by Helen Cooper
A Boyfriend For Christmas
Helen Cooper
This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is entirely coincidental. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Copyright © 2012 by Helen Cooper
This short story is dedicated to all the readers who have enjoyed my books in 2012 and to all those that will enjoy my books in 2013.
Chapter 1
"Oh shit," Brynn cussed as she dropped her iPod on the floor as she was driving. Traffic was stopped and she bent down quickly to retrieve it. Unfortunately, as she went to grab it, she pushed it closer to her feet and she couldn't quite grasp it at the angle she was bent over. "Shut up, asshole." She glared at the car behind her that was honking at her. She put her foot back on the acceleration and bent down with her left hand to grab the iPod again. She was already feeling nervous because today was her first day at her new job and she wanted to listen to some of her favorite tunes to get her into her Zen state of mind.
"Come on David, I need you." She reached down further and grabbed. David Berkeley was her favorite singer, there was something about his voice that took her to her happy place and this was a morning she needed to get to her happy place. She'd had a sleepless night; Barb's kids had been acting up all night and had come into her room to interrupt her several times. She sighed to herself; she hadn't minded when her best friend, Barb had moved in with her two kids a couple of months previously. She had been happy for the help with the rent, but she was now past that point and she wanted Barb and the kids to leave. The only problem was she didn't know how to kick her clueless friend out.
She reached down one last time and accidentally pressed down on the brakes as she grabbed the iPod. Not three seconds later, she felt the honker crash into the back of her car. "Argh, impatient asshole." She sighed, she was sure that this was going to mean another ticket for her. More money out of her pocket before she even had her first paycheck. She looked in the rearview mirror and saw a man getting out of the car behind her with a furious look on his face.
She jumped out of the car and put her hands on her hips glaring at the man walking towards her, ready to start shouting back at him. She tried not to notice the gold tones of his hair shining in the sunlight through the light spattering of grey. The man's eyes were flashing at her in fury and she tried to ignore the little spark of excitement that ran through her. This man was pretty hot, well, he would be if he wasn't such an asshole, she thought.
"I hope you have insurance to fix my car," she shouted at him, determined to take the offensive.
"I have insurance but it is you who will be fixing my car." The man's voice was smooth and angry as he continued walking up to her. He stopped in front of her and pushed his face towards hers. "In fact, let's call the police now and see who they think is at fault here."
She swallowed as she looked into his face. He reminded her of a big snarly wolf and she tried to soften her gaze. "Well that's not really necessary, is it?" She looked up at him and blinked. Something about his face looked familiar. "Do I know you?" She cocked her head and studied him.
"I think not." His face was still hard. "Where's your insurance card?"
"Omg, just hang on a second." She glowered at him and reached into her purse. I have it here somewhere, I just changed it recently." She fiddled around in her bag and swallowed hard when she remembered. She had meant to renew her policy but her credit card had been declined. Shit. Not only was she going to lose her new job she was going to go to jail as well. “Look, can we just settle this fairly?” She smiled up at him winningly. “I’ll pay for my damage and you’ll pay for yours?”
“Is that a joke?” He looked at her like she was an idiot. “You barely have any damage and you are the reason why my car has any damage at all.”
“Look, I’m sorry,” she sighed.
“I don’t care how sorry you are. Let me see your insurance card,” he growled at her and she resisted the urge to slap him.
“I don’t have it, okay,” she snarled up at him annoyed. She noticed that he had green eyes, with specks of brown. They were pretty mesmerizing. In other circumstances, she would be flirting like crazy with him.
“What’s your name?” He sighed and took out a pen.
“Brynn. Brynn Winter.” She watched him writing her name down and jumped when he looked up at her suspiciously.
“Brynn Winter?” he sighed. “You’re not Lucky Winter’s sister, are you?”
“Yes I am.” She gazed at him, mouth agape. “How did you know that?”
“My name is Daz.” He paused. “Daz Harper.” He stared at her waiting for her to make the connection. She stared back at him, trying not to think about how full his lips looked before she glared at him.
“Omg, I remember you. You’re the Daz Harper that broke my sister’s heart.” She pointed her finger at him. “You’re lucky that I don’t kick your ass right now.” She glared at him and he rolled his eyes.
“I see you’re still as dramatic as ever, Brynn.” He smiled wryly.
“You remember me?”
“How could I forget you? You were as annoying then as you are now.”
“And you were as rude then as you are now.” She poked him in the chest and was taken aback by the firmness of his chest. “There’s no way I’m giving you my insurance info now, you deserve to pay for far worse.”
He watched her carefully and looked like he was going to say something to her but stopped himself. “I don’t really have anything to say to that, Brynn.”
“Yeah, most cheaters don’t.” She glared at him. This was the man that had dated her sister for two years in high school and then ended up cheating on her when he went away to college.
“That was a long time ago, Brynn,” he sighed. “And I doubt you know the whole story.”
“You mean the story of how you deflowered Lucky’s best friend when she went to visit her brother at college?”
“Like I said, you don’t know the whole story.”
“Yeah okay. Thank God Lucky never slept with you. Who knows what sort of diseases you may have brought home to her?”
“Who knows?” His voice held an amused tone and she looked at him suspiciously.
“What’s so funny?” She glared at him. “STD’s aren’t funny.”
“I see you are as full of drama as you always were.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.” He grinned. “But I guess today is your lucky day. I’m going to let you go without asking for what I assume is a non-existent insurance card.”
“Whatever.” She glared at him one last time and flounced back to her car. She couldn’t wait to call Lucky to tell her that she’d just seen Daz. They had broken up over ten years ago but she knew that Lucky had never really gotten over the betrayal. Brynn couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to find out that her best friend had slept with her boyfriend. Especially if she hadn’t even slept with said boyfriend.
She got into her car and heard Daz honk as he drove past her. She kept her face looking forward. She was glad to see him go. Though it was a pity that he was such a jerk and that he had dated her sister. She’d found him quite attractive as they had sparred back and forth.
“Brynn, get it together,” she snapped at herself as she started her car again. There was no reason for her to daydream about what-if’s. She needed to concentrate on the here and now. Because if she didn’t get her butt to the office, she would be out of a job before she even started it.
***
“Lucky, I can’t talk any more right now,”
Brynn hissed into the phone. “I’ll call you back.”
“But Brynn, I wanna know about Daz.”
“I gotta go.” Brynn hung up the phone and smiled at Doug, her new boss as he walked into her office.
“Is everything ok, Brynn?” He looked at her with concern, his blue eyes stared into hers intensely and she felt like he could read her brain.
“Yes, thanks Doug.” She opened a file on her desk. “Was just getting ready to file these cases.”
“Okay.” He paused. “Let me know if you need any help.”
“Yes, sir.” She smiled and tried to hold in a groan. There was no way she was going to ask one of the attorney’s to help her file the cases away. That would look just great. Hey, thanks for hiring me and if you don’t mind, do my job as well.
“Sorry, what as that, Brynn?” He walked up to her table and smiled at her.
“Oh nothing.” She clenched her teeth together so that she could make sure she didn’t mumble any of the thoughts in her mouth. She stood up and picked up the large stack of files and walked to the large filing room. She could feel Doug watching her as she walked and she hid a smile. She had a feeling that Doug had a crush on her but she wasn’t going to complain. She was pretty sure that he was the reason she’d gotten the job. She had originally applied to be a legal secretary but had blown the interview because she had no previous experience. However, he had asked her if she was interested in a file clerk position. She hadn’t been, but for $20 an hour, she would do just about anything right now.
“Oh Brynn,” Doug ran up to her as she opened the first file drawer. “I forgot to invite you to the Christmas party tomorrow evening.”
“Party?” Brynn looked at him in confusion.
“Yes, we have an annual holiday party. All the partners will be there,” he beamed. “It will be a great way for you to meet everyone at the firm.”
“Oh ok, if you’re sure.” Brynn’s voice was uncertain. She felt a bit bad going to a holiday party when she had only been on the job for one day.
“And bring friends. We’ll have a lot of free booze and we’ll have food catered from Giovanni’s.”
“Oh I love Giovanni’s.” Brynn’s stomach grumbled and they both laughed.
“See, even your stomach wants you to come.” He smiled at her. “It will be held at the Hilton Downtown at around 8pm.”
“Okay, that sounds good.” She watched as Doug walked away and she smiled. Maybe she could see something happening with him after all.
Chapter 2
“I don’t know if I can get a babysitter for tomorrow night,” Barb moaned as Brynn told her about the holiday party. “
“You have to come, Barb. It will be a fun. A free fun night out,” Brynn begged her friend. There was no way she wanted to go by herself.
“What am I going to do with the kids?”
“Hmm, let me think.” Brynn bit her lip and sighed. “We could always ask Lucky to come over and babysit.”
“Ooh, do you think she would?”
“Maybe.” Brynn grabbed her phone. “I owe her a phone call, let’s find out.”
Brynn waited for her sister to answer the phone wondering what she was doing. Her sister was a hairdresser and when she wasn’t dyeing and setting someone else’s hair, she was playing around with her own.
“Brynn, you took long enough.” Lucky answered the phone breathlessly.
“You okay?”
“Sorry, just had to run and get the phone.” Lucky paused. “So did you want to go red or purple, Monika?”
“Lucky, where are you?”
“Hold on a sec, Brynn. I’m just having Monika choose her hair color.”
“Lucky, do you want to just call me back?” Brynn offered her sister feeling bad that poor Monika was going to end up with a bad dye job if Lucky wasn’t 100% focused on what she was doing.
“Oh hell no, not you Monika. Brynn, just a sec.”
“Ok.” Brynn rolled her eyes at Barb who was watching her anxiously and throwing a ball back and forth with her five-year-old son, Cory.
“Ok, I’m back. Now tell me everything that Daz said to you.” Lucky’s voice was excited and worried at the same time.
“He didn’t really say much, Lucky. We weren’t exactly acting like age-old pals. He did hit my car,” Brynn sighed.
“Oh well, that’s good I guess.” Lucky’s voice was wistful. “Did he look really ugly and old?” she asked hopefully.
“No, not really.” Brynn’s voice was light but she felt her heart thumping. Daz had looked really good. A lot better than she remembered him looking. “Well, he did have a dash of gray in his hair but it didn’t look bad.” It made him look more distinguished she thought to herself.
“Oh,” Lucky sighed. “I have to go now Brynn I’ll talk to you later.”
“Wait,” Brynn screeched. “I have a favor to ask, can you babysit Cory and Jane tomorrow night? Barb and I want to go to an office party my law firm is throwing.”
“Are you joking? I’m coming with you bitches.” Lucky laughed into the phone. “Maybe I’ll get me a nice hot lawyer.”
“Lucky.” Brynn sighed. “You can’t do anything crazy at my office party.”
“I’ll be a good girl. But I’m coming.” Lucky paused. “Look, I went to a party at a law firm a few years ago and they had private nannies there to look after all the kids. Just bring Cory and Jane, it’ll be fine.”
“Hmm, do you think that’s going to be okay?” Brynn frowned. “They never said anything about private nannies.”
“That’s because they assume you know all about it, duh.” Lucky’s voice was patronizing. “It’s okay Monika, new dye jobs always sting the scalp.”
Brynn gasped and looked at Barb shaking her head.
“Look Brynn, I gotta go. Monika may end up with green hair,” Lucky whispered into the phone. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” And then she hung up.
“So?” Barb looked at her hopefully.
“She wants to come to the party too,” Brynn sighed. “But she said that we can bring the kids and that there will be nannies at the party.”
“Really?” Barb looked doubtful and sighed as Cory went running through the house.
“Jane, Jane, we’re going to a party tomorrow. Yay!” They could hear him shouting at his sister and they both looked at each other in horror.
“You’re responsible for them tomorrow night, Brynn. If there is no babysitter, you’re going to be responsible to look after them. Or I’m not coming.” Barb looked at her seriously.
“That’s fine, Barb.” Brynn bit her lip as she studied her friend. Barb was a little overweight, with long red hair and green eyes. She was perpetually tired and always talking about losing weight. Though that would never happened, if she continued baking cakes and cookies every day.
“Ok, what should I wear?” Barb jumped up in excitement. “We are going to have an awesome time. How sexy should we go?”
“I don’t think we should go too sexy, Barb.” Brynn laughed at her friend’s eagerness. “This is a work party after all.”
“But I want the men to notice me.” Barb laughed. “It’s about time I got a boyfriend.”
“Yeah,” Brynn sighed. “I’d like to start dating again.” It had been six months since she had broken up with her last boyfriend and she was ready to have someone in her bed again. She was starting to feel very horny and toys were not as good as the real thing. “Though, I don’t really know if I should start dating someone who works at the firm.” She thought about Doug for a second and dismissed him from her mind.
“So that will be our Christmas wish then.” Barb grabbed her hands. “Santa, if you are listening Brynn and I would like boyfriends for Christmas.”
“Preferably handsome, rich and loyal,” added Brynn.
“With big dicks.” Barb laughed.
“Barb!”
“C’mon now Brynn, let’s be real. I don’t want a three incher or a five minute man.”
“Qui
ckies can be fun too.”
“If you’re in a car or a swimming pool. In bed, five minutes is liable to get you kicked out.” The girls collapsed on the couch laughing and looked at each other happily.
“Oh Barb, what would I do without you?” Brynn gave her friend a quick hug and jumped up. “Okay, let’s go find outfits. We need to look classy and sexy.”
“Easy for you to say.” Barb stuck her tongue out at her friend. “You can fit into almost anything with your size six 8 figure. Now for me, at size fourteen, they just don’t make cute clothes for me.”
“Barb, you have a lot more outfits than me. And they look fantastic on you.” Brynn laughed at her friend. “All the men at the firm will be after you.” Brynn spoke earnestly, “You have that magic charm that attracts men.”