Once Upon Stilettos

“Hey,” he said. “Just checking in to see how the rest of the weekend with the folks went. Thanks again for inviting me for Thanksgiving, and be sure to pass my thanks on to your mom. I was also hoping that you’d be free for lunch tomorrow. Give me a call when you get a chance.”



All at once, the memory of buying the red shoes and the thoughts about Ethan that had gone through my mind at the time rushed over me. A shiver went up and down my spine—this time a pleasant shiver. I’d be glad to see him, the sooner the better, even though lunch wouldn’t be prime time for what I had in mind.



With a smile on my lips, I called his office. “Hey, yourself,” I said when he answered.



“Katie! So you got your parents off on their way home?”



“Yep. They left this morning.”



“And everything went well the rest of the weekend?”



“Just a few minor glitches, but nothing I wasn’t able to smooth over. My parents even started speaking to each other again.”



“I’m glad to hear it. So, lunch tomorrow?”



“I don’t have anything on my calendar.”



“Okay, how about I pick you up at noon? I’ll come up to your office. I have some things I need to drop off for the boss while I’m at it.”



That wasn’t the most romantic lunch invitation I’d ever heard, but I wasn’t going to quibble about it. “Sounds good. I’ll see you then.”



As I hung up the phone, I wondered if the red shoes would be overkill for wearing to the office. Probably, I decided. Besides, I wanted to save them for a special night out. It would be a shame to waste them on a lunch when he wouldn’t have time to ravish me properly. However, that didn’t mean I couldn’t wear something cute and alluring. I’d have to get Gemma to help me pull an outfit together that would whet his appetite for the weekend.



Forcing my mind back to my work, I gathered the notes I’d made from Merlin’s books and headed down to Rod’s office to discuss Operation Morale. Isabel gave me her usual enthusiastic greeting.



“Hi, sweetie! Good Thanksgiving?” she boomed.



“Wonderful Thanksgiving. How about you?”



“Nothing special. I helped with one of the balloons in the parade. I make a pretty good anchor, if I say so myself.”



“That must have been fun.”



“It was. Let me tell him you’re here.” She waved a hand over the crystal ball thingy that served as a magical intercom, then said, “Go on in.”



I opened Rod’s office door and knew right away that whatever it was, it hadn’t been a glitch. Instead of the Rod I knew, the same gorgeous and slightly dangerous-looking man I’d seen on Saturday sat behind his desk.



I was in huge trouble.



Not only was I finally certain that I really had lost my magical immunity, I was also susceptible to Rod’s attraction spell. While part of me wanted to throw myself at him, the other part had to forcefully remind me about Ethan, the guy I’d just made lunch plans with, the guy I hoped would have his wicked way with me that weekend. Then again, I was sure the red shoes would work on anyone. Even if I wasn’t with Ethan, I could wear those shoes and make Rod want me as much as I wanted him.



I went back to my mental list of Rod’s recent dates to snap myself out of the spell. Did he never turn that off, even at the office? What kind of raging insecurity would lead a man to artificially enhance his appeal that way? And what depths might he stoop to in order to get attention? I mentally reevaluated his status on my list of suspects.



“Hi, Katie,” he said, giving me an innocuous look, though I felt like his eyes were searching my face closely. “What did you want to see me about?”



“My latest wacky save-the-world plan,” I said, taking a seat in the chair in front of his desk. I automatically crossed my legs and let my skirt rise above my knees, then realized what I was doing and yanked it back down again.



“And I’m a part of this plan?” His eyes shifted away, and then he seemed to force himself to look at me again.



“This one falls squarely in your domain.” I licked my lips and wondered if I had lipstick on my teeth. I should have put on some lip gloss before heading off for the meeting. Had I put on perfume? No, I reminded myself. Work. “You see, I have this theory that the real intent of our mole isn’t so much to spy as it is to disrupt the company. If we’re all suspecting each other, we’re not working together, and that will make us less prepared to face whatever Idris is up to.”



“So your plan is to work on morale to undercut those efforts? Good idea. What did you have in mind?”