Scrooged by Vi Keeland

Piper

I hoped it wasn’t too early.

I knocked lightly just in case Mr. Hanks was still sleeping. I’d been just about to walk away when I heard the low buzzing noise his electric chair made when it moved.

The door opened.

“Merry Christmas, Mr. H….oh…boy…what happened?” Mr. Hanks’s face had a half-dozen pieces of tissue stuck to it.

“Shaving is a bitch still. But Merry Christmas, sweetheart.”

His neck still had stubble, and he’d missed a few parts of his face.

“Thank you. Can I come in?”

He pulled the joystick on his wheelchair arm and his chair backed up. “Of course. I was going to come down to see you before I headed out for the day.”

Closing the door behind me, I said, “What time is your son coming to pick you up today?”

“Around noon. I figured I’d get an early start because things take a little longer these days.”

I smiled. “Could I help you get ready?”

“Are you hitting on me again? First you try to help me into bed. Now you want to help me get dressed? I told you, I’m too old for you.” He winked.

I laughed. “I meant help you shave.”

“There’s an art to shaving a man’s face. I have shaky hands, but that might be better than you thinking my neck is like your legs.”

“I actually used to shave my grandfather all the time. He had Alzheimer’s, and toward the end, he didn’t get out of bed. He also didn’t talk much. So that’s what I would do when I visited him every week. I’d give him a nice shave and tell him all about my day. It made me feel useful, and it was better than just staring at him like most people who came to visit did.”

Mr. Hanks shrugged. “Alrighty then. I’ll take you up on that offer. If Mason sees a slice in my throat from shaving, he’ll have an aide here around the clock, instead of just the eight hours a day the one he hired annoys me.”

I laughed and pushed Mr. Hanks down the hall to the bathroom. “Your son is protective of you. I have to admit, he’s pretty different than the person I originally thought he was.”

“Yeah. Mason…well…he can be a bit of an ass. But he’s come a long way. When my wife and I first brought him home, he got suspended three times in the first year…and he was only in fourth grade.”

“Brought him home?”

“Yeah, Mason’s adopted. I thought I’d mentioned that.”

That was something I’d definitely remember. “No, I don’t think so.”

“My wife and I couldn’t have kids. Mason was nine when we brought him home. He was constantly getting in trouble for being disruptive in class. Halfway through the year, we figured out why. He was in fourth grade but could do the math work of a high school senior. Kid was a genius and social services had no clue.”

“Oh wow.” I took the shaving cream out of the medicine cabinet and sprayed a glob onto my hands before lathering up and rubbing it on Mr. Hanks’s neck and the places he’d missed on his face. “That’s crazy.”

“He was living on the streets, so it wasn’t like he went to school on a regular basis for anyone to get to know him.”

I froze with my hands on Mr. Hanks’s neck. “He was…homeless.”

“Yeah. It gave him a tough edge. But underneath all that armor is a heart of gold. Trust me, he was the apple of my wife’s eye, and he couldn’t do enough for her.”

God, I felt like a complete idiot now. No wonder he’d gotten so upset when I mistook him for a homeless person.

I finished shaving Mr. Hanks and then wheeled him back to the living room. I knew it was getting late, and I had to go, so I took out the envelope I’d come to give him.

“Merry Christmas, Mr. Hanks. I’ll explain it once you open it.”

“I have a little something for you, too.” He lifted his chin. “There’s an envelope on the kitchen counter over there. Could you grab it for me?”

“Of course.”

I laughed looking down at the plain white envelope with my name written on it. We’d unknowingly given each other matching gifts.

“You go first,” I said.

Mr. Hanks opened the sealed envelope and took out the business card I’d slipped inside. He read it and then looked up at me with his brows knitted. “An old-age home? I hope your gift isn’t that you’re putting me there.”

I laughed. “No, it’s definitely not. But that’s where I’ll be today. The East Side Assisted Living Center has a floor for people living there temporarily while recovering from strokes. I’m serving lunch there today and then playing cards and games with the residents after. I can’t really afford gifts, and honestly most of the gifts I’d bought over the years were just unnecessary, so this year I’m donating my time and doing good deeds in honor of people. Today I’ll do my best to spread Christmas cheer with you in mind.”

It looked like Mr. Hanks started to get a little choked up. He swallowed. “Thank you. That’s really kind of you.”

I smiled. “My turn now! I tore open the envelope with the excitement of a little kid on Christmas morning. Funny enough, there was a business card inside my gift, too. Mine was for The Lotus—a swanky, five-star hotel that overlooked Central Park.”

“Turn it over,” he said. “There’s a name written on the back.”

“Marie Desidario,” I said aloud.

Mr. Hanks nodded. “You go see her first thing tomorrow morning. I got a connection with the hotel and happen to know they’re planning on redoing all their suites. If you can come up with designs by New Year’s Eve, they’ll look at your proposal. They already got stuff from some other firm and committed to make their decision by the beginning of the year. But I bet you can knock their socks off.”

My eyes bulged from my head. “Oh my, God! That’s...I don’t even know what to say. That’s so incredible. Landing a job like The Lotus Hotel could be career changing. I…I….I’m going to hug you. But I promise I’m not hitting on you.”

Mr. Hanks chuckled as I engulfed him in a giant hug. I seriously couldn’t believe I was going to get a chance to submit my designs to a place like that.

“Merry Christmas, sweetheart.”

“Merry Christmas to you, too, Mr. H. And tell your son I hope he has a nice holiday, too.”

“You bet.”

Over the next five days, I had to have drunk five gallons of coffee. I’d called Marie at The Lotus bright and early the day after Christmas, and she told me to stop by so she could give me the specs she’d supplied to the other vendors. While I was there, she also gave me a tour of the hotel and the suites I’d be providing designs for. I’d been to the hotel once with Warren for dinner, but I’d never seen it at Christmas time. The place was truly magical.

I stood in the lobby with my large portfolio bag slung over my shoulder and looked around in awe. For inspiration, I’d stopped by every day since I met with Marie the first time, yet each time I stepped into the magnificent lobby I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by its beauty. In my heart, I felt unworthy of the opportunity to design anything for this place, even though I truly did love the concepts I came up with.

I rode the elevator up to the 6th floor where the business offices were located and knocked on the manager’s open door before entering. Marie smiled warmly.

“Come in, Piper. It’s good to see you.” She extended her hand from behind her desk.

“You, too.” I wiped my hand on my pants before stepping forward to shake. “Sorry. I’m a nervous wreck. I don’t want to sweaty palm you.”

Marie smiled. “There’s nothing to be nervous about. Why don’t you have a seat?” There was a small round table with a few chairs in the corner of her office, and she motioned in that direction. “We can spread out over there better.”

Over the next hour and a half, I showed Marie my concepts. I’d made two very different boards to present, but honestly I liked one much better than the other. Marie clearly agreed. She oohed and aahed at the rich fabric I’d chosen for the window dressings and told me the loved the uniqueness and quality of the hand-painted cherry blossoms wallpaper I’d suggested. Overall, I thought the presentation couldn’t have gone any better.

“Well, I’ll be meeting with the owner this afternoon. He’s seen the other concepts already. I’ll make my recommendation to him, but ultimately the final choice is his. So I don’t want to get your hopes up, but yours is my new favorite.”

“Really?”

She nodded. “Really.”

I was so excited that the professional demeanor I’d been trying to portray flew right out the window. I jumped up out of my seat and threw my arms around her for a hug. “Thank you so much!”

She laughed. “You’re welcome. But I guess my telling you not to get your hopes up didn’t really help, did it?”

“No, I guess not. But I do understand that my designs might not get picked. Honestly, it’s just been a dream to even come here and get a chance to present to you. Whatever happens, I’ll always be grateful for the opportunity.”

“Mr. Hanks said you were something special. I can understand why now.”

“Thank you. I didn’t realize you’d met him. He said he knew the owner, so I wasn’t sure.”

Marie smiled. “Yes, he definitely knows the owner. He comes by quite a bit, actually. Though not as much lately.”

“Yeah, it’s definitely harder for him to get around these days. But I’m taking him out to lunch this afternoon…to say thank you for getting me the chance to present to you. I’ve been neglecting him while I worked the last week, and I want to celebrate with him.”

“Have a great time. And I’ll be in touch within the next few days, one way or the other.”

On the way out of the hotel, I saw a homeless man on the curb outside. I dug into my pocketbook and, unfortunately, I only had ten bucks. Without thinking, I went to hand it to him, but then I remembered the last time I’d rushed to help a person whom I thought was homeless…I’d wound up with a bag full of dicks.

Which…as twisted as it was, I’d been seriously considering digging into to thoughts of the not-homeless man who gave it to me.

God, Mason was handsome.

I sighed.

This time, before I got myself into trouble again, I walked over to the man. “Hi. Are you…waiting for a cab?”

The guy’s face was dirty, and his hair clearly hadn’t been washed in a long time. He looked at me like I was nuts. “No, I’m waiting for Cinderella to swing by and pick me up for the ball. Jesus, lady, go away…unless you want to buy me something to eat.”

I smiled and extended the ten dollars to him. “Actually. I’d love to buy you lunch. Have a Happy New Year.”

He shook his head, but quickly grabbed the bill from my hand. “Yeah. You, too.”

That evening, I was about to get changed when there was a knock at my door. My heart started to race as I looked through the peephole.

“Mason. Is…everything alright with your dad?”

“Yeah. Yeah. Everything is fine.”

My hand covered my heart. “You scared me.”

“Sorry about that. I was just wondering…” he looked down. “If you’d like to have dinner.”

“You mean me, you, and your dad, right?”

He flashed a boyish smile. “No. I mean just me and you.”

“Like a date?”

He chuckled. “Yes, exactly like a date. You know why?”

“Why?”

“Because it would be a date, Piper.”

“Oh! Wow. Ummm. I…”

“Did you have plans?”

“Well, it is New Year’s Eve. So, yes, I did have plans.”

Mason squinted. “And those plans are?”

“I have a date with two men.”

His brows shot up.

I smirked. “Ben and Jerry. I was just going to sit at home and watch the ball drop while eating Chunky Monkey.”

Mason shook his head. “Be ready at eight.”

My hands went to my hips. “No. Not when you say it like that.”

He rolled his eyes. “Do you or don’t you want to go out with me?”

“I guess I do. But I want better than be ready at eight. God, you can really be an asshole.”

We glared at each other. Eventually, he broke the stare off. “Piper. Would you please be ready at eight o’clock tonight?”

I smirked. “How about eight fifteen?

He grumbled ‘What the hell am I doing’ under his breath and turned to walk away. “I’ll see you later.”

I walked out into the hall. “Wait! Where are we going? What should I wear?”

“Wear whatever you want.”

“But what will you be wearing?”

He still didn’t turn around. “Whatever I want.”

“Are we taking public transportation? I’ll need to know for shoe selection.”

Mason arrived at the elevator bank and pushed the button. “We won’t be taking public transportation.”

“What about outer wear? Will I need a hat and gloves?”

The elevator doors slid open. He looked down the hall at me before stepping in. “Sure, bring them. Bring anything you want. Even your bag of dicks is welcome. See you at eight, Piper.”

And then…just like that, he was gone.

Right at eight, there was a knock at my door. Expecting it to be Mason, I opened it looking down at my dress. “I don’t know if what I’m wearing is too dressy…oh.” I looked up. “I’m sorry, I thought you were Mason.”

The older man took off his hat and nodded. “I’m Mr. Mason’s driver, ma’am. He asked me to collect you at eight.”

Driver?

Collect me?

I was thoroughly confused. “You mean Mason isn’t here?”

“No, ma’am. He had some work to attend to, so he asked me to pick you up.”

“Oh…well. That’s…okay. I guess if he’s stuck at work. Let me just grab my bag. Come in.”

The driver smiled. “I’ll just wait out here.”

“Suit yourself.” I grabbed my purse and checked out my reflection in the mirror one last time. I’d picked out a beaded black dress since it was New Year’s Eve. But I thought I might have been overdressed. So when I went into the hall, I asked the driver. “Would you know if what I’m wearing is okay? I mean…do you know how nice the restaurant is he’s taking me to?”

“It’s a very nice restaurant.”

“Is it beaded dress nice?”

The man smiled. “Yes, I think so.”

I sat in the back of a Lincoln Town Car for almost forty-five minutes as the driver navigated through heavy city traffic. This was already a strange date…from the way we’d argued when he asked me out to dinner, to him sending his driver instead of showing up himself. But I was definitely excited. Mason Hanks was absolutely gorgeous, and despite his edge of arrogance, he was funny, and I liked that we had good banter. So I had butterflies in my stomach the entire drive.

The car slowed to a stop in front of where I’d been earlier, The Lotus Hotel. I was confused until I saw the man standing out front waiting, while fiddling with an oversized watch.

Wow. Mason looked great in a suit. The way it fit his broad shoulders and hugged his arms, it had to have been custom fitted. His hair was slicked back, and he stood with his feet planted wide, looking very impatient. I don’t know why, but the fact that he looked like he was annoyed tickled me. Mason looked up and our eyes caught. He smiled and I nearly lost it. Oh my. He looked…well, drop dead gorgeous…like an old-time movie star.

Leaning down to the car, he opened the door and extended a hand. “It’s about time.”

“I don’t control traffic, you know.”

The corner of his lip twitched. He looked me up and down. “You look beautiful.”

I softened. “Thanks. You don’t look so bad yourself.”

He folded his arm and offered me his elbow.

“I was just here this afternoon. Did you know that your dad is friends with the owner, and he got me a chance to present some designs for a redecorating project?”

Mason nodded. “I did know that.”

A doorman opened the door with a nod as we approached.

Inside, even though I’d been here six times in six days, the grand beauty again overwhelmed me. I looked up in awe. “God, I love this hotel.”

Mason smiled. “That’s good. Because you’re going to be spending a lot of time in the bedrooms upstairs.”

“You’re awfully sure of yourself.” The more his comment sank in, the more it annoyed me. “You know what, you have a lot of nerve assuming that just because I agreed to go on a date with you, I’ll be jumping into bed with you.”

Mason started to laugh. “Calm your pits, Piper.”

His comment pissed me off even more. “No. I will not calm my pits. I don’t care how good looking you are, I’m not going to date an asshole.”

Mason’s smile was so smug. “You think I’m good looking.”

I rolled my eyes. “Figures an asshole would not hear the part about him being an asshole.”

“You’re really cute when you’re mad.”

I squinted at him. “You’re unbelievable.” Maybe that driver was still outside and could take me back home. “You know what? I’m out of here. Unfortunately, the apple does fall far from the tree sometimes. I have no idea how your dad could be so sweet and you could be such a jerk. But goodbye, Mason.”

I turned on my heel to storm out when Mason grabbed my arm.

“Wait.”

“What?”

“I’m not really that big of a jerk. I can explain.”

“Oh yeah? You can explain how you’re not a jerk for assuming I would jump into bed with you. This might be worth sticking around to hear.”

Mason smiled. “When I said you were going to be spending a lot of time in the bedrooms, I meant you would be working. You got the contract for the suites, Piper.”

My face wrinkled. “What?”

“I own The Lotus Hotel…and a few others.”

“What are you talking about?”

“When you mentioned you were an interior designer the other night, I told my dad to give you the card with Maria’s number for me. I figured I’d give you a shot. You were kind to my father, and I like to make sure kindness is repaid.”

“So you gave me a multi-million dollar contract because I was nice to your dad?”

“No. You got the shot, because of my dad. You earned the contract. You had the best presentation, fair and square. Even Maria recommended your designs.”

I should’ve been thrilled to have scored a major job like this, but instead I felt deflated. My chest was heavy. “Oh. Okay. Thanks, I guess.”

Mason’s forehead wrinkled. “What’s wrong? You don’t look happy?”

“I am. It’s just…” I shook my head. “Nothing.”

“Spit it out, what’s going on in that head of yours?”

“I guess…I thought…well, I thought this was a date.”

He squinted. “It is a date.”

“No, I mean a date date. Not a business dinner thing.”

Mason looked back and forth between my eyes. Cupping both my cheeks, he lowered his face to mine. Before I could register what was about to transpire, he crushed his lips to mine, swallowing the gasp of shock I let out. At first, I could merely try to keep up, opening when he opened, offering my tongue when his pilfered my mouth, clutching him when he’d already had me in his clutches. But eventually, all thought slipped away and instinct took over. I kissed him even harder, pressed my body against his, and sucked on his tongue. Mason growled. The sound shot through me, traveling down to between my legs with a ripple.

His hands at my cheeks slid to behind my neck, and he tilted my head to deepen the kiss. We made out for a solid ten minutes standing in the middle of a busy lobby, yet I’d felt like we were all alone in a room. When we finally broke, we were both panting.

“Wow,” I said.

Mason smiled. “It’s a fucking date, Piper.”

I smiled back. “It’s a date. But you’re still an asshole.”

A few weeks later we were inseparable.

Things had moved really fast between the two of us. We’d spent six nights a week together, a few of those alone, and a few with his dad. Friday, I’d even fallen asleep at his house, but we still hadn’t slept together. Though I was hoping that would change tonight.

After I made us dinner, Mason helped me take down the Christmas decorations. He dragged my half-dead tree downstairs to put out for tomorrow’s garbage, while I vacuumed up all the bristles that fell off.

“Thank you for taking that out,” I said when he came back. “I hate doing that job.”

“No problem.”

“Could I bother you to do one more thing for me?”

He wiggled his brows. “Only if I can bother you to do one thing for me later.”

I laughed. He teased a lot, but Mason hadn’t pressured me at all about sex, even though we’d fooled around a bit. That only made me want him even more.

“I have another bag for you to take down to the garbage,” I said. “Hang on, let me go grab it.”

I went into the bedroom and took out the brown paper bag I’d stuffed into a drawer. I have no idea why, but I’d kept everything, even the original bag. I took a deep breath and walked back out to find Mason watching some football game on TV. “Here you go. I won’t be needing these anymore.”

Mason had been staring at the TV, but when he saw the bag I was holding out, he turned with interest. With a curious look, he took the bag and opened it.

“It’s your bag of dicks. How can you get rid of this?”

“I was hoping to trade it for the real thing?”

Mason’s eyes darkened. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

I smiled. “I want you, Mason. Like now.”

One minute I was standing there holding out the bag, and the next I was scooped up into Mason’s arms. “What my girl wants, my girl gets.”

My girl.I really liked that. I smiled and leaned my head against his shoulder as he started to march toward my bedroom. “What about the bag, don’t’ you want to toss it out?”

“Nope.” He kissed me. “You can have all this and a bag of dicks. You’re one lucky girl.”

Merry Christmas to our Readers!

We hope you get a bag of dicks and more under your tree this year!

Margo

Nancy spoke over the loud sound of steaming milk. “I can’t believe they bailed on us.”

“Really? Because I can.”

I’d just gotten a text from my soon-to-be ex-husband saying he and his lawyer couldn’t make it for our meeting...the meeting that was supposed to start five minutes ago. This was the second time he’d done this to me, claiming to be swamped at work. We’d even scheduled the appointment today at a café near his office in Soho to accommodate him, because he’d complained it took too long to get to either of our attorney’s offices. Not only that, I’d had to ask my best friend Nancy to fill in for my own lawyer when my regular divorce attorney got into a car accident yesterday. That’s how desperate I was to get today over with. If I bent anymore for the asshole, I’d break in half.

“Well, you know what I mean. I can believe it,” Nancy said. “But, man, the balls on Rex!”

It was just after Thanksgiving and already starting to look a lot like Christmas. The whole café was decked out in white lights and garland. I’d been hopeful when I walked in, thinking maybe the cheerful atmosphere would offset the misery of the meeting. But of course, anything involving Rex doesn’t end well.

I tried to make the best of it, opting to enjoy the seasonal eggnog latte, which I looked forward to every year. Holiday cheer should’ve been in the air, aside from the fact that my Scrooge of an ex—Rex—had pulled his usual crap. I’d agreed to a simple, no-fault divorce—which was ironic since the entire demise of my marriage was his fault—yet he needed a sit-down meeting. One apparently he and his lawyer decided not to show up for. That was just like him, unfortunately.

So, for the past hour, I’d been hanging out with Nancy, my childhood best friend. I normally tried not to mix business with pleasure, but she seemed eager and up to the task, and I was desperate not to delay this divorce anymore than Rex already had.

Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas” played low on the overhead speaker. I always loved this time of year; if only I didn’t have the dark cloud of these divorce proceedings looming over me, I could have truly enjoyed it.

Nancy drank down the last of her latte. “We need to figure out a way to spice up your life. Seriously, you do nothing but work and stress over this damn divorce. That can’t be healthy. Why don’t you come to my firm’s holiday party with me? It’s a harbor cruise.”

“I don’t know. I’ll think about it.”

“Even better…maybe we can go away somewhere after the New Year.”

Only half listening to her, I checked my phone. “Maybe.” A ton of emails had come in while I’d been at the café.

My job as one of the top event planners in Manhattan kept me super busy. Whether I was planning posh parties in the Hamptons or galas in the city, my schedule was chock full, seven days a week.

Nancy snapped her fingers in front of my face. “Did you hear me? I said maybe we should go away after the holidays.”

I forced myself to put my phone away. “Where would we go if we went away?”

She pursed her lips. “You know…I’m not sure I’ll even tell you. It’ll be a surprise. You can find out when we get on the plane. Your whole life is planned and scheduled in your damn phone. Pretty sure I’m going to make you get rid of that for a week, too.”

As if on cue, my text notification chimed, prompting me to take my phone out again and check it. It was one of the vendors for a holiday party I was in charge of. The thought of ever parting with my phone gave me the shakes.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I could never be without my phone for a week.”

“You don’t have an impulsive bone in your body. You need to unplug and live a little before your entire life passes you by.”

Playing with my empty cup, I said, “Impulsivity is a choice. I can be impulsive if I want to.”

She looked skeptical. “Really…”

“Yes.”

“So, if I dared you to do something right now in this café that you would never normally choose to do—anything at all—you would do it on a whim…for the sake of impulsivity?”

I saw where this was going. Nancy’s little dares went back to our childhood in Queens. It had all started in fifth grade when I’d tried to dare her to tell Kenny Harmon she liked him. But I never even got the words out…I’d said, “I dare you to…” and crazy Nancy cut me off and exclaimed, “I’ll do it!” What followed was ten years of us accepting each other’s dares before knowing what they were. I’d done so many things I would never have done otherwise—skinny-dipping, asking the most gorgeous guy in school to the prom, bungee jumping. I had to admit, some of those dares turned out to be some of the best times I’d ever had. But it had been a long time since we’d played our little game.

Though…what could she possibly have me do that was so drastic anymore? Of course, it would also totally prove her point that I couldn’t be impulsive if I said no. And…I did hate to break our long-running streak of agreeing to those silly dares.

I sat up straight. “Yeah. Sure. Why not?”

She lifted her brow. “You’re absolutely sure?”

I hesitated, then answered, “Yes.”

How old am I?

What am I getting myself into?

Her assertion that I wasn’t adventurous had me sort of pissed—mostly at myself— because she was right. I really couldn’t back out now. Even though Nancy and I had been playing games like this since we were kids, it wasn’t exactly cute anymore as adults. But when she put her mind to something in order to prove a point, she didn’t let up. It was partly why she was such a good lawyer. Not sure if it was because Rex ruined my day for the umpteenth time, putting me in a shit mood, but for some reason, I just didn’t feel like letting her win this time.

Wanting to get it over with, I asked, “So what’s my torture going to be?”

She closed her eyes for a bit. “I’m thinking. It has to be good…something that I truly don’t think you’ll actually do.”

Now she was really getting on my nerves. Whatever it was...I was going to have to go with it—just to prove her wrong.

After a minute of whatever weird meditation thing she was doing to concentrate, she finally said, “Okay. I’ve decided what it is. But you’re lucky, because I’m going to let you choose part of it.”

“Explain.”

“I want you to kiss a stranger. Someone in this coffee shop.”

What?

“Are you kidding me?”

“Not at all…but you’ll get to choose who it is. I’m not that cruel to make you kiss just anyone.” She whispered and nudged her head. “Like him.”

The old man next to us had grease from his egg sandwich dribbling down his chin.

Knowing she wouldn’t back down from this idea, I sighed and muttered, “Fine.”

“What was that? I couldn’t hear you?”

I gritted my teeth. “Fine!”

“Great. Who’s it gonna be?” Nancy’s eyes wandered around the room, then landed on someone in the corner. “Yes.” She beamed. “Ohhhh, yes. Yes. Yes! Today is your lucky day. I can’t believe I hadn’t noticed him sooner.” She squinted. “Doesn’t look like he’s wearing a wedding ring, either, so score.”

I braced myself, then turned around to see whom she was looking at.

She had to be kidding me.

The distinguished-looking, dark-haired man sitting in the corner was drop-dead gorgeous, dressed to the nines in a three-piece suit that looked like it was tailor-made for his perfect physique. His nose was buried in The New York Times. It was a perfect nose that complemented his perfect jaw-line. Have I mentioned he was perfect?

This guy would laugh in my face!

There was no way I was going to embarrass myself in front of him. The choice had to be a happy medium…someone I wouldn’t mind making a fool of myself in front of—but he also couldn’t be hideous.

“Okay, who’s it going to be?” she said, looking down at the time on her phone. “I think I’m going to run to get some Christmas shopping done since Rex bailed. So let’s get this show on the road.”

My eyes perused the room.

The young mom in the corner with her baby?Nope.

The teenage barista boy?Um…pretty sure I’d get arrested.

Oh my God.

There was literally no one else aside from the old man and Mr. Perfect.

I reassessed.

The dribbler next to us?No way. I just couldn’t do it, not even on my best day.

It came back to Mr. Perfect. He’d won by default.

“You’re right. He’s the only viable option.” I blew a frustrated breath up into my dirty blonde hair. “The guy is going to think I’m a nutjob.”

“Not if you explain yourself properly. It’s up to you as to how you spin it.”

“If I do this, I get to prove a point. But what’s in it for you?”

“Either I get to prove myself right, or I get to have a little fun. Either way, I win. Besides, I think it’s actually good for you. When’s the last time those lips have been touched anyway?”

I couldn’t even remember. That was sad. Honestly, I hadn’t kissed anyone since my cheating ex, Rex. (Yes, Rex rhymes with ex, and I should’ve taken it as an omen before I ever said ‘I do’.)

Taking a deep breath in, I got up. “I’m going to get this over with.”

My footsteps couldn’t have moved any slower. I kept looking back at Nancy as she watched me intently. My heart raced. The poor guy was oblivious as to what was about to happen.

Madonna’s rendition of “Santa Baby” played in the background as I made my way slowly over to him.

I found myself even more paralyzed the closer I got to his beautiful face.

Stopping right in front of him, I froze.

He turned his head away from what he was reading when he noticed me standing there. “Can I help you?” Of course, his sexy voice matched his exterior.

My nerves suddenly got the best of me as I stammered, “Hi…I’m Margo?”

It came out like a question. Margo? Like I didn’t even know my own damn name.

He closed his newspaper. “Hi.”

I just stood there and continued to say nothing.

“Is…everything alright?” he asked.

Sort of feeling like I was going to piss my pants, I said, “I don’t usually do things like this…um…”

He was just squinting at me now. This man thought I was an idiot. I couldn’t blame him.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

Laughing exaggeratedly, I said, “Oh my God, yes. Everything is great.” I turned around to look at my friend. She was giving me the thumbs-up, egging me on to continue.

“Is it okay if I sit?” I did so before he could even say yes or no. My chair skidded against the wooden floor.

“Uh…yeah. Go right on ahead.”

Clasping my fingers together, I smiled at him.

He finally lifted his brow in question, which served as my cue to say something.

Push it out.

“I’m sorry I’m acting so strangely. You’re going to think this is crazy.” I pointed back to Nancy. “My friend over there…we’ve known each other since we were kids. She and I have always had these funny bets over the years. Anyway, she just basically accused me of not having a spontaneous bone in my body. I didn’t like that. It made me a little angry, actually.” I licked my lips. “You seem like a successful guy. I’m sure you know what it feels like to be competitive.”

He glanced over at Nancy, then back at me, still looking confused as he said, “Okay…”

“Well…she’s not entirely right about me. Just because someone chooses to live responsibly the majority of the time, that doesn’t mean they aren’t capable of having fun.” I was totally rambling and needed to get to the point. “Anyway, she got me to agree to a blind bet, where I would basically agree in advance to do whatever she directed me to—to prove my spontaneity. That’s why I’m here.”

“She told you to go up to a stranger and start babbling…”

I cringed. “Not exactly.”

“What then?”

“I’m supposed to…kiss you.”

He didn’t respond aside from narrowing his eyes.

Great.

Laughing nervously, I said, “I told you it was crazy.”

He finally spoke. “What do you get for kissing me?”

“Nothing. I just get to prove that I’m…adventurous.”

Silence lingered in the air for a few seconds before he suddenly got up.

Lovely. I’ve scared him off.

“Where are you going?”

“If we’re going to kiss, I should at least buy you a coffee. What do you drink?”

Oh. Oh. My heart sped up. This is going to happen, then?

“I already had a latte, but thank you.”

He continued to the counter anyway, and after a few minutes returned with the most hideous green drink I’d ever laid eyes on. It was in a gigantic cup with a candy cane straw and had what looked like red sparkles immersed throughout. Pretty sure I got a cavity, or diabetes, from just looking at it.

“What is that?”

“It’s their iced Christmas tree-ccino. Bought it for my nephew last season. Kept him on a sugar high for three days.” He handed it to me. “Tell you what, if you can drink all of this down, we can kiss.”

“What’s the point of making me drink this first?”

“Well, it’s going to take you a while because it’s so sweet. That will give us enough time to at least get to know each other properly before I’m supposed to apparently shove my tongue down your throat. But mostly, it will amuse me to watch you drink it. Bonus?” He looked over in Nancy’s direction. “Your friend looks really confused right about now. Serves her right, if you ask me.”

“That is sort of a bonus,” I said, looking back at her and smiling. “Alright. It’s a deal.”

Taking the first sip, I tried to down it fast without really tasting it. Unexpectedly, I got brain freeze and had to stop. “Ugh!” I rubbed my forehead.

He chuckled. “You okay?”

Coughing, I said, “Yup.” I slid the cup toward him. “Want a sip? It tastes like Juniper—like a Christmas tree. Maybe a little hint of sap.”

“I’m good.” He held out his palm. “So…” he said. “What do you do for fun when you’re not propositioning strangers in coffeehouses, Margo?”

“I….” Sadly, I couldn’t remember the last fun thing I’d done. My shoulder’s slumped realizing Nancy was absolutely right—I had no life anymore. “I work a lot. I’m pretty much married to the job.”

“Job is a lucky man.” There was a hint of a glimmer in his eyes. It was the first time I realized that maybe he wasn’t totally turned off by my ludicrous request for a kiss.

Jesus. My nerves had consumed me so much that I hadn’t even asked his name.

“I’m sorry…I didn’t get your name?”

“Chet.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” I took another long sip of the drink, and once again, it went straight to my head.

“I’d slow down on that if I were you. My nephew was bouncing off the walls. Wouldn’t want you to do anything to embarrass yourself.”

“Pretty sure I’m already there. But thanks.”

We shared a smile.

“You know what?” he said. “I admire your willingness to step out of your comfort zone.”

“Well, just think of the story you can tell your colleagues when you get back to the office.”

He laughed, showcasing his beautiful smile before his phone rang.

Chet looked down. “Shit. I have to take this.” He held up his index finger. “One second.”

I continued to sip the sickeningly sweet drink while he spoke on the phone. The tone of the call seemed urgent.

When he hung up, I asked, “Is everything okay?”

“Bit of a crisis back at the office. I’m gonna have to head out, unfortunately.”

Disappointment washed over me. This wasn’t going to happen after all. “Oh…okay. We can just forget about the whole thing, then.”

I stood up as he did the same.

I held my hand out. “It was nice meeting you.”

He took my hand, but instead of shaking it, he suddenly pulled me toward him. The next thing I knew, I felt the friction of his warm lips enveloping mine.

Everything went oddly silent, like the world just stopped as I became immersed in his taste, in his smell.

When his tongue first slipped inside my mouth, it was gentle. Within seconds, it became demanding as something inexplicable ignited between us. Soon, our tongues were colliding. We might have just met, but this just felt right—like I was made to do this.

My fingers raked through his silky, thick hair, touching this man freely as if we’d known each other for months, not mere minutes. The baritone groan of pleasure that exited his lips vibrated through me and made my body quiver.

I didn’t even know this guy, and yet suddenly, all I wanted in life was to continue doing this. You just know a man who could use his tongue like that for a kiss, could use it in other amazing ways. Couldn’t say I’d ever gotten wet from just a kiss before now.

He suddenly pulled away. His eyes were hazy. Both of us were out of breath.

I wanted more.

Come back.

I stammered, “That was…

He sighed deeply. “Yeah…”

Holy hell. That kiss was amazing.

After a bit of awkward laughter, we looked around and noticed that all eyes were on us. Nancy’s mouth was hanging open.

“Can I call you sometime?” he asked.

Not even having to give it a second thought, I said, “I would love that.”

He handed me his phone. “Enter your number for me?”

Flustered, I typed it as fast as I could, as if maybe I was going to wake up from this dream before I had a chance to add all the digits in and he’d disappear into thin air.

“I wish I didn’t have to run like this. But I’ll call you soon.”

“Good luck with whatever you have to deal with.”

“Pretty sure I might be a little distracted the rest of the day.”

I felt my face heat up.

Me too.

He winked. “Bye.” He was just out the door when he turned around and said, “It was like kissing my Christmas tree, by the way.”

I’d forgotten that my tongue must have tasted like that hideous green drink. “Bye…Chet,” I whispered to myself after he was already gone.

When I returned to the table, Nancy was fanning herself. “That was…interesting. Holy shit.”

“Yeah.” I smiled. “That was…it was…he was…” The words escaped me.

She was utterly amused. “Look at you. I’ve never seen you like this.”

I mindlessly sipped on the remainder of my green drink. “Pretty sure I’ve never felt like this.”