Page 9 of Intrigued
I got out of the bathtub, dried off, and rubbed creamy lotion all over my body. Then I dug deep into the part of my purse where lost items resided and located the pheromone perfume my former boss Rachael Givens had given me as a parting gift when I decided to become an independent reporter.
She had handed me the wrapped box and said, “One day, you will care about attracting a man. When that happens, wear this.”
When I’d gotten home and opened it, I found the perfume. I kept it in my purse because I’d never had many friends, but Rachael was one of them. Keeping her gift with me reminded me that I knew someone who cared about me. But never in a million years had I thought what I’d considered a gag gift would come in handy.
I dotted the cool liquid on my right then left collarbone. The scent was even driving me wild. For some reason, I felt beautiful as I sauntered naked around the room. I’d brought plenty of nice clothes to wear for dinners and days spent at the Christmases’. Ultra-wealthy people like them always had lavish meals. I wore my black cashmere dress with a deep V-neck. The material slid across my curves like a gentle kiss on my body. As I looked at myself in the standing mirror, I approved of what I saw. However, the admiration was fleeting. I’d been told I was pretty, but it was hard to feel that way most of the time.
There was a knock at the door.
“Yes,” I called.
“It’s I, Ms. Henderson. William, your butler.”
A knot formed in my chest. “Please, come in.”
The door opened, and William stood in the doorway, his tall frame taking up a lot of space. “Dinner will be served in ten minutes. Please step out when you’re ready, and I will escort you to the den for predinner drinks.”
Suddenly, I was so nervous that my breaths became uneven. The time was near. Not only would I see Jasper Christmas again, but I would be sitting down to dine with one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in the country. And it was not for work. I closed my eyes and sighed. Actually, it was for work.
“I’m ready now,” I said.
William stepped into the hallway then pointed his hand, guiding me to a certain direction.
The loudest noise between William and me was my heels beating against the marble. He had already trained me not to expect him to engage in small talk, but idle chitchat was my forte. It often led to the uncovering of information I had no idea I was looking for. Something told me that William knew secrets about the Christmas family that would blow my head right off my neck. The butler would be a hard nut to crack, and it would take me some time to figure out how to do that.
Walking through the Christmas mansion felt like shuffling down the corridors of Independence Hall or any other building that held its charm from another century. We passed the obligatory portraits of dead men on the wall. People like the Christmases loved showing off their ancestors. After all, without the first entrepreneur from the Gilded Age, they would be dirt poor. If I remembered correctly, the Christmases had made their money from steam trains and railroads first, aircraft service second, then finally technology and investing aggressively in hedge funds and commercial real estate. They were loaded and would be for the rest of their lives.
We walked down another flight of curved steps then another cold hallway until I could see an open door. Soft orange light spilled into the corridor from the room. I expected to hear the chatter of voices. After all, it was cocktail hour. William stopped in the doorway. It was wide enough for me to walk past him and into the room. My gaze remained fastened on a familiar figure standing in front of the large window. It was night out, but decorative white lights sprayed in from the darkness. I presumed something outside had been dressed with holiday lights.
I quickly turned after hearing the door close behind me. Perhaps it was not a cocktail hour.
“Miss Henderson,” Jasper said.
I felt trapped like a hamster in a cage. I gulped, making sure my gaze was calm, before I settled it back on Jasper. “What’s this about?”
“Please have a seat,” he said, still staring out into the darkness.
Chairs and lounge furniture adorned the room. It was definitely a den. William hadn’t lied to me about that. But I was quite sure no one else was going to join Jasper and me.
“I prefer standing,” I said.
Finally, he turned. When our glares met, my heart skipped a beat. I reminded myself to get a grip. He was not the kind of guy I fell in love or lust with, even though looking at him was like taking in a towering hunk of manhood.
“Why did my sister ask you to come here?” he asked.
He was good. He was reading my face and my body and waiting attentively to hear my words. I was pretty sure Jasper knew he was dealing with a professional, so I kept my body loose.
“Bryn learned about my father and knew I’d be spending Christmas alone, so she invited me to be with her family.”
“I didn’t know you were in touch with my sister,” he said.
“I wasn’t.” I figured that was something I didn’t have to lie about. Actually, in my line of work, I’d learned the less I lied, the further I could get with my subjects.
“And you called to tell her about your father?” he asked.
At least, I thought that was a question. “No. That’s not how it happened.”
He waited for me to clarify.
