Page 6 of Tempted By December

"I…I don't think so?"

"Perhaps at a party?"

"I don't go to many parties," I mumble, glancing at my feet.

"Really?" A triumphant smile curves his lips as if I've slipped up and said something wrong. "I'd think the mayor would have you out being seen all over town."

My stomach sinks into my shoes.

Crap. He knows. He's toying with me, trying to get me to confess that I'm not Jillian. Is that why he's angry? Because he knows I'm lying?

"I'm in school," I say, doggedly sticking to my cover.

He pushes away from the desk, striding toward me. Every step he takes sends my heart rate ratcheting up a notch. It thumps against my ribcage like a battering ram.

"You're a terrible liar, Ms. Rhett," he murmurs, stopping so close I smell his cologne swirling around me. I feel the heat coming off him. His eyes aren't completely black. Tiny flecks of gold dot the irises like little veins in solid rock.

"I'm not l-lying." I'm not even convincing to myself, certainly not to this man.

"Not about everything," he agrees. "You are in school. I think you have dreamed about working here. You don't want me to endorse your father. But you do remember me." He places one finger beneath my chin, tipping my head back. "Isn't that right, December?"

Oh, no. This is worse than bad. It's a freaking Christmas disaster. I haven't even been here three full hours, and I'm already busted.

Note to self: Never listen to Jillian's idiotic ideas ever again.

"I'm not...."

"Lie to me again, and you'll pay for it bent over my knee with your perfect ass in the air," he growls.

"I…"

One dark brow shoots upward. He means it. And God help me, the thought of his rough palm against my ass is intriguing in ways I never considered before right this moment. But I think I want this man to spank me. Iwanthim to punish me.

"Tell me the truth, sweet angel."

"Please," I whimper, not sure if I'm pleading with him to spank me or if I'm pleading for him to release me from his spell. I can't think, and I desperately need to think. There's too much at stake here, like my entire freaking future.

"Tell me," he croons the command, pulling me deeper under his spell. "What's your name?"

"J-Jillian."

Darkness flares in his eyes. His hand slips down, encircling my throat. He pulls me closer to him, dragging me right up against his body.

"Little liar," he whispers then, brushing his lips across mine in a featherlight kiss I feel reverberating in my soul like the strike of a gong. I think he feels it too. He groans like a man pushed to the edge, his chest shuddering against mine. "When I figure out why you're lying, you won't be able to sit down for a week, December."

He releases me, taking a step back.

I stare at him in wide-eyed shock for a long, silent moment, and then I do the only thing I know to do. I flee.

Chapter Four

Alaric

Ifuckedup.Ilearn that lesson acutely over the next four days. December avoids me at every turn. If I enter the design studio, she scurries out. If she's in the lounge, she quickly vanishes out of another exit.

I think she even hides out in the bathroom to avoid me. It'd be cute if it weren't infuriating. And it's not even the biggest problem—though it's driving me up the fucking wall.

The biggest issue is the fact that she's scared of her own shadow and a complete disaster as an intern. I'm pretty sure that's my fault. She's hiding behind her sister's name for a reason, and I tried to force her to confess. I didn't offer her any assurance that her secret is safe with me or that she wouldn't be tossed out of here on her ass.

---