Christmas Miracle (3 page)

When Mikki saw where they were headed, she immediately wanted to run in the other direction.
General Manager Davis Wright
read the little plaque on the door. Despite what she’d said to Leslie earlier, the man was heinous. His hatred for her had come at her full force in his gaze as well as his words. The last person on earth she ever wanted to see again was Mr. Wright. And Vivi had sworn the man was a sweetheart. But Leslie seemed determined, and he wasn’t letting his grip on her arm go. The man she’d worshipped on screen was a little more frightening in person when he was pissed, his gray eyes burning with intensity, his generous lips set in a straight line. And to think, she’d once thought that look was sexy.

“Maybe I should stay in the waiting area,” Mikki offered nervously. This was all her fault. If she had said no to Vivi, none of this would ever had happened.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I won’t let anything happen to you.” Leslie threw her one of his killer grins. God, those dimples were like craters. “Besides, I need you with me.”

Mikki nodded automatically, then immediately wanted to kick herself. Confrontations were not her thing. But when Leslie Brooks called her “sweetheart,” she found she was willing to brave things she usually would run from, like an angry middle-aged mall manager who hated her on sight. She knew why—she just didn’t want to deal with it. Didn’t seem worth it. When Leslie and his attorney breezed past the sputtering secretary, Mikki cringed. This was going to be ugly, no two ways about it.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Davis Wright was not a good-looking man. Balding on the top of his head, what was left of his hair was dirt brown and oily looking. His skin was pale, pasty even. Furious for being interrupted by what he assumed was the mall Santa, his skin went bright red, even the top of his head.

When his eyes landed on Mikki, they narrowed menacingly. She tried to shrink back from the glare, but Leslie was right there, holding her steady. “Buck up, sweetheart. I’m right here,” he whispered in her ear.

“Did you catch that one trying to steal something? Probably trying to make off with the money from the Santa line,” Mr. Wright gloated. “I told you I’d be watching you, girl—”

“Mr. Wright,” Gavin cut in before Mr. Wright could really get going. “I’m going to have to ask you to sign this nondisclosure agreement.” Setting his briefcase on top of Mr. Wright’s haphazard stacks of paper, he calmly pulled out the agreement and placed it in front of the other man. “After you sign, we can discuss the reason for this meeting.”

“Meeting?” the manager jeered. “I don’t meet with seasonal workers. The two of you are fired.” He pointed directly at Mikki and Leslie. “There are plenty of people who’d love this—”

His tirade died in his throat as Leslie removed the hat, wig, and beard, placing them on the desk. It would’ve been funny if this weren’t so serious.

“Mr
…
.Mr. Brooks-I-I-” All Mr. Wright’s former blustering bravado dissipated as if it had never been. The mall manager was all sniveling sycophant all of the sudden. Mikki would’ve giggled if she wasn’t so confused and afraid as to what might happen. “I’m very sorry, sir, for this woman.” Oh, boy, the man wasn’t very bright was he? “I would have never—“

“Sign the agreement.” Leslie’s voice was cold, his stare steely. Mikki couldn’t suppress the little feminine thrill at the purely male display of dominance.

Mr. Wright rushed to do Leslie’s bidding, scribbling his name across the bottom of the page with a shaky hand. The poor, dumb bastard actually smiled expectantly when he was finished.

“Mr. Wright, I just happened to be inside the locker room when you spoke to my girlfriend earlier today,” Leslie moved his arm to Mikki’s shoulder, pulling her in even closer so their bodies were pressed tightly together. Intimately tight. If it weren’t for his iron hold, she might have crumbled right there at his feet. This was all too surreal.

I’m going to crawl into a hole and die,
Mikki thought to herself.
Ommigod, if this ever got out
…

But that was what the NDA was for. Mikki felt mildly relieved Mr. Wright had actually signed it. It would just be too embarrassing if the world knew Leslie Brooks had pretended she was his girlfriend just because some dude was rude to her. It was sweet on his part, but could she be more pathetic?

“M-m-m-m-Mr. Brooks, I had no idea that she—that you—that
…
” Mr. Wright’s face had turned from puce to purple, spittle flying from his thin, bloodless lips as his eyes nearly bulged from his face.

“Really, it doesn’t matter whether or not Mikki is my girlfriend,” Leslie continued as if Mr. Wright hadn’t spoken. The things you said when you spoke to her do not reflect the values I am known for. This is my mall, therefore a representation of myself. The fact that you said them to
my
woman
only made it worse.

My woman
. Leslie Trace Brooks had called her “my woman!” Mikki knew if she lived a hundred years, nothing would ever sound as good as those two words coming from his lips. A mega movie star had called her his woman. Plus he added an extra squeeze on her trembling frame as he spoke. Cherry on top of an already awesome cake. This might all be pretend, but the embrace felt very real. Of course, he was an actor; it was his job to project emotions where there were none. She mustn’t let it go to her head, but it was impossible not to enjoy the moment.

“Mr. Wright,” Gavin cut in smoothly, pulling an envelope from the open briefcase. “This is your severance. Given the reason for termination, I’m sure you’ll agree it is more than generous. You have, after all, violated the very strict code of conduct you signed upon your own employment here. You will need to vacate the premises by mall closing.”

“But—but it’s Christmas!” Mr. Wright choked out, his knuckles gone completely white from the death grip he had on his chair.

“Which is the only reason you’re being paid at all,” Leslie informed him, scorn heavy in his voice and all over his face. “And I wouldn’t bother applying to any other mall in Southern California. I strongly suggest you either change professions or move.”

With that, Leslie led Mikki from the still stuttering mall manager’s now former office.

Wow, that felt really good. It may be cruel, but Mikki took selfish pleasure in the odious man’s comeuppance. And even knowing it was just for show, she tucked herself firmly against the crook of Leslie’s arm. She just wanted to pretend a little bit longer.

“How about leaving your car here and getting started on our date right now?” Truthfully, Leslie just didn’t want to let Mikki out of his sight. There was something about her that made him feel maybe the world wasn’t a completely jaded place.

Being near her made him feel excited and anxious, but the good kind of anxiety. The kind one got from anticipation of something new and exciting. Damn, he was sounding like a teenage boy with his first crush. There was just something about Mikki that was fresh. Like a country spring morning.

“It’s not my car,” she admitted shyly. “It’s Vivi’s. I really have to drop it off. How about I meet you somewhere?”

Leslie was sympathetic to her nervousness, but not so much that he’d let her out of his sight. There were serious vines of skittishness coming from her. He recognized the signs; it was exactly how he felt. On the set of his first movie, he’d been seriously on the verge of running back to Iowa. Well, he’d just help her make the right decision.

“I’ll follow you,” he pressed. No way he was letting her slip through his fingers.

Watching the way Mikki chewed at her bottom lip in indecision only made Leslie’s growing infatuation more acute. It was endearing as hell. And it was making his dick unbearably hard. God, what was this woman doing to him? He was strolling in a mall, dressed in a Santa costume, begging a woman to let him take her out on a date.

“You know you don’t have to take me out,” she finally voiced, sounding a little defeated. Maybe he was imagining that, but he really didn’t like the worry in her eyes. “You’ve done more than I could ever ask for already. Really, it’s okay; I mean, I appreciate everything more than you can ever know. It was the best Christmas gift ever, having you stick up for me. You’ll always be my hero.” She tried to smile, a weak twist of her lips. “Besides, I am sure you have better things to do.”

No, he didn’t, nor was he at all interested in doing anything for the rest of the night without her. Suddenly the depth of her shyness became crystal clear. For some reason, Miss Mikki Washington had no clue as to her own allure. For reasons he couldn’t even to begin to guess at, she was really convinced he couldn’t be genuinely interested in her. It would’ve been funny if it weren’t so perplexing. She couldn’t be more wrong. Pulling her into the circle of his arms, he kissed her. Not the gentle butterfly kiss he’d placed on her soft, yielding lips before. No, this time he kissed her with all the desperate passion pent up inside him. His mouth moved with purpose, forcing hers open so he could taste her fully.

Damn, but kissing Mikki was sweet! She tasted like peppermint and chocolate, the flavors he’d always associated with Christmas. Now they would always remind him of Christmas with Mikki; he couldn’t think of anything he’d like better. Unable to allow her to say no, Leslie didn’t let up his oral assault until her body melted against him. There was no way she could miss the rock-hard proof of how badly he really wanted her.

“Why?” The truly bewildered look on her face would’ve been funny in any other circumstance. As it was, he was more concerned with her complete lack of self-esteem. The woman was gorgeous; why couldn’t she see that?

“Because you’re beautiful inside and out,” he informed her seriously. He wanted badly to strip her down right here and now to show her what he meant. “And you make me feel things I haven’t felt in such a long time.” Shit, he’d actually admitted that out loud. He hadn’t meant to. “I would really like a chance to get to know you better. And I want you to know me, Leslie the man. Not Leslie Trace Brooks, movie star.”

Waiting the few moments it took for Mikki to make up her mind was killing him. The urge to just throw her over his shoulder and take her off to his cave was far stronger than he cared to admit. His chest felt painfully constricted as his heart raced. This hadn’t happened to him since—hell, since before he came to California. Since high school, really. It was humbling, and scarier than he wanted to admit.

“Please, Mikki.” Unable to take the silence of indecision, he decided to beg. Couldn’t hurt. “I just want to get to know you better.”

What if she said no? What would he do then? Probably follow her home like a fucking stalker. He realized that was so inappropriate, but he was going insane here. What he needed was time to change her perception of how she saw herself, and to convince her he was in dire need of her down-to-earth goodness in his life, her realism. Living in a world of fakes, she was rare, and he wanted her for his own. Insanity, but what wasn’t in Hollywood?

“Okay, but I’d rather not go anywhere
…
public,” she finally acquiesced.

Odd request, but he could give less than a damn. Anything she wanted, he was all too happy to oblige.

“How about I cook for you?” If they didn’t have to be back in this mall tomorrow afternoon, he would’ve flown her to Paris. Women liked that kind of thing, right? Maybe he would do it Sunday night. Movies were made about doing that kind of shit; surely he could pull it off in real life.

Yet he couldn’t deny his mouth was literally watering at the thought of having Mikki in his home—one of them, anyway. It would be just the two of them, alone. God, he prayed he could behave himself. Probably not. “I promise to be on my best behavior.”

Unless she didn’t want him to. In that case, all bets were off. And he’d do everything in his power to make her not want him to be on his best behavior. But more than anything, he needed to get to know her, and allow her to really get know him. With this woman he didn’t have to be guarded, to watch every word for fear of reading about it in the tabloids later. Mikki wasn’t that kind of woman. More than one actor had been a fool for believing that about the woman he was dating, but Leslie knew it deep in his soul.

“Good, perfect.” She actually beamed up at him. It felt as if the sun were shining directly on his face.

Most females he dealt with would’ve expected an expensive restaurant, followed by some crowded venue where they could be seen. But there was nothing about Mikki that was like most of the women he knew.

“Let’s go get changed and get out of here.” Leslie smiled, pulling her to his side. The sooner he got her to the beach house the better.