The Tycoon's Misunderstood Bride (13 page)

Emma took another bite of her sandwich then stood up, smiling gratefully at Nancy.  “Thank you so much for the sandwich and your help, Nancy.  I’d better go.  Jason needs me to find something to wear for tomorrow night.  I really don’t want to embarrass him.”

Nancy shook her head as she stood up as well.  “I doubt there’s a chance that could happen, but go have fun choosing new dresses.  I’ll have dinner ready when you get back.”

Emma almost skipped out of the kitchen, following Tim in his wake as he walked through the house to the front door where the car was waiting.  He opened the car door for her and Emma smiled up at
him. “Thank you very much Tim,”
she said and noticed his startled expression. 

When she sat back, she wondered about Tim.  Nancy was very friendly but Tim seemed much more reserved.  She wondered if there was a way to win him over.  Probably not, she thought.  Her father’s tirades about making passes at men were too instilled and she just couldn’t summon the same amount of friendliness with Tim as she did with Nancy.  It was sad though, because she actually considered Tim an ally in this messy game of life.  He was always there for her wherever she went, never hesitating to open the door and wait at the library for as long as she needed.  She thought he was a very kind gentleman, but he’d probably gotten too many lectures from her father as well over the years. 

The store Tim drove her to was large but not one of those department stores that sold everything.  And as soon as she walked in the door, a woman in her fifties, wearing a very stylish sheath dress stepped forward, a bright smile on her face.  “I’m guessing you are Emma Mason, am I correct?” she asked.

Emma nodded, feeling frumpy in her child-like blue jumper and white turtleneck with boring navy blue flats and blue opaque tights. 

“I heard from Mr. Montenegro that you need several evening gowns for some upcoming events.  He also mentioned you might prefer some casual outfits?”

Emma thought hard about the casual outfits.  Could she?  Dare she?  “That would be lovely,” she said with a great deal of trepidation.  “I’m sorry though, I don’t have any sense of style, as you can see.”

Laura smiled and waved her concerns aside.  “Don’t worry about that.  With that gorgeous hair and your perfect figure, I am positive we can build you a wardrobe that you’re comfortable wearing, but still feel feminine and magnificent.  Are you ready?”

Emma released her breath and nodded.  “Absolutely.” 

She followed Laura back to the dressing rooms where some clothes had already been assembled in anticipation of Emma’s arrival.  For more than two hours, Laura had Emma try on various dresses, slacks, sweaters and even shoes and underwear.  By the time she was finished, Emma was exhausted and truly grateful for the tea that arrived in the dressing room as she was finishing up. 

Laura laughed as Tim carried out the last of her purchases.  “I think you’ve made a good start, Ms. Mason.  I’ve included earrings and any kinds of accessories with each of your outfits, but if you don’t like any of the items, feel free to bring them back and we’ll work something else out.  You really look terrific in those blue slacks and silk shirt.”

Emma turned and looked at her reflection, still surprised at her appearance.  She
’d
had no idea how small her waist was.  Or that her breasts really did fill out the silk blouse nicely.  She was almost embarrassed at how sexy she looked and turned away from the mirror.  “You’ve been an enormous help.  I really appreciate all you’ve done.”

“Don’t mention it.  Mr. Montenegro will be pleased.”

Emma certainly hoped so.  She worried that her choices were too romantic, not sophisticated enough.  She’d had no idea what her taste in clothes was until she started to make some choices.  It was exciting and renewing, but she still worried at the cost of all she’d selected. 

Tim drove her home and as soon as she walked in the door, she noticed the box sitting on
the front hall table.  Since it had her name on it, she picked it up and opened the box, feeling liberated when she found the sophisticated cell phone inside.  She’d heard people talking about apps and various things that they loaded onto their cell phones, but she had no idea how to get any of those. 

As she was looking at the phone, digging through the box to find some instructions, it started singing.  She stared at it, seeing the lights pinging on the phone and the name “Jason” came up.  But how did one answer the silly thing? 

She pressed several buttons but nothing stopped the ringing, nor did it answer the phone.  Eventually, it stopped but Emma had no idea if it stopped because she’d disconnected the call or if she’d done something wrong. 

Another message appeared on the screen, letting her know that she had one voice mail.  Ugh!  How was she supposed to retrieve the message?  She’d heard the other girls at boarding school and university talking about voice mail and the various text messages, but she’d never participated in the conversations, focusing all of her time on her studies.  Perfect grades were her only option.  Not cell phone knowledge.  She knew Latin and Shakespeare, but had no clue how to listen to voice mail. 

Nancy appeared suddenly in the hallway, the house phone in her hand.  “Mr. Montenegro for you,” she said and handed Emma the phone.

“Jason?” she answered, her voice small and worried.  “Did I spend too much money on clothes?” she asked, her whole body cringing in fear. 

Jason laughed and her stomach muscles relaxed slightly.  “Emma, if anything, you probably didn’t spend enough.  I was calling to let you know that I had a cell phone delivered to your house.”

“I know.  I have it in my hand.”

“Why didn’t you answer when I called a moment ago?”

Emma sat down on the nearest chair, defeated.  “Because I can’t figure out how to do that.”

There was a moment of stunned silence, then she heard Jason say, “Don’t worry Emma.  I’m on my way over.  I’ll show you how to use it.”

He hung up and Emma’s body tensed for a whole other reason.  Jason was on his way?  What was she going to do?  She looked down at her slacks and silk blouse.  What would he think of her new outfit?  Would he like it?  Or wo
uld he think the silk was too blatant?  Her father had never allowed her to wear slacks because it showed off her legs too much but she didn’t think these slacks with the elegant shape and tailored cut were bad. 

In less time than she thought possible, the doorbell was ringing and Emma’s nerves were frazzled.  She’d seen him yesterday afternoon, but she’d been a basket case.  She was better today, until now. 

Facing Jason after yesterday’s activities was possibly the hardest thing she’d ever done.  But she took a deep breath and forced herself to answer the door.  He stood on the front step looking absolutely gorgeous and so confident that it made her gawk in response. 

“Are you going to invite me in?” he asked, amused at her shy expression.  He’d seen women try that ruse on him before but it had never worked.  On Emma, it looked endearing and he wanted to take her into his arms and kiss her. 

So he did.  He stepped forward and put his hands on her slender waist, bringing his lips gently to hers and testing to
gauge
her response.  When her lips moved, he deepened the kiss ever so slightly, knowing that this woman wasn’t one to be rushed.  He even enjoyed the slow, tentative exploration, thinking how soft she felt under his hands. 

After several moments, and before he lost his head and carried her up to her bedroom to make love to her, he pulled back and looked down into her soft, green eyes.  “Hello,’ he replied.  “You look lovely in blue.  The slacks are a huge improvement.  I’ll tell Laura to send over the same style in every color there is.”

She gasped and shook her head.  “You can’t!”

“Why not?”

She slipped out of his arms and quickly closed the door, hugely embarrassed that some of her neighbors might have witness
ed
their embrace.  “Because they were horribly expensive!  I only took one pair,” she said to
justify wearing the sophisticated looking slacks.

He stepped forward and placed his hands on her hips, wanting to touch her and not letting her pull back.  “Emma.  The slacks look beautiful on you.  Don’t worry about the cost.  I guarantee that I can afford it,” he chuckled.  “So show me your new cell phone and let’s see if I can help you work through the issues you’re having.”

Emma pulled the phone out of her pocket, excited about learning a new skill.  “Here’s the phone.  I’m not really sure how to answer it, much less turn it on and off.”

Jason took her hand and led her into the living room, the only room he knew that she liked sitting in.  He didn’t understand why though.  The room was dark and oppressive with heavy furniture, dark wood paneled walls and depressing art work.  He switched on all the lights, even though the one large window was already letting in sunlight.  For some reason, the light couldn’t seem to penetrate the darkness of the room, even though the window was very large. 

He sat down next to her and almost laughed out loud when she shifted away from him.  He didn’t let her get away with that though.  He leaned towards her and showed her all the features of the phone.  When she leaned in to hear him, he knew that she was concentrating on the phone and not how close he was, so he moved closer, enjoying the flowery scent of her hair and her skin. 

Emma watched with fascination as Jason explained all the features but she had to admit that she was more focused on his heat and how close he was.  She tried to move her leg away from his strong thigh, but he only shifted on the cushions, which caused her leg to be plastered against his.  When he didn’t seem to mind, she let her leg stay there, feeling warm.  Hot even. 

“So where’s your computer?” he asked. “I’ll show you how do download possibilities onto your phone.”

Emma bit her lip and looked at her father’s study.  “I don’t really have a computer.”

Jason glanced to where her eyes had strayed and smothered a smile.  “Emma, are you afraid to go into your father’s study?” he asked softly. 

Emma glanced once again to the doors that had been closed ever since her meeting with her father’s solicitor.  “Yes,” she finally admitted.

“Why?”

“Because it was a place I’d never been before his death.  It was a forbidden room.  No one went in there except Nancy to clean it in the mornings before he came down for breakfast.”

“It’s your office now.”

She immediately shook her head.  “No.  I don’t want the office.  I don’t even want this house.”

“Why not?”

She shrugged and stood up, crossing her arms over her stomach as if to protect herself.   “I think because I hated being here.  The only time I was happy was when I was away.  Where my father couldn’t yell at me.”

“Are there any ghosts that could hurt you inside?”

She pulled her eyes away from the door and looked at him.  “I don’t know about ghosts, but it seems to me that a lifetime of fear goes a long way.”

He stood up and took her hand, noticing that she was shivering.  “Are you shaking because you know I’m going to pull you into your father’s study?  Or is it because
I’m close to you and touching you and you like it?” he asked, moving closer to her so he was standing over her, looking down but barely an inch away from her. 

She looked at the middle of his chest.  A part of her wanted to step back, but a larger part wanted to move forward, to reach out and touch him, to see if
he was still as warm as she remembered.

She didn’t touch him, but her fingers itched to reach out to him. 

“Let’s go into his study, Emma.”

“No.”

He chuckled softly.  “You’re either going into his study or I’m taking you upstairs and making love to you again.”

Her eyes shot up to his and she shuddered.  “Why would you want to do that?”

He laughed again.  “Maybe because you’re lovely and I like the way you blush at the idea of having sex with me.”