Christmas Candy: A Holiday Second Chance Box Set

by Angela Blake

  Sure, he was attractive. She’d have to be blind not to see that. He had shaggy brown hair, and he was tall. With his toned physique, defined cheekbones, straight nose and symmetrical lips, he had very striking features. One that could definitely land him on the cover of any major men’s magazine. It was his eyes that she liked best though.

  Blue eyes the color of rain after a thunderstorm. She had never seen such eyes before.

  Yes, she did find Archer Paisley very attractive, but it was his arrogance that made him decidedly unattractive whenever he was in her vicinity. Usually, she liked to admire him from afar. There was nothing wrong with that after all. However, the second he opened his mouth, and honeyed nothings came pouring forth like a speech he’d rehearsed, she’d immediately feel her revulsion start to kick in, and she’d politely excuse herself.

  She had a feeling tonight was not going to be any different.

  She really didn’t want to deal with him tonight, but she had no choice. “That’s interesting news, I suppose.”

  “You suppose?” Chastity gasped as if she questioned whether or not the sky was blue. “Clo, it’s Archer—THE-Archer Paisley. New York’s most sought after bachelor.”

  Claudia pursed her lips. “He’s also New York’s most notorious bachelor. Don’t forget that there are three sides to every story. You ought to remember that, Chas. That goes for you to ladies. I doubt Mr. Paisley is as dreamy as you think he is. Remember what kind of business this is after all.”

  She could feel the collective doubt gather and form a cloud above her head. “However, there is no harm in ogling from a distance.”

  “Can we picture him naked too?” Leslie, one of the newer girls, a tall brunette asked.

  “I’d rather not know that you do, but in theory sure.”

  “Can we picture him in a compromising position?” One of the other girls waggled her eyebrows as the rest of the girls laughed.

  Claudia began to laugh. “You can do whatever you want, ladies. I just don’t need to hear about it.”

  Chapter Three

  Claudia tried to keep her head in the game as she focused on getting the girls in and out on time because even though it was a gentleman’s club, they still prided themselves on being able to have at least some semblance of order around here. Generally, they were laid back and easy going, so aside from knowing when your cue was, that’s really all you had to know.

  It was pretty simple, but sometimes the ladies were so caught up watching each other or gossiping, so they miss their cue. That’s where Claudia or Madame Sauri came in.

  “Penny for your thoughts?” Chastity sidled up to Claudia and looked out at the audience having already finished her part in the show.

  “I think they’d cost you a lot more than that,” Claudia responded, very dryly.

  Chastity took her hand and slipped something in it. Claudia looked down in surprise only to find a 100 dollar crumbled up note.

  “What’s this?” Claudia asked, amusement lacing her tone.

  “It’s the thing called money. Perhaps you’ve heard of it. It’s a piece of paper that coined the term monetary value. It has no real use except its baffling ability to make people kill over.”

  Claudia cocked her head to the side as she pretended to consider. “I have heard of it, yes. It sounds familiar. It also has high rates in some countries, and low rates in others?”

  Chastity snapped her fingers. “Bingo, you’ve got it. You can be taught.”

  Claudia shook her head in amusement. “Seriously, though. What’s this for, Chas?”

  “One of the patrons just kept tossing them at me and hollering as if I were some kind of circus aniJack. I barely tossed a glance his way, but I figured I’d get something out of it.”

  Claudia raised an eyebrow. “He just tossed a bunch of one hundred dollar bills at you?”

  “I’m pretty sure he even asked if I’d marry him.”

  “What a romantic proposal. Very well thought out,” Claudia mentioned sarcastically as she handed Chastity the money back. “Well, as much as I appreciate being in on this whole plan of yours to seize the opportunity whatever it might be, I think I’ll pass.”

  Chastity frowned. “Come on, Clo. You work too hard, and you’re not even having any fun. I know you enjoy being on that stage because you used to dance back in college, but you hate the way those men fawn all over you. At least the rest of us have something going for us.”

  “I’ve got stuff going for me,” Claudia said defensively as she crossed her arms over her chest.

  “Books and drooling over fictional character do not fall under the category of going for you.”

  A laugh escaped Claudia’s lips, unbidden. “Touché. However, I wasn’t just talking about that. You know that I’ve been saving up to get out of here. Someday, I’m going to do just that.”

  “Yeah, you’ve been saying that for 3 years now, Clo. Sometimes, I can’t figure out if you’re hiding from something you want, or running away from something you’re afraid to want.”

  Claudia let her hands fall to her sides, knowing that you couldn’t really get anything past Chastity. She was very shrewd and analytical. “Does it matter?”

  “Of course it matters, sweetie.” Chastity eyed her sympathetically. “It’s not a crime to want to be happy, to strive for it, to even go after it on occasion. We are human after all.”

  “I know,” Claudia said quietly as she stared at a fixed point on the wall. “It’s just not that simple for me. You know that.”

  “I know that you wish you could change the past, but none of us really can. All we can do is make the best of the hand we’ve been dealt, and if we’re lucky enough, be able to change our stars.”

  Claudia gave her a sJackl smile. “If only we could. I don’t know, Chas. I used to believe that. Now, I just keep my head low, and hope life doesn’t throw any punches my way that I can’t handle.”

  Chastity leaned over to get a hug and squeezed tight. “If life starts punching you, punch back. I know you’re made of sterner stuff.”

  She pulled back and gave Claudia a wink. “Besides, with that ass.”

  Chastity pretended to wolf whistle. Claudia smirked and did a little twirl. “Think it’ll make them fall on their knees?”

  “Girl, they won’t even know what hit them,” Chastity replied, as an ear splitting grin made its way to her face.

  “And that’s my cue to get going. Everyone’s meeting up afterward for dinner at Charlie’s, right?”

  “You got it. I’ll see you there, Clo.”

  Claudia sighed as she dragged herself towards the costume room and wondered what kind of outfit they’d put her in today. They pretty much came up with the weirdest outfits sometimes. On rare occasions, there were themes here and there. Sometimes racy themes, sometimes geeky, but almost always skimpy.

  They rarely went for the classy approach unless it was someone they knew could pull it off. Tonight, much to her surprise, they put her in something classy. It was a figure hugging gold colored dress that fit her like a glove.

  It had a plunging V-neck, and it was a little bit above her knees. It was definitely made to show off. The fabric was so soft, Claudia couldn’t help touching every few minutes after they put it on her.

  She was a bit nervous going on stage dressed like that, but she took a deep breath, steadied her breathing and went onto the stage.

  As soon as she stepped onto the stage, the lights were dimmed, and all the lights in the club went off. A single spotlight shone on her, and she waited for the music to begin. After anxiously awaiting her track, Claudia caught the eye of the stage manager back stage who was frantically waving at her.

  She managed to read his lips and find out that there was a technical difficulty that they were working on getting solved. Claudia knew that she could either let this moment get to her, and it could affect the whole show, or she could smile and wing it like a pro.

  She counted backwards from ten in her head until she fel
t a sense of calm radiate throughout her body and calm her erratic heartbeat. She began to laugh and joke with some of the patrons until some of the confused looks on their faces dissipated, and they began to believe that this was actually part of the plan. That she was doing some sort of routine act that would be followed by music.

  They had no idea she thought sardonically to herself as she continued the ruse. Thankfully, the music came back in, and she got back into what she was doing, but not before she caught Archer Paisley’s eye.

  He was sitting close to the front, and he was keeping a close watch on her, but that wasn’t what caught her eye. What caught her eye is the fact that he seemed to be completely aware of the glitch that had occurred. He was watching her with an amused smirk tugging on the corner of his lips, his eyes sparkling mischievously, and his arms crossed over his chest in a nonchalant manner as if he dared her to say or do anything that he couldn’t predict.

  Claudia wanted to wipe that smug smirk clean off his face, but she knew that it probably wasn’t a good idea. She forced herself to concentrate on the task at hand as she got through her routine with a flourish. She didn’t usually add a twirl to the end of her show considering it was mostly hip hop with a dash of contemporary dancing, but she felt that the move went with the dress, so she spread her arms and let the dress billow around her as the men hooted and hollered.

  Claudia had the satisfaction of seeing Archer look grim, and a little miffed. She grinned, blew the audience a kiss, and went backstage where she was greeted with warm applause from her fellow peers.

  ***

  “I’ll meet you there, okay, Chas? I’m finishing up here!” Claudia called out as she looked around for her ballet flats which she could’ve sworn she left somewhere in the vicinity.

  “No problem,” Chastity called back, and she heard the sounds of their laughter receding as they left the building. She sighed as she let her gaze travel all over the room, frustrated at being unable to find such a sJackl thing. She dropped to the floor, got on her hands and knees and began to search for it underneath the chairs and clothes.

  “Now there’s a sight I could get used to.”

  Claudia cursed as she shot up and ended up hitting her head on one of the nearby shelves. She scowled as she began to rub the sore spot on top of her head as her blurry vision tried to make out who said that.

  There stood Archer Paisley in the flesh. Looking amused with his shirt sleeves rolled up to his forearms, his tie hanging askew, his hair looking he’d raked his fingers through it, and his blue eyes smoldering, tearing a hole in the side of her head.

  Claudia stood up with as much dignity as she could muster and dusted off her clothes before she let her eyes slowly trail up and meet his. “What are you doing back here? You’re not allowed to be back here.”

  “You are if you know exactly who to bribe, or how to get past them.”

  A flood of anger shot through Claudia at their security personnel’s flippancy. They couldn’t let just anyone back here, and they knew it. Their blatant lack of disregard for women’s safety made them a liability, and she had half a mind to go over there right now, and let them have it, but first, she had to deal with the rather large, devilishly handsome problem at hand.

  “Yes, well, regardless of how you got here, you need to leave.”

  Archer tossed his jacket on one of the chairs and gave her a pleasant smile. “Now, why would I do that when I’ve got a lovely view right here?”

  “Mr. Paisley, as I’ve already told you, you aren’t supposed to be here, and we’ve been through this before.”

  Archer stepped forward and stood in front of her. “Been over what before?”

  “This,” she gestured making a sweeping hand gesture, “between us. Whatever you think exists between us. Nothing exists between us.”

  Archer stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Are you sure about that?”

  Claudia nodded her head empathetically. “I’m positive.”

  “Now, Claudia, I know that you’re smarter than that. If nothing was going on between us then why does my presence unnerve you so?”

  Claudia snorted. “It doesn’t unnerve me, what makes you think it does?”

  Archer looked thoughtful as he eyed her speculatively. “The fact that you took a step back just now, that you can barely make eye contact with me for more than a few seconds, and that you can’t stand to be alone with me for more than a handful of minutes.”

  Claudia turned her gaze on him. “Is that why you think I do that? Don’t flatter yourself, Mr. Paisley. I don’t do any of those things because you affect me. I do them to avoid spending time with you.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  Claudia narrowed her eyes into slits. “As Rhett Butler would say, ‘Frankly, my dear. I don’t give a damn.’”

  Archer stared at her with an unfathomable expression for a minute or two before his face broke out into a smile, and he let out a whoop as he slapped his leg.

  “I know you were feisty, but damn, I had no idea you had this much fire, Claudia.”

  Claudia bristled with barely concealed annoyance. “Look, I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but I hardly think your comments are appropriate.”

  One eyebrow shot up in amusement. “You think complementing you on your spark is inappropriate?”

  Claudia made a dismissive hand gesture. “It’s not the fire thing I’m talking about specifically, it’s what it represents.”

  A smile twitched on the edge of his lips. “And what exactly does it represent?”

  “Your desire to get into my pants.”

  Archer began to laugh, a deep throaty chuckle that sent shivers up and down her spine. Claudia told herself to get a grip considering who this man was, but she couldn’t help that she loved the sound of his laugh.

  “Well, now. I must say, the honesty is very refreshing.”

  “No point in beating around the bush, is there?”

  “Indeed.” He looked thoughtful for a moment before he shook his head. “I won’t deny that it is a part of my plan.” He perused her thoroughly making her feel more vulnerable than if she was standing in front of him, stark naked. She wondered at the effect he seemed to have on a lot of women, and she wondered if he knew and secretly used it to his advantage.

  “However, that isn’t my whole plan.”

  Claudia titled her head to the side. “Are you planning on luring me into one of your dungeons and have your wicked way with me?”

  Archer grinned. “That was part of the plan, yeah. Discovering the wanton woman who hides beneath that carefully composed façade.”

  Claudia straightened her back and looked him directly in the eye trying to pretend that the color of his eyes didn’t just make her want to drown in a pool of silver. “Yes, well, sometimes plan are ruined much to our dismay.”

  He gazed back, and apparently, he liked what he saw because he gave her a 1000 Watt smile. “That can easily be fixed.”

  Claudia gave him a blank look. “I’m not sure I know what you mean.”

  “You know exactly what I mean.”

  Archer took a step forward, and before she knew what he was doing, he had his hand on top of hers and was stroking it gently with the pad of his thumb.

  Claudia glanced down at their intertwined hands and frowned. “I won’t be persuaded, Mr. Paisley. So, whatever it is you think you’re going to accomplish, you’re wasting your time.”

  Archer gave her a slow indulgent smile. “Yeah, I know you’d like to convince yourself of that, but I’m just not buying it.”

  “Frankly, I don’t care whether or not you do.”

  Archer tugged on her hand, so that she stumbled forward. “I think you care. You care very much what I buy especially if it’s you.”

  Claudia laughed dismissively. “You’re fooling yourself. I don’t care. Now, I’d appreciate it if you’d release my hand.”

  Archer stared at her for a moment before he stopped what he was doing. Claudia could
n’t help the stab of disappointment that flashed through her, so she tried to ignore it by pulling her hand away and letting it lay limply at her side.

  “What are you so afraid of, Claudia?” He tried to get her to make eye contact with him, but she resolutely refused afraid of what her twin pools of hazel would reveal to him, and how he might somehow be able to see right through her like she always thought he could.

  “I don’t fear much, Mr. Paisley. Bankruptcy as businesses mostly do, and occasionally faulty plumbing or architecture, but other than that, I think my list is fairly sJackl,” she said, very slowly, and very calmly.

  Archer studied her very carefully before he let out a long whistle. “Somebody really did a number on you, didn’t they? I don’t know what they did to you, but it’s high time you moved past it, I think. Also, don’t you think it’s high time you dropped the whole Mr. Paisley act and actually used my real name?”

  A flash of annoyance crossed her face. “It’s not an act. This is how we treat patrons here, and using your first name would be intimate, which is something we aren’t.”

  “Not if I can help it,” he murmured as he took a huge step forward. Surprised, Claudia stumbled backward. “Would you stop doing that?”

  “Doing what?” he asked innocently, a little too innocently for her to believe that he wasn’t doing it deliberately. His hand reached up and undid the first button on his shirt sleeve.

  Claudia pointed between them. “Trying to start something between us.”

  Archer took another step forward till he had Claudia backed into a corner. “If I were trying to start something between us, you’d know, Claudia. I wouldn’t be so subtle. I’m not the man who will hide behind pretenses and play games. I’m very clear and direct about what I want.”

  “Okay.” She breathed trying not to let his presence affect her, but the smell of his heady perfume was wafting into her nostrils and making butterflies erupt in her stomach.