The Art of Discipline: Dani’s Discovery (The Mockingbird Chronicles) Read online

  “With?”

  “Danielle’s favorite appetizer,” Kris sighed. “Seems the rest of them are on their way to a party in Lincoln Park tonight.”

  “How many do you have?”

  “Counting the ones on that tray? Six.”

  Emma laughed. “Wrap them up and put them in the refrigerator. Dani can eat them later. What do you have that we can substitute?”

  “You’re serious?” Kris’s eyes opened wide.

  “I’m serious. Oh, and Kris? It doesn’t have to be junk food or a variation of junk food.”

  “Danielle will stop using my services if I don’t deliver. She’s very particular.”

  “I promise you, if there’s any flak from Dani, I’ll take it. So, now that one crisis is averted, I’ll let you get back to doing whatever you were doing.”

  Giving Emma a smile and a wink, Kris mock saluted. “Right away, ma’am,” she said before turning to command her troops.

  The next hour seemed to fly by as Emma not only got herself ready, but also made sure Dani’s condo was appropriately prepared to receive guests. Not that the place was messy, in fact it was almost as pristine as a museum. Everything seemed to be strategically placed to maximize the look, but the whole house seemed strangely without heart. Save for a couple of small framed photos she saw nothing that showcased Dani’s person, much less her personality. Straightening up the pillows on the sofa, Emma almost jumped as the clock struck and the doorbell rang at the same instant.

  Well, at least Dani’s staff was punctual, Emma thought as she opened the door. Smiling at the guests, she welcomed and invited them in. None of them seemed particularly thrilled to be there, especially Morgan, who seemed embarrassed by Emma’s presence.

  “Hi, I’m Emma. Dani will be right out. Make yourselves at home in the living room and I’ll go see what’s keeping her,” Emma explained, walking the guests to the sitting area before heading in the direction of Dani’s bedroom.

  “Did you hear that?” Cal, the tall red-haired man asked. “She called her Dani? It sounds like our boss got herself a girlfriend.”

  “Give it a rest, Cal. We don’t know anything about this Emma, other than she worked at her uncle’s bookstore,” Olivia, Dani’s blonde, curly-haired office manager replied on her way to the bar. “Who else wants a drink?” she asked.

  Entering the bedroom, Emma went straight to the bathroom and threw open the door. Dani was still in her towel, but her hair was dry and her makeup was on. “Okay, Danielle, you have exactly five minutes to get dressed and get your butt out of this bedroom. You invited these people over tonight, and we are going to be wonderful hostesses.”

  “I don’t feel like it. Tell them I’m not feeling well. They’ll have a better time without me anyway,” Dani whined.

  Muttering under her breath, Emma approached, causing Dani to physically take a step back. “I don’t think so. You invited all these people over here, and you are going to deal with them. Get dressed, now.” Emma directed her with a single finger before walking toward the bedroom door again.

  Returning to the group of strangers in the living area, Emma steeled herself before entering. “Sorry about that. She just lost track of the time.” Accepting the glass of wine offered to her by the curly blonde, she smiled. “How about introductions? It seems I’m at a loss. You all know who I am, but with the exception of Morgan, I don’t know who any of you are.”

  “I’m Olivia, Danielle’s office manager,” the barkeep started. “That tall red-head is Cal. Prince Charming,” she indicated toward the tall blond with blue eyes, “is Logan, and Brynn, our secret weapon, is hiding over there in her glass of scotch.”

  “Secret weapon?” Emma asked, not sure she really wanted to know.

  Brynn looked up, her brown eyes twinkling. “Best negotiator in Chicago.”

  “And she has business cards to prove it,” Cal teased, as the rest of the group broke out in laughter.

  Emma smiled, obviously left out of some joke, but was interrupted by Dani, who finally managed to tear herself out of her bedroom.

  “Sorry, guys, I lost track of the time.”

  Logan rolled his eyes. “Not like it’s the first time, Danielle,” he said in a bored tone. “So we’ve all introduced ourselves to Emma here. Tell us more about your little adventure south of Chicago-land.”

  Accepting the diet soda from the blonde barkeep, Dani smiled. “Thanks, Olivia.”

  “Sure thing. I know how fond you are of your virgin rum and Diet Cokes,” she winked as the group laughed.

  Moving closer to Emma, Dani didn’t miss the finger being held up to count one. Sighing, she sat on the couch to catch up with her employees and show Emma just what she might be getting herself into.

  * * *

  Emma was silently watching the debate as the group settled around the dining room table. So far she’d been impressed by Dani’s employees. They seemed to be a friendly, intelligent group, whose easy banter reminded her of the relationship she had with the other employees at the store. They kidded and joked with each other, but it was clear that Dani was in charge. She noticed more than once that they’d pause to gauge Dani’s reaction before proceeding.

  The one exception to this seemed to be Logan. He was good looking, and perhaps that was part of his problem. She’d met individuals like that before; those that used their physical charms to try to manipulate people. Logan flirted with everyone in the room, including herself, and she could tell by Dani’s reaction that she didn’t like it. To be honest, neither did Emma. The way that Logan kept looking at her, almost like he was studying her, was making her uneasy. She didn’t want to be rude, but was secretly glad when Dani sat her between herself and Brynn, leaving the two boys and Morgan on the other side of the table.

  “So, you’re telling me that you managed to find two elephants for the Patil wedding?”

  “Yes, Logan, I managed to book elephants. The rest is up to you.”

  The tall blond shook his head. “I never thought you’d manage, Morgan. I must say, you are spectacular.”

  “Yeah, well, Danielle knew that when she hired her,” Brynn teased. “Isn’t that right, Danielle?”

  Dani grinned. “Yeah, Brynn, I always knew Morgan was one of a kind.” Dani looked at her assistant briefly before looking at the plate in front of her. “Kris, what is this?”

  “It’s called a salad, Danielle.”

  “Salad? Where are the mini-burgers?”

  Emma gently placed her hand on Dani’s arm. “There was a mix up with the burgers, so I told Kris to make something else and that it didn’t have to resemble a hamburger.”

  “Oh,” Dani muttered, putting her fork down next to her plate.

  Looking at the caterer, Emma shrugged her shoulders and smiled. “It looks delicious, Kris. I’m sure we’ll all love it.”

  “Yeah, we’ll see,” Kris laughed before heading back to the kitchen.

  “You mean I fasted all day for salad?” Cal asked sadly.

  “What do you mean fasted?” Emma asked as she squeezed Dani’s knee and motioned her head toward her fork and plate.

  “I mean I know what one of Danielle’s dinners usually entails, so I try not to eat all day so I can enjoy the junk all night.”

  “Yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever seen something green and leafy in this condo before,” Olivia joked, her curls bouncing.

  Emma nodded coolly at the teasing and began to eat her salad. Looking pointedly at Dani’s plate, she was relieved when Dani slowly tried a bite of it before putting down her fork.

  “Oh, now this is more like it,” Brynn nodded to the plate that Kris’s staff had just laid down in front of her. “Look at this: honey corndogs, French fries, and milkshakes.”

  Cal grinned. “Now this was worth fasting over,” he commented at the caterer’s version of the beloved foods were placed in front of them.

  Dani’s eyes lit up as she saw the food on her plate. “I knew you’d have great comeback from that salad, Kr
is,” she commented before taking a large drink of soda and then frowning slightly as Emma held up two fingers.

  The main course seemed to break some of the tension, and Emma found herself relaxing and feeling more at ease with Dani’s employees. She noticed as she settled in that Dani seemed to do the same.

  Kris had just announced that she would be bringing dessert out, when the conversation was interrupted by a loud bang coming from the kitchen. “Damn it, Luke, didn’t I tell you to put those sweets in the butler’s pantry about fifty times tonight?” Kris yelled.

  Looking at Dani, Emma noticed the mischievous twinkle in her eyes as she shrugged her shoulders. “What? I have no idea what happened to the brownies.”

  Emma smiled, shaking her head. “How did you know she was planning on serving brownies if you don’t know what happened to them?” she asked as all heads turned toward them. “Kris has been calling them sweets all night.”

  Laughing, Logan’s blue eyes glimmered. “It’s alright, Danielle, we know what a temptation chocolate is for you. Besides it wouldn’t be one of your parties if the dessert didn’t come up missing.”

  Kris stormed into the dining area waving a wooden spoon over her head. “I declare, Danielle Ryan, if I didn’t know any better, I’d swear you do this because you enjoy watching me suffer.”

  Dani giggled, “Nope, I just love your brownies.”

  Kris stopped, glaring at Dani for a minute before breaking out in a large smile. “I know. That’s why I hid some from you,” she grinned as the servers brought in plates of brownies topped with vanilla ice cream.

  “Where’s my brownie?” Dani pouted staring at the bowl of plain ice cream in front of her.

  Kris smirked. “You ate it already.” Winking at Emma, she then marched back into the kitchen as laughter erupted behind her.

  * * *

  “Okay, Emma, you must tell us what you do for fun in Fort Strymon,” Cal said after being handed his after dinner drink by Olivia, who was happily manning the bar again.

  The guests had moved from the dining room back to the sitting room, and Emma was glad the night was drawing to a close. She had enjoyed meeting Dani’s employees and hearing more about her business, but she wanted nothing more than to talk to Dani alone right now.

  “Oh, we have a lot of things to do to keep us occupied,” Emma responded. “The symphony, the art museum, the parks, running trails, there’s even a nice theatre group that puts on some wonderful shows every year. Not to mention the annual festivals.”

  “Who knew they had culture outside Chicago,” Brynn commented dryly. “Blows your whole Chicago-is-the-center-of-the-universe theory out of the water, doesn’t it Cal?” she teased.

  “Please,” Cal grinned, “Chicago is the center of the universe; science just hasn’t caught up yet.”

  Grinning as the friends bantered back and forth, Emma gently squeezed Dani’s knee and gave her a comforting smile. Dani looked tired, and Emma frowned as she noticed that Dani was once again drinking a soda. Deciding not to say anything, she refocused her attention as Olivia handed her bottled water before refreshing Dani’s diet soda once more.

  “Something wrong tonight, Danielle?” Olivia asked, her curls bouncing. “You’ve only had four of these; usually I can’t keep up with you.”

  Dani smiled and glanced briefly at Emma as she blushed, “No, I’m fine, just pacing myself. Don’t want to feel the effects too early in the evening,” she joked as everyone chuckled knowingly.

  “Yeah, those virgin rum and Coke hangovers are the worst,” Logan jibed as Olivia began handing out bottles of water to the rest of the group.

  “Hey, what’s with the water?” Logan asked, looking at the bar longingly.

  “Need to get yourself rehydrated. We have the Peterson meeting first thing in the morning, and you need to be prepared. Mrs. Peterson wants the perfect wedding for her daughter.”

  “Oh yeah, I was there for the intake,” Brynn agreed. “Mrs. Peterson figures if her daughter doesn’t have the decency to marry a man, that she’s going to make sure her future daughter-in-law is welcomed into the family with a bang.”

  Logan groaned. “She’s the one who wants the fireworks?”

  “Yep, literally,” Olivia joked.

  “Well, that could be fun,” Cal laughed. “Maybe the couple will make their own fireworks at the wedding.” Turning his attention to Emma, he then smirked. “So, you and Danielle planning any big events yet?”

  Emma leaned closer to him, raising one eyebrow. “When we do, you’ll be the first to know.” She then pushed him back as she leaned back on the couch, putting her hand on Dani’s knee and giving it an affectionate squeeze. “Isn’t that right, Dani?” she asked coyly.

  Dani blushed and put her now empty glass on the coffee table. “Well, actually, I’m thinking you’ll be the first to know,” she said as the room erupted in laughter once again.

  * * *

  The guests had left, and Dani was once again in her pajamas. She was sitting on her bed waiting for Emma. Dani sighed and leaned back. Staring at the ceiling, she allowed her long legs to dangle off the side. It seemed that she was in this position way too much lately, and she couldn’t help wondering how much trouble she was in for buying the junk food and drinking the extra soda.

  Never hearing her door open or the soft footfalls, Dani jumped when Emma threw herself down on the bed mimicking Dani’s pose. “It was quite an evening, wasn’t it?” she asked, lacing her fingers with Dani’s.

  “Yeah,” Dani agreed, before allowing a long pause to fill the room. “Am I in trouble?”

  Emma chuckled. “Oh yeah, but don’t worry about that right now. First, I want to talk with you.”

  “Okay,” Dani sat up reluctantly bringing Emma with her. Turning, the women moved to the center of the bed until they faced each other with their legs crossed in front of them. “What do you want to talk about?” Dani quietly asked.

  “Well, first I’d like to know, where can I take this amazing brunette I know on our first date?”

  Dani’s eyes widened in surprise, and she couldn’t help looking up as she was caught by twinkling green eyes. “Well, there’s this great little Italian place a few blocks down. Makes the best stuffed shells in miles.”

  “I guess I’ll have to try it then, if you think she’ll enjoy it.”

  “Oh yeah, she’ll love it,” Dani agreed. She looked at Emma once again, this time reaching out for her hands. “You mean, you’re a …?”

  Emma laughed, “Yes, Dani, there are two lesbians in the room.” She pulled Dani’s hand to hers and kissed it gently. “And I’ve already made reservations for Antonio’s, tomorrow night at 8:00 p.m.”

  Dani shook her head, “I can’t believe it. Why didn’t you tell me? And how did you know about my favorite restaurant?”

  Emma shrugged. “I’ve been feeling something special about you for a while now, but with everything going on, I wanted the time to be right. And as far as the restaurant, I asked Kris. She asked me if we’d been out yet, and when I told her no, she suggested I do the honors.”

  Dani smiled shyly at Emma. “Leave it to Kris. She’s been a really good friend, long before the business.”

  “So she said.” Emma squeezed Dani’s hands gently. “So, I think we need to talk about how to help you with your soda and junk food problem.”

  “I don’t have a problem, Emma. I like what I drink and eat,” Dani protested.

  “It’s a problem when you don’t eat or drink anything else. However, seeing how upset you were today, I think we can come up with something other than cold turkey.”

  “I still don’t see why I have to stop,” Dani huffed.

  Letting go of Dani’s hands, Emma put her fingers gently under Dani’s chin until their eyes were locked. “Because I care about you a great deal, Danielle Ryan, and I want you to care about yourself too.” Allowing Dani to drop her gaze once again, Emma reclaimed Dani’s hands. “I think three sodas a day are fair.”
>
  Dani looked up, “One at breakfast or first thing in the morning, please? I need my caffeine.”

  Emma smirked. “Alright, Dani, one in the morning, but you have to drink more water. You can choose when to drink the other two, but its water with meals.”

  Dani stuck her lip out in a pout but reluctantly agreed. “Okay, only three?”

  “Three is more than enough, Danielle. As for the rest,” Emma paused for effect, “we’re adding some healthier options to your diet. I only ask that you try the food before turning your nose up at it.”

  “Oh, come on, Emma, that salad was awful,” Dani groaned,

  Emma giggled. “But you tried it, and I was proud of you for that.”

  “You were?” Her blue eyes quickly glanced up from their intertwined hands.

  “Yes, I was.” Emma looked once more into Dani face. “This isn’t going to be easy, Dani, but we’ll do it together. Okay?”

  “Okay,” Dani shifted and rubbed her bottom a bit. “So, bedtime?” she asked, hoping that Emma would agree.

  “Almost,” Emma answered, her tone becoming stern in an instant. “How many diet sodas did you have tonight, Danielle?”

  “Six,” Danielle answered quietly.

  “Six?”

  “Yes. I had one before I came out for the party, the four at the party, and another while you were getting ready for bed.” Dani released Emma’s hands and leaned over the side of the bed, pulling up an empty soda can.

  “Thank you for being honest with me, Danielle. That means a lot.”

  “Does that mean I’m not in trouble?” Dani blurted out, causing Emma to chuckle once more.

  “Oh no, I said no more than two, and I meant that, Danielle. In fact…” Emma broke off as she scooted against the headboard and straightened her legs. “I think this is the perfect time to remind you that when I say something, I follow through. Over my lap, young lady.”

  Groaning Dani shook her head before slowly doing as asked. She groaned a second time when she felt Emma bare her bottom. She was still tender from earlier, and once again wondered why she needed to test Emma. Dani’s thoughts, however, were cut short as Emma’s palm made contact.