I slipped on my heels again. I was definitely going to wander around. Opportunities like these came once in a lifetime. It wasn't everyday I could stroll around a black-tie event without people wondering if I was there to cause trouble. My first stop was the chocolate fountain – because it was a chocolate fountain and one did not ignore a chocolate fountain at all. One headed straight for the chocolate fountain, drizzled chocolate over strawberries and red velvet cakes, and scarfed them down like there was no tomorrow. Especially when one was sixteen-years old. So absorbed was I in my task that I didn't notice anyone come up behind me, until I heard one sultry, masculine voice say, "I can't tell if that's strawberry dipped in chocolate or chocolate dipped in strawberry." I spun round quickly, eyes widening and fork clattering down onto my plate when I realised there was not one, not two, but three people stood behind me. The boy who'd spoken seemed rather amused, but the other two boys with him looked rather impassive. "Chocolate dipped in strawberry," I blurted, forcing a tight-lipped smile on my face. God forbid I had any chocolate bits stuck on my teeth. "Always make chocolate the main ingredient." The boy grinned widely. "I fully agree. Now step aside, love, because I need a chocolate refill." I quickly fell several steps back, blushing as I realised I'd pretty much hogged the fountain. Standing someway off to the side, with my back pressed against the wall, I took my own sweet time eating the rest of the chocolate-drenched food on my plate. To my dismay, the boy soon sauntered over after having retrieved himself a new plate along with three other guys. They were clearly all friends, but I wasn't intending to attract attention to myself at all. "Brilliant party, isn't it?" the same boy said, his blond curls falling into his eyes as he spoke. I was glad that the other boys hardly paid me any attention as they spoke between themselves. "I wish there were more chocolate fountains, of course, since there's clearly not enough to go around," he shot me a meaningful look and I flushed. "I wasn't going to eat it all," I defended hotly, "I'd just never seen one before." "You're a special guest then?" This came from one of the other boys and I belatedly realised that even though they didn't seem interested, they could hear me just as well. "Of sorts," I waved my hand in a vague manner, casting a quick scan around the room for Parker. I didn't mind these boys who were obviously just being friendly, but this was becoming a problem. They were trying to find out where I was from and I wasn't supposed to reveal that I was Parker's stepsister. It was an unspoken agreement the day Rosemary and Parker began to live with Dad and me. Imagine what the world would think if they knew that Rosemary Collins, esteemed wife of the famous, celebrity solicitor Martin Collins, had a family elsewhere? Neither Dad nor I wanted to bear the brunt of the backlash. But Parker was nowhere to be found, and I could only press further against the wall as another boy asked, "Which beneficiary are you parents' from?" Well, I was in trouble. "Um, well. I'm more of an invited guest – like, on the list, but not part of any organisation – " I trailed off as a shadow fell upon us. It wasn't Parker, like I hoped it would be, but another boy altogether. With angled features; sharp, shrewd eyes and tousled black hair; this guy was decidedly good-looking, in a way that only heartbreakers were. There was a certain elegance to him that made me immediately realise he was someone important. Someone very important – perhaps more so than even my stepbrother, who never had any airs about him. He looked vaguely familiar, like I'd seen him before, although not in real life. "I do apologise for interrupting," he didn't sound apologetic at all and I couldn't help but notice the sardonic expression on his face, "but are any of you gits going to ask this girl to dance?" There was something edgy in his tone, as if he dared them to say otherwise. They didn't. Most of them fell back, except for the blond-haired boy who simply grinned. "You ruin all my fun, Kade," he said, in an exaggerated sort of manner that made me smile briefly. In another parallel universe, perhaps, we would get along splendidly. But not when I was Rosemary's dirty little secret. The boy called Kade didn't look amused. "Yes, well, Parker wants a word with you. He's over there." "Bloody tosser," the blond-haired boy mumbled under his breath before slouching off. I almost laughed. I was very tempted to reveal that Parker, the person he'd just insulted, was my stepbrother. "Well?" Kade's voice sliced through my thoughts evenly and my eyes flew back to meet his. He flashed a half-smile, half-smirk that stirred a strange sort of emotion in me, one far too complicated to even name. "I'm still waiting for your answer." I swallowed. "I – " my voice was small, " – I don't know how to dance, to be honest." Taking two quick steps forward, he took the plate from my hands, setting it down on the table beside us. I couldn't help but notice how, even with heels, I barely came up to his chin. His shoulders were broad and he smelled of something fresh. "I'll teach you," he murmured softly and held out his hand. I stared down at it unsurely. I had two options to go about this. I could say no and run back to Parker, spend the rest of the evening with him laughing at girls with ridiculous fashion sense and guys who got shitfaced too early. Or this could be some sort of initiation into adulthood. Everyone danced at least once in their lives. I could think of this as some sort of fairytale. Just for one last time, before I properly grew up. So I took a deep breath and slipped my hand through his. His fingers curled around my hand gently, like I was a fragile doll made to break. As he led me out onto the dance-floor, the scintillating lights gleaming a dozen shades of every colour; soft piano music ricocheting off the walls in lulling, sweet tones; I couldn't help but get swept away in the magic of it all. It was so easy to fall into.