Page 62 of Intrigued
After our bath, we dried our skin and my hair then flowed into bed again. Throughout the night, we learned more about each other. In the past, Jasper had wanted to become a firefighter and wasn’t quite sure if the desire had left him. However, at an early age, he’d been groomed to take over Christmas Enterprises, and he was privy to all the daunting aspects of that.
Jasper had his forearm thrown over his eyes. “What I’ve seen, no man and certainly no kid should ever lay eyes on.”
I wouldn’t have been a journalist worth her salt if I didn’t ask him to divulge what he’d seen, but I didn’t ask. I was being a better lover than reporter.
“Once, actually more than once, I’ve stood across the street as I watched my dad pickpocket the elderly lady he was helping across the street,” I said. “Up until I was nine or ten, I used to hope he would score. Sometimes, getting money that way was a matter of me eating dinner for the night or not. Then one day, one old lady caught him dead in the act. She tried to fight him, and he pushed her to the ground.” That memory played back for me as if it were recorded in high definition. “The woman fell and hit her head on the asphalt. I remember she started bleeding, and my father took the wallet and left her there. That’s when I knew for sure he was a snake.”
Jasper grunted thoughtfully. “Well, Randolph and Harper should’ve gotten together and shared a prostitute and some cocaine or something.”
I snickered. “Oh, how cynical and dark is thy humor.”
He snorted. “I wasn’t attempting humor, only the cynicism.”
On that note, we made out heavily, but before we could transition into making love, Jasper and I gave in to exhaustion and fell asleep.
Chapter Twenty-One
December 25
Ifelt something hard grinding my ass.
“Good morning, beautiful,” Jasper crooned, his morning tone sending tingles through my heart.
He was still in bed with me. I hadn’t expected him to still be there when I woke up. For some reason, I felt as though the moments we’d spent together the previous night before falling asleep combined in one perfect dream that I would never have again.
We made love then showered together. Jasper and I were supposed to meet downstairs for breakfast in a small den rather than at the large table since it would only be the two of us. His siblings had made good on their claims and had all left the mansion. I could feel the same restlessness in Jasper that morning. He was there with me, but he was also ready to get the hell out of there. Duty was making him go through the motions.
He said he had to meet with the servants about revising their duties. None of them knew Randolph was actually dead. They believed he was in the hospital, being made comfortable as he endured his final stages of life. There was no family to wait on. The kitchen staff would be flown out to Jasper’s house in Bel Air to wait on us. A skeleton crew of maids would keep the house dusted. The gardeners would shovel the snow, trim the trees, and rake the leaves. Jasper talked about selling the place one day; there was no need for him or his siblings to own it. They all hated the Christmas mansion.
However, before we caught our flight later that afternoon, we had planned to make love one more time. I hadn’t brought any overtly sexy clothes, but now I wished I had. So I went into Bryn’s room and found a white silk slip dress and put it on. My curves and tits looked so tantalizing in the garment that I wondered if Jasper would be able to eat the food that had been prepared for us rather than me.
I was surprised William had not met me at the end of the hallway to escort me to the den. Jasper must’ve already released most of his house staff for the holidays and beyond. When I made it to the first floor, I headed in the direction of where we were supposed to meet for breakfast. However, I heard Jasper shouting, although I couldn’t make out what he was saying. I heard another man’s voice as well. So I changed directions and went to see what in the world was going on. These sounds led me to the main foyer. I gasped and slapped a hand over my constricted heart as I saw Arthur Valentine in the flesh. A young woman who appeared to be in her late twenties or early thirties stood beside him. She had dark hair, almond eyes, and skin that looked as if it had never seen the sun.
Arthur pointed at me. “Is that your whore?”
“Leave,” Jasper shouted.
“Randolph is dead, and you’re marrying my daughter today,” Arthur replied.
I could hardly believe what I was hearing.
The woman kept her eyes cast down. It was evident that she had no say in the matter either.
“Not here, not now, Art,” Jasper said, although there wasn’t much muscle in his tone.
Arthur gestured to me. “She has fifteen minutes to get the hell out of here, and you have twenty to meet me in the car.”
I didn’t see the former mobster who had gained some political and economic influence over the years leave with his daughter because I turned and ran away.
Jasper was about to chase after me, but I heard Arthur say, “Hey!” And I could no longer feel the presence of the man I loved chasing after me.
I moved fast, packing my suitcase. I threw my coat on over Bryn’s dress, knowing she wasn’t coming back for it anyway. I had no idea what Arthur had said to Jasper, but he never showed up in my bedroom. Soon, I was tossing my luggage into the back seat of my car and driving off the property. I only caught a peripheral glance of a stretched limousine with tinted windows parked out front. Arthur was still at the house. Whatever he had said kept Jasper from following his heart. It would keep us apart. The pain in my chest was too much to bear. Tears rushed to my eyes, and I sobbed.
* * *
Two Weeks Later
I satat the desk in my small office downtown. The new year had come, and I was still trying to immerse myself in my work. It was the best way for me to try to forget about Jasper Christmas. However, I couldn’t concentrate much on any new assignment. I missed my former lover and regretted we couldn’t throw all of our responsibilities to the wind and take that road trip we had planned, which would’ve included a lot of fun and sex.
