Grayson - A Scrooged Christmas Read online

  “I guess I was too wrapped up in the beauty sitting beside me,” he replied, eyes dancing with mischief. I could feel my face flush with heat.

  “That’s what you do to me when we’re together. I see only you.”

  What had I gotten myself into? Why was I letting this man get to me?

  “What are we doing here, Grayson?” A gust of wind blew my hair in my face, making it difficult to read his expression.

  “I thought we were getting to know each other.”

  His warm hands cupped my cheeks, and then it happened without warning. He leaned in, his mouth taking mine in the most sensual kiss that I’d ever had. Not that I’d had many. Just a couple of boys from high school that didn’t know what they were doing. Grayson Decker knew how to kiss. I felt it all the way to my toes, and my panties melted from the heat. He knew how to make me feel as if I were floating on air, if only for a few short minutes until reality set in. I drew back my fist and punched him in his perfect shoulder, causing him to take a step back.

  “What the fuck did you hit me for?” he growled.

  “I’m not one of your women, Grayson. I’m an employee that you happen to be paying to spend a few weeks with you. No where in that discussion did it say that it was okay for you to kiss me or anything else. I told you last night that we needed to keep this professional, and I thought you agreed.” I huffed.

  “You liked the kiss.” He grinned. “You look beautiful with your puffy, just kissed lips.”

  I bit my lip hard and looked away, doing my best not to grin like some giddy teenage girl who just had her first kiss. Once I got myself under control, my eyes were back on his baby blues.

  “Tell me you didn’t enjoy that, and tell me truthfully,” he demanded.

  Damn.

  “I’m not going to lie, because that’s not who I am.” I paused a moment, watching as his eyes bore into mine. “Yes. I enjoyed it,” I admitted.

  “Come on. If you just enjoyed it, I didn’t do it right.” He took a step forward, but I stopped him when I held up my hand.

  “Okay. It was the best kiss I’ve ever had!” I placed my hand on my hip. “Are you happy now?” I was so frustrated by what I’d just allowed him to do, even though I wanted him to do it again. “It’s not like your ego needed stroking. It’s already big enough!”

  “If it was the best kiss you’ve ever had, why won’t you let me do it again?” he asked.

  Exhaling a heavy breath, it floated through the winter air like white smoke. “You’re paying me. Not dating me. There’s a difference. If I let you get to me, then that just makes me feel like a prostitute!” People stopped on the sidewalk, staring, trying to hear our conversation. Fuck!

  I crossed my arms over my chest, and said, “Move along, people,” I snapped. “Don’t you have anything better to do than watch someone argue?”

  One lady scowled as if she were offended while someone else held up their phone and snapped a picture. Great! Just great! Grayson stood there with mouth set in a hard line.

  “I should turn you over my knee and spank you. Something tells me you’d like that to.” He grunted.

  “You’re such an ass,” I whisper-shouted, because people were still curious as to what was going on. Grayson’s face was blank, but that little muscle ticked in his jaw and the tops of his ears were turning red.

  “Come on,” he demanded, wrapping his hand around my elbow, leading me down the sidewalk.

  “Where are we going? The car is back that way,” I asked, looking over my shoulder.

  “We’ve got a couple more stops before we go home. Did you have big plans for today?” He cut his eyes to me.

  “As a matter of fact, I do have plans.”

  “Well, too bad. Like you said, I’m paying you, which means, I’m your boss and if you want to continue to get paid, you’ll do as I say. Now come on!” he barked.

  “Ass,” I bit out.

  “So you’ve said.”

  ***

  Grayson took me to some of the most expensive shops in New York. When I asked him why, he informed me it was all a part of our business agreement. He forced me to try on dress after dress—some short, some long—and by the time we arrived back at his penthouse apartment, I had a whole new wardrobe, shoes and handbags included. I tried to argue, but it was no use, so I gave up. When the sales lady gave him the total with a beaming smile, he didn’t even bat an eye. I was sure she was working off commission, and my guess was that she just earned enough to buy a new Lexus.

  He handed over his black credit card and gave her the address of where to have the items delivered. It was late into the day when we finally made it home. I was worn out and my feet were killing me, so I headed to the guest bathroom for a long soak in the tub. It was heavenly. I walked into the bedroom, wrapped in a white fluffy towel, to find some of the items he’d purchased today lain across the bed. There was the beautiful black cocktail dress made of black lace with a satin slip underneath, along with a pair of black Jimmy Choos with gorgeous rhinestone heels. By the time I finished my hair and makeup, I felt like Cinderella. I didn’t recognize the woman staring back from the mirror. He had told me earlier in the day that he was having a dinner party for some of his clients and he wanted me to be his date. I’d never been to a dinner party, I just hope I don’t embarrass him.

  “You’re stunning.”

  Smiling, I looked up from shoving a few items into my small clutch. My breath caught in my throat at the sight of Grayson Decker. I was used to seeing him in a suit at the office, but the tux he was wearing screamed wealth, power, confidence, and authority.

  “Thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself,” I teased.

  ***

  “What is with the damn Christmas music? I specifically told our coordinator to pick something else for this event,” Grayson growled as we stepped into the opulent event hall.

  “You’re just going to have to get over it, Scrooge. It’s the holidays, and just because, for whatever reason,” I waved my hand out in front of me, “you don’t like it, doesn’t mean that your guests feel the same way. And, tonight, it’s about them. Right?”

  He wrapped his arm around my waist, whispering in my ear, “If I agreed to wear a Santa suit, would you sit on my lap?” He wiggled his eyebrows when I lifted my eyes to his and smiled.

  “I would gladly sit on your lap if it means getting you in a Santa suit,” I teased. Some time soon, I’m going to find out why he hates Christmas so much.

  My feet were killing me because I was not used to wearing four inch heels, but Grayson picked out the shoes because he said I looked sexy in them. I saw the way he was looking at me. There was a deep hunger in his eyes, and he was imagining me in these shoes and nothing else.

  He hadn’t let me leave his side once tonight. He introduced me to all his clients as his girlfriend, which made me a little unsettled. How was he going to explain all of this when the time came for us to part ways? A painful knot formed in my stomach from just thinking about it.

  “Have I told you how beautiful you are?” he whispered in my ear, his warm breath fanning my neck, sending tingles throughout my body.

  “Several times.” I giggled. “Feel free to say it again, though.” The corner of his mouth lifted into a sexy smile. My restraint was fading fast. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to find the ladies room,” I whispered.

  “I’ll walk you,” he offered.

  “I’m not two. I think I can find it by myself.” I arched a playful brow.

  “Hurry back. Dinner will be served shortly.”

  With a quick nod and a small smile, I left him standing at the bar talking with several men who, for the last hour, had been bragging about how much money Grayson had made for them.

  ***

  “I knew it was you,” the woman next to me hissed. I paused a moment from reapplying my lipstick to turn and face her.

  “Excuse me?” Her eyes narrowed as she looked me from head to toe, an ugly sneer appearing on her overly
done face. She looked so familiar, but I couldn’t place her.

  “I knew it was you, even though he said you weren’t. You’re the reason he turned me away.” She bit out with a hateful tone.

  It was coming back to me now. She came to see Grayson at the office when I was on my way out a couple of weeks ago. Did he not have sex with her? She most definitely looked like the rest of the women that paraded through there.

  “If you think for one minute you’ll get your gold digging claws into him, you’re sorely mistaken. He’ll see you for what you are and he’ll move on, just like he always does.”

  If she was Grayson’s client, I needed to remain professional. We were at a dinner party full of his clients. I should have known I’d run into some of these women. It made me sick to my stomach to think about how many more could be out there right now. But, this one. She was a bitter old hag, and if I weren’t afraid of her running to Grayson in front of everyone here, I’d tell her just what I thought about her.

  Who the hell did she think she was, talking to me like that? The longer her hate filled eyes roamed over me only fueled my anger. I couldn’t hold my tongue any longer. What the hell?! I was only with him a few more weeks, tops.

  “You mean like he did with you?” I countered. She lifted her chin and stuck her nose in the air. “Isn’t that the truth? He moved on from you.” I forced a smile, when what I wanted to do was slap the shit out of her.

  “Honey.” She paused, glaring through her fake lashes, “Just because he bought you some expensive clothes, doesn’t mean people can’t see you for what you are?” Her icy stare sent shivers down my spine, and not in a good way. “You’re an inner-city slut that probably lives in public housing.”

  I would probably be living out of my car after tonight. My body began to tremble, and I felt like I’d been punched in the stomach. She was right, and it pleased her to know she was right, because the smile on her face spoke volumes. I didn’t belong there, and I didn’t belong with Grayson.

  I stormed out of the ladies’ room and past the bar where I left Grayson earlier. I shivered when I stepped outside and the freshly fallen show bit at my exposed toes. I thanked my lucky stars that a cab was sitting at the curb. I didn’t know if they were waiting for someone else, and I didn’t really care. I was getting the hell out of there. I was going home.

  I ran up the two flights of stairs to my apartment, and stumbled and fell when the heel of my shoe caught on the broken cement and broke off. As if my night hadn’t been bad enough, I hobbled to the door of my apartment to find a big yellow piece of paper taped to the door with the word Eviction printed in big, bold, black letters. That was the final straw. It had finally happened, and if the note wasn’t clear enough, the lock box on the door knob confirmed it. I couldn’t even get inside to get the rest of my things. Fuck my life.

  I collapsed in front of my door, the cold cement freezing my bare legs, but I couldn’t care less. I cried until I didn’t think I could cry anymore. I composed myself the best I could, and pulled my cell from my purse and called Missy.

  “Hey, girl! How dare you not tell me that you were quitting,” Missy scolded.

  “What? I didn’t quit. What are you talking about?”

  “All I know is Morgan hired some new guy because he said you quit.”

  I didn’t have a clue what she was talking about, and it was the least of my worries at the moment. I tugged at the bottom of my dress, trying to cover as much of my bare legs as I could to protect them from the bone chilling night air.

  “Can I stay with you tonight? I’ve been evicted from my apartment.” There was silence on the other end for what seemed like an eternity.

  “I-I don’t think that would be wise. You know how my parents are,” she responded, lowering her voice a little.

  “Missy, I don’t care if your parents smoke pot.” I swear her parents were hippies at heart. “I just need a place to stay tonight,” I begged.

  “What happened to hot suit guy? I thought you were staying with him,” she asked.

  “It’s a long story. Can I come stay with you or not?” I wrapped my arms around my middle and shivered from the cold. I hadn’t even thought to grab my coat when I ran out earlier.

  “I’m sorry . . .” I cut her off before she could finish.

  “You know what? It’s okay. Forget it.”

  I wrapped my arms around my waist and curled in on myself and cried some more. I don’t know how long I stayed that way, but, all of a sudden, I was scooped up into big, strong arms. Grayson. My head rested on his shoulder, and the warmth of his body surrounded me like a warm blanket. I felt like such a failure. I hated that he found me like that, and that God-awful eviction notice taped to my door. I tried to hold back the tears, but I couldn’t. They trailed down my cheeks and landed on his crisp white shirt.

  “I broke your shoe,” I cried.

  “I’d look pretty silly wearing those shoes. Besides, my foot is much bigger than yours,” he joked. “Let’s get you home,” he whispered, placing a gentle kiss on my forehead.

  “I don’t have a home, or didn’t you notice that eviction notice on my door?”

  “Don’t worry about that. We’ll get it sorted,” he promised. My body sagged against his warm, lean muscle, and by the time we made it back to his place, I was completely exhausted.

  “I’ll run you a warm bath, and by the time you’re finished, I’ll have some soup waiting for you.”

  “If you don’t mind, I’d like the soup first. Since I didn’t get to stay for the meal, I’m starved.”

  I followed him into the kitchen and sat on one of the high stools at the kitchen counter. I watched as he moved about the kitchen, gathering the items he needed for the soup. I thought he was going to make a can of soup, but I was wrong. He’s making it himself. He rolled his sleeves to just below the elbow, revealing part of that tribal tattoo. The muscles in his strong forearms rolled as he chopped and diced tomatoes, carrots, and other items before placing them in the boiling broth.

  “How long have you had the tattoo?”

  “I got it my senior year. I played football, and that year, we made it to the playoffs, which meant we traveled for the game. It just happened to be in Vegas where there were almost as many tattoo shops as there were casinos. We all conned some bum to buy us some Tequila with the promise of buying him whatever he wanted. We got shit faced and decided that we’d all get tattoos. Something to remember about Vegas. Some of the guys pussied out, some got some lame ass small tattoo, except for me and my best friend. When I sobered up the next morning, I had this.”

  He unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged out of it, revealing the tribal tattoo that covered his forearm, shoulder and down his side. My self control was weakening by the second and that could be dangerous for us both. I bit my lip hard as my eyes roamed over his upper torso, every ripple, dip, and curve. It was a beautiful tattoo, and I wanted to trace every line with my tongue.

  “It’s beautiful. I bet that hurt.”

  “Like a mother fucker.” He laughed. The coach chewed us out the next day. I was so sore, and it just happened to be my throwing arm.”

  “What did your friend get?”

  “He got a cobra that winds around his forearm, ending at the shoulder.” He placed the hot soup in front of me, the smell of chicken and vegetable soup making my stomach rumble.

  “This is delicious. Thank you.” I lightly blew on the broth in an attempt to cool it before taking the next bite.

  “Tell me what Bridget Prescott said to you.” My stomach dropped, and I pushed the bowl of soup away from me. I was suddenly nauseated from just thinking about that evil witch.

  “It doesn’t matter,” I said, my voice barely a whisper. Warm fingers lifted my chin, forcing me to look at him.

  “It does matter. Tell me what that fucking bitch said to you,” he growled.

  “She spoke the truth. She said I was some inner-city slut that probably lived in public housing. She said you’d ti
re of me and walk away, just like you did her.”

  His face reddened and the muscles in his shoulders bunched. When he spoke his voice was calm, but rage flared in his eyes.

  “She’s out. When we’re back in the office Monday, I’m sending her a letter, terminating our agreement and referring her to someone else.”

  “You can’t do that. You’ll lose money, and I couldn’t live with myself knowing that I’m the reason you’ve lost thousands of dollars,” I pleaded.

  “Aubree, if I retired right now, I’d have enough money to live three lifetimes. I don’t need her business, nor do I want it,” he declared. Wow. I couldn’t believe that he would do something like that for me. After next week, I’d no longer be an issue for him.

  I slid off the stool and placed my bowl in the dishwasher. “I’m going to take a bath and go to bed. I’m wiped out.”

  I could feel the heat from his stare on my back, and when I turned around, saw the look in his eyes, my stomach flipped and a rush of heat spread throughout my body. Grayson Decker was watching me with eyes that revealed passion and promises. He wanted me as much as I wanted him, and heaven help us if we ever came together.

  After a long hot bath, I threw on a tee shirt and a pair of lace panties and slid between the sheets. Earlier, I was so exhausted, but now I was wide awake. I couldn’t stop thinking about Grayson, his rippling abs, his broad shoulders and strong arms, and, heaven help me, that tattoo. I’d gotten so much sexual tension built up, and it was causing me to lose sleep. I’d been lying there for hours, staring at the ceiling, wondering what he would do if I crossed the hall and crawled into his bed.

  I lifted my hand and flung it on the mattress and groaned with frustration. I slapped my hand over my mouth when I heard Grayson’s door open and his foot steps nearing my bedroom door.

  “What are you doing in there?”

  Shit! Had he heard me?

  “I was trying to sleep until you knocked on my door.”

  “No you weren’t” His voice was husky, causing my half naked body to heat from head to toe, and that steady pulse was back at my core.