Page 42 of Intrigued
Dale looked at me and raised a finger. “I’ll be back. But just in case our paths don’t cross later, which I’m going to make sure they do…” He took his wallet out of his pocket and handed me his business card. “Let’s grab drinks or dinner sometime.”
I glanced up at Jasper, who was looking at me as if he were gargling vinegar.
“Why not? Sure,” I said with Dale’s card pinched between my fingers.
Jasper’s posture was rigid as he put a hand on Dale’s shoulder. “We can talk in the cigar lounge.”
Dale stretched his bottom lip squeamishly. “You meanthecigar lounge?”
Jasper glanced at me uncomfortably. “It’s only cigars, leather chairs, and people talking.”
Dale studied Jasper with a narrowed eye as though he were assessing his credibility. Finally, Dale nodded, and I watched the two of them walk out of the ballroom. However, the fact that Dale had been squeamish about the cigar lounge wasn’t lost on me. I was also curious about why Jasper had made it clear that there would only be cigars and conversation. I was certain Jasper was worried I had read between the lines. He was right to be concerned, because I had. If there weren’t merely cigars and conversation, then what other delights didthecigar lounge have to offer?
I had been so consumed in Dale and my conversation that I hadn’t realized I’d eaten most of what was on my plate. I only had one fresh salmon pastry puff left. As I popped it into my mouth, I caught sight of Bryn and her date. It was time to meet the mystery man. I stood, grabbed a glass of champagne off the tray of a passing waiter, and headed toward the couple.
Then out of nowhere, William stepped in front of me, appearing as grim as usual. “Excuse me, Miss Holly, could you follow me, please?”
I leaned away from him, frowning. “Follow you where?”
“Mr. Christmas asked that you meet him in a quieter setting.”
I felt my grimace grow more intense. “Which Mr. Christmas?”
“Mr. Jasper Christmas,” he said so low that I could barely hear him.
* * *
A black carwith tinted windows was waiting for me at the back of the house. I could barely see it under the cover of night. William instructed me to walk down the steps and get into the back seat. I did just that. I had planned on asking the driver where he was taking me as soon as I got into the back seat, but there was a dark-tinted window separating us. Even after I knocked a few times, the glass did not roll down.
We hadn’t driven off the property, though. I kept my face close to the side window, trying to see as much as I could in the darkness beyond the tinted glass. I noticed the path that I had run that morning, the snow-covered grass, and the field of trees. The car, already moving, slowly came to a halt.
“Ma’am, please continue to walk down the path between the lanterns,” a man’s voice said through the speakers.
At first, I saw nothing, but then lights illuminated a familiar path.
* * *
I opened the guesthouse.Even though the fireplace brewed, it was still cold inside. The atmosphere in general felt as though no one had been in the guesthouse since Jasper and I had abandoned it.Why am I here in the first place?It wasn’t as if I didn’t know what Jasper wanted. He’d seen Dale and me together and had become jealous. Perhaps that was why I felt as though I were still alone in the house. Suddenly, exhaustion struck me, and I folded my arms tightly around me. My day had been long and definitely arduous, even though it had its high and low moments. Suddenly, two arms wrapped me up from behind, and something hard ground into the top of my ass. I didn’t have to turn around to see who it was.
“Jasper?”
“Don’t ever do that again,” he growled. Then he spun me around to see his beautiful face.
“Do what?”
“What you were doing with Dale?”
Gosh, I wanted to make out with his mouth. “Do you mean talk to him?”
“You took his card in front of me. Do you still have it on you?”
I looked down at my beaded cocktail purse. Then I closed my eyes and sighed gravely. “Damn it. I left it on the…” But then I remembered that I had absentmindedly stuffed it in my bosom. So I reached in and pulled it out. “No, it’s here,” I said, holding up the card.
“You had it near my tits?” he roared.
I jerked my head. “Do you meanmytits? Yes.”
“They’re mine, and I’m about to show you as soon as I…” He snatched the card from between my fingers.
