A Match Made for Thanksgiving Read online

  A Match Made for Thanksgiving

  Holidays with the Wongs, Book 1

  Jackie Lau

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, companies, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2019 Jackie Lau. All Rights Reserved.

  First edition: October 2019

  ISBN: 978-1-989610-02-2

  Editor: Latoya C. Smith, LCS Literary Services

  Cover Design: Flirtation Designs

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Meet Nick & Lily...

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Also by Jackie Lau

  Meet Nick & Lily...

  Advertising executive Nick Wong enjoys living in Toronto. He loves late nights partying and taking women back to his penthouse. And so it is with great reluctance that he returns to his boring hometown of Mosquito Bay for Thanksgiving.

  This year, however, is even worse than usual. His interfering parents and grandparents, frustrated with the lack of weddings in the family, have invited blind dates for him and his three siblings. Nick’s brother Greg has been set up with Lily Tseng, who just so happens to be Nick’s latest one-night stand, the one he can’t get out of his mind.

  Although Nick has never been interested in settling down, Lily has him reconsidering. Perhaps he’s good for more than a single night of sex, dumplings, and bubble tea after all. But first, he has to get through this painful weekend with his family and convince her that she should be with him, not Greg...

  Chapter 1

  “When will you be home for Thanksgiving?” Nick’s mother asked. “We’re doing dinner on Saturday this year, remember?”

  As he held the phone to his ear, Nick Wong looked out at the spectacular view of Toronto from his penthouse. This was his home now. He did not want to go to Mosquito Bay. He’d left the small town on Lake Huron as soon as he’d finished high school and hadn’t looked back.

  Seriously, it was called Mosquito Bay. Why would anyone want to go there?

  “Nick?” his mother prompted.

  He sighed. “I’ll be there by four on Saturday.”

  “Don’t be late. Not like last time.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  To be honest, he was sort of looking forward to seeing his family, but he was dreading it at the same time. His family was a bit...much, that was all.

  Nick liked to do his own thing. Be his own man. Be in charge.

  But in Mosquito Bay, his control seemed to slip away. There were his parents, his white mother and Asian father, who had been high school sweethearts and were confused as to why, at the age of thirty-two, Nick had yet to settle down and have four kids, like they had. Then his father’s parents, Ah Ma and Ah Yeh, who were pushing ninety but still surprisingly good at interfering in his life. Well, that was mostly Ah Ma. Ah Yeh, Nick’s grandfather, was more interested in ordering things on Amazon—he thought online shopping was the pinnacle of human achievement. He would also make his famous noodles for Thanksgiving.

  Nick was already salivating at the thought of those noodles.

  “Do you want me to bring the usual char siu?” he asked.

  “Yes, please,” Mom said.

  “Will do. See you next weekend.”

  “Nick, are you getting off the phone already? I haven’t had a chance to ask you any questions.”

  “You asked when I’d be coming back for Thanksgiving.”

  “You know what I mean! How’s life in Toronto? How’s your job?”

  They talked for fifteen minutes, and then Nick said, “Sorry, I have to go.”

  “Hmph. Sure, get drunk and pick up women, then nurse your hangover with dumplings and bubble tea.”

  “Thanks for your insightful description of my life.”

  “See you next weekend, Nicky. Love you.”

  “Love you, too,” he said before ending the call.

  Alright, time to get his Friday night started. It was six thirty—still very early, but he needed to get out. He’d have a drink or two at Lychee before he met up with Trystan.

  Work hard, party hard. Enjoy all the delicious food and women the city had to offer.

  Why would he live in Mosquito Bay when he could live in Toronto?

  * * *

  Lily Tseng was boring. It was just a fact.

  She’d always known it. It shouldn’t have been a shock when her ex broke up with her because she was dull and bland.

  Yet when he’d said those words, it was a shock.

  They’d been together for a year. Surely he hadn’t been bored the whole time?

  Anyway, she’d turned thirty last month, and it was time to make a change. Next weekend, she’d attempt skydiving and bungee jumping.

  Ha! No. She never even dreamed of doing such things.

  But tonight, maybe she’d have her first one-night stand.

  In the past few weeks, she’d spent a lot of time scoping out possible venues to meet men. She had no interest in going to a club. Not her scene, and she wouldn’t venture that far out of her comfort zone. Instead, she’d focused on stylish downtown bars and had settled on Lychee. It was a restaurant owned by some up-and-coming Chinese-Canadian chef who’d won a cooking show last year, and it was located on Elizabeth Street, near the former location of Lichee Garden, a well-known Chinese restaurant in decades past—hence the name.

  In addition to the main dining area, Lychee had a bar and lounge with eight-dollar cocktails before eight. Lily had peeked in a couple times, and it looked like it had a decent crowd of young, attractive men in suits.

  She really did like men in suits.

  But maybe all this preparing for her one-night stand defeated the purpose. She was planning it the way she planned everything else in her life. Wasn’t part of her goal to be more spontaneous?

  Lily sighed and stirred her drink with the straw. She wasn’t very good at this.

  She was sitting at the bar in Lychee now, waiting for her friends Tara Kim and Sam Rubenstein to show up, but she didn’t expect them for another half hour.

  That was Lily. Always early.

  It was a lovely space, she had to admit. Wood, chrome, and exposed brick that somehow went together just right. High ceilings.

  And her drink was delicious. It had black tea-infused vodka, mango juice, lime, and...some other things. She’d forgotten what, but she didn’t care. She was just trying her best not to drink it too quickly.

  She crossed her legs and smoothed out her red dress. A special dress that she’d bought for this occasion, with Tara’s help. It showed more cleavage than she’d normally be comfortable with, but Tara had convinced her it looked smashing, and Lily had to agree.

  Now she needed a guy.

  What if she didn’t find anyone suitable tonight?

  Oh, come on, Lily, it’s not even seven o’clock. You have lots of time.

  She was eager to cross “one-night stand” off her list, though. She loved crossing things off lists. Though perhaps she shouldn’t have a list for learning how to be more fun and less boring.

  But even if she found a suitable guy—attractive, no creepy vibes, those were the main criteria—how would she approach him? What would she say?

  I, Lily Tseng, sensible accountant, am trying to have my first one-night stand. Will you sleep with me, please and thank you?

  Dear God. She was hopeless.

  She had a sip of her cocktail and looked around. At the other end of the bar, there was a group of men who were a few decades older than her. Next to them were a couple of men closer to her age, but they gave off douchebag vibes.

  Nobody made her want to take a second look.

  And she was just looking for a potential guy! She hadn’t even tried to talk to anyone yet.

  “Why is it so difficult to have a one-night stand?” she muttered.

  Maybe she should cancel Operation Get Laid Tonight.

  “What did you say?”

  She startled at the unfamiliar male voice, and a little orange liquid sloshed over the edge of her glass.

  “Sorry. Let me get that.”

  A large hand wiped the spill away with a paper napkin. She looked from the hand to a wrist with an expensive watch, up an arm sheathed in a gray suit jacket and...

  Oh.

  Her mouth fell open, but she promptly snapped it shut so she didn’t look stupid.

  Although it was hard not to stare.

  The man had nearly black hair with a hint of a wave that made him look roguish, if that was a word anyone used anymore. He had dark brown eyes, a teasing smile, and he caused a pleasant hum in her body, even more so than the delicious cocktail. He looked ever so slightly like Henry Golding.

  And he was standing right next to her and—

  “Did you ask why it was so difficult to have a one-night stand?” he inquired politely.

  —and he’d heard her say that.

  Right.

  Normally, she was a fairly put-together person who always tho
ught before she spoke, and yet she’d muttered that under her breath when he was right next to her.

  Though she was trying to act less like herself tonight.

  But she wished he hadn’t heard. Her cheeks heated in embarrassment, and they heated even more as his gaze slid from her face down to her chest, down to her silver stilettos, the ones she hardly ever wore because they were so high and not at all sensible.

  And then, she did something even more shocking.

  “Are you offering?” she asked.

  She didn’t say it with a sassy flick of her hair, nor did she reach out and trail her finger down his arm, but she said those words all the same.

  Oh, God. She covered her mouth.

  He chuckled and it reverberated in her chest.

  “One-night stands are my specialty,” he said, “but let’s get to know each other first. Can I buy you another drink?”

  Was this happening?

  This was really happening.

  It was probably best that she stop after one drink.

  “Um, I’ll just have some juice,” she said. “Mango, if that’s possible.” The mango juice in her cocktail had been excellent.

  “Maybe some food? The char siu sliders are quite good.”

  “Sure.”

  The stranger got the attention of a bartender and placed their order, and a few minutes later, Lily had a glass of mango juice, garnished with a cherry. It probably cost six dollars, and there wasn’t even any alcohol.

  She pushed aside that annoying voice in her head and sipped her juice.

  “What’s your name?” she asked.

  A one-night stand with a man whose name she didn’t know sounded extra naughty, but she couldn’t do it. She needed to call him something.

  “Nick.”

  “I’m Lily.”

  He sat down on the barstool next to her, then shrugged out of his suit jacket. He rolled up his sleeves, and the sprinkling of dark hair on his forearms was so damn erotic, for some reason.

  Lily squeezed her legs together. She wasn’t used to being this physically affected by a man.

  Yes, he was perfect for Operation Get Laid Tonight.

  She couldn’t help feeling a little surprised that he seemed interested in her. Not that she was unattractive—she thought she looked quite good in this outfit, in fact—but he really was that sexy. Surely he could have almost any woman he wanted. Why, there was a group of three women on the other side of the bar who were looking in his direction.

  “I’ve never done this before!” she blurted out.

  “Done what?”

  “Tried to pick someone up at a bar. Had a one-night stand.”

  He chuckled again, all cool, not flustered like she was.

  “You’re doing fine,” he said, then had a sip of his Old Fashioned.

  His drink had a single large ice cube, and she was stupidly amused by it. The ice cube was just so...big. They must have used a special mold to make it.

  “What do you do for work, Lily?”

  Ooh, she quite liked the way he said her name.

  “I’m an accountant at a large engineering firm. And you?”

  “Oh, I work in advertising,” he said vaguely.

  She suspected he had an important position. Management or something.

  She didn’t ask for details, though. It was only one night; she didn’t need to know much about him.

  A server set a plate with three char siu sliders in front of them, and Lily suddenly realized she was quite hungry. She picked up the first one. Egg bun, from the looks of it, with barbecued pork, cilantro, pineapple, and some kind of sauce. She attempted to take a dainty bite. It wasn’t the sort of food that lent itself to dainty bites, but she tried her best.

  “Good?” Nick asked.

  She held up a finger. She wasn’t quite finished chewing.

  “Yes,” she said at last. “Very good. You were right.”

  He picked one up, and she watched his Adam’s apple as he swallowed, wondering why she’d never been so captivated by a man’s throat before.

  Maybe it was just Nick’s throat. Hmm. She wanted to kiss it right...there.

  “You want the last one?” He motioned to the plate.

  “Mm. Yes, please.”

  “Will you be this polite later?” he asked, leaning closer.

  A sizzle of energy traveled down to her toes.

  Oh, she liked this. She couldn’t remember the last time a man had talked to her this way.

  She grinned. “May I touch your thigh, please?”

  His eyes seemed to darken, and he held her gaze as he laced his fingers in hers and brought their hands to his muscular thigh.

  She ate the last slider with her other hand, then chased it down with some mango juice.

  “You can touch me wherever you want,” he said. “I promise I’ll like it all.” He paused. “You said you’d never had a one-night stand. Why do you want to have one now?”

  “I’m trying new things. Stepping out of my comfort zone. I have a list.”

  * * *

  Nick tried not to laugh.

  “Of course you have a list,” he murmured.

  “Why do you say that?” Lily asked. “You only just met me.”

  True, but he felt like he’d known her for more than twenty minutes, even though that was all it had been. When he’d seen her sitting alone in that incredible red dress, he’d been struck by the way she carried herself with such poise. Everything about her appearance was perfect, not a hair out of place.

  He desperately wanted to mess it up.

  Then she’d made that comment about a one-night stand, and he’d instantly gotten hard.

  When she spoke, she was honest, straightforward, not quite as poised as her appearance would suggest—he wondered if she was like this with everyone. And she got an adorable flush when she was embarrassed.

  “You just seem like a list person,” he said. “I can’t explain it.”

  “Well, lists are amazing. There’s nothing like the satisfaction of crossing something off your to-do list.”

  “Nothing? Nothing at all?” He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb.

  Her pretty red lips parted.

  “Why did you pick tonight for your one-night stand? Has it been a while for you?”

  “Six months, which actually isn’t that long to me, but I was...”

  “Horny?” he supplied.

  “Yeah. That.”

  “Say the word.”

  “No! Not here. Plus I’ve always hated that word. It makes me think of monsters.”

  “Monsters?”

  “Yeah. Monsters with lots of horns.”

  He bit back a laugh.

  Lily squirmed in her seat, and he hoped that was because she was horny, but more likely, she was embarrassed again.

  “Okay,” he said. “I won’t repeat it. You felt...like fucking.” He danced his fingertips over her thigh, and she shifted closer to him, her hip pressing against his. “Will you say that word?”

  “I only swear around certain people.”

  “Certain people?”

  “My friends. I don’t swear with strangers. Or colleagues. Or family.”

  “You said you want to try new things.”

  “I do.”

  “So swear in front of someone you just met. Me.”

  “That was a fucking good char siu slider.”

  He laughed. “Now say it in another way. You haven’t had sex in a while, and you feel like fucking tonight.”

  “Alright.” She cleared her throat. “Nick, I would like you to fuck me. Please.”

  Oh, she was killing him.

  He wouldn’t meet Trystan tonight. When he and Lily left Lychee, he’d take her straight home, and he couldn’t help but anticipate her look of delight when she saw his place. The view, the bed. He looked forward to introducing her to fucking someone she hardly knew, and tomorrow he could...

  He pushed that thought aside. It was a one-night stand, and he was glad that had been clear at the outset. Sometimes he saw a woman more than once—it wasn’t always a one-night stand with him—but nothing that could be described as more than a fling. Much to the frustration of his parents, he liked his bachelor lifestyle here in the city.

  So, no, he wouldn’t be introducing Lily to a whole bunch of new experiences.

  He shrugged off his curious twinge of disappointment and rested his hand on her thigh, pushing up her knee-length skirt just a little so he could touch her skin.

  “Thank you for propositioning me,” he said. “I accept. But you are free to change your mind at any time, okay?”