Page 90 of His Christmas Wife

“You have work to do. You’ve missed calls from the catering company and the DJ for your New Year’s Eve party. And the housekeeping staff would like to confirm their schedule.”

He winced, as much against his headache as the realization that a hundred of the city’s elite would descend on him in a few days. “You’re the chief of staff. Handle it.”

“Very well. Looking forward to creating your playlist and sending out your dedications.”

“What?” Playlist and dedications? How was he supposed to know that?

“I’m confirming the number of attendees at 102, so you have the right amount of food and alcohol. Assuming you’re removing Ms. Robbins’s name from the RSVP lists since you were mean to her.”

The headache raged. “I was not—”

“She cried.”

Jesus.Why was he fucking arguing with a computer? Bonds’s AI systems are unreal. “Update me on the changes in the last”—how long had he been in a drunken stupor, unaware of anything going on around him? Forty-eight hours? Seventy-two? More?—“five days.”

Jolly listed off names, then added,“Mrs. Delaney has confirmed, plus one.”

He threw back the bedcovers and got out of bed. Then he saw it. Kaylee’s ring on his nightstand.

When had he dug it out of the tiara box and put it next to him? Besotted idiot.

“A Mr. James Hollingsworth III.”

What?Frost shook his head. “Who?”

“Your grandmother’s companion will be Mr. James Hollingsworth III,”Jolly repeated.“Hollingsworth is a former commodities broker from Chicago. He’s seventy-three years old, has two ex-wives—one a Chicago debutante, another a California socialite. He has seven children, along with four grandchildren.”

“I mean who is he to my grandmother?” And how long had she known him?

“Mrs. Delaney didn’t say.”

Which meant he needed to find out. A beau? A friend? A gold digger? Gran’s wealth made her an attractive target.

“Are you staying in bed all day?”

“Fuck off. Do something useful like make coffee.”

“Already waiting.”

“Turn off the shower. I’ll have coffee first.”

“Eww.”

“That’s it. Call Bonds.”

Silence seemed to crackle.“The Genius is on Do Not Disturb.”

Which may or may not be true. “For me? Or for everyone?” It was much earlier in California. At the same time, Bonds was known to sleep little, if at all.

Once he was upright, the floor tilted dangerously. Just how much liquor had he consumed over the last few days?

Enough to fuck him up. But not enough to forget Kaylee and her impact on his life.

Despite the horrific hangover, his cock stirred as an image of her, draped over his spanking bench, flirted with his memory.

No woman ever impacted him like she did.

Instead of jogging down the stairs in his customary way, he descended slowly, hand cupped on the railing.

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