Christmas With The Billionaire Read Online Free PDF Page A

deal, and the deed to this building was in his vault. He walked out onto the main balcony to survey the London skyline. It felt good to have real estate of this quality under his belt. Coming from the gutter made it even sweeter.
    He surveyed the neighboring balconies, all of them havens of calm. Discreet styling and impeccable taste predominated. He huffed a cynical laugh to think what money could buy. The brawling kid was now viewed as an arbiter of good taste by the chattering classes who saw no further than his ever-increasing bank balance—which had precisely the reverse effect on Ms. Black. He doubted she had ever read the financial pages, so she wouldn’t even know what he did. He suspected she wouldn’t care. So why was a woman like that permanently lodged in his head?  
    He reviewed her major attributes—aside from her breasts. She refused to be impressed and gave an honest opinion—whether he wanted it or not. He paid people to agree with him, but suspected there wasn’t enough money in the world to bribe Ms. Black, who would remain staunchly attached to her values, and to her particular brand of spiky charm, whatever the temptation to sell out.  
    Planting his hands on the balustrade, he stared down at her balcony. He’d made some enquiries. Kate Black: chambermaid, country girl, aspiring hospitality guru; interested in people, dogs, and food. Now there was no sign of her below him. The balcony was deserted. The lights were out. Maybe she was out with friends—
    Why should he care where she was?

    Even a cold shower and a hot coffee wouldn’t calm her down. Jason Kent was such a distraction. Desperate to escape the building, she headed for Covent Garden, not exactly sure what she was looking for, but determined to find some form of entertainment for the party. As well as high-end stores and quirky boutiques, there were always street entertainers and buskers in Covent Garden, and she had this vague idea to invite some of them to the party in return for as much food and drink as the group could down in one night.  
    Her last-minute outing was a huge success. Where money failed, because she didn’t have any, her straight talk hit the spot. She had more entertainers coming to the party than filled the West End theatres on a Saturday night. Mission accomplished, she returned home with more bags of cut-price food and a fistful of promises. Now, all she had to do was put the finishing touches on the apartment and hope someone turned up.
    By half past eight, with the grand dining table groaning with food, and the apartment bristling with lights and glitter, she was feeling like a klutz. She’d put her small pot of savings into this—not that she begrudged the money, but her bank manager might. It wasn’t in her to do things by half, Kate reflected as Yappy looked up at her with concern.
    She jumped to her feet and almost passed out with pleasure when the doorbell rang. Running to the door, she swung it wide.
    “I hope we’re not too early...”
    “Not at all,” she told Lily with relief. “You look amazing!” Lily put Kate’s lurid green Christmas elf outfit to shame, wearing a midnight blue gown, decorated with bugle beads and complimented by sparkly heels and a glorious Ostrich feather fan. They kissed and hugged warmly, and Lily didn’t even raise a brow at the sight of Kate’s abbreviated outfit.  
    Neville and Keith were next to arrive, and after them came a mob, including several more residents. Jack the doorman, Bill the concierge, practically all the cleaners and their families, as well as a girl Kate had heard singing beautifully with a guitar at the underground station. Behind her came the steel band that had been playing in the interior of the former vegetable market at Covent Garden.  
    “Don’t close the door yet,” someone yelled out as more people piled in.
    The circus performers!  
    “You’d be surprised how many people are alone at Christmas,” Lily told her with a wink.