Page 7 of One Night at Christmas

“Bryson, are you there?”

He didn’t answer, but his bedroom was in full view. She had seen it before and knew he had a king sized bed and a gigantic bedroom. He had given her the grand tour online. She had done the same for him, and he’d been shocked at how tiny her apartment was. Bryson wasn’t born rich. His family was at most middle class, but the home where he was raised was a good size.

He came back into view but didn’t explain where he had gone. “Charon, I want to be clear. When we meet, I want to make love to you.”

Her mouth fell open.

“You…uh…you want that

too, correct?”

Still unsure of himself. This was a record. Bryson Scott wasn’t as confident in her answer as he might have wished. She had no desire to keep him in suspense.

“Yes.”

He visibly relaxed. “One night, Charon. We will spend Christmas together and enjoy each other. As far as I’m concerned, it’s perfect.”

“I’m not sure there’ll be flights left on Christmas Eve.”

“There are a few. I’ve already checked.”

“You’ve thought a lot about this.”

“It’s been on my mind for months.”

“You’re kidding?”

“I knew I wanted to touch you at least once, to taste that mouth that I’ve been seeing on my screen and fantasizing about all this time.”

“Bryson, we’re friends, and I wasn’t single the whole time.”

“I’m just being honest.”

She didn’t know what to say.

“Spend Christmas with me. After that, if you want to marry him, do it. Have your white picket fence and a little house on the prairie with eight kids.”

She rolled her eyes. “And you’ll go into your loveless marriage of convenience.”

“Yup. Perfect, see?”

“This is crazy.”

“Crazy and right.”

There wasn’t a more perfect time as he said. She was single for the moment, and so was he. Neither was tied down yet. She might never be, and she didn’t have to feel guilty about his fiancée-to-be because he hadn’t proposed yet. Neither did the woman love him.

The idea grew on her. Little by little, she began to see herself doing it. Not in a million years did she think she could ever be with Bryson like what he proposed. She couldn’t say no. If she did, she would regret it no matter what her decisions were later. Right now, today, she loved him so much. To have him make love to her would be something she could remember for a long time after they didn’t talk anymore.

“Okay,” she said. “Let’s do it.”

Chapter Three

Charon ducked behind her wineglass and stared at Bryson. He was just entering the restaurant, and he hadn’t spotted her yet. Her breath caught in her chest. God, he we was beautiful. When she first saw him she suspected he was tall, and at some point during their conversations he confirmed it. But now, in person, he was like a Greek god. No, he was sexier than that.

He paused and scanned the restaurant. She didn’t move or signal him. Courage left her now that he and she were in the same place. To distract herself from the rising panic, she studied him again. He wore jeans and a long sleeve shirt, casual for him who lived in suits.

She’d gone through her own closet looking for the perfect dress and ended up shopping for one and spending way more than her budget allowed. No matter, this opportunity needed to be taken advantage of with her looking her best. That meant she had to buy new underwear. Her panties were looking worn and faded lately. Not to mention the fact that she didn’t have any matching bras.

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