A Very Merry Billionaire Christmas (Special Edition Holiday Novella) Read Free Page A

on the way home."
    Her eyes narrow slightly. "Is that a...are you...speaking metaphorically, or...? I mean, I can't quite figure out how you would...never mind," she finishes, finally, seeing him roll his eyes. "Sorry. I should know better than to question your, uh, ability to work out difficult logistics."
    She re-situates herself in her seat, leaning towards him.
    "Wait," he says. "Take your hair down."
    Maddy hesitates. "I'll never get it back up again."
    Her husband smiles. "Good."
    ***
    The house is massive.
    From the outrageous fountain in the centerpiece of the round driveway, to the immaculately trimmed miles of hedges, to the gold filigree detailing along the wainscoting, everything speaks of wealth and excess. The place is immaculate, gleaming, and yes - Tony Montana's wet dream, more or less.
    All three couples arrive at more or less the same time - fashionably late, all of them, unbeknownst to each other, for more or less the same reason.  
    Now, they're all standing just inside the front door, and nobody's talking.
    The tension between two of the men is almost palpable. Adrian stays quiet, for once, trying to judge the situation. Maddy and Jenna haven't really spoken in any meaningful way since their husbands started feuding; it wasn't intentional, but their silence hangs like a shadow over the whole friendship.
    The clock ticks loudly in the corner, the only sound in the high-ceilinged foyer. Someone clears their throat, and Maddy shifts her weight from one foot to the other. The rustling of her dress is harsh in the deafening silence.  
    Finally, it's Meg who speaks.
    "Does anyone else get the feeling we're going to be systematically murdered over the course of evening?"
    Jenna snorts. She and Maddy exchange a look, and then a giggle. Ben starts chuckling and then even Daniel cracks a smile.
    "I really hope our host heard that," Adrian says, giving his wife a look. She shrugs, and Jenna steps forward.
    "Jenna Chase," she says, extending her hand. "Of course you're Meghan Risinger."
    "Meg," the redhead corrects her, with a grin. "I guess the rumor mill has been churning."
    "The way my wife tells it, you're the most interesting man in the world." Ben shakes Adrian's hand firmly. "She was very excited to meet you."
    Jenna's blushing. "Not very ," she corrects, as Adrian kissing the back of her hand with a flourish. "Just, you know, interested. You're kind of..."
    "An oddity," Meg chimes in, eyeing him sidelong. "Billionaire who writes billionaire romance. I know. But he puts his pants on one leg at a time, just like everybody else."
    "Shut up, you're ruining my mystique." He kisses Maddy's hand next, who only blushes a little.
    "I love your books," she says, staunchly ignoring her husband's long-suffering sigh. "It's so great to finally meet you."
    "Well, I'm afraid the reality is a little bit disappointing," Adrian says with a smile. "Ask my wife about how she caught me eating Count Chocula right out of the box the other day."
    The other two women just giggle, his human side just making him all the more appealing. Meg rolls her eyes and gives him a look. Careful .
    What? he mouths.
    She just rolls her eyes again.
    "Maddy, I really like what you did with your hair," she says, to break the silence once again. "Who's your stylist?"
    A soft snort of laughter comes from one of the men, but it's impossible to trace.  
    "Uh, I did it myself," says Maddy, after only a moment's hesitation. "With a little help from a friend."
    Daniel is almost smiling.
    Almost.
    Finally, the butler - yes, an actual white-gloved butler - comes out to let them into the ballroom. Adrian is pretty sure they were only kept waiting to appease the will of their host, Conrad Wolverton. It's a move that is only slightly subtler than actually dangling his balls in their faces.
    Billionaires, as Meg has observed on more than one occasion, are often obsessive when it comes to proving their superiority over other human beings. It's a side effect of