The Truth About Fairy Tales

The Truth About Fairy Tales

By

Annie Walker

This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogues in this book are of the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.

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Chapter One

Since I was thirteen years old, I’ve wanted only one thing from life. To become an attorney. I didn’t have any interest in fairy tales or love stories. I only wanted the dream, and I was determined to make it happen no matter the cost.

Of course, Genna and Serena, my two best friends since grade school still held out hope for me. They believed
, with every new boyfriend, I would find someone who was going to knock me off my feet and change all my plans. When Ben Riley came into my life, they were certain of it. I didn’t have the heart to tell them it was impossible. Not even with Ben.

My future was the law.

Unfortunately, Ben had a slightly different opinion of where our relationship might be heading, in spite of my attempts at getting him see the friendship was all there could ever be between us.

Of course, Ben’s outlook on life was a wee bit desperate due to the fact his Uncle Jackson was forcing him to learn the finer points of his company’s business by sending Ben off to the further most reaches of the world.
Paris of all places. Since his uncle announced this piece of news, Ben had been working overtime trying to find a way out of going. Jackson was the epitome of ‘evil uncle’ in Ben’s eyes.

"G
uess what, my uncle wants to meet you tonight.” Ben announced when I opened my door to find him standing there.

I
couldn't tell him, I had no desire to meet his uncle. I really didn’t want to give Ben any more ammunition for his cause.

I kept that piece of information to myself.
“Ben, I’m sorry but I can’t. I have to study, remember. I have finals.” Never mind it was Friday night and I hadn’t been studying when Ben knocked on my door. I’d been immersed in one of those juicy little romance novels I would have denied right up to the death of ever possessing much less actually enjoying.

“Maggie this is important
. You know I need your support. Can’t you take a break just this once for me? I really want him to meet you. I’m certain once he does he’ll understand why I can’t go to Paris. Please—it’s important.”

When Ben looked at me with those sad eyes, I could almost forget that little uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach that was always there in the face of Ben’s determination to make more of our relationship than friendship.

I pressed the heel of my hand against my forehead, knowing I would give in. “Okay, but only for a little while.” Too late, I remembered I was dressed in faded jeans and a plain white tee shirt. I probably wasn’t going to help Ben’s cause out all that much. "I should probably change first, though."

Ben smiled down at me, took my hand, and whisked me out the door. "No time, we're late." 

When he stopped the car in front of Standards—one of the most exclusive restaurants in town I turned to him in shock. Standards clientele consisted of all the ultra rich people in Austin.

“I can’t go in there
. Not dressed like this.” I vehemently shook my head. Ben simply grinned again and my stomach did another uneasy flip.

“Are you kidding? You look wonderful
. Besides, you’re with me. And I’m with my uncle. So relax.” At this point, my panic turned into all out alarm. “Come on Maggie, stop worrying. You’ll be fine.” He gave the hostess our name.                            “Right this way. Mr. Riley and his guest are seated already.” The uneasiness in the pit of my stomach kicked up another notch.

“
Why didn’t you mention we were meeting your uncle's friend and which one is your uncle anyway?”

“I didn’t tell you because I
thought you might refuse. He’s the one over there with that stunning brunette.”

Over there, seated next to a stunning brunette
, was not the uncle I’d pictured so many times in the past. At least, not from everything Ben had told me about Jackson Riley.             

This man wasn’t old like I’d imagined. I was expecting someone seventy, possibly eighty. Jackson Riley looked anything but. In fact, he couldn’t have been more than thirty-five.

“He’s not old and decrepit?” I blurted out before I could stop myself. The moment Jackson looked my way I knew he’d heard everything.

The most amazing blue eyes slid over me, assessing me from my clothing to my words. I stopped dead in my tracks from sheer reaction to those eyes
. Ben turned back to me smiling with a somewhat uncertain expression on his face.

“I
didn't say he was old. Come on, he's waiting on us. It won’t be so bad, I promise,” Ben whispered for my ears only.

Jackson
stood just as I came to a halt next to his table. From the amusement in his eyes, I knew he'd enjoyed my little show. It was going to be a very long evening for me.

“Uncle, this is Maggie Monroe, the girl I’ve told you so much about. Maggie this is my uncle, Jackson Riley.”

Jackson took my hand and held it for a moment. From the second I looked into his eyes I knew, my life was never going to be the same again. Just like that, just as I knew the sky was blue and Texas was hot.

This man
represented nothing but trouble for me, for my future, for everything I held dear. If I were smart, I would walk right out of the restaurant without ever meeting his date.

“Sorry to disappoint you, Miss Monroe, but although I may be old
by some standards, I can assure you I’m not decrepit—or deaf for that matter.”

Not only was
Jackson not decrepit or anything like what I’d pictured him to be, he looked nothing like his nephew. Ben was blond like me, and somewhat classically handsome. Jackson was just the opposite.

His dark brown hair held just a hint of highlights. I told myself he’d probably gotten them from some expensive salon.

Where Ben was medium in both height and build, Jackson was tall, very tall. Well over six feet, he certainly didn’t look like someone who sat behind a desk throwing orders out to the humble masses.

I decided either Ben
was adopted or his mother had been having an affair.

“Miss Monroe
, I’d like you to meet my friend, Jessica Cartwright.” I took the hand of the gorgeous brunette while wondering about the extent of their relationship.

“I’m sorry to
have kept you waiting, Uncle. It took some convincing to get Maggie to come.”

“I see.”
Jackson's blue eyes swept over me once more. Suddenly, it felt as if it were just the two of us alone. If I didn’t know any better, I could almost believe the great and powerful Jackson Riley might be flirting with me. No way. I would be way beneath the standards of one of the richest men in Austin.

“And what is it you do, Maggie?”
Jackson asked me. The look in his eyes told me he knew this and probably a whole lot more about me already.

“I’m a student. I attend the
University of Texas.”

“Maggie’s studying to become an attorney. She
has six months left before obtaining her degree. Then she’s going home to become a partner in a family law firm. Isn’t that right, Maggie?”

I had no idea why Ben was telling his uncle these things. The last thing I wanted to do was prolong this awkward dinner by answering questions about me.

“That’s certainly an honorable goal, but where do you fit into all of this, Ben?” To Jackson’s credit, he appeared to be trying to force his nephew to face the truth.

“Oh, I think there
'll always be room in her life for me. Won’t there, Maggie?”

No matter how hard I tried,
I couldn’t answer. I didn’t need to. Jackson had seen how I felt about Ben before I could hide it. He knew there was no future for Ben and me.

When at last this excruciating evening started to show signs of coming to an end, I was only too happy to forgo any desert offer to hasten it on its way. I was hoping for a painless escape. I
would not be so lucky.

As we stood outside the restaurant waiting for the valet to bring our
cars around, Jackson hailed a cab for Miss Cartwright who didn’t seem too happy he was shuffling her off. I could only assume she would be hurrying home to warm up her bed since she’d been practically purring all evening. At least that’s what I thought until Jackson proved me wrong.

“I’ll make sure Maggie gets safely home. You have a conference call with our Asia Pacific client in less than an hour.”

This was definitely not what I wanted to hear after trying to escape Jackson’s disturbing presence for what felt like hours. I turned to Ben for help. He simply agreed with his uncle.

Jackson
opened the car door for me while I refused to appear impressed by the expensive vehicle he drove. Just before the door closed on my fate, Ben did the worst possible thing he could have done under the circumstances and probably sealed his future in Paris in an instant. He leaned in close and kissed me square on the lips. Jackson’s reaction told me there would be hell to pay for this little move.

But he was in no rush to have me pay up and apparently no hurry to get me home either. He drove around the streets of the city for so long that I was starting to envision my lifeless body lying in a ditch somewhere. The image of my grandmother having to identify what was left of me finally gave me the courage to speak up.

“What are you doing? I thought you were going to take me home?” Those words would probably have had more of an impact if my voice wasn't shaking like a leaf. But I couldn’t seem to help it. This guy scared me. I knew he was powerful—after all, Ben had been telling me about that power for quite some time now. How the great Jackson Riley had everyone around him falling all over themselves trying to fulfill his every little wish.

I
t wasn’t just that he was a powerful man that had me trembling. This man was quite possibly dangerous to me for far more disturbing reasons.

“Relax
, it’s still early yet. I’ll have you back home before my nephew has time to miss you. It will be hours before he’s finished with that call. This will give us time to get better acquainted.”

That was the last thing I wanted to do. There was absolutely nothing else about
Jackson I needed to know. I knew exactly how ruthless and controlling he was to Ben and exactly what his opinion was of me.

I wanted to ask him how long he intended on keeping Miss Gorgeous waiting, but for some reason I believed he would tell me the truth and I wasn’t sure I was ready for all the details of
his personal life.

“What’s the matter, little bit? You’re not so tough after all without Ben around to protect you?”

That sounded entirely too much like the threat I’d been expecting from him to keep me quietly seated beside him.

When the car came to a stop at the next red light I was reaching for the door handle and almost able to make my escape had
Jackson not been a little too fast for me. He was definitely in better shape than I wanted to give him credit for and certainly faster than I thought.

“Nice try, but I’m not as decrepit as you thought, am I? Just calm down. Why don’t we stop somewhere for a drink? Maybe that will help you relax?”