grinned at the thought. Elena Devon would be livid to think unworthy little Vanessa had even considered attending a prestigious party thrown by Nicholas Powers.

  She tugged her finger free of the cord.

  "I’ll think about it."

  She heard a frustrated sigh on the other end of the line.

  "You’re impossible," Rachel complained.

  After she hung up, Vanessa grabbed the invitation from her purse. As she sat on the edge of the bed staring at it, trying to decide what to do, the address on the bottom captured her attention.

  Seventy-Seven Wiltshire Boulevard.

  The Erin Gate mansion.

  Vanessa had heard about this place more times than she cared to remember. Her stepmother had bragged
constantly about how she had grown up in the beautiful hill-top mansion. After marrying Vanessa’s father, she had complained bitterly that her worthless husband could not provide the same level of sophisticated lifestyle she’d known as a child. Vanessa hated how her stepmother treated her, but more, she hated how the woman had belittled her gentle, kind-hearted father. Her constant nagging had driven him to work every waking hour trying to achieve the unachievable--the love and admiration of his uncompromising wife.

  Seventy-Seven Wiltshire Boulevard.

  She held in her hand an engraved invitation to the home her stepmother had yearned after for years.

  How could she possibly turn down this golden opportunity? Her stepmother would be green with envy. Not that Vanessa would ever be cruel enough to tell her--but knowing she, Elena Devon’s worthless stepdaughter, had walked the halls of Erin Gate mansion as a guest at the biggest social event of the season, would certainly help her own self-esteem.

  A slow smile spread across her face as she thought about the evening ahead. As the clock flickered from two forty-six to two forty-seven, Vanessa realized she had a lot of preparation ahead. Her precious glass slipper earrings, safely tucked away in a box deep within her closet, would take time to find. Then she’d have to buy some new makeup. After all, if she intended to transform herself into Cinderella, she might as well go all the way. Maybe she’d even splurge for new perfume….

  * * * *

  Tucking the full skirt of her gown into her compact Ford Escort was no small feat. It occurred to her that her sturdy, practical little sedan wouldn’t be the kind of car the other guests would arrive in. In fact, her car would stand out among the crowd specifically because it was so ordinary. For someone who wanted to remain anonymous, this was not a good thing. As she drove toward the posh Rosedale area of Toronto, the solution clip-clopped right by her. A hansom cab. Vanessa found a parking space about a mile from Erin Gate mansion and carefully drew herself, and her gown, from the car. She flagged down a hansom cab and rode through the gates of the estate and up the winding road to the mansion in style, feeling quite pleased with herself.