Meddling with a Millionaire by Cat Schield Read Free Book Online Page A

considered pursuing it as a career. It had been Addison who’d suggested that Emma could make enough money tokeep herself afloat if she stuck with creating spectacular, one-of-a-kind pieces.
    Unfortunately, setting herself up with the equipment and supplies she needed put another dent in the hundred thousand, and another thirty days melted away before she’d produced enough pieces to show the manager of Biella’s what she could do. In the end, her hard work had paid off, and the first dollars she’d earned by selling what she’d made had given her a huge thrill.
    â€œHello, Emma,” a soft nasal voice greeted. Tall and as thin as a cartoon rendering of Ichobod Crane, all elbows and skinny legs, Thomas McMann had a beak for a nose and incredible bedroom eyes framed by sumptuous eyelashes that belonged to a cover girl. “Did you see we sold three more pieces?”
    â€œThree?” She rechecked. Sure enough. A little glow blossomed around her heart. She recognized it as confidence, something she’d been sorely lacking for the last eleven months. “That’s terrific.” She took the envelope he extended, resisting the urge to tear it open and see the size of the check.
    â€œI hope you’ve brought us some new pieces.”
    â€œActually, I was hoping to take these back.” She pointed to the jewelry in the case. “I was invited to participate in an art and design show, and you have all my inventory.”
    â€œOh. That’s a problem.” He looked at her somberly. “Your jewelry is really starting to sell, and we have two months left on our contract.”
    By that he meant he wasn’t willing to give up the forty percent commission he took from each piece. Emma chewed on her lower lip.
    â€œI’ll return whatever doesn’t sell at the show, and I’ll design some new pieces as well.”
    A quarter-inch of glass and one man’s stubbornness separated Emma from the glittering collection of jewelry she’d designed and crafted. Regaining possession of the necklaces,earrings and rings, embellished with diamonds and precious gems, was crucial to her plan.
    â€œYou can have whatever we haven’t sold in two months.” From his tone, he wasn’t yielding. Thomas had always been a stickler for rules. It’s what kept him in charge of Houston’s top jewelry store for the last ten years, and why she’d left.
    With her heart crushed to the size of a peanut, Emma blew out a breath and decided she’d better come up with plan B if she hoped to escape her father’s marriage trap.
    After leaving Biella’s, she decided to stop by Case Consolidated Holdings and retrieve her earrings. If she hoped to have enough to sell at the show, she might have to sacrifice some of her personal favorites. She would need the earrings Nathan took.
    Standing in the elevator, she watched the floor numbers light up one by one in the display panel beside the door. Her stomach gave a little lurch as the elevator slowed. She smoothed her simple beige silk dress, recognizing the nerves behind the gesture. More than nerves, she amended. Her heart thudded almost painfully in her chest. Panic better described it.
    Until that moment, she’d forgotten that she’d stood him up for breakfast on New Year’s Day. For the last few days she’d been so focused on her finances that she hadn’t considered how annoyed he would be that she’d dodged him yet again. But how could she do otherwise when she’d almost given in and let him have his way with her a second time?
    Just thinking about him, recalling what he’d said to her, the way he’d known exactly what would drive her crazy, she was hot and ready for a repeat performance of their one time together. Of course, there wouldn’t be a repeat performance.
    Emma entered the offices of Case Consolidated Holdings, immediately distracted from her mission by the original