The Girl and the Genie (22 page)

“Not that impossible,” she said. “I was somewhat of a loner as a kid, always reading. And I’m still always reading. That’s why I’m here in New York. I work in publishing as an assistant editor.”

“Beauty and brains!”

“I’m not so sure of the brains part,” Emily said, her grin dimming somewhat. “I’d make more as a waitress than as an assistant editor.”

“But it’s your passion. And nothing I admire more than a person chasing their passion. Tell me more about life for a young Emily Mignon in Des Moines.”

Emily was normally a private person who rarely talked about herself or gave anyone glimpses into her past, but she found herself opening up to Cole, telling him things she had never told anyone else; like about how her dad died when she was only a young girl and how she tried to escape her grief through books. As she watched the compassion and genuine interest filling up Cole’s eyes, she found herself daydreaming about what it would be like to kiss him. When her daydream drifted to imagining Cole carrying her to her bedroom and removing her skirt as she lay on her bed, she snapped out of it, her face flushed.

“Is anything wrong?” Cole asked, concerned.

Emily looked away from Cole and shook her head. She caught a glimpse of the clock on the oven and saw that more than forty-five minutes had elapsed since they had come up to the apartment.

“Only that you’re late,” Emily said, her voice huskier than normal. “You need to get back to your movie.”

Derek Cole waved the idea of that away. “Let Jerry blow a gasket,” he said. “I’m enjoying myself too much to leave now.”

“Uh uh,” Emily said. “That director is unhappy enough with me as it is.”

Derek Cole gave her another demonstration of consternation before smiling a devilish smile. “I’ll leave on one condition,” he said. “That you come to my suite at the Plaza tomorrow night so that we can continue this over dinner and champagne.”

Emily hesitated, and Cole broke out laughing. It was a charming and pleasant laugh. “I’m only asking you out on a date, Emily, not a hookup. Your virtue will be protected at all costs. You have my word. But I badly want to get to know you better, and I’m hoping you feel the same about me.”

He gave her an exaggerated puppy dog look then, and Emily couldn’t help herself as she broke out laughing. “Of course,” Emily said. “I’d love nothing more. Especially if it gets you back to filming that movie!”

They exchanged cell phone numbers, and Derek Cole pushed himself off his counter stool and sprung to his feet, bowed gracefully, then took hold of Emily’s right hand and kissed it ever so gently.

“Until tomorrow evening then,” he said with a wink. He bowed once more before leaving the apartment. Emily sat where she was for several minutes after hearing the front door close, her heart beating just that much faster. With Cole gone, it was just her and Winston in the kitchen, and at first it didn’t seem possible that she had spent the last hour drinking coffee and talking with one of the most famous movie actors in the world, and even more, had a date with him for the following day. More than just that was how comfortable she had felt with him. And that he was so unbelievably good-looking. But it was real. It had happened.

Emily continued to sit where she was for another fifteen minutes absorbing everything that had happened. When she finally got up to leave she caught her reflection in the surface of the stainless steel refrigerator and saw that she was grinning from ear to ear.

Chapter 22

A little later Emily was in the den sitting in her favorite armchair as usual with Winston lying by her feet. When she summoned Jack, the genie did a double take.

“Miss Mignon,” he said, “You’re absolutely radiant tonight, which I am more than pleased to see.” He paused for a moment before adding, “I am curious as to what has caused this remarkable change to your recent mood.”

Emily shrugged as if she wasn’t sure what Jack was talking about. “I met someone tonight,” she said. “In fact, we spent an hour in the kitchen drinking coffee and eating doughnuts.”

“That is excellent. As I mentioned before, you’ve gotten too thin, and eating an occasional sweet now and then should be fine. I take it this person is a man, and also a significant improvement over that author?”

“Correct on all accounts.” Emily’s smile turned more into a coy, cat-who-swallowed-the-canary variety. “In fact, he’s famous.”

“Very good, Miss Mignon. Any event that could return you to this more joyful disposition is very good news.”

The genie then proceeded to browse for a book to read while Emily watched him.

“Don’t you want to know who he is?” Emily asked, trying hard to hide her irritation over Jack’s seeming disinterest in knowing the identity of this famous man.

“Miss Mignon, I’m a genie, and you’re my master. It’s not my place to ask questions like that. But very well, what famous person did you meet?”

“Never mind.”

Jack sighed softly and went back to browsing the book shelves. Emily watched him for another minute before telling the genie that she had had Derek Cole in her apartment. Jack turned back to her, smiling patiently.

“I’m afraid I don’t recognize his name.”

“He’s only one of the most famous movie stars.”

The genie appeared completely unfazed by this news as he nodded and told Emily that whoever it was, he was glad the person had such a positive effect on her, all of which irritated Emily to no end. Her eyes narrowed as she asked Jack why he hadn’t heard of Derek Cole.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean?”

“You had told me before that you’ve watched thousands of movies wherever that place is you go whenever you enter your lamp. I’m surprised you’ve never seen any of Derek’s movies.”

Jack smiled at that. “You’re on a first name basis with this movie star?” he asked.

“Of course. After all, we have a date tomorrow evening.”

Jack didn’t groan outwardly at the news, but he appeared to inwardly, at least, with the look of deflation that came over his face. “Miss Mignon, again, it is not my place as your genie to offer a comment regarding this, but may I be so bold as to do so anyway?”

“Go ahead.”

“Very well.” Jack forced an uneasy smile. “It’s long been my experience that actors of both sexes are a very different breed than what most people are used to. Granted, they have their charms, but they also tend to be incredibly narcissistic, needy and the most superficial group of people you’ll ever meet. If you’re seeing this actor for only one date, then fine, but if you’re expecting anything more from this person I’m afraid you’ll end up disappointed.” The genie’s smile turned more strained. “Even if they wish to be faithful, the vast majority are incapable of it. Many of them move from affair to affair simply because they crave the flattering that these affairs provide. It’s beyond their control to do otherwise.”

“Thank you for your candor,” Emily said with a forced politeness.

Jack went through the motions of sighing heavily, even though he wasn’t actually breathing in or out air. “It’s what you asked for,” he said. “You also asked me earlier why I haven’t heard of this person given the many movies I’ve seen. I only watch highly regarded movies, and most of these were made twenty or more years ago. But later I’ll find some of this actor’s movies, and I’ll report back on his acting ability the next time you summon me.”

“You don’t need to bother,” Emily said.

“It won’t be a bother at all. I’ll be more than happy to do so.”

Jack once again went back to browsing the book shelves, and as he did this Emily brooded. While she mostly believed he was being sincere, she found herself suspicious about whether he could’ve had an ulterior motive for what he told her, and the warning inscribed on the bottom of the genie’s lamp kept popping into her thoughts.
Do Not Trust Him
. She waited until Jack found a book and relaxed onto his invisible chaise longue before telling him that he was wrong. He turned back to her with a puzzled smile.

“You’re wrong about Derek,” she said. “Yes, he’s very charming. Incredibly so. But he’s also one of the most down-to-earth and solid people I’ve met since coming to New York. Maybe it’s because he’s also from the Midwest and we were able to connect so well, but you’re all wrong about him.”

“Miss Mignon, he’s an actor. He can present himself any way he wants. It’s what they do.”

She stubbornly shook her head. “You’re completely wrong about him,” she insisted. “But we don’t need to discuss this anymore, and I don’t need to hear any more of your opinions about actors.”

The genie shrugged his shoulders as much as a half an inch and turned back to his book. “Very well,” he said.

The seeds of doubt were planted before Jack had told her his opinion of actors, but it only got worse after that. The rest of the evening Emily found herself brooding and unable to concentrate on the manuscript she was trying to read. She ended up calling it an early night and sending Jack back into the lamp an hour earlier than usual. Emily knew she needed to stay away from doing any web searches on Derek, that if she did she’d only find one story after the next linking him to glamorous actresses and models, but she couldn’t help herself. It crushed her as she looked at half a dozen photos, each one found showing Derek with a different willowy and long legged actress or model. She’d had this suspicion that she didn’t want to admit to: that the only reason Derek didn’t try to sleep with her that night was because he had already lined someone else up for later, and that he was planning for Emily to be his main course for the following night. As she continued to look at a longer parade of gorgeous women rumored to be linked to Derek, that suspicion only became more gut wrenchingly real. Although it took a great bit of will power, she turned off her computer and walked away from it.

It doesn’t matter, she thought
.
Whatever his motivations really are, it doesn’t matter. I’m having dinner tomorrow night with a famous actor at the Plaza, and no matter what else happens I’ll have a story to tell my future grandchildren. And as far as Jack goes, he doesn’t know everything, even though he’s convinced he does.

Emily felt better after telling herself that, and chided herself for making this a bigger deal than it was. She had fun tonight, and was sure she’d have fun tomorrow also—as well as a spectacular dinner, and that was all she’d expect. She kept repeating to herself how she had no expectations other than an interesting evening, and after a while she almost believed it.

Chapter 23

Derek Cole called Emily early the next morning to tell her that they had a light day of filming, and asked if eight o’clock would work for her for dinner. She told him that would be perfect, still not quite believing this was really happening. On her way to work, she stopped at a newsstand to buy copies of all the New York papers, and when she got to her office she quickly scanned through them. The Daily News was the only paper to have anything about her and Derek. On their gossip page, they had an item about Derek Cole interrupting the filming of his latest movie to run off for an hour with an unknown, but very pretty girl and her English Bulldog (which, the paper noted, must’ve given a paws down to the movie since the dog persisted in interrupting a scene with his barking) to have ‘coffee’. The paper actually put quotes around the word
coffee
. No photos were shown, and fortunately nobody had followed them back to Emily’s apartment building, so no address was given either. The paper did state that the filming was being done on location on Wooster Street. And while Emily’s ears tinged red with embarrassment over seeing herself described as
very pretty
, she had to admit it did her ego good seeing that.

A little after ten in the morning, Mr. Pish wandered into her cubicle, his eyes glassy and his overall expression one of suspicion. He was carrying a copy of the Daily News, and he asked whether Emily had seen it. Emily had already stashed the newspapers in her desk so she pleaded ignorance.

“Sorry, Mr. Pish, but I usually stick with the Times.”

Mr. Pish’s mouth twitched slightly. “But you do live on Wooster Street?”

She smiled innocently at that. “For now, yes. Why, what’s in the News?”

Mr. Pish’s mouth twitched again. He opened the newspaper to the gossip page and showed it to Emily, pointing a thick, stubby finger at the Derek Cole story, which he had circled in red ink.

“It seems they’re filming a movie up your way,” he said.

“So that was what the commotion was all about,” Emily said as she read the column, her brow wrinkling as if she were actually perplexed by what she was reading. “I was wondering about that. It was three blocks further up the street so I didn’t know what was going on. I guess I should’ve checked it out.”

Mr. Pish’s lips pursed into a small oval as he tried to decide whether Emily was leveling with him. From the way his eyes turned even glassier, he must’ve come to the conclusion that she wasn’t.

“Interesting how the young lady he ran off with has an English Bulldog,” he said, glancing down at a snoozing Winston.

“Very interesting,” Emily said. “I usually don’t see many other Bulldogs walking around, and I don’t recall seeing any others on Wooster Street. She must’ve come into my neighborhood because of the movie being filmed there.”

Mr. Pish took the paper back from her. He gave Emily one more long glassy-eyed stared before telling her that if she so happened to run into Mr. Derek Cole near her home, that she might want to mention that there would be interest in a book deal. “A tell-all book with all the famous actresses he’s bedded could sell very nicely,” Mr. Pish added.

Emily wasn’t sure whether Mr. Pish had genuine interest in this kind of book or was trying to warn her to be careful around Derek. Whichever it was, she gave Mr. Pish more of her innocent look before telling him that of course she’d do that. “But I doubt I’ll have the opportunity to meet him. If they’re still filming on Wooster Street, I’ll check it out this time.”