The Firefighter's Cinderella (11 page)

“Tasha? Do you ever just stop thinking and have fun?” Daphne grabbed her shoulders and gazed at her with a smile. “You look beautiful. Let's just go in and enjoy ourselves.”

For the first time, she didn't feel like the ugly duckling around Daphne's pixie figure and pretty face. She could walk into a room and be proud of how she looked. It hit her at that moment how much her hard work had paid off. She was a new woman. It was time to
be
that woman. Maybe she'd call C.J. right after the party and
see if there was still a chance to start a relationship. Tonight she felt as if anything were possible.

“Hey, Tash, I'll grab Terrance so he can let us in.”

“I thought you said this was okay.”

“It is. Give me a sec.”

Just when she'd thought tonight could be fun, Tasha decided she didn't want to crash a party. She could call Richard and find out where they were having dinner and meet him there. Trust Daphne? Ha! Tasha shook her head.

With her mind made up, she started to head back to the coat check.

“Tash, where are you going?”

Tasha turned to see Daphne poking her head around the violet-panels.

“To dinner. I hate crashing parties.”

“Tasha, darling, what party are you crashing?” Terrance's face popped up above Daphne's. Then the two of them stepped into full view.

“Daphne said she had to go find you to get us in. I thought—” Tasha put a hand to the side of her head. “You know what? Never mind what I thought. I'm coming.”

“I have to say, my dear, you look ravishing. Just fabulous.”

She returned the compliment. “Terrance, you look so debonair with the new green highlights! And that suit looks very suave. The green shirt pulls it all together.”

Terrance studied her quizically. “Where's my friend? What did you do to her?”

“Maybe I've been hanging around Daphne too long. She's a vivacious personal shopper.”

Daphne made a mewing sound and they all laughed.

“All right, ladies, shall we go in?”

“By all means,” Daphne purred, opening a fold in the drape to enter first.

The moment Tasha stepped into the room, the music stopped and the lights dimmed. She walked a little farther out onto a dance floor. That was when she realized everyone had rushed to the sides to get out of the way. She turned around, wondering what was going on.

Tasha searched for a friendly face, but to her horror a spotlight stopped her in her tracks. She kept trying to breathe for fear of passing out, but stood tall and smiled, not wanting to look foolish while she waited for something to happen.

Seconds later she heard the song “Just the Way You Are.” It was from
Glee
, the one TV show these days that Tasha made a point of catching. She watched as beams of violet, purple, yellow and cream flashed on the left marble pillar next to the grand staircase. Soon light spilled onto a sconce on the floor so it could light all the others around the room. It happened in a ripple effect to the music, creating a dreamy ambience that drew oohs and ahhs from the audience.

She couldn't believe this was happening. Very few people knew her love for
Glee
and purple. She suddenly realized this was all for her. She thought her heart was going to burst….

When the last sconce was lit, both pillars took the viewer on an electrical light show that climbed up the grand staircase. Soon the lights had everyone staring at the aerial bridge, decked out in purple linens. The
wind blowers came on, shooting colored streamers ever higher.

On the periphery she could see people were dancing. She hadn't realized she was swaying to the music herself, for the lights just continued to draw her into the show. They didn't allow her to think long as they continued climbing the turret past all walkways. They finally came to a shiny disco ball that started to spin, flashing on the crowd below. At the same time the wind blowers shot streamers and flecks of silver and purple metallic paper in to the audience, which fell like a soft shower of rain.

Then Tasha heard, “One, two, three. Happy Birthday!”

My birthday.

She'd forgotten. Again. Tasha had a tendency to block out things that drew attention to her. But now she didn't mind. In fact, she was thrilled. Who'd done all this?

She turned and stared at the smiling people singing to her. She stared up at the grand staircase, where a purple light flashed Happy Birthday Natasha!

She could see her parents and the McGinnises up there, saluting her with their champagne flutes. She was overcome by her parents' generosity and thoughtfulness. “Thank you, Mom and Dad,” she called.

They both blew kisses.

Terrance walked over to her with a microphone. “Ladies and gentleman, are we ready for Tasha to get her birthday present?”

The whole audience went wild. Tasha grabbed the mic out of his hand. “Do you guys know something I don't?”

Laughter went from corner to corner and spread. He pulled the microphone back. “Let's just say this is your night.” At the snap of his fingers, a stool appeared. “Natasha, my love, prepare yourself for Firefighters for the Conchords.”

She was utterly confused, embarrassed, and couldn't believe this was happening to her. This only happened to other girls.

There was the strum of a guitar and a curtain lifted from the other side of the room. Two firemen in formal dress uniforms stood there, faces hidden in shadow. One was playing a bass accompaniment to the guitar. As the room went wild the lights went up, and the bass player spoke into the microphone.

Her heart almost stopped. It was C.J.

“Happy Birthday, Benny. Hope you're having fun. I wanted to give you a present that meant something, so I thought I'd dedicate our favorite song by Flight of the Conchords to the woman I love. Yes, Natasha. I mean you.”

She put hands to her hot cheeks amid the hoots and wolf whistles. She had no idea what to do except sit on her stool and try not to reveal how hard she was shaking.

He really did love her. That handsome man up there loved her, and this was really happening to her. The ice encasing around her heart began to melt very quickly.

C.J. and the firefighter on guitar began to play “The Most Beautiful Girl in the Room.” It was amazing, like a blanket wrapping her in C.J.'s love. She'd never been so touched. He'd even managed to get her family involved.

Tasha stared at him as he performed. She'd never known he was such a talented singer, and musician. At the end of the song, C.J. slung his base over his shoulder, walked over to her, pulled her close and kissed her senseless.

The audience went wild once again.

Then C.J. started talking into the microphone. “I'd really like to thank Natasha's parents and friends for helping me to pull off this surprise party.”

Everyone clapped, and to her astonishment Natasha's parents walked onstage. George took the microphone from C.J. Natasha feared what her father was going to say. She edged closer to C.J., who put his arms around her.

George drew Genevieve close to him. Her stunning mom wore a long black taffeta skirt with a crisp linen shirt. Her hair was in a perfect chignon. They both gazed warmly at Tasha.

“We want to thank you all who've come to celebrate our Natasha's twenty-eighth birthday,” George began. “When Captain Powell, or C.J. as most of us know him, came to us with the idea of a surprise party, we were thrilled. Genevieve, Gina, Terrance and C.J. have had the greatest time planning the party.”

The audience laughed.

“I know I was surprised to find a firefighter wanting to be so involved in the party planning, but he had his ideas.”

More laughter.

“I have to say this has turned out to be a fantastic night. C.J., I'm curious to know if your duo is available for hire on another occasion?”

C.J. nodded. “Absolutely, George.”

“As most of you in here know, our Natasha is so busy serving others she often forgets herself. So tonight is for you, little Tasha. Your mother and I have a special gift for you. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to put it on you.”

Natasha was dumbstruck. She walked over to where he was standing. He pulled a little turquoise-blue box from his suit pocket. Inside was a gorgeous Cartier watch.

“It's beautiful.” She looked up, her eyes glittering with tears.

Her father put it on her wrist. “It's nothing compared to you. Please make us this promise.”

“Yes?”

“That you'll always shine, just like this watch.” Then he took her in his arms and hugged her.

Her own father was hugging her in public. She had to fight to keep her tears from falling.

Then her mother hugged her. “Happy birthday, darling. I hope you're enjoying tonight.”

Tasha pulled back and was shocked to see tears in her eyes. “I'm having a lovely time, Mom. Thank you.”

Genevieve hugged her again. “Wonderful. Now you go and enjoy your evening. You're as pretty as a picture. It's a joy to see you so happy.”

George took the microphone again. “Thanks for letting us take this moment of your time. The rest of the evening is on us. Enjoy the wonderful food, drinks and the band we brought in for a fun night of dancing.”

The next hour passed in a blur as she and C.J. talked and danced with some of her cousins, a few old college roommates, friends from the station that had the night
off, and Terrance, Daphne and Richard. Tasha couldn't remember having this much fun in years. Maybe ever.

 

A
SLOW SONG CAME ON
and C.J. was finally able to get Tasha all to himself for the first time. “At last I have you alone.”

She dared a glance at him, nervous of his reaction. “After the way I treated you two weeks ago, I'm surprised you'd even want to see me. I—”

He interrupted her. “I have something I've been dying to say. I realize that I put you on the spot tonight, but I was desperate. I listened to what you said at the villa. I read your note. It made me feel so terrible I drove straight to your parents' house.”

“You're kidding.”

“Somehow I was lucky enough to have the Benningtons of San Francisco welcome me in for a Sunday brunch on the patio.” She'd never heard him sound so serious. “I told them I was crazy in love with you.”

She stared at him. “You didn't.”

“I did.” His tone was steel-like. “I went on to explain that I needed to prove to you how much I love you, and that you were a hard nut to crack. In short, I asked them for help.”

“You did that for me?” She brushed a tear away. “What did they say?”

“They were thrilled. Your mom called Gina McGinnis and she drove over minutes later. Somebody must have phoned Terrance, because we planned the party that day.”

Tasha smiled. “You spent an entire day planning a surprise birthday party for me?”

“Yes.”

“You know, Captain Powell, you look so damn sexy in that uniform I can barely keep my eyes off you.”

He shook his head. “Don't distract me. I have something else I want to say.”

“You've made my wildest dreams come true tonight,” she declared. “What else is there to say?”

“This.” He pulled her against his body, splaying his hands over her back as he spoke. “I know you. You're kind and you have an amazing tenacity to fight for those less fortunate. Your resolute battle against cancer is inspiring. Your brainchild, the Tim McGinnis Foundation, will help hundreds of people in the Bay area and beyond.”

She chopped her forehead against his lapel to hide her emotions. But he wasn't finished.

“I wanted to plan this party to prove that you had brought me back to life. Tash, you've got to understand something. We both lost a dear friend a year ago, and because of that, I let my life just drift—unlike you, who went about building charities and running around the countryside to help IAs keep their families together.”

“That's not true,” Tasha whispered. “You became captain and have saved homes and lives. You're a hero.” She grabbed his face and looked directly into his eyes. “We both coped with his death the way we could. I just threw myself into a different type of work than you. But I believe we've brought each other back to the world of the living.”

C.J. kissed her fiercely before he said, “Unfortunately, there's a code of brotherhood that says you don't take out another man's girl. I'm sorry I let you slip out
of my life back then. But I brought you here tonight to prove that I love you. To me you were and are the most beautiful girl in the room. I love you, Natasha. Will you believe me?”

“I do.” she slipped her arms around him as they swayed to the music. “Thank you for this party. It's the most wonderful thing anyone has ever done for me.”

He silenced her with another kiss. “Would you like to get out of here?”

“Can we do that?”

“It's your party. You can do what you want.”

“I'd like to be alone with you.” She looked up at him. “I'd also like to get out of these heels.”

“Is that an invitation?” His eyes lit up.

“Let's just say I'd like to head up to Yountville and see what happens.”

C.J. hugged her hard; she knew her answer had pleased him. “Let's go,” he whispered into her hair. Then he dropped his hand to the small of her back and guided her out of the building to his car.

“You're an angel for doing this.”

“No, I'm nuts about you, that's what.” C.J. brought his sleek Mustang to a halt in front of Tasha's office building. “Now explain to me why we can't go up to your office together?”

“Time. It takes forever to park. I'll run up the three flights, grab my briefcase and be right back down.”

“Do you always go up stairwells alone?”

“No. Security won't let me.”

“You're sad because they won't let beautiful women go into dark stairwells alone at night?” The mirth in his voice was infectious.

“No. They won't let me alone in them ever. The other tenants hate me and demand that I'm watched at all times.”

He grinned. “So you're public enemy number one in your building?”

“Let's just say they don't like all my clients. And the lease I wrote is very good. Not even my father's lawyers can find a loophole.”

“Why are they looking for one?”

“That's the beauty of it. He owns the building.”

“Your
dad
has been trying to kick you out for helping IAs?”

She nodded. “But he seemed to be happy with me tonight. Which makes me wonder. Do you do magic or voodoo, too?”

“No, and my methods don't hurt.”

“What do you mean?” She looked puzzled.

“It has to hurt if your own dad and the people in the building want you kicked out for helping others.”

“Not at all. That's the fun part. I love getting to him. To think I wrote a contract better than anybody he could hire. I loathed working for the family and, better yet, I get to treat IAs as normal paying clients. People he doesn't consider fit to step foot in an office.

“I actually like rumpling his tail feathers,” she went on. “In fact, I like doing it to most of my business counterparts. It serves them right. What hurts me is that my dad campaigns against the people I vow to protect.”

“Oh, how well you would fit in with
my
dad and the gang at home.” C.J. stared at her with admiration. “They may not agree with your politics, but gumption? They love that in a girl, and you, my love, have plenty of it. Just like my sister-in-law, Sammi.”

Tasha scratched her head. “Sammi's the freelance photographer who's married to Jake, right? I'd like to see some pictures she's taken of Alaska. From what you've described, it sounds like a paradise.”

“Would you consider going home with me?”

“Yes, but not until this case with Mendez is settled. I couldn't bear to put anyone else in my life at risk.”

“Tasha?”

“Yes?”

“How do you feel about me?”

Tasha leaned back in her seat. “I'm scared to answer
that question. You know I'm crazy about you. I'm just nervous that if you're around…”

“I know what can happen. I take my life into my hands every day.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Get out of here before I just leave and say forget the D.A. and her documents.”

Tasha leaned over and kissed his cheek, but he purposefully moved at the right time so he could give her a thorough kiss.

“I'll be back in five minutes.”

“I'm counting.”

With a laugh, she climbed out of the car and ran into the building.

 

C.J.
SAW HER TALK TO
the security guard, then disappear. Moments later he could see lights on the third floor turn on. Relief filled him.

He was settling back in the seat to wait when he heard the sound of an explosion, then saw the fireball. It whooshed through Tasha's office, sending glass and debris onto the street. His heart filled with terror.

Dear God, let her be alive!

He called dispatch, then grabbed his trench coat and ran toward the blazing building. By the time he reached the doors, he'd gone into captain mode. He couldn't believe people were standing in the lobby when a bomb had just gone off. Maybe they'd just finished a late night of work, but their lives were at stake.

“San Francisco Fire Department,” he said in a booming voice. “There's an extremely volatile fire on the third floor. Everyone out of the lobby now! Please exit calmly.”
The alarms going off should be alerting people to get the hell out of there, anyway.

The security guard was just a kid. “Until the fire trucks get here, you make sure to get everyone out of this lobby!” C.J. instructed. “Do you hear me, son?”

“Yes, sir.”

C.J. raced to the room where the main fire control system was located. From what he could see so far, Tasha's father had spared no expense at fire safety. C.J.'s first lucky break. Living on a fault line tended to make people like George Bennington extra cautious about their investments.

There should be fire monitors going off where the most damage was done, but on the security cameras all he saw was smoke.

“Damn.” He couldn't make out a thing.

Sirens blared in the distance, but would the fire trucks make it here in time? He grabbed one of the pagers. “Natasha Bennington! Natasha Bennington! If you hear me, I need you to get to a safe place away from the fire and below the smoke. Benny, I'm coming for you!”

C.J. looked around the rest of the room. He saw some safety helmets with face shields and an oxygen device, a civilian form that was easy to carry and would last ten minutes. He grabbed the gear and tucked it in a bag, which he slung over his shoulder.

Once everything was steady, he prepped his own breathing apparatus, donned his mask and helmet. He picked up a fire extinguisher and headed out.

 

W
HEN
T
ASHA BECAME AWARE
of her surroundings, she realized she was on the floor, trapped there by something
heavy. She could hear a voice calling.
C.J.?
She tried to concentrate, but couldn't see anyone.

She couldn't stop shaking, nor could she move, and she wasn't sure why. Maybe she was dead. Maybe she wasn't with C.J. What if Mendez had her hostage in this dungeon filled with hissing and popping sounds? What was pressing on her ankle?

Her eyes were watering. Billowing yellow clouds were coming nearer. She started to cough, but the more she did, the harder it was to breathe. This torture Mendez had devised had to end. He'd hurt enough families. If he'd hurt C.J….

Reflexively, Tasha curled up in a ball. Her head hurt so badly she thought she was going to pass out. Cracking open her eyes again, she saw something that scared the hell out of her: her desk. Beyond it were the yellow, flickering flames of the fire creeping toward her.

“C.J….help me….” It was all she could get out before she started to cough again from the smoke. She began to struggle with all her might to free herself, but her foot was trapped beneath the desk and she didn't have the strength to push it off. Every effort brought on gasps of pain and waves of dizziness.

The fire that was going to kill her was incredibly beautiful. It grew bigger and brighter, in hues of red, blue, yellow and green. Then it burst into orange.

This fire monster—that was what C.J. and Tim called it—kept repeating its terrifying show, flaring high, coming closer. Anger welled up inside Tasha. She knew people died from smoke inhalation. Why wasn't she dead?

Her ankle was stuck under her own damn mahogany desk.

“No, no, no. I'm
not
going to die by burning. I at least want to go by smoke inhalation.” She sat up. “I'm not going to let you burn me while I'm still breathing, you stupid twenty-thousand-dollar desk. I hate you!”

Orange, green, blue smoke swirled around her head, while yellow smoke curled up her leg. She could feel the heat singing her skin. She tried to shoo it away, but now her hands stung, too.

This is it.

Cough.
“Come and get me.”
Cough.
She fought to wriggle her foot loose one more time. “I don't want to die!” She could feel sparks landing in her hair. She fell back on the floor and writhed in pain. Then she felt…water.

Through the smoke she could make out a figure in a trench coat with some sort of face mask and helmet. He hosed down the wall and the desk, then came closer and hosed her hot body, so steam rose from it.

The man aimed his fire extinguisher and buried part of the desk in foam. Once done, he took off a pack and gently put some sort of breathing apparatus on her. She'd been fighting for air, and now here it was.

“Keep breathing,” he instructed through his mask.

After she got more oxygen into her lungs, Tasha felt a little better. He put a fire shield on her face and a helmet on her head. She watched him move away with purpose. He seemed to be looking for something.

When he picked up a small waiting-room chair and smashed it against the wall, she didn't know if he'd gone
mad or was a genius. It didn't really matter. She was so grateful not to be alone in the fire monster's lair.

The man came back, a piece of wood in his hand, levering it against another chair to lift the desk enough for her to slide her foot out. The pain made her scream, but she kept pulling until she was free. He picked her up and carried her to a place of safety near Richard's office.

Her hero sure was strong. He brought over two pieces of wood, placed them on either side of her ankle and began to tear strips of material from his trench coat. He was trying to make a splint, but he didn't seem happy with how it turned out.

Tasha could feel his agitation as she came in and out of consciousness. She could be thankful for one blessing—C.J. wasn't on duty tonight and wouldn't be coming in here. The thought of him in this inferno was more than she could handle.

When her rescuer still wasn't getting the result he wanted, he quickly took off his breathing apparatus to remove his trench coat. That was when it finally clicked that C.J. had been with her the whole time.
He
was her hero. How could Tasha not have known? Was she in such denial that she'd pretended it wasn't him?

There he was—the man she loved, in dress uniform, protecting her. When he put his equipment back on, she could see how her cloudy mind might have not known who he was.

She sat in awe as she watched C.J. use the belt from his trench coat to make the splint tighter. He had risked his life to come save her. Tears gushed down her cheeks.
This man she loved had stormed the fires of hell to rescue her.

Tasha had to tell him she loved him. He had to know the truth in case they never got out of here alive. She grabbed his mask, and he bent his face close to hers. “Are you in pain, sweetheart?”

She shook her head. His concern for her at a time like this was overwhelming. “I love you, C.J. Do you hear me?”

The fire was growing closer, its snakelike hisses growing louder.

“Don't you say goodbye to me, Tasha,” he warned. “Not now.”

She shook her head and watched the man she loved battle hell itself. He gestured for her to stay put, then pointed at Richard's office door. He was obviously going to break it down.

“Lord…please help him,” she said.

 

C.J.
HAD NEVER FELT
fear like he did on hearing Tasha scream as the fire licked toward her. If he hadn't run inside and broken every rule in the book, she would be dead.

She doesn't need to face the fire monster anymore!

His anger gave him strength. Even if he was put on leave for a while, he didn't care. Hell, he could use the break. He wasn't sure he could go right back to work, anyway, not after almost seeing her burned alive.

The shock put him into fight-or-flight mode, giving him the strength to break through Richard's office door with just a fire extinguisher. Not a moment too soon. He could see Tasha had been scooting herself into the
middle of a ring of fire. He saw his supposed fireproof trench coat lying where she used to be.

He wrapped it around his body and jumped in, making sure to roll free of the flames. As he grasped her in his arms, he saw the terror in her eyes. “We're going to get out alive. Do you hear me?” he said.

Tasha nodded trustingly. Her sweet face was the last thing he saw before he tucked her close and carried her into the other office, praying that the ladders were here by now. Through the window he saw a fire engine on the street below.

He set her down, as far away from the flames as possible, then grasped a metal filling cabinet and swung it against the glass. The window it cracked, and soon there was another fireman on a ladder just outside, breaking more glass so they could get out.

“Tasha—” he rushed over to her “—I'm going to carry you down the ladder, okay?”

“As long as I'm with you, I'm fine.”

“I love you, Benny.”

“I love you, Jeremiah.”

“Sweetheart? I'm going to have you rise on your good foot.” He helped ease her up. “That's right. Now just lean over my shoulder, and Lieutenant Backer and I will get you down.”

 

T
ASHA WATCHED EVERYTHING
happen as if to someone else, as if she were seeing it in a movie. She wasn't scared going down the ladder, but that was because C.J. kept her calm and steady.

Thank heaven he never left her side. She looked up at the fiery inferno that had once had been her place of
work. It was turning to ashes. How C.J. got them out was a miracle. Even the other firemen were talking about it. The lieutenant said the chances were a million to one.

C.J. rode along in the ambulance with her and held her hand while the paramedics did their work. He never let go. As they rolled her into the emergency room, the last thing she saw before the painkiller took over were those loving blue eyes.

 

T
ASHA WOKE UP
with a start, screaming, “C.J., don't let the fire get me!”

He leaned over her. “You're out of the fire, sweetheart. Look around. That's just sunlight coming in the room.”