Page 68 of False Evidence

“Aww, come on. Just one kiss?”

She leaned in and kissed the tip of his nose.

He laughed softly. “Tell me what you want for Christmas.”

The padding that enlarged his belly hung over his lap, or she’d have wiggled her butt to get a physical response as she whispered, “You know what I want.” She ran a thumb over his cheekbone. “I missed you this week.”

“I missed you too.”

Tall Man slipped behind the curtain, took one look at them, and shook his head. “Do you have any idea of the trauma you’d cause if a kid saw Santa cheating on Mrs. Claus with an elf?”

Jay’s belly shook with silent laughter, and it really did feel like a bowl full of jelly against Alexandra’s hip. Must be gel padding, not foam.

“We’re totally innocent,” she said softly. “He just wanted to know what I want for Christmas. Mrs. Claus will understand.”

“Innocent. Right.” He met Jay’s gaze. “Your stepmom wants to know if your elf friend here is staying for the dinner and what name to put on the place card.”

Jay looked at her. “If you haven’t figured out who I am yet, there’ll be no avoiding it if you stay.”

She nodded and took a deep breath, then slid from his lap and spoke to Tall Man. “Alexandra Vargas.”

The man smiled and held out his hand. “Lee Scott. It’s nice to meet you, Alexandra.”

She ran a hand down the wool costume. “I need to change if I’m going to stay.”

Lee nodded. “Follow me. Your bag was placed in an employee locker. We’ll retrieve it, and I’ll show you to a room where you can change.”

He led her through the back. She didn’t turn to look at Jay as she left. She didn’t know why she felt so nervous. It wasn’t like her name would mean anything. Well, anything more than she wanted to get in his pants, which he most definitely knew already. But still, it felt like she was taking a huge step, even though this remained a silly fling.

After collecting her bag from the break room that had a row of lockers, Lee showed her to a restroom that had lounge area. She quickly changed into a deep green knit dress, glad that the yarn withstood wrinkles after being rolled up and stored for a few hours.

It wasn’t fancy, but it was Christmassy, and it hugged her curves in a flattering way. She put on low black heels and a necklace with red and gold beads, then secured her hair up with a clip.

Her shoes were scuffed and the necklace obviously cheap. She wouldnotfit in with the women she’d spotted who must be donors to this fundraiser and wondered if Jay would be embarrassed by her.

It was a ridiculous thought. This was a charity event for kids who had next to nothing. The parents hadn’t been dressed to impress. If Jay was a snob, it was his problem, not hers.

But at the same time, it had never occurred to her how uncomfortable she’d feel stepping into his world, when she had no clue what his world was other than he came from money.

He might not be the one who was rich, though. He’d said the suite at the hotel was paid for by his family. And the BlackBerry he’d given her was being paid for by his employer.

She really should have searched for him online before coming tonight, but that wouldn’t have been fair, given that she’d expressly told him not to try to find her. She had her flaws, but she tried not to be a hypocrite.

Now she was wildly nervous as she faced stepping into the unknown of Jay’s world. This was a case of ignorance not being anywhere close to bliss.

She took one last look in the mirror and decided to reapply lipstick before leaving the safety of the ladies’ lounge. She placed the elf costume and her bag back in the locker, securing it with the key, which she tucked into the small cocktail bag that didn’t match her dress, but was the only one she had.

She returned to the main room, which was full of the buzz of conversation as people mingled near the cash bar—all purchases would go to charity—on one side of the massive room, while kids and their families played games and did crafts on the other.

She spotted Tall Man—Lee Scott—near the bar and headed in his direction. She expected it would take some time for Jay to remove the beard. She would need to circulate without him. Lee was a safe person to start with.

But before she made it to Lee, she was intercepted by a woman who Alexandra guessed was in her sixties. Beautiful and polished, she looked intimidating, but had a kind smile. “Alexandra, my dear! I need to thank you for assisting my stepson. You performed an absolute miracle in getting him to interact with the kids.”

She smiled and said, “I’m glad I could help.”

“How long have you known JT?” the woman asked.

She needed to call him JT. She mentally practiced saying his name. “Not long, really.”Exactly one week.But she didn’t want to admit to that. She didn’t want to say a single word about how they met.

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