An Escort for Christmas: A Billionaire Novella Read Online Free PDF

watching him take it all in. Then Julia caught me and I looked away in embarrassment.
    Jameson seemed even more tense than when we’d arrived and I couldn’t understand why. His family was fun and energetic, and it was obvious how much they loved him. And yet this seemed like the last place he wanted to be.
    Everything seemed to be going just fine, or at least that’s what I thought. But once dinner had been cleared, and we moved into the sitting room, the real inquisition began.
    Jameson’s father Charles leaned back in his chair and observed me with shrewd eyes as he tipped back his drink. I noticed he’d had a few already this evening, and while he was quiet before, he seemed to be more than ready to talk now.
    “So Harper,” he began. “Why don’t you tell us about yourself.”
    I shifted in my seat and wrung my hands together as all of their eyes fell on me. Jameson tensed as well, and I knew this wasn’t good. We still hadn’t fully fleshed out my cover story, and I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to be spouting off things as I went. So I decided to be honest, at least wherever I could. It would be easier to keep my story straight later on.
    “Well, I’m originally from West Virginia,” I said. “I moved to New Jersey when I was twelve. And then to New York last year.”
    “What brought you to New York?” he asked, his brown eyes flat.
    I glanced at Jameson, unsure what to say. I had no desire to open up to this many people at once. But I guess that’s what I was being paid for- to throw myself in front of the firing squad.
    “My aunt was sick,” I answered in a quiet voice. “Cancer.”
    Charles remained unaffected by my admission, but Julia put a hand to her mouth and shook her head. “Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that, Harper. Is she alright?”
    “I’m afraid not,” I said. “She passed away three months ago.”
    “What was her name?” Charles cut in.
    I didn’t like his tone, or the way he was looking at me. I highly suspected he believed I was lying, which really upset me. I may have been lying about other things, but this wasn’t one of them. And it stung that he thought I would ever lie about something so awful.
    “Dad.” Jameson’s voice was thick with warning. “I think that’s enough for tonight.”
    Charles didn’t seem altogether pleased with his son’s attitude, and Julia looked sick with worry.
    “He’s right, Charles.” She squeezed his hand in hers. “We have two weeks to get to know Harper. There’s no rush.”
    Charles and Jameson had a silent war of wills as they stared each other down, but Charles was the first to concede. I suspected it had everything to do with how tight Julia was squeezing his hand.
    “Very well,” he said, tearing his gaze back to his wife’s face. “I’m sure you two are probably tired.”
    “Indeed.” Jameson grunted, rising to his feet.
    He surprised me when he held out his hand for me, but then I remembered this was all part of his plan.
    I threaded my fingers through his, savoring the warmth and strength of his palm. A tiny shudder ran down my spine when he closed his fingers around mine and stroked me with his thumb the same way he’d done earlier.
    “Goodnight everybody.” He turned towards the staircase and tugged me along. “We’ll see you in the morning.”
     
    ***
     
    When we got upstairs, Jameson dismissed himself shortly after. He said he had some business to tend to, and that he’d use the library so he didn’t disturb me. I suspected he was just as nervous as I was about sleeping in a room together or making idle chit chat. It was something that neither one of us seemed to be very good at.
    I dimmed the lights and went into the bathroom, opting to help myself to the large garden tub. I might as well appreciate the luxuries while I had the opportunity.
    I made a whole affair of it, lighting the candles that lined the edge and pouring scented oil into the hot water. I soaked for an entire hour before I