Holiday Playbook--A Christmas workplace romance

by Yahrah St. John

  “We do,” Wynn responded. “Blaine and I worked together back in the day. I was fine-tuning LEAN after work and mentioned starting my own sports drink business, but with his family’s money, Blaine got there first. LEAN is very popular with the sports fanatics and constantly outranks Smith International’s concoction. I feel like Blaine is always looking for a leg up on me and although I don’t mind healthy competition, this is personal, ya know? I feel like he stole my idea. I’m hoping the Atlanta Cougars won’t get in bed with him.”

  Giana held out a hand to shake. “Now I really don’t like him. I can’t speak for Roman, but as chief marketing and branding officer, I can promise you I won’t actively seek out Blaine to do business. How’s that?”

  “I guess it will have to be enough.”

  They talked shop for the remainder of the lunch, and Wynn was surprised to find an hour had passed. He appreciated Giana’s sharp mind. They would make a great team.

  “When can I meet the illustrious Curtis Jackson?” Wynn asked. “You know LEAN is my baby, and I’m very protective.”

  “I will discuss it with Curtis and have my assistant get back to yours with some times.” She rose to her feet.

  Wynn took it to mean their lunch date was over and pushed back his chair. He didn’t like being dismissed, but he had Giana in his crosshairs. “Of course, I’ll drop you back at your office.”

  “Oh, there’s no need. My assistant, Mara, is waiting for me outside,” she said, walking in front of him.

  “When did you have time to call her?” He caught a sly smile on Giana’s face. Then he remembered how she’d made a pit stop in the ladies’ room earlier. Was she afraid of being alone with him again? “Of course, I wouldn’t want to keep you from any pressing Atlanta Cougars business. I’ll walk you to the car.”

  He followed her out of the restaurant, watching the sway of her hips as she walked. Once they were outside, a dark sedan was indeed waiting for her at the curb, and Giana went to rush toward it, but he put a hand on her arm to stop her.

  She turned around, and their eyes met. “Enjoy the rest of your day, Giana.” He brushed his fingertips down her cheek.

  He walked away, leaving Giana with her mouth agape over his touch.

  Nine

  “You secured Wynn Starks?” Julian said as he strolled into Giana’s office later in the afternoon. “Congratulations.” He clapped as he came forward to her desk and took a seat across from her.

  Giana smiled. “Was there ever any doubt?”

  “Not in my mind,” Julian stated. “So how did you sell Wynn on the Cougars? Wynn Starks wouldn’t even take your call a month ago,” Julian continued. “Now he’s coming to your place of work to tell you in person Curtis will be the face of Starks Inc. What gives?”

  “Fine, Julian, I’ll admit Wynn and I may have hooked up, but it was a one-time thing.”

  “Ha.” Julian laughed and leaned back in his seat. “Kid yourself if you want to, but you have the man’s nose wide open.”

  Giana chuckled at her brother’s turn of phrase. “Just because he might want more doesn’t mean I do.”

  “No?” Julian raised a brow.

  “No,” Giana stated more firmly. But it was more to convince herself than her brother. She couldn’t get involved with Wynn any more than she already had. If she were to get seriously involved with Wynn or any man, they had to offer more than being an exclusive bedmate. And in Wynn’s case, mixing business with pleasure was a bad idea. It had taken more than a year to get a meeting with him and convince him to do a partnership with the Cougars. A relationship between, whether purely physical or not would bring a host of complications she didn’t need. There would be scrutiny by her family, not to mention the business implications if they ended the relationship and either wanted out of the deal. Both companies’ reputations would take a hit along with their pocketbooks.

  Though she had to admit the invitation was tempting. Wynn was an incredible lover and they’d shared an amazing night, but one time was all it should ever be. He was dangerous to her self-control. When she was around him, she seemed to have none, as evidenced by her making out with him in elevators.

  Julian shrugged. “I don’t think Wynn got the memo. And given everything I’ve heard about him, once he set his eyes on something, he’ll stop at nothing to achieve it.”

  “What do you mean, given everything you’ve heard? Did you have him investigated?” She pushed to her feet.

  “Didn’t need to,” Julian replied, standing as well. “Nico told me you had a dossier on Wynn. So I read it.”

  “Why?”

  “When my baby sister tells me she’s become intimately involved with a man we intend to do business with, I want to know more.”

  Giana spun away from him to face the window. She didn’t need her brother getting in her business. “I don’t need your protection, Julian. I can handle myself.”

  “I’m sure you can, Gigi,” Julian said. Seconds later, Giana felt his hands on her shoulder as he turned her back around to face him. “But I would be remiss if I didn’t check the man out. Make sure he didn’t have any skeletons in his closet.”

  Giana let out a sigh. “All right.”

  Julian stroked her cheek with his palm. “You’re not mad at me?”

  “You know I have never been able to stay mad at you for long.” She offered him a smile.

  “Good. I have to go. I have some players to tend to in the rehab clinic.”

  After he’d gone, Giana thought about Wynn. Was Julian right? Was Wynn going to keep chipping at her defenses until she agreed to date him? Because if he did, Giana wasn’t sure she had the willpower to say no. Whenever he touched her, her brain short-circuited and she lost control. Giana didn’t like the feeling. She was used to her life being nice, neat and orderly, and Wynn Starks flipped the script every single time.

  She would have to keep it strictly business between them and hope he stayed in his lane.

  * * *

  Wynn was feeling thwarted, and he didn’t like it one bit. He’d tried unsuccessfully for the last two days to reach Giana. Sure, they had a meeting on the books on Friday for Wynn to discuss the LEAN endorsement with Curtis and Tim Jackson, but as for the two of them? Nada. Every time he called her office, her assistant told him she was busy. He knew it to be a lie. She was avoiding him.

  Was this how she felt when he’d ignored her calls and canceled meetings? Was this retribution? If so, Wynn supposed he had it coming, but it didn’t mean he had to like it. Now that he’d been with Giana, he wanted more than one night with her. He had to convince her she couldn’t turn her back on the kind of passion they shared. They were well suited to one another.

  She made him feel alive, and Wynn hadn’t felt this way in a long time. It was exciting and scary all at once.

  Instead of worrying about it, Wynn decided to take his mind off himself and help others, so he’d come to the local Boys & Girls Club he volunteered at to meet with his little brother after working until midafternoon. Donnell Evans was being raised by a single mother who worked two jobs to keep food on the table. He was a good kid, and Wynn was happy to supply a much-needed male influence in his life.

  He found Donnell on the basketball court along with Silas and his mentee Eric late Thursday afternoon. “Hey, guys,” Wynn said, running toward them. “Can I get in on the action?” Before he’d left the office, he’d changed into a T-shirt and basketball shorts.

  “Yeah, man.” Silas gave him a one-armed hug, and Wynn gave Donnell a fist bump.

  “What’s up, young man?” Wynn said, giving the twelve-year-old the once-over. The dark-skinned youth was sporting short twists and looked as if he’d grown another inch or so since the last time he’d seen him.

  “I’m good, Mr. Starks,” Donnell said.

  “I told you, you can call me Wynn.”

  “I
know, but my mama would kill me if she heard me, so if it’s all the same to you, I’ll call you Mr. Starks,” Donnell responded.

  “A game of two against two?” Silas offered.

  “Let’s do it,” Wynn replied.

  Wynn and Donnell faced off against Silas and Eric. Wynn had Silas on skill, but Silas had him on speed. Somehow, Wynn and Donnell managed to beat their opponents, but only by one point.

  When the game was over, Wynn suggested burgers, and the young men eagerly nodded their heads in unison. “C’mon, get your things and we’ll meet you outside.”

  While the boys went to get their book bags, Silas glanced at Wynn. “You were on fire out there.”

  “Was I?” He headed to the vending machines outside the basketball court and bought four bottled waters. He tossed one to Silas and then chugged his. When he was finished, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

  “Yeah, you were,” Silas said. “And it makes me wonder if it has something to do with Giana Lockett.”

  “Nah, we’re not doing this here,” Wynn said, glancing at the locker room to see if the boys were coming.

  “We don’t have to talk about it, but my intuition tells me something went down between you and her.”

  Wynn didn’t get a chance to answer, because the boys came back. “I’ll drive,” Wynn said. He’d taken his BMW X6 to work. He’d needed to be in control of the wheel since he didn’t have any control over his love life at the moment. “C’mon.”

  Once they were buckled up, Wynn drove them to a nearby restaurant known for their burgers, fries and milkshakes. After placing their order, Donnell and Eric headed over to the arcade games, leaving Wynn and Silas alone again.

  “You ready to tell me what happened?” Silas asked.

  “You’re not going to leave this alone, are you?”

  Silas shook his head. “Nope. So, you might as well tell me.”

  “All right.” He glanced at the boys. “Giana and I hooked up.”

  Silas’s eyes grew wide. “Really? At least your self-imposed celibacy is over. How was it?”

  “It was damn good, but now she won’t give me the time of day.”

  “What did you do?”

  Wynn frowned. “Why do you think I did something?” Silas cocked his head to the side, so Wynn continued, “I didn’t do anything wrong. She’s the one who snuck out of my bed in the middle of the night. And when I confronted her about it, she told me it was a onetime thing.”

  “And what did you say?”

  “I told her I wanted more.”

  “A relationship?”

  Wynn shook his head. “No, of course not. I told you, those days are over. But I told her I would commit to exclusively seeing her.”

  “As bed buddies? C’mon, Wynn, even to me you sound like a jerk.”

  “I can’t offer more than that.”

  Silas shrugged. “And you wonder why she’s not rushing to take you up on your offer?”

  Wynn was cut off from responding because the waitress returned with a tray loaded with their food. Wynn called the boys. “Donnell, Eric, come on over. Let’s eat.”

  Wynn enjoyed his double cheeseburger, fries and chocolate milkshake, but he couldn’t get Silas’s words out of his mind. Was that why Giana wasn’t interested? Did she want more than an exclusive sexual relationship? If so, Wynn wasn’t sure he was capable of more, because he didn’t think there was a woman out there worth committing himself to.

  Giana was certainly special, but Wynn wasn’t sure he was ready to take the risk. In the meantime, he had to convince her they shouldn’t deny themselves the pleasure of each other’s company—each other’s bodies—while they figured it out. He just hoped she would agree.

  * * *

  “Curtis, Mr. Jackson, I’m so glad you could make it,” Giana said, shaking both men’s hands as they came into the Atlanta Cougars’ conference room at the arena on Friday. Tall with dark brown eyes, skin the color of tree bark and short curly hair, Curtis was a striking young man.

  “Thank you for having us, Ms. Lockett,” Tim Jackson replied. The elder Jackson was over six feet, not quite his son’s height, but his presence was always felt. Today, he’d come dressed for business in a sports coat, button-down shirt and jeans, while Curtis was dressed in a track suit, because he had practice after the meeting.

  “It’s my pleasure,” Giana said. “I’m happy to finally report Mr. Starks has agreed to have Curtis represent Starks Inc.”

  “Wonderful,” Tim said. “What changed his mind?”

  “You did,” Wynn said, strolling into the conference room as if he owned the place with a man Giana assumed was his attorney. Wynn was wearing a slate-gray suit with a light blue shirt, both clearly custom-made and tailored to his frame. Once again, Giana was caught off guard by Wynn’s presence. She had a hard time looking away from him, but she forced herself.

  “Mr. Jackson, meet Wynn Starks. Wynn, this is Curtis and his father, Tim Jackson,” Giana said, making the introductions.

  Wynn offered his hand to Tim. “Pleasure to meet you, sir. And you—” He turned to Curtis. “I look forward to having you represent LEAN.”

  “I will do you proud, Mr. Starks,” Curtis responded. “I’ve always loved your sports drinks, but LEAN is my favorite.”

  Wynn beamed with pride. “Why, thank you. It’s my baby, so it means a lot to have someone of your good character representing the product.”

  “We knew Curtis would be a perfect fit. It’s why I wanted my son to do this endorsement, Mr. Starks,” Tim said.

  “Call me Wynn.”

  “Wynn it is.” Tim smiled. “Your story is impressive. It reminded me of me and Curtis. You faced long odds coming from a single-parent home raised by your father, and now look what you’ve made of yourself.” He motioned toward Wynn’s appearance.

  “I wouldn’t be where I am without my father, as I’m sure your son will agree.”

  “Absolutely,” Curtis stated with a large grin. “My dad—” he patted his father’s shoulders lovingly “—is my hero.”

  “We need more Black fathers like yourself in the community, Mr. Jackson,” Wynn said. “I thought maybe we could somehow spotlight Black fathers in our first promotion.” He flicked a glance at Giana, and despite the tension coiled in her stomach, she felt a smile form on her lips.

  “Of course. Let’s get down to business,” Giana said, motioning everyone to the table.

  * * *

  An hour later, after all terms were agreed to, including Wynn’s exclusivity clause, and after seeing the Jacksons out, Giana finally released a long-held sigh. Nearly a year’s effort had finally come to fruition. She’d inked the endorsement deal with Wynn. She returned to the conference room and found Wynn alone.

  “Where’s your attorney?” Giana asked, going to the settee and opening a bottle of sparkling water. She poured some into a glass and walked over to the table to sit across from him. Wynn wore a smug smile on his face, as if he’d engineered this deal when she’d been the one championing it.

  “His work is done. He’s gone.”

  “As you should be,” she responded, sipping her water.

  Wynn placed his forearms on the table and leaned forward. “We have unfinished business.”

  She raised a brow. “Do we?”

  “I’m not leaving here until you agree to meet for drinks later.”

  “And why would I do that, Wynn? I believe I told you this—” she motioned back and forth between them “—was going nowhere.”

  “What are you so afraid of, Giana?”

  “I’m not afraid.”

  “I beg to differ. So, I’m challenging you to meet me for drinks. The same way you challenged me.” He rattled off a favorite haunt frequented by celebrities. “If you come, I’ll know you’re ready to see where this will go. If you don’t
, I’ll leave you alone.”

  Giana sat up straight. “You will?” She hadn’t realized how much she was enjoying Wynn having to fight for time with her after she’d chased him for nearly a year.

  He nodded and rose to his feet, buttoning his suit jacket as he went. “I’ll honor your wishes and keep my distance if that’s what you really want.”

  “What if I don’t show?”

  “I’m willing to wager when push comes to shove, you’ll come. See you soon, Giana.”

  He left her with a stunned expression and wondering if she was as adventurous as he seemed to think she was.

  Ten

  Wynn fidgeted in his seat and glanced at his watch. It was after 6:30 p.m., and Giana was nowhere in sight. Had he really gotten it wrong? Was she afraid of exploring their mutual attraction? He hadn’t taken Giana for a coward.

  In today’s meeting, he’d seen her sharp wit and knew the collaboration between Starks Inc. and the Atlanta Cougars would be a good one. But it was water under the bridge. Whether she came tonight or not, they would be in business together for the duration of the endorsement deal.

  Wynn downed the rest of his bourbon in two seconds and was about to get up to leave when he heard a beautiful feminine voice say from behind him, “Is this seat taken?”

  He released the deep breath he’d been holding and spun around to face Giana. “You came.”

  She had changed into a leather jacket and a black jumpsuit with a wide leg. It not only flattered her figure but made her look sleek and sexy. She’d also loosened her hair from the updo, and it hung in luxurious waves down her back.

  “Did you doubt I would?” She grinned, and he could see a dimple in her right cheek that he hadn’t noticed before.

  Wynn glanced at his watch. “It’s nearly seven.”

  “Yeah, well.” She shrugged as she slid onto the bar stool beside him. “I ran into a bit of traffic on the way here. An accident on I-85. I would have been here sooner.”

  He gave her a sideways glance. “I’m glad I was right.” He motioned the bartender over. “What would you like to drink?”