Page 46 of Mistletoe Mistake
She tapped her finger against her lips, a habit of hers when she thought about something carefully, I’d noticed. I found it rather endearing. “I bet you that before you leave for New York, I can convince you to wear a Santa hat with me. In public.”
I actually laughed out loud. “I have no problem taking that bet. It’s not happening. You are doomed to fail.”
“We'll see.” A sly smile graced her face. “And if I win, I get to ask one favour of you. No restrictions.”
That definitely sounded like something worth playing for. “Only if the prize is the same for me if I win.WhenI win.”
I offered her my hand and Gemma shook it firmly, pure determination in her eyes.
“You're on, Mr Stamer.”
~Gemma~
Cole's eyes darkened once again as I called him 'Mr Stamer', but when he glanced over at the clock on the wall, he groaned. “It's late. We should get you home for tonight. While you're there, you can pack up everything you need for the next ten days and leave it at the front desk in the morning. I'll have it all brought up here for you.”
He certainly didn't waste any time implementing his plans. “You're sure you want me around all the time? I understand that you have work commitments while you're here.”
“As do you,” he pointed out. “We'll ensure that none of our extra-curricular activities interfere with business for either of us. We're perfectly capable of keeping work and play separate.”
I had to admit that Cole did a better job of compartmentalizing things than anyone I had ever met before. If anyone could make this deal of ours work, he could.
The only clothing I had with me that night was the red dress Cole had bought for me, so I slipped it back on with Cole's eyes following each movement. He walked back out to the living room of the suite with me, not bothering to put any clothing on himself, and kissed me goodbye at the door.
“I'll see you tomorrow, Gemma.” The words were deep and full of promise, and I held onto them tightly as I walked back through the lobby and out into the street.
The next hours passed in a blur. Cole had called a car for me and added my name to his account so I could arrange for one to bring me back in the morning with all the luggage I needed. How exactly did one go about packing for a ten-day stay with a man who was practically a stranger? With work carrying on as usual, I needed my business clothes, but I also needed some more formal wear for some of the events I had planned, and casual things for the others. In the end, it felt like I packed half my wardrobe.
I sent a text to Holly, asking her to come into work early the next morning so I could fill her in. She knew that Cole had taken me out that evening and that there were almost certainly going to be photos of us in the papers in the morning, but I still hadn't explained to her about our deal, and now that we’d agreed to extend it until the end of the following week, I needed to tell her.
By the time I finally crawled into bed, I fell straight to sleep, where my dreams were filled with ribbons of silk, digging into my skin in delicious restraint.
When the car arrived to pick me up at six thirty the next morning, I took a last, quick look around my flat, trying to ensure I hadn't forgotten anything important. I could always come back and pick up anything I needed, and yet, I didn't want to waste a single minute of time that I could be with Cole instead. Our time together would fly by, so I planned to enjoy it while it lasted.
Once I had settled in the back of the car, I pulled up another search on my name to see the photos of me and Cole from the night before. There were a lot to choose from, but instead of the dread I usually felt at seeing my name in print, looking at these photos actually made me feel almost proud. I looked damn good, actually, and Cole did too. Together, we made a pretty attractive fake couple.
Feeling a bit more confident, I skimmed a couple of the articles. They mentioned my history with Edwin and Annabel, of course, but only after spending the first few paragraphs focused on Cole. According to one paper, the previous night had been the first time in several years that he had been seen taking a woman on a date that wasn't to a public event. That fit in completely with what he had told me; he probably hired women to go to events with him, like he had at the Mayfair Mews, but he wouldn’t ever just go on a date for fun. Our dinner the night before must have been as unusual for him as it had been for me.
The car stopped outside the entrance to the Lytton and a bellhop hurried out to help me with my bags. When I explained to him that they were to be delivered to Cole's suite, he assured me they were already expecting me. I certainly couldn't complain that Cole didn't follow through on his promises.
With that all sorted, I made my way the few blocks over to our office, stopping to grab some porridge from Pret along the way. Holly already had the tea made, waiting for me in my office when I arrived.
"I saw the photos,” she practically squealed as soon as I took my coat off and sat down. “You looked amazing. Edwin is going to be eating his heart out.”
Whether Edwin would care or not, I couldn’t say, but I knew who would. “I don't think this is the kind of publicity Annabel had in mind when she posted about us in the first place. She wasn't even mentioned until the fifth paragraph.”
Holly grinned, rubbing her hands together like a film villain. “It serves her right. She was ready to drag you through the mud again just to keep herself in the news, and instead, they're talking about how you've captured the heart of Cole Stamer, ‘untouchable American billionaire’. She must be having a fit.”
“I've hardly captured his heart,” I corrected her. “That's not what's going on.”
She’d obviously been waiting for that opening, since she leaned forward across the table with an eager look on her face. “So, whatisgoing on with you two?”
I told her the whole story. I told her what happened on Monday night, where we had gone the night before, and what the plan was for the next ten days. I didn't go into any specifics about exactly what we got up to in his room; that was definitely more than I felt comfortable sharing, especially since I still didn't fully understand my own actions yet, or my reactions to the things Cole had done. But I told her everything else: about our initial agreement, about the Christmas activities, and about me moving into his suite for the next ten days.
When I'd finished speaking, she leaned back in her chair and took a long sip of her tea. “Wow. And you're good with all this, right? It's what you want?”
“Fantastic sex and someone to do Christmas things with me?” I clarified. “I don't know. It's a real hardship, but I'll try to manage.”
She rolled her eyes at my sarcasm and we both laughed. “Well, if you're happy, then I'm so happy for you, Gem. Enjoy the hell out of it, and if it pisses Annabel off in the process, even better.”
