Hot Revenge Box Set 2

Still steaming from my shower, my hair turbaned into a towel, I examine the two dresses I brought with me. I’m not sure how formal the Threesome are with dinner, so I packed choices.

I hold them up to Ryan. “Which dress do you think I should wear? Christmas red with sparkly bits, or classic ‘little black dress’?”

“Not the red,” says Ryan. “That satin will show every mark.”

“Why should it get marked? We're only having dinner.”

He sits on the edge of the bed, tugging off his boots and smiling away from me. “I’m going for my shower.”

?

Mmmm…

Standing in front of the mirror, I switch on the hair-drier, brushing through my long locks, easing them to lie as I want, slightly covering my left cheek.

Ryan comes up close behind me. Taking me by the shoulders, he presses lips to the cheek, then in the mirror, his eyes meet mine. “You shouldn’t be so self-conscious about it. It barely shows. And in any case, you are still a beautiful woman; the most beautiful I know.”

“I… I still prefer to cover it if I can,” I stutter. I angle my face to the mirror, tracing a fingertip down the jagged red scar down the side of my face.

After my time in hospital, my months invalided, all my other injuries healed, but this…

An extra layer of foundation…

And some blusher…

Then no-one will see it…

*****

“Dinner is served!” James’ voice reverberates from the kitchen.

We head for the dining room. Out in the hall, Charlotte and Mitch descend the stairs, Mitch carrying Cara.

Mitch looks amazing. In a dress of jade, her hair is set in an elaborately up-style and at her neck she wears the silver and emerald necklace. The matching combs glint green against her copper-red hair.

Charlotte looks equally good. Although she still has much of her ‘pregnant shape’, the gown she wears emphasises her height and her much-expanded bosom but drapes smoothly over her expanded stomach.

Michael and Larry enter together, wearing their sweaters in a kind of protective fraternity, Rudolph side by side with the penguin, each refusing to meet each other’s eyes. Charlotte and Mitch exchange giggles as their men sit beside them.

Richard and Beth join us, she leaning on his arm, waddling a bit as he guides her to sit next to Charlotte. But Beth too, for all her advanced pregnancy, looks spectacular, in a dress chosen to make the best of her inflated stomach and bosom.

Michael aims a finger at Richard. “If you think you’re getting away with the suit and shirt, you’re mistaken. If the rest of us have to dress like idiots, so do you.”

Mitch turns to him, her voice all innocence. “Idiots, Michael?”

He turns to her, bowing elaborately. “My apologies, Mitch. If the rest of us have to meet your high sartorial standards, so does Richard.” He turns back to Beth’s elegantly dressed husband. “Go and change.”

James enters carrying a platter of smoked salmon, bedded on a green salad and dressed with sliced lemons.

Richard demurs, smirking…. “The meal’s arrived. If I take the time to change, the food will be cold.”

Michael takes on a quite untypical heartless tone. “Smoked salmon doesn’t go cold. Neither does melon. We’ll wait.”

James, Rudolph staring out from his chest, sets down the platter. “I’ll be back in in a sec with the soup. It’s just under the grill now.”

Hope lights up Richard’s face but Michael interrupts, “Just hold the soup for five minutes will you, James. Richard wants to change into something more appropriate. We don’t want his starter to go cold.”

James measures the billionaire’s perfectly cut, hand-stitched suit with his eye and his face stone-walls. “Yes, quite right. We’ll wait for you, Richard.”

Next to me Ryan, in his silk shirt and tie, lets out a slow release of air.

“Just realising what a narrow escape you had?” I murmur.

He scratches his nose and sniffs. “Mmmph…”

from the dining room. Five minutes later, at the sound of down-coming steps, he returns with a tureen, bubbling a

place, then glances up. “It suits you

almost

up a bottle.

“Red for me, please.”

moves around the table, pouring wine all

“Larry, French onion soup, melon or smoked

shifts his gaze from

He’s always watching her…

good humour as he serves himself a generous helping,

sidelong at his plate, her mouth twisting. “I don’t know

sensitive to

slices at his melon. “You’ve visited Scandinavia, Larry?

one time or another. In fact…” His eye crosses the table to Richard’s sweater, then he twists side-on to face Mitch. “Did I ever tell you about the

at her teeth, then props her chin on

in Sweden, they have much the same idea as here about Santa Claus. Over there, they call him Jultomten. Or just Tomten… Anyway, Tomten gives presents to all the…” He

staring at her father as

often Santa ever

…

Or him?

He stabs at another slice of salmon… “This is excellent, James...” He swallows the salmon, washing it down

Oh, yes. Tomten, with a sackful of gifts, knocks on the door and asks, ‘Are there any good children here? Of course, all the kids say, ‘Yes’. So, then he’ll sit them on his knee…” Larry shifts to a fake and slightly comic Swedish accent… “So, Inga… You have been a good little girl? Or… Gunnar, so you have been a good

“And of course, it would be rude not to offer Tomten hospitality, so the parents will give

far…” says Mitch,

He grins and takes

to get drunk? Or

Or… actually, genuinely, relaxing?

children see him, traditionally a family member will dress up to play the part. But… there are also what you might call professional Father Christmases. The parents book them beforehand, tell them a bit about the kids and what they’ve done that year, give them the presents to hand

chuckling as he cradles his glass in paired hands.

him. “So, if Tomten has, say, twenty bookings on Christmas Eve, by the end of the afternoon, he’s

throwing out a finger at him…” … and drunk twenty shots of

to the ceiling. “Correct! So, on Christmas Eve night, it’s not that uncommon to visit the town centre in Sweden to find two

all burst out laughing. Mitch gets a

ever been to

from her eyes. “Sweden no. But Larry took me to Finland a lot of

“Really? That sounds marvellous.”

long at Larry. “It was marvellous, yes.” She speaks slowly. “One of the best weeks I’ve ever had. That

reaches over the table, topping up her glass. “But you didn’t take

“Oh, some of it I liked. I remember there was a tiny little cafe. It only had a couple of chairs and those were outside on the street. There must have been two feet of snow, but they did a hot salmon soup. The temperature was way below

to the tall, fair-haired man next to her, and her fingers curl around

watching her

great. But the rest

is suppressing a smile. “In fact…” he says… “… If I am not much mistaken...” He hesitates, glances at Charlotte, and then very obviously, closes

down to her plate. Blinking, she sips at her wine. “Yes,” she

worked it out. Not at the time obviously…” His voice turns dry… “… I was missing certain crucial information then. It was only much later that I figured what

Michael exchange baffled

I missing

are you both

but he shakes his head. “I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s not for me to speak unless your mother is comfortable

it is, it sounds important.” Her words shift to a hiss. “You can’t just leave it like that.” In her arms, Cara whimpers and

Wishing he’d not spoken?

shoulder. “Calm down, Babe. Sometimes people have private stuff between them. You know that. And Cara’s picking up your

alright.” Mitch is still blushing. “I don’t mind. It’s

embarrassing confessions…” Then he turns, aiming his words at Charlotte. “Twenty-six years ago, I took

eyes grow round. “Why

“It was Christmas. She wanted snow…” Everyone

opportunity. So, I took her to Helsinki for Christmas. Everything was new to her and at first, meals-wise, she stayed with what was familiar;