Alice Cinderella Pt. 02

The next morning, I struggled awake at eight AM, all thoughts of a second round banished, the sun was already beating down out of a cloudless sky, but I had a crippling hangover and would frankly have been happier with clouds, or darkness. I stole Matt's Ray Bans and pulled a long T shirt on to go and queue for a shower, which helped return me to a semblance of humanity. A large black coffee with three sugars and a bacon roll meant I felt I'd probably survive.

Manjit and Gautham made it over by nine, just in time for me to wave them goodbye as I disappeared off to join the band for our first rehearsal. Dean drove us off to a village hall a couple of miles away that was set up with drums, guitars and a keyboard where for the next two hours we rehearsed the forthcoming sets in between mugs of tea and instant coffee.

Dean and Colin were happy enough with the result, Perry made a couple of suggestions about positioning and lighting that everyone accepted enthusiastically. Once we'd completed the musical rehearsal as far as we could Dean took me aside and introduced Natalie's sister, Christine, who was helping out on costume, hair and makeup. She showed me a selection of outfits and I chose two, one slightly more demure for the Square Window stage and one that showed more than it covered for the main stage.

We arrived back at the festival site with an hour to spare before our first set, there was a light lunch of cheese and crackers and fruit back at Colin's Winnebago, during which everyone in the band came and told me I'd be fine and if it started going wrong just to shout out something like "Alright NOD FEST" and they'd cover for me.

The word had gone round backstage about my 'plucked from obscurity' fairy story and I had a couple of people from other bands come and wish me luck, including a couple of household names. Some of them told me they'd come and watch my set as moral support, which made me more nervous.

Ten minutes to go and I was pacing backstage, counting off the running order, telling myself I could do it and to relax.

Five minutes and I was ready to burst when the rest of the band arrived.

Two minutes and I was looking for Natalie's bucket.

One minute. Dean walked out on stage.

Shit, the crowd sounded huge.

Dean started the introduction.

"Alright NOD fest, welcome to the Square Window Stage." [More cheers]

"Are you ready?" [Cheers]

"I said ARE YOU READY?" [Massive cheer]

"Well ALRIGHT. WELCOME TO THE STAGE, NUT LOAF."

The crowd went absolutely mad, Colin, sorry, Nut led them out and took over the microphone duties.

"Some of you may have heard that our Natalie's been a bit off colour. We're delighted to say she's well but needs to take a rest, so we've got our new friend, Alice, to take her place. Alice? Where are you Alice Cinderella?"

The crowd joined him in a chant of "Alice, Alice, Alice"

We let it roll for a minute or so then Perry and Jack started the opening chords of "Holding out for a hero" and I ran on stage in a leather bustier top, leather trousers and spike heeled boots, demanding to know where all the good men had gone and where were all the Gods. When I got to the bit about needing to be strong and fresh for the fight I spotted Matt in the crowd and pointed straight at him. All nerves were gone, I was back to being Alice Cinderella, Rock Goddess.

The track finished with a crash and a deafening roar of cheers, we rolled straight into Nut leading for the next three tracks and me being in the background as a backup singer before I stepped up for two Blondie tracks, and yes my hair was beautiful, followed by Walk like an Egyptian and Cherry Bomb.

We finished the set with the same two tracks we'd duetted the previous day. The band stayed on for the live Karaoke session while Dean took me to the backstage area for a de-brief with Colin. The condensed version was I was fantastic, which of course I was, and that I should look to Perry for the lead in more, but generally well done.

I was on a massive rush and showed my Rock Diva credentials by sending the smaller of the two Rhinos from the previous evening, who I discovered was known as 'Buller,' to find Matt.

He was there in minutes, on almost as much of a high as I was. "Ali, you were great. God you looked hot. It was like you were born to be up there babe, you were amazing." He was falling over himself in his efforts to speak coherently, so I relieved him of the need by sticking my tongue in his mouth.

I hadn't got anything on under the bustier which zipped up, so it was almost inevitable that it got unzipped and he had my tits in his hands and his mouth locked onto mine when I heard "What did I bloody tell you. She's a Camper Van fetishist. Show her a Formica table and her clothes come off."

I squealed in shock and tried to cover myself up, but Manjit dismissed my embarrassment nonchalantly, "Oh come on girly, we were all in the hot tub last night. Just stop actually shagging for two minutes and we'll leave you to it."

Gautham was just behind her, "Yeah, don't worry about us Ali." Which got him a slap from Manjit and a suggestion that perhaps I should cover up. The Comedy Indian Accent came back "Because my bloody husband turned into a randy dog."

I zipped up, much to Gautham and Matt's disappointment, then retired to the Tiki bar where the other three piled into subsidised cocktails and I ordered herbal tea, partly because Colin and Dean were chatting in there and partly because I didn't want to start drinking whilst I still had a set to get through later in the evening.

I had a few hours before the next set and the moment of lust had passed with Matt so I changed into shorts and a tatty T Shirt and went back to the performing arts section with Manjit where we watched some more Jane Austen related hilarity, 'North by Nortwesthanger Abbey,' in which our heroine is invited to Bath but pursued by mysterious agents in search of a micro painting, followed by Emma-nuelle in which our heroine arranges the marriage and trysts for Mister Twice-Knightley whilst avoiding a wickerwork chair.

Again, we thought it was brilliant, I was slightly disappointed no one came up and recognised me from the set earlier, but I consoled myself with the thought that the Meat Loaf tribute act / Jane Austen satire crossover demographic probably wasn't enormous.

I passed the few hours left wandering round with Matt, we caught a comedy gig in the Round Window tent and watched a cooking demo in the Triangular Window tent before I had to get back for hair, makeup and costume for the main stage.

My outfit for the second set had the same trousers and boots but a lace together bodice that just about covered half my boobs at the front, leaving a huge cleavage and a load of side-boob on display. I went from nervous about being on show to feeling like a Rock Goddess again in the time it took Christine to set my hair into a huge eighties style mane, all back combed and voluminous.

It was starting to get dark, and the MC was in a spotlight with the rest of the stage unlit. A bank of lights bared out so the audience couldn't see us moving into place. The MC was a former national DJ from the eighties and struck a perfect balance between cheesy and Rock 'n' Roll. He gave a few admin messages about not smoking in the audience and specials on cocktails in the inflatable pub, then he settled in and pointed at the crowd.

"Everybody, I wanna hear you say it" [Cheers]

"I wanna hear you say it. I say Nut you say"

"Loaf"

"I say Nut, you say"

"Loaf"

"Nut"

"Loaf"

"Nut"

"Loaf"

"Yeah, alright. Yes, here they are fresh from a multi room tour of Colin's mums house, back from a successful performance in Perry's school nativity play, the band that can best be described as 'Available and cheap' NOD FEST LETS MAKE SOME NOISE FOR "

He paused for a moment to allow the sound to reach a crescendo

"NUT LOAF"

The crowd were boiling away, shrieking themselves hoarse. DJ Mike disappeared stage right and in the semi darkness a single light picked out Will as he strummed the bass line from 'A town called Malice,' then as the guitars and drums joined the melody we lit up. Second track was 'Ballroom Blitz' which gave me a few lines to myself to break me in then I was front and centre with 'Maria' by Blondie before we reprised our duet of 'Dead Ringer' and then closed out the set with 'Bat out of Hell' with Nut and me nose to nose centre stage.

The lights went down, and the crowd went berserk. Adrenaline flooded through me like a firehose. Matt was waiting in the wings, I grabbed him as we went by and dragged him into a side alcove for a stress relieving snog then back down to the Green Room area. I was ready for a drink and to let off some steam.

Dean was waiting and bellowed out his enthusiastic approval as he handed out bottles of Heineken, the band surrounded me to shower me with their thanks and congratulations.

Still buzzing, I poured half my beer down my throat and looked around. "Went well then?" I grinned.

The evening settled into a few more beers then we went to watch the headliners before all the performers still around were invited on stage to sing happy birthday to DJ Mike, in a meticulously planned spontaneous moment.

Gautham and Manjit had moved their camper van into the artists area where it was dwarfed by most of the others, they kindly offered us the keys and said they'd go and sleep in our tent, Manjit gave a parting shot of "And keep your dirty butt off my table you sex fiend."

Of course, we didn't. We took a handful of beers each and retired to the camper, I shut the door and closed the curtains then pushed Matt backwards to sit down on the bench seat next to the table and knelt between his knees. Hungrily I undid his shorts pulling them down to reveal his still floppy but getting interested cock. I took hold of him and sucked his growing length into the depths of my mouth. With a grin I withdrew the now stiffened pole and playfully licked around the head and shaft.

"Who am I?" I asked, staring into his eyes.

He caught on immediately. "You're Alice Cinderella, you're my Cinderella."

"Damn Right I am, and what happens to Cinderella?"

"She turns into a pumpkin at midnight?" Wrong answer, I bit him hard enough to get his attention, growling my displeasure.

"I mean, she gets the handsome prince and lives happily ever after?"

I was happy with that answer, but as an afterthought added "Of course if this particular handsome prince ever makes the mistake of trying to see if any other girls in the kingdom fit his magic slipper then I'll be having a word with the fairy godmother and turning you into dead man."

I was improvising wildly with the Cinderella theme, I blame Manjit for giving me the name when she booked me onto the Karaoke stage. I was also getting away from the matter in hand and went back to pushing his juicy crown as far towards my tonsils as I could get it. I held him deep in my mouth for a moment and made a gargling growling sound deep in my larynx, the vibration filtered up and judging by the happy looking face he made it had the desired effect.

Keeping him in my mouth I took my hands away and fiddled behind my neck, undoing the lace up top and pulling it free. I had to pull away for a moment to clear it from my body and cast it aside on the table beside me. With a cry of "Ohh yes" from Matt I gripped him between my now released tits and slowly chest fucked him with a gurgle of happiness, twisting my own nipples as I moved up and down.

I didn't want a gooey cleavage so I stopped once his breathing started to get heavier and pulled my boots and trousers off, standing in front of him in just my knickers I pulled on his hands and swapped places, if I'd been better groomed I'd have been naked but I felt strangely self-conscious about the hairiness of my muff, although that all evaporated as soon as Matt buried his face in my crotch, the elastic getting stretched sideways then pulled away entirely to be pulled up over my legs and away to join the bodice top on the table.

It didn't take him long and I was cooing with pleasure as he alternated between long strokes with the soft flat of his tongue and hard fluttering flicks with the tip. Just as I was about to burst he stopped and rubbed the tip of his hot cock across my labia and clit then with a twitch of his hips he was inside me, I gasped at the suddenness of his penetration.

He read my mood perfectly, I was riding a wave of adrenaline from being on stage and I didn't want 'nice' I wanted to be fucked and fucked hard. He slammed into me with an irresistible force, pushing me back into the seat, so hard I could feel the fabric underneath me hot from friction and my tits slapped together with the inertia. Again and again, he drove in, I reached down to slap on my clit and pinch it hard, squealing at the mix of sensations.

I was grunting in time with each thrust, it's a big camper van but I wouldn't have been surprised if it had been rocking on its springs in time with the vigorous beating my pussy was taking from his cock.

I swear could feel every ridge and vein as he slipped in and out, as if every nerve ending in me was charged up with electricity. I cried out wordlessly as I came closer and closer, finally giving an inarticulate squeal as the world lit up around me and a brass band let loose with a tirade of sound.

Matt was close to cumming as well, I gripped him with my legs and jerked my hips spasmodically, I was rewarded with a grunting bark as he shuddered three times, jetting into me.

I demanded a kiss, then crawled into the double bed where I fell asleep waiting for tea, waking to drink it and cuddle up close then going back to sleep and remaining out of all contact until nine the following morning.

Sunday followed a similar pattern, the final show was a bit more intense and there were a few tears backstage as I said goodbye to the band, we all took advantage of there being no more performances and gave the two pound cocktails a bit of a beating, Manjit and Gautham met Philo Waves and Lucky Lady Jane, but despite Manjit getting very drunk and telling Lady Jane that Gautham was allowed to sleep with her as long as she could sleep with Philo nothing untoward happened, apart from Manjit being mortified the next morning when she sobered up.

We were packing the tent away and I was about to go and rent a trolley to cart everything back to Matt's car when Colin and Dean arrived with a tempting proposition.

Colin started, "How are you fixed for the next four months and is your passport valid until next year?"

Matt and I shared a puzzled look, "Er, I'm back to work tomorrow and yes it's valid for six more years. Why?" I had a suspicion why they'd asked; I mean you didn't need to be Sherlock Holmes, but I wanted them to spell it out.

Dean followed up, "You gelled really well with the band, the tour manager watched both nights performances and would like you to be part of the tour. We all want you as well. We think you and Natalie could work together once she's back from having the baby and.... Look, how about we all get together in a day or two for a catch up and we can work out the details? We'll be getting a shed load of cash for the tour so we can pay a decent rate, Matt can come along as well if he's free."

I gave a tentative yes, I was interested but I'd need to see how I could fit it around work. In my heart I knew it wasn't tentative and if I could find a way of making it happen I would be all over it like a tramp on hot chips. It was the fitting it around work bit that was going to be interesting.

I strolled into work on Tuesday morning with a much better view on life, particularly so when a couple of the jobs I'd asked Vera for information on had been held up for ten days waiting for her answer. An emergency conference was called in the boardroom where the departmental heads would try to find a scapegoat to keep the MD off their cases.

There was a silence in the meeting room, broken by my boss slamming a load of files on the table, "There's the thick end of a million quid of business here that's about to go down the khazi. Alice, what's the hold up? It's your job to keep things rolling smoothly."

I reached into my pile of supporting paperwork, pulled out my job description and read the relevant lines. "It is the account manager's responsibility to ensure the smooth transition of the order through the factory. This will require close liaison with manufacturing, planning and despatch plus other departments as may be necessary from time to time."

The senior managers looked happy; I was putting my neck in a noose for them. I then produced the written instruction to only communicate with the despatch administration team by email or in writing. They looked less happy. I produced copies of every email I'd sent Vera, highlighted where I'd copied both John and Malcolm then melodramatically opened a ring binder with a dayglo label saying "Vera -- Answers" to show it empty.

A bit of a slanging match kicked off, I was asked why I hadn't followed up with John, and that as the account manager it was my responsibility to ensure smooth transition of the orders. I showed them the emails I'd sent asking for his input, and his responses saying he'd speak to Vera. Which of course he hadn't done.

We went round the houses several times, each time I came back with printed copies of messages asking for support or the written instruction to only contact Vera by email or in writing. Eventually the senior managers got bored with arguing in circles and Malcolm slapped the table.

"We are where we are. The important thing is what we do about it. Alice, what are YOU going to do about this?"

I judged this wasn't the time to ask about flexible working so I could go on tour with my new friends at Nut Loaf.

"I can't do a thing until Vera unblocks the system, or I get permission to operate the shipping systems so I can unblock it. I've followed the procedures as detailed in a disciplinary meeting. I've followed them to the letter, the delays as you can see are caused by the lack of response from the shipping department. I can speak to the customers but until Vera responds to my emails then all I can tell them is we don't know when we'll be able to ship. Would you like me to start doing that now?"

I was told I couldn't do it, that I should consider my loyalty, that I was being unprofessional. I didn't really care, I asked for Debbie Blanco to join us and for a personal supporter as I felt I was being unduly intimidated and coerced. I even showed them the paragraph in the company disciplinary procedures that said I was allowed to do that.

Suddenly with witnesses and HR records being kept I was under less pressure, Vera was summoned and asked why none of my emails had been answered. I enjoyed seeing her trying to wheedle out of it, but she'd firmly dropped herself into a deep hole and every move she made just made it deeper. In the end I saw her for what she was, a scared old woman that was facing retirement from a job that had been her entire life. I wasn't about to become her best friend, but I could see a way out for us both.

"Vera, you're due to retire in eighteen months or so, why don't you train me and Coral (Coral's one of my team, lovely girl, young mum, always baking cakes for the office,) and we can help with the work load, maybe we could look at you being a long term consultant to come back in once or twice a week for a year or two after you retire to help out when we're busy?"

Her pig like eyes lit up at that, I think it was the coming back after she retires not the letting go of her authoritah but either way she was on board. I looked at Debbie who gave an imperceptible nod of approval. The Ops director looked like I'd thrown him a life belt, in fact the only person not happy was my boss.