If the Stiletto Fits...
“Can you believe that man! He actually proposed.”
The cabbie shook his head. “I’ll be damned, lady. You just can’t trust anybody these days.”
“Hear, hear. And he’s not the first! Last year this doctor I was dating proposed that I marry him, move to Connecticut and have six kids together.”
“Men are pigs.”
Lily stared out the window at the passing city lights, the people streaming past the shops, the crush of cabs and limos outside the hotels. Damn, she loved New York. Full of crazy men, but still the best.
“Here ya go,” the cabbie said as he pulled up to the curb in front of her building.
“Thanks.”
The doorman opened the cab’s door and greeted her with a dignified nod.
Lily paid the cabbie and tossed in an extra twenty. Hardworking cabbies were cool. Designers with an attitude and delusions of matrimony were not.
JAMES STARED at Teresa over his menu. “Did you say something?”
“Twice.” She smiled. “I asked what you were going to have.”
“I’m not sure. Maybe the fish. I’m not really hungry.” He set his menu aside and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He couldn’t get the look of shock and—dare he say—hurt on Lily’s face out of his mind.
To say the least, her reaction was unexpected.
Though she was flamboyant, disorganized and temperamental, she was also smart, savvy and talented. With the money pouring in from her designs, she certainly needed a financial adviser, but a decent secretary could handle her appointments and the office work.
She didn’t need someone like him to hold her hand, get her out of bed in the morning or rescue her from her latest crisis. All things he’d done over and over for past clients.
Maybe, at times, she lacked complete confidence in herself. She had confidence in her work, but not in her ability to multitask, to handle her business, to make the best decisions. But he saw all those qualities in her. And more.
As a man, he couldn’t deny her physical presence—bright green eyes, long legs, black hair and toned figure. But her temper, all-night parties, spontaneity to the point of head-spinning craziness, flashy personality and—had he listed her fiery temper?—had him shaking his head. Too much like his mother and her wild actor friends, the people he’d known from childhood, but never understood or felt comfortable with. A business-casual distance from Lily was a necessity for him.
Client she was. And client she’d stay.
“James?”
James blinked at Teresa. He had the feeling she’d called his name more than once. He reached across the table and squeezed her hand—just as he’d done to Lily earlier.
Get her out of your mind, buddy. The workday is done. Thank God.
“I’m sorry,” he said to Teresa. She was the kind of woman he belonged with, the kind of woman who wanted a quiet, normal life. “I had a wild day at work, and I’m having a hard time setting the details aside.”
“I saw several pairs of Lily’s shoes at Bloomingdale’s the other day. They were really…colorful.”
“That’s Lily.”
Teresa smiled, and pushed a strand of her blond bob behind her ear. “A second-grade schoolteacher doesn’t have much use for four-inch stilettos, I’m afraid.”
“I wouldn’t think that’s a bad thing. They look really uncomfortable to me.”
The waitress appeared with their drinks, then took their orders. James ate in this casual restaurant down the street from his apartment often. He liked the worn tables, open-air kitchen, simple food. Others obviously agreed with him, he thought, noting the entryway crowded with people waiting for tables.
After a sip of wine, James admitted, “I told Lily about my retirement today.”
“Ah. I guess she didn’t take it well.”
“No.”
“She relies on you. She probably feels you’re abandoning her.”
“I thought she’d throw things at me.”
“And she cried instead?”
He angled his head. How did other women know this kind of stuff about each other? Teresa and Lily had never met; they were as unalike as two women could be. Were there Cliff Notes somewhere? Maybe a course? “She was upset.”
“Give her some time. She’ll accept it and move on—without missing a beat, I’ll bet.”
Well, he wouldn’t mind if she missed him a little. Even if he had begun his career with reluctance, he’d gotten pretty damn good at it.
But not for much longer. Soon he’d only have himself to worry about. Himself and maybe a family of his own.
He could envision Teresa embracing retirement with him. His culinary classes. His marketing studies on the latte business. She’d also fit in well with his horses, or maybe dog breeding. She’d enjoy helping him run a café. And his life would finally be regular like everybody else’s.
“You’re right. She’ll be fine without me.”
“People like Lily always come out on top.”
She made the comment without any jealousy or anger. Graciousness. Wasn’t that an ideal quality in a mate? “They do indeed. Mostly because she’s determined that’s where she belongs.” Considering, James sipped his wine. “It’s kind of an odd mix of willpower and ego.”
“From the descriptions you’ve given me, she seems really…flashy.”
“Oh, she is. She certainly fits in much better with my parents’ theater friends than I do.”
Smiling, Teresa nodded. “Your parents are very flamboyant, too.”
“Especially Mother.”
“But entertaining. The night I met them at that party, and your mother and her friend reenacted the entire final scene of a play they did ten years ago? Amazing. She was obviously born to her craft.”
He liked talking with Teresa. They were friends, and their relationship was comfortable. With his parents’ volatile marriage as his first impression of lifetime commitment, he’d figured out really early that was not what he wanted for himself. He didn’t need impulsiveness and all-consuming passion. Flames like that burned out—or burned each other up. He’d seen it happen over and over again among his parents’ friends.
Before he could respond to Teresa, someone called his name.
He turned to see his good friend and lawyer, Dalton Roberts, approaching their table with a slinky blonde clinging to his arm.
Dalton had moved to Manhattan from South Carolina several years ago after his law practice had fallen apart. His partner and his wife had had an affair that devastated him, so now he was a confirmed bachelor and play-the-field guy.
Actually, he and Lily were very alike. If James didn’t have a strict aversion to playing matchmaker with friends and business associates—between anybody, really—he’d encourage them to go out.
He rose and introduced his buddy to Teresa, then was introduced to Dalton’s date, Cindy. James appreciated Teresa’s ability to send the new woman a welcoming smile and stare into her eyes rather than at her chest. Dalton tended to go for flash over substance in choosing women, but Cindy and her well-endowed figure was a new, uh…high.
The waitress appeared to offer the new guests drinks, and James encouraged them to hang out until their own table was ready. With his longish blond hair and quick smile, Dalton was “dreamy” and easy to talk to, according to the female population. Teresa might as well meet his friends.
“So, how’s business?” Dalton asked James.
“Good. Spring is a big season for us.” Actually, he’d told Dalton he’d get him near-the-front seats for the Spectacular—he was sure his friend would enjoy checking out the models—but he didn’t want to say so in front of Cindy. He expected his buddy would want to come solo.
Dalton took a sip of the whiskey the waitress brought, then grinned. “Any woman who showed up at my door wearing those high-assed shoes I saw in that ad on Fifth…Whoa, baby.”
The ad was provocative—showing a woman from behind, wearing no top as she smiled teasingly over her shoulder and dressed in a short, black skirt, fish-nets and a pair of Lily’s red stilettos.
Cindy leaned forward, and James feared they all might get to know her a little too familiarly if she made that motion then drew a deep breath. “You’re the one who works for Lily Reaves?”
She said Lily’s name with the same breathy quality he’d witnessed in countless women the last several months. Women apparently worshiped shoes with the same fervor as men worshiped sports. Or women.
“She makes the most amazing shoes,” Cindy continued. “I’ve got on a pair now, in fact.” She lifted her leg above the table, obviously intending to show everyone, but Dalton tamped her down.
James exchanged a look with Teresa, who grinned at him and shrugged. Their quiet dinner was turning into a sideshow, with Lily being the topic of conversation. Gracious didn’t even begin to cover the woman’s positive qualities.
Yep, she’d fit into his plans perfectly.
3
BACK IN HER APARTMENT, but still dressed in her Brian-the-disastrous-date pantsuit, Lily punched in Gwen’s cell-phone number. “I need you,” she said without ceremony.
“Now? We’re at the Tiger, Lil.”
“I know.”
“I just saw some big-time rapper.”
“Who?”
“Don’t know his name, but he ordered champagne for the entire bar, so that qualifies as cool in my book.” She paused, slurping. “What’s up?”
“James is retiring. Brian proposed.”
Silence. Then, “That doesn’t sound good.”
“Duh! I’m officially having a pity party. Where are you?”
“I’m having a free freakin’ glass of champagne.”
“I’m drinking alone.”
“I’m now draining said glass and signaling Kristin. We’re on our way.” Her voice became muffled, then she came back clearer. “Any particular reason for retirement or proposal?”
“James wants to open a café in Connecticut. Brian thinks I’m a vulnerable woman who needs his protection.”
“I won’t even touch the vulnerable-woman thing, ’cause that’s just stupid, but what the hell is so interesting about Connecticut?”
“Exactly my reaction.”
“Okay, hang on. We’re on our way.”
By the time they arrived, Lily had pulled cold pizza from the fridge again and was drinking chardonnay straight out of the bottle. She leaned against the door and let her friends in the apartment.
“Give me that!” Kristin said, snatching the bottle. “For God’s sake, you can at least use a glass.”
Lily sniffled. “Why? My life is over.”
Gwen grabbed her arm, dragged her over to the couch, then pulled her down and sat beside her. “Stay.”
Lily slid her arm from her friend’s grasp and was about to shove another bite of pizza in her mouth when Gwen grabbed that, too. Man, that woman was tough. She had a reputation for tough, and Lily knew better than anybody just how truly deserved it was.
She, Gwen and Kristin had met about five years ago at a women’s business seminar. They’d all been out of school for a few years—Lily from the fashion institute, Gwen from NYU and Kristin from the Pink Petal School of Hair and Cosmetology. Lily had been working for a top designer at the time, but he never let her share her creativity or have any input into the designs. The others had had similar experiences, so, frustrated working for other people, each of them had decided to open her own business—and had absolutely no idea what the hell they were doing.
Over the years they’d shared ideas, triumphs and setbacks in both their business and personal lives. Lily was more grateful for their friendship than just about anything.
Kristin brought glasses, the wine bottle and ice bucket into the den, arranging everything on the coffee table. Then, when she saw the pizza, sent Gwen into the kitchen for a decent snack.
Sitting cross-legged on the floor next to the sofa, Kristin stared at Lily. “Let’s start with Brian.”
She huffed out a breath. “Why? I don’t care about Brian.” How whiny could she get? She hated how this was affecting her so adversely, but, damn, she really hadn’t seen a day this awful coming.
“But maybe I’ll understand a little better how you got in this state,” Kristin said.
Gwen—her tall, thin body encased in a spectacular bronze dress, her dark hair pulled up loose and sexy on her head—shoved aside a stack of magazines, then set a plate of grapes and cheese on the coffee table. Lily’s gaze shifted to Kristin—a voluptuous blonde, who wore a body-skimming pale pink pantsuit.
She’d really messed up her friends’ night out. Since they looked as great as they did, she felt doubly guilty. “I shouldn’t have dragged you guys over here.”
Kristin waved her hand. “Forget it. We weren’t having that good a time, anyway.”
As she was settling on the other end of the sofa, Gwen opened her mouth, looking as if she might argue, but bit into a grape instead.
“So, Gwen told me Brian thought you were vulnerable and that’s why he proposed.”
“What I want to know,” Gwen said, “is whether you kneed him in the balls or ground your stiletto into his foot.”
Lily tossed back her hair. “Neither. I showed great restraint.”
Kristin grinned. “That’s a first.”
“He also said I needed a partner who’d support and understand me.” Lily frowned. “I’ve got James. What do I need with a partner?”
Kristin pursed her lips. “He probably meant an emotional partner, someone to share your life with.”
Lily waved her hand in dismissal. “I’m not ready for a commitment like that. Besides, I’ve got friends.”
“What about sex?” Gwen asked.
Lily gulped her wine. “According to my cabbie, marriage isn’t a guarantee of that, either.” And she was going to give her sister hell about that the next time they talked. She’d never felt as though she fit in with her conservative, country-loving family, though she’d never all out said she was against something as basic to human life as marriage. But this whole lack-of-sex thing had her reassessing.
“My cousin says the same thing,” Kristin added. “Says she and her husband never do it anymore.”
“I wasn’t that interested in Brian, anyway,” Lily said, then, sighing—the whole deal really was pretty embarrassing—she recounted her conversation with Brian, including his revelation that he wanted a sugar mama.
Kristin shook her head in disgust. “Men are whacked.”
“It’s no wonder we’re not all married and knocked up on a regular basis,” Gwen said dryly.
Lily raised her eyebrows, the picture of a blown-up Gwen zipping laughingly before her eyes. “You pregnant? Ha!”
“Maybe someday,” Gwen said.
“You’re not very maternal, girl,” Kristin pointed out.
“You kill plants,” Lily said.
“And pets,” Kristin added.
“One fish.” Eyes narrowed, Gwen raised her finger. “One lousy, stupid beta fish, and you guys think I’m a killer.”
“Well, you can’t deny your place is a grave for any kind of fern, ivy or ficus tree,” Lily said.
“I can’t help it if people keep giving them to me.” She pointed at Lily. “In fact, you gave me the last green thing.”
“Along with fertilizer and very specific instructions. I still don’t know how you managed to kill it in less than a week.”
“I would have thrown myself off the balcony the first day,” Kristin said without meeting Gwen’s gaze. “Less suffering that way.”
Gwen crossed her arms over her chest. “Since when did this become a ‘let’s pick on Gwen’ party?” She snapped her fingers. “Let’s get back on topic, people.”
Lily pushed out her lip. “I don’t want to talk about Brian anymore.”
“I agree,” Kristin said. “What a jerk.”
“Then we move on to James.” Gwen met Lily’s gaze. “How much time have you got?”
“Three months.”
“Three months! What happened to giving two weeks’ notice?”
“James plans ahead,” Lily said. And she didn’t. Yet another reason she absolutely couldn’t let him go. She really wished she could set aside the clawing fear that she was going to fall flat on her face if James left, but the dread in the pit of her stomach just wouldn’t subside.
“Okay, so we’ve got some time to convince him to stay,” Kristin said.
Gwen kicked off her shoes and tucked her feet beneath her. “Just sleep with him.”
Kristin toasted Gwen with her half-empty wine-glass. “Sounds like a plan. He’s dreamy.”
Lily stared down at her friend. “Dreamy? James?”
Kristin batted her lashes. “He’s got great eyes.”
“And a great ass,” Gwen added.
Had she been asleep for the last nine months? “Since when are you two checking out my assistant?”
Gwen smiled. “Since the moment he got here.”
Lily fluffed up the pillow behind her head. “I’m not sleeping with him.” Not that James was completely un-sleep-with material. She just didn’t think a) he’d go for it, or b) that he’d be fooled for a second by her sudden amorousness. “I could throw a fit.”
Kristin giggled. “I bet you already did that.”
“I might have raised my voice,” Lily said indignantly, even as Gwen snorted with laughter. “But Connecticut, Kris! Why would anyone want to live in Connecticut?”
“It’s peaceful and elegant. Lots of nice estates and quaint towns.”
“I guess they have some great restaurants,” Gwen said. “You can get a kick-butt chowder—”
“You two are not helping.”
“What have you got against a whole state?” Gwen asked, reaching over to pull the wine from the ice bucket.
“They…they have…cows.”
Gwen rolled her eyes.
“How about I come up with a list of cons for why he shouldn’t leave? James is into lists.”
Kristin pursed her lips. “Hmm. Like what?” She patted Lily’s leg. “Other than the obvious fact that he’s losing you.”
“The pulse and excitement of the city, for one,” Lily said.
“But you said he wants peace and quiet,” Gwen reminded her.
“We have peace in the city,” Lily said. “What the hell do you think Central Park’s for?”
“And the Met,” Kristin added. “Culture, refinement, tourists whispering and pointing at the Van Goghs.” She paused. “Okay, maybe not.”
Lily glared at her friends. “Hel-lo! The theater, the clubs, the restaurants, the shopping, Bloomingdale’s, Tiffany, Henri Bendel—”
“I sincerely doubt James will mourn the loss of Henri Bendel,” Gwen said.
“Cosmetics and accessories are probably not his thing,” Kristin agreed.
But Lily grinned. “I’ve got it. The Yankees.”
Gwen shivered. “Oooh, Derek Jeter.”
“James is a huge Yankee fan,” Lily continued. “I bought him season tickets for his birthday. The games are practically the only time he takes off, and if he can’t go, he follows them on the radio or Internet. Yankee Stadium is quite a commute from Connecticut.”
Kristin gestured with her glass. “Oh, that’s good. Love these, by the way.” She picked up the silver sandal Lily had kicked off earlier.
Tears burned in Lily’s throat. “I’ll never design another pair once he leaves.”
Gwen tossed a pillow at her. “Get real, girl.”
Kristin set the shoe aside, then met Lily’s gaze. “Are you sure losing your assistant is all that you’re worked up about?”
“It’s not like he plays a minor role in my life.”
Kristin and Gwen exchanged a glance. “Are you sure his business expertise is the only thing you’re worried about losing?” Kristin asked.
“What else would I be worried about losing?”
“What Kristin is trying—and not too well—to ask you is…do you have the hots for him?”
Those two had lost their minds. The hots for James? The man who thought wearing a beige shirt instead of a white one was a fashion risk? The man who probably organized his sock drawer? As an assistant, she wouldn’t have anybody else. As a potential lover, forget it. “Of course I don’t have the hots for him. Where in the world did you get that idea?”
“You’re really messed up about this,” Kristin said gently.
“Well, yeah. I’m worried my business is going to go down the drain!”
“That’s all?” Gwen pressed.
“Isn’t that enough?”
Kristin angled her head. “I don’t know. I think you might be making a mistake. James is…”
“Smart,” Gwen said.
“Responsible,” Kristin said.
“Loyal.”
“Dreamy.”
Lily folded her arms across her chest. “My assistant.”
“Not for much longer,” her friends said in unison.
“Please stop,” Lily said dryly. “You’re cheering me up way too much.” She reached for the wine, pouring the last few drops into her glass. A bit woozy, she rose and headed to the fridge for another bottle. As she refilled everyone’s glasses, she considered her strategy with James. He would respond to a logical list of pros and cons—though without the pros, since she didn’t want him to leave. But she needed a backup. He would probably find a way to argue around her cons. She hadn’t succeeded in moving him an inch earlier.
She paced the den. “Maybe I could sue him. For canceling our contract or something.”
“But you said he’s finishing his contract,” Gwen said.
Kristin shook her head. “Oh, that’s good. Kill him with kindness.”
Lily stopped and smiled for the first time all night. “That’s it!” James didn’t realize how much she needed him. He didn’t know how grateful she was that he’d done so much for her business. She had a tendency to be single-minded, and the designs for the Spectacular had taken up so much of her energies. She’d neglected her most valuable employee. As she’d learned so long ago at the women’s business seminar, that was a big no-no.
“I haven’t complimented him enough,” she went on. “I haven’t let him know how much I appreciate him.”
Kristin set down her wineglass with a click. “You could wine and dine him. Bring him gifts, little treats with his coffee breaks.”
“And what about a raise?” Gwen added.
Kristin frowned. “Don’t you think that’s a bit obvious?”
“Since when is Lily ever subtle?”
“Stop nagging,” Lily said, planting her hands on her hips. “And help me think of a plan.”
EARLY THE NEXT MORNING, as James was answering his e-mail, Lily appeared in his office with a cookie—one of those giant chocolate-chip ones with lots of icing that formed mostly illegible letters of white goo. Thonk Yau was written on the top.
“You shouldn’t have.”
James marveled that with bloodshot eyes, Lily still managed to beam as she set the box on his desk. “Just wanted to let you know you were appreciated.”
That was his Lily—subtle down to the tips of her hot-pink, patent-leather ankle boots.
He tore off a small piece and offered it to her. She curled her lip, and laid her hand across her stomach. “It’s a bit early for me.”
Striving for polite, but suspicious as hell of her motives, James popped the cookie in his mouth. After swallowing, he asked, “Late night?”
Guilt skittered across her face. “A bit.”
What exactly had she done on this date?
“Actually, I got back early from my date and called Gwen and Kristin.”
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