I walked into my kitchen and looked around. The counters were still clean, and so was the floor. The refrigerator looked as though it hadn’t been touched, but I opened it just in case. Everything was where I’d left it. Then I turned to my bedroom.
My heart nearly beat out of my chest. I felt the tiny hairs standing up on my neck. I quietly fished my pepper spray out of the drawer near the oven and took my baseball bat out of the pantry.
I realized I could be totally crazy and imagining things, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Slowly, I tiptoed out of the kitchen and down the hallway, opening the closets, creeping into the hall bathroom, the guest bedroom, and then my bedroom. After I cleared my master bathroom, I realized I was definitely alone in my flat.
With a sigh of relief, I released all the tension in my body. I didn’t know why I felt so paranoid. Then Arthur Valentine’s beady eyes, deep with evil, came to mind. I was scared of him, and I knew why. I loved the man who was obligated to marry his daughter, and getting in the middle of Jasper and Julia’s relationship would be a very dangerous thing.
Chapter Seven
Before bed, Rachel sent my travel itinerary. A limousine arrived at my row house at seven a.m. the next morning and took me to the airport. Fresh orange juice, coffee, and bagels with cream cheese were waiting for me in the back seat. As far as wooing went, Rachel was starting off on the right foot.
My one-hour flight to New York landed at LaGuardia less than an hour later. There was a brisk pace to the morning that I welcomed. Not since yesterday had I thought about Jasper Christmas. My brain fought the urge to do so up until I was sitting in my second limousine of the day, drinking a mimosa and eating chocolate-covered strawberries, pineapple, and apple slices. My cell phone rang, and I answered it, thinking it was Rachel calling to check on me.
“You’re doing well,” I said.
“Who’s doing well?” Jasper replied in his customary grumpy voice.
I gasped, which made a piece of strawberry and chocolate go down the wrong pipe, making me cough uncontrollably.
“Jasper?” I finally asked after I calmed down enough to speak.
“If you’re coughing, don’t talk. I can wait,” he said.
His tone made me want to shrink in my seat as if I were a schoolkid being scolded by a parent. I cleared my throat one last time. “I’m fine,” I said, even though my voice still sounded strained. “What do you want?” That was all I could think to say.
“What are you doing in New York? We didn’t discuss you being in the city.”
I shook my head as if I had just been shocked by a jolt of electricity. I mean, the audacity of this guy. “How do you know I’m in New York?”
“Why are you here?” he asserted.
My shock gave way to anger. “Are you serious? You didn’t even have the decency to say goodbye before leaving the other morning, and now you’re asking me why I’m in New York? Fuck you, Jasper. You’re arrogant and entitled. Fuck you.” Those words had been pent up inside me for two days, and I was thankful for the opportunity to release them, although it hadn’t made me feel any better. I only felt more distance between us.
As usual, Jasper was silent. But I wasn’t going to spend my energy directing him to say something.
“I apologize for how I handled the situation,” he finally said. “I wanted to be more considerate.”
What the hell does that even mean? “Situation?” I asked, emboldened by my anger.
“You did see that I left you a note?”
“Yes, but—”
“Did you read it?”
“Of course I did,” I shouted. “Can you imagine how it feels to wake up in the morning, and the person you offered your most intimate parts to is gone?”
“Then you’re in the city because you’re looking for me?” he asked.
The driver was watching me through the rearview mirror. I pointed my watery eyes at my lap as I burned with embarrassment, anger, and pain. Without another word, I pressed the End button on my cell phone. My mind didn’t know how to fully process the call. Jasper and I were not in the same frame of mind. But I was positive my heart was done feeling for Jasper Christmas. What an arrogant and unfeeling jerk.
The phone rang five more times. It was Jasper, and I sent his calls to voice mail. However, each time I did, the dull ache in the pit of my stomach pushed me closer toward answering. But if Jasper thought I was one of those desperate girls who would put up with his bullshit because he had the face of a hunky angel and the figure of Adonis carved in marble, he was wrong.
How in the hell does he know I’m in New York anyway? Perhaps he knew the same way he’d known how to find me at the hotel room in Harrisonburg. I suddenly felt as if I were being watched. My skin crawled as I twisted in my seat and searched out the back window, studying the faces of those in cars behind us. The spy couldn’t have been the man clutching the steering wheel, frowning so intensely that I was sure he had a headache the size of Mars. It couldn’t have been the couple in the dark-blue sedan, the man and woman seemingly lost in their own thoughts. There were lots of buses, taxis, and cars going way too fast for the drivers to spy on me. Then I peeked at the driver’s face in the rearview mirror. His eyes remained steadily on the road. It definitely wasn’t him.
I took two steadying breaths. First of all, I was not overreacting—someone was following me. However, I knew Jasper didn’t mean me any harm. Therefore, locating the snoop was the least of my concerns. But why is he having me followed? I didn’t have to ponder the answer to that question for long. The reason was Arthur Valentine, of course. Not only that, but New York City was the Valentines’ playground. Also, Christmas Industries’ corporate office was there. Jasper’s here!
“Fuck,” I muttered. I downed another mimosa and gobbled a chocolate-coated strawberry and pineapple.
I closed my eyes, forcing my brain to completely abandon thoughts of Jasper. Then my eyes popped open. My meeting tomorrow with Alexia. I had to be extra careful to make sure I wasn’t followed by anyone, not even Jasper’s tail. The heaviness of being watched weighed on me, and my internal agony made me moan.
“Are you okay, Miss Henderson?” the driver asked.
I smiled tightly. “Sure.” I didn’t sound convincing, but he accepted my response for what it was.
Finally, we arrived in Midtown, which I had always termed one of the busiest places on earth. We drove through the maze of tall buildings until we reached the Time Warner Center. Thank goodness I was in a big, fancy car that commanded a lot of respect. I was dropped off right in front of the gigantic glass doors and escorted inside by a smiling doorman who knew to refer to me as Miss Henderson. Rachel was certainly pulling out all the stops. But I was still vacillating. I didn’t know if Jasper being in town made me lean toward moving to New York or not.
The inside of the building was ultramodern and bustling with business. The energy was gripping. I was soon handed off to a woman named Tori Royal. She said she was an associate producer for the show and escorted me to a more private elevator. Tori never stopped talking about all the perks the job had to offer. There were free meals in the dining hall, which was more like a four-star restaurant. The gym came with my own trainer to keep me on track with a healthy workout regime for when I was on and off the road.
“Do you run, Holly?” Her studious gaze went from my head to my toes then back to my face.
“Um, yes, usually. But I haven’t done it in a while.” I was disappointed with myself. I could blame Jasper Christmas for that too.
“I can tell. You have a runner’s body. The treadmills are high-end.” She went on about free massages, facials, and sleeping suites on the top floors in case I needed to catch a quick nap. All flights were first-class. I could book a car to take me to the airport whenever I wanted.
She would’ve kept listing perks if the elevator doors hadn’t opened.
Rachel was standing in front of us with her arms open wide. “You’re here,” she sang, and
we hugged.
“I am,” I said in the same jubilant tone.
Rachel looked the same, with her easy smile, dark-brown hair, and hazel eyes.
My eyes traveled up and down her thin frame and her expensive black pantsuit. “Will I have to dress like that every day?”
“No, no, no,” she scolded. “Don’t start searching for a reason to bail out now. First”—she slapped her hands together—“did you enjoy your rides to and from the airport?”
I smiled at the light in her eyes. She was purposely going to make it difficult for me to say no.
“Yes, I did.” Except the last part when Jasper Christmas called to hound me about being in the city.
“Good. Now, how about we get down to business?”
“The sooner the better,” I said and followed her into the elevator.
She took me on a tour of the newsroom, including the editing bays. Rachel revealed that I would spend most of my time on the road. But she explained how I would work from a satellite truck with an editor and a producer who would be sitting in the editing bays where we were standing. It was the place where they would build my news story for the broadcast.
“We’ll give you one to five days to have your story ready,” she said with a glint of passion for her profession in her eyes.
Then she introduced me to a team composed of a field director named Tabatha, a cameraman named Luke, a lighting guy named Richard, and an audio tech named Scott.
“You’ll also have two field producers, who are really good,” Rachel said.
Every time I shook a hand and introduced myself to capable team members, it became harder to tell Rachel that I would have to pass on her offer. The operation was impressive but overwhelming. I was already missing my quiet little office in Philadelphia, where I had complete autonomy.
Then we entered a nice office with an off-white leather sofa and two high-backed black velvet chairs. A big desk was right in front of the window, which provided a stellar view of Central Park.
“Wow, what a nice office,” I said, noticing the floating wall shelves, which held a few trinkets. “You haven’t done much decorating, though.”
Rachel pointed her hand at the executive’s chair. “You sit there.”
I tilted my head slightly. “Why?”
“Just sit,” she urged. Then she took the seat across from the big chair.
I sighed with a moan but did as she asked. “I’m still not convinced.”
“Well…” She folded her arms. “This job is also going to come with the story that’s going to take your career to the next level.”
Then I remembered. “Right. You have something on the Christmases.”
She smiled coyly. “On Christmas Industries.”
I sat up straighter. “So spill it.”
“Uh, uh, uh.” She shook her head. “If you’re going to follow this story, then you’re going to do it for us.”
I shrugged. “Either I’ll take your job offer or do it as a one-off. But you know I want to remain a hard-news investigative reporter with my reputation still intact, so this story better be fucking worth it.”
She rolled her eyes. “You don’t lose your cred because you’re doing TV, Holly.”
“I do not concur.”
“Burt Glass contributes to the Peterman News Hour just about every night.”
Passion made me extend my body forward. “Right, and I don’t believe a damn thing he says. I want to know his goddamn sources.”
“You’ll have a team. A big, beautiful team that’s going to help you dig deeper and faster. Plus, I’ve hired the best researchers and fact-checkers on the planet.” She aimed her finger at me, shaking it. “And you know better than to doubt it if I say it.”
I nodded in agreement. “True.” I twisted my mouth as I pondered her offer. I couldn’t deny that I was excited about working with a team that would help me dig up a story. I had been doing it all by myself, and before leaving for my stay at the Christmas mansion, I’d been between research assistants. I had never been good at hiring them. But Rachel knew how to find diamonds in the rough, which was how she’d unearthed me.
“Okay, I have one foot in the door. You’ll have to divulge your lead on the Christmases to get my second foot over that threshold,” I said.
Rachel studied me scrupulously. “You promise to not take our lead and run if you don’t end up taking the job?”
“I promise,” I said, making sure my tone was sincere. Plus, Rachel had to know I would never screw her over like that.
She leaned toward me as if what she had to say was sacred. “The sexual impropriety that’s been going on in that company is on a scale the world has never seen. I’m talking about withholding paychecks until women sleep with their bosses and actual sex dungeons. Assistants are cajoled into prostitution for clients and their bosses. They’ve only hired female assistants. Six of the male executives are registered sex offenders. And I heard that the rabbit hole runs deeper than that.”
I’d almost forgotten to breathe while listening to her. Part of me wanted to run out and ask Jasper if he knew anything about what Rachel was claiming. Another part knew that Rachel had to have proof that even an inkling of the story was true before sending me out to investigate it. But I had to be honest with her before she agreed to assign me the story.
I stared at the door as if I had to make sure it was appropriately sealed. “I have something to tell you.”
She leaned toward me, wearing a curious frown, and that gave me leeway to speak.
“I’ve been involved with Jasper Christmas.”
She nodded as though what I’d just told her was no big thing.
I tilted my head, eyeing her curiously. “You already know?”
Rachel smiled wryly. “Kylie Roberson is the host.”
“Okay,” I exclaimed, throwing my hands up. “She told you?”
Rachel rolled her eyes. “Come on, Holls. Off with the dramatics. We need to break this story, and if you’re close to Jasper Christmas, you’re probably the only person who can stay ahead of him.”
“What do you mean, stay ahead of him?”
“I don’t think he’s involved, but he’s been sweeping his brothers’ and father’s shit under the rug since before he graduated from college. I say that to let you know that he’s fucking formidable. We need to prove this story before the guy they call Ace goes into cleanup mode.”
I nibbled nervously on my bottom lip.
She shrugged her eyebrows twice. “Come on, Holls. You can do it.”
I gritted my teeth and groaned. “I don’t know, Rach. He’s impossible, and I don’t ever want to see him again. Plus, he’s marrying Julia Valentine.”
Rachel sighed. “I heard. But their relationship doesn’t ring true to me. And I’ll tell you why. She was in love with a guy named Octavio Soto, a polo player from Argentina. About six months ago, he was found nearly beaten to death in an alley near Thirty-Fourth. After that, their relationship ended. My sources said that her father, Arthur Valentine, actually ordered the poor guy’s murder because he opposed their relationship. She’s a beautiful girl, and her father always has his eyes on the—” Rachel gasped as she put a hand over her mouth. “Holy grail, Jasper intends to make her First Lady of the United States of America.”
I pressed my lips together and closed my eyes, forcing myself not to cry as I nodded. “I know.” Of course Rachel would figure out their intentions in a snap. She was savvy in that way. She knew how people like the Christmases and Valentines thought.
“Wow, you really like him a lot. I’m sorry, Holls, but men like Jasper Christmas…”
I opened my eyes, happy that I’d staved off the tears. “Have obligations. I know.”
She continued looking at me with sympathy. “Listen, I can put someone else on the story.”
“No,” I said abruptly. “I’ll do it, and I’ll take the job.”
Rachel’s eyes grew wide with excitement. “You will?”
My sm
ile was genuine even though it felt forced. I was experiencing a strange paradox. I didn’t want any other reporter to handle the investigation into Christmas Industries. I also wanted to prove to myself that I could investigate the family without feeling guilty about it. Plus, Bryn had taken off to God knew where with Dale Rumor. Spencer and Asher wouldn’t give a damn if I fell off the face of the earth, and apparently, neither would Jasper. At least that was what I needed to believe in order to perform my due diligence in the investigation of gross sexual misconduct allegations.
“Why not?” I asked. “You were right. It’s time I take that huge next step into the next stage of my career.”
“Yes,” Rachel shouted as she pumped her fist. “I promise you, this is the best decision you’ve ever made. You’re my last hire. Tonight, I’m going to introduce our entire team at the Gold Star Gala.”
My mouth fell open. “Gold Star Gala? I didn’t bring anything to wear to a gala.”
“This is New York. We can get what you need like”—she snapped her fingers—“that.”
The impact of what had just occurred hit hard. “Wow. Did I just accept a new job?”
Rachel shot to her feet. “Yes, and this is your new office.” She extended a hand.
My eyes took in every aspect of my surroundings. “Nice,” I said, nodding.
She grinned wryly. “Catch.” I opened my hands as she tossed me the keys to my new office. “By the way, I knew you would say yes.”
I tossed my head back and laughed. “Whatever.” She was so wrong. “By the way, the pay is still what you quoted me yesterday?”
She stretched her arms out wide. “Plus a big fat bonus. Truly, Holly, I’m elated to have you on board. I saved you for last because I knew you’d be the hardest to convince. However…” She narrowed an eye.
Desire: The Dark Christmases Page 6