This Holiday Magic

by Celeste O. Norfleet

  He wore an expensive gray pin-striped suit, gray shirt open at the collar due to his having removed the tie—it seemed to have been strangling him in his nervousness at seeing Sage again up close and personal. He’d ditched the jacket and had rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. He realized that all the effort he’d taken getting dressed this morning had been for nothing. He should have worn jeans.

  What had him on pins and needles was the fact that he couldn’t figure out why Sage suddenly wanted to see him after nearly a year of trying to get her to communicate with him.

  His personal assistant, Jeanne, knocked and then quickly entered. “Mr. Benson, Ms. Andrews is here to see you.”

  Adam smiled at Jeanne. “Please show her in.”

  Jeanne disappeared and a moment later returned with Sage. Adam inhaled a sharp breath and let it out slowly upon seeing Sage. He schooled his facial expressions because he didn’t want his pleasure at seeing her to show on his face. He could not control the tumult of his heartbeat accelerating, though. Or the general thrum of excitement that coursed through his body.

  The coltish teen girl he’d known had turned into a stunner of a woman and was very curvaceous. She’d always been beautiful to him, even though she’d often derided her looks when they were growing up. She’d hated the smattering of freckles across her nose. Her black hair had been so unruly, she’d moaned about the number of combs she’d broken in it, whereas he’d loved her hair. He could see she was still wearing it natural, and it was still gorgeous.

  She was wearing a navy blue skirt suit with a white blouse underneath. The suit was hitting on all her curves, the hem of the skirt high enough to display her long, shapely legs to perfection.

  Sage smiled uncertainly. From the expression in her eyes, he could tell she wasn’t sure she’d get a warm reception.

  Adam stepped forward and grasped her hands in his. He smiled, his dark brown eyes inviting her to relax. “Sage, you look wonderful.”

  She gave him a genuine smile this time and he heard an almost imperceptible sigh of relief. “Hello, Adam. You look wonderful, too.”

  * * *

  Indeed, Sage could barely stand upright she was so weak in the knees from just his touch. Here was the answer to her question of how she would react in his physical presence: she was melting. She fought to gain control of her senses. But it was her senses that were turning her to mush right in front of his eyes. They were still holding hands, and the solid strength and warmth of his seemed to transmit a current of electricity to every nerve ending in her body. Adam Benson, the lanky boy with the brilliant mind who had been the object of her first real crush, had, in the intervening years, managed to intensify his sex appeal.

  Their eyes met and suddenly they were laughing at the absurdity of the situation.

  Jeanne, who was still in the room, cleared her throat. “Would you like anything, sir? Coffee, bottled water?”

  “Sage, would you like anything?” Adam asked.

  “No, thank you,” Sage said to Jeanne, who promptly left, closing the door behind her.

  “Have a seat,” Adam said, gesturing to the brown leather Queen Anne chair in front of his desk.

  Sage sat and crossed her legs. She smoothed her navy skirt before gazing up at him. Adam stood leaning against his desk, his smile inquisitive.

  “To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?” he asked gently.

  “Thank you for the flowers,” Sage quickly said.

  “You’re welcome,” Adam said with a soft chuckle. “That was over a month ago.” His eyes bored into hers, and Sage looked down.

  “You were never one to beat around the bush,” she said. She looked back up at him. “Okay, I’ve been avoiding you.”

  “Tell me something I don’t already know,” he said with a humorous glint in his eye.

  “It isn’t funny,” Sage cried indignantly.

  “It is funny, Sage,” he disagreed vehemently. “We’re adults and have known each other since elementary school. There was no reason for you to hide from me.”

  “I wasn’t hiding from you,” Sage denied. “I just wasn’t ready for this.” She gestured to herself and then to him.

  “This?” Adam asked, brows arched in an askance expression.

  Sage frowned at him. She was convinced he knew perfectly well what “this” was. It was the magnetic pull that she was feeling right now. Sexual heat, yes, but it was more intense than that. She’d known it would happen if he ever got close enough to her because she’d felt its effects so powerfully last year when they’d finally come back together.

  He leaned toward her, his square-jawed, clean-shaven face only inches from hers. “Sage, you don’t have to be afraid of me. Deep down, I’m still the nerdy Adam you used to know.”

  Sage eyed him skeptically. “Really deep down,” she murmured. She stood and walked over to the window, which provided a view of the busy street below. Downtown New Haven was bustling with activity this time of morning. Christmas decorations were displayed in every store window.

  Adam came to stand beside her. “Did you ever think we’d be living in New Haven at the same time?” he asked.

  “Honestly, I didn’t spend much time thinking about us, Adam,” Sage said truthfully. “I wished you well, but I was too busy living my own life. As I’m sure you were busy living yours.”

  Adam shook his head solemnly. “I see your point,” he said. “Okay, we won’t reminisce. Let’s take it from here, shall we? No wondering what might have been if I hadn’t been foolish and broken up with you when I was too young to know better.”

  She looked up at him with an astonished expression. “You think you were foolish for breaking up with me?”

  “It was the most boneheaded thing I’ve ever done,” Adam said without hesitation.

  “When did you come to this conclusion?” Sage asked, curious.

  “The moment I saw you last year at your parents’ Christmas Eve party,” Adam answered easily. “I realized I never stopped caring for you.”

  “Aren’t you afraid you’re just being nostalgic?” asked Sage. She was searching his face, looking for doubt or indecision. His statement had started her heart to racing, wondering if it were possible that what they’d had years ago had not been puppy love, as her mother sometimes jokingly described their relationship during that time, but the real thing. “It happens, you know,” she continued. “A couple who were childhood sweethearts meets again, familiar feelings start to stir, and before you know it, they’re back in a relationship. But a few weeks or months or maybe even years later, they break up again. The high doesn’t last.”

  “I can see why you became an attorney,” Adam said as he bent and kissed her gently on the mouth. He broke it off only long enough to murmur, “But you’re not going to talk me out of this.”

  Sage closed her eyes and opened her mind to the sweet sensual assault of his mouth on hers. His lips were soft yet firm, and his breath mingling with hers was fresh and inviting. When his tongue probed between her lips, she let him in and practically swooned as he methodically and with sheer abandon made her so weak in the knees that she literally fell into his arms.

  When they came up for air, they looked into each other’s eyes for several intense moments. “You never used to kiss me like that,” Sage breathed.

  “I was a boy then,” said Adam. “I’m a man now.”

  “I don’t know what to say,” Sage told him, “or what to do.” She looked him straight in the eyes. “I guess I should just be honest with you. I came here today to ask you to donate to my mother’s women’s-club scholarship fund. She wanted me to stop avoiding you and talk to you, and she thought the best way to accomplish that was by making me feel guilty if I didn’t come to see you on behalf of the kids. I never thought our meeting would end up like this.”

  Adam smiled
. Sage hoped he knew she was sincere. And that it embarrassed her to have to admit she’d come to see him only for a donation. Her stomach twisted in knots as she stood there looking into his eyes.

  “How much do they need?”

  She was sure her face registered her surprise. “Forty thousand,” she said softly.

  “Why not a cool million?” he asked, his gaze resting on her mouth, which made her want to kiss him again. She mentally shook herself and concentrated on the matter at hand: scholarships for needy kids.

  “They only asked for forty thousand,” Sage said. She sat in the chair because suddenly this encounter was taking on a weird vibe. She’d anticipated Adam being cordial, yes. He’d always had good manners. But that kiss had been unexpected, and she was still weak from its effect. She also sensed that Adam wasn’t as warm and welcoming as he had been when she’d first walked in. He seemed more aloof and possibly angry. About what, she couldn’t fathom.

  He was looking down at her. She sometimes used to be able to tell what he was thinking when they were teens, but now he was inscrutable. He was no longer that sweet boy. She wondered what sort of things the mature Adam could cook up in that superintelligent brain of his.

  She didn’t have to wait for long.

  “I’ll give your mother’s club a million dollars if you’ll agree to do something for me,” Adam said, smiling at her.

  Sage found the strength to stand now. After that kiss, she was sure that there was only one thing Adam Benson would pay a million dollars to get from her, and he was not going to get it!

  “What do you think I am?” she exclaimed. “A high-priced call girl?”

  He threw his head back and laughed. “Sage, you could always make me laugh. No, I don’t want to buy your body. I want to buy your time. I’m attending an international science and technology summit in Vienna next week, and I want you to come as my companion.”

  “Define companion,” Sage said, eyes narrowed.

  “Being a lawyer again? Okay, if you want the terms laid out for you—you will attend a dinner and a dance with me, plus an awards ceremony. We’ll stay in separate hotel suites, of course. Do you have a passport?”

  “Yes, of course I do,” said Sage a bit testily. “You’re not the only world traveler in this room.”

  “Excellent,” said Adam, smiling. “If you agree to those terms, I’ll write you a check right now.”

  “I’ll have to speak with my mother’s club before deciding,” she told him.

  “You know they’ll jump at the opportunity,” Adam said. “And I’d rather you kept the terms of the agreement our secret. I can’t have it getting out that I paid for an escort. It might be damaging to both our reputations.”

  Sage eyed him suspiciously. “Why are you doing this?”

  “Because I want you, Sage,” Adam said, his tone determined. “And from that kiss, I don’t think you’re immune to my charms, either. I just think you need time to digest everything. I predict that if you agree to this, you’ll be mine by Christmas.”

  Sage laughed. She’d never been able to resist proving someone wrong when they made outrageous claims as Adam had just done. She would be his by Christmas? Not if she had anything to say about it!

  “We’ll see about that,” she said, offering him her hand.

  They shook on it, after which Adam sat behind his desk and withdrew his checkbook from a drawer. “The name of your mother’s club?” he asked.

  Sage told him, and he wrote her a check and handed it to her.

  Sage glanced down at it. She’d never seen so many zeros in her life. “How do you know I’ll go through with it?”

  “We agreed to be truthful with each other, remember?” he said confidently.

  Sage realized that was true. Last year they’d come clean with each other about their past relationship. He’d admitted that he’d broken up with her not because they couldn’t carry on a long-distance relationship, but because she was too innocent for him. They’d also admitted they’d never loved anyone else except each other. The ramifications of that revelation still scared Sage.

  “I’ll hold up my end of the bargain,” she assured him. “On behalf of the Silver Foxes, thank you, Adam,” she said as she began walking toward the door.

  “Oh,” said Adam as if it were an afterthought. “You may need some new clothes. And I don’t see why you should have to foot the bill for them. I’ll have my personal shopper phone you and set up a time to consult with you.”

  Turning back around to face him, Sage smiled. “You’re going to Cary Grant me?”

  Adam chuckled. Sage guessed he was remembering that Cary Grant and Doris Day romantic comedy she’d made him sit through so many times when they were teens. In it, Cary Grant had purchased a whole wardrobe for Doris Day to wear on their rendezvous in the islands.

  “Yes,” he said. “I’m going to Cary Grant you, except I don’t expect you to sleep with me.”

  “Good, because it isn’t going to happen,” said Sage. She gave him a teasing smile and left.

  Outside, at the elevator, Sage stood for a moment and just breathed. She was all atremble inside. What had she gotten herself into? It was obvious that she wanted Adam, if her reaction to his kiss was any indication.

  What would it be like to spend several days in Vienna with him? As a teen she had been determined to remain a virgin, so she and Adam had not made love. Now adults, they were both no doubt experienced in the art of love.

  But it would be a mistake to jump into bed with him. She vowed that not until it was crystal clear that she and Adam were indeed meant to be together would she make love to him.

  Chapter 4

  After Sage left Adam’s office, she went back to work, where she checked her schedule and asked her assistant to move around a few appointments. Luckily, she had no trial dates coming up soon, so that wasn’t an issue. She wouldn’t have agreed to go with Adam to Vienna if she’d been due in court the following week.

  After giving her assistant instructions, she walked down the hall to her partner’s office and knocked on his door. Jim Douglas called, “Come in!” in his deep voice.

  Sage opened the door, smiling. “Hi, Jim. How’s your day going?”

  Sitting behind his desk, Jim looked up and grinned at her. He was a good-looking, broad-shouldered brother of average height with mocha-colored skin and dark brown hair, which he wore natural and cut close to his well-shaped head.

  “Forget my day,” he said dismissively, his dark brown eyes alight with humor. “How did your meeting go with the wunderkind?”

  “Well, he’s definitely not a kid anymore, so you can stop calling him that.”

  “But he’s still brilliant, I suppose?” asked Jim.

  Sage laughed shortly as she sat in the chair across from Jim’s desk. Jim was not only her partner, but her best friend. He had gone to school with her and Adam, so he had a unique perspective on their relationship. He’d known them when they were dating in high school and had been a shoulder for Sage to cry on when she and Adam had broken up.

  Besides Adam, Jim was the only man who wasn’t a relative whom Sage had ever loved. He loved her, too. But his and Sage’s relationship was purely platonic—he worshipped the ground his wife, Sha-Shana, walked on.

  Sage told him about her meeting with Adam, including Adam’s invitation to go to Vienna with him, leaving out the part about how she was earning the million for her mother’s club.

  Jim laughed. “Whoa, girl. It’s obvious the man has had you on his mind for a while now, and he doesn’t want to waste any more time.” He searched her eyes. “How do you feel about that?”

  Sage blew air between full lips and shrugged helplessly. “I’m stunned. I thought I’d get a cool reception after obviously ignoring him. Instead he was frank and open, and he put his heart o
n the line by telling me how he feels about me. My head’s still spinning.”

  “You could be treading in dangerous territory here,” Jim said with a grave expression.

  Sage’s brows arched in an interested gesture. “Please, share your opinion. I can use all the help I can get.”

  Jim paused a moment, his handsome face scrunched up in a frown. “I don’t know if I should say this. It might sound as if I’m suspicious of Adam, which I’m not. I believe he’s a good guy, but the fact is Adam has changed, Sage. He’s a mover and a shaker on the world stage. According to Forbes, he’s worth a couple billion, at least. All that money and power has to change a man. I’m not saying Adam is less human or less loving or less anything. But a man with that much power knows how to get what he wants, and he wants you, Sage. That makes me just a little afraid for you. Be careful—that’s all I’m saying.”

  Jim wasn’t telling Sage anything she hadn’t already thought about. Of course Adam had changed over the years. So had she.

  The difference between them was that her life wasn’t under a microscope all the time. When Adam Benson announced a new invention, the whole world wanted to hear about it. The city of New Haven had been beside itself with curiosity about him when he’d first moved back home, but now he could pretty much go anywhere in town and be left alone. Outside of New Haven, he was hounded by the media. Sometimes she felt sorry for him. But then she remembered how competent and even-tempered Adam was. He probably took all of the attention in stride.

  Sage smiled at Jim and said, “I know he’s changed. At this point we’re just trying to see if we still fit or not. You know, they say the easiest way to find out if you can get along with someone is to take a trip with them. We’ll see how Vienna goes.”

  Jim laughed shortly. “I hope you have a ball,” he said sincerely. “Every woman deserves to be treated like a princess at least once in her life.”

  * * *

  The next few days were a whirlwind of activity. Ruby Gaskins, Adam’s personal shopper, came to Sage’s office one morning and took her measurements in preparation for outfitting her for the trip. Ruby was a petite African-American woman in her late fifties. She’d been a buyer for Bergdorf Goodman in New York City before she’d retired and moved to New Haven. Being a personal shopper was her second career, and from the enthusiasm she showed for it, Sage could tell she loved it.