Glass Slippers and Stilettos

Glass Slippers and Stilettos

By Ana Linden

Published by Ana Linden

Copyright 2016 Ana Linden

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any way without the author’s permission.

Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Also by Ana Linden:

Parallel Lives

Albatross

Table of Contents

Regina and Separate Beds

Belated Introduction

Regina and Selective Memory

Regina Experiments

Regina and the Nice Guy

Regina Gets Engaged

Driving Regina

Regina and the Engagement Rings

For Better…

…Or for Worse

Other Books by Ana Linden

Connect with the Author

Regina and Separate Beds

The search for the perfect man is a challenging endeavour, no doubt about that. But it’s nothing compared to the search for the perfect New Year’s outfit when a man you once discarded (or who might have carelessly discarded you) becomes all shiny, new and perfect again. There are people out there, in that crazy normal world, who manage to end relationships once and for all… and act accordingly. Such behaviour is completely foreign to Regina. All her theoretically previous relationships are in fact dormant monsters waiting to awaken and be reinstated in a selective memory blink of an eye.

Many single people can attest to the fact that holidays spent on their own constitute a trialling time, but such an option is simply unacceptable for Regina. Any representative of the opposite sex next to her is preferable to the dreaded alternative of not having a date on such an occasion. So if one of those exes, who used to treat her as nothing more than a doormat or a shiny brainless accessory in the best of cases, were to call her all of the sudden and ask her to spend that magical night between years with him in some exotic location, the answer is obvious.

This is how the frantic search for the perfect outfit begins, because the departure is scheduled for the following day and the gentleman in question has not been considerate enough to present her with his invitation at least a few days in advance. He had his reasons to leave it to the very last moment, and she had her reasons to jump at his offer.

But one needs to go through the proper procedure before accepting his invitation. One needs to call one’s best friend in order to get advice, in spite of the already made decision. Besides, one also needs to borrow that cute little bag and see if the friend in question doesn’t happen to have the perfect outfit to go with it too… It’s too late for an impromptu shopping session and she knows her friend has a few dresses that are exactly what her New Year’s Eve date would appreciate. Of course, more than anything else, she needs advice, an honest, impartial opinion – also known as approval. Half an hour later, when Inconsiderate calls back to fashionably pretend to try and convince her to join him for the little escapade, Regina can accept his invitation in a not at all convincing, reluctant tone of voice.

So what if her friend tried to remind her about the previous lamentable attempts at having a relationship with Inconsiderate and the despicable manner in which he left her each and every time? That must surely be her friend’s envy speaking, Regina is convinced of it, thus only proving that her reasoning was flawless. Part of why she couldn’t refuse him is her wish to make all her friends jealous at the thought that she’s spending the special night in such exclusivist a place. She will not be alone; she will be spending New Year’s in an unexpectedly select location; and Inconsiderate wants her back, offering her the opportunity to outshine all her acquaintances. How could a girl say no to that? And more importantly, why should she? Especially when one doesn’t even stop and wonder whether all these matters matter to anybody else…

*

Left all alone in the expensive hotel room by a somewhat bored and restless Inconsiderate, who would rather go have drinks with his friends, Regina is smiling contented, thinking of her good fortune. Quite a while has passed since she and Inconsiderate first dated, she was so innocent back then, Regina is nostalgically reminiscing; and it was exactly that despicable innocence that tore them apart. Meanwhile, she has reached her full potential, so things will be very different this time. She’ll show him she can be exactly the woman he wants.

There’s just the one little flaw in her plan, Regina notices as she’s carefully inspecting the room – the separate beds… Surely this must be what that conversation with the concierge was about, Inconsiderate must have been so disappointed by this mistake. She thought she had heard something about changing the room, but they must not have had anything else available.

Never mind, it’s fixable, Regina decides after careful analysis of the situation. The little nightstand between the beds can be removed and placed by the window without bothering anybody. Impatiently, she grabs one of the corners of the nearest bed and starts pulling. The silky cover slips, ankles supported by high heels twist in a very uncomfortable, almost painful fashion and Regina lands – not at all ladylike – on the nice rug which really doesn’t feel as soft as it looks. Well then… That’s not going to be easy! High heel shoes fly across the room, covers are quickly removed and now she can finally see if all those long hours spent at the gym were worth the effort. There! The two beds finally become one, everything is the way it should have been from the very beginning. She rearranges the decorative pillows and those treacherous covers, all pleased with herself.

Wrapping a towel around her freshly showered body, Regina twirls and looks herself in the mirror again. It’s amazing how beautiful and sexy she can be, she sometimes even surprises herself. She smiles and sighs with satisfied confidence – she is so irresistible, that she could have any man she wanted… Inconsiderate will be no exception! How about the innocence in her eyes, which always adds that something special and wins people over? Is it still there? Yes, still there, she decides, after delighting herself with the reflected image; but she’ll balance that with her sexy, I’m-naked-under-this-towel look. She’s certainly ready; and judging by the noises in the room, Inconsiderate is back, clearly not able to stay away from her anymore.

Seductive and beautiful, Regina enters the room, her eyes gazing around in search for Inconsiderate, wanting to catch a glimpse of desire emanating from his features. Instead, her sudden discovery brings her as close to being mortified as Regina can ever get. The noise she had heard earlier in the room was Inconsiderate pushing the beds apart, even further away from one another then they had been initially. Now he is just lying there, in his bed, watching TV and completely ignoring her. Still full of hope, she sits next to him, alluring and irresistible in her splendour, softly inquiring about the bed movement, while caressing his arm.

Babe, I thought you understood what this is about… you know I can’t be bothered with that… well, not with you anyway, it’s not worth it…

The room is spinning faster and faster as he proceeds to explain his reasons and intentions, and Regina is prostrate with the kind of grief that can only derive from the unbearable sorrow of a hurt ego.

Inconsiderate’s girlfriend had broken up with him only a few days before the trip… he was hoping to find a better replacement… but since nobody was available on such short notice, he called Regina. He knew he could count on her. Wrapped in her towel, sitting quietly on his bed, the seductress was thunderstruck.

Look at my friends, they all have beautiful women with them… I couldn’t show up alone; and it’s not easy to find a new beauty within a few days, you know…

Inconsiderate was himself again, thoroughly enjoying to see the presumptuous pretty woman battle the disappointment he was causing her.

Come on babe, it’s a win-win situation. I get to show up with a pretty girl, I still have my friends’ respect, you get a free trip out of it, and you don’t even have to… But seeing tears filling her eyes, he decides to choose his words carefully. You don’t even have to sleep with me. I asked for a room with two beds hoping to make you feel more comfortable. We’re old friends, what the hell!

But old friends or not, Regina was on the verge of a hissy fit, all his consoling words only making everything worse.

You know how you get when you sleep with somebody, all needy and moody; and frankly, you’re not good enough to be worth the drama and... But those were clearly not the right words to say, so Inconsiderate could do nothing more than just cowardly flee the hysterical insults thrown at him.

She had clearly