The Christmas Key
Chacelyn Pierce
Blurb: Dumped before vacation, Shalaine Harper goes to Alaskan
to drown out her sorrows on wine, watching Xander Christian films, and using a
toasty fire to burn away the hurt. As one of Xander's biggest fans, fate deals
her a strange hand when the Hollywood star is blown in before a snow storm.
Xander Christian finds himself stuck in Alaska and the closest
safe haven is a cabin occupied by a woman dealing with heartache. Since neither
bear gifts, they'll have to find other means for sharing the holiday spirit.
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Excerpt:
Shalaine Harper swiveled in her office seat after making the
last editorial note on the article she’d penned on the opening box-office hit,
Tiding Sun. The A-list movie starred Xander Christian, the exotic Adonis who
made any sane woman's panties drop when he licked those kissable lips. He
caused heart palpitations for the millions of horny women across the globe.
Though his movies as of late hadn't been his best work, she still gave him an A
for effort.
Diehard fan that she was, Shalaine couldn't help but give him
high marks on her movie reviews. Even if they deserved a lower grade, she
couldn't bring herself to scribble anything lower than a B. Her eyes drifted to
the hanging poster for Tiding Sun on her office wall. It was now her favorite
face shot of Xander. His blue-green eyes captivated her first; they always did.
It was no wonder teenage girls fantasized about him more than any famous
teeny-bopper. Though she wasn't a teenage girl, she couldn't help but sigh like
a lovesick puppy. Her mind recollected the steamy scene he'd had with Jess
Gilmore in the hayloft. His raciest scene yet. The supporting actresses didn't
know how good they had it, to kiss X. Chris and taste his mouth. Heaven. That's
what it had to be like. Pure heaven. She tore her gaze way from the framed
beauty and got back to work on making him look as good on paper as he did
onscreen.
The Reviewer was a very prestigious magazine that focused on
box-office hits and celebrities. They looked toward her to cover all X. Christian-related
movie releases. Everyone in the office teased her and nicknamed her
complimentary articles on him as Shalaine's X. Chris or Double-X articles.
Adding a few more raunchy words into her reviews would lead many women into an
orgasmic state and mean a quick firing on her part. She was just a few words
shy of making it a XXX feature worthy of Playgirl Magazine. Might be worth it
though.
Running out of time, Shalaine. Get the article done.
She looked at a photo on her desk for inspiration. It was a sketchy
shot of Nathan and her in Cozumel. There was lots of sizzling sex in the air
that week and to date, it was the best time they'd ever had together. Three
years had gone by fast and she expected Nathan to pop the question any day now.
Maybe he'd do it when they arrived at the small rental cottage in Alaska.
Shalaine enjoyed their vacations together; it was the only time they could be
uninterrupted. Since they rarely got to spend time together, it was a set plan
for them to have quality time a few times year. While in Alaska, neither of
them would let work dictate their schedules and they could work on their
relationship. She glanced at the clock. Three more hours and she'd leave New
York for a full week. Overjoyed didn't even cover it; she was stimulated.
Stimulated.
She jotted that word on a sticky note to fit into her article
somewhere just as her office phone rang.
"Shalaine Harper," she said wistfully, thinking of
snow, cabin sex with Nathan, and fire cuddles. She could almost smell the
woodsy scents and hear the wildlife.
"Hey, Shay, it's me." Nathan's glum tone set off
warning bells.
"What's up?" She tried to convey her good mood to him
over the phone.
Three hours, baby, don't crumble on me now.
"I can't go to Alaska."
She lost her breath at his words. "What? Nathan, we've
planned this trip for months! Go tell your boss to get over not seeing you for
a week; it won't kill him." She threw her pen across the desk but reached
for it again, needing something in her hand. He sighed and paused for a minute,
leaving open air on both their lines.
"Non-refundable tickets, Nathan," she reminded him.
"I know, I know. Let me rephrase then…I can't go to Alaska
with you." He mumbled the last part as if he had to muster the strength to
get the words out.
A lot of things filled Shalaine's head at that very moment, none
of them good, but in a small voice, all she could ask was, "Why?"
"Because I can't do this anymore!"
"Do what, Nathan?" She tried not to grit her teeth, a
bad habit she'd been trying to break. "What are you talking about? You
can't do what?"
"Us! Seems like all you have time for is just our
vacations. You're either at a big movie premier in L.A, an interview in some
exotic destination I'll never see, or having drinks with movie stars. I can't…I
just can't anymore. It's not the same as it used to be, plus…plus, I've met
someone else. I want to spend my Christmas with her."
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