Free Jingle This! by Stephanie Rowe

exactly have a lot of spare time to get this thing posted online." But as he said it, he realized it sounded lame even to him. He wanted her alone in his condo. There was no other reason, and he was sure she'd see right through his excuse. "It's almost ten," he added.
    To his surprise, Angie yelped and jumped in the elevator. "Almost ten? I had no idea." She pulled out her notebook and started reading on the ride up, muttering to herself.
    That was a good sign. At least she was trying to write something, even if she was no good at it. Scratch that. She was good, just not appropriately inspired. So maybe if he inspired her...
    The elevator door opened, and he held it while Angie stepped into the hallway.
    Yep. That was what he'd do. Set up an inspirational mood. It was time to redirect her focus. He'd show her some romance, some holiday cheer, some of that intimacy he knew was so natural between them, along with some holiday music. She'd write brilliantly. Swift would be impressed and hand over all their business to New Age Marketing, then Roger would sell the company so he would have more time to woo Sheila, and everything would be great.
    * * *
    When Kyle turned the key to his condo, Angie felt nervous anticipation race through her. What was her problem? It wasn't as if he'd invited her here to take advantage of her. It was work. So what if she remembered many nights of bonding in this very apartment? It had all been a façade anyway. Yeah, while she was falling in love with him, he'd been scanning for a new hot chick to date.
    So what? She was smarter now. She knew where she stood with him and she'd be too smart to interpret anything as more than work-oriented. He was trying to get Swift as a client, and she was the key, so he was investing in her. Nothing else.
    Chill out, Angie.
    She followed him inside. "Looks the same. Nice."
    And it was. A very spacious and roomy loft. Sure, it was a bit plain, as to be expected of any bachelor pad, but it had black, modern furniture, a sweet kitchenette and even a little dining area off to the right. The bedroom was clearly visible behind a couple of Japanese folding screens, and the bed hadn't been made since he last slept in it.
    She could envision him, stretched out in those silver sheets. They would be draped over his waist, barely covering his manly bits, just as she'd envisioned so many times in the past. Dammit. Why was she revisiting that particular fantasy? It had never come to fruition, though, remember?
    "So, the computer is over here."
    "Right. The computer." She followed him to the office space set up beside the bedroom area and sat down at the computer.
    But she couldn’t concentrate on the computer with his bed only feet from her, especially when she was sitting there inhaling his scent as he leaned over her and cleaned his files off the desk. She could still remember the time they'd cooked popcorn and stayed up until two in the morning watching a Meg Ryan movie marathon on television.
    She'd thought any man who could watch romantic comedies for hours was her perfect match, and quite honestly, she would still think that. But she'd been so wrong…hadn't she?
    "Go ahead and get to work," Kyle said, walking to the other side of the loft. "Don't worry about me."
    Don't worry about him. Hah. She was in the condo of the sexiest man she'd ever met and she was supposed to pretend she was in her office?
    "Less than two hours," he reminded her.
    Damn. Okay, she could concentrate. She'd better. It wasn't as if he cared about the fact she could take a diving leap to her left and land on his bed without touching the ground first.
    Besides, she needed to prove to herself that she was completely capable of writing brilliant prose even when her social life was a disaster.
    She opened her notebook, then looked up when Deck the Halls began playing. Kyle shot her a sneaky grin as he turned on the Christmas tree lights that he'd strung through the rafters of the loft. "Getting in the mood