On the edge of a grand staircase on the eve of the grandest ball of the year, stood a very eye-catching woman. The sweep of her pale pink gown kissed the luxurious carpet as she gracefully descended towards the dazzled and awaiting guests, scanning the crowd, her eyes batting slowly under her thick eyelashes. Of course she is beautiful but beauty is the very least of her. As she touches her gold pumps to the dance floor she turns coyly to her escort for the evening, her lips murmuring something to him as the sweetest smile sweeps across her face. He bends down to kiss her before making his way to the bar. From an outside perspective, she seems every inch a sweet, innocent woman...but she is oh so delightfully wicked.
She winds her way through the crowd stopping here and there to offer a greeting or bestow compliments on jewelry or dresses as she makes her way to the middle of the dance floor. She makes eye contact with the DJ and at the snap of her lacquered fingers a sensuous tango pours out of the speakers and she begins to sway with the beat. Completely taken away by the music, she drags her hand slowly from her knee up the side of her body, eventually winding itself in her chestnut hair. Every eye in the venue is on her uninhibited movements but there is only one pair of eyes she is focused on. Lucky for her the feeling is mutual. Pretending not to notice her target approaching her quickly across the dance floor, she continues moving in tandem to the music, somewhat carelessly until she collides with the man she's been tracking.
"Oh! I'm so sorry, I got completely transfixed by the music and lost track of-" she stammers just inches away from the strangers face -"Forgive me, I'm Luciana Matthews but most people call me Luci."
"That's quite alright, Luciana. My name is Michael, though I accept no short forms for it. It seems a waste for you to dance by yourself even if you do seem to be enjoying yourself."
"I don't mind, I rather like to-"
"- I wasn't asking," Michael said, taking her in his arms as he sweeps her into a brisk and sexy tango.
The two of them move seamlessly as if they had been partners forever to the delight and envious stares of some of the guests, wives smacking their husbands asking why they never danced with them like that. Michael sweeps Luciana across the dance floor and at exactly the right moment he tightens his grip on her, bracing to allow her to fall dramatically backwards and she pants as his mouth grazes the top of her breasts.
"Not that I mind, but do you always dance with strangers like this," Luci says.
"What did you expect to happen when you made an entrance like that. You had me enchanted from the minute I saw you."
Luci let her head fall back, laughing as she shook out her long hair, still held tight in his arms. "Oh, is that what happened. You saw me looking this delectable and you were drawn to take me in your arms as if I cast a spell on you."
"More like I saw a beautiful woman and decided to take my shot. I'm not so easily controlled. Even if I am hoping you'll tell me to drag you back to my place and somehow I think you'll say exactly that before the night is through," Michael says, gazing at her intensely.
"There aren't many men who are immune to my...charms, Michael."
"Is that so, Kitten," he says, a slow grin spreading across his face.
He swiftly brings her back to stand on her feet without relinquishing his grip on her and before she can protest he kisses her passionately. Luci stiffens for a moment before giving in to his insistent mouth, melting against his body. Just when she fully gives herself to it Michael stops, pulling away from her just enough to frustrate her. Luci staggers a couple steps still drunk off of the heady combination of the music pounding through her body and the taste of him that still lingers on her tongue.
Oh why did he have to go and do that, she thought. Luci takes a half step toward him and wraps her arms around his neck resting her arms on his shoulders, her body swaying slowly to a rhythm all her own. She stares deep into his eyes as he starts to rock his body to match hers.
"I didn't want it to have to be this way but you've given me no choice," she says swaying. "Watch my eyes, Michael. They're lovely, aren't they? In fact, you may find that you are suddenly unable to gaze anywhere else and why would you even if you could? You've been enchanted by me from the moment you saw me, you said so yourself. The deeper into my mesmerizing eyes you gaze the better you feel and the better you feel the deeper you gaze. Allow your mind to drift and your cares to fade as your body sways with me, allow every beat of the music to take you deeper into my eyes. Yes, very good. You may notice the music starting to fade into the background now. My eyes, voice, and the movement of my body swaying with yours are the only things you need to focus on. Give yourself over to that feeling, it feels so good doesn't it Michael?"
"Feels so good," he repeats.
"Excellent. The way we're moving is so relaxing, every time we sway together you become more relaxed and more focused on what I say and in a moment I'm going to ask you to close your eyes. You know that closing your eyes will feel so good and they're getting too heavy to keep open anyway, so why fight it? You'll be able to remain standing just as you are and you'll still be able to focus on my voice as your eyes blink shut. Deeper and deeper. And...sleep!"
His eyes closed as instructed and his body relaxed into hers. Luci couldn't believe her luck.
"Looks like he's all bark and no bite, though somehow the ones who put up the biggest fight always seem to be the quickest to fall," she said, laughing to herself.
"Did you really think that would work on me, Kitten?" Michael stood before her, no longer swaying, completely lucid.
"It actually would have been kind of disappointing if it had worked so easily," Luci said, clearly frustrated.
"A sneaking suspicion tells me otherwise. Is that what you did to the man you showed up with Luciana? Hypnotized him?"
"That's so cute that you think that's all I've done. Stay here and watch the show," Luci said, smiling sweetly.
She takes three paces away from him and snaps loudly twice. Michael watches as every guest, every server, and even the DJ kneels before her. All of them wear blank, mindless stares as if their brains had short circuited. Luci strolls languorously through the crowd of blank faces, posing some guests in compromising positions with servers, swapping very expensive looking jewelry between guests, and removing some of the mens jackets and ties. Luci takes the half consumed glass of champagne from a guest's hand and downs it in one gulp before returning it to its owner. She brandishes her lipstick from her purse, reapplies a generous coat and places a kiss on a few of the guests' cheeks leaving a big pink kiss mark for their wives to find. She even kisses a few of the women just for fun. Michael watches this...game with a look of wonder plastered all over his face.
"How did you do that," Michael asks.
