A Mistletoe Proposal Read Online Free Page A

and I meant it. Stop that. Jimmy, no! ’
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    On the journey back to Pippa’s apartment Roscoe was frowning again, but this time in confusion. On the one hand there was her appearance—young, dainty, vivacious. On the other hand there were the papers with their plethora of facts andfigures that only a skilled, serious mind could understand. He tried to fit the two sides together, and couldn’t.
    This time he found a parking space and entered the building, going to study the list of residents by the elevator.
    â€˜Can I help?’ A middle-aged man was passing by.
    â€˜I’m looking for Miss Jenson’s address.’
    â€˜Blimey, another one. They pass through here like an army. Mind you, even she doesn’t usually have two in one evening.’
    â€˜Indeed,’ Roscoe said carefully.
    â€˜I tell you, it’s pathetic. They come here with their flowers and their gifts, begging her, pleading with her, but it’s no use. When she’s bored with them she dumps them. I’ve tried to warn some of them but will they listen? You’d expect a man to have more dignity, wouldn’t you?’
    â€˜You would indeed,’ Roscoe said, still guarding his words.
    â€˜But they say she’s magic and they can’t help themselves.’
    â€˜You spoke of two.’
    â€˜Yes, the other one hasn’t been here long so you’d better go carefully. Good-looking young fellow. Shouldn’t think you’d stand a chance. She’s got a pick of them, you know. Best of luck, though.’
    He passed on out of the front door, leaving Roscoe wondering what he’d wandered into. But what he’d just heard was good news in that it made Pippa likely to be more useful to him, and nothing else mattered. He located the apartment and got into the elevator.
    As soon as the doors parted he heard the noise coming from just around the corner, out of sight, a male voice crying out, ‘You can’t be so cruel—’
    Then Pippa’s voice. ‘Can’t I? Get out now or I’ll show you how cruel I can be. I’m told I have very sharp knees.’
    â€˜But I only— ow !’
    â€˜Now go. And don’t come back.’
    Roscoe turned the corner just in time to see the young man stagger back, clutching himself, then collapse to the ground. Through the open door he could see a woman, or perhaps a goddess. She was completely naked, leaving no detail of her glorious figure to the imagination. The hourglass shape, the curved hips, the tiny waist, the breasts slightly too large, although his view of them was partly obscured by her glorious hair, not pinned back now but cascading down in a riot of curls.
    After a moment he realised that the vision was Pippa, but not the light-hearted girl he’d met earlier. This was a very angry woman, standing triumphant over her defeated foe who was writhing on the ground. Literally.
    The vision vanished at once, not in a puff of smoke but in a hasty movement to make herself decent by pulling on a robe as soon as she saw Roscoe. Only the fury on her face remained.
    With the robe safely concealing her, she came to the door and addressed the young man. ‘I’m sorry, Jimmy, but I warned you. Don’t come back here, ever.’
    Jimmy’s face was sullen as he hauled himself to his feet, all good nature gone. ‘You haven’t heard the last of this,’ he spat. ‘Jezebel!’
    Incredibly, a smile flickered over her beautiful features. ‘Oh, come on, you can do better than that. Who was Jezebel, after all? Now, if you’d said Mata Hari I’d have been insulted—or maybe flattered, one of the two.’
    â€˜Mata who?’
    â€˜Oh, go and look it up!’ she said with the exasperation of a schoolmistress. ‘But go !’
    Scowling, he dragged himself to his feet and began tolimp away, but not before turning to Roscoe. ‘You’ve been warned,’ he spat.