Page 40 of A Christmas Auction

“So, you’re telling me you’re not fucking your bodyguard?” Colin deadpanned.

“I…I didn’t have sex with him last night,” she responded, failing miserably at hiding the real truth.

“As opposed to another night. Don’t be coy with me. Three’s a crowd, Holly. And you’re wearing his shirt and areperfectly comfortable standing in a room where he’s only in his underwear. That speaks of a level of intimacy beyond the scope of professionalism.”

He had her there. I crossed my arms over my bare chest and leaned against the back of the small couch, watching the show.

“But…”

He shook his head. “My jet will take you and yourbodyguard, or whatever the fuck he is, back to Las Vegas in two hours. Be ready or fly commercial. Frankly, I no longer care. And to think, I was worried about you and the media coverage. I shouldn’t have. It looks like you can take care of yourself just fine without me.” He growled and stormed out of the room.

Holly put the phone back up to her ear. “I gotta go, Mom. I’ll see you at dinner. Yes, I swear I’ll be there. I love you too. Bye.” She said and then hung up. The phone fell to the floor as her hands came up to cover her eyes. Her body bowed forward as the sobs started.

“Oh baby, no…” I went over to her, planning to console her. Instead, she screeched and shoved me away.

“Don’t touch me,”she seethed. “That’s how all of this got so messed up in the first place.”

“Are you saying you regret our time together?” I raged on the inside. What I’ve shared with Holly has been more special than any relationship I’ve had in a long time. I was even starting to imagine a different world, one in which I could have the love of a good woman in my life, and maybe a real home to go to after a job ended, instead of a mostly empty loft I rented in New York.

She ripped her hands through her hair and held the mass on top of her head, tears streaming down her botchy red cheeks. “We fucked it all up. Now Colin doesn’t want me. You don’t want me. The banks don’t fucking want me. And when we go back to Alana’s office, she’s probably going to let me go too, and then what? I’m back at square one all over again.”

“Holly, we’ll figure it out. I’ll help make it right.”

“By what? Offering me the money again? Making my mother less afraid her daughter’s going to end up killed by some deranged person? Because that shit is real, Bruno, and it’s happened to me twice in the past two weeks. Or maybe you can fix it all by sexing me up some more. You know, making me lose my mind and my good sense!” She let her hair fall in waves over her shoulders while her hands went behind the back of her head. “Please, for the love of God, tell me how you are going to fix this disaster? Because things are looking pretty freakin’ bleak right about now!”

I lifted my hands into a prayer position and lowered my tone. “I agree. But there’s always a way. I just need you to trust me. Okay? Trust that I have your best interest at heart and will find a way to smooth everything over. Let’s just get dressed, catch the plane back to Vegas, and I’ll work my magic. Okay?”

She was about to speak when I lifted a finger for her to pause. “Trust me.”

Holly closed her eyes, inhaled fully, let it out slowly and nodded once. “I can be ready to go in fifteen minutes. Do you want the shower first?” she offered.

“We could take a shower together to save time…” I lowered my voice suggestively.

“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” she snapped.

I grinned. “Just trying to lighten up the situation. Man. Tough crowd. Why don’t you shoot a man already.”

“Give me your gun and let’s see what happens?”

Damn she was a spitfire. I loved every second of it. “I’ll go first. I only need five minutes.”

“Fine,” she glared.

“Fine,” I chuckled and sauntered past her, pushing my briefs down as I did so, making sure she got a nice view of my bare ass.

Her reaction was a little gasp that I knew she was trying to cover. That small kernel of hope and continued attraction meant I still had her on my hook. It lifted my spirits instantly.

I’d fix everything. I was certain of it. I just needed to figure out a solid plan, and I had a handful of hours to do it.

Piece of cake.

Just not a piece of chocolate cake.

At least it was better than a lump of coal, which was what I was looking at if I didn’t make things right for Holly and with Madam Alana.

Chapter 14

Holy Night

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