Page 3 of The Holiday

Kathleen shot her a scheming smile. “I was hoping for a weekend-long fuckathon. So, yeah, this complicates things.” She thought back to Ira’s earlier attempts at seduction in the car. Kathleen had wanted to wait until they arrived at their room. Now, they would have to find some other time—and try to keep quiet. Where was the fun in that?

“Come on,Katie,” Eve said, using Ira’s pet name for Kathleen. “Let’s have some drinks and make the most of this prison of ours for the weekend.”

They entered the study, where Ira was already pouring drinks. Kathleen took her glass and settled onto the couch by the fire, letting the warmth seep into her bones. Still, she couldn’t help wishing that she was warming herself with Ira’s body instead—in a bed or a closet. They were not above that.

“If it’s any consolation,” Helen said from across the room as she skimmed the bookshelves, “we’re having roast for dinner.”

Kathleen’s stomach rumbled at the thought.

“Indeed,” the butler confirmed, appearing in the doorway. “Bernadette, be sure to set eight places for dinner.”

Ira raised an eyebrow. “Eight? But there are only five of us.”

“Uh-oh,” Kathleen muttered.

As if on cue, Bernadette announced another car pulling into the driveway.

Chapter 3

Jamie

“Holy crap, this place is gorgeous!” Jamie pressed her face against the glass, taking in the sight of the purple sunlight descending behind the trees. A light snow blanketed the treetops. It didn’t stick to the ground, but the driver still slowed down. “Who did you say is letting us borrow this place?”

Etta, her girlfriend, put her cell phone away, finally freed from the dead zone they passed a mile back. “Jem Mercier. Someone I’ve been doing business with lately.”

Jamie nodded. She only recalled Jem because she came by the house one night for dinner, and Jamie had to be on her best hostess behavior. While Jem and her girlfriend Gwenyth were an exceptionally laid-back couple, Jamie always fretted about her manners and not embarrassing her CEO girlfriend. Lots of well-to-do people did business with Etta Coleman. Having agirlfriend who could be as uncouth as Jamie was sometimes a liability.

Thankfully, she was a patient woman. She had to be because Etta dragged her work with her wherever they went.

“Put that away,” Jamie scolded, smacking Etta’s phone out of her hand. “You said that it would beall about usthis weekend.”

Etta cleared her throat and looked at the seat across from them.

“Uh, don’t mind me,” said Natasha, Etta’s receptionist-turned-temporary assistant, accepted Etta’s phone and finished typing a message on her boss’s behalf. “It’s all relaxation for you two. I’m here for the sights, the booze, and my overtime.”

Jamie sighed dramatically and sprawled across the seat, landing in Etta’s lap. “You really brought all that work?” She shot Natasha an apologetic look. “No offense!”

“None taken.”

Etta smoothed Jamie’s hair. “I told you, it’s the busiest time of the year. We’ve got to wrap everything before Christmas, or we won’t get a moment’s peace over the holidays. But if all goes well, I’ll take the whole week off between Christmas and New Year’s.” She kissed Jamie’s forehead. “No calls, no emails, just us.”

“That sounds about as rare as a solar eclipse,” Jamie teased, making a face. “You taking a whole week off? Happens so rarely that I’ve gone blind.”

Etta flashed perfectly white teeth at her girlfriend. “I thought you were blinded by my dazzling good looks, not my schedule.”

“Ha, ha.”

“Incoming call from Hong Kong,” Natasha said, holding out the phone.

Jamie shot a look of betrayal at her friend.

True, Jamie and Natasha were friends, going back to when Jamie started working for Etta. Usually, Natasha was the 9-5 receptionist in Etta’s executive office, but she was currentlybetween personal assistants and desperately needed someone to fill in this weekend.I don’t want Etta working while we’re on vacation… but this is how it is.Etta only stopped working when she was too tired to keep going… or when Jamie convinced her with feminine wiles. She was only human, though, and couldn’t be on call for sex 24/7.As much as I want to be…

Jamie reached into her bag, fingering the sapphire-studded collar inside its container. Maybe this weekend, Etta would want to take her frustrations out the old-fashioned way…

The car came to a halt, twilight already casting the landscape into darkness. Jamie couldn’t see much of the villa through the falling snow, but she was sure it looked as gorgeous as Jem’s photos had promised.

Not that they needed to borrow a villa. Etta owned a penthouse in the city if they wanted privacy. They also had a house in the hills. Hell, they could go anywhere they wanted. But they both knew this weekend wasn’t about luxury—it was aboutthem.Their first Thanksgiving together had gone sideways, with Etta missing half the meal due to work. Jamie had sat at the table with a cooling turkey and mashed potatoes, the cats curled around her feet. She loved Etta, but she wanted—needed—more than apologies for the holidays.

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