Page 4 of His Christmas Wife

“A volunteer one.” She refused to look away. “Someone else can put up with you for the next couple of hours. I’ll be more than happy to spend time elsewhere.” Working at the check-in desk or waiting tables at the bar was preferable to staring at his half-naked body all night.

“Look…” He raked a hand into his hair.

Frustration? Annoyance?But the betrayal of any emotion shocked her.

“You know it would be a challenge to change things this late in the game.”

She agreed, and generally she hated to inconvenience others.

“I’ll give you the week off that you want.”

Bastard.He knew how much she wanted to go to her sister’s wedding. Her unsigned vacation request form was sitting on his desk, mocking her every time she entered his office. “How dare you use our professional relationship to get what you want?”

“Paid.”

She gaped.That, she hadn’t expected. With her stepfather’s lingering illness, then death earlier in the year, she’d spent a lot of time with her family and burned through all her allotted personal time off. And all of that had happened before he’d taken over. “I don’t have the leave accrued for that.”

“We’ll consider it compensation for all the extra hours.”

“I’m not on salary.” If she didn’t receive extra pay for all the hours she put in, she wouldn’t have stayed at Christoff Investments.

He waved a hand as if details didn’t matter to him—which they probably didn’t. Unlike other mortals, the man got everything that he wanted.

“I’ll sweeten the pot by adding a first-class airline ticket.”

Meaning she could travel with a glass of champagne in hand and stretch out her legs? Had the holiday season suddenly made him lose his mind? That wasn’t possible. Three hours ago, he’d been as demanding as always. Which meant he had ulterior motives. Scowling, she called him out on her suspicions. “What’s the catch?”

“I need a wife for Christmas Eve dinner at my grandmother’s house.”

“You need a…” She shook her head to clear it. Since the club’s music was so loud, she told herself she’d misheard him.“What?”

“Wife.”

She could have sworn a smile toyed with the corners of his mouth, but since she’d never seen him reveal a hint of emotion, she wasn’t sure. “I’m lost. What does this have to do with me?”

“We can help each other out.”

She frowned. “You want me to…?”Marry you?

“Be my fake bride for the holidays. It entails having dinner on Christmas Eve at my grandmother’s house. You don’t have other plans?”

The fact her family celebrated on Christmas Day was beside the point.

“I’d also expect you to act as my hostess for a New Year’s Eve party as Gran will be there.”

The evening had gone from untenable to horrific. Tipping her head to the side, she regarded him. “I don’t understand.”

He waited for her to expand.

“What do you need a wife for? And why me?”

As if trying to contain his annoyance, he waved. “Gran believes I’m married. It was easier that way.”

“Until your lies caught up to you?”

Frost’s nostrils flared. “There were reasons.” His clipped tone warned her to watch her step. “As for the second half of your question, because I’m not dating anyone and don’t have time to find someone suitable.”

The fact he found her suitable on any level surprised her.

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