Read One Wish In Manhattan (A Christmas Story) for Free Online

coy now and it was relaxing him. He leaned forward a little. ‘Well, Christa, what do you think it is?’ He was teasing and from the look on her face she was enjoying every minute of it.
    ‘Is it a smile?’ she guessed. ‘Maybe the eyes?’
    He waited a few beats, carefully filling her glass up with champagne. ‘No.’ He shook his head, a smile playing on his lips.
    ‘Do you have a thing for blondes?’ Christa picked up her glass, took a sip of the liquid inside.
    He shook his head, sat back in his seat, his eyes still fixed on her. This was the part he liked best. The questioning, the innocent expectation, the not knowing what was going to happen next. He was as exhilarated here as he used to be on the football field, as he sometimes was when he was closing a deal at Drummond Global. He’d not closed many of those recently. He drummed his fingers on the table, pushing the negative thought away. This was his time. Here was where he did his living, with no boundaries. Here, his short life expectancy just didn’t exist.
    He moved a little closer still. ‘It’s an aura,’ he said in no more than a whisper.
    He could see she was transfixed, almost hypnotised by the sound of his voice. Her right elbow was resting on the table, her hand at one of her small, gold heart-shaped earrings. He didn’t feel guilty about the little white lie. After all, she was going to get as much out of this as him, if not more.
    ‘An aura,’ she repeated, softly.
    He nodded, leaning in to the table, sliding his hand past the condiments. His fingers were mere inches away from hers now.
    And then Christa laughed, the sound erupting loud and hard. ‘That’s so funny.’ She sipped at her wine, a little spilling over her lips. ‘An aura!’ She returned the glass to the linen cloth and banged the flat of her hand down on the table.
    He was thrown, just for a split second. This usually got them every time whether they really believed it or not. She was supposed to be flattered, feel special. He had to turn this around. He smiled.
    ‘What? You don’t think it’s true?’ He eked out a small laugh of his own. ‘You think I spin this sort of line to every woman I meet?’
    ‘I’m not dumb enough to think otherwise,’ Christa said, swigging more champagne. ‘But …’ She put her glass back down on the table and inched her fingers closer to his. ‘I don’t really mind.’
    Oliver wasn’t sure about this change in proceedings. He was always the one in charge, the one calling the shots. He didn’t know how he felt about Christa making the first move. He widened his smile. It was time to make his move.
    He made the connection, slipping his fingers in between hers and linking them tight. He heard a small gasp leave her lips. It was time.
    ‘Make a wish,’ he whispered, his eyes demanding attention from hers.
    ‘What?’
    He could see the breath was catching in her throat, her chest rising and falling so softly it was barely moving at all.
    He wet his lips before continuing. ‘If you could have one wish, right now, tonight, what would it be?’
    A titter of a laugh escaped from her and he could tell there was nervous excitement behind the logical part of her that was trying to say this was madness.
    ‘You’re crazy,’ she responded.
    ‘Make a wish, Christa. If money were no object.’ He squeezed her hands. ‘If you could do one thing, go one place, something you’ve always dreamed of, what would it be?’
    She shook her head then, the honey-blonde waves shimmering in the half-light. ‘You are certifiable.’
    ‘I’m serious,’ he said.
    She smiled, shaking her head once more. ‘Well, in that case, I’ve never been in a helicopter and I’ve always wanted to see New York from the air, like in the movies.’
    A result. Slowly he slipped his hand into the pocket inside his jacket and drew out his cell phone. ‘Finish your champagne and I’ll make the call.’
    She almost dropped the glass to the floor.
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