Page 1 of Holiday Hoax

CHAPTER 1

IAN

A deep sighrattles within the confines of my ribcage as I listen to three members of the Board of Directors for my family’s shipping business talk about how nervous my personal life makes them. Or lack of a personal life, that is. These men have known me since I was toddling around my father’s office in diapers, and still, they hesitate to hand the reins over to me.

I don’t smoke and have never touched drugs, which is a fucking miracle considering the circles I ran in throughout prep school and college. There have been several short-lived relationships with perfectly respectable women. My health is damn near perfect considering I run five miles a day and lift weights. On paper there is no reason for this hesitancy.

Yet here they sit, hemming and hawing about this or that. A blast of chilly autumn wind blows through the restaurant as a stunning woman enters and stops at the host stand. She’s wearing a hip-length pea coat over a tight skirt that hits just below her knees. Her curves are incredible, at least those that Ican see. The sight is enough to distract me from Barry’s soliloquy about profit margins.

Then she turns her head to the side, and familiarity punches me in the gut. I recognize her immediately. It’s my sister’s sister-in-law, Mia Mattia. I can almost feel the heat of the Italian sun beating down on my skin at the sight of her bright smile.

Memories of the day we spent together after Stella and Nico’s wedding celebration filter back into my consciousness like water through the Trevi Fountain. It was purely platonic, just two people with a day free to go sightseeing. Wandering through the streets of Capri while she taught me the most basic phrases in Italian was one of the best times I’ve had in years.

I’m just about to excuse myself to go say hello when I watch a man approach her at the bar. She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. The guy’s sloppy Brooks Brothers jacket has a wrinkle up the back which makes my eye twitch.

“Ian?” Matthew, the chairman of the board, says my name.

“Yes?” They caught me not paying a damn bit of attention to the conversation.

“What do you think?”

“I’m sorry. What do I think about what?” I can’t tell them I was distracted by a woman over ten years younger than me.

“Joseph was just saying how we’d all feel much better if you were able to attend all the holiday events this year with a woman. It would show that you can be committed to something.”

The muscles in my jaw clench at the implication that all I’ve done isn’t enough to show how committed I am to my own business. I pick up my glass of scotch and down the final bit of liquid sitting at the bottom. If this is the game I have to play, I’ll play it to fucking win.

“Gentlemen.” I set my glass down and pull out of my wallet, dropping enough cash on the table to more than cover the meal and tip. “Have a good evening.”

I leave the table with a brusque nod and head toward the bar. She still hasn’t seen me past the buffoon taking up all the space in front of her. My eyes zero in on the way she leans away from him every time he moves closer. She doesn’t look uncomfortable, just annoyed as I close the distance.

She does a double take when she finally sees me, her lips lifting immediately into a warm smile. “Ian, there you are.”

My arm wraps around her waist as I pull her into a hug. She steps willingly into the embrace, fitting her body flush against mine in a way that’s much more familiar than I was expecting. Not that I’m complaining; the feel of her soft body against mine is more than welcome.

“Play along please,” she whispers in my ear.

Heat rolls through my body at the gentle brush of her lips against my cheek. My fingers flex against her spine as I pull her closer to my side.

“Sorry dinner took so long. You look beautiful.”

“Thanks.” She beams a sunny smile back at me. “This is Eric Simms. He’s stopped by the gallery a few times trying to find a few pieces for his apartment. Eric, this is my boyfriend, Ian Jameson.”

It’s been a long time since anyone has referred to me as their boyfriend. As foreign as it sounds, I don’t mind the way it feels. It’s probably something I should bring up in my next session with my therapist.

“Nice to meet you.”

“You, too.” He takes my offered hand and shakes it, trying his best to assert dominance by squeezing a bit too hard. “I’m surprised Mia hasn’t mentioned you before.”

“Would there be a reason to? She’s just trying to sell you some art.” His obvious attempt to make it sound as though she’d be leading him on in some way pisses me off. “Are you finished with your drink?” I ask her.

“Yes,” she puts the martini to her lips and takes the last few sips.

I pull out a couple more bills from my wallet and set them beside her empty glass. The bartender nods as I push it closer to him. “Nice to meet you, Aaron.” I slap his shoulder as I guide her toward the door and out into the chilly Chicago night. I completely ignore him as he corrects me by yelling his actual name at my back.

“Thank you so much,” she says as she pulls her coat tighter around herself.

“It was absolutely my pleasure.” I hand my ticket to the valet. “Were you meeting him or was that a random ambush?”

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