One Night with Cinderella by Niobia Bryant

Author:Niobia Bryant [Bryant, Niobia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2020-11-06T16:53:05+00:00

* * *

Monica was thankful for the shade of the trees as she took her seat on the terrace of the French bistro in the middle of Midtown Manhattan. “I’ll have a glass of the house white wine, please,” she said to the waiter, opening the tented napkin to lay on her lap across the red wide-leg pants she wore with a matching tank and gold leather flats.

She took a sip of her goblet of ice water as she looked around at the cream-and-brown decor. The terrace was surrounded by six-foot wood panels. Above the panels, the towering skyscrapers surrounded the converted town house housing the restaurant.

She had just begun to peruse the menu when her guest joined her. “Hi, Choice,” she said, rising to kiss the woman’s smooth brown cheek before they both took their seats across from each other at the bistro table. “Is it hot enough for you?”

Choice Kingsley pushed her shades atop her head and set her crocodile leather briefcase on an empty chair. “Only lunch with you could get me to leave the air-conditioning of my office,” she said with a smile.

A junior partner at Curro Villar and Hunt, Choice was recommended to her by Marco Villar to serve as her attorney. A work relationship had slowly become a friendship as Monica found she enjoyed the woman’s intelligence and humor. She was easy to talk to and Monica considered her a godsend...and probably the first person she’d truly taken the chance on trusting.

They both ordered quiche lorraine for lunch, with Choice choosing sparkling water with fresh fruit for her drink.

“Business first,” Choice said, reaching for her briefcase to remove a black file. “Your 501c3 has been officially established. Congrats on that.”

Monica accepted the file and opened it, knowing the certification was only the next step in establishing her charity. It would make any money she collected as a charitable organization exempt from federal taxes. Monica’s plan had been to just donate directly from her own money, but Choice had talked her into really making a go of the foundation—solicit funds, set up grants, hire small staff and maybe even a publicist.

“Now pleasure,” Choice said, her fork slicing into the egg-and-bacon dish baked in buttery pastry. “How’s Gabe? Or better yet how are you and Gabe?”

“Scary,” Monica admitted before taking a deep sip of her wine. “We see each other more. Talk more. Call each other more. He cooks dinner. We share things—dreams—with each other. Sometimes we don’t even have sex when we meet up. We’re breaking all the rules we set—well, all except one. Never to spend any more nights together.”

“And that scares you?” Choice asked. “Most women would give up a kidney to have Gabriel Cress in their life in any way.”

“Most women haven’t had their heart broken by both their parents when they were left to grow up in foster care without feeling seen...or loved,” she said softly before forcing a sad smile to her lips at the pity in Choice’s eyes.

Monica thought

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