by Conn, Claudy
Tasha chuckled. “Yes. These are perfect.”
“Only a couple more. This one and another from Lawrence.”
“Thank you.” She started to work her way through all the ribbon.
“Merry Christmas, Tasha.” Mary returned to her seat, leaving Tasha with the puzzle of untangling her present.
Inside was a brown cardboard box. That covered Styrofoam, and in the middle of the protective form she found a snow globe. It was one with the mountain, the Chalet, and a tiny gondola that ascended and descended when you turned it. “Oh, I love it!” She turned it upside down, giving it a spin and sending the gondola to the peak. It slid back as the snow drifted down.
While she was wrapped up in her gift, more boxes and bags had gathered at Kirk’s feet. He had a new tablet, a pair of cufflinks, and thick wool, argyle socks. For some reason the last made her laugh.
“What?”
“Who gave you socks?” She pointed and then bent to pick them up. They were well made and heavy.
“That’s me,” Mary said, leaning out so Tasha could see her. “If he insists on going out to rescue ski bunnies, he better dress for it.”
Tasha’s laughter returned, joined by others in the family.
Her last gift came from Nell. It was a picture frame with the extended family photo inside.
“You can replace it with one of you and Uncle Kirk,” she suggested before trotting away.
Looking to him, she found Kirk blushing.
“Or, you know, someone else.” He cleared his throat.
Her lips curled slightly, thinking about a Mrs. and Santa Claus photo that might be perfect. She just hoped Erik had some that didn’t include the other models.
As the final presents were opened and the paper and bags cleared away, the family moved to another part of the hall for dinner. Kirk stopped Tasha, slipping a small box into her hands.
“I don’t need an answer now. This is an offer. Wear it, think about it, and when you’re ready, you can tell me.”
She nearly dropped the velvet box. How could she resist opening it? How would she eat and keep food down while contemplating her response to a proposal? Once he turned to follow the others, she did open it. The diamonds clustered into a snowflake pattern. She closed it again without putting it on. She wasn’t ready for that.
Despite worrying all through the meal, she did eat, though perhaps not as heartily as usual, and was thrilled to say goodbye to everyone. Taking Kirk’s hand, she led him back to her room. “How did you get a ring on short notice?”
“It’s my grandmother’s.”
“Then I can’t keep it.” She started to push the box toward him.
“You aren’t, not yet. It’s yours until you’ve had time to think about it. Time to go home, return to your life, and tell me if you want me to join you.”
Tasha looked at her hand, still uncertain.
Chapter Eighteen
December 31st
Tasha hit send from her netbook. She’d been writing since waking this morning and finally finished the damn draft. Stretching, she knew she had earned a reward. The velvet box sat on the corner of the desk. She hadn’t opened it since Christmas. Licking her lips, she grabbed it.
The ring was too small for her ring finger, but she slipped it on her pinky. Holding her hand out, she admired it. Taken with it, and her plan for the future, she slipped back into bed with Kirk, snuggling into the crook of his neck and wrapping her arm around his middle.
“Hmm? Going?”
“No way. I’m not going anywhere.” She ran her hand up and over his chest.
He took hold of it and kissed her palm, just as she’d hoped. It took him a moment, but eventually he spotted the ring. He rolled over, eyes wide. “Tasha?”
“Yes, Kirk. Yes. I’m not going anywhere.”
His lips covering hers said more than words could.
About The Author
Gina Kincade has been writing erotic paranormal romance books and erotic short stories since she was seventeen years old. Her first and second publications were erotic short stories in a well-respected men's magazine under an alternate pseudonym, and those acceptances started it all.
She writes everything from Contemporary heterosexual, to gay make and ménage, dabbling in the occasional light BDSM and fetish. Gina's evil little vampires and were-creatures will rip out your heart without thinking twice and then engage in steamy, explicit sex scenes.
As a hybrid, best selling author, and recently receiving her publication rights back to many previously penned stories and novels, Ms. Kincade is in the process of re-working these manuscripts from long ago to bring them up to her current writing ability, in addition to the many new works she is currently penning. She plans on publishing these entertaining fiction pieces over the course of the next few years as entirely new and scintillating works of her art.
Ms. Kincade is also the ever-hard-working C.E.O of Naughty Nights Press, a quality publisher of erotica, contemporary romance, erotic romance, and paranormal fiction. A busy mom to three children, she lives in her wild household of two rambunctious dogs, a devoted, loving cat who believes herself to be royalty and prefers to sit on Gina's computer whenever Gina is attempting to meet her deadlines, and most recently a dozen chickens.
Gina's life is full, time is never on her side, and she wouldn't change a moment of it!
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Eve’s Gift
By Nicole Garcia
(A Christmas Tale Book 2)
Chapter One
It's been a year since I began working at Parker Industries. My best friend, Noelle, and I applied for positions right after graduating college. We were both hired and our lives had been forever changed. Noelle fell in love with the CEO and owner of the company. I couldn't have been happier for her when they got married. Noelle had a hard life growing up in foster care, she deserves every bit of happiness that comes her way.
Roman Parker is a good man. Loyal, caring, and sensitive to his wife's needs. There were times when I wished I had someone like that in my life. Someone to share my secrets with and be myself around. Sure, I have Noelle. She's my best friend. She knows practically everything about me. It's just not the same as sharing your deepest feelings with the one you love.
But, what would I know about love? I go out with a new guy almost every week. The problem isn't commitment. The problem is that I haven't found the right man to commit with. Everyone, including Noelle, believes I don't want to be in a serious relationship. The truth is, I do. I want to be with that special someone who loves me for who I truly am, and not the party girl who everyone thinks I am.
I have yet to look at a man who could make my entire body tingle with just one glance. Not that the men I date are unattractive. They are all good-looking guys, except none give me those butterflies everyone talks about when they met their true love for the first time.
Noelle had explained that feeling to me not long after she and Roman started dating. She said she knew he was the one from the moment she laid eyes on him. A few months later they married and were expecting their first child together. Roman Jr. was born three months ago and that baby couldn't have been born to more loving parents than Noelle and Roman.
I long for a life and a family like that, despite what others think. I'm not the party girl everyone thinks I am. In fact, it's downright exhausting being happy and upbeat all the time. Sometimes I just want to scream at the top of my lungs because I’m so unhappy with my life. I need a change of pace. I’ve pretended to be someone I’m not for so long I don’t know how to be anything else. I have lived a lie my entire adult life.
If I confessed my true feelings people would think I was a selfish brat. Especially Noelle. I grew up in a very loving home with attentive parents who gave me anything my heart desired. Noelle grew up in the foster care system. She was abused her whole childhood. She would have given anything to have a family such as mine.
How could I tell her how I really felt inside? She would think I was a horrible person. The biggest ungrateful human being she'd ever met. There was no way I could express my true feelings. No, I will go on pretending all is right in my world, even though my heart breaks a little more every day.
I look at the digital clock in my office, midnight. My eyes are burning staring at this computer screen, but I promised Noelle I would get the paperwork done for the next charity auction. Ever since the baby was born I’ve taken on most of the workload so Noelle could stay at home with the baby more often.
Noelle and I run a special division in Roman Industries. We collect donations given to the company and give the money to non-profit organizations as well as many other charities. Roman added this part of the company after meeting Noelle. It’s been a big part of her therapy. She was able to give money to foster care organizations, cancer research, and help local businesses from foreclosing.
She’s made a huge difference in our community and I am so happy to be a part of this. Our latest charity auction has kept me up late for the last two weeks. We are raising money for toys and healthcare for the kids at the local children’s hospital. Many of the families have low or no income and can't afford to give their kids the Christmas they deserve.
The event will be held at Whitney Manor. The biggest venue Parker Industries has contracted to date. The president of Winters, Inc. has the most sensuous voice I have ever heard. Every time I talk to him over the phone I get goose bumps. Which is the most ridiculous thing. He could look like a toad. Well, I guess I'll find out tomorrow because we have a meeting with him to sign the papers I’m working on now.
This year's Christmas auction will be charity ball. Women will be auctioned to the highest bidder for a night on the town. A little sexist in my opinion, and why I volunteered to be auctioned off is beyond me. Well, it is for the children, and it couldn't hurt being wined and dined by a rich man for one night. After all it is for the children you know.
I glance over the top of my computer screen and see Roman's light on in his office. I rise from leather office chair and made my way across the hall. I lightly knock on the ajar door and gently pushed it open. "Hey."
Roman was pounding away at the computer keys and never looked up at me. "Hey yourself. Shouldn't you be home sleeping?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing. "
“I have to get these figures on paper for tomorrow for our meeting with Winters, Inc."
I scrunch my eyebrows together. "Don't we have people in accounting to do that?"
Roman finally looked in my direction. "Yes, but I want to make sure everything is perfect. This will be our biggest earning charity auction and I need the numbers of our last donations to be absolutely flawless.”
I walk over to the computer screen and shut the monitor off.
"Eve! Why did you do that? I'm very busy."
"You need to be busy at home taking care of Noelle and R.J. Everything is accounted for. I’ll finish this up for you, now go home to your family."
"No Eve, I can't ask you to do that. You have your own work to finish."
"You're not asking, I'm offering. Besides I'm almost finished with what I'm doing. I can have everything ready for tomorrow's meeting. You have been up for days doing this. You need to go home and spend time with your family."
"It will make me feel bad if I leave you here by yourself."
I glance over at the night shift maintenance man wearing his headphones blaring music. I could hear it across the room. "I'll be fine. Besides I have John over there to keep me company." I look over and yell in his direction. "Ain't that right John." Of course I get no answer back because his music was so loud.
Roman chuckles. "Yeah, I see what good company you'll have."
"See, now go."
"Okay, I'll go, but if you need me for anything just pick up the phone and I’ll be here in no time."
I smile. "Okay, now get the hell out of here."
He gives me a quick peck on the cheek and grabs his coat. “Thanks Eve, you're the best."
"Yeah, yeah, I know."
I watched Roman leave in a hurry and wished I had someone to rush home to. Sadly my big date night will include facts, figures, and the ever so entertaining John over there. I sit in Roman's chair and turn the monitor back on. Wow, there is so much more work to be done. I have a minimum of three more hours work to be done before I can go home. Oh well, I don’t have anything better to do with my life.
Before I started I checked my email and saw a message from Adam Winters confirming our appointment in the morning. I reply with the allotted time and sent. I sit and wondered what this rich powerful man looks like. He is probably an older balding overweight man who drove a fancy sports car because he was going through some midlife crisis. Thinking about a man like gives me goose bumps all over and makes me shudder.
Word after word, page after page of boring documents had me going bonkers. Sitting here for the last four hours has given me the worst headache, and never mind the fact that I am totally bored. You think what's his face over there would take a break from cleaning and entertain me a little bit.
Thankfully, I’m finally done and can go home to get at least three hours of sleep and take a shower before I have to come back here and finish up my own work in time for the meeting. The only bad part is that I still live with my parents. A real pain in the ass sometimes. Oh, don't get me wrong, I love my parents very much. It's just I would like some real privacy once in a while. I have enough money saved now where I could get my own house. I’ve been looking around the area constantly for the right place for me. Some place far enough so I can have my space, but still close to work and my parents.
It was becoming a task to find such a place. Most of the homes in the area are so big. I don't need anything that huge. A small quaint little home would be plenty big enough for me. Besides, I would be living alone, how much room does one person need?
I saved my work on the computer and shut off the monitor. I walked back down the hall into my office and gathered my things. I put my coat on and threw my purse over my shoulder. My feet were throbbing so I took my shoes off and walked along the carpeted hall to get to the elevator. I pressed the button and the doors opened. I stepped inside feeling the cold tile floor under my bare feet. I put my heels back on cringing in pain. My swollen feet barely fit back into the narrow shoe.
The elevator dinged and I stepped out, the cold breeze seeped into the lobby through the revolving doors at the front entrance. I wave good-bye to the night watchman and walked towards the parking lot. It was bright outside because of all the falling snow. I hope that it continues to come down at this rate so the meeting would be postponed to later in the afternoon so I could get a few extra hours of sleep. But, I have no such luck. I checked the weather for the day while I was on the computer. The forecast for the day was sunny skies with no snow.
This storm should pass in an hour or two and the rest of the day was supposed to beautiful. I guess it was good in a way. I could finally get all the work done for the Christmas charity auction and get some real rest.
The drive home to my parent's house is a little sketchy. The roads were icy and I could barely see two feet in front of me, making my commute longer than it should have been.
I pulled up in the driveway and saw the light on in the kitchen on. I got out of the car and almost fall flat on my face on the cement. And lucky for me I kept my face from hitting the ground with my hands. I got up with my scraped hands and an inch long gash in my knee. My black nylon stockings ripped all the way up the front of my leg. Shit. Well, isn't this a wonderful end of my ‘oh so wonderful’ day. Or begi
nning, depending on how you look at it.
I struggled up the icy stairs to the front door and put the key in the lock. As I open it I saw my mother standing in the hallway pacing. "Mom, it's four o'clock in the morning. What are you doing up?"
Her scolding expression stared back at me. "I should say the same about you!"
"Mom, I was at work. We have a big meeting in a few hours. Please, I just want to take a shower and sleep for a couple of hours."
"I'm very worried about. You haven't slept in days. You are working yourself to death. And what happened to your leg?!"
"I'm fine Ma. Please I don't want to talk about it now. I'm very tired. I just want to go to bed."
"Well, okay. But, we need to talk about your working habits. You're going to make yourself sick."
I walked in the direction of my room on the far side of the house. "Okay Ma." Of course I'm only telling her what she wanted to hear. How much I work is none of her business. I'm a grown woman. I'm not a child anymore and I wish she would get that concept already.
I opened the door to my bathroom and turned on the hot water faucet in the bathtub. I placed my hand under the water to adjust it to the right temperature. I got into the medicine cabinet and removed the relaxing lavender bath salts. I sprinkled some in the water and removed my clothes throwing them in the corner of the room. I slowly glided into the tub and allow the warm soapy water to engulf my tired aching muscles.
After my bath I grabbed a towel and dried off. I put on my robe and headed to bed. I looked over at my phone, I only have two hours to sleep, or nap really. Two hours couldn’t be considered anything more than a nap. I set the alarm to wake in a couple hours so I could get to work early so I could get everything prepared in time for the meeting with Adam Winters.
Chapter Two
I awoke to the sound of my cellphone alarm clock ringing. I opened my eyes, and reached over to the nightstand by my bed and turned off the obnoxious noise. I slowly got up. My head felt like it had been stuck in a vice. It was pounding and it feels like there’s a knife viciously stabbing at my thick skull. The pressure behind my eyes was excruciating. How on earth am I going to get through the meeting, let alone the whole day at work? I hauled my tired body into the bathroom and popped an aspirin in my mouth. I turn on the faucet then placed my hands under the running water. I splashed some cold water on my face to try and wake up a little. I grabbed a clean towel off the shelf and dried my face.
