Page 2 of The Ice Queen in the Corner Office

“Alex Owings is my boss and in that capacity he’s as good as they come. He doesn’t micromanage, and he treats me with respect. Don’t worry about me, May. I’ve never been happier.”

Alex Owings was the owner and CEO of Owings Leisure, a company he’d built. He’d bought my family’s company when we were in a bad way. Part of the deal for the buyout was that I work for Owings Leisure as its CFO.

Her smile returned full force, my words reassuring her, because no one in my family would ever doubt I was telling the truth. I was the rock they all counted on and it suited them to believe they didn’t need to worry about me. I pushed away the uncharitable thought. If they didn’t worry about me, it was because I made sure they never needed to.

“I’m glad,” she said. She glanced at something to the left of her phone and her eyes widened. “Oh, crap. I’ve got to go, I’m going to be late again.” She made a kissy face at me. “Love you, Jilly.”

“Wait, we still need to talk about Mom selling pot.” I was talking to a dark screen. She’d already hung up and rushed off, probably to her job waiting tables at the local diner, or to work at our mother’s bed and breakfast.

I put down my cell phone and stared at the now cold tofu stir-fry from my favorite vegan restaurant. I’d put off eating to talk to my sister because I’d assumed she needed me more than I needed to eat. Getting up and going to the break room to heat it up would take too much time, and I’d already wasted enough of my day. I forked up a bite of cold veggies and chewed while I scanned financial reports. It was edible.

I couldn’t focus on the financials. I should have been happy for May, but for some reason the phone call had left me feeling sad. I’d answered the phone expecting her to fill me in on her latest problem, expecting to spend my morning helping her solve it. Since I was old enough to be the big sister everyone came to with their problems, I’d longed to be free, to be independent with only myself to worry about. And now I had that.

Lately, my family had been doing really well. None of them even lived in Atlanta anymore and they were all stable and happy and none of them needed me. I finally had what I’d always wanted and, if getting my wish made me feel lonely and sad, well that was because I needed time to adjust. Right?

I picked up my cell phone and dialed my mother. She at least needed my advice if she’d taken to selling pot. She didn’t answer. She was probably busy living her dream, running her bed and breakfast, Nora’s Inn.

My brother, Cody, didn’t answer either. He rarely had time to talk. He was growing a vineyard, a winery business, and raising four kids with his wife, Carrie. He should have been insanely stressed and harried, but when I did talk to him, he seemed happier than he’d ever been.

Outside my tenth-floor office, the December day was gray and cold, rain falling in a steady rhythm. Maybe the weather was partly to blame for my glum mood. What I needed was a vacation. A Christmas vacation somewhere warm and sunny.

I munched on my lunch while I searched the Internet for the perfect destination.

Looking at pictures of gorgeous destinations lifted my mood, but maybe it wasn’t the right time to go so far away. Maybe spending time with my family was what I needed. Clearly, my mother and my brother needed some rational advice knocked into them. With the last bite of my food, I clicked confirm on the perfect resort getaway for my Christmas vacation, and sighed in anticipation. I loved traveling and this trip would be —

“What’cha doing?” Alex Owings asked, plopping his ass down on the corner of my desk.

I didn’t flinch, didn’t hurry to hide what I’d been doing, didn’t let any surprise show on my face. My mask, my ‘I’m a dutiful employee,’ mask, slid into place as I smiled up at him.

Everyone wears masks if they want to get anywhere in life, especially with their bosses. I’d been perfecting mine since I was ten and my mother asked me to make sure to take care of my siblings while she was at work.

“Just finishing up my lunch break.” I leaned back in my chair and laced my hands together over my stomach. “What do you need?”

He sighed and shook his head as though he was disappointed in me. Then he leaned over and studied my computer screen, like it was his business. I bit my lip hard not to growl at him. Guys like Alex Owings lived to get a reaction and I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction. He straightened and smiled. “Planning a vacation? Want me to come along? I’d be damn good at helping you relax.”

I had to work hard to show no reaction to that. Alex hadn’t flirted with me since I’d officially become the CFO for Owings Leisure.

Just over a year ago, we’d shared a panty-melting, brain-frying kiss in a dark night club. He’d walked away from me that night like nothing had happened between us, and I’d assumed he’d forgotten about it.

Since I’d started working for him, he’d acted as though I was just another colleague, sexless. He’d been a much better boss than I’d expected. He’d stood up for me on more than one occasion when someone, usually a man, questioned my abilities.

I never let down my guard around him, because I let down my guard around precious few people, but I’d trusted him, until that moment, not to cross lines.

I straightened in my seat, letting my mask ice over. Boundaries needed to be clear and unquestionable. “I don’t mix business with pleasure,” I said. “Ever. And, if I did decide to break my own rule, Mr. Owings, I assure you I wouldn’t choose to do it with you.”

I’d been ready for him to get mad. Alex was the kind of guy who was used to getting what he wanted and, though I’d never seen him lash out at anybody, I’d also never seen him flirt with anybody who turned him down.

He didn’t get mad. His eyes darkened, and his smile widened. “But I would choose you. I’d choose you and I’d make sure you called me Mr. Owings while I was—”

My hands tightened into fists and emotion washed over me. I avoided emotion, especially the one I was feeling at that moment, because emotion made me vulnerable, made me do things I shouldn’t. “Unless you want a meeting with HR and a sexual harassment suit, you won’t say anything else.”

He gave me a bland look, but there was a glint of amusement in his eyes. “I was just going to say that if I was going to vacation with any of my employees, I would choose you. And I would insist you call me Mr. Owings while I was kicking your butt at water dodge ball.”

“Water dodge ball?” I asked, thrown. Again. “Is that a thing?”

He shrugged. “If it isn’t, it should be.”

I recovered my mask. “Is there a reason you barged into my office? I don’t have the latest financials ready, but I’ll have them to you by end of day Monday.”

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