Page 15 of The CEO's Christmas Wife

“A life coach? That sounds exciting. What exactly do you do?”

“Oh, I uhm, . . . I meet with clients and help them to identify both their personal and professional goals. Then we work together to make sure their goals are realistic, develop action plans and strategies, and teach them how to overcome obstacles.”

“That sounds so interesting and fulfilling. Do you enjoy it?”

“It’s definitely rewarding work. I simply want to see everyone with a smile on their face and feeling good about their life’s work and what they’re accomplishing.”

I felt guilty for lying, but I had no idea what else to say. The last thing that I wanted to do was tell her that I worked as an executive administrative assistant at a landscaping company. Nothing sounded right about being married to a multi-millionaire and working for his company. So, I gave her the nextbest thing, my dream. I was an entrepreneur with goals of her own. I was an independent wife.

After I finished my spiel on how I got started in the field and the success that I had enjoyed, I looked up to see Kayn leaning against the doorframe. He held a mug of something in his hands, and his head was tilted at an angle. I felt that he was studying me, and the dark look in his narrow gaze cemented that feeling, especially when his eyebrows dipped down.

I scratched my neck, suddenly feeling extremely uncomfortable underneath his gaze. Maybe this pretend-wife thing wasn’t such a good idea after all. Not only was I caught by him telling extreme lies, but the way we had been touching one another all afternoon had lit my body on fire.

I couldn’t wait to be shown the room that we would be sleeping in tonight. I would have to excuse myself from Kayn, hide in the bathroom, and rub one out. There was no way that I could make it through the night without it. That fine man had made me into one horny wench.

8

O’ CHRISTMAS TREE

Kayn

Kandi took my hand and stared into my eyes. I could get lost looking into this woman’s russet-brown eyes for days. She smiled at me, winked, and squeezed my hand. I didn’t know if it was the wink or the smile, but I felt this crazy tightening in my chest. That shit left me rocked. I had no idea what it meant.

“You okay?” she asked.

I knew that I was frowning, but it wasn’t because I was displeased with anything that she did. Instead, I was confused about what I had been feeling. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea to pretend to my family that we were married.

I didn’t have feelings for women, and they damn sure didn’t make my chest tight. Women couldn’t be trusted. I had learned that from an early age at the hands of the best woman. The only thing they did was use their emotions to manipulate men so that they could get their way. Hell, the first woman, Eve, had taught us that shit. She’d manipulated Adam straight off the rip, and every woman since her had that same snake inside of her.

So, no, I didn’t trust women. I had one purpose for women—sex. If they couldn’t help me bust a nut, then they had no place in my personal life. And I wasn’t about to get that fromKandi; she worked for me. That was another thing that I didn’t do, workplace relationships. They complicated things, and that wasn’t firsthand knowledge that I had. I learned that from watching several of my friends try that shit and get burned.

“Aren’t you two just the cutest?” Aunt Frances stated.

I looked up and noticed that she was watching us. I leaned in and dropped a kiss on Kandi’s forehead before I wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Forcing a smile, I replied. “This is my baby.”

Kandi leaned in and pressed her hand against my chest. “I’ve got a good man, and I’m so thankful for him,” she declared to my aunt.

That was when I knew the hand-holding had been for my aunt’s benefit. I hadn’t noticed her watching us, but Kandi had.

“Are we going to stand around catching feelings, or are we going to get this tree cut?” Uncle JR asked, waving the ax around wildly.

“Uncle JR, do you know what you’re doing with that thing?” I asked and released Kandi’s hand to walk to my uncle.

I knew that he could cut down the tree, but I needed something to distract me from what I had been feeling with Kandi.

“Of course, I know what I’m doing. Don’t get all big on me now and forget that I was the one who taught you how to do this.”

“Okay, but what about those knees? You sure you need to be down there on them, old man? Don’t get stuck and then be crying for me to help you up,” I teased.

He smiled up at me as he kneeled and then ordered, “Hold that tree steady, boy, and let me show you how a real man does it.”

I chuckled but did as my uncle ordered. He was right. He had taught me so much, including how to be a man. Uncle JRhad been extremely patient with me throughout some difficult years. I was thankful for having him and Aunt Frances in my life. Without them, I had no idea where I would be today.

I felt a lot of guilt for leaving them and not coming back to visit, but I had to go into the world and make my way. Their expectations weren’t always easy to live by, and I was a man who needed to make and live by my own rules, and that was exactly what I had done.

The tree started leaning, and Aunt Frances and Kandi cheered behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and saw that Kandi’s eyes were lit up with what I perceived to be genuine joy. But then again, she had looked genuine earlier when she lied to my aunt about what she did for a living. Another master manipulator at work, although this time it was for my benefit. I knew that she couldn’t be trusted, and I needed to be mindful of that.

After all the talk about holiday traditions, Kandi had convinced my aunt and uncle to come out to the tree lot that was a little over a mile away. She suggested there was no better time to cut down the tree since we were here, and my aunt and uncle were expecting company later anyway. We had a little under an hour left of daylight, so we all rushed out to grab this tree.

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