A Perfect Bride For Christmas (2 page)

“You can’t leave me.”

“Check your interoffice memo. Not only am I

leaving the firm, you, and your charming

associates…” She gave Tommy the stink-eye. “I’m moving to St. Louis. I’ve got a job there starting in the middle of January and a new apartment.”

“No, no, no.” Alex waved his hand around as if

trying to wipe away her words. “I won’t allow it.” An edge of panic crept into his voice. His eyes went a bit wild. “Who’s going to take care of me? You’re my friend, why didn’t you tell me any of this?”

Zoe heaved a sigh. “It’s already done, Alex. Your new bride will take care of the house. I’ve hired a new PA as well. Her name is Virginia Hamilton, is very sweet, very efficient. Be nice to her.”

Tommy sniggered. “Wait, why don’t you marry

Zoe, win the bet, and that way, she can’t leave.”

It took a millisecond for Tommy’s suggestion to hit Alex’s alcohol-soaked brain. “S’it’s perfect. You’ll be my perfect bride for Christmas.”

“You’re crazy and drunk.” Zoe tried to go around Alex.

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A Perfect Bride for Christmas

“No, Bianca dumped me, and we’re pals, Zoe.

Come on, let’s do it. The three of us,” he nodded toward Tommy, “can go to Vegas. We’ll get married and have a great time. What do you say? Hmmm?”

The temptation to say yes beckoned to her. She

couldn’t say yes, could she? Could she? Maybe this was her chance. It might be so wrong, on so many levels Screw it. She’d grab for the golden ring while she could. She could change Alex. It might take more than a few prayers in the process, but given enough love, he’d come around.

Alex needed someone to guide him. That

someone was her.

“All right.” She hitched her purse high on her

shoulder. “Let’s go to Vegas.”

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Dyann Love Barr

Alex squinted through his bloodshot eyes at
his left hand draped over a mountainous rump. The

sunlight sneaking through the drawn drapes glinted on the gold band on his third finger. In spite of the thundering headache, along with the greasy roll of nausea, he sat up and stared at the strange woman lying next to him in an equally strange room.

“Oh God.” He groaned and gently lay back down.

His tongue worked to get the sour taste from his mouth. He couldn’t remember what he’d been

swilling down last night, but he vowed would be a long time before he took another drink. Right now, even the idea of water made his stomach lurch.

A soft sigh brought his attention back to the

woman nestled underneath the covers. Tendrils of light honey brown hair peeked over the top of the blanket, but the mass of the body underneath that made him cringe.

She was fat.

He couldn’t think of any other polite way to

describe the mystery hippo lying beside him. Alex King, known for his discriminating taste in women, had gone to bed with someone he would never have given a second look, had he been sober. He inched away from her until he could no longer feel her body heat.

Alex scrubbed his face with his hands. He took

in the elegant room, the empty champagne bottle upside down in the ice bucket. A vague memory of something important wafted through his alcohol-8

A Perfect Bride for Christmas

fogged brain. Vegas, he was in Las Vegas. Another memory clicked into place. Christmas morning. He’d gotten married yesterday, or had he? His brain felt like Swiss cheese.

Sex. He remembered the most fantastic sex he’d

had in years. Yet nowhere did saying
I do
ring a bell.

He glanced over at the gently snoring mound and shuddered. The woman under the covers would

make two of Bianca Freemont.

He raised his left hand to cover his eyes, both from the sight of the woman next to him and the blinding light creeping into the room. The gold ring on his hand glinted. His breath caught short, and the contents of his stomach made it halfway to the light of day before he swallowed hard. Another fuzzy image danced away as he tried to capture the

memory of last night.

A plump white arm emerged from the tangle of

covers to rest on the woman’s side. A matching ring graced her left hand… A wedding band? No surely not. Cold sweat broke out on his brow.
No
, his mind screamed. Then the frantic thoughts came to a

screeching halt. Tommy Dunne had pulled off

another of his practical jokes, this time, one of the worst. Alex felt obligated to Tommy. He got Alex’s foot in the door of one of the most prestigious law firms in Kansas City, but it didn’t mean Alex had to put up with shit like this.

“I’m going to kill his ass,” he ground out between clenched teeth. With a manly effort, he sat up in bed and reached over to shake the woman awake. “Fun’s fun, Sugar. I don’t know what Tommy paid you for, but it’s time to hit the road.”

She gave a groan and heaved her bulk over to

face him. It took a moment before the shock of

recognition allowed him to speak.

“Zoe.” He gulped when her kaleidoscope hazel

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Dyann Love Barr

eyes met his. This couldn’t be right. Zoe should be back at the office, keeping everything going. If truth be told, she knew more about what went on at his law practice than he did. Who else could broker a peace with the worst client, remember the birthdays of everyone in the office, and make sure he was on time and prepared for court?

Besides that, they were good friends. How many

times had he poured his heart out to her when some woman had bruised his ego, or helped him celebrate after he won a particularly worrisome case? Zoe laughed at his awful jokes, didn’t mind if he came over to her apartment in the dead of night just to talk. Why would she be lying here next to him?

Unless…

“Zoe,” he mumbled around the rising grip of

nausea. “This isn’t funny. I’m going to wring

Tommy’s neck for involving you in one of his

practical jokes.”

It hurt to think she would take part in a prank like this. And it hurt in a place no one else had ever touched.

The hurt fueled a hot coal of anger.

To hell with everyone: Bianca Freemont,

Tommy, and most of all, Zoe.

****

lovemaking, Zoe smiled up at her new husband. She lifted up her hand with the shiny new gold band. It was a dream come true, and after the night they shared, Alex finally saw her as a woman. No matter the reason for his hasty proposal, underneath it all, he saw beyond the extra pounds and baggy clothes.

He saw her last night as a woman in love. She’d taken a gamble and won.

He blinked down at her, his face an unusual

shade of green. Last night had been a blur of

drinking and celebration, at least on his part. She’d 10

A Perfect Bride for Christmas

sipped two glasses of champagne while Alex and

Tommy drank three bottles of a vintage that cost more than her month’s salary. They topped it off with drinks with names like Sex On The Beach and Screaming Orgasms. The names alone made her

blush, but she had been eager to be alone with her new husband, and finally, at three in the morning, they went to their room.

“Just what the hell are you doing here, Zoe?” He frowned and pulled the sheet up. “What time is it?”

“I’m waking up with my husband.” The

languorous glow faded. She’d seen that look often enough to know something was wrong. “It’s eleven in the morning. Why?”

Alex ran his hand over his face. The gesture told her volumes. The gears in his brain were turning, trying to figure out a problem. Her heart lurched when he glowered down at her.

“Get up,” he snapped. Alex swung his feet over

the edge of the bed. It didn’t matter what he started to say, a second later, he made a dead run for the john.

Zoe pulled the sheet around her toga style and

followed the sounds of gagging. Alex crouched by the toilet, emptying out last night’s celebration in spasm after spasm.

She grabbed a washcloth, wetted it down, and

handed it to him.

“Go away.” Alex batted the washcloth away. “I

don’t want anything from you.”

“Alex, let me help you.”

“I think you and Tommy have helped me

enough.”

The look in his bloodshot blue eyes chilled her heart. “What are you talking about?”

“When did you hatch up this little scheme?” The sarcastic remark reverberated out of the toilet bowl giving it a definite Darth Vader vibe.

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Dyann Love Barr

“What scheme?” A spring of guilt bubbled up in

Zoe’s heart. His remark struck close to the truth, but it didn’t involve Tommy.

At least, not much.

She had jumped at the chance, taking advantage

of Alex’s off-hand proposal. Tommy had set the rest into motion with maniacal glee.

Love could make a rational, conservative woman

like her do something so out of character—like jump for the shining golden ring. Now she had a ring on her finger, but could she win what she really

wanted, his heart? Her chances grew dimmer by the second.

“The one where I’m supposed to believe we’re

married.” He braced himself on the toilet and held up his left hand.

“We are married. And I didn’t do anything—you

were the one who asked me to marry you. Tommy

brought you back to the office when Ms. Freemont didn’t show up at the church. Don’t you remember?”

“I remember the church and feeling like a fool

while I stood there waiting for Bianca.” He gagged again. This time he took the washcloth, flushed the toilet, and sat down after he lowered the lid.

“Whatever happened after that is a blur, but I’d remember marrying someone else—especially you.”

He let out a groan and buried his head in the

washcloth.

Lancing pain hit her heart. “I married you

because I love you. I always have.” She felt like she bled out internally. “You think I’m playing some game with you, but it’s true. Why else would I—”

“Hey, open up. It’s Tommy.”

Alex waved her away as if she still worked for

him instead of being his wife.

“I’m coming,” she called out while she adjusted the sheet to keep from stumbling on the end.

“I’ll bet you are,” Tommy called through the

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A Perfect Bride for Christmas

door. The double entendre wasn’t lost on her.

Everything that came out of his mouth had

something to do with sex.

****

himself against the doorjamb to stop the room from spinning. Zoe’s face was as sour as his stomach felt, but Tommy appeared red-eyed, wide-awake and

ready for fun.

“Have a
good
night, Zoe Pie?” Tommy’s eyes grazed her up and down, taking in her tousled hair, smudged makeup, and impromptu wrap. “Was it

everything you imagined?”

A flush raced up her chest and stained her face.

“How did our boy like finding out he’s married to you?” A feral light came into Tommy’s eyes. “It serves me right for making a bet with him. He

always wins—but this time, I think he actually lost.”

Alex pushed away from the door, willing his

knees not to buckle. He’d take a swing at Tommy if he weren’t sure he’d fall flat on his face. Oh, he’d overlooked Tommy’s offensive streak as a rule, but now his eyes were trained on Zoe. The anger he felt earlier toward Zoe evaporated under Tommy’s joyful nastiness.

Zoe pulled the sheet tighter. Her eyes flicked

from him and back to Tommy. “What do you mean?”

“Yes, what
do
you mean?” Alex shuffled over to Zoe, half-afraid to lift his feet off the carpet. The floor still felt like a merry-go-round.

“Don’t you remember, man?” Tommy stuck his

hands into his jeans pockets and shrugged. “I lost the wager. You’re five grand and,” he gave Zoe a wink, “one wife richer.”

“What wager? Cut the bullshit, Tommy. I don’t

feel like playing games this morning.”

Dunne threw up his hands in mock surrender.

The look on his freckled face was angelic, but a devil 13

Dyann Love Barr

lurked behind his green eyes. “I can’t help it if you can’t hold your liquor or your women. Don’t you remember the trip on the way back to your office to pick up the airline tickets? You decided you were going to Vegas anyway.”

“Vaguely.” Alex shook his head. A groan

followed.

“Bianca dumped you at the altar—remember

that?”

Alex gave a small nod. A bad move.

“You said you were going to get married on

Christmas Eve. You were going to ask the first

woman you met to marry you. I bet you five

thousand dollars you wouldn’t. Zoe just happened to be the first woman. She wa
s
in the office finishing up some paperwork.”

“You mean I married Zoe on a bet?”

“Yup.” Tommy rocked back and forth on his

high-dollar running shoes, the smile on his face sly and wicked. He smirked at Zoe. “I know you’ve always had your eye on Alex. You’ve had the hots for our boy for so long, the whole office got a good laugh out of it.” He started to snicker. “Wedded and

bedded. Come on, you can tell me, Zoe. How did the wedding night go? Did you make him scream your

name?
Zoe, Zoe, Zoe.
” Tommy couldn’t stop when he got on a roll.

This time Alex cringed. “That’s a shitty thing to say, Tommy, besides not being true.” Alex glanced down at Zoe, expecting her to laugh off Tommy’s crass humor like she usually did. “Well?”

“I—ah.” Guilt skittered through her eyes.

Tommy cackled even louder. “Come on, Zoe, tell

the man the how you really feel.” He wiped his eyes and grinned up at Alex. “Now you’re married to Zoe Pie. Can you imagine her at the company dinners with all the other wives? Yolanda Zucker would have to use two chairs to accommodate that ass.”

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A Perfect Bride for Christmas