Her Christmas Billionaire (The Joy of Christmas Series Book 1) Read online

  “I’m Mason,” he said as he extended his hand to her. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Danielle,” she said, giving his hand a quick shake.

  Mason gave the cab driver the address and the cab pulled away, taking off into the cool dusk with the city lights of San Francisco shining brightly ahead of them.

  Chapter Two

  Danielle must be losing her mind. First of all, coming out to this fertility bank was a mistake, even if it had only been to gather information. Who was she kidding? She wasn’t about to make a baby with a man she did not know, whose only link to her child would be the DNA he’d left in a vial. Second of all, why on earth did she get in the cab with a complete stranger?

  She looked past him out the window, trying to ignore the intense gaze of his bright blue eyes. Trying not to think how she’d never seen a man with such full, beautiful lips. She pulled her hand around her purse and shifted away from him in the back seat. Oh no, she’d sworn off men. All men, no matter how handsome or chivalrous they seemed. Besides, she’d told him she was married. A necessary lie, one she was now stuck with, whether he believed her or not.

  She snuck a covert look at him as the darkness of the impending night deepened around them outside the windows. She had to admit, he was pretty gorgeous. Though at first, she’d thought he was going to rob her, under closer inspection she could see that he was a man that was well cared for. His hands were manicured and bore no indication of hard labor. His haircut was precise and stylish and if she ran her hands through it, she had no doubt it would be silky soft.

  Um, what was she doing thinking about running her hands through his hair? She must be losing it. All this stress over babies and her biological clock was making her crazy. She wasn’t sleeping well, and she’d began to shut herself in just to avoid being around all those married couples she knew. It wasn’t right, she knew. But she couldn’t possibly bear one more bridal or baby shower, or she’d have a complete meltdown.

  “Where do you want to go?”

  “Go?” she asked, breaking free of her thoughts.

  “Yes. Your home or somewhere else? Where do you want to be dropped off?”

  “Oh, of course,” she said. The restaurant he mentioned was in the hotel where she worked at as an Events Coordinator. She studied him in the city lights now that he was much closer to her and realized he seemed familiar to her. His face was one she’d seen before, but where? She didn’t remember ever seeing him in the hotel or restaurant. And she was pretty certain she would have remembered a face like Mason’s. Maybe he was a local model, whose face was plastered on the sides of public busses. With his good looks, soft hands and chic haircut he was probably a model she decided. Way out of her league. Not that she was interested. No way.

  She gave him the names of the cross streets of her apartment building, which he repeated to the cab driver. He turned to her and gave her the same dazzling smile he’d given her before. If he thought she could be charmed, he was going to disappointed very soon. She’d met his type before, arrogant little charmers who thought a wink and a smile was all they had to do before a woman was eating out of their hands. Not this girl. This girl had learned her lesson a few times over. She just hoped he wasn’t staying at the hotel.

  “Are you staying at the La Roma hotel?” she asked. No, please no.

  He seemed a little taken aback by her question. “No, like I mentioned, I live here in San Francisco. I just thought I’d have dinner at The Garden Room. It’s been a while. I want to see if the food is still as good as it used to be.”

  “Oh, it is,” she said. “I know the chef and she is amazing.”

  “Really?”

  Oops. Why had she said that? She needed to keep her mouth shut. The less he knew about her the better. She was already embarrassed by where she’d bumped into him. Who knows what he was thinking?

  “Yeah. The food is still as good as you remember,” she said, in a snootier tone than she meant.

  “Do you eat there often?” he asked.

  Nearly every week for lunch. Only because employees of the hotel received discounts on lunch there. But she couldn’t tell him that. What if he wanted to track her down for some reason? He seemed a little too curious. She’d told him she was married, but she knew he hadn’t believed her. Why would he? The word spinster was practically written across her forehead.

  She shrugged. “Once in a while,” she lied. “Can you believe it is almost September already? School will be starting soon.” The abrupt change in subject seemed to throw him off a bit.

  “Are you a student?” he asked.

  What was with this guy? He was nosier than her mom’s gossip group back home.

  “No, I’m not a student.”

  “A mother then?”

  Nice way to pour salt into an open wound. “No.”

  “You mentioned school so I assumed it was one or the other. You must be a teacher then!”

  Goodness gracious. What was this? Twenty questions? “I’m not a teacher. I guess I just associate September with the start of the school year. I used to be a student.”

  “What do you do?”

  “Why so many questions? What do you do, Mason? Are you married? Do you have kids? Where do you work?”

  His eyes widened. She’d caught him off guard. “See how it feels now?” she said pointedly.

  “I’m not one that has many secrets,” he said. “By default, that is impossible in my life. I don’t have kids or a wife, but thanks for asking.”

  Again, his full lips curved into a grin that would have devastated most women. She felt a little flutter in her heart. No, no, no. She wasn’t falling for any more of these guys. No way. No how. Just no.

  “I’m really not interested,” she said and looked out the window. “Aren’t we there yet?”

  “Ouch. Are you always this friendly?”

  That burned just a little bit. She was a good person who believed in being kind and gracious. She was a Southern girl after all, and she tried to live with the manners her Mama had taught her. But life in the city, dating and general bad luck in relationships had worn her down.

  “A girl has to be careful,” she said defensively. “You are a stranger after all.”

  “A stranger you got into a cab with,” he said. “Lucky for you, I’m a nice guy.”

  “I’m sure the cab driver wouldn’t let anyone be murdered in his cab. Right, Mister?” she said a little louder as she shifted her attention to the driver.

  “You two are so funny,” the cabbie said. He glanced at Mason in the rearview mirror. “Just ask her out already.”

  “You think I should?” he said, eyeing Danielle with a smug grin.

  She shook her head no.

  He shrugged and turned back to the cab driver. “I think she is more trouble than I need right now.”

  If Danielle didn’t have such good manners, she would have given him a piece of her mind. How dare he judge her when he’d just met her. She smiled sweetly at Mason and said, “More than you can handle.” For once Mr. Charming’s smile faded.

  The cab slowed down and stopped a block from her apartment building. She didn’t want Mason knowing where she lived. A girl had to be careful these days. She dug through her purse for money. “I’ve got it,” Mason said. “It’s the least I can do for causing you so much grief.”

  She felt her insides sink a little. She knew she’d been rude and guilt gnawed at her. “Thank you,” she said. “I really mean it. Enjoy your dinner.” Then she bolted out the open door before he could ask her to join him. Because even if he didn’t think she was worth the trouble, men like Mason did not like to be rejected. They were far too used to getting their way.

  When she made it to her apartment, she was glad her roommates were out. She didn’t think she could face anymore socializing tonight. For some reason, she felt a little sad. She realized she couldn’t go the Mama route the way she’d thought. Nor could she bear to give another round of losers a shot at dating her. And now a pe
rfect stranger thought she was too much trouble. Was she really the problem? Was she really so difficult? She didn’t think so. She fell asleep thinking of the handsome Mason, his bright blue eyes and gleaming smile haunting her dreams.

  By the time her alarm went off in the morning, the last thing she was thinking about was Mason. That was until she turned the TV on. She nearly fell off the bed where she’d sat to put on her shoes when she saw who was being interviewed on the local news channel. Sitting there in a dark blue suit with a silver tie, looking like model of the year was Mason. The woman interviewing him was blushing and coyly touching his shoulder as they laughed about some humorous statement he’d made. He flashed her the same dazzling smile he’d given Danielle last night. So, he did do that for all the girls.

  He was better looking than she remembered, if that was even possible. But that wasn’t a surprise, it had been dusk and she hadn’t been able to see him as clear as in the bright lights of television. On the small screen with the help of HDTV she could delight in every glorious detail from the dimple in his chin, to his chiseled jawline, to his full, round lips. He was gorgeous perfection. But the biggest surprise was his last name. Below the interview was the caption: Mason Rutherford the third, thirty-four-year-old billionaire, CEO of The Rutherford Group.

  She wasn’t sure whether to be glad she’d blown him off or regretful. While she had grown up with good manners and had attended college, she certainly wasn’t in his league. Billionaire. Whoa. And at only thirty-four-years old. He’d accomplished so much in his short life while she, at roughly the same age was still living with roommates. She let out a long sigh. Another thing to add to her long list of things she hadn’t accomplished in her life. She slipped her black pumps on and grabbed her jacket.

  She looked in the mirror and blew a wisp of her hair that had fell lose from the chignon that swept her hair up at the back of her head. She was plain. She was short. She had freckles. And, she was too opinionated and sassy mouthed, the latter part bestowed on her as fact by her dearest Mama. Hence, she was still single.

  That may be true, but so was Mason Rutherford the third. She stuck out her tongue at the TV as Mason stood up and looked into the camera, raising his hand like a celebrity on the red carpet. Not worth the trouble, huh? He shook hands with the interviewer, who fawned all over him so much that Danielle was embarrassed for her. She may be single and a spinster, but then that made Mr. Billionaire nothing but an old bachelor.

  At the last minute, she rushed back into her closet and changed her suit. She needed to feel good today and putting on her favorite suit would help. Dress for success they said, right? She swapped her gray suit for an emerald green one and put on some dangly earrings, before heading out to work. She splurged and hailed a cab, to save her feet and her hair.

  She was going to get out of this rut she was in and change her mindset. Single men all over the city, watch out. Danielle Williams was trouble coming your way. She looked out the window as the fog rolled in from the Bay. She was done with waiting. Done with the collection of loser men that rolled in and out of her life. Time to be proactive. One day she would meet someone who’d appreciate the quality of spirit in a woman. She had to keep the faith.

  ~

  Mason woke up late. He’d slept through his alarm for the first time in years. He couldn’t believe it. Of course, he tossed and turned all night, worrying about this new demand of his father. What on earth was he going to do? He sat up and ran his hand through his hair. For a second, the image of Danielle flashed through his mind. He’d never met anyone like her. Most women fawned all over him. He knew it was because he was rich, which was why he didn’t date anymore. He didn’t trust people. Being a billionaire came with its downfalls as well as its perks. Most people only wanted something from him but few gave back. And he knew a lot of the women he’d dated were looking for a life of luxury. They were easy to charm with a fancy dinner and expensive gifts. But he grew bored of them quickly. Danielle may not have known who he was, but she was certainly unphased by his charms. And she was anything but boring with her sassy mouth and surly comebacks.

  Too bad he’d decided to never marry. All he had to do was look at his father and all his divorces. His father had left his wives and his kids behind to pursue a new woman, like a child bored with an old toy. He had no regard for anyone’s feelings but his own. Mason didn’t want to be like his father, who used people and tossed them aside when they no longer interested him; nor did he want to end up like his mother, longing for someone who no longer loved her. It was easier to be single and alone. He’d been content and fulfilled with only his work life. He didn’t need any high maintenance wife or crying babies around. Bachelorhood suited him just fine.

  He was going to have to make his father see the light. He couldn’t seriously consider handing over a billion-dollar business to his step brother. Derek knew nothing about running a Corporation. The only thing he kept track of was the tides by looking out the window of his posh apartment overlooking the ocean. An apartment Mason’s hard work paid for every month. If Derek took over the company, that apartment would be gone in a year, along with everything else the family enjoyed at the expense of Mason’s hard work. He should resign. Give them a taste of what hard work was really like.

  Mason had plenty of his own money in investments and real-estate that wasn’t tied to the company. He could start up his own Corporation and buy up his father’s company when it fell. They certainly deserved it, the ungrateful, spoiled brats. If it wasn’t for his mother, who depended on her shares in the company, he might be inclined to let it go. Forcing him to marry and father a child was going too far. And he bet his father had someone picked out for him too. His father had pushed him up against a wall and anyone who knew Mason, knew that was a bad idea.

  Too bad his father didn’t know him at all. His father may end up winning this battle, but Mason was going to win the war.

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