Page 27 of Yes to The Holidays
I started to leave, hoping to catch up to Janie but not wanting to be obvious I was going after her whenDonaldstopped me. “It was a pleasure to meet you, sir. I look forward to a long partnership.” He extended his hand.
“Donald, you understand I will own the company, so you’re not a partner?”
“Call me Donnie. And well, Eddie treats us all as equals. I just assumed you’d want to carry that on, sir.” His tone was condescending.What did she ever see in this guy?
“Donald, I intend to maintain the healthy status of this company, but with any great team, everyone must understand their role and their place. Have a great evening.” I turned and left the room, immediately torn over having the interaction in that manner as well as not extending a good night to Jack but also needing to be far away fromDonald.
Call me Donnie. How about you blow me, Donald?
Going down the hall she came from, I read the names on the doors until I finally came to the one that readJanie Turner.
I had no idea what I was about to say, but I knocked anyway.
Chapter 15
Janie
I knew it. Too damn good to be true. I slammed my notepad down then sat in my chair, scrolling over emails to see if anything had to be done now or could wait because I needed some air, but I couldn’t act like a high school girl and throw a tantrum. Not anymore anyway. It was highly unprofessional that I sat silently all day, and I knew Eddie would question me tomorrow. But what the hell would I say?Oh, hey, my wild-sex-fling-turned holiday-agreement-lover is here?And oh, Eddie, my longtime boss, and so-called friend…you're selling the company on a whim?Cool. Oh, and by the way,to my new lover!
All the while, I had to sit across from asshat all damn day and dodge his weird looks. What kind of fresh hell was I in?
I was replying to a message that couldn’t wait when there was a knock on the door. Fabulous. Eddie was here to ream me out, and he’d be double pissy since he wanted to beat rush hour. Sighing, I answered, “Come in.”
The door clicked, and I kept looking at my screen, typing away, ready for the word lashing.
“Are you alright?”
Shit. Odin.
Butterflies exploded in my stomach, and heat rushed between my thighs. Fucking bodily reactions couldn’t stay in line with my brain. “Yes,” I deadpanned. Every emotion I could feel was bubbling inside me, but my body still reacted as it had all week.
I kept typing as he shut the door and walked toward me. My keystrokes slowed briefly, but I straightened my back and got my rhythm down again. Odin bypassed the chairs on the other side of my desk and walked around to me.
“Then why haven’t you looked at me all day?” he asked, his tone soft.
Swallowing hard, I looked up at him. His handsome face was marred with a tight grimace, one arm clutching a coat and the other at his hip. He was in a well-tailored dark suit with a grey shirt and deep purple tie. The color combination made his blue eyes pop. His hair was pulled back, perfectly combed, and none out of place. My mouth went dry at the sight of him. That was one of the reasons I chose to not look at him all day.
“Odin, I have a few things to wrap up here. Perhaps it would be best to have this conversation elsewhere.” Otherwise, we may end up acting out a few movies I’d seen and that’s the last thing I needed to be doing.
He shifted his weight to his other foot and licked his perfect lips before he spoke. “I suppose you’re right. Why don’t you meet me at the pub by the hotel when you’re done? I’ll be waiting.”
Nodding, I went to turn back to my computer, but before I could put my fingers over the keyboard, his large hand was behind my neck, pulling me to his lips as he leaned over. My brain was screaming to stop him immediately, but my lips and hands were perfectly fine with the situation, bringing him even closer and kissing him back.
After he successfully rolled my eyes into my head, he pulled away, staring down at me before leaving without saying a word.
I didn’t move a muscle until he was gone, and even then, my body took a few more seconds to catch up. I blew a breath through puffed cheeks, then turned to my computer when my door flew open.
“Um, excuse me. We need to talk,” Candy said as she sauntered to my desk, setting a huge poinsettia down on the corner.
I cleared my throat. “I have a few minutes. Did I miss a memo from you?”Play it cool. It’s all fine.
She sat down across from me, crossing one leg over the other slowly, then propped her chin on her fist. “Ma’am, that man had on the same shade of lip color you do right now, and smelled like you, so explain.”
My heart pumped so hard it about jumped clear from my ribcage. “I–what? You’re mistaken. Did you have anything work related? Because I’ve been away from my desk all day and need to catch up so I can leave”
“Janie, I was not born yesterday. And I am not judging you. I love this new you. First, some random man last weekend, now some swoony stranger sneaking around the office. Look at you,” she said. “You deserve it. I just want the deets.”
I kept typing, blood warming my cheeks. “I can’t talk about it right now. Some major things are happening, and it’s all tied together.” I finally looked at her. “Can I trust that you’ll keep this between us for now?”
