by Layla Hagen
I was the type of person who thought while speaking out loud. Sometimes I came upon a solution while talking.
“Why not?”
“It feels like a retail gimmick, honestly. And the single people feel left out.”
“I agree. Let’s take a look at January historically. See what other holiday we can find. Maybe we can make a celebration out of it. And then in February, we can already drum up the new season.”
“Perfect.”
We made a slide for each season, just jotting down ideas and keywords as they came to us.
“How wild can I go?” I asked. Ideas were running amok in my mind.
“Nothing is off limits, Sienna.” His voice was a low rumble, and it sounded dangerously close.
I’d been so focused on the presentation, hunched over the laptop, that I hadn’t noticed he’d drawn his chair nearer. He was right next to me. He smelled like pepper and the ocean, and the scent was overpowering. He was overpowering.
I couldn’t move away. His nearness might have been knee-weakening, but I craved more of it.
“You sure you can handle it?” I asked playfully.
A spark popped in his eyes. “Try me.”
“What if we made a huge bid winter goodbye event running from mid-January to mid-February? We could remodel part of the food court in a festival-type setting. Even add a playground for kids where parents can drop them off while they shop. Add a slide maybe. Come to think of it, we could have that playground all year round.”
“I like the dynamic element,” he said appreciatively. “But we need something we can implement right away. Including the slide and everything else would take structural changes to the building.”
“Got it.”
We went on discussing the pros and cons of the ideas for the winter schedule for what felt like hours. Finally, the well of ideas dried up. Hell, my mouth was dry from talking so much.
“Let’s call it a night,” he said.
I leaned back, stretching my arms. Finally, Winston pushed his own chair away, massaging his temple. I immediately missed his nearness.
I packed my things quickly, then turned off the Christmas lights. I was even more hyperaware of Winston’s presence than before. He could have left, but he was still in the room. I was about to bring a chair so I could reach the string of lights I’d put on a shelf when Winston said, “I’ll do that.”
He must have been closer than I’d thought, because I felt the heat of his body behind me almost immediately. He was so close that if I leaned back a few inches, my head would touch his chest. I stood completely still while he extended a hand, reaching the switch with ease, turning it off.
“There.”
I waited a few seconds before turning, but he’d only taken a step or so back. He was far too close for my peace of mind, and he knew it. That amused glint in his eyes was a dead giveaway. I cleared my throat, smiling, attempting to diffuse this... energy that seemed to grow more intense each time we were alone.
“See, want to tell me this didn’t help? Put us in a Christmas mood?”
He cocked a brow.
I rolled my eyes. “Fine. Put me in a Christmas mood, and makes me feel as if I’m home with my family. That fuels my creativity.”
“Noted.” Unexpectedly, he added, “Do your parents also live in San Francisco?”
“They passed away when I was a teenager.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thanks.”
“How many siblings do you have?”
“An older one, Victoria. Two younger ones—Lucas is seventeen and Chloe twelve.”
I rarely spoke about my parents, least of all to people I wasn’t close to. But he’d fed me my favorite food, and I was surrounded by twinkling lights and all manners of Christmassy things. How could I not let my guard down?
“My mom was a nurse. For a long time, I wanted to be one too. But I don’t like the sight of blood and sick people. I just couldn’t do it. One summer in high school, Christopher arranged for me to intern at a hospital, and I just couldn’t go through with it. I felt as if I was letting her down. But Christopher was really supportive and said I should intern for the rest of the summer at Bennett Enterprises. I was in the marketing department and loved every second of it. You know the saying ‘Don’t try to be an apple if you’re a banana, because you’ll always be a second-rate apple’?”
“Love that saying. And you’re brilliant at this, Sienna. You’ve definitely found your place.”
“Thanks. Anyway, Mom used to bring us all here for the Christmas program. It’s one of my favorite memories.”
His eyes softened. That only loosened my tongue more.
“So when I saw an opening in the marketing department, I jumped at the opportunity. I’m a Christmas enthusiast.”
“You mean a Christmas dork.”
“Hey! Don’t say that,” I teased. I’d meant it rhetorically, but Winston shifted closer again. It was intoxicating, taking my breath away.
“Or what?”
That challenging tone, the whiff of pepper and ocean were too damn appealing to me. I could almost feel the warmth of his skin, even though he wasn’t touching me. This energy between us had turned sensual again. Everything was like that with Winston. It was his superpower.
“Anyway, being in charge of the decorations fits me like a glove,” I said.
“I can see that.”
The Statham Department store was a fixture in San Francisco’s Christmas season. Every single trip here during my childhood had been pure magic. I’d loved every detail: the huge red bows hanging from the tall ceilings, the live carol singers, the shopping assistants dressed as elves on each floor, Meet Santa Day.
When no one had wanted to be in charge of setting up this year’s decorations, I’d volunteered with a big grin. It had soon become clear why no one had wanted the job. I had to start my day earlier than everyone else, and on occasion stay later. The decorations were only put up when the shop was closed to customers. Since most of the Christmas temporary staff were students, I had the unpleasant surprise of them just not showing up for work and having to hastily replace them, but all in all, I loved the job.
“Mom, my older sister, and I had this tradition where we watched a Christmas movie every evening in December. I do that now as well. But this year, I’m locked in here with you instead of watching my movies,”
“It’s still November,” he pointed out.
“I amended the tradition. Started it earlier to prolong the holiday season. So you’d better make it up to me,” I teased.
He took the bait, leaning in closer. For some reason, it made me feel like he was baiting me.
“I can do that. Dinner is on me again tomorrow.”
“You’ll have to up your game if you want to make up for making me skip my Christmas movie.”
“I plan to up my game, all right.”
“How?”
“You’ll see.”
“More details, please?” I felt compelled to ask because I wasn’t sure we were on the same page.
“You’re used to making all the rules, aren’t you, Sienna? Won’t work with me. I make the rules.”
“Don’t be surprised if I don’t stick to them.” Was he only talking about work?
“You’ll follow them. You’ll see.” His voice had changed. It sounded lower, rougher.
In a fraction of a second, the atmosphere between us changed. I swallowed hard, fiddling with my thumbs.
“Same time tomorrow?” He wasn’t taking his eyes off me, and the constant attention was too much. He definitely wasn’t just talking about work. OhGod, OhGod.
The attraction wasn’t one-sided. The realization wreaked havoc on me. My pulse was out of control. Heavens, I would have been better off not knowing.
“Sure.”
Chapter Seven
Winston
Usually, I looked forward to Christmas, but this year, every bit of decoration had just been a reminder of wha
t was at stake.
Except, looking around the offices every time I went out of mine, I didn’t feel stressed; quite the opposite. Sienna had been right; this was relaxing.
I couldn’t get the sight of her dancing out of my mind. Every time I’d seen her since, I remembered the sway of her hips, the passionate way she’d sung the lyrics. I’d very nearly walked over to her, pinned her against a wall, and claimed her mouth.
I’d worked with her for months but hadn’t gotten to know her on a personal level. The desire to do so now slammed into me.
She was smart. I knew that. I’d asked myself more than once why she put up with me. Last night, I’d gotten my answer. I respected that she didn’t want anything on a silver platter. She wanted to earn her place.
A vein pulsed in my temple when I thought about that guy on the first night. I didn’t know the whole story, but just seeing Sienna’s vulnerable expression had been enough to make me want to punch that idiot, ensure she never had to see him again, or deal with him in any way.
In the evening, I went into the meeting room first. I’d bought burgers for dinner, another of Sienna’s favorites. She arrived a few seconds later, and her eyes widened when she saw me. Then she lit up completely at the sight of the burgers. Damn, she looked even cuter radiating happiness like this.
“I love burgers,” she exclaimed.
“I know. I did my homework.” I tilted closer as we opened the take-out bags side by side. Her skin flushed, and her fingers faltered for a second. I loved her reaction. This tension between us was undeniable, but it felt so damn good that I just didn’t want to stop. I barely kept myself from reaching out and touching her smooth skin.
“What’s with the huge boxes next to your desk?” I asked.
“I had some stuff delivered. I’m having some work done to my house, but I didn’t want to have them sent there. They’re too big to fit into a delivery box, and it’s a pain to collect them from the post office. Tried to bribe the delivery guy into bringing them to my car, but he wouldn’t hear of it.”
“I’ll help you bring them to your car.”
“That’s okay, I can handle—”
“I’ll bring them to your car,” I said in a definitive, no-argument-accepted tone.
She tilted her head. “Is this part of your plan to convince me you’re nice?”
“I’m not nice, Sienna. But I think you know that.”
I held her gaze. She didn’t reply.
“What’s in the boxes anyway?”
“Some materials for renovations. I’m working on that every evening. Progress is slower than anticipated, obviously, since I’m here so late. I need to have everything ready in a week, when some new furniture arrives. This weekend I’m painting my walls.”
“I’m handy with construction. I can help you this weekend.”
“Wow. Thanks. You want to paint my walls? Why?”
“I feel guilty for keeping you here so late.”
Her face opened up into a huge smile. “Well, then, bring it on, boss. What can I do to also get you to sand my floors?”
“Sassy again?”
She shrugged one shoulder. Her smile didn’t dim. I loved the positivity and playfulness she carried with her all the time. I wanted more of it—all of it.
I wanted her.
“I am officially upgrading you from boss from hell to dictatorial and grouchy.”
“You what?”
She grinned. “You said you liked my honesty.”
“I do.” I just wasn’t sure that dictator was an improvement.
“I have to warn you. I like doing housework while watching Christmas movies in the background.”
“You’re joking.”
“No. It keeps me distracted.”
“I’ll keep you distracted.” I shifted in my chair until there were just a few inches between us. This time, I couldn’t resist touching her. Just a light scrape of my fingers on her wrist. The fine hair on her arms stood on end. When I looked up at her, she bit her lower lip before opening a new document on her laptop.
“How?”
“You’ll see.” I winked at her before turning to the screen. We still had a few hours of work ahead of us. She’d run the stats on the reward cards, and we laid out the pros and cons of cutting off sales.
Branding required a lot of number analysis, and Sienna was excellent at it. We created half a dozen graphics, but I wanted to mull it over for a few days before deciding on a course of action.
“I feel like my brain is fried,” she said after two hours.
“Let’s stop here,” I said. “I need to get going anyway.”
“You have plans?”
“Promised my parents I’d stop by for a drink. If I don’t, my mother is liable to show up at the office. Do you know a good place to buy chocolates? I’ve been away from San Francisco for a while, and my old go-to store closed. I don’t want to go empty-handed. Ordered some online a few days ago, but if you have a recommendation, I’ll go with that.”
“Sure.” Her tone was softer. I was sure I’d just earned a few points. Between yawns, she gave me the address of a shop.
“I’ve kept you here for too long.”
“We’ve got some very long evenings ahead of us if you want to roll it out starting in the new year.”
“Once we finalize the concept, I’m going to bring the VP of operations into this. But yes, it will be a lot of work. Hence why I won’t take time off for Christmas.”
She pouted. I knew it was on the tip of her tongue to ask me about her time off.
“Sienna. I approved your vacation time on my first day. HR is still processing it.”
“Really? Thank you, thank you, thank you. I think my brother would have disowned me otherwise. Come to think of it, my whole family probably would have.”
“What are your plans? Spending the whole vacation in London?”
“Just one week. And then part of the family is going to Aspen. It’ll be amazing. I’m going to be the skiing instructor for the kids.”
She spoke every word with warmth. Her exuberance was addicting.
That was perhaps why I looked for every opportunity to be near her. Sure, I felt guilty about keeping her here, but that wasn’t the only reason I’d volunteered to paint her walls.
“Sounds like a full schedule.”
“It is.”
“Be sure to send me pictures. It’ll keep me entertained while I slave away here.”
“Is that a ruse to actually send me work while I’m away?”
I was longing to touch her again, so I put my hands in my pockets. Easier to resist the impulse this way.
“No need for ruses with me. When I want something, I ask for it, Sienna.”
***
I arrived at my parents’ house half an hour later than I said I would.
Predictably, Mom was already suspicious.
“I was afraid you’d call us with an excuse, saying you won’t make it after all.”
I pulled out the box of chocolates.
“I see. Brought this to soften me up.”
I winked at her before shaking hands with Dad. Clapping my shoulder, he said, “You did well with those chocolates.”
“Had the best teacher.”
I learned my tricks from him.
My parents lived in a two-bedroom house in Pacific Heights. I’d grown up in a larger house, but after I left for college, they downsized, insisting that all the empty rooms just served as a reminder that I was gone.
Predictably, Mom had dinner laid out. Dad and I exchanged a look, smiling. He patted his belly. “Second dinner for me.”
“For me too. I had something to eat at the office.”
Mom gave me a stern look.
“Why is the Christmas countdown stressing you so much?” Dad asked.
“Your dad and I always made it a point to come home for dinner,” Mom said.
“I know, but it’s my first year as the company’s president. The team in San Franc
isco barely knows me.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? I talked everyone’s ear off about you right until my last day at the office,” Mom said.
“They know of me. But not me. Establishing a relationship of trust goes a long way.”
“What you need is a general manager you can delegate everything to, like we did with Gerald,” Dad said.
I didn’t reply. Gerald was still a sore point where I was concerned. And I did plan to hire a general manager as soon as I got the store back on its feet.
I immediately thought about Sienna. At twenty-five, she was perhaps a few years too young for that position, but then again, I was too young to be president too. But the company needed a young, energetic management team. I could see Sienna building such a group.
I’d seen her sitting with the others at lunch. She had a knack for people. But she’d made it clear this job was temporary for her. Bennett Enterprises was the endgame, and I respected that.
I smiled to myself. Here I was, thinking about her again. I had no idea what it was about this woman that made it impossible not to think about her, want to be near her.
“When can you drop by for a real dinner?” Mom asked.
I pointed to the potato salad and grilled chicken. “Does it get more real than this?”
“You know what I mean.”
I laughed. Dad shook his head. “You’re not getting out of this, son.”
“The weekend, Mom. I’ll let you know tomorrow if Saturday or Sunday is better.”
She placed both hands on her hips. “Do I have to use my guilting tactics to get you to commit right now?”
I held up my hands. “No, no. Absolutely not.”
“Next time, bring two chocolate boxes,” Dad said under his breath. I grinned in response. I loved that some things never changed.
Chapter Eight
Sienna
On Thursday evening, Christopher and Blake surprised me by dropping by to help me with renovations. I was surprised they’d brought Sebastian too.
“What are you doing here?” I asked him.
“Christopher told me you’re running behind on your renovation plans. I’m at your service,” Sebastian said.
