Ella tensed, suddenly as taut as a drum, before she again relaxed as the prince undid the topmost button and moved to the next. His other hand caressed the hair on the back of her head, stroking the soft silken strands, before he followed the contours of her back down, feeling where her hips curved in at her waist.

He had now undone four of the buttons, and there was no sign of him stopping. Ella wasn't sure if she wanted him to stop. Part of her was frightened but the prince was gentle. As he moved onto the fifth button, his other moved around to her front, travelling up the smooth silk and touching the bottom of her breast through the material.

Ella's tongue and his sought each other, his lips strong and insistent, their mouths wet and hungry.

The prince undid the last of the buttons and broke off their kiss, pushing her away from him. As Ella's lips left his, a tiny moan escaped her lips. She could feel the back of her dress open to her waist, her skin bared to the warm air. The prince's expression was intent as he reached forward and pulled the material away from Ella's left shoulder.

Without being aware of what she was doing, Ella slid her arms out of the sleeves. Ilathor reached forward to assist, but she held his hands away, and at the end, she did it herself. She pulled the dress down to the tops of her breasts, and with each motion, more of her skin was revealed to the prince's hungry gaze. Her left breast came free, and then her right, the nipples round and pink. Ella blushed; she had never willingly revealed herself to a man in this way. She pulled the dress down still further, to her narrow waist, the material growing tight when she reached the top of her hips.

Ella looked past the prince, at the mirror, where she could see herself exposed, her golden hair falling over the tops of her breasts. It somehow drove home what she was doing, so that she knew it deep in her core. She was undressing herself for a man.

She pushed the dress down past her hips, past her black undergarment, and let the dress fall down to the floor, stepping out of it. She blushed again when she looked up at the prince and could see herself in the mirror behind him. Ella's flat belly led to the small triangle of material she wore over her womanhood, and the black against her white thighs drew attention to her hips and legs. Embarrassed, Ella hung her head.