A Sugar Daddy for Winter (Sugar Daddies)

by Charity Parkerson

  A Sugar Daddy for Winter

  Charity Parkerson

  The scanning, uploading, and distributing of this book via the internet or via any other means without the permission of the copyright owner is illegal and punishable by law. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Brief passages may be quoted for review purposes if credit is given to the copyright holder. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. Any resemblances to person(s) living or dead, is completely coincidental. All items contained within this novel are products of the author’s imagination.

  —Warning: This book is intended for readers over the age of 18.

  Copyright © 2020 Charity Parkerson

  Editor: BZ Hercules & Consultants

  All rights reserved.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Introduction

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  About the Author

  Introduction

  Everyone knows the holidays suck for single people. One trip to Aspen with Winter, and Ivan knows they won’t be spending another year alone.

  Even though Ivan has a high-paying job, that doesn’t mean he has any desire to be anyone’s sugar daddy. He’s seen men his age go through their mid-life crisis with gold diggers and doesn’t want to be that guy. Unfortunately, there’s one thing worse than being used for his money—being alone during the holidays. He’s about to strike a deal to end that horrible tradition.

  Winter only knows Ivan as the surly Russian who gets a single drink at his bar each night and always leaves a huge tip. The last thing he expects is Ivan’s sudden offer for a trip to Aspen. A moment of pure insanity mixed with the holiday blues has him accepting. He has no idea how to act or what to expect. There’s no way he could prepare for the storm known as Ivan that upturns his life.

  A Sugar Daddy for Winter is a short standalone story loosely connected to Charity Parkerson’s Sugar Daddies series. While there is no need to have read any of the series to enjoy this book, if you’re interested, Sugar Daddies is a contemporary romance, age-gap series where the men are hot, rich, and don’t like to be told no.

  One

  The sun shone brightly through the colored glass windows of Silver Taproom, causing a rainbow of color to stretch across the hardwood floor. It didn’t feel like Christmas Eve. Of course, it was Malibu. Every day seemed the same. Sometimes, the days were a little hotter or colder. That was it. Everything else stayed the same. Winter had always believed it was dumb as hell to set a plastic Santa anywhere in this town. Just once, he thought he might like to see snow on Christmas. It seemed odd that a guy named for the coldest season of the year had never gotten to build a snowman, but nope. His entire twenty-five years had passed without a single snowy day, much less a white Christmas. Maybe it was a small wish for most, but Winter was single and poor. It didn’t feel likely he would ever not be either of those things. Therefore, his dreams of enjoying a winter wonderland for the holidays felt pretty damn farfetched.

  “What are your plans for the holiday?”

  Winter blinked several times at the question, pulling him from his musings. It wasn’t the actual inquiry or the heavy Russian accent that jarred him. It was the person who spoke. Ivan Kuznetsov came to Silver Taproom every single day at exactly five thirty and ordered a vodka on the rocks. He always waited for Winter to be the bartender who served him. In fact, no one else bothered asking him what he wanted any longer. Every day, Ivan ordered the same drink. Just the one. It was an eight-dollar drink. Each day, he handed Winter a hundred-dollar bill and told Winter to keep the change. Unbeknownst to Ivan, he single-handedly paid Winter’s rent each month. Ivan didn’t know this fact because the guy never spoke. Winter only knew his name because everyone did. Ivan owned the law office across the street. Having Ivan speak to him now caught Winter off guard and made him slow to respond.

  “I don’t have any plans.”

  Ivan’s mouth lifted in one corner. He was a cold-looking man. Ivan kept his head shaved bald and his eyes were the color of the sky on a chilly winter’s day. There was something about his severe jaw line combined with his meticulous suit. Ivan looked like a man who owned some whips. Winter fought a smile at the thought. Ivan made his stomach quiver, and that was why Winter never ventured far from the man’s spot at the bar when he was there. Winter had been waiting for this moment. The moment when Ivan finally noticed him.

  Since Ivan fired the first conversation bullet, Winter decided to learn what he could about the man while he had the chance. “What do you usually do for the holidays?”

  For a moment, Ivan eyed him in silence, before ignoring Winter’s question to ask another of his own. “When you say you have no plans, was that your way of avoiding talking to a stranger or do you really do nothing this time of year?”

  Winter was unbothered by Ivan’s unwillingness to talk about himself. People told Winter their problems all day long. It was rare for anyone to ask about his life. Winter found himself being honest in the face of Ivan’s seemingly genuine curiosity. “I see you every day, so I don’t think of you as a stranger. My family stopped talking to me when I came out at twenty. I’ve come to terms with that, but it’s definitely cleared my holiday schedule for the past five years.”

  Ivan slowly nodded, as if turning Winter’s words over in his head. When he finally spoke, it was halting, as if he didn’t enjoy talking about himself. “It is not acceptable to be gay where I am from. Leaving my country and my family was the only way for me to be free. Most of the time, this life is much better. Except...”

  Winter nodded. “I get it. I have friends who are always suggesting we do a chosen family holiday where we drink wine and draw names to buy presents. Their hearts are in the right place, but they all have partners or spouses. Honestly, being with them during the holidays makes me lonelier than being alone. So I usually save my money all year to buy myself one nice gift and order Chinese takeout. New Year’s Eve is usually a little better since I’m always working, and everyone is drinking.”

  “Until the clock strikes midnight.”

  Winter automatically flinched at Ivan’s words. It was obvious Ivan understood. “Yep, until then.”

  Ivan cast a look around. “How difficult is it for you to take off from this place?”

  “Easier than you’d think. Kyle, the owner, he does a pretty decent job of keeping a ton of bar backs on the payroll, so we have plenty of people willing to take our spots.”

  “Good.” Ivan held Winter in place with his stare. “Would you like to see snow for Christmas?”

  A smile exploded across Winter’s face. “I was just thinking about how much I would love to see snow on Christmas just once. It’s embarrassing to admit that I have a name that doesn’t match my list of experience.”

  Ivan didn’t smile as Winter hoped. Instead, a moment passed in silence as they held each other’s stare. Something unnamed stirred in Winter’s chest, making it a little harder to breathe. There was so much heat between them that Winter scared himself a bit in that moment. Ivan’s eyebrows rose. “I wasn’t simply making conversation. It was a genuine question. I own a cabin in Aspen. When you get off, would you like to go with me for a few days? It is very beautiful there this time of year.”

  An uncomfortable-sounding chuckle escaped Winter. “I don’t even know you
.”

  Ivan smiled.

  Winter had to take a steadying breath. He had been completely unprepared for Ivan’s smile. It was deep lines and sexy as sin.

  Ivan didn’t give him time to adjust to this new side of him. “Five minutes ago, you claimed I’m not a stranger. Now you don’t know me. Which is it, Winter?”

  First off, Winter hadn’t known Ivan knew his name. Second, goddamn. His name in Ivan’s accent was like having his cock stroked. Temptation crippled him. Despite all good sense, he found himself leaning against the bar separating them just to be a hair closer. “Tell me one thing and I’ll go.”

  “Bated breath.”

  Holy shit, he was sexy. “Who do you let serve you on the nights I’m not working?”

  Ivan smirked and weakened Winter’s knees. “No one. I don’t come here if you’re not working. I come for you.”

  Hearing Ivan talk about coming for him had Winter incapable of gathering a witty retort. Not that it mattered.

  Ivan stood, dug out his wallet, and passed Winter a hundred-dollar bill and a card with his number. “Be ready to leave in two hours.”

  Shock froze Winter’s tongue. In truth, he hadn’t thought Ivan was serious. Yet he felt himself nodding. His body agreed to Ivan’s demands with no permission from his brain. He watched Ivan head for the door and did nothing to stop him so he could take it back. Winter searched his heart and found the truth waiting for him. He didn’t want to spend another Christmas alone. Even if it meant going to Aspen with a man he barely knew, Winter couldn’t live through another year of silent suffering. Ivan had offered him an out. Crazy or not, Winter wouldn’t back down. He was going to Aspen with one of the sexiest men Winter had ever set eyes on. He couldn’t wait.

  Two

  Whether Winter had agreed to go or not, Ivan would still have gone to Aspen. He went every year. This was better, though. While Winter was always quiet, he was unnaturally silent throughout the flight. Ivan took the opportunity to stare at Winter while Winter kept his gaze locked on the window. He enjoyed watching Winter.

  For two years, Ivan had shown up each night to see Winter. The first time he had crossed the street to visit Silver Taproom, Ivan had genuinely needed a drink. He couldn’t recall what small work-related irritation had sent him over the edge that day, but he remembered every detail of the first time he met Winter. Ivan smiled at the memory. In his fury at whatever had inconvenienced his life that day, Ivan had slipped and spoken in Russian while ordering. People had no idea how hard it could be to stay in a secondary language at all times. Winter had smiled and set his hand on Ivan’s arm. Air had filled Ivan’s lungs, giving him the moment that he needed to relax his shoulders. No one touched him casually. In that instant, Winter had his attention.

  Winter probably stood around five-ten. His brown hair and dark blue eyes probably didn’t stand out to most. He looked like every bartender everywhere. Winter didn’t try to stand out. He always quietly went about his job—like simply doing his best to get through the day. In fact, he usually kept his head down like he didn’t want to meet anyone’s stare accidentally, but he always looked directly at Ivan.

  Throughout picking up his rental and driving to the cabin, Winter didn’t say a word. As Ivan turned onto the road that led to his cabin, he finally broke. “Are you always quiet?”

  A low rumble of laughter came from the passenger seat. “I’m actively trying not to talk.”

  Ivan shot Winter a questioning look. “Do I make you nervous?”

  Winter shifted positions, turning Ivan’s way in his seat. “No. I wouldn’t have agreed to come if you did. You’re always quiet, so it makes me feel I should be too, so I’m not annoying.”

  A spike of irritation ran through Ivan. It was obvious someone had told Winter in the past he talked too much. “Ah. You live by that old adage.”

  “Which one?”

  A smile tugged at Ivan’s lips at Winter falling into his trap. “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will have me fifty thousand dollars in debt, paying for therapy.”

  A laugh burst from Winter. “You’ve been reading my diary.”

  “I have to. You don’t talk.” Ivan loved the sound of Winter’s laughter.

  Winter playfully slapped his shoulder. “You’re one to talk. I’ve been serving you drinks for two years now and I only know your name because someone told me you own the law office across the street. Truthfully, I should be completely terrified right now. I know next to nothing about you, but here I am.”

  Ivan tossed Winter an exasperated glance. “After two years, do you truly consider me a stranger?”

  Winter leaned his head against the seat. Ivan had to force his eyes to stay focused on the road. Winter was beautiful. “No,” Winter said after a moment. “I’m oddly attached to seeing you every day.” Winter’s tone turned hesitant, as if questioning if he should say more. “Actually, you’ll probably think I’m crazy and drop me on the side of the road, but you were twenty minutes late one day, and I was a mess. I didn’t know if I should start calling hospitals or fall into a fit of depression.”

  Ivan’s chest tightened. He couldn’t explain his obsession with Winter without sounding crazy, but that was what it was. Winter had Ivan infatuated. He had been for a long time. “I remember that day. My boss was at his Vegas property and needed me. He flew me in, and things took longer than expected. I lost my temper when I realized there was no way I could avoid being late. After explaining the situation to Zander, he agreed our business could wait for one night.” Ivan had said too much. He half expected Winter would jump from the car.

  Winter kept surprising him. “I almost asked for your number that night.”

  “Why didn’t you?” Ivan held his breath. No one knew how much he wanted Winter.

  For a moment, Winter didn’t speak. When he did, he sounded almost shy. “I was afraid you wouldn’t come back if I did. You’re the only thing I have to look forward to each day.”

  Ivan thanked every deity listening that they had reached the driveway of the cabin, because he needed Winter to be one hundred percent clear on where Ivan stood. He quickly steered into the driveway and put the car in park. Without giving Winter a chance to get away, Ivan unbuckled his seatbelt, leaned over the console between them, and claimed Winter’s mouth. A tiny part of Ivan wanted to laugh at the shock that passed over Winter’s face a moment before their lips met. That hint of humor ended up completely demolished by lust. Winter might have been caught off guard, but he obviously wasn’t opposed. He came back at Ivan with every bit as much desperation as Ivan felt. This hadn’t been Ivan’s plan. He had hoped to seduce Winter with kindness. Instead, he savored Winter’s tongue. His kiss was so much softer than Ivan ever imagined. Winter touched Ivan’s cheek. Ivan lost his breath.

  Calling upon strength Ivan didn’t know he possessed, he forced his lips away from Winter’s. He couldn’t move completely away. Ivan kissed Winter’s cheek before moving to kiss the bridge of his nose. Ivan couldn’t stop. His lips were drawn to Winter. It was out of his control. When Ivan finally moved away, Winter’s eyes didn’t open immediately. His cheeks were flushed, and his lips parted on a breath. When Winter’s eyes opened and his sexy blue gaze landed on Ivan, Ivan lost his breath. Winter wanted him too. Ivan should have taken a chance long before tonight. He saw the truth now that it stared him in the face. There was no turning back. They had always been meant to end up here.

  Winter’s mind was a complete mess. First, he had made the insane decision to take a trip with a man he barely knew. Then he had practically admitted to being obsessed with the guy. Now, he couldn’t shake their off-the-charts kiss. Haunted. That was the best word Winter could think of to describe how this trip would leave him when it was over. Winter would spend the rest of his life haunted by this man he couldn’t have. See, Winter wasn’t stupid. He knew he had agreed to a Christmas fling. Before that kiss, he had been fine with his decision. He wanted Ivan. They were adults. Cut and dry. Nothing f
elt simple anymore. They hadn’t even hit the sheets yet, and Winter already couldn’t breathe at the thought of going back to their daily routine of one drink a night. He was not the love-them-and-leave-them type. Winter hoped he could pretend to be a sophisticated adult when this was over.

  As Ivan led Winter inside a cabin the size of a ski resort, Winter tried to hide his awe. The place was massive and gorgeous. It looked like something out of a magazine. Tucked away in the woodlands, the place had the highest ceilings Winter had ever seen. There was an indoor pool and steam rose from a hot tub beside it. Winter forced himself to snap his jaw closed more than once. In theory, he had known Ivan had money. This was something else altogether. The cabin was a vacation home. Winter couldn’t begin to imagine what Ivan’s actual home looked like. Even the wooden ceilings and stone fireplace took his breath. And those were just the things he could see from where they stood, removing their jackets and shoes. The luxury of the place saved Winter when Ivan looked his way with raised eyebrows.

  “Am I putting your bag in my room?”

  Winter’s mind was too blown to overthink the question. “Yes.” The furious blush over his audacity didn’t hit until Ivan already turned away. Winter pressed his frozen hands to his hot cheeks and followed Ivan up the stairs. The loft overlooked the living area and pool. Winter’s steps faltered as he noticed a Christmas tree already decorated and lit by the massive bay window. “You have a Christmas tree.” Honestly, Winter had no idea why that was the detail that blew him away the most to the point of surprising a comment from him, but it did.