Charity's Secrets (8 page)

I swirl
my wine one more time and take a sip as I smile at Justin. I'm overcome with
guilt when he smiles back, that beautiful smile never suspecting that I am
deceiving him.

It's
for the best. Remember that!

I know
it's true, but that doesn't stop it from eating at me. I should excuse myself
to the bathroom now and get this over with before my emotions expose me.

It's
too soon! He's not stupid!

Fuck!

Just a
little longer, that's all I have in me.

"So,
how are you feeling about tomorrow and the holiday?" I ask as a
distraction for both of us.

That
friggin' smile again!

"It's
the most I've looked forward to Christmas since I was a kid. I practically grew
to hate this time of the year, but I don't have words for how happy I am right
now. Seriously, it's the first time in forever that I've been excited to give a
gift to someone just to see their reaction."

"I
hope you haven't gone overboard," I tell him. "I really don't need
anything but you," which means I'm hoping to wake up and find him naked
under the tree with a bow on his cock.

"We'll
see," is all he offers me.

Trisha
comes over and grabs our empty bottle. "Ready for a second?"

Justin
glances at me to gauge my interest.

I nod
my head eagerly. "I don't work tomorrow, no reason not to. I just have to
run to the ladies room for a minute." There's a naughty smile on my face.
"Just try not to follow me in, Pervert!"

Trisha
laughs right in his face.

"Hey,
that was just one time, and I recall that you didn't mind it at all," he
teases.

Of
course I end up as the one a little embarrassed with nobody to blame but
myself. And that's exactly what I wanted. Justin is thoroughly distracted as I
walk away to the bathroom.

I'm
getting too good at this.

I go
all the way into a stall and wait for a bit, making sure he doesn't follow me
in anyway. My phone is begging for me until I can't take it anymore. With my
bag balanced on my lap, I whip my phone out.

The
email is there, and it
is
from him as I'd hoped. My nerves are humming,
excited, scared.

"Yes,
I can meet you. When and where?"
it
reads.

My
heart is racing as I type a quick message back, just something to hold him off
until it was safe.
"Great. I'll be in touch right after the
holiday."

N
o snow—that sucks! I knew it was a
long shot, the weather had been predicted to be sunny and clear, but I don't
give up easy. Like every morning we are together, I woke up to Justin's sexy
face smiling at me—that didn't suck. It took a few moments to fully drop my
sleep coma, and when I remembered it was Christmas Eve, I leapt out of bed in
my comfy PJ's and ran to the back doors and the rooftop patio, hoping to find
the hot tub cover buried under white, to see the railing and everything beyond
it with a crisp, glistening coating.

Justin
comes up behind me, seeing my shoulders slump in disappointment. He wraps
around me like a blanket, pressing himself into my back, his thick arms over
mine, and he kisses my neck. "Sorry, Warrior," he says to comfort me.
"I have something that might help."

He lets
go of me and moves to our tree in the room behind us, the first one he's had up
since he was a kid. We bought it together in November with a childlike
excitement that returned when we set it up and began decorating it. I had ran
right past it without notice moments ago, but now I see there are more gifts
under it than there were last night when we had gone to bed.

"When
did you do this?" I said, my breath short with surprise.

He
would only smile. "Looks like Santa came," he teases as he grabs a
particular box off the floor. It's wrapped in a beautiful, red and green paper
with green lace wrapped around the whole thing.

Inside,
I'm as thrilled as a child even while my mouth protests that it's not Christmas
Day yet, and that maybe we should wait. Sometimes I just wish I'd shut up.

"It's
Christmas Eve, it's part of the holiday. Don't argue with me," he demands
with a smile.

He
motions me to the couch and hands me the gift after I sit. There's no point in hiding
my joy any longer. I tear viciously at the ribbon and paper, shedding long
strips off a plane brown box that offers no clues about what might be inside.
The tape peels off the flaps and I see newspaper protecting the contents. My
hands search through the packing and I find a round globe, pulling it out
carefully.

"I
got you snow for Christmas," he says as I stare wide-eyed at the most
gorgeous snow globe I think I've ever seen.

As I
take in the sight of it, I finally see that it's us inside, standing on top of
our penthouse. "My God, Justin, it's absolutely beautiful." I shake
it, and the snow I'd wanted swirls around us in a miniature blizzard.

A
few hours after Justin gave me snow for Christmas, we are keeping one of his
most important traditions. We're at lunch with Lena at the Rock Center Cafe,
right up against one of the huge windows watching people skate on the rink.
It's beautiful, and the food has been excellent, but I'm more touched to be a
part of something the two of them have been doing for years. The sentiment is
overwhelming.

This is
the one holiday tradition Justin allowed himself all this time, and they had
developed a few rules over the years. The most important—no
current
shop
talk. Funny embellishments from the past, however, are not only fair game, but
enthusiastically encouraged. My cheeks are permanently cramped, and there are
stitch-like needles in my sides from laughing at their stories.

What I
like best is that I don't feel at all like a third wheel. I very much look
forward to the day when this lunch is a foursome, when Lena has someone she
loves at her side, but for now we are having a wonderful time.

"What
are your plans for later?" Lena asks Justin. "You better be taking
care of our girl." She winks at me.

"Of
course I am, but I'm not telling either of you any of it," he answers,
sitting up and fixing the sleeves of his favorite suit, a Kiton K-5 that really
does fit him like a glove. He looks so fucking hot in it I can't take it. No
matter how hard I try not to, my eyes keep finding their way back to his arms
and shoulders, the way the cut makes his back look so broad and solid.

"Not
even a hint?" Lena presses.

He
shrugs his shoulders and we can see his lips curl into something sarcastic.
"It will involve dinner, a private chef, and an incredible view. That's
all I'm willing to give up."

"What
about you?" I ask her, letting Justin off the hook. "You have plans
after this?"

"Just
my normal family plans."

She was
cheery enough, but still there is a sadness in her voice that she can't hide
from another woman. I pick it out without looking for it, but I don't call any
attention to it, I won't do that to her. She wants it left alone and that's
what I'll do for her, at least for now.

"Staying
at your parents again?" Justin asks.

"As
usual. Christmas breakfast around my parents table, exchanging gifts in front
of the family tree."

"That
sounds wonderful," I tell her, and meaning it as I have another moment of
missing my family. I do not want to be without Justin, not for a moment of it,
but I'd do almost anything to be with my parents in front of the tree tomorrow.
I envy Lena for that.

Enough
of that!
I motion to
Justin with my eyes that it's time for the gift.

In his
very stoic JP tone, he calls over the wait staff and has them remove our dishes
and clear the table. We remain politely silent as they work, and thank them
when they're done. They show the same nervousness I always see around JP. I
don't know if it's that they're familiar with him from past experience, or that
they're always nervous around a man in a thirty-thousand dollar suit, but I'll
always believe it's because he sweats power. When he's being JP, his aura
becomes the color of
don't-fuck-with-me!

After
they leave, he becomes Justin once again. "So, since our little Christmas
Eve lunch tradition is undergoing some modifications, here's how this next one
is going to work."

I'm so
excited to see Lena open what we got her, I'm resisting the urge to just whip
it out of his pocket and give it to her myself.

"Charity
wanted to get you something, a gift from us to you."

We can
see the protest developing on her face. I love it—that makes it even better.

"I
explained to her that we have a rule about that, no gifts, no pressure, but she
insisted her friendship with you changes that. I can see you don't agree with
her blindsiding you with this, and I'm saying—I agree with you."

Wait!
What?

"So
I've decided to blindside you both."

Justin
reaches into his jacket and pulls out not just the box I'd expected, but two of
them, placing one in front of Lena, and the other in front of me.

"This
is how this works from now on," he continues, a strong hint of JP in his
voice, so that we know not to argue with him. "These are from me to my
girls, the most important women in my life. You are not to get me anything in
return! From me to you because I want to and because you deserve it."

I'm
gaping at Justin in shock. When I turn to Lena, and she sees the same look on
my face that she's wearing herself, that seems to settle her and make the gift
acceptable. I have to agree. If they were giving me something, I wouldn't want
to accept it without having something to give back—with both of us being
surprised by Justin, it only seems fitting.

All the
protest runs out of her face and she melts. It's the sweetest damn thing. Then
the excitement hits both of us as we scoop up our gifts, fighting with the
wrappings.

Both
boxes say "Tiffany and Co." on them, and my fingers begin to shake.
Lena, who is usually much more jaded than I, is stunned. Another look passes
between the two of us before we open the boxes, an understanding of our mutual
excitement.

Pendants—diamond
pendants!

Lena
holds hers up. It's all diamond forming the letters N-S on hers, and on mine
E-W. They're stunning, even if we don't understand the meaning. I'm guessing
four carats, give or take, in each pendant. Our glowing, shinning faces say all
he needs from us.

"I'm
no idiot," he says. "The two of you look out for me, direct me. You
pulled me off the wrong path and put me where I needed to be. You two are my
compass—North and South, East and West. I have no direction without you."

I'm
already feeling the emotional swelling in my throat closing in on me.

"Lena,
you are my North and South poles. You are my unchanging, unyielding grounds.
You never bend, never move, and I can find my way anytime I look to you."

Yep,
tears from Lena. I knew it was possible, I've seen it before, but not many
others have.

"Charity,
you are my East and West. You are the sun that I revolve around. My life rises
and sets because of you. You bring me the brightest days, the hottest nights. My
world would stop without you."

Dammit—tears
from me, too!

WHEN WE RETURNED HOME
a few hours later, I discovered the romantic evening
Justin had in mind for us. While we were out, he had someone come in and rearrange
our living room. Now we have an elegant dining table set beside our Christmas
tree, overlooking the patio and our view of lower Manhattan.

Piano
music is softly blowing through the spacious suite and there are candles lit.
As he promised earlier, there's dinner with a breathtaking view, but I don't
see the private chef yet.

Justin
takes my purse and coat, hanging them in the foyer closet for me before he
slides off the jacket of his suit and tosses it over the arm of our couch. I
watch him slowly unbutton the sleeves of his shirt and then roll them up to his
elbows.

He
looks hot as hell, and I quickly wonder if there's a way I could ride his arms.
As if he read my mind, he holds out one of them for me to take. "Come keep
the chef company," he says, leading me toward the kitchen.

I'm
expecting to find someone at work in there, stirring away like a nut, steam
rising from assorted pots, but it's empty when we go in. Justin motions me to a
chair, pulling it out from under the kitchen table for me. "Get
comfortable," he says through a wide smile. He crosses to a tall cabinet,
swings the door open effortlessly, and takes out an apron.