Barbara Dunlop - Seduction And The Ceo

The damn phone rang again.

“You sure you don’t want to-”

“Completely sure.” Melissa reached for the slim phone. A quick glance told her it was, indeed, her boss. She sent the call to voice mail. “There.”

Stephanie paused for a moment. Then her expression grew animated once again as she sat forward. “I was thinking, since it’s Royce’s first night back, we should dress up a little.”

Melissa’s attention went automatically to the downpour and the rivulets of mud streaking the narrow cottage road. Even if she had brought anything dressy, it was a virtual mud bog between the cottage and Stephanie’s house.

“We’ll do it up at the house,” Stephanie went on. “We’re about the same size. You can take a shower up there. We’ll play around with your hair. Put on a little makeup, and you can borrow one of my dresses. I have a bunch I’ve never even worn.”

“I’m not Cinderella,” Melissa admonished.

“Oh-” Stephanie all but jumped up from the sofa “-that makes me the fairy godmother.”

“Did you miss the word not?” Melissa struggled to keep a grip on the conversation.

“This is going to be great.”

Still in Melissa’s hand, the phone rang again. It was Seth. She hit the voice mail button one more time. She was going to have one heck of a lot of explaining to do. Good thing she would have a kick-ass story to offer up.

“Girl talk while we get ready.” Stephanie laughed.

Melissa paused.

Girl talk? Girl talk.

Why was she trying to get out of this? Girl talk was exactly what she needed for research.

“I’ll meet you up there,” she agreed. A quick call to Seth, and she’d be ready for all the girl talk in the world.

“Don’t be silly.” This time Stephanie did jump up. “You’d drown. I’ll drive you over in the truck.”

Stephanie’s house was rustic but undeniably gracious. A large, practical foyer led into a massive great room with polished floors, a high, hewn-beam ceiling, and overstuffed leather furniture decorated with colorful pillows and woven throws. There was a huge stone fireplace at one end of the rectangular room, and a row of glass doors down the side opened onto a deck that overlooked evergreens and snowy mountain peaks. A wide passageway opposite revealed a gourmet kitchen with a long, polished-wood breakfast bar and padded stools and a formal dining room that seated twelve, with a wood-and-brass chandelier and an impressive woven carpet under the cherry table and wine-colored armchairs.

As they made their way up a wide staircase to the second floor, Melissa wished once again for Susan and her camera. Stephanie’s bedroom was at the front of the house. It had its own small balcony, a walk-in closet, an en suite bath and a small sitting area set in a bay-window alcove.

“Dresses are way in the back,” said Stephanie, flicking on the closet light and gesturing into the long room. “Pick anything you want. I’ll hunt through the bathroom and see what I can find for makeup.”

“What are you planning to wear?” Melissa gazed through the open door at rows of blazers and blouses, situated above open shelves that held blue jeans and jodhpurs. She stepped over several pairs of polished boots as she made her way across the carpeted floor.

Stephanie hadn’t been exaggerating. There were at least two dozen dresses, most with the tags still on. They were black, gold, red, sleeveless, gauzy, and one gorgeous printed silk that shimmered gold and peach, with a jeweled scoop neckline that looked like something off a Paris runway.

“Try that one,” came Stephanie’s voice from the doorway.

Melissa shook her head. “I couldn’t.”

“Why not? Royce brought it back from Europe last year. The straps are too narrow for me. It makes me look like I have linebacker shoulders.”

“It does not.” Melissa laughed. Stephanie had a wonderful figure.

“I’m okay with sleeveless, even strapless, but there’s something about those spaghetti straps that don’t work. You want to hop in the shower? I put out fresh towels and a robe.”

“I feel bad invading your privacy,” Melissa said.

“Are you kidding? I can’t wait to dress you up and wow my brother.”

Melissa placed the dress back on the rack and turned. “I don’t want you to get hurt,” she told Stephanie honestly. “Jared and I barely know each other.”

“You have to start somewhere,” Stephanie replied, obviously undaunted by reality.

“The odds against he and I clicking are about a million to one.”

“The odds against me winning Spruce Meadows last week were about a million to one.”

“But you practiced. You worked hard for years and years to win that competition.”

“I’m not expecting you to marry him next weekend.”

Melissa took a step closer to Stephanie. “I’m not going to marry him at all. You have to understand that. He’s a nice man. And maybe he thinks I’m pretty-”

“He’s going to think you’re a knockout in that silk dress.”

Melissa sighed. “You’re killing me here, Stephanie. I need to know you know this isn’t going anywhere.”

Some of the optimism went out of Stephanie’s blue eyes. “But you’re going to try, right?”

“It doesn’t matter whether I try or not, the odds are still stacked way against it.” And those odds were a whole lot higher than Melissa could admit.

“I’m not afraid of the odds,” said Stephanie, a new equilibrium coming into her eyes. “I’m just leading a horse to water. He drinks or not will be up to him.”

“I take it Jared’s the horse?”

“And you’re the water.”

Relief poured through Melissa. Stephanie understood just fine. She wasn’t some flighty young girl with impossible dreams. She was simply trying to match up her brother and bring some balance to the family’s gender numbers.

The plan didn’t have a hope in hell of working with Melissa, but she could respect the effort.

“Robe’s on the door hook,” said Stephanie. She nodded to the en suite. “Towels are stacked on the counter.”

“Okay,” Melissa agreed. She could play dress-up and ply Jared with questions. Maybe they’d have wine with dinner. Even better. She’d sip slowly and let his tongue loosen up.

She followed Stephanie’s directions, enjoying the marble tub and the luxurious bath products. The towels were big and plush, and Stephanie’s hair dryer gave Melissa’s straight, blond hair some body and bounce.

She exited the room to find Stephanie sitting in front of her vanity in a white robe, her auburn hair damp around her ears.

Stephanie swiveled on the small stool. “What do you think?”

Melissa blinked at the unexpected sight. Stephanie’s delicate features had been all but obliterated by glaringly bright makeup. With spiked lashes, bright blue shadow, dark blush and a fire engine-red lipstick shade, she looked ready for the lead in a 1980s disco flick.

“Uh…I…” Melissa struggled to find words.

Stephanie’s face fell. “It’s that bad?” She glanced back to the mirror.

Melissa rushed forward, reflexively putting her hands on Stephanie’s shoulders. “The look’s a little dated. That’s all.”

Stephanie hardened her jaw, glaring at her features. “Is it me? Do I just not have a feminine face?”

Melissa’s jaw dropped open. “Are you kidding me?”

“I can never quite seem to pull it off.” She gestured vaguely toward the closet. “It’s not that I don’t have the ingredients. I’ve got plenty of clothes, shoes, beauty products. But I can never figure out what to do with them. I bought a makeover magazine once. I ended up looking like a clown.”

“You’re beautiful.” Melissa recovered her voice. “Beyond beautiful. You’re stunning.”

“I have a little-girl nose, ugly freckles and funny-color eyes.” She leaned forward, screwing up her face in the mirror.

“Most women would kill for your nose,” said Melissa honestly. “The freckles are pretty, and you just need a new shade of shadow.” She turned the stool, looking critically at Stephanie’s skin tone and features. “Go wash your face. Let’s start over.”

Stephanie perked up. “You’ll help?”

“You bet I’ll help.”

Stephanie jumped up and headed for the bathroom, turning on the taps in the sink. “Did you have a mom and sisters and stuff?” she called.

“A mom, yes,” said Melissa. “But I have five older brothers.”

Stephanie popped her head back into the room. “Five?”

Melissa nodded. “Adam, Ben, Caleb, Dan and Eddy.”

“So probably no makeup tips from them.”

“Nah. But I can frame up a cabin, change a car’s oil and whistle.”

Stephanie laughed as she rubbed cleanser over her face. “And I can rope a calf in under thirty seconds.”

“You never know when these skills might come in handy.”

Stephanie rinsed and dried, walking back into the bedroom, clad in her terry robe. “Where did you learn about makeup?”

“Girlfriends at school, cable TV, demos at the mall.” Melissa glanced around the room and realized the wide sill on the bay window was a good height.

“My friends were in the 4H club. And we didn’t get many channels out here while I was growing up.”

“Can you hop up there?” Melissa gestured. “That way I won’t have to bend over.”

“Sure.” Stephanie held her robe as she got settled, her bare feet dangling.

Melissa selected some lotion and a few cosmetics and piled them on a small table in the alcove. “It’s all about subtlety now,” she explained, tipping Stephanie’s chin toward the light. “Women want to look natural, just a little more beautiful than nature intended. Earth tones will bring out the subtle silver in your eyes, instead of clashing with it.”

“Can you cover up my freckles?”

Personally Melissa liked the freckles. “I’ll tone them down a bit. They’ll be less noticeable. You have amazing skin.”

“Fresh air and healthy living.”

“It works. I’m in an office all day, air-conditioning and recycled smog.”

Stephanie’s forehead wrinkled. “You have a job?”

“I used to have a job.” Melissa cursed inwardly at her stupidity, struggling to recover from the gaff. “I delivered office mail for a while. Very boring.”

“You seem so smart.”

“I’m not that smart.”

“Jared said you knew about Sierra Benito.”

“That was a stroke of luck.” Melissa found a thin brush and some powdered, charcoal eyeliner. “I happened to read an article in the newspaper.”

“But you remembered it.”

“I suppose. Close your eyes.”

“You must have a good memory.”

“Decent.” Memory was a critical attribute for a journalist-names, dates, faces, events. Melissa gently stroked on the liner, chose silver, blue and pale purple for shadow, added a subtle blush and finished off with a neutral lip gloss.

Then she found a comb and piled Stephanie’s thick, wavy hair in a loose twist at the top of her head, freeing a few locks to frame her face and trail at the back of her neck.

Melissa stood back. “Go take a look.”

Obviously self-conscious and nervous, Stephanie hopped down from the ledge. She gingerly crossed the floor to the mirror, squinted, opened her eyes, then stared in silence.

“Wow,” she finally breathed, turning her head from side to side. “I’m gorgeous.”

“You certainly are.”

Stephanie raised her brows to Melissa, mischief lurking in her silver-blue eyes. “Let’s do you.”

It wasn’t often Jared saw his little sister dressed to accentuate her femininity. Not that he ever forgot she was feminine, but she’d run around the ranch yard like a tomboy ever since he could remember. So tonight when she waltzed into the great room in an ultra-flirty dress, he was momentarily stunned. It was white on top, with bows at the shoulders and a full black skirt that billowed around her knees. She’d done something with her hair, too. And her face looked-

Melissa appeared from behind Stephanie, and the jolt took his breath away. Where Stephanie was feminine, Melissa was sultry. She wore a shimmering thin silk sheath of a dress that clung to her figure like a second skin. Spaghetti straps adorned her smooth shoulders, while the gold and peach shimmered under the warm light. Her hair was upswept, her face flawless, and her long, tanned legs and spiked heels were going to invade his dreams for at least the next year. He swallowed.

“Is Royce here yet?” asked Stephanie.

When Jared finally dragged his gaze from Melissa, he saw the twinkle in Stephanie’s eyes. He had to hand it to his sister, she knew how to matchmake. Nothing would happen between him and Melissa, but it sure wouldn’t be from a lack of desire. Given his own way, he’d drag her off to his bed right now.

“Sunset Hill flooded out,” he answered. He’d talked to Royce a few minutes ago, and his brother had decided to wait the storm out at the main house with McQuestin.