Open In Private (10 page)

Her smile and the tears glistening in her eyes gave him all the response he needed. "And one more thing. My company's Christmas party is this Friday evening. It's a sit down dinner in the banquet room of The Gold Club. After dinner, I'll be handing out all those gifts you purchased for my employees. Would you do me the honor of being my date?"

"I'd love to"

****

Carli visually surveyed the banquet room of The Gold Club again. The decorations were beautiful and included a seven foot tall Christmas tree…something befitting a fine dining upscale restaurant. Dinner had been delicious and beautifully presented, living up to the restaurant's reputation for excellent food and service.

Then Parker rose from his chair and immediately commanded everyone's attention. Carli saw the look of admiration on the faces of his employees, obvious respect for the owner of the company. He looked so handsome in his custom tailored suit and devastatingly sexy. And she was his date, the woman he had chosen to have at his side at a company function.

"We've had a very successful year, due in great part to your hard work and dedication. I know I don't always verbalize my appreciation for your efforts, but rest assured that I value each and every one of you. And to show my appreciation, your department heads will distribute a Christmas gift and an added cash bonus for each of you." On cue, a handful of people began distributing boxes and envelopes.

Had she heard him correctly? In addition to the gifts she had purchased, individualized gifts for each person rather than the same generic gift for everyone, he was also handing out cash bonuses? Every time she turned around, he was doing something that surprised her. Life with Parker Simmons would be anything but dull and predictable.

"And for those of you who didn't meet this lovely lady earlier during the cocktail hour," he placed his hand on her shoulder, "this is Charlene Vance, a woman of exquisite taste who is responsible for selecting all the Christmas gifts."

The heat of embarrassment spread across her cheeks. It had been a very special night. Her joy completely filled her to the point where there wasn't room left for anything else.

When the evening finally ended, he drove her back to her house. As soon as they were inside, he pulled her into his arms and captured her mouth with a kiss consisting of both lusty passion and tender emotion.

"Thank you for a special evening. I enjoyed meeting the people at your company. It was a marvelous party."

"Thank you for accompanying me. And speaking of the party, there's still one more present to hand out." He reached into his pocket and withdrew a flat box about eight inches long. "This is a token of my deep affection. I hope you like it."

Carli didn't know what to say. It was the last thing she had expected. Her hand trembled slightly as she accepted the box. Her pulse surged and her insides quivered in anticipation. She opened the box.

Stunned silence was her immediate response. "Parker…I…" A diamond bracelet. An exquisite, beautiful diamond bracelet. "It's gorgeous."

He took the bracelet from the box and fastened it around her wrist. "It's an early Christmas present. The moment I saw it in the jewelry store, I knew it was what I had been looking for."

"You went shopping? Just for me?" Joy, happiness, amazement, shock. She didn't know what she felt…probably all of it.

"I wanted you to have something special, something personal. Something that makes a statement."

"A statement?"

"Yes…and this one is saying it wants to remove the word
informal
from our relationship. I want to make this official, Carli. I want to declare that we are now in an exclusive committed relationship." He placed a loving kiss on her lips. "If that's acceptable to you."

One step at a time and he had just taken the next step. She loved him, that was no longer in doubt. She also understood his desire for caution. "That's very much acceptable to me." She placed a loving kiss on his lips. "But what made you change your mind?"

"The possibility of you feeling I was stringing you along, that I'd never give you the commitment you deserve, scared the hell out of me. The thought that I might lose you frightened me more than making a commitment." He held her tightly, cradling her head against his shoulder. "I don't want to ever lose you."

"There's no danger of that." She took his hand and led him toward the bedroom. "I have a little something I bought a few days ago with you in mind."

About the Author

Samantha Gentry currently lives in Kansas but has lived most of her life in the Los Angeles area.

For twenty years, she worked in television production before becoming a full time writer. For many years, photography was her avocation and that's what started her writing—non-fiction magazine articles to accompany her photographs. The writing eventually segued into fiction and novels.

Visit Samantha at

www.samanthagentry.com

http://samanthagentry.blogspot.com

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