by Mia Ford
“Hi,” I said. “I’m Cameron.”
“Well, hello, Cameron,” she said flirtatiously. “My name is Bambi.”
We sat and flirted relentlessly, our legs intertwined, and stuck in the corner of the lounge, oblivious to everyone else around us. She was so sexy, and I think the fact that she saved me from a forever conversation made her even sexier than before. Her name was Bambi, and Bambi was about as smart as you would imagine her to be, but I had zero interest in her brain that night. In fact, I had zero interest in her brain any night, and I really wasn’t concerned with anything she actually had to say. I was an ass, but not usually that much of an ass. I didn’t know what came over me. I usually treated every woman I met like a princess, even if I only planned on knowing them for an hour or two. It was the right thing to do. My thoughts were drawn from that, though, as Bambi laid her hand on my thigh and leaned into me.
“Why don’t you take me to my room where we can be more comfortable?” she whispered. “I have a bottle of Cristal, all lonely upstairs.”
“I like that idea.” I smiled. “Let me just go talk with my buddy for a second, and we can be on our way.”
She nodded her head, but as I pulled back, she leaned in and kissed me deep and hard, pulling my bottom lip into her mouth and sucking on it. I lingered there for a moment, trying to get my footing. My mind immediately went right where she wanted it to go, my dick. I smiled charmingly at her and stood up, adjusting myself so I didn’t run into someone with my boner. I shook my head, walking back over to Glen, who was still lost in his own little world of families. I pulled my coat from the chair, bringing him back to the present.
“Things are going well, I presume?”
“You could say that.” I laughed, looking back over my shoulder.
“There are a million girls in the room, and you manage to pick out the fakest bimbo in the bunch.” Glen chuckled.
“They are the most open, the most non-threatening, and usually take the least amount of time to get naked,” I replied. “Needless to say, I won’t be settling down tonight.”
I winked at Glen and threw him my wallet for the drinks I promised to buy, before walking over and lifting Bambi up out of her chair. As we walked away, I looked back over at Glen who was shaking his head, but smiling. Nope, no settling down in my future, even if that meant I lost him as my partner.
Chapter 6
Bea
My fingers were moving twice as fast as they normally did on the keyboard. I had started the new project, a romance sequel, and with my current mood on relationships, when they asked me for a “sarcastic but in the end, a Prince Charming” type of love story, I knew I would be perfect for it. The ideas were flowing so fast that I wrote the plot outline in about three minutes before jumping right into the whole story. It wasn’t often anymore that my creativity was sparked, especially since I never had time to write anything for myself, but today, I was feeling the vibe with this book.
Hailey had called that morning, and I told her I had some news, so she said she would drop by when she was done with work, leaving me a perfect stopping point for the day. Otherwise, I would keep going, not sleeping at all. Until then, I just put my nose down and worked hard, glad that my thoughts were not swimming around Grant and the fact that I was going to be the old, lonely spinster for Christmas. I just wanted to have a normal life, with a normal relationship, and a Christmas surrounded by snow, Christmas lights, and people that I loved. I sighed to myself, realizing that wasn’t going to happen this year and that I better just start hoping for a good change over the next year, so the next Christmas can be better.
My thoughts shifted when a knock came to the door, and I glanced down at the time. I had been writing all day, not even realizing how late it was getting. I got up from my desk and walked out to the living room and across to the front door. Hailey smiled and held up a bottle of wine as she walked inside.
“What’s that for?” I asked.
“I don’t know.” She laughed. “But it’s not often you have something to tell me, and wine goes well with bad news and good news.”
“Too true,” I replied. “This is why you are my best friend.”
I walked in and grabbed some glasses, tossing Hailey the corkscrew and waiting for her to fill our glasses. We wandered into the living room and sat on the couch, the fireplace roaring. Hailey looked around the room and smiled, glancing over at the view from the windows.
“Seriously, you have like the best place ever.” She smiled. “You are like, my life goal.”
“Oh, God.” I laughed. “If your goal is to be a lonely, hermit, single woman, then we have to talk.”
“Wait, what?”
“Yeah.” I sighed. “Grant came over last night. We were supposed to have me and him time, but to him, that meant he wanted to go out to some fancy club. To me, that meant curled up in front of the fireplace watching movies. Well, one thing led to another, and we were arguing as he berated me for being a writer, a woman, a person even. Then, when I said I wasn’t going to the club, between the ringing of his phone, he broke up with me and walked out the door, taking all my ideas of the future out with him.”
“I’m sorry, Bea,” Hailey said sympathetically.
“The thing I realized was, I wasn’t even sad about it,” I replied. “I didn’t shed one tear, until I realized what I just got myself out of. Damnit if I didn’t see how badly he treated me until he was gone. Then came the depression, thinking about the Christmas I had to spend alone, and the fact that I will always be the single old lady that never finds a husband. That was what hit me the most, the desperation of it all.”
“Well,” Bea said, taking a deep breath. “I think you are better off spinstering it with me, than spending another day letting ‘Old English’ berate and beat you down until you turned into the woman he wanted. Come on. Finish that wine and get dressed. We’re going shopping.”
“Now that is the kind of demand I can fold to.” I laughed. “Thanks for coming over, Hailey. And thank you for not telling me ‘you told me so.’”
“Well, that will come later,” she replied. “I’m gonna hit you with some love and empathy before I remind you how smart I am, and how you should always listen to me.”
“Is that how it works?”
“Yep.” She laughed.
I finished my glass of wine and went into the other room where I changed my clothes and pulled my hair back in a ponytail. The weather was cold, but the snow wasn’t falling for the time being, so I wrapped a scarf and heavy wool coat around me, and Hailey and I made for the car. She was driving her four-wheel drive that day, and I hadn’t dug my car out from the garage in a month, so she drove us out into town. First, we stopped for dinner, eating at one of my favorite places, Angelo’s. I used to eat there all the time, not really enjoying cooking for one, and using it as an excuse to get out of the house. Since Grant only ate at upscale restaurants, I hadn’t been there in years. Just the familiarity of it all felt good in my chest, and I started to remember how behind the girl looking for love, there was someone completely content with doing her own thing.
“So, I was at work today,” Hailey said, munching on a breadstick. “And I told my coworker, Brian—you remember Brian from the office party last year?”
“Was he the one with the thinning red hair and complete inability to hold his tongue when it came to socially appropriate comments?”
“You mean, was he the one that told you he wanted to grab onto your ass? Yeah, that’s him.” She laughed. “Anyway, I told him I thought you were going to say Grant and you were done, and then, oh my God, let the vultures descend. He immediately begged me to set you two up. I told him no. He was still on the hook for the Christmas Party. He moped all day, trying to make me feel guilty, but instead, I felt creeped out.”
“Gross.” I chuckled. “Thank you for the backup.”
“No problem. It’s my job.” She laughed.
“Ugh, Christmas music,” I said, listening to t
he loud speaker over the restaurant.
“What, you love Christmas,” Hailey said with shock. “You are like the female Santa Claus. I’m pretty sure you would just keep a tree decorated in your house all year if it wouldn’t make you look like the creepy woman in the dead of summer.”
“I know,” I replied. “I just am not looking forward to spending it all alone. That’s all.”
“Hey, you don’t have to be alone,” Hailey replied. “I already canceled going to my parents’ house.”
“Really?”
“Uh, yeah,” she scoffed. “I’d choose you any day over their questions on my single status and my mother’s weepy toast about the future. You know, the one she gives at every holiday?”
“That thing needs a serious revamp.” I chuckled. “She’s the only one that gets choked up over it anymore.”
“Yeah,” Hailey said, laughing. “My father just sits there, falling asleep with his champagne in the air.”
“Well, that’s awesome,” I said, smiling. “I’ll cook dinner, get some alcohol, and we will make the best of it!”
“I was actually thinking something else,” she said. “I was thinking that I take you somewhere for Christmas. Make a new tradition, get out of that house that makes you think of Grant, and let loose.”
“Okay,” I replied. “I’m intrigued. Go on.”
“Let’s go to Aspen,” she replied. “I have a friend that has a reservation at the St. Regis that can’t go, and I told him to hold off on canceling. I may just take his reservation. We can ski, drink alcohol, and open presents in the suite he reserved. It comes fully stocked with a Christmas tree in every room.”
“I love it,” I replied. “I need change, and that is definitely a change.”
I felt lucky to have a friend like Hailey. We had been friends pretty much our entire lives, and though we were two completely different people, we really did work perfectly together. One was always strong when the other was weak, and we never let each other get weepy and depressed. She was a light in the dark for me most of the time, and always told it to me just how it needed to be said. Most people would shy away from that, especially when they just wanted to be self-loathing, but in the end, it really was the best thing for me. As much as I loved my career and my little house, those walls could start closing in on me fast. She always pulled me out before they collapsed. This time, it was most appreciated, and I was getting excited about the thought of vacationing in a winter wonderland like Aspen. I had always wanted to go, but never actually had anyone to go with.
“There will be a lot of single, rich men there, too,” Hailey said through a full mouth of salad. “I’m totally ready to hook me an old rich man.”
“You, my friend, are disgusting.” I laughed.
“What? Am I not a catch?” She smiled big, ranch dressing on her lips and spinach in her teeth.
“I mean, I think it’s sexy.” I giggled. “The last thing I need is some man that thinks he can turn me into his arm candy.”
“No, no, you are looking at it all wrong,” she said. “You turn one of those men into your arm candy. You are successful and gorgeous, even in your striped pajamas and wool socks. Any man would be more than lucky to have you as you are.”
“Well, the last thing I want to think about on my Christmas vacation, after breaking up with my boyfriend, is other men,” I scoffed.
“First of all, he broke up with you, let’s keep the facts straight,” she pointed out. “And there is one stipulation for us going on this trip.”
“Okay, now that you have pointed out the painful and obvious,” I replied. “What is this stipulation?”
“You get over Grant by sleeping with another man,” she said. “Something unexpected and wild. That is exactly what you need.”
“If it gets me a vacation in Aspen, they better line up.” I laughed.
In reality, I had zero interest in making any love matches, even if it were just for the night. I knew, however, that Hailey was not going to let it go unless I agreed, so I appeased her. I was also not looking to get in an argument over sleeping with a random stranger in the middle of the restaurant, so I knew just saying yes would handle all those issues. I would just simply go to Aspen and not sleep with anyone. I mean, what was she going to do? In the meantime, I was pretty excited, and my mind was already off Grant and my lonely spinster Christmas. This was the perfect opportunity for me to break out of my shell, do something crazy, and just have a good time. I mean, I would never see any of these people ever again, except Hailey, so what did I really have to lose?
My hopes were that I would go, get refreshed, get inspired, and come home with a whole new view on life, something that resembled being a happy, successful woman for once. I sat there thinking about the whole trip, smiling, knowing that I was about to get a break from the norm. I was about to turn this situation into a gold mine for my life.
Chapter 7
Cameron
I stirred my drink, staring down at the bubbles that were surfacing. It had been a long day already, and it was only half over. I sat there at the bar, not wanting to move, just wanting to go climb into a hot shower and then collapse in my warm bed. But I wasn’t done yet, and that was weighing heavily on me. I didn’t know why, but I was not in the mood to deal with the normal resort people that day, and even the girl that was currently walking toward me was of no interest to me. I took in a deep breath as she approached, mustering my last bit of energy. She was going to want to talk, and I was not in the mood for talking.
“Hi,” she said happily, sitting down next to me. “I’m Amanda. I’ve seen you in here the last couple of days and thought I’d come talk.”
“Hello,” I replied, uninterested. “Cameron. I’m Cameron.”
“Nice to meet you, Cameron,” she said. “My friends and I saw you and your friend out teaching on the slopes yesterday. That is such an awesome job. I would love to do something like that.”
“Mm hmm,” I said, not paying her much attention. “It’s a pretty cool gig.”
I did not want to talk to this woman at all, but I was cornered. She was hot and everything, exactly the kind of girl I would approach when I was on the hunt, but at that moment, I was just trying to relax. It was my few minutes of alone time before being thrown back into another beginners’ class with a million giggling rich girls. Seeing there was really no way out of this, and not wanting to hurt the girl’s feelings, I turned toward her and listened to her talk about coming from New York, the snow, and all the other things I heard on a normal basis. As she spoke, I kind of tuned out enough to not hear every word she was saying. I picked up my drink and took a sip, glancing over at the main doors to the hotel as they opened.
My heart did something strange. It pretty much froze. In through the door came walking one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen. She had beautiful, long, brown hair that I could see tints of red in as she walked through the streams of sunlight in the lobby. Her eyes were strikingly beautiful and a light green. She looked excited but shy, walking across the marble floors with her friend leading the way. I was so taken aback from her, I didn’t even hear the girl in front of me asking me a question.
“Earth to Cameron.” She giggled. “Are you okay?”
“Huh?” I stood up and looked out into the lobby. “Um, yeah. I’m sorry. I have to go. It was nice meeting you, though. I hope you have a great time here.”
“Uh, okay,” she said, looking out where my attention was drawn. “Bye, then.”
I had to talk to this girl, this beautiful, brown-haired vixen that just walked straight into my life. I pulled a twenty out of my wallet and handed it to the bartender, telling him to keep the change. I gulped the last of my drink and then walked forward into the lobby. I looked around at the front desk but didn’t see the girl anywhere. The lobby was pretty much completely empty, everyone either in their rooms or out at the slopes. I walked toward the doors to the outside but stopped, hearing the bell on the elevator ding. I ran ov
er, stopping as the elevator doors slid shut, my eyes grasping at the image of this girl standing in the elevator, talking to her friend. She didn’t see me, but I most definitely saw her. I hadn’t ever been completely enamored or knocked off my game by anyone like that before. I had to find out who she was.
Maybe I was crazy for chasing after this girl. Maybe it was exactly what I was trying to avoid, but at that moment, I really didn’t care. I just wanted to meet her. I turned around and looked at the lobby, trying to figure out how I could find this girl. I started to walk over to the reception desk, ready to use my clout at the resort to get the information out of the woman behind the counter. If that didn’t work, I would resort to using my charm. Before I could get there, though, Glen stepped out of the lobby bathroom, drying off his hands. He tossed the paper towel in the trash can and walked over to me.
“Hey, man, I was looking for you,” he said. “They canceled the next class because the snow was getting too thick up there.”
“All right,” I said, staring off at the desk and around the lobby.
“Uh, you okay? I saw you talking to that cute girl at the bar.” He chuckled. “I figured you’d be deep in seduction right now.”
I stood there thinking, formulating, and not paying a damn bit of attention to Glen, or anyone else for that matter. I had never been that enamored by anyone, and I knew that was a sign. I had to talk to this girl. For all I knew, she could be a complete wacko, but it took a lot to knock me off my game, and she had done it in two seconds flat. For most guys, that would cause them to run in the other direction, but not me. For me, that was a challenge, a challenge I was more than ready to accept. I stood there, just staring at the front desk, with Glen talking, but me not hearing a word that he was saying. Her green eyes were burned into my memory, as was the generous and sensual curve of her lower back, and the way her breasts bounced naturally up and down as she pulled her suitcase along.