Secret Cinderella

Roderick inhaled sharply. She certainly wasn’t a beauty—nothing like Shereen. Her face was too narrow, her chin almost pointy, and those incredibly clear blue eyes were too wide, lending her face a quizzical look. But that smile of hers lit her features and changed everything. A man would overlook any number of flaws to see a smile like that.

“You’re welcome.”

She also had gorgeous skin. Shereen spent long hours in front of a mirror trying to achieve the natural, healthy glow that emanated from this slip of a woman. Roderick would bet half his considerable fortune that she had done nothing more to enhance her appearance than to apply lipstick and some eyeliner.

Most of the bright red lipstick had been chewed away, but a telltale hint remained. The thin line of eyeliner had smudged, adding to a waiflike appearance that was strangely appealing.

Because he found himself studying her so closely, he noticed the thin white line at her hairline. The scar was tiny, really. Easily overlooked since it disappeared into her carelessly styled long hair. Still, that jagged line of imperfection was a close match to a scar he carried. His jaw tightened as he remembered the cause of his scar and he wondered how she had come by hers.

“It isn’t every day a man has a chance to play Sir Galahad to a lady in distress,” he told her. Cynically, he had to admit he was sort of enjoying the role. But he couldn’t help wondering exactly what—or whom—he was rescuing her from.

“You’re doing a great job,” she told him, barely glancing up as her gaze continued to rove restlessly.

Roderick frowned. “Do you have a name?”

“Of course I do.”

As they stepped onto the descending escalator she hesitated, sending another quick look over her shoulder. Roderick turned back, as well. No one so much as glanced their way. As he withdrew his hand from her shoulder, he gave it a comforting pat. She raised dark sooty lashes to study him.

“Sorry. I do appreciate your help,” she told him earnestly.

Mollified, Roderick inclined his head politely, ignoring a renewed stirring of sexual interest. She wasn’t flirting or playing coy, which was just as well. She was not his type. Yet she intrigued him, and he’d have to give her high marks for her ability to think on her feet—not to mention that she didn’t seem the least bit unnerved by him or his size.

“You didn’t answer my question,” he pointed out.

“No, I didn’t.”

Obviously, she didn’t intend to identify herself or explain this desperate flight. Roderick’s gaze skated to her fingers. Like the rest of her, her hand was small and well shaped. The nails were cropped unfashionably short and were adorned by brilliant scarlet nail polish. He found the color annoyed him the same way his brief glimpse of her daring dress had done. Somehow, neither one belonged on her.

He could only see her right hand, because the other one was lost in the folds of the coat pulled so tightly around her. To conceal the bright color of her dress, he decided. She wore no jewelry other than a pair of inexpensive crystal earrings. Once again he wondered what she had been doing there. The tickets had been pricey by any standards. Was she a paid escort?

He didn’t like the idea, but it wouldn’t go away. She didn’t have the hardened, jaded look he would have expected from a professional, but then, what did he know? He’d never had the need to hire a companion.

“Am I in danger of being accosted by an angry husband?”

Those soft lips curved with humor. “Worried?”

“Not particularly,” he replied, affronted. “I was curious.”

He was rewarded by the flash of that dazzling smile again.

“No husband.”

As they moved carefully onto the next set of moving stairs he told himself her situation was really none of his business. He didn’t want or need to be involved in her problem, but her caginess was becoming annoying.

She teetered a bit, shifting her stance carefully as she tugged at the trailing coat. For the first time Roderick noticed the height of the glittery green shoes she wore. He was pretty sure the bold color matched her dress.

“You’re going to break your neck in those things if you aren’t careful,” he warned. The heels were slender needles of stupidity. Why she didn’t simply teeter out of them was beyond his comprehension.

Once again her ready smile flickered to life. “You could be right. They certainly pinch like the devil.”

He suppressed an answering smile and added spunk to her other attributes. “Why don’t you take them off?”

“My feet would get cold,” she said reasonably. “Besides, I’d trip over the hem of this coat. Your lady must be a giant.”

His lips tightened at the reminder of Shereen. If by some chance she had returned to the table and missed him, she would not be in the best of moods when he made it back upstairs. On the other hand, she wouldn’t lack for a partner to take her back out on the dance floor.

“On the contrary,” he told the woman. “Shereen’s the perfect size for a model.”

“Ah, that explains it.”

“Explains what?” he asked, curious despite himself.

She gave him another of those disarming smiles and shook her head without responding.

Sanity belatedly surfaced. He knew nothing about this puff of a woman. She could be running from the police for all he knew.

“You weren’t an invited guest, were you?”

She tipped back her head to regard him, humor glinting in her eyes.

“What gave me away, the lack of diamonds?”

“Among other things.”

“Maybe I find all that flash and dazzle boringly overdone.”

“You’re a woman,” he told her flatly. “Don’t pretend to be so cynical.”

“Chauvinist. I wouldn’t dream of it. You’ve already perfected that role.”

Stunned, he watched her step onto the last leg of the escalator. The heavy coat nearly tripped her this time. Roderick steadied her. She nodded her thanks as a subtle awareness hovered between them. He didn’t want to admit it, but she fascinated him.

“I hope you and your lady weren’t in a terrible hurry to get home. I’d hate to think I delayed you.”

“No. Shereen’s apartment isn’t far from here.”

“That’s good. Thank you, again.”

She wasn’t ignoring him now, but wariness had crept in around the edges of her expression. Roderick released the coat and her arm, unsettled by his reluctance to do so.

“You’re welcome, again. I’ll drive you home.”

He wasn’t sure who was more surprised, the woman, or himself. Shereen was probably fuming by now. Or, he conceded more honestly, still dancing with one of her many conquests. They were with a large, boisterous group of acquaintances after all. Still, he couldn’t drive off and leave her there. He needed to go back up and fetch her. First, he’d have the valet bring his car around so his mystery woman could wait inside safely. Shereen would be furious, of course, but even she would see that they couldn’t just leave her at this hour of the night.

Where was her coat? Still upstairs? He could bring it down with Shereen. But before he could voice these thoughts, the two of them reached the expansive lobby. The woman stepped forward briskly, turned and slid out of the heavy fur. Lifting up on tiptoes, she placed a chaste kiss on his chin.

Once more, she’d caught him unprepared. Roderick wasn’t used to being surprised. Things generally went as he planned them. At least they had until she’d waltzed into his life. As she drew away he realized there was no artificial odor of perfume or other fragrance on her skin.