by Karen Booth
Emma stepped onto the red carpet, her heart thundering in her chest. She followed every move Mindy made, mimicking her stance and posture, every elegant quality Emma did not possess naturally. The paparazzi were quite taken with the couple in front of them, but then a few spotted Mindy and she quickly became their focus.
“Mindy! Over here!”
“This way, Mindy!”
Emma didn’t know what to do, so she hung back, letting the photographers focus on her sister. Mindy smiled effortlessly, turning her head just so, shaking her shiny red tresses with all the confidence in the world. She was such a pro. Emma felt like a kid standing on the edge of the pool with water wings.
“Who’s with you tonight?” a photographer asked.
Mindy cast her sights at Emma. Emma worried that Mindy might throw her under the bus and pretend she didn’t know her.
“My youngest sister, Emma, of course.” She reached for her hand, and before Emma knew what was happening, a million flashbulbs went off as she stood next to Mindy. These strangers were taking her picture and saying her name.
Emma! Emma!
Mindy stepped back and left Emma at center stage. She smiled, willing her face to be relaxed and natural. She planted her hand on her hip in what she hoped was the appropriate place.
Why are we just meeting you now, Emma?
She hadn’t prepared for questions. “I’ve been living in France. Just came back to the States to help my sisters run Eden’s.”
Who are you wearing?
“Nora Bradford, of course. The gown is an Eden’s exclusive. It’ll be available in the store starting tomorrow.” She glanced down for an instant and knew that if she didn’t move, they’d miss the most dramatic part of the design. Hands on her hips, she turned in a circle, the skirt flying up and showing off her legs. She was nearly blinded by flashbulbs when she’d completed the three-sixty.
“Let’s get out of here,” Mindy mumbled in her ear.
“Did I make a mistake?” Emma asked nervously.
“It was fine. You just can’t give them too much.”
She and Mindy strolled the remaining length of the red carpet and stepped into a lavish room already packed with people. Emma’s eyes were still adjusting from the bright lights of the cameras to the moodier party atmosphere, but she could see enough to know that beauty was everywhere.
Mindy tapped Emma on the shoulder. “Sam’s here.” She waved across the room, and sure enough, a tall and handsome man with jet-black hair waved back. “I’ll see you later.”
“Wait,” Emma blurted. “Will I see you at our seats?”
Mindy was distracted by her quickly approaching guy. “I’ll be with Sam. Not sure where I’ll see you. My driver will take you home. You have his number?”
Emma nodded. Mindy’s driver had taken her all over the city before she had a driver of her own. “I do.”
Just like that, Mindy was gone. Emma turned to the crowd, unsure what to do. She disliked being by herself. If Sophie had been able to come, Emma still would have been the person nobody knew, but at least she wouldn’t have been alone. In this big room filled with fabulous people, she felt insignificant. Like a speck of dust floating around everyone’s head, unnoticed.
A waiter walked by with a tray topped with glasses of champagne. Emma snagged one and took a long sip. Then another. She scanned the room, and for an instant, she wondered if she’d already had too much to drink. Either that or an optical illusion was walking into the room. Her heart nearly stopped beating. It was Mr. Brit from her building. Sure, he’d been less than friendly in the elevator, but she was now officially intrigued. His accent alone had been enough to interest her, but was he somehow involved in fashion? Perhaps a wealthy investor? Hopefully, he wasn’t one of those men who habitually dated models.
She studied him as inconspicuously as possible, sucking down the last of her champagne. Damn, he looked good in a tux. Ridiculously good. Like it had been sewn around his broad shoulders. His light brown hair was a bit of a tousled mess, but she liked that about him. It made him seem human. Everything else about him was a little too perfect—the five o’clock shadow, the kissable lips, the way he could see over the top of nearly everyone in the crowd. For a moment, she imagined herself combing her fingers through his bed-head hair and allowing her hands to get completely lost.
But the best thing about Mr. Brit was that he seemed to be alone. Just like her. Did she have the nerve to approach him? They did have a slight rapport. There was at least a starting point for a conversation. And she still had the questions she’d cooked up in the elevator. She could likely hold her own for a good ten minutes.
As if he sensed she was watching him, he turned his head. Their gazes connected. Emma would’ve looked away if he didn’t have her so locked in. His eyes were like a tractor beam designed to pull her across the room. And maybe that was precisely what she needed to do.
Three
If Daniel wasn’t mistaken, he hadn’t merely laid eyes on one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen, she was coming his way. He never played coy, so he made eye contact again, but still his pulse raced. She was stunning—floating through the room as if her feet never touched the floor. Her dark hair was swept up and back from her face, accentuating her graceful neck. He hadn’t pondered kissing a woman in that region for months. Now it was all he could think about.
“Hello.” She had an air of self-assurance that was simply breathtaking. This was a woman who was accustomed to taking what she wanted.
“Hello yourself.”
“We’ve got to stop meeting like this.”
Taken by surprise, he couldn’t help but laugh. What a confident way to greet a stranger. “Clever.” He held out his hand. “I’m Daniel.” He stopped short of offering his last name. No one knew he was in New York scouting locations for Stone’s, and he intended to keep it that way. Luckily, few people in the States knew him by sight. In London, it would be a different matter.
She slid her long, delicate fingers against his and shook his hand, sending ripples of warmth through him. “Emma.” She let go, leaving his palm tingling.
“So, tell me, Emma, what brings you to an event like this?”
She looked up at him from beneath a fringe of dark lashes that brought out the sheer sexiness of her brown eyes. “My job. I work for Eden’s.”
A waiter walked by with champagne, which gave Daniel a moment to decide how best to proceed. This gorgeous woman who’d managed to find him was employed by the company his mother considered the enemy. “Can I interest you in a drink?”
“Yes, please.”
Daniel took two flutes and handed one to Emma. “To new friends?”
Emma shook her head. “You can’t toast with a question. To new friends.” She clinked her glass with his.
For the first time in three weeks, Daniel wasn’t so eager to get home to London. He also found himself dismissing his commitment to staying away from the fairer sex. “Hear, hear.” He took a sip, studying her rosy-pink lips as they curved around the glass. “What do you do for Eden’s?”
“Number crunching, mostly.”
The lights in the room flashed off and on. Emma looked up, then returned her sights to him. “I guess we have to find out seats?” The crowd began moving toward the double doors leading into the adjoining room.
Something in Daniel’s gut told him he was an idiot if he let Emma get away. They were just getting started. “Did you come alone?”
“I didn’t, but my date ditched me.”
“Date?”
“My sister. I mean my half sister. It’s complicated.”
“I see. Well, if I’m not being too forward, where are you sitting?” he asked.
A sheepish smile crossed her lips. “My seats are in the front row. I have an extra if you want to join me. My other sister wasn’t able to mak
e it.”
“I’m sorry to hear about your sister.” But he wasn’t sorry he would be sitting with Emma. “And I’d love to join you.” He didn’t have to tell her that his seat was also in the front row. He’d let her think she was giving him a thrill.
They made their way inside and found their seats along the runway. Daniel subtly surveyed the rest of the front-row attendees, and spotted Nora Bradford, the designer he had to speak with before the end of the evening. He’d have to find a time to break away from Emma, which was a real shame, but for now, he would enjoy himself.
“You haven’t told me what you do, Daniel,” Emma said.
He couldn’t afford to tell her the truth. He had no idea of her stature at Eden’s or to whom she might end up speaking. “I’m here in the city looking at some real estate for my family’s business.” Not a lie. Not a lie at all.
Emma nodded, her eyes wide and eager. “Sounds exciting.”
“Not as exciting as meeting you.”
Emma smiled and shied away, looking down at her lap and running her fingers over her evening bag. The crowd had filled the room, the conversation at a steady din, broken only by the introduction of a thumping beat of dance music. The lights went down and the volume grew louder, the bass reverberating in Daniel’s hips and thighs. Or perhaps that was Emma’s effect on him. He had an amazing vantage point sitting next to her, one where he could admire the dips and valleys of her collarbone and shoulders. She had exquisite skin. Touchable and shimmery. How badly would he jeopardize his family business if he asked an Eden’s employee out for dinner?
The models began to strut down the catwalk, which would normally catch Daniel’s attention, but Emma was the real attraction. She leaned into him. “Isn’t it exciting?”
“It is.” He found himself smiling, of all things. That was not his usual reaction when forced to attend an event like this.
“This is my first time coming to one of these.”
Utterly charming—those were the words the came to mind. “I never would’ve known. You seem like an old pro.”
She reached over and swatted his thigh with the back of her hand. Now the grin on his face felt as though it might never leave.
Emma studied the models and applauded, her enthusiasm for fashion seeming so genuine. Her face was full of wonder as she followed each new design down the runway. Watching her became Daniel’s primary source of entertainment, especially as she pointed out her favorites.
“Ooh. I love that one,” she whispered in his ear. The hint of warmth from her sweet breath brought every nerve ending alive, like flipping on a switch.
“It’s lovely.” You’re lovely.
She repeated this exercise over and over again, muttering comments into his ear whenever she found a particular design detail interesting. As the show went on, she seemed to become even more comfortable with him, leaning in closer. The conversation continued, and he found it was easier to hear her if he slung his arm across the back of her chair. She placed her hand on his thigh, sending signals straight to his groin. He wanted her. He wanted to take her home. But he had work to do after the show was over. Important work he couldn’t afford to miss.
When the designers and several models made their final procession, Emma was one of the first in the audience to shoot to her feet and applaud wildly. Daniel was even more entranced. He loved her lack of inhibition. He was intrigued by the possibilities of getting Emma into his bed.
“I take it you enjoyed yourself?” he asked as the music died down and the crowd began to filter out of the room. From the corner of his eye, he saw Nora Bradford walking away. He couldn’t let her out of his sights, but he wasn’t ready to excuse himself from Emma. He needed her number. He deserved a little fun while he was in New York. No strings attached, of course.
“It was amazing. The clothes were incredible. It’s definitely been the most exciting part of my job to date.”
Daniel wasn’t sure how much he should dig into Emma’s life at Eden’s. He dreaded learning anything that might indicate she was not a woman to pursue. He wanted her, but he wouldn’t risk everything to take her to bed.
“One more drink?” he asked, unwilling for this to be goodbye.
“Yes. Please.” Emma answered instantly and smiled widely, momentarily numbing him to his sense of duty to his family business. Daniel knew where a second drink might lead, or at least where he wanted it to go, and that was not a good idea. He had unfinished business tonight. And it didn’t involve the stunning woman from Eden’s department store.
* * *
Emma worried for more than a moment that she’d answered too quickly. Daniel was all suave sophistication, and she’d been nothing but goofy with excitement during the fashion show. She wasn’t sure what had come over her, except that she felt different right now. For the first time, she felt as though she could be comfortable in this world. More importantly, she could hold her own with a handsome man like Daniel.
“Shall we?” Feeling a bit invincible, she hooked her arm in his and snugged him close to her.
The look he cast down at her shook her to her core. So confident. So pleased. So hot. “Please.”
Emma took a step and her shoe caught on the carpet. It twisted right off her foot and she stumbled forward.
Daniel kept her from falling with a strong hold on her arm. “Are you okay?”
Embarrassment heated her cheeks, but she was determined to make a graceful save. A little hiccup was not going to ruin her evening. “I’m great. Just need to get my shoe.” She reached down to hook her finger into a silver strap, but as she bent at the waist, she felt a pop behind her. Cool air hit the center of her back. She still needed her shoe, so she crouched to grab it. In a rush, the cold spread down her spine. The zipper.
She let go of Daniel’s arm, righted herself and immediately flattened her back against his chest, clutching her dress to her bosom with one hand and her shoe in the other. The fine wool crepe of his tuxedo brushed against her bare skin. Her zipper had split wide-open. The only thing that was keeping the dress on was that impossibly tiny silver hook at the very top and the few inches of bodice before the skirt started.
“Everything all right?” Daniel grasped her shoulders from behind and looked down at her.
Emma’s chest was heaving. Panic coursed through her veins. Of course something disastrous would happen. “My zipper. I think it broke.” She knew one thing as soon as those words came out. The humiliation of this scene was going to last her entire lifetime. She’d have to start taking the stairs in her apartment building. She might have to move.
Daniel pushed her shoulders forward ever so slightly. “Indeed it has.”
That small breach of the space between them told her exactly how bad it was. Daniel could see far more of her than was reasonable for the first few hours of their acquaintance. Her bare back. Her skimpy panties. “Do you think you can fix it?” Luckily, most people had made it back out into the reception area. The few still milling about didn’t seem to notice. “I can’t walk out of here with half a dress.”
He pulled her a little closer and lowered his head. “No. But we could stay in here with half of your dress.” His breath was warm against the slope of her neck.
She craned her head, looking at him over her shoulder. His lips were so close, achingly within reach. If they were somewhere quiet and private, this mishap could’ve been the perfect icebreaker. Her clothes were already half off. Might as well go all the way. “As fun as that sounds, I’m still going to need to walk through that room at some point.”
“Hold on. Let me see if I can do anything.” He waited as a few people walked past, then he made more space between them.
Emma tried very hard to not think about how much he was essentially studying her naked back and every inch of lacy undergarments that went with it. “Well? How bad is it?”
“From where I’
m standing, the view is spectacular.” He traced his finger along one edge of the zipper, his warm skin brushing hers. It had been so long since a man had touched her like that, and certainly no man as sexy and handsome as Daniel.
“You get bonus points for flattery.” And for making me dizzy. “I’d still like to know if the dress can be saved.”
“The two sides of the zipper aren’t attached anymore. It’s just the hook holding it together.”
Emma didn’t know a lot about garment construction, but she did know that there was no saving that stupid zipper. “What do I do? I didn’t bring a jacket or coat.”
“I did.” Daniel stepped back and shrugged his shoulders out of his tuxedo jacket. Emma got a much better sense of his body now that it was hiding under fewer clothes. If she wasn’t so deathly embarrassed, she might be daring enough to invite him home. He placed his jacket on her shoulders and held her shoe and handbag as she slipped her arms inside.
“This is so nice of you.”
“Think nothing of it.”
Emma sat in a chair and worked her foot into her shoe. “I’m not accustomed to such chivalry.” Not even close. Her only real boyfriend had been the sort of guy who didn’t want to share his umbrella in the rain.
“Still care for a drink?”
Emma stood, well aware that whatever magic she’d managed to conjure this evening would evaporate if she was the woman walking around in a broken dress and tuxedo jacket. “It’s probably best if I head home.” She could hardly believe the words. He was too amazing. She was missing her chance. Hopefully, she’d have another, perhaps run into him in the building again.
He nodded. “I understand. There’s someone I need to track down, anyway. Let me walk you to your car, though.”
Emma pulled out her phone and sent a text to Mindy’s driver, who said he could be out front in a few minutes. The disappointing end of this evening was unimaginable, but she was determined to steal a few more lovely moments with Daniel. “That would be nice.”
