Stiletto Secrets (25 page)

But then she noticed the look on his face. A dark, brooding, haunting look. Suddenly Emma didn’t feel the pleasant tingles anymore, only chills.

“Nicholas?” But before she could say anything else, he dashed toward her, wrapped his arm around her elbow and led her through the crowd without saying a word.

Nicholas pulled her into the nearest powder room, closed and locked the door, then moved to the other side of the room, like he needed distance from her.

He glowered at her. “What are you doing here?”

“I don’t understand.”

“How did you know I’d be here?” Nicholas’ voice was cold and hard. Emma didn’t recognize it at all.

“Nicholas,” Emma felt as confused as hell. “I don’t know—”

He stormed closer to her, stopping only inches away. “Was it not hard enough the other night, huh? Now you show up—what?—to taunt me even more. To torture me?” His blue eyes were wild, angry, yet filled with so much passion it burned straight through her.

She was too stunned to say anything. She didn’t know what the hell was going on. Nicholas lifted his hand like he wanted to touch her face, but then he closed his eyes and bit his lip, pulling away from her.

“I told you I’m in love with someone else. I can’t keep on wanting you the way I do.” His expression was pained, his voice filled with agony, and it broke Emma’s heart to see him like this.

But when his steel-blue eyes stared down at her with a raw desire she had only seen in them once before, it dawned on her. Nicholas didn’t see her—Emma—he saw…
her.

“My God, Cinderella, why did you come here? I can’t keep on doing this. I just…I can’t.”

Oh my God.
This couldn’t be happening. Nicholas didn’t recognize her. He didn’t see
Emma
. All dressed up…the mask, of course he didn’t see Emma. Of course he saw Cinderella.

God, why did that hurt so much?

Emma closed her eyes. She had planned on telling him after the party, but now, now she had no choice. She had to tell him now.

She gathered all her courage, squared her shoulders and then opened her eyes to look at the man who now owned her heart.

“Nicholas, there’s something I need to tell you.”

He looked up and just for a second she longed to get lost in those blue eyes of his. Emma wished they were back in the privacy of his room, writhing between silk sheets, becoming one. She needed that—she needed him.

Emma took a deep breath and reached to the back of her head, for the bow that kept the mask tied.
Breathe, Emma…just breathe,
she heard his words echo through her mind.

“I’m so sorry, Nicholas.”

His eyes widened as he stared at her. This was it, this was the moment all her secrets will be revealed—and she prayed to God that it would not end up destroying her.

She took a deep breath, and just as she reached for the bow, Nicholas stepped forward.

“Don’t.”

Emma froze.

“Don’t take off that mask, please,” he pleaded softly. “I can’t. I can’t do this. Not with you.”

“But you need to see—”

“No! No, I don’t.” Nicholas reached out again, but this time placed his palm on her cheek. “I’m afraid that if I see you, it will all be over for me. And I can’t…I just can’t risk losing what I’ve been searching for, for so long.” He traced his thumb across her lower lip. “I’m sorry, Cinderella, but I just can’t see you.”

Emma sucked in a breath, his words piercing straight through her heart.

Risk losing what I’ve been searching for, for so long.

Did he mean her, Emma? Did this mean that she really had his heart, that they had each other?

She couldn’t stop herself, she had no control. Emma jerked forward and crashed her lips against his, kissing him like her existence depended on it. The overwhelming feelings that suddenly possessed her left her no other choice. She poured her heart and soul into that one kiss, wanting to finally give him everything she had to give. There was no longer any doubt about whether they were right for each other or not. She no longer cared. All she cared about was him, and how much she loved him.

Nicholas kissed her back, but only for a few moments, before abruptly pushing her away. “Don’t!”

Emma stilled, realizing what she had done. He was still under the impression that she was Cinderella. He had no idea that she had just kissed him as Emma Tremaine.

“Nicholas—”

But he stormed off without giving her a chance to say anything else. Within seconds, Emma was standing in the powder room alone and she had no idea what to do…except that she needed to go after him.

NICHOLAS
stormed out of the room leaving Cinderella behind. He had to. He was too close to losing control around her, and he just couldn’t risk it. There was too much at stake.

And what the hell was she thinking coming there? And how did she know about this goddamn party?

Nevertheless, she looked fucking perfect—gorgeous, stunning. That dress fit her just right, her skin glowing under the lights. Everything about her beckoned him closer, reeling him in little by little like a goddamn Black widow spider.

Fuck me.

Emma. He needed to find Emma.

Just as he rounded the corner, Nicholas walked straight into Claire. As if he needed any more shit tonight.

“Nicholas. Just the man I was looking for.” The fake smile on her face spread from ear to ear.

“Not now, Claire.”

She stepped in front of him and placed her hand on his chest. “I just need a few minutes of your time.”

Nicholas leaned closer and spelled out every word very clearly. “I said. Not. Now.” He tried to push past her, but she stepped in his way, her hand yet again on his chest.

“When will you stop playing these foolish games, Nicholas?”

“What games?” He was both confused and annoyed at the same time.

Claire shook her head, her bleached blonde hair waving around over her shoulders. “This game you’re playing with Emma, the maid.” She sneered the last part with disgust.

Nicholas wanted to crush her like a bug and wipe her off the sidewalk. “I assure you, Claire that I am not playing games.”

Claire snickered. “Right, of course you’re not.” She stepped back and stared at Nicholas like she needed to decide which side she was going to start gnawing on first.

He eyed her with suspicion while she stood in front of him with her tight fit, red dress with a slit down the front that barely left anything to the imagination. Where was Adam now?

“Nicholas, you really need to start thinking about what you’re doing.”

He crossed his arms in front of his chest, suddenly curious to know how exactly she was about to play it. This had to be good. “What exactly do you think I’m doing, Claire?” he asked, darkly amused.

With smoky eyes, she stalked toward him, swaying her hips from side to side. “You’re a player, Nicholas Blake. Everyone knows that. But it’s time for you to think about what you really need. What you really want.” She stopped a few inches from him, and her fingers trailed over each one of the buttons on his shirt. “You’re a very powerful man, Nicholas, with very powerful urges.” She licked her red lips and snaked her arm around his neck. “A powerful hunger that can only be sated by a woman with the exact same sexual needs as you.”

Nicholas was completely gob-smacked by the fact that Claire actually thought she was being seductive when in fact she was only making a fool of herself…and giving him heartburn. “Claire—”

“I know what you need, Nicholas. And it’s much more than that maid, Emma can give you. You need a woman like me who will shine on your side, and not fade away into the background like
her
.”

Nicholas let out a mocking laugh. “You really think you’re the woman for me?”

Claire lifted slightly, her lips obviously aiming for his. “I know I am.”

Nicholas reached up and took the arm she had snaked around his neck in his hand. “You couldn’t be more wrong.”

Without warning, she moved her other hand around his waist. “We both know the only reason you’re fighting this thing between you and me is because of your need to piss your dad off.”

Nicholas cocked a brow. “Say what?”

Her hand glided down over his butt, and he cringed, quickly reaching behind him to stop her from moving any further.

She brought her lips even closer to his. “All these years, all those nights you spent with strange women, making sure that your father saw them when they left your room. You, Nicholas baby, made it your life’s mission to piss your dad off. But I have to say, this last little stunt of yours really did the trick. Your dad is fuming.” She smiled at him like she was actually impressed by him.

Nicholas frowned. “Exactly what stunt are you referring to now?”

Claire snorted. “Well, this stunt with Emma of course. Fraternizing with a low-class maid. It really is brilliant, Nicholas.”

Nicholas stared at her unblinkingly, and then pulled her one arm from his neck, and the other one away from his waist. “Yeah, Claire. That is exactly what I’m doing. Fraternizing with a maid just to piss off my old man.”

And then he heard a gasp.

Both he and Claire looked up, and he saw
her
standing a few feet away from them in her beautiful blue dress just staring at them with those blue-green eyes…and a scrunched-up nose?

Nicholas realized what it had to look like with Claire practically standing on top of him. He pushed Claire away from him and turned toward her. “What are you still doing here?”

She just remained still, not saying a word. But Nicholas saw it. He saw the tears in her eyes. No mask could ever hide the amount of sadness he saw swirling around in those beautiful eyes.

Silence had never been so deafening, so destructive. Nicholas stepped closer, but she gave a step back. And then his eye caught something—a shoe peeking out from under her dress. A shoe that looked a hell of a lot like…his mother’s?

His gaze shot up to her, and he narrowed his eyes trying to see past the mask.

He knew. He goddamn knew.

Nicholas watched in shock, or horror, as she slowly reached up and finally pulled off the mask.

And then everything just came together like one giant cluster-fuck.

“Emma?” He couldn’t take his eyes off her. He couldn’t form a single coherent thought except for that Emma was now standing in front of him. Not Cinderella, but Emma. She was the one behind the mask.

He still stared at her in disbelief. “Emma? You’re…
her
?”

She bit her lower lip, and Nicholas could see how she was fighting the hurt and the pain. As he witnessed silent tears rolling down her cheeks, he cursed. It was her he walked away from in the powder room. It was Emma that he left behind, not Cinderella.

He heard Claire clear her throat behind him, and he turned to look at her before turning back to Emma. She heard. Emma had heard the conversation he just had with Claire. And he was sure she had completely misunderstood what it was all about.

“Emma, listen to me, this is not what it looks like.”

But then she gave a step back, and another. She was going to run.

“Emma, don’t.”

“I told you I didn’t want to get hurt,” she whispered, then dropped the mask and stormed off.

“Emma! Wait!”

Nicholas hurried after her, but the minute he rounded the corner into the ballroom, she was lost in the crowd. “Fuck!” He pushed his hands in his hair, still desperately searching for her.

Nicholas hastily made his way through the crowd. He had to find her. He couldn’t let her go, not like this. And my God, she was Cinderella. Was that even possible?

As Nicholas broke through the crowd, he saw her storm down the stairs and run down the driveway.

“Emma! Wait!”

Within seconds Emma was out the gates and jumped into a cab before Nicholas could reach her.

“Fuck!” he screamed and spun around feeling like he could break something, anything. “Goddammit!”

What the fuck was he supposed to do now?

And then he saw it, lying in the driveway.

Nicholas slowly stalked toward it, his heart beating vigorously inside of his chest. When he bent down, he picked up one of his mother’s shoes he had given Emma.

It really was her. Emma was Cinderella. Cinderella had been Emma all along. All this time he spent with Emma, she knew him, she knew who he was.

He didn’t understand it. Nicholas couldn’t understand why he wasn’t able to let Cinderella go. But now, now he knew. It was because it was Emma, the woman who now had his heart.

Nicholas placed his palm on his face. How in God’s name was that possible? It was just too surreal to be true. Is that why he had felt this strong pull toward Cinderella? Is that why she felt so familiar to him? How did he miss that? How did he not realize that they were in fact, the same person?

Holy crap. Emma had known all along about him sneaking off to see a stripper, because Emma
was
the stripper.

And now? Now everything was just fucked up. Nicholas’ head was spinning, his heart pounding.

Had he lost her? Did he really ever have her? Was Emma his to lose in the first place?

He didn’t know what the fuck just happened, or how it happened. All he knew was that it hurt like a bitch.

“Nicholas?”

He looked up and saw Hunter staring down at him with a somber expression on his face. “We have to talk, man.”

WHEN
Emma walked into her apartment she thanked God that Lizzy wasn’t there and had gone back to campus that afternoon. Her apartment was empty, quiet, but it felt good. All the noise of the party, people talking and laughing, the music playing, and then the rush and noise of the traffic on her way home was deafening and loud. Emma wasn’t able to hear her own thoughts. She was only able to focus on the pain and the hurt of having her heart broken.

Emma took off her one shoe. She knew she had dropped the other shoe in the driveway back at the party, but she couldn’t stop for it. Getting away from Nicholas was the only thing she needed to do then. If she had to stop and look into those mesmerizing eyes of his, that beautiful face, it would only have intensified her pain even more.