by Rebel Hart
“Mr. Palmer!” she beamed. “No apology needed. I hope retirement is treating you well. But you are right. He is a grouch. I was asking to meet with you instead within five minutes of our interview.”
“Smart girl. I would have been more interesting to talk to for the piece,” he winked. “But I hope you got what you needed? And now it seems you two have become friends...or maybe something more?”
“Just granting her a deeper look into the world of the Palmer family,” I explained quickly.
“Don’t write anything too scandalous about us, dear.”
Hazel smiled and nodded politely as he quickly scurried off to mingle with more guests too.
“Why do I get the feeling you don’t talk to any of your family very often?” she murmured to me.
“Can you blame me? Look at them. None of them can bore themselves with one person longer than a second or two,” I quipped. “Always on to the next bigger and better thing. Now. First order of business with all of that out of the way...Drinks. Stat.”
“Yes, please,” she nodded enthusiastically.
We mingled a little around the room, downing a few cocktails as we went. Before long, we crossed paths with the busiest person in the room...my sister, Ann.
Ann barely masked her disapproval of Hazel as she looked her up and down. “And what is it that you do, Hazel?”
Taking my cue from earlier, she quickly answered, “I’m a writer, doing a piece on the annual display at Palmer.”
“You do know this isn’t a part of the display, don’t you?” my sister teased, somewhat rudely.
“Where’s Joey?” I asked her, scanning the room for her husband. “I knew you couldn’t be bothered to bring the kids tonight, but surely you didn’t leave him behind too.”
“He’s working,” she told me, turning to sip her drink. This was obviously a sore spot for her.
“I’m sorry I didn’t have a chance to meet him or your children,” Hazel offered, darting her eyes between us. The tension between us was far from lost on her.
“Hey, listen to that. One of my favorite songs,” I announced - making it up, of course. I was desperate to get away from Ann. I turned to Hazel and lifted her hand. “Shall we?”
“I’m not very well versed in ballroom dancing,” she admitted.
“Just follow my lead. Though I guess that’ll probably be a challenge for you.”
“You’ve been following my lead all this time,” she laughed. “I can let you take a turn, just for tonight.”
We danced and spun around the room, with most of the other guests stepping aside to see one of the youngest, hottest pairs in attendance twirl around before their eyes. Hazel somehow looked even more gorgeous as she glided along to the strings and choir.
Things got more frantic when our dance was over, now that Hazel had caught the eye of every other bachelor in the room. They were quickly all clamoring to meet her, and the women were all dying to know who had managed to secure an invite and dance with me.
Hazel was swept off by an old friend of mine from college who insisted they knew some other blogging entrepreneur that she just had to meet. She seemed oblivious to the fact that this was just a pick-up leading to another attempted pick-up and followed along without question.
Without her by my side, the party suddenly looked sad and less grand. I decided to give her a moment to mingle and stepped out onto the balcony to get some air.
I was surprised when she joined me a few moments later. “There you are. You abandoned me in there. Are those guys your friends?”
“Sorry. And no, not really.”
“Good. Because they’re obnoxious and pretentious as hell,” she told me, leaning next to me on the stone railing. “It’s almost as beautiful out here as it is in there. Did you grow up here?”
“Sure did. My friends in grade school used to call it Buckingham Palace as a joke.”
“It is pretty big. I feel embarrassed for showing you my parents’ tiny little house now.”
“Don’t be,” I assured her. “But you see...this is all there is to the Palmer holiday traditions, and it’s perfectly wonderful, huh? No deep seated resentment towards Christmas. Just a general disdain for it that I came up with all on my own.”
“This is all there is to your holiday traditions?” she asked, looking concerned. She turned and looked inside at all the glittering, dancing guests. “Don’t get me wrong. This is all...so…”
“Over the top?”
“Lavish and extravagant,” she corrected me. “But...it doesn’t seem quite right for a family’s Christmas. Don’t you and your mom and dad and sister get together for a Christmas Eve dinner or anything? Something smaller and...more…”
“Normal? No,” I answered.
“What about Christmas morning?”
I simply shook my head.
“I think I understand a lot now,” she said softly. “I’m sure your family are all lovely people, really. But...all of this...It all feels so distant and...wrapped up in appearances. I’m sorry. I don’t mean any offense. I just…”
“No, you’re right,” I admitted. “Wrapped up in appearances is a perfect way to describe them. But...a man who grew up in what’s practically a palace can’t complain.”
She reached over and squeezed my hand. “I don’t know about that.”
I swallowed hard, realizing that I had a sudden sharp sting in my chest. Nothing new was wrong, but I felt aware of things that had maybe been wrong for a long time...but had been ignored.
“Hey, I have an idea,” she perked up. “What do you say we get out of here and these fancy clothes into something more comfortable and have some drinks at my place? It’ll cheer you up.”
I raised a brow, ignoring the thought that I was dying for her to get out of that fancy dress...just not in the way she meant or in any way I cared to admit. “Do I need cheering up?”
“Come on,” was all she said in reply, tugging me by the hand.
13
Hazel
The energy between Chris and I had totally changed without me meaning for it to. Was being whisked away to a real life Christmas ball in a lavish gown I bought on his dime one of the most romantic things I had ever experienced? Yes. Of course. But I kept reminding myself that our brief kiss in the woods was an accident, and that he was not my type at all. So it all meant nothing.
All the same, leading him into my apartment felt so much more intimate than anything we had done together before. It was up close and personal in a whole new way. I really only meant to try and cheer him up after realizing the gaping hole his distant family left in his life. We were sort of becoming friends, right? And that’s what friends did.
But as I ushered him in, I couldn’t stop myself from taking a long look at his perfect butt in those dress pants. Friends did not do that.
“I’ll get us some wine,” I offered as I blushed and locked the front door.
“Anything stronger?” He asked, strolling around my living room, taking everything in.
“Good thinking. Tequila?”
“Why not,” he shrugged.
I slipped into the kitchen and paused for a moment to catch my breath. God, he looked gorgeous in the ordinary surroundings of my place. He somehow seemed taller and more disarming. His dark sexy eyes sparked with a new kind of temptation. I did my best to shake it all off as I grabbed the bottle and two shot glasses.
“Sorry, I know this isn’t like the mansions you’re probably used to,” I said as I came back into the room.
“It’s nice. Very you,” he smirked. “Everything in its place. Organized, tidy. But full of personality.”
“It’s probably not surprising that home decor is another love of mine,” I grinned, sitting on the couch. He sat next to me and we both threw back two shots. “Your sister...Ann. She seemed very…”
“Bitchy? Uptight? Rude?”
“Uh...I wasn’t going to say it. I thought you were uptight and rude at first, but yeah...she does kind of t
ake it to a whole new level. You’re actually quite warm in comparison.”
“Lawyers,” he scoffed, taking another shot.
“I know what you mean. My sister Margo and her husband are lawyers. They’re very matter of fact and straight to the point. Sometimes it’s helpful. Other times it gets old.”
He shook his head with a wave of sadness rolling over his face. “Ann has two kids. Cassie is nine now and Luke is seven. I can’t remember the last time I saw them. She’s always leaving them with a nanny or saying they’re too busy to get together.”
“I guess juggling career, kids, and family is hard,” I replied slowly, but what did I know really? Truthfully, my first impression of the woman wasn’t great. Still, I thought staying positive and helping him see her side might help him.
“I just thought she’d want to do things differently than our mom did,” he told me, his mood darkening even more.
“You were with nannies a lot too growing up?”
He nodded and proceeded to tell me all sorts of things about their upbringing. I shared my own stories and after a while things took a lighter tone. I hoped the drinks and talking were doing the trick and cheering him up after all.
But after an hour or so had gone by, I realized suddenly that we were both a little drunk and had somehow drifted even closer together on the couch. He shifted his leg and grazed my thigh, causing my throat to tighten up.
“I have to use the bathroom,” I blurted suddenly, which was a lie. But I had to do something to get out of that room for a second and derail the very bad decision it felt like we were both teetering on.
When I came back into the room, Chris wasn’t sitting anymore. He was standing in the middle of the room and didn’t budge an inch as I walked closer. He seemed intent on doing the exact opposite...and throttling full force into the bad decision of whatever was about to happen.
Before I could fully process it, he pressed himself into me - hard and fast, instantly making my knees go weak. His body was eager, but his kisses were soft and tender. But the deeper we sank into it, our hands grew more greedy...pulling and kneading into each other’s clothes.
“Thank you for everything,” he rasped against my lips.
“For what? I should be thanking you. You’re the one who invited me tonight and bought me this lovely gown.”
“Thank you for caring about people enough to care if they’re unhappy during the holidays or not,” he replied, kissing me again before I could argue.
A hot wave of desire rushed through me, daring me to do all the things I was talking myself out of just a moment ago. I pulled back for a moment, looking into his eyes, and glided my hands across his belt. I could see a bulge that gave away just how bad he wanted me, and I couldn’t lie and pretend I didn’t want him too.
“This dress is perfect on you,” he said softly, tracing his fingers along my neck, collarbone, and shoulders.
“But?”
He smiled. “But...is it bad if I kind of want to see you take it off now?”
I smiled right back, on a wild buzz from all the tequila shots and the champagne before that. I turned around, giving him access to the elaborate corset on the back that a neighbor friend had to help me do up in the first place.
“This is actually very helpful. I was a little worried about how I’d get out of this thing on my own at the end of the night.”
“Nonsense. A woman like you...in a dress like this...Surely you didn’t expect to be coming home alone.”
My heart gushed from the compliment. Did he really think I was so gorgeous? He hadn’t shown it before. Or maybe I was just oblivious.
“Just because a woman could have any man doesn’t mean she wants to,” I explained.
I felt the soft flutter of his lips along my back as he started undoing the clasps and satin ties down the back. “In that case, I’m honored to be here right now...with you...taking your clothes off.”
“You should be,” I teased. I was playing it cool, but inside I was screaming. Chris was rich, well-known, powerful, and hot as hell. If anyone was honored, it was me.
He worked his way down the back of my dress painstakingly slow. Neither of us showed any interest in slowing down and asking ourselves what was happening or what we were doing. It was a rare thing for either of us to get so caught up in the moment that we surrender control. But it felt good...and that seemed reason enough not to stop.
Finally, the hefty gown cascaded down to the floor - piling up at my feet. I stepped out of it and towards him again. He took in a hungry look of my body, eyeing me head to toe in my lace bra and panties, before sweeping me back into his arms and kissing me even harder than before.
He started kissing his way down my body, sending my heart and blood racing with every new brush of his lips. I struggled to keep it together as he kissed between my thighs, tugging at my lace panties.
Is this really happening!? Chris Palmer...is kissing me...down there...Oh. My. God.
My inner struggle became more vocal as he blew a hot breath across my tingling folds. He swirled his tongue around, teasing me, then kissed back up my stomach. With one swift motion, his hands reached behind me and unhooked my bra, sending it falling to the floor just like my dress had done.
I bit my lip as he kissed around each of my breasts, sucking and nibbling at my pointed nipples. His fingers moved back between my legs, venturing places his tongue hadn’t gone yet. I had to wrap my arms around his neck to keep from falling back. It had been a while, but even if it hadn’t been...I don’t think I would have fared any better under his skilled mouth.
The brooding grinch I thought I saw before seemed to melt away right before my eyes. Or maybe that had been slowly happening each time we saw each other. I only knew that the dark waves of his hair and those piercing brown eyes were striking a new chord in my heart...and my body.
He seemed to catch onto my weak knees, and rather than leading us to the bed or couch, he swept me into his arms and laid me down right there on the carpet. He didn’t waste a second in kissing his way back down to my thighs, sliding off my panties so his tongue could finally meet all those crevices so desperate for his mouth.
I whimpered and spread my legs wider as he slid his fingers inside of me, sucking me into his mouth at the same time.
“God, you’re perfect,” he murmured between strokes.
I didn’t know if he was talking about all of me, or just everything down there. I didn’t really care just so long as he kept doing what he was doing.
He sucked and licked until I was about to crash over the edge. But just as I was getting close, he stopped and we rushed to rip off his clothes. His perfectly chiseled chest and sculpted arms looked just as good as I imagined they would. Our mouths collided again in a heated rush, both of us melting in our desire for each other’s bodies.
“Condom,” I managed to say in a breathless, broken whimper.
He reached for his pants and pulled one out of his wallet. I laid back and closed my eyes, basking in my own intense arousal, as I heard the paper tear followed by a brief silence. Then he appeared again, reuniting our lips like they never parted.
I gasped as he slid his tip inside of me, sending shockwaves of need through my entire body. With his hands gripped firmly around my hips, he slowly slid in deeper. I stretched around him until he filled me completely. We clawed into each other as I took in more of him with each thrust.
A brief moment of awareness struck me suddenly. I realized if I was going to be bad and sleep with the guy I was only supposed to be writing an article on...I might as well be bad all the way. If this was never going to happen again, and I firmly believed it shouldn’t, he should at least walk away with memories of me branded into his brain, that he’d never be able to forget.
I put my hands on his shoulders and shifted my weight on top of him, rolling him over onto his back. I lowered on top of his throbbing erection, still wet and glistening from before. I wanted to drink in every second I could of his magnifi
cent body moving under mine as I rode him.
He ran his hands across my body and groaned with a wicked grin as I settled into a steady rhythm. His fingers trailed along my bottom lip, his thumb pressing in deep and dragging. I felt all of my muscles tighten and contract around him, intensifying the friction between us. Our sounds grew loud and wild as we both spiraled out of control.
I threw myself over him and kissed him as our bodies started to tremble. The orgasms ripped through us both with a force at the same time, our hands clenched together for the rise and fall. The pleasure seemed to stretch on forever, taking its sweet time to dissipate into a mere memory.
But by the time it did, every ounce of my energy was spent. I collapsed across his naked chest, unable to keep my eyes open a second longer. Instantly drifting off to sleep only made the whole thing feel like more of a dream than it already had.
14
Chris
I barely had time to wrap my head around everything, waking up next to Hazel, before she opened her eyes and sat up in bed.
“How did I get here?” she asked, rubbing her eyes, then her head. Somehow she looked even more gorgeous first thing in the morning with a sleepy expression and disheveled hair.
“You’re obviously in good shape, but I didn’t think sleeping on your living room floor would do either of us any favors,” I quipped.
“You carried me to bed?” She smiled for a moment, but it quickly faded into something more awkward. “Sorry for...for last night, I guess.”
My heart panged with a rush of doubts and uncertainties. I hadn’t planned any of this. It just sort of happened. I needed time to sort through it all, but time was what I didn’t have...with her expectant eyes on me.
“You have nothing to be sorry about,” I insisted. “It takes two to tango.”
I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and cradled my own aching head for a minute before going in search of my clothes, scattered across her apartment floor. She emerged from her bedroom, wrapped in a silk floral robe, a few moments later.