A Cinderella Seduction

by Karen Booth

  “And you think your sisters will be okay with this?”

  “As far as I’m concerned, they have to be. What choice do they have? Are they going to tell me I can’t date you? A woman makes her own choices.” There were more words about to spill out of her mouth. Did she have the nerve to say them? Something told her that she could make this leap with Daniel and it would pay off. She’d never felt this confident with a man before. It was exhilarating. “And I choose you.”

  From behind the door, there was a small bark. “Jolly,” he said.

  “Let her in.”

  “You sure? She might try to chase me out of bed.”

  Emma tossed back the comforter and tiptoed around the bed to the door, letting the dog in. She scooped up Jolly and climbed back under the covers next to Daniel. “It’s time you two made some strides forward in your relationship.”

  Daniel narrowed his stare, full of skepticism. “I’m not going to talk about my feelings with her, if that’s what you’re suggesting.”

  Emma shook her head. She’d seen this advice on one of those reality shows about people who train difficult dogs. “It’s a trust thing. She needs to see that I like you.” She gave Jolly a scratch behind the ear, then leaned closer to Daniel and kissed his cheek.

  “That’s it?”

  “It’ll take time.” She did it again. And again. Eventually, Jolly curled up between them and got comfortable.

  “Now we have a dog between us, which is putting a serious damper on my plans for the rest of the night.”

  “The floor is always available. Or my place.”

  “Either one. Both. Whatever you want.” His eyes scanned her face. How she could feel both exposed and comfortable at the same time, she wasn’t sure.

  “You’re amazing. You know that, right?” he added.

  She smiled and kissed him again, relishing the contentment that came when Daniel was being sweet. “You’re the one who’s amazing. I’m just being me.”

  Nine

  Five days. Emma and Daniel had enjoyed five magnificent days together. No drama. No problems. Not even any gossip in the tabloids. Just five days of spending every nonworking moment together. A lot of their time had been spent in bed, but they’d done other things, like go out to dinner, and of course, they took many long walks in the park.

  They switched back and forth between her place and his, but they spent each night together. Jolly still refused to give them much privacy, but she was being more consistently sweet to Daniel. Progress. Emma made a point of kissing him every time the dog was around. It seemed to be helping.

  Emma had to wonder if things could really be this simple between her and Daniel. Had it been as easy as deciding they didn’t care to participate in the feud? For now, it seemed to be working.

  A big test was awaiting them, though. The night of Emma’s pop-up at Eden’s had arrived. She was about to burst. Not out of excitement. Out of the worst-ever case of nerves.

  Daniel squeezed her hand in the back of the car on the way to Eden’s. “You’re trembling. Is everything okay?”

  She nodded. He did have a way of calming her. “I’ll be fine once I get going. I’m just nervous about talking to customers and sounding knowledgeable and like I know what I’m doing. My sisters have put all of this ridiculous pressure on me because of the Princess Emma stuff in the papers, which I guess is my fault. They’re sure we’ll have a huge turnout tonight. I just want it to go well.”

  Emma looked down at Daniel’s hand wrapped around hers. How she loved his hands. He might spend his days pounding away at his laptop, but there was something so deeply masculine about them. There was nothing better than having his hand at her back, especially when she felt unsure of herself.

  “Are you sure you aren’t nervous about me being there? About me finally meeting your sisters?”

  She didn’t want to feel anything less than excited by the prospect of Daniel meeting Mindy and Sophie. Tonight was supposed to be a step forward, for both her relationship with Daniel and the future of the family feud she hoped they could eventually end. But she never really knew how Mindy and Sophie would react to any given situation. They could be cordial, but aloof. She certainly couldn’t see them being overly welcoming, even though Emma had told them ahead of time that Daniel was coming.

  “I’m excited for them to meet you. I think they’ll see things differently after they do. And at least they’ll get to see what all the hubbub is about.”

  “Hubbub?”

  A flash of embarrassed warmth hit her cheeks. “Well, you know. Sisters talk. Especially about men.” She’d only had a taste of those sisterly moments with Mindy and Sophie, but she’d greatly enjoyed every one.

  He nodded. “I see. I only had a brother. And there was far more punching than talking.”

  Emma disliked that tone in his voice when he talked about William. She could feel his pain when it bubbled to the surface. “You never confided in each other?”

  “We did at times. Say if one of us was in a battle of wills with our mother. But most of the time, it was nothing but strong-willed, head-butting sibling rivalry.”

  “Do you think that had anything to do with him pursuing your fiancée?” Emma still couldn’t imagine the betrayal he must have felt at that.

  Daniel was quiet and looked out the window.

  “You don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to,” she added, feeling desperate. Why she’d decided to dive into this topic, she didn’t know, other than she only wanted more of him. She wanted to know everything. “I’m just trying to understand what happened. A betrayal like that is hard to comprehend.”

  He turned back to her. “It’s good for me to talk about it. I don’t think I can boil it down to one thing. I’m sure that part of it was jealousy over me getting engaged first. Our mother certainly expected him to be married first. She was merciless about it at the Christmas before the accident. She said he was behind and he’d better catch up. But that’s how she got us to be better at everything. She’d pit us against each other.”

  Emma shook her head. “I’ll never understand why anyone would torment someone with such an arbitrary idea, especially a loved one. Her own son, no less. My mother’s head is full of rules that have no basis in anything other than the way she sees the world. That’s why I never dated. She had me so convinced that all men were terrible and it wasn’t worth risking your heart for one.”

  “Certainly that had to do with your father.”

  “I’m sure. I mean, she’d gone and fallen in love with her sister’s husband.” The rest of the story sat perched on Emma’s lips. She and Daniel had grown so close and she wanted to keep going. But that meant he had to know that part of what he believed to be true was in fact a lie. “I need to tell you something.”

  “Anything. Anything at all.”

  His voice was so measured and calm, she knew she could tell him. “You should know that I didn’t grow up in France. Mom and I lived in a small house in New Jersey. She was paid by my father to stay quiet. And so she did. For my entire life until the day my grandmother’s will was read.”

  “She never told you?”

  Emma shook her head. “She told me my father was a deadbeat and that he’d walked away from her before I was born. It’s not entirely a lie, but it’s also not the truth. He was living right here in Manhattan. I could have had a relationship with him.”

  “Where did the story about France come from?”

  “Sophie and Mindy made it up. It was already bad enough that people found out our father had cheated. So they made up that story to make it seem like the family had known about me all along, and that I’d been taken care of. They were worried the truth would hurt the store and the Eden name.”

  “I’m so sorry. That’s dreadful.”

  “I went along with it because it made me feel less like a fish ou
t of water. People were quick to accept me. I should have told you earlier, but there was never a good time. And things have moved so fast between us. I didn’t want to ruin it. I hope I haven’t ruined it now.”

  Daniel put his finger under her chin and raised it so he could look right at her. His eyes were so caring and warm. “You couldn’t ruin it if you tried. It’s funny, but we’re so alike. We both love our families deeply, but we’ve suffered because of it.”

  Emma was so wrapped up in the combination of his face and his words that it was hard to think straight. She loved the moments when they were on the same wavelength. They made her feel nothing less than incredibly lucky that she’d met Daniel at all, let alone had the chance to be with him. “You’re so right.”

  The car pulled up in front of Eden’s. A small cluster of photographers was waiting for them outside. She turned to Daniel just as her driver was about to open the door. “You sure you want to do this? We can drive around to another side of the store and bypass this altogether.” They’d discussed this back at her apartment and he was adamant that they should make one more exception on the night of her pop-up.

  “This is where they’re expecting you. You’re the star tonight. This isn’t about me.”

  “I still want to know that you’re comfortable with it. I know this is difficult.”

  “As long as you’re on my arm, I’m bulletproof.”

  Emma felt a verifiable squeeze right in the center of her chest. She leaned closer and kissed him on the lips. When she pulled back, she found words circling in her head. Three little words to be exact—I love you. But it was too early for that, wasn’t it?

  Or was it?

  She didn’t have time to think, let alone say it. Gregory opened the door, and the sounds of the city, traffic and car horns, along with the shouts of the photographers, rushed in.

  Emma! Emma!

  Over here!

  Daniel!

  She’d never get used to the idea that the press cared about her, although they clearly did, or at least they liked her with Daniel. Perhaps it was just a sign that people loved controversy, but Emma wanted to put an end to that. There wasn’t anything salacious about what she and Daniel were doing—hot, yes, but not wrong. So they’d decided to thumb their noses at some decades-old history. What was the big deal?

  She and Daniel came to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk and obligingly posed for a few photographs. He looked as handsome as ever, in a charcoal-gray suit with white shirt and no tie. She loved the little peek of his chest. It left her eager for what might come after the event, when they could go back to their building and be alone. She’d worn a fun navy-blue cocktail dress with a full, knee-length skirt and a low neckline, which Daniel said he liked best on her. In a nod to Sophie, she’d gone with crimson-red Blahniks. It felt like an adventuresome choice.

  Emma squeezed Daniel’s hand in a steady pattern as the flashbulbs went off. She wanted to remind him that she was thankful for his willingness to endure the public eye. This was hard for him. She knew that. She leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek. The flashes went off twice as fast, and she sensed how easily this could turn into a feeding frenzy. Daniel tugged on her arm, and into the revolving door they went, out of one pressure cooker and into the safety of Eden’s.

  Waiters were on hand with champagne. “Hello, Ms. Stewart,” one of them said. “Mr. Stone.” They’d clearly been briefed by staff on who would be attending.

  “Hi, guys,” Emma said. She’d never get used to deferential treatment, however much it made her feel special.

  “Where to?” Daniel asked.

  “Straight up to the second floor.”

  They stepped onto the escalator together and began their ascent. As they rode higher, Daniel’s shoulders tightened. Was he that uncomfortable to be at Eden’s?

  “Is this your first time in the store?”

  “Actually, it’s my third or fourth time since I’ve been in New York.”

  “Oh, really? Spying on us?”

  Daniel shook his head and they stepped off the escalator onto the floor that carried the various lines of women’s casual wear. The entire department had been condensed into half the normal space, and the open area sectioned off with swaths of sheer silvery fabric hanging from the ceiling, like a glamorous circus tent. Reginald, Eden’s creative director, was busy putting the final touches on the displays with his team. Shoppers would be arriving any moment.

  “I was merely checking out the competition,” Daniel said. “Can you blame me?”

  “And? What do you think?”

  “It’s great.”

  “The whole thing?” She knew there were parts of the store that fell short. She, Mindy and Sophie were working on it. “You can be honest with me. You won’t hurt my feelings.”

  “Your menswear department is lacking. It needs to be brought into this decade at the very least.”

  From out of the corner of her eye, Emma spotted Mindy and Sophie walking toward the pop-up shop from the back of the store, where the bank of executive elevators was. “I want to hear more about that at some point. If you’re willing to share.”

  “I’m more than happy to tell you where you’re missing the mark. As for ways to improve what you have, I might need some convincing.” He smiled slyly, telling her he was only playing with her.

  She leaned in and kissed him. “Something tells me I can find a meaningful form of persuasion.”

  “I can’t wait for that.”

  “For now, I need you to meet my sisters. I hope you’re ready.” I hope I’m ready.

  Again, he took her hand, and that was enough to ward off her trepidation. Mindy and Sophie walked toward them in unison, Mindy showing off her enviable legs in a short emerald-green dress, and Sophie showing hers in a sexy black above-the-knee sheath. They both smiled, their teeth gleaming white, their long red tresses bouncing past their shoulders. They were an intimidating sight, nothing but brute beauty and confidence, but Emma found herself clinging to optimism. Maybe this would all be okay. Maybe today, Sophie and Mindy would welcome with open arms the man Emma cared about so much.

  “Finally, we meet Daniel Stone.” Mindy was the first to greet him with a handshake, her voice only lightly tinged with skepticism. “I’m Mindy. This is my other sister, Sophie.”

  Despite Mindy’s wary edge, Emma was pleased that she had introduced Sophie as her other sister. Maybe she was finally starting to see Emma as a true part of the family.

  “Daniel,” Sophie said. “It’s nice to meet you. Welcome to Eden’s. I hope you have good intentions in visiting the store. And in dating Emma.”

  Emma nearly choked. This was not Sophie’s usual disposition. Not even close.

  “Sophie, be nice,” Mindy muttered, casting a look over her shoulder. Invited members of the press were filing in.

  “I’m sorry, but these are legitimate concerns, and Gram taught me to take any threat to the survival of the store quite seriously.” Sophie was now artfully mumbling out of the side of her mouth, as a few reporters strolled past and seemed quite interested in the scene unfolding. “Knowing who his mother is, I’m guessing Daniel has been put on the spot far worse than that.”

  “Oh, I have,” he said.

  A reporter waved at Sophie and she politely returned the gesture. Then she sucked in a deep breath, forced a smile and looked Daniel square in the face. “More than anything, I need to know that you’re going to be kind to Emma. Because if you aren’t, if you’re playing at some other game, Mr. Stone, there will be problems.”

  “That’s really what this is about,” Mindy said, patting Daniel on the shoulder. “If you hurt her, you’ll have three angry women on your hands, not just one. Trust me, no man wants to go up against the Eden sisters.”

  Emma swallowed hard. She wasn’t sure she’d breathed once during that exchange. It was a tad
horrifying to watch her sisters launch thinly veiled threats at Daniel. They were behaving like glamorous mobsters. But after having felt left out so many times, it felt good to know they had her back. It didn’t matter to them that Daniel was handsome and wealthy and powerful. They would take on a man who didn’t treat her well.

  The crowd had grown significantly as the first wave of shoppers and members of the media arrived.

  Mindy patted Daniel on the shoulder again. “You don’t have anything to worry about. If you’re a decent guy, everything will be fine.”

  Daniel turned, looking down at Emma. “Then I truly don’t have a thing to worry about. I’m more than a decent guy.”

  “That’s the spirit,” Mindy said. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a boyfriend to track down and shoppers to schmooze with.”

  “Yes. We should be spending time with our customers,” Sophie said. A large gathering of their guests had assembled inside the pop-up. “It’s your night, Emma. You lead the way.”

  And to think Emma had worried about chatting with shoppers. That was going to be a piece of cake compared to what they’d just experienced with Sophie and Mindy. “Time to get to work.” She tugged on Daniel’s hand. “You coming?”

  “For you? Of course.”

  * * *

  Daniel downed another glass of champagne to take the edge off. He wasn’t surprised that Sophie and Mindy had questioned his intentions. It was more a shock that they’d done it so fiercely. Still, he would’ve been lying if he’d said he didn’t enjoy watching Emma, Mindy and Sophie in action. He kept to the periphery of the pop-up, observing the interactions of the shoppers and the three sisters. They mingled with customers, they chatted and encouraged purchases. One thing was certain—everyone seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves. They couldn’t snatch up items fast enough. This had been a brilliant idea on Sophie Eden’s part. One he might have to steal and adapt for Stone’s.

  Of course, Emma was the main source of his attention, but he did enjoy observing the dynamic between the sisters. Despite the confrontational approach she’d taken in meeting him, Sophie was the peacemaker, a bridge between Emma and Mindy. Mindy was the watchful eye, the hawk who made sure everyone was okay.