Enticed (18 page)

I sat next to him as I scoured the Internet for color schemes. We finally decided on a royal
palette of purples and blues, which guided his imagination as he got busy on his sketch. Meanwhile I researched what kind of musicians we could hire for the event.

By the time Drew got home that evening, we were still in the ballroom hard at work. We brought sketches and notes to the table, sharing ideas as we ate the meal Cleo had to prepare because I was otherwise distracted.

We didn’t even bother with TV that night. There was too much to do and not a whole lot of time to do it.

I suddenly had a new appreciation for how hard Drew worked. I could technically “clock out” of my job day after day, with weekends to spare. For Drew, his business was constantly in forward motion, demanding his attentive eye to ensure its success.

The guest list he had provided had been chock full of recognizable names, from movie stars to politicians. It intimidated me more than I would have dared to admit. The pressure was on to be perfect, especially since this was the first high-profile event for the family since Drew and Alex’s mother, Marie Fullerton, passed away six years before.

“Her parties were legendary,” Drew had confided. “After she died, there seemed little point in carrying on the tradition, as we would never come close to the magic she wove year after year.”

“No pressure,” I quipped.

Drew had also invited Elise and Alex to the event, likely as a courtesy more than an olive branch. I didn’t anticipate that Elise would RSVP, but I knew Alex wouldn’t miss it for the world.

And worse, he would know that I was directly involved with the planning, simply because he was at the downtown offices almost as much as Drew was. I just knew that he’d form his own opinion about my participation, thinking this was just one more attempt to wedge myself into the family by taking over his beloved mother’s tradition, but I couldn’t worry about that.

It wasn’t like I was going to show up on the arm of Drew or Jonathan on the night of the party.

Or so I thought.

“You’re making me go?” I squeaked at Drew that evening when we conferred privately in his study, and he informed me that I should contact a dressmaker straight away to design my costume.

“It’s your party. Don’t you want to go?”

“It’s inappropriate,” I found myself repeating.

“I’m going to start charging you a quarter every time you use that word,” he warned playfully.

“What if Elise comes? How is that going to look?”

“Every bit as appropriate as the man candy on her arm,” he shot back. “Our family doesn’t operate by conventional rules, Rachel. Appropriate or not, you are a part of this household. You have every right to be there.”

The next day we met with costume designers to discuss what
the three of us would wear as hosts of this family function. Jonathan had some ideas based on the medieval costuming he had researched the night before. They measured Jonathan and me in person, and since I had done so much to dress him in the past, I already knew Drew’s measurements well enough to pass that information along. By the end of the week we had preliminary sketches, with a fitting scheduled the following week.

RSVPs poured in, making me more nervous by the day. Alex, of course, responded with a resounding yes, as
did Elise and her ‘plus-one.’ Per Simone’s gentle encouragement, I relied heavily on the experts we hired to carry out our party plans. I learned a lot from the designers and the caterers, but also from Cleo and Harrison, who had overseen such events many times in the past.

We hired security and additional staff, and miracle of miracles, managed to have everything in control the week leading up to the party. It was scheduled for the Friday before Halloween, as not to interfere with Elise’s court-appointed visit the following day.

Drew offered that Jonathan could leave with Elise following the party for their first overnight visit, if the young Fullerton so chose. After several successful Saturdays with his mother under his belt already, Jonathan finally agreed.

“It’s because of you, you know,” I told Drew as we shared some hot apple cider by the outdoor fireplace on his terrace. “You stopped treating her like an enemy, so he feels free to treat her more like family.”

“It’s because of you,” he corrected. “You’re the one who started making inroads by encouraging her not to trash me in front of Jonathan. We’re just following your lead.”

“I think you’re doing the right thing, letting him go with her for the night.”

He shook his head. “I’m not convinced. It goes against everything in my nature and every one of my instincts. But I had to ask myself… WWRD?”

I giggled. “Yeah, right.”

He winked at me and we sat in comfortable silence watching the fire crackle and burn in front of us.

The week of the party kept Jonathan and I busy right up to the chaotic end. Simone spent the afternoon at the house, adding an extra pair of eyes and hands to the project, which finally looked like it was coming together.

The caterers took over the kitchen, and wait staff arrived to set up the tables and chairs. I was frantic to dot every last ‘I’ and cross every last ‘T,’ so much so that Simone had to drag me upstairs to change into my costume.

The hooded, Gothic dress was made of deep purple velvet with a taffeta front detailed with scrolling black velvet. The dramatic sleeves flared down past my hands, and the square neckline kept all cleavage at a bare minimum.
Though it showed very little skin, it was feminine and sexy. The hairdresser piled my hair up on top of my head in a bundle of coiled curls, while the stylist applied professional makeup to transform me from a simple schoolteacher and household grunt into a fairytale princess.

I barely recognized myself when I looked into the mirror.

Both Drew and Jonathan wore costumes befitting a king and a prince, with capes and crowns, and ornamental swords attached at the hip. I smiled when I saw them at the foot of the stairs. My eyes locked with Drew’s as he appraised my appearance. I couldn’t look away as I descended the stairs.

Jonathan bowed with a suppressed giggle. “M’lady,” he said.

I curtsied. “My prince,” I said. I turned to Drew, who took my hand in his and brought it to his lips.

“You look lovely,” he said against my skin.

I was breathless as I answered. “Thank you.”

Jonathan beamed as he stared up at us, but Drew had yet to release me from his gaze. “Jonathan,” he said. “Why don’t you go show Harrison how well you wield your sword?”

Jonathan thought this was a fine idea and flew off like a shot toward the ballroom, where Harrison and Cleo organized the additional staff.

“Come with me,” Drew instructed, before pulling me by the hand into his study. We didn’t stop until we reached his desk. “You have done an amazing job putting this together,” he said. “I wanted to show you a token of my appreciation.” He held up a large black velvet box.

I gasped when he opened it. The box contained a dramatic Renaissance necklace featuring Amethyst stones to perfectly match my dress. “Jonathan said you didn’t have jewelry for the event, but no queen would be complete without her royal baubles.” I opened my mouth and he held up his hand. “And don’t you dare say it’s inappropriate. It’s a loner, not a gift. Wear it without shame.”

“You know, Jonathan helped just as much putting this together.”

“That’s why he got a sword,” Drew replied with a wry smile. “I can give you a sword as well, but I fear you may finally filet my brother if you have access to weaponry.”

I laughed as he
slipped the necklace from the case and slipped it around my neck. My breath caught as he stepped behind me to fasten it. “Thank you, Drew,” I finally said.

He leaned closer to say softly in my ear, “All night long, as you wear this, I want you to remember that you belong here.”

I shivered in spite of myself. I took the matching earrings from the case to place them in my ears, and then followed Drew back out of the study.

By the time
Jonathan joined us in the foyer, we had donned our ornamental Venetian masks. Musicians had set up in the hallway to play the harp and flute as the guests began to arrive, Alex being one of the first.

The black baroque mask partially obscured his face, making his sensual mouth even more prominent as he bowed to me with a smirk. “Miss Dennehy,” he drawled easily.

“Mr. Fullerton,” I gritted between clenched teeth.

“Nice of you to make it,” Drew murmured as he greeted his brother.

“Our first family party in years?” Alex answered. “How could I possibly say no? We wouldn’t want to disappoint Mother, now would we?” he added bitingly, before he took his place beside his brother, where he remained throughout the arrivals.

My hands shook as I met our very important guests, which was a virtual who’s who of everyone I never thought I’d meet in a million years. Hollywood royalty mingled with Fortune 500 business magnates, with a few politicians thrown in for good measure.

“This is Senator De Havilland from New York,” Drew introduced as an elegant silver-haired man approached with a stunning platinum blonde at his side. “And his lovely wife, Sloane. This is our Rachel,” he beamed.

Senator
Troy De Havilland bestowed a brilliant white smile as he took my hand. “So you are the miracle worker I’ve heard so much about. It’s wonderful to meet you finally.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Senator,”
I said before extending my hand to his wife. “Mrs. De Havilland.”

“This
house looks stunning,” she praised.

Drew wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “Rachel is a woman of many talents.”

“Maybe you can send her to your new factory in China,” Alex chimed in. “Working side by side, twelve hours a day, with children not much older than Jonathan here. She’d fit right in.” Then he turned to the senator. “You have interest in that company, right, Senator? I mean, not officially… but you own a parent company that imports cheap goods to sell for pennies on the dollar rather than pay American workers a living wage. And didn’t you vote against levying taxes when jobs are outsourced overseas?”

“You’ll have to forgive my brother, Senator,” Drew interrupted, his jaw clenched with the rage he dared not show. “Apparently he got lost on his way to Woodstock.”

“It’s that left turn in Albuquerque,” Alex quipped. “I always seem to miss it.”

Harrison, who had been hovering nearby, appeared magically with a silver tray of champagne glasses. “Champagne, Senator?” he asked, luring them just out of earshot. Drew flared at Alex.

“It would be nice if you could manage to get through one of these functions without insulting our guests.”

Alex smiled. He was quite happy to get under Drew’s skin. “Maybe I need time alone with your miracle worker,” he suggested as his eyes lit on me. “Dance with me, Princess,” he said as he offered his hand. “Teach me some manners.”

Drew opened his mouth to intervene but I held up a hand. I glared at Alex as I took his hand, allowing him to lead me to the crowded ballroom. He swung me around in his arms until he fitted me close against his solid body, and we fell in step with the music.

“Why do you do that?” I asked. “Your brother is nice enough to include you and you find every way you can to antagonize him.”

Alex laughed. “You know, I can’t figure out if you’re naïve, calculating or just stupid.” I started to pull away but he held me fast to that rock hard body, his face close to mine. “Which is it?”

“What difference does it make what I say? You’re going to believe what you want anyway.
You’re hard-wired to see the worst in everything.”

“Not everything,” he corrected softly as he scanned my face.
I dropped my eyes as his thumb brushed rhythmically against my back. “But if you think you’re here tonight for any other reason than to parade you around as the new lady of the house, you’re deluding yourself.”

“That’s what I mean,” I said. “Sometimes a teacher is just a teacher.”

His gaze dropped to the amethyst necklace spread across the creamy white flesh of my chest. “Look in a mirror, Rachel. Then tell me again you’re ‘just’ a teacher.” His eyes met mine. “You stepped willingly into the pot full of water, and you have no clue at all it’s starting to boil.”

He motioned to where Senator De Havilland and Drew stood chatting. “The Senator has some very powerful friends. Research a super PAC called Entrepreneurs for American Liberty.
If you can stomach what you learn, more power to you. But don’t expect me to apologize for calling on him on his part in the destruction of the American dream.”

“There is
a time and a place for everything,” I said. “Ambushing him at a party won’t change his politics.”

“It’s not just politics, Rachel,” he argued. With his mouth set in a firm line, he broke the dance and pulled me out of the ballroom onto the terrace where we could speak privately. “Drew isn’t the only prominent businessman the good Senator has contacted, to buy out that factory in China, and the company in England, and another company in Mexico. The name
Dietrich Schonhorn mean anything to you?”