Emma Darcy - The Billionaire's New Year Gift

When they reached P.J.’s condo, he parked in front and they walked together to her front door. The very air seemed to shimmer in expectation.

When Alex reached for her keys, she gave them up without a word. They stood so close, she wondered if he could hear her heart beating. After he unlocked the door and pushed it open, P.J. stepped inside knowing he would follow.

The small hurricane lamp on the credenza in the entryway gave off a soft glow, illuminating the roses in their frosted vase. Their fragrance filled the air. P.J. turned and their eyes met. As the grandfather clock began to chime the hour, he reached for her and pulled her close. When he lowered his head, she raised hers and gave herself up to his kiss.

A long time later, after making love, sleeping for a while, then waking and making love again, they lay together spoon fashion in P.J.’s bed.

“We fit together nicely,” Alex said, lazily cupping a breast and nuzzling the back of her neck.

“Ummm,” P.J. murmured noncommittally, although she’d been thinking the same thing.

“You’re not going to let our work situation make a difference between us, are you?”

“Depends how things go.” But she already knew she wouldn’t. Because if she made their jobs an issue, she’d have to give him up, and she didn’t want to. Of course, if it became a situation where she could no longer do her job or he could no longer do his, she’d have to rethink her decision.

But for now, at least, she intended to enjoy being with Alex…and not worry about tomorrow.

The next few weeks went by swiftly. Alex kept his promise to keep tabs on Julie, but was relieved when Terrence returned home from his business trip and Alex no longer felt quite as responsible for her.

He and P.J. spent a lot of time together. He took her to movies, they went out to dinner, they fell into the habit of running together after work, and one Saturday afternoon and evening they attended a festival at the local Catholic church.

“I love Ferris wheels,” P.J. said as they stood in line waiting their turn to ride.

Alex smiled down at her. She looked like a kid in her jeans and flip-flops with her hair pulled back in a ponytail.

“I almost came to this festival last year,” she continued.

“Why didn’t you?”

She shrugged, the smile fading. “No one to go with.”

The way she said it made Alex feel tender toward her. She acted so tough most of the time, but he suspected the toughness was a facade to mask deeper feelings.

Maybe she’s lonely, too .

Most people, he’d discovered, presented a face to the world that was not necessarily their real face. He certainly did. No one who knew him socially or in the world of philanthropy would ever guess at the emotions he kept hidden. Even his half-brothers probably had no idea what he was really like, just as he had little idea what made them tick.

“Well, you’ve got me now,” he said, putting his arm around her.

Their eyes met, and Alex could tell she wanted to say something—was actually on the verge of saying something—but just then the line began to move and the moment was lost.

Later that night, Alex awakened to the sound of rain hitting the roof. P.J. was still sleeping soundly. He smiled as he watched her. She looked delectable. There was no other word for it. Her hair tumbled over the pillow, her sleep shirt—which she’d put back on after they’d made love—had ridden up, and her really gorgeous backside was visible. It was all he could do to keep from caressing it, but he knew if he did, he’d wake her. He resisted the temptation. They had all day tomorrow to enjoy each other. He was just drifting back to sleep when his cell phone rang. Groaning, he picked it up off the bedside table and looked at the caller ID.

Julie .

The digital clock on P.J.’s side of the bed read 4:43 a.m.

“Damn,” he muttered, pressing talk and getting out of bed as quietly as he could. “This had better be important,” he whispered, moving toward the hallway.

“Alex,” Julie cried. “I’ve…I’ve been arrested!”

“ What? Why?”

“I didn’t do anything, but they won’t listen to me. They hauled me down here to the police station just like a common criminal!”

“Calm down. Why were you arrested?”

“It was a drug raid. I—I was at Sandpipers and some of the kids were doing coke and stuff.”

“Jesus, Julie.” Alex pushed his hair back from his forehead in frustration.

“Well, I wasn’t part of it. I was just there . They had no right to arrest me! Oh, God, I don’t want Mom and Dad to know. Can you come?”

He sighed. “Yes, I’ll come. Where, exactly, are you?”

After she told him, he said, “It’ll be an hour, hour and a half before I get there.”

“Okay,” she said in a small voice. “Thank you, Alex.”

By the time Alex had dressed and gathered his stuff, P.J. was stirring.

“You leaving already?” she said sleepily, sitting up in bed.

“I have to.” He walked around to her side of the bed, leaned down, and kissed her. “I probably won’t get back before noon.”

Her brow furrowed. “Is something wrong?”

“I just got a call from my sister. I’ve got to drive to Seattle and bail her out of jail.”

P.J.’s eyes widened. “What happened?”

“It was a drug bust at a club. Look, I’ve got to get going. I’ll call you later, okay?”

She nodded. “Be careful driving.”

He made it to the precinct where Julie was being held in record time, but even so, it was almost six-thirty before he walked in. It took another thirty minutes before he was allowed to see her.

She sat on a bench in a holding cell, along with a dozen other young people. Alex gritted his teeth when he recognized the infamous Penn, who sat with his head in his hands. He looked up when Alex and the duty cop approached. Alex nodded in the boy’s direction, even as he wished he could pound some sense into him and the others. He did notice that the beautiful Phoebe wasn’t part of the group. So, obviously, she was smarter than Julie.

“Alex,” Julie said, getting up and coming toward him. Her mascara was smudged, her blouse wrinkled and dirty, her face pale and exhausted-looking. A lone tear rolled down her face as her blue eyes met Alex’s.

Alex reached through the bars and took her hand. The duty cop unlocked the cell and let Julie out.

“Fifteen minutes,” he barked after taking them to a small, windowless room with a table and several chairs. “Then she’s gotta go back till bail is set.”

“When will that be?” Alex asked.

The cop made a show of looking up at the large, ugly wall clock. “Lemme see, it’s seven-ten. Judge Winkle won’t be in chambers till nine. So that means at least two hours, prob’ly more.”

“Two more hours!” Julie said.

“Yeah, cutie. It’s no fun here, is it?” With that the cop left them.

“Alex,” she cried, the tears starting in earnest now.

He let her cry for a while. Just held her in his arms and rubbed her back and made comforting sounds. When she finally stopped, he handed her a clean handkerchief. “Sit down, Julie. Tell me what happened.”

“I told you. We were just at Sandpipers and—”

“Who’s we?”

“Me, Bits, Crystal, Logan, Phoebe—”

“Phoebe? I didn’t see her back there,” Alex said, interrupting her again.

Julie rolled her eyes. “She ran. The cops didn’t see her, I guess.”

“Who else was there?”

“Russ, Terri, and Penn. You met some of them at my birthday party.”

“Penn’s the one who was busted before for drugs. The one your dad was worried about. The one I told you to stay away from.”