Page 13 of Mistletoe Mistake
As Cole’s eyebrows raised, I kept my face as neutral as possible, blinking innocently.
“Does that really exist?” Jackson asked, his grin getting even wider.
I nodded as I leaned back and took another drink. “Of course. Anything you want, you'll find here. As the saying goes: if you're tired of London, you're tired of life. So, before I tell you what you should do, I just need to know...” I shifted my gaze back to Cole as I asked the question, challenging him once again. “What is it you're looking for?”
~Cole~
Even though I knew full well that Gemma was trying to get a rise out of me, she managed to succeed anyway.
No matter how much I wanted her, she was off-limits to me now; I understood that as soon as I realized exactly who she was. I couldn't pay her for sex, and I didn't get involved with anyone that wanted anything else. It wouldn’t be worth it in the end. On top of that, I wanted to do business with her, which brought a whole other level of complexity to the situation.
My personal desires were just going to have to take a back seat, as frustrating as that might be.
I'd managed to get Gemma and Holly seated with us so that we could talk to them about my new hotel, but so far, things weren't going to plan there either. From the way her eyes widened when Jackson introduced us, I could tell Gemma understood the significance of my company, and she would have to know the resources that we had to put towards a new building. Normally, designers would be falling over themselves for a chance to work on a project like this, and yet, she seemed determined to play hard-to-get.
“If you want Christmas ideas specifically, I'm definitely the one to ask.” Gemma continued to talk about sightseeing in London as if it had any relevance to my life whatsoever.
Jackson shot me an apologetic look before turning his attention back to Gemma. “Actually, that won’t be on our agenda. As I mentioned last night, Cole's a bit of a Scrooge. I'm afraid he hates Christmas.”
Gemma’s green eyes widened in disbelief as she looked over at me. “Seriously? How can you hate Christmas?”
It felt like pure electricity every time her eyes met mine, but I forced myself to ignore it. Instead, my mouth formed a thin, hard line as I pushed away the memories of why this season brought out the worst in me. “It's fine for children. For adults, it's an overly sentimental, commercialized cash grab. I may have liked it at one time, but I've grown up since then.”
In her eyes, a hint of sympathy appeared that hadn’t been there before. “Well, maybe you've just never done it right, then.”
To my relief, our food arrived and the conversation moved on to other topics. Jackson did manage to bring up the subject of our new hotel again, and I didn't miss the interest in Gemma's eyes when he did. She might be playing coy about working with us, but I felt certain we'd find a way to make it happen.
Once dinner had finished, Gemma and Holly left us to circulate around the room, joining Alberto again as he showed them off to his investors. We also made our way around the room, speaking to several of the men we knew, but my attention kept getting drawn back to Gemma against my will. Her striking emerald dress and the way it contrasted with her fiery red hair made it impossible to ignore her.
“You're staring again,” Jackson pointed out as he followed my gaze.
Averting my eyes, I grunted in acknowledgement. “I'm just thinking about the hotel.”
"Of course," he laughed, clearly not buying it.
Once we'd connected with everyone we needed to, Jackson called for a car to take him, Vanessa and me back to the hotel. When we arrived, Vanessa unbuckled her seat belt, but I held out a hand to stop her. “You can have the driver take you home.”
She looked up at me in uncertainty. “I thought you wanted some company upstairs too?”
“I've changed my mind. I have work to do, but you'll still receive your full fee.”
With a shrug, she leaned back in her seat and rebuckled the belt. “As you like. Have a good evening, Mr Stamer.”
I ignored Jackson's curious look as the car pulled away with Vanessa still inside. There would be no easy way to explain to him that after seeing Gemma again, Vanessa didn't appeal to me anymore. I could barely understand it myself.
As I always did in these situations, I focused on work instead. “I'm going to learn everything I can about Anchor Design. There's no need to waste any more time. We know what we want now, so let's make sure we get it.”
By Monday morning, I'd decided on a strategy. The Anchor offices opened at eight, so Jackson and I would go there in person, first thing. It would be hard for them to put us off if we were standing right in front of them.
Dressed in our freshly pressed suits, we fit right in with the other people out in the early morning on the streets of St James's. The sun had just started to rise, tinting the sky a pinkish hue that reflected off the old stone buildings, making everything feel a little bit warmer than the temperature suggested. As I told Jackson I would, I had done my research into Anchor Design and had been surprised that such a new and small-scale firm would have an office in this part of the city, surrounded by art galleries, wine merchants, high-end tailors and auction houses. The whole place felt slightly staid and reeked of old money, and it didn't seem to fit with Gemma and Holly and their vibrant style, not to mention that the rent must be exorbitant. It seemed an odd choice all around.
The entrance to the Anchor office sat inside a small courtyard, hidden behind other buildings. We entered the courtyard through a side passage beside a pub and arrived at the door at the same time that Holly arrived from the other direction, dressed warmly and professionally. Half an hour before they officially opened, she obviously didn’t expect to see anyone yet, and her steps faltered as she recognized us.
“Good morning, gentlemen,” she greeted us, covering her surprise well. “What brings you out so early in the morning?”
“You said we needed an appointment,” I reminded her. “We're here to make one.”
My research had told me that Holly served as managing director and chief interior designer for the firm while Gemma oversaw the architectural design end. So far, I had only been able to find out they were owned by an offshore holding company, but I'd had no luck determining the identity of the business’ ultimate owner.
