Janie clucked and giggled. "Oh, no honey. Mr. Buchanan gave express instructions for you to have an updo. He wants to see your beautiful neck." Janie leaned down to whisper conspiratorially. "Don't be surprised if he wants to put a lovely necklace on that beautiful neck of yours. Mr. Buchanan loves showing his appreciation for a woman’s attributes."
"God, I hope not," she muttered, appalled. "I don't want jewelry from him. I don't want anything from him," she couldn't help but add.
"Be that as it may, Mr. Buchanan gets what he wants and if he wants you to look like a gorgeous princess on his arm that's what he's going to get because that's what he’s paying me for."
"Not to be rude or anything but is there anything Vince Buchanan can't buy?"
Janie didn't take offense and answered cheerfully. "Not that I'm aware of. He is a very good customer. In this economy when you find a good client you hold on to him even if sometimes his requests are a little bit different."
Okay, that comment piqued her curiosity. "What do you mean? How different?"
"Sorry, nondisclosure."
"Oh yes, of course,” Emma said. “I'm being required to sign one of those tonight, too. Makes you wonder…what does he wish to hide from the rest of the world? Normal people certainly don’t walk around shoving nondisclosure paperwork in people’s faces the minute they meet unless they have something to hide."
"Forgive me dear, but you’ve obviously never been around extreme wealth.”
She frowned. “Well, that’s true but I don’t see how that’s relevant.”
Janie’s voice was indulgent as she explained, “It's a necessary component when dealing with someone as highly sought after as Mr. Buchanan. You know how many women have tried to put a ring on that man's finger? They’ve chased him from one end of the globe to the other. Not that I blame them, Mr. Buchanan is a beautiful man."
"I wouldn't say beautiful," Emma said, pursing her lips in disagreement. "Maybe mildly handsome or deviously charismatic or maybe even fiendishly seductive but definitely not beautiful. When I hear the word beautiful I think of nice people — people whose goodness radiates from the inside out. I definitely would not call Vince Buchanan beautiful. The man doesn't have a single cell of innate goodness in his entire body."
"My my, he's sure made an impression on you I can see. You're probably the only woman in the city who doesn't want a piece of him."
"Damn straight I don't want a piece of him. At the moment I have too much of him and it's definitely not on my list of desirable."
Janie chuckled as she quickly blew out Emma’s hair and began setting it in big rollers. "I've worked with Mr. Buchanan for a very long time and I can tell you that while he may bark, he rarely bites. And that's all I’m going to say."
"Oh, he bites all right." But Emma had to wonder what Janie meant by that. How could she possibly mean that he was all bark and no bite? He’d obviously never threatened Janie's livelihood. Perhaps he had never coerced her into doing something she didn't want to do. "Well, let's just say that perhaps the way he treats you is not the way he treats everyone."
"Oh, that's entirely possible. But I know a thing or two about people. Comes with the territory. When people sit in my chair I become the therapist. I don't know how it happens but it does. And I can tell you Mr. Buchanan is one of those people who puts the meaning behind the saying ‘still waters run deep.’ Personally, I find a man like Mr. Buchanan fascinating. That and he's definitely not hard on the eyes. If I were just a bit younger and as pretty as someone like you I might be one of the many women chasing him down."
Emma shuddered at the thought. "I'd rather be running in the opposite direction." At that Janie laughed and begin carefully applying Emma's makeup. "So how did you meet Vince?" No offense to Janie but she didn't seem the type to be running around Malvagio. "I mean, you seem nice."
"Thank you honey, I like to think I am. I met Mr. Buchanan at a fundraiser."
"Fundraiser?" She barked a short laugh filled with derision. “Fundraising for what?”
“Breast cancer research,” Janie said, effectively snuffing out Emma’s plethora of rude comebacks she’d been thinking of spouting. “I was one of the speakers as a survivor and Mr. Buchanan was moved by my story. He’s been a loyal client ever since.”
“Oh.” Now she felt like a jerk. “You’re a survivor?”
“Yes, ma’am. And every day is a blessing that I won’t soon forget.”
Should she ask? Emma had to know. “Not that it isn’t a great cause, but why was Vince at a breast cancer fundraiser?”
“It isn’t for me to say but I can tell you that he feels very strongly about the research and he’s a generous contributor to the cause. Even if he can’t attend the local fundraiser, he always sends a big check. I wouldn’t say this if it weren’t already public knowledge, but it’s because of Buchanan Enterprises that anyone who can’t afford a mammogram can apply for a free exam, courtesy of a special fund facilitated by the Buchanan family.”
Emma fell silent, unable to process this information. How had her research missed that little nugget of information? Because she hadn’t been looking for positive news about the Buchanans, only the dark, salacious kind that they would’ve been more inclined to hide. “I didn’t know that about the Buchanans,” Emma murmured, momentarily speechless at the information. Well, one good deed did not exonerate them, she told herself. But, she’d be lying if she didn’t admit that the information had tilted her ship just a little.
And that was a problem.
If she wasn’t convinced that Vince was the enemy in all things…how was she supposed to keep her distance when her hormones were plainly interested in playing the part of wanton harlot, if even just for the night? She pressed her lips together. “He’s making me go to dinner with him,” Emma blurted out. When Janie didn’t respond, Emma added, “How do you know he didn’t put these bruises on me that you’re trying to cover up?”
Janie pulled back and regarded Emma with a look that she imagined her own mother would’ve graced her with if she’d said something similarly outrageous just to get a reaction. “Mr. Buchanan is not an abusive man. He’s strong and opinionated and certainly accustomed to getting what he wants, but he’s not a man who would put his hands on a woman. Ever. I don’t know anything about this dinner date but I do know, you’re probably the only woman who would dream of turning him down. Your reasons are your own but don’t try to drag a good man down simply because you don’t like him. Chances are you don’t truly known him.”
“What if he’s not a good man?” she said mulishly.
“Well, that’s a matter of opinion.” Janie handed Emma a mirror and she gasped at her own reflection. Her bruises were well hidden beneath Janie’s artistry and her face…she didn’t even recognize the woman staring back at her. “Beautiful,” Janie said with approval as she gently smoothed a stray curl trying to escape from the elaborate updo that made her look like a movie star getting ready to walk the red carpet.
“Wow” was all Emma could say and Janie laughed, saying, “Let’s get you into that dress and I guarantee Mr. Buchanan will be the one saying ‘wow’ next.”
Emma didn’t want to feel like a princess in a fairy tale but standing in that dress, primped and prettied beyond anything she’d ever known, she couldn’t help but giggle at the ridiculously giddy feeling threatening to steal her good sense. “It’s very pretty,” she admitted to Janie with a shy smile.
“Oh honey, it’s more than pretty. It was made for you.”
“I agree.”
Emma nearly toppled over at the sound of Vince’s voice at the door. She wobbled in the heels and with Janie’s help righted herself. He wore a dark suit that accentuated his devilish good looks but it was what he held in his hands that caused her jaw to drop as he said, “But it still needs something…” He approached with a glittering diamond necklace that looked as if it could feed a nation and she almost passed out from holding her breath when she realized he meant for her to wear it. He stepped forward and gently clasped the necklace in place and she sent a tremulous smile to Janie who beamed.
“Perfect, Mr. Buchanan,” Janie said.
Vince held her stare and he murmured in agreement, “Yes, she is. Shall we?”
Emma took his arm and sent a look to Janie, unsure of what exactly was happening. Was she really, actually leaving on Vince’s arm as if they were dating? This was surreal, she told herself. Totally surreal.
And she was totally falling for whatever glamour Vince was throwing around because for a moment, she wondered if she’d been totally wrong about Vince Buchanan and if that were true…what did that mean for tonight?
She supposed she was about to find out.
-8-
Vince sucked in a tight breath, as Emma accepted his arm. He could feel her trembling as she put one foot in front of the other, her gaze trained directly ahead as if she were afraid to meet his gaze for fear of what she’d see. If she dared to look into his eyes, she’d see the hunger seizing control of his senses for he’d been strung taut the second he laid eyes on her. The red had been the perfect choice — too perfect in fact. The fine fabric clung to her sweet curves and made the most out of her plump breasts and flared hips that he itched to drive himself deep inside her willing heat to stake his claim. He wanted to brand her with his touch, make her his in ways that baffled him. Sweat dotted his hairline and he realized if he didn’t get a hold of himself he’d end up dissolving into a puddle of unattractive goo. He never lost his cool — ever. But he felt dangerously close to that edge right now. His insides shook and his mind refused to stop bouncing from one thought to the next, like an unruly dog jumping on springs to escape the fence.