by Dahlia Rose
All I Want For Christmas Is You
Copyright © December 2009, Dahlia Rose
Cover art by Amira Press © December 2009
Amira Press
Baltimore, MD21216
www.amirapress.com
ISBN: 978-1-935348-87-0
No part of this e-book may be reproduced or shared by any electronic or mechanical means, including but not limited to printing, file sharing, and e-mail, without prior written permission from Amira Press.
Chapter One
“So your name is . . .” Jeff left the question hanging for the young woman who sat in front of him to finish.
“Ileana,” she supplied.
The soft sultry tone to her voice thrilled him. She was gorgeous—light brown skin that looked as creamy as any chocolate he had ever seen, smooth dark hair that framed her face and fell down her back. But her eyes were what made him know she was the one. They were almond shaped and light brown, and she stared at him like she was looking into his soul. Saying nothing but those eyes would say everything when the time was right. Yes, she is perfect!
“Ileana, are you from here in Manhattan?” Jeff sat back in his char and tapped his gold-embossed pen against his chin.
“I’m from Brooklyn. I come into the city when I need to.”
“Do you mind going upstate for this?”
Ileana folded one smooth leg across the other and sat back in her chair. “I go where the money takes me. How long will this be for?”
“Just tonight. A car will take you up to Connecticut.” Jeff handed her a card. “Call the number when you are ready to come home, and they will pick you up.”
“My fee is one thousand for the night. No sex, no trying to rough me up,” Ileana said. “I just provide company and that’s it. Do you understand? If anyone tries anything, I will go down fighting, and my friend will call the cops if she does not hear from me every few hours.”
“I would have it no other way.” Jeff smiled. Oh yes, she was the one—strong, smart, and brave. Just what was needed in a situation like this. Jeff reached into the desk and pulled out two wads of bills. “Here is two thousand, and the car is waiting for you downstairs.”
She raised one elegant eyebrow at him. “What makes you think I won’t bypass that car and go home with your money safely in my purse?”
Jeff leaned forward. “I can tell you are not that type of person, and I had you thoroughly checked out before you even stepped into this office.”
“Touché.” Ileana inclined her head. “So when will you be coming to Connecticut, and where will we be meeting up?”
“Oh, my dear, I am a happily married man.”
“Aren’t they all,” Ileana replied. “You’re still cute for an old guy.”
Jeff laughed. “Why, thank you. I take that as a compliment. But in my case, it’s true. I am very happy in my marriage. Your lovely company is not for me but for my friend who needs a little holiday cheer.”
“And who might this person be to whom I am providing company?”
“His name is Casey, and you will be going to his house,” Jeff explained. “Off you go. Enjoy the night, and thank you in advance for your services.”
Ileana took the money up from the mahogany table and slipped it into her clutch purse. “Good night, and I’ll make sure your friend enjoys his night.”
She walked out the door, curvaceous hips that could tempt any man moving in rhythm. She threw him a smile over her shoulder before she closed the door with a soft click. Jeff opened the drawer of his desk and pulled out a cigar. After lighting it, he sat back in his chair with a grin before he took a deep pull of his Habana. Casey wouldn’t know what hit him when the lovely Ms. Ileana graced his door. It was about time someone shook that boy up. With snowflakes falling outside the office windows in an exclusive high rise, Jeff chuckled softly and waited for the fireworks to begin.
* * * *
How did I end up here . . . now? Ileana sighed as she looked out into the cold winter’s night. The interior of the town car was silent, sleek like the rich people who owned her. Outside, multicolored lights twinkled on houses, and the festive decorations ordained their lawns. Here she was, thirty, young, beautiful, and heading to be the escort for the night of some old guy who lived alone. A gift from a friend who thought he needed some company. Ileana grimaced, knowing full well that a day would come when she could not just say she was an escort. She would have to start giving them her body as well. Something she held sacred would be given away so she could make rent.
The thought ran through her head again, and she felt tears sting her eyes. How the hell did I end up here? She knew how. The cost to even lease her apartment had skyrocketed after the damn recession hit. Losing her job, losing her man, everything just seemed to hit at once. With nothing else to lose at that point, Ileana’s friend suggested that she use her looks, and this persona was born. Cool, calm, and collected on the outside, while on the inside, she was dying with shame. If her mom and dad ever knew what she had to do to make money, they would hang their heads in disappointment. Not their daughter, not the one who had gone to college and had her degrees. Now, she was nothing more than a paid, kept woman, a prostitute, even though she never spread her legs.
So lost in her thoughts was Ileana that she did not even see that the hours had ticked by, and now she was in the high-class area of Connecticut. The mansions gleamed like jewels in the darkness of the night. She wondered if she rolled the windows down to the cool night air if she would hear the sound of party merriment two days before Christmas. She never rolled the window down because she didn’t think she could bear hearing the sounds of happiness she did not feel.
“We’re here, miss,” the driver called back to her coldly.
“Thank you.” She could hear the disdain in his voice but chose to ignore it. He didn’t know what her troubles were, so his judgment meant zilch in her book.
She turned her attention to the house as the car went up the winding driveway. The stone structure stood out in the darkness with its sandy-colored brick walls. No decorations lined its roof, no elves graced the snow, and only one light was on downstairs. Oh fuck, Ileana thought with dismay. She had the picture in her head of old Mr. Scrooge sitting there being grumpy and cranky. She had expected to be the arm candy for some kind of party, not sitting with all old man who hated life and the world around him.
The car slowed and stopped in front of the big mahogany doors. The driver did not even get out to open the car door for her. Instead, he sat facing forward with a frown. Ileana gave a small, sorrowful sigh before she took the smooth silver handle of the car door and let herself out.
“Whore.”
She heard the word come from the chauffeur’s lips even though he tried to say it softly. Anger sparked inside her, and she walked deliberately and slowly around to his window and tapped on the glass. The mechanical whirl as the window rolled down by him just pressing the button was the only sound in the silent night.
Ileana pinned him with a stare. “Do you have something to say to me?”
He gave her a look that said she was nothing but dirt beneath his shoes. “No, miss.”
“I heard what you said, and here is what I have to say to you. You don’t know me, you don’t know anything about me, and if I was a whore, you sure as hell couldn’t afford me.” With that, she walked up the driveway, and the crunch of the car tires was the signal that the car drove away. She stood in front of the door and pressed the bell. She could hear the deep sound from outside the thick door. Minutes passed, and she pressed the bell again. The cold breeze caught under her long coat and made her legs cold.
“Great. I told off the driver who has to come back a
nd pick me up who will probably make me wait outside in the cold until I freeze my buttons off,” she muttered.
She was just about to press the button again when the door opened and the most gorgeous green eyes stared out at her. “Um, I’m looking for Mr. Casey?”
“It’s just Casey.” The voice matched the face, smooth and sexy with a sexy timbre that could turn a woman’s legs to jelly.
“Okay, then is Casey here?” Ileana tried to keep the irritation from her voice. “It’s getting a bit nippy out here.”
"Oh . . . Oh, I’m sorry! Come on in.”
He opened the door wider, and Ileana stepped inside. She reached in her bag and pressed the instant message button she had set up to send to her friend. The code was set to let her know she reached her destination and was inside and safe. In this job, Ileana knew that she could never to be too careful. The guy who opened the door had turned on one of the hallway lights, and now she could see the full features of his face. Damn, he’s sexy. Ileana studied his features, rugged with a hint of stubble. Dark hair fell over his forehead, and her fingers itched to smooth the stray lock back into place. Those green eyes held a hint of sadness, and his face was so serious, she knew he had to be the old man’s caretaker or son. Another bout of guilt hit her. He probably knew exactly what she was and why she was here.
Ileana tried to sound casual. “So is Casey here?”
“Why do you want him?”
“Um, his friend Jeff sent me. My name is Ileana . . . Ileana Dupree.”
One sexy eyebrow rose curiously. “Did he now? What exactly did Jeff say?”
“Aren’t you being a bit nosy for someone who isn’t Casey?” Ileana demanded to know. Hell, she felt bad enough having to be here, but now to be interrogated by the old man’s help made her feel lower than low.
“Humor me. I look out for his interests, so to speak.”
Ileana sighed. “He said I was to keep the old guy company for tonight because he gets lonely over the holidays.”
“What makes you think he is an old guy?” her sexy conversation partner pointed out.
Ileana looked at him warily. “What do you mean?”
“Hi, Ileana. My name is Casey.” A small smile curved the very appealing lips, but the light never traveled to his eyes.
“Oh drat,” Ileana said softly.
They stood in the foyer of the huge mansion staring at each other, and Ileana had no idea what to do next.
Chapter Two
Casey looked on as his uninvited guest stared at him in shock. Obviously Jeff didn’t tell her his age in the least. He took her surprised silence as a good time to study her. She was gorgeous and he had seen some beautiful women. Something about her made her stand out from the rest. In his life, he had dated supermodels who had walked the catwalk and movie stars who had graced the silver screen. She could match and beat them all. But that was his former life, and now he preferred his solitude. Preferred or had to accept it? he wondered. Would he be the same man that he was if the last two years had not happened?
He brought his thoughts back to the moment at hand. “So Jeff sent you, huh? How much did that set him back?”
“Two thousand dollars for the night.” She raised her chin, and those gorgeous brown eyes stared back at him in defiance daring him to talk down to her.
Casey took the silent dare. “What does that get me, a blow job next to the fireplace or a roll in one of the big beds upstairs?” There it is! Anger flared in her eyes, and Casey waited for her response.
“It gets you neither. I am an escort nothing more, arm candy if you want to call it that. If you want that kind of night, I suggest you get into one of your fancy cars and hit the back slums of New York City. I am so not the one to be pulling this crap with!” Her voice was controlled, but he could hear the anger beneath her tone. She pulled the envelope out of her bag and threw it at him. It hit him square in the chest with a soft thump. “Here, take the money and give it back to your friend. He obviously made a mistake, and so did I. I’ll wait outside for the car.”
Wow! That was all Casey could think of. Her eyes were lit with emotion, and he could see them well up with tears before she turned to go to the door. She obviously did not want to be doing this to make money, but why was she? Most women in her line of work would have found a way to keep the money. She threw it back at him without a second thought. There was more to Ileana, and Casey wanted to find out exactly what that was. He acted impulsively, the first impulsive thing he has done in two years. As she curved her fingers around the shiny brass handle of the door, he laid his hand over hers.
“Please stay,” Casey said softly. She turned slowly to him. He could see the wariness in her eyes. Why am I doing this? he thought wildly, but he couldn’t stop himself even if tried. “I’m sorry Ileana, please don’t leave.”
“Why, do you need to cut me down some more?”
“No. Again, I am sorry I said that,” Casey replied.
“So you want me to stay, why? There’s obviously nothing going on. No parties, no friends over, which is strange for this time of year and this neighborhood.”
“Stay for Christmas. It’s only two days away, and I think I’d like the company.” Casey smiled and then frowned. “Wait, do you have family you need to spend the holidays with? If so, I understand.”
“I don’t have anyone to spend the holidays with . . .” Ileana shook her head, and he could hear the confusion in her voice. “That’s not the point. . . . Now you want me to spend Christmas here with you, but why?”
“Because, Ileana, you intrigue me, and I haven’t been intrigued in a long time.” Casey hoped the boyish look that he gave her would set her at ease. “This is a big house. You can have any room you like except mine. No need to worry about clothes. Each closet has many outfits to choose from. Jacuzzi tubs and every cable channel you can think of. There is even a movie room, if that suits your fancy. All I am asking is that you share it with me for the holidays no strings attached.”
Her eyes searched his, and Casey knew she was looking for some underlying motive in his offer. He held up his hands and stepped back a little, letting his demeanor speak for him as well. “No strings, I swear. Stay and spend Christmas with a lonely guy.”
Her lips curved into a grin. . “Oh that is pitiful, ‘lonely guy’?”
“Hey, a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do. So is that a yes?” Casey asked, hopeful.
Ileana cocked her head to one side and put her hands on her hips. She stared at him for what seemed the longest of moments until she said, “If I’m going to stay here, we have to decorate this place. It needs to be livened up for Christmas.”
“You can decorate as much as you want.”
“Oh you are going to help me, mister.” She poked him in the chest as she moved past, looking around.
Casey gave her a mock salute as elation set into his chest. “Yes, ma’am, right away.”
“Do you have a tree?” Ileana asked.
“No, but we can get one from out back. There are lots of pine trees out there, and I have tools to cut one down.” Casey scratched his head. “Um, I think I do anyway.”
Ileana laughed. “We’ll figure it out. She pulled her cell phone out and waved it at him. “I’ve got to call my friend Julie and tell her my change of plans. If she doesn’t hear from me, she will call out the National Guard.”
Casey simply nodded as she walked away. When she turned and winked at him, it was pure, genuine, and it carried to her eyes. Casey felt his heart skip a beat. By inviting her to stay for the holiday, he was either crazy or in a bunch of trouble. Just by looking at her, he forgot why he put himself in solitude. He would enjoy Christmas for the first time in years, and he wasn’t going to give that up.
* * * *
Ileana didn’t know why she accepted Casey’s offer. She even began to rethink it when Julie screeched through the telephone asking her if she was insane. Maybe she was, maybe she needed a little bit of crazy in her life. But Ilean
a knew that Casey meant her no harm. What is crazier—spending Christmas with a cute guy in a mansion or being an escort to strange men for money? Either way, Ileana had made up her mind, and after reassuring Julie for the umpteenth time and promised to call and check in as much as possible, she hung up. She turned to find Casey looking at her. His boyish hopeful expression made her heart melt. Whoa, girl. Do not, I repeat, do not go down that road.
“So, where are these decorations?” Ileana asked, rubbing her hands together.
“Um, I think Davis stores them in the basement,” Casey replied. “We’ll go check.” They walked together down the hall, Casey turning on lights as they went along.
“Who is Davis?” Ileana asked.
“My butler.”
“Oh, of course,” she murmured She marveled at how nonchalantly he responded. Most people would be in awe just to have a butler. “Wait, we should go and get a tree first before it gets any colder out there.”