Home for the Holidays: A Contemporary Romance Anthology

by Christine Bell

  Arturo chuckled. “I’ll have to take you.”

  “Ah, I think the entire point of being trapped together in a log cabin is that we go there before the snow storm settles in. We couldn’t get there now anyway.”

  “Hmm,” Arturo said, and Isla shook her head when she realized he was thinking about how it would be possible to get them both there.

  “No way. We’re not going in this.”

  “I could buy a skidoo and we could totally drive ourselves there. Would be a pretty great fantasy. Locked up and all alone, with nothing to do but pleasure each other for entertainment and warmth.”

  “You have a generator.”

  “I could turn it off for an hour. Or just pretend to turn it off. That seems like the safer option.”

  Isla laughed again. “I’m slipping my hand under my sweater. Touching around my bellybutton, and sliding my fingertips up toward my bra.”

  Arturo’s voice lowered in the receiver. “I’ve got another five minutes left. Tell me what it feels like.”

  “I’ll do better than that. I’ll tell you what it feels like, and what I’m going to do to you when you get back tonight.”

  Isla wished with everything she had that she could see Arturo’s face. The lusty look in those dark eyes was always exciting, always enough to make her heat up as if she was lying real close to that fireplace over there.

  Picturing what he looked like was almost as good.

  “Hurry,” Arturo said, his voice sounding just on the right side of that breathy need and desire that always had Isla hot and bothered.

  “When you come home tonight, make sure to come to your bedroom. That’s where I’ll be.”

  Isla could almost picture in her head the way Arturo loosened his tie. He always loosened his tie whenever he wore it during work sex.

  She’d come to know these little things about him pretty intimately ever since they got back together.

  “What will you be doing when I get there?”

  Isla ran her fingers over her nipples. The lace of her bra made it easy to stimulate herself. She pinched them, arching her spine at the sensation she left herself with. “I’ll be topless, wearing my jeans, of course. Something about being barefoot with skinny jeans and a bra seems sexy in my head.”

  “Not just your head.”

  “Which one?”

  Arturo chuckled. “Both?”

  “I’m touching myself right now.” Her heart also raced from playing with her nipples. “Are you sure you can’t join me?”

  A groan sounded over the phone. “I would love to, but I’ve got one more meeting before I can get out of here.”

  “Mmm, too bad. This feels good. And what kind of assholes show up to work for a meeting on a day like this.”

  “They were already here,” Arturo growled. “It’s a casual thing at this point. I just have to deal with them and send them on their way.”

  “And not get sued for having them in to work on a day like today anyway, right?”

  “Get back to undressing yourself for me. Legal work isn’t sexy.”

  Isla loved this game they still played. They toyed with each other, but now, unlike when they’d first got together, there was nothing behind that playfulness other than the need to feel good. That was the only thing Isla wanted.

  “Would legal work be sexy if I dressed myself up in a nice short skirt suit with glasses and called you my boss?”

  Arturo was silent for a couple of seconds. “Hell yes that would be amazing. Would you come to the office and pretend to work?”

  “Like your real secretary?”

  “Funny. Don’t let her hear you say that. She’ll start fucking around with my coffee.”

  Isla brought her hand to her other nipple, sliding her fingers over the nub and sucking back a deep breath at the spark of pleasure that shot down between her legs.

  “Don’t worry. I won’t be a bad girl and tell your receptionist things that might get you in trouble.”

  “Good girl.” Arturo sighed, then cursed. “I need to go.”

  Isla paused what she’d been doing, then let her hand come down from out of her sweater. “Do you have to?”

  Arturo’s voice had that familiar note of regret. “Yeah. I’m getting a couple of texts. The meeting’s about to start. After this I can try getting home.”

  “Take your time on the road. I don’t want you getting into any accidents.”

  “I am a master driver,” Arturo promised. “Also, to keep you blushing and ready until I get back, I’ve got something for you.”

  Isla smiled. “Really? What is it?”

  The smile in Arturo’s voice was obvious, and sexy as all hell. “Check under the bed, I know you wanted us to exchange presents after dinner, but I wanted to get this for you.”

  And Isla was a greedy enough girl that at the mention of presents, she could hardly put any real control into herself.

  “Well, it’s not like I made it into a firm rule, right?” She already slid off the bed and was on her knees, searching beneath it. The small square package was instantly within sight.

  “It’s got something firm inside.”

  The box wasn’t wrapped, but was designed to look like it was, with a big red and white sparkly bow on top and everything.

  All she had to do was take the lid off to see what was inside.

  She gasped, then laughed. “Seriously?”

  “It’s just my size, and it should remind you of me whenever you get lonely.”

  Isla reached into the box, pulling out the comically oversized dildo. She couldn’t stop herself from laughing. “There is no way this is your size. Jesus, you’re big, but not this big.”

  “I’m insulted. Are you insinuating something about my manhood?”

  “Never.” It wasn’t the only toy inside the box. Beside it were handcuffs with fuzzy, black feathers.

  “No pink?”

  “I thought this might be a little more elegant.”

  Of course. Arturo would enjoy having toys in his room to tantalize Isla with, but he wasn’t even close to being a tacky sort of guy.

  Which was why, when Isla spotted the gems imbedded into the handcuffs themselves, she gasped. “Tell me these aren’t real diamonds.”

  Arturo snorted. “Of course not. They’re crystal.”

  Still expensive, but at least Arturo hadn’t actually put diamonds into the sex toys he planned on using on her.

  Did he realize that fuzzy handcuffs with glittering crystals in them was kind of, in their own way, a little tacky?

  Probably not, or else he wouldn’t have bought them.

  “Lift up the cover. There’s more beneath.”

  “Really?” Isla did as she was told, pulling away what she’d thought had been a black cushion, only to see that it had been a silk cloth.

  “The cloth doubles as a blindfold,” Arturo whispered, and even when it sounded as if he was moving around his office, scurrying to get to where he needed to go on time, he still managed to sound perfectly in control of himself, sexy and powerful.

  “That other toy is something a little closer to my size. More realistic you could say.”

  That was for sure.

  Isla pulled out the second dildo. It wasn’t as big or ridiculous looking as the first one, and she was pretty sure it wasn’t Arturo’s size either.

  “You said you wanted me to think of you when using these?”

  “That’s right.”

  “This one looks a little smaller than you.”

  “Of course.” Arturo said it as if it should be obvious what he’d been going for. “I said I wanted you to think of me and miss me. I don’t want you to replace me.”

  Isla grinned. “No toy with three vibrator settings could ever replace you.”

  “I know, but my insecurities and all that.”

  Did Arturo have insecurities? Seemed highly unlikely.

  “I have to go.”

  “Knock ‘em dead. And stay safe if you get on the roa
d. Don’t if it’s too dangerous.”

  “Don’t stay alive or don’t go on the road?”

  “Go on the road!” Isla laughed.

  “Yes, dear.”

  “Okay, I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  Then Arturo hung up, leaving Isla to stare down at her new presents, and she wasn’t going to pretend otherwise, even to herself, she wanted to give her new toys a round. She wanted to break them in.

  When Martina called her name, Isla knew she’d been gone for long enough. She wouldn’t get to use Arturo’s toys today, but soon enough she would get her chance.

  For now, she had to go back to being a proper Christmas hostess.

  Of course, that didn’t mean she wasn’t planning on sending Arturo some naughty texts to keep him a little distracted during that meeting.

  She put her phone between her teeth, lifted her sweater, quickly undid her bra, took a quick photo and sent it to Arturo. That should keep him just on the right side of distracted until he got home tonight.

  4

  The hockey game was great, even if the home team lost. Isla had never spent so much time with Arturo’s brothers before. Not without Arturo around at least. It was fun being friends with them, and booing at the game when the Rogues lost right before they threw popcorn at the wall where the game was being projected.

  Then they had to quickly clean it up before Martina could step in and do it for them. Orlando laughed at them for that. He was enough of a gentleman to not throw popcorn and chips at the losing team, though he was helpful enough to bring the vacuum around for them, and watch as Silvio and Isla cleaned up.

  When her phone eventually buzzed again, she was quick to reach for it.

  Of course it was from Arturo. His text sounded almost angry, but the accompanying picture of his perfect chest suggested something a little more playful and revenge oriented.

  Nice try. Now you’re going to be waiting for me to come home.

  Isla groaned at the picture. She was already waiting for him to come home, but his intention was clearly to make her as antsy for it as she’d made him with her own chest shot.

  She needed to act calm and collected. She thought about her reply again and again before sending it.

  Guy chest shots don’t count. Give up the goods if you really want to have an effect ;)

  Isla clicked send, grinning, and knowing fully well that Arturo was not going to send her a picture of his dick. He wouldn’t do that at work. He liked to think he was a bad boy, but there was no way—

  Her phone buzzed again.

  “I feel bad for Martina if this is what cleaning everything all day is like,” Silvio moaned, using the hose of the vacuum to get into the corners and cracks of the room.

  “Uh huh,” Isla said, almost sweating as she opened the text.

  He wouldn’t. There was no way in hell…

  Oh God, he absolutely did, and if seeing Arturo’s chest had made Isla a little on the jumpy, half horny side, then seeing his cock up close, his fingers delicately placed along the shaft, as if teasingly stroking himself, was enough to send her over that sweet edge.

  If he’d been here right now, she would have jumped his bones. As it was, she needed to keep her cool because there was no way in hell Isla was going to give off any signs that she was anything other than completely calm and composed in this situation.

  “Hey Isla, you okay?”

  “Yeah.” Isla cleared her throat. Fuck, that sounded like a frog’s croak. “Yeah, I’m good.”

  Silvio raised a brow at her, then grinned. “Yeah, whatever. Stop sexting my brother and help me figure out how to empty this thing.”

  Isla blinked, then huffed. “I’m not sexting him!”

  “Sure you’re not. You’re trying to make him come back sooner, aren’t you?”

  Isla didn’t know what was worse, that she had a photo of Arturo’s cock in her hand or that his brother was a few feet away teasing her about it.

  And he didn’t know what precisely she had on her phone.

  “Let me sext your brother in peace or I’ll tell Martina that you were…that you said her cooking was subpar.”

  Silvio’s eyes widened. He actually fell back a step. “You wouldn’t do that.”

  She glared at him. “Try me.”

  She, of course, wouldn’t tell Martina something so mean, even to spite Silvio, but luckily, he took her at her bluff as he scowled and dragged the vacuum cleaner out of the sitting room, muttering under his breath.

  Good. She didn’t want Silvio pestering her while she was already getting hot and bothered over the things Arturo was sending her.

  If Arturo wanted to tease the ever loving hell out of her, then Isla didn’t want to be disturbed while he was at it.

  Dinner’s going to be ready in a couple of minutes.

  She waited for Arturo to send the text back. He did within a minute.

  Eat and enjoy. This is your event. Don’t wait for me.

  Isla’s heart sank.

  She wanted to wait for him. She wanted him to be here for this, even if he was stuck at the office, and it was still snowing outside.

  Isla looked out the window, squinting at the weather. Actually, this looked a little bit better than it had been a couple of hours ago.

  You sure you can’t make it?

  Great. She’d been telling him she didn’t want him to risk his life getting here, and now she couldn’t seem to stop herself from begging him to come home.

  I’ll do my best. Almost done here. Eat when the food is ready. You don’t want Martina’s food to get cold.

  That was true. Martina made amazing food, and despite the little help Isla had been able to give, it really was Martina’s meal they would be eating.

  Isla silently calculated in her head the amount of time it would take Arturo to get back here if he left right now. Way too damned long. That’s how long it was going to take. If he finished with everything and left the office right now, the weather would make sure he didn’t make it back here for at least another hour or two.

  Well, he said he was almost finished with the meeting. They could keep the food on the hot plate for an hour, right? And potatoes and carrots only took a short amount of time to actually boil. Martina would need the most of her time adding in her spices and mixing the turnips and sweet potatoes.

  Right. They could wait a little while longer. Hopefully.

  Orlando opened the sliding doors of the sitting room. “Hey Isla, Martina says the food’s almost done. What should we do?”

  Isla bit down on her bottom lip. She looked down at her phone, torn.

  “Let’s wait a little bit longer. The food will keep.”

  5

  Arturo didn’t make it back in an hour. Not an hour and fifteen minutes, and by an hour and a half, Martina didn’t need to be told to put on the potatoes and carrots. She said the turkey was going to dry out, the stuffing would be ruined, so she put them on to cook before coming back.

  Everything should be completely ready by now, which was a good thing since Silvio had started complaining about how hungry he was.

  He ate some of the chocolate truffles that were supposed to be for coffee after dinner. He’d pilfered them from the kitchen earlier, and Isla didn’t have the heart to stop him from eating them. They’d all gone back into the sitting room for more sports and TV, but really, everyone was just getting hungry, bored, and a little tense.

  Orlando was too polite about everything. He didn’t complain about being hungry, but if Silvio was talking about it, then it was more than likely that Orlando was at the very least thinking about it while he scrolled through his phone.

  Isla was starving, too. Her stomach constricted painfully and she couldn’t ignore the smell of Martina’s food anymore, and using Sebastian as an excuse was no longer enough either.

  He wasn’t coming, and the three people around her already knew Isla was really waiting for Arturo.

  Martina put her small, deli
cate hand on Isla’s shoulder, squeezing it. “The effort is appreciated, and so is your loyalty, but if Arturo’s brothers starve, he might question our sanity.”

  That much sounded true enough.

  With a heavy sigh, she gave the go ahead, but she did it with a bright smile. She was going to be smiling for this entire thing, too. This was an important dinner, even if it wasn’t actually Christmas, and she was going to enjoy it with Arturo’s brothers, and the woman who was almost like a mother to him and his brothers.

  If Arturo couldn’t show up, that didn’t mean Isla was going to let the food grow cold and his family starve.

  She clapped her hands together, keeping that bright smile on her face. “We’re starting without him.”

  Orlando and Silvio looked at each other, and then back at her. Their expressions were careful, and they said nothing.

  Isla didn’t get it. “What? What is it?”

  “You sure about that?” Orlando asked, still not getting up from where he sat on the arm of the sofa. “You’re totally all right with having to start without Arturo?”

  Maybe she’d made it a little too obvious how much she wanted Arturo to be here.

  “Perfectly fine.”

  Orlando and Silvio still gave her that annoying stare. The one that said how much they definitely didn’t believe her.

  Martina smiled softly as she stood off in the corner. Isla hadn’t known the other woman for very long, but what she did know was enough to give away that Martina would not be fooled either.

  Of course Isla wasn’t a hundred percent all right with this. Arturo wasn’t here. He either wouldn’t be here or he’d be so late that it wouldn’t matter, and who the hell was Isla kidding? She’d set up this dinner and made plans, but Arturo was a billionaire who had an active hand in the way his company was run. It had been enough of a nightmare trying to make sure Orlando and Silvio had the time to be here, and plans or no plans, Arturo wouldn’t be able to keep to Isla’s schedule for things like this. He might be able to do it some of the time, but definitely not enough that these little misses would go unnoticed.

  Of course, Sebastian hadn’t shown up either, and that was another member of the guest list Isla was positive wouldn’t be making an appearance any time tonight. He wasn’t going to so much as show up for coffee and dessert, and Isla didn’t think it had much to do with the snow storm outside. His past with his brothers was too much to ignore for the sake of a family dinner.