Read His Golden Cuffs: Christmas Online
Authors: Flora Dare
His Golden Cuffs: Christmas
His Golden Cuffs: Christmas
A Steamy Contemporary Short Story
by Flora Dare
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Copyright 2015 by
Flora Dare
First Amazon Edition:
Jan 2015
Cover design by
Flora Dare; Stock © konradbak
DESCRIPTION
Anya and Leo found their way through a past marked by betrayal, murder and intrigue.
Now, as they look forward to life together without worries about her father, they find that being together can be just as hard as being forced apart.
Can they figure out life as a couple? Or will the pressure of creating a perfect christmas turn out to be too much for these two tested lovers?
This sexy, sultry, seductive short story is set after the events of the
His Golden Cuffs
trilogy and is sure to drag you back into Anya and Leo's world of danger, intrigue, and undeniable romance.
Anya sighed at the cheerful woman and said, "It's not that
.
I'm just at a loss for what to get Leo for Christmas
.
"
"Latest iGadget?"
"Oh, he already has it
.
The latest anything in the world and he already has the damn thing
.
He has everything and it literally doesn't occur to him not to buy whatever catches his eye
.
There is nothing that he wants that I can give him
.
"
"An experience instead?"
Anya gave Shayna a look
.
"Seriously, if there is something he wants to try, he goes and does it
.
There aren't any impossible-to-get concert tickets that he doesn't already have
.
"
"Oh, the glorious agony of wealth!"
"Right?" Both women giggled
.
Anya sighed at her friend and assistant and continued, "Sorry
.
I know I'm being ridiculous, but I just can't seem to help it
.
I'm so freaking run down lately
.
Everything feels like such a mess
.
"
"Except for being wildly in love with a man who would fly you to the moon
.
Hey, actually
...
"
Anya interrupted her and said, "He's already in talks with the Russians
.
Although I'm not especially keen on him doing a space flight
.
"
Shayna laughed, "Of course! Of course Leo is in talks with the Russians to be blasted into space
.
I'm now officially tapped out of ideas
.
"
"I'm being a bear
.
I just don't want to get him yet another pair of cuff links
.
" Anya smiled to herself when she thought about the first pair of, well, the first cuff link she'd given him
.
She had the other half of that set, part of the still ongoing game between them
.
Shayna said, "Guys need to wear more jewelry
.
"
"I know! He has a pretty easy out giving me stuff
.
I don't wear much, but with the holiday season and all the charity balls, apparently I can't wear the same necklace every time
.
"
"Oh the pain, the pain of paparazzi judging your gems!" Shayna flung a hand over her eyes, laughing at Anya
.
"They get really mean! I shouldn't look at the gossip sites, but getting nailed as a 'worst dressed' just because I didn't wear enough fancy sparklies burns
.
"
"They are assholes whose only job is finding something, anything, to say to get clicks
.
You guys are super boring these days
.
No good drama for them to feed off of
.
Go have a drunken nightclub brawl! Ohhh, we can do fishbowl drinks again! That always leads to an interesting night
.
"
Anya shuddered at the memory of the big blue bowl of mystery booze she had imbibed with Shayna and Brian
.
"No way, Shayna
.
I had a hangover for a week solid after that
.
Staying out super late and getting up to shenanigans just isn't that appealing to me
.
I fell asleep at eight last night! We curled up on the sofa, watching TV and I was basically out cold during the opening credits
.
Leo had to carry me to bed
.
"
Shayna said, "We've been working pretty hard lately, maybe we should ease up?"
"I think maybe it's just the cold of winter settling in and I'm hearkening back to my primordial ancestors
.
I'm ready to hibernate!" Anya held a dress up but put it back after Shayna wrinkled her nose and shook her head at it
.
"I would love to just sleep through winter
.
Especially when it snows
.
Which, FYI, we've never really talked about it, but if it snows or sleets or whatevers? I'm working remote, in my PJs
.
"
Anya said, "Definitely
.
I've never gotten the drive to get people to come in when it's so dangerous to be on the roads
.
Unless you are an actual brain surgeon, it can wait
.
I have no idea what the various business policies are, I should get on Leo about that
.
"
"Don't forget the little guys
.
Not every job can be remote, and the lowest paid employees are almost always the least able to spare a day off
.
" Shayna realized she was practically wagging her finger and grinned at her boss
.
Anya smiled and said, "And they still deserve to be safe
.
Thanks for bringing that up, Shayna
.
"
"No problemo
.
I was looking at the weather for the week and was dreading having to deal with driving
.
"
"Well, you are also welcome to one of the spare rooms if it turns while you are here
.
Maybe bring a few changes of clothes, just in case?"
"Sure, no prob
.
We can sit around draped in all your fabulous gems and drink hot cocoa
.
With marshmallows
.
Marshmallows are a hard limit and a deal breaker
.
"
"A girl has to know herself
.
"
"And this girl knows she likes hot cocoa with marshmallows during snow storms
.
Maybe a little peppermint or cinnamon schnapps
.
To keep our spirits up
.
"
"I'll make sure Effie keeps us well stocked
.
Let me run to the ladies, then let's go find someplace else to shop?"
"Sure, let me buy this
.
" Shayna flashed a set of handkerchiefs
.
"My dad will absolutely love these
.
He's all about a nice hankie
.
"
Anya ran to the bathroom and by the time she made it back to Shayna, the woman was waiting at the front of the store with her package
.
Shayna waved her phone at Anya and said, "Oh, you just got a message from a Mr
.
Jon Maccie
.
He said, 'Nothing yet
.
' And that is all it said
.
Do I want to know who he is and what he's talking about?"
"It's fine, I meant to tell you when I hired him
.
He's sort of a private investigator
.
I keep hoping my father will finally pawn that necklace he took from me
.
I really liked the damn thing
.
I'm hoping he didn't melt it down or anything crazy
.
Who knows with my father, it could be literally anywhere in the world
.
"
"He could have given it to Miranda
.
"
"I
...
I literally had not thought about that as a possibility
.
I'll make sure he knows to approach her in a 'reward offered, no questions asked' kind of way
.
I'm sure she'll jump on it
.
It's not like she can wear it out anywhere
.
"
"I take it there is no word from your father?" Shayna looked at her boss
.
Anya said, "Surprisingly, no
.
I expected him to last about fifteen minutes in Witness Protection
.
I guess the bad guys actually scared him enough to keep his head down
.
"
"Plus, the courts move so freaking slowly
.
He'll have to pop back up eventually, at least for the various trials
.
"
"He's like a bad penny, he always turns up
.
Still, some very bad men would like to skin him for winter gloves
.
"
"Worst
.
Gloves
.
Ever
.
"
Anya clutched her mouth and shuddered
.
"Wow, I just grossed myself out so hard I might just barf
.
" Anya took a few deep breaths trying to control her suddenly riotous stomach
.
Shayna pulled a bottle of water out of her purse and offered it to her
.
Anya opened the bottle and took a few sips
.
"Sorry about that
.
Anyway, I expect to hear that someone is fleecing the Girl Scouts of their cookie sales any day now
.
And then I can rest easy knowing my con-man father is out there - somewhere
.
Being him
.
Even if 'him' is really awful
.
"
Shayna took the water bottle back from Anya and stowed it in her purse
.
She snapped her fingers and said, "Oh, I know what you should get Leo!"
"What? Please let this be a good idea
.
"
"All my ideas are good ideas
.
You should get an amazing pair of wool socks and shuffle around the house, and threaten him with evil static electricity shocks if he doesn't stop buying himself things and let you buy him freaking anything
.
Oh! Or even better, every time he buys something, you completely replace a wardrobe item of his, until he has nothing but teal suits, shirts, ties, socks, shoes
...
everything!"
Anya started laughing, imagining the look on Leo's face if he opened a drawer to nothing but teal boxers
.
"Oh my God, Shayna, he would absolutely murder both of us if we messed with his suits
.
"
Shayna threw a hand out theatrically and said, "Vanity is a sin! I mean, and it's not like we would give them all away, it would just be until he bent to your will
.
"
Anya shook her head at her overly dramatic assistant and said, "Let's table that idea until, say, about mid-March
.
It would be perfect for April Fools’ Day
.
That would make for a spectacular work day, and I'll have to make sure I'm well out of the house before he wakes up
.
"
Shayna pulled her phone out and fiddled with the calendar, giggling all the while
.
"I bet that would be what finally made his gorgon of an assistant crack a smile
.
"
"Be nice! I happen to like Larry
.
"
"You would like anyone who wasn't a tall, sexy blond named Miranda
.
"
"I should not dignify that with a remark, but that is also really true
.
" Anya frowned at the memory of all the trouble Leo's former assistant had made for them
.
"At least she’s well out of your hair now
.
" Shayna shoved her phone back into her purse
.
"She wasn't even that good of an assistant
.
Too busy trying to get a ring on her finger
.
"
"I still feel a little bad for her
.
"
"After what she did? Seriously? She framed you, so Leo would leave you
.
You do not need to feel bad for her
.
"
"But she gave up a good job and all her connections to run off with my father
.
"
"I suppose the fact that she had sex with your dad is punishment enough
.
"