Free A Christmas Proposal: A Hidden Threat Short Story by Sherri Hayes

the matching panties. 
    He swallowed again. “Yes.”
    She walked until her legs brushed up against the bed. Jason came up on his knees to meet her. He went to touch her again, and she shook her head, making him ball his hands into fists. “Yes what?” she whispered as she reached behind her and unhooked her bra. 
    He watched her slide one strap and then the other off her shoulders. This was torture. He needed to touch her. She stopped, waiting for his answer. What did she ask again? Oh yeah, what was she to him. “You’re all I can think about. The only one I want.” 
    She didn’t move. He looked up. Her face was serious, and he was afraid he’d said the wrong thing. Then he saw the smirk. 
    “Good answer,” she said, finally releasing her bra and letting it fall to the floor. 

 
     

     
    Cali caught a whiff of breakfast coming from the kitchen as she came out of her room. Smiling, she went downstairs. 
        Jessie stood at the counter, placing a stack of pancakes and sausage on a plate. “Special occasion?” Cali asked.
    “Nope.” Jessie smiled as she took a seat in front of the older woman. “Just felt like pancakes and sausage this morning, so eat up.”
    “Thanks,” Cali said as she reached for the syrup. 
    Jessie got a plate of her own and pulled up a stool. “So how’s everything going?”
    “Not bad,” Cali answered between bites. 
    “That’s good.” 
    Both women were quiet for a few minutes before Cali asked, “Jessie, did Dad say anything to you about some trouble with the company?”
    Jessie was silent for a long while, considering. 
    She’s keeping something from me, Cali thought. “Jessie?”
    Jessie sighed and laid her fork down. “He didn’t say anything specific, mind you, but he’d been putting in some late nights, and two of his security guys came over to the house to check on the security here and tighten it by installing that fancy alarm system.”
    As soon as Jessie mentioned security, she knew that one of the two men had been Matthew Andersen. After spending half the day with him yesterday, she got the impression there were just some things he liked to oversee himself. The security of his boss’s house would, no doubt, fall into that category. “I see.” 

    Matthew turned a little too fast into his parking spot when he got to work that morning. For some reason, his alarm clock didn’t go off that morning, so instead of arriving at seven as he usually did, he was late. It was already eight forty-five. Grabbing his jacket, he ran for the elevator.
    He was just outside his office when his brother stuck his head out. “There you are, Matthew. Where you been, man?”
    Taking a deep breath, Matthew turned to face his brother. “I overslept.” He needed to discuss the shipment on Friday and the new information he’d received last night. “You got a minute?”
    “Yeah sure,” Jason said, following Matthew into his office.
    Matthew sat behind his desk looking lost for a minute. Jason took the seat across from him, smiling at this rarity. Matthew ignored his brother’s obvious amusement and went straight into the new intel. Details about Friday’s shipment had been leaked. Scott, the man who’d come to Matthew last night, didn’t have much information other than he’d intercepted the end of a phone call coming from this building. What he’d heard had been enough to make him think the shipment had been compromised. 
    They’d always figured the leak was internal. It just made sense. Even if they pulled phone records, it wouldn’t be that easy. Scott just happened to hit the right button looking for an open line and stumbled onto the conversation. If he’d not been at a security station, the lines would never have crossed. Even if they did find the phone from which the call had been made, that didn’t mean anything. Anyone in the building had access to any number of phones. Matthew was positive this person was smart and didn’t use their own