Devyn knew Mrs. Girlder was not willing to pay more, but she would pay the extra out of her own pocket if it could let her keep her job.
She could imagine the woman’s cool expression across the phone, her head shaking back and forth. “Sorry ma’am. There aren’t any extra units.”
Devyn sighed, letting her head fall into the palm of her hand.
“Okay,” she said defeated. “Thank you anyway.”
“I’m really sorry miss,” the woman on the other end said. “Have a nice holiday.”
“You too,” Devyn muttered back into the phone, and the director at Jamie Ray Cosmetics ended their call.
Everyone wanted that line in their stores, and just like Maxi’s, no one was getting a shipment in. Devyn had hoped they could get at least enough product to fill one of their stores.
Even that had been wishful thinking.
Devyn pressed the intercom button on her phone and dialed Penelope’s number.
It took one ring before she heard the familiar cheery voice on the other end.
“Can you come in here?” Devyn forced her voice to be level. “I have something important I want to talk to you about.”
“Of course, Boss. Be there in a sec.” The call clicked, dead air hanging in her office.
Penelope opened her door without knocking. Her cherry lips matched the Christmas stockings she had on under her dress.
“Did you ever find my card?”
“Yes,” Devyn sighed, pushing herself to sit up straight in her chair. She opened the drawer and pulled out the crisp green card stock.
Penelope looked away, nudging her foot against the wood leg of the desk.
“Did you look for it?”
“No.” Devyn folded her arms across her desk and leaned onto them.
“Why not?” she huffed in Devyn’s direction. Penelope’s face flushed.
“You know I hate Christmas. I’ve had a lot going on, so I haven’t really had time to play along.” Devyn shrugged.
“Just because you hate Christmas doesn't mean you couldn’t have looked for your gift,” Penelope’s voice raised slightly. It wasn’t enough for the entire office to hear her, but Devyn noticed the way her voice spiked.
“Pen, I don’t need a gift. I need a miracle.”
She chewed on her bottom lip. “I guess I’m not a miracle worker.”
Her words were drenched in sarcasm.
“Listen, I know you’re upset—”
“No you don’t. You can’t fathom why I'm upset because you didn’t bother to look for something I hid in here for you. All you can think about is how much you hate Christmas and how you don’t want to put up with my silly games.”
“Jesus Christ, Pen. Chad shoved me up against a wall and slid his tongue in my mouth right before I had a chance to look for it, okay? It’s not that I don’t care and don’t want to put up with you. I’ve literally been dealing with more than just not liking Christmas.”
Penelope stood stunned. “He what?”
Devyn recapped the last few days for her, sharing every detail down to their encounter the day before. The way her body reacted to his touch and the way his skin smelled against hers.
“So you can see I haven’t had much time to think between him and this impossible order of makeup. Jamie Ray doesn't have any products, but they were able to ship a small amount out to the department stores. That’s why Alex is on my case.”
Devyn pushed off the desk and walked to the window showing the view of the city. The flurries weren’t falling fast, but at this rate her sister's car would be snowed in by the end of the work day.
“Alex saw the products in the department stores, but why is she on your case so hard? We aren’t a big department store.” Penelope crossed the room closing the space between them.
“She wants us to be. I’ve figured that much out. Getting Jamie Ray in even one of our stores could put us on the map and make us a household name because we will be one of the only stores carrying the Christmas Collection. I don’t know if she thinks I’m lying or if she just doesn’t care if they are sold out. It’s either we get this line or I'm fired. She made that pretty clear on the phone yesterday.”
“She can’t expect you to stock the store with a product that isn’t available.” Penelope’s face fell flat.
“I can’t change what she wants, but I’ll try to figure something out. I’m going to get some lunch.” Devyn leaned against the cold glass. “Can you try to see any of the stores would be willing to sell a part of their shipment? Or if they could tell you how much they got from Jamie Ray?”
Penelope nodded, pulling her notepad closer to her chest before she walked out of the room. The empty space mocked her, but Devyn was desperate to scream. She walked over and closed the wooden door, shutting her off from the rest of the office.
Devyn slid down the door, hugging her knees tight against her chest. She sighed, letting her warm breath trail over her exposed skin. Her eyes were locked on the ground and she waited for her mind to drift away.
Devyn desperately tired to get her mind to drift, but when another bright green slip of card stock made its way under her door, it caught her attention and brought her back to her reality. It reminded her of Penelope’s card which Devyn had completely forgotten about. She let herself reach out for the slip of paper and pick it up. The faint smell of mahogany and coconut wafted to her nose as she flipped open the card. The handwriting didn’t match the card she stored in her desk. It was small, printed neatly like a typewriter.
We’re going Christmas shopping. Be ready at 5.
Not a request. A demand.
Her cheeks heated. She slipped the paper into the waist of her skirt, climbed off the floor and started toward the car. She needed some lunch.
9
Chad rapped his knuckles over the wooden door, but Devyn opened it before he could finish knocking. She was dressed in the most beautiful red dress he’d ever seen. It hugged her body, holding closely to her luscious curves.
Jesus Christ. How was he ever supposed to stay away from her if she won the bet? He wanted to pull the dress down and expose the tanned skin of her shoulders. Her lips matched the dress, stretching over the white row of teeth.
He fought the urge to wrap his arms around her body and shove her against a wall. He could think of a much better way for them to spend their evening and it didn’t involve what he already had planned.
“I was going to come find you, but then realized you didn't give a meeting place in your cryptic note.” She held the green card stock up at him.
A smile tugged at his lips. “You would have ran to avoid shopping with me.”
“Well.” She pulled the door of her office closed behind her. “You’re not wrong.”
Chad extended his arm, waiting for her to curl her arm through his. She followed his invitation, wrapping her fingers around the tight shirt covering his muscle. Devyn’s fingers tightened, and he froze in place.
She peered up at him through her eyelashes, a soft smile curling on her lips, “What’s wrong?”
She practically purred.
“I promised to behave myself, but I doubt I can do that with you feeling me up.”
Devyn swallowed. He heard the sound of her throat closing in on itself and the way it reacted to the movement. The phrase he meant to be lighthearted and funny came out stern. Chad couldn’t tell if the blush on her cheeks was from embarrassment or the cold.
“I—,” she stumbled, pulling her hand away from his arm. He wrapped his fingers around her small hand and pulled her back where she had been before.
“That came out wrong,” Chad corrected, pushing his shoulders back.
“How should it have came out?” Devyn’s bottom lip pouted.
Chad could see her itching to cross her arms over her chest. He flexed his arm, and chose his words carefully.
“It was supposed to be funny,” he said, looking back to her. “I was trying to make you laugh, but it came out.” Chad had
to take a minute to come up with his next word, because he knew that his tone was too much. Nervously, he chewed on his bottom lip. “Territorial. It came out more territorial than intended.”
She looked at him, waiting a beat before replying.
“Well it sounded like you want in my pants.” She flipped a lock of hair over her shoulder. “And I never said I would mind.”
Nothing would stop him from throwing her over his shoulder and taking her back to her office if she kept it up. He gritted his teeth, pulling her close to him. He leaned down to her, cupping her chin in his opposite hand. He lingered there for a moment before swooping just to the side and grazing his lips against her ear.
“Let’s get out of here before I lose this bet.”
A smile danced on her lips. Devyn tightened her grip on his arm, allowing him to lead her.
Chad drove them to the small shopping center just a couple of blocks over from their office building. He didn’t believe Devyn would actually meet him at the mall because he knew she avoid shopping if given even the slightest opportunity. Devyn didn’t let him off easily though, giving him the third degree on the short trip over.
“So, how is shopping going to earn you a date?”
Devyn stared at him from across his truck. She crossed her legs and held her phone in her hand. He expected her to be playing on it, since she hadn’t let go of it since he found her in the building, but it just sat in her hand, like she would need it just in case.
Her brown eyes were hard to keep from looking at. They were huge and made him feel trapped.
Chad pulled his eyes away from hers, focusing his attention on the red light ahead of them.
“You told me yourself you hated the Secret Santa that happens every year,” he said, shifting in his leather seats. “So with me by your side we can knock it out together. Then you’ll be so eternally grateful you didn’t have to figure out what to get whoever your person is, you’ll throw yourself into my arms. Falling in love with Christmas because I made it so easy for you.” He smiled at her. “Plus, I’m an awesome gift-giver, so you’ll get brownie points.”
Devyn scoffed and rolled her eyes at him. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Am I? I’m about to make your life oh-so easy. All you have to do is hand me a credit card.”
“You understand being an awesome gift-giver is an objective thing, right?”
He shot her a hard look. “Listen, I know I’m the best.”
“Whatever,” she laughed, “I don’t think picking out a gift for my person will help me love Christmas and earn you a date.”
“You’ll love Christmas because you’ll associate it with me,” he said, smiling at her. “And I’ll make your life so easy you’ll be begging for a date with me.”
“You are unbearable.”
He wiggled his eyebrows at her.
He flipped on his turn signal and pulled into the crowded shopping center parking lot. Devyn huffed, shifting in her seat.
“What’s wrong?” Chad’s stern voice returned, reminding her that this was part of their deal.
“I just want to get this over with.”
Chad pulled his truck into the parking spot closest to the door, and shoved it into park. He turned to look at her. Her brown eyes widened and he knew that the good guy exterior he had been showing her was fading and he was starting to remind her of the asshole he had been before.
“Who is your person?”
“What?” She said, a puzzled expression stretching across her face.
“The person you have to buy a gift for.” He raised an eyebrow. His growing frustration with her was really cutting into the fun evening he had planned.
Devyn flushed, realization settling on her face.
“That’s part of the surprise,” she said.
“Yeah, for the person.” Chad pulled the handle on his door and stepped out of the vehicle. Devyn followed him, rounding the corner of his truck before meeting him at the edge of the parking spot.
“No, for everyone.” She stiffened before clearing her throat. “Isn’t that supposed to be half the fun?”
Chad snorted. “This coming from the girl who hates Christmas and doesn’t even like Secret Santa.”
“Well, how am I ever supposed to like Christmas if I ruin the fun for myself? Do you want a date or not?” She threw her hair over her shoulder, gripped his hand and pulled him closer to her.
“You better keep your voice down.” Chad pulled free of her hand and wrapped it around the red fabric of her dress. “Or you’ll make me think I’ve already won.”
10
Chad pulled into the driveway of her house and killed the engine. He turned to face her, and she could tell by the look on his face he was frustrated by the lack of gifts they came home with. She knew that she had acted like a brat, but there was no way she could tell him that she was his Secret Santa. She couldn’t put herself through that. If anyone mentioned the way she acted when she had pulled his name she could kiss any chance she had at an easy work environment goodbye. If she could call their current situation easy.
Her work life was turning into anything but easy. She folded her arms across her chest, frowning at him as if he had nothing to be annoyed about.
“I think you forgot to take me back to get my car.”
Chad didn’t flinch. He leaned back into the leather seat and pulled the keys into his hand. He looked over to her, his eyes burrowing into her own.
“I know you didn’t drive today,” his voice was cool. He had been ready for anything she threw at him.
The words caught in her throat and her cheeks burned. She had to force herself to breathe even though she was finding it extremely difficult. How? There was no way he just knew she hadn’t drove today. Devyn worked really hard to fly under the radar at work. Outside of being the boss, she didn’t want anyone to notice her. Her sister always dropped her off early before anyone made it into the office and she always ubered back to their tiny townhouse after everyone left. She had been late once in the last 12 months and it was to buy an extra coffee for Chad.
Dammit.
“How the hell did you know I didn’t drive?” Her voice cracked as the words escaped her thin lips.
“I asked Penelope,” he said without looking at her.
If Devyn had been in one of those old black and white cartoons, steam would have been blowing out of her ears. Her hand curled around the door handle whitening the edges around her knuckles.
“And what exactly did you ask her?”
“I asked if there was anyway you could get away from me before we went out Christmas shopping. She played dumb, so I asked her if you drove today because I didn’t see your car in the lot when I got to work.”
He shoved the keys into his pocket and curled his strong fingers around the handle on his own door. Devyn noticed the way his fingers flexed around the plastic, and she had to fight the urge to drool. This man was going to drive her crazy. “I also told her to cancel your evening plans and to tell her whoever was planning on picking you up to forget about it. You’re mine, so you’re riding with me.”
You’re mine, so you’re riding with me.
Her belly warmed at his words, but so did the fury in her chest. Devyn debated her response. Her belly craved the possessive words to slip out of his mouth again, but the independence she had worked so hard to obtain made her want to shove his foot in his mouth. Devyn gritted her teeth, forcing away the desire that had overcome her earlier. She moved the console up out of her way and she slid her body closer to his. Chad surveyed her wondering what move she would make next. Devyn trailed her finger over the thin stubble on his jawline.
“You understand Penelope isn’t my personal assistant right?” She practically purred in his ear. “She’s my office assistant and she doesn’t have to listen to you.”
Chad’s body went rigid under her touch. She leaned in letting her lips graze his ear like he had done to her earlier that evening.
“I’m not yo
urs.” Her teeth dragged against his skin. He sucked in a breath and his hands were on her body again. “Yet.”
Devyn pulled away from him and opened the door to his truck. She climbed onto the pavement that was already covered in snow. He mimicked her actions, slipping out of his truck before she could protest.
“Why did you do that?” His breaths came in ragged strides.
Devyn shrugged her shoulders. “Because you don’t own me and you won’t control me.”
“You’re so hard to please.” Chad walked closer to her, shoving his hand against the side of his truck. Their bodies were pressed against each other and his arm was blocking her escape. Normally, she would have already told him to fuck off, but he had some kind of hold on her. She couldn’t just tell him no. She couldn’t get enough of his bad attitude or the way he wrapped his body around her own. Chad pressed his body closer against her and she felt his body react to her. She looked up to him from under her lashes.
“I just don't appreciate being controlled.”
He groaned.
“You are making my job here impossible.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Devyn, you’re being a brat.” His words were cold and too familiar. “I’ve done nothing but try to make things easier for you and show an interest in you and you won’t let me. Why can’t you just let loose for once in your life and let someone do something fucking nice for you? Why does everything have to be so serious with you?”
“How am I supposed to let loose?” She threw her hands in the air, waving them around in his direction. “I can’t let loose when my job is on the line and especially not with someone who has been nothing but an asshole to me since I met him. I barely know you outside of you fucking hating me and then making out with me in my office. I don’t know what to make of any of this.”
Devyn froze, realizing she let too much come out. The words had just tumbled out of her mouth without any care of who she was spilling them too. Chad didn’t react. Instead, he pushed off the side of his truck and started toward the small townhouse she shared with her sister. Devyn’s brain struggled to keep up. The situation between them had moved so fast she didn’t know what to say to him.
His Secret Santa Page 4