Twins for Christmas

by Layla Valentine

He reached forward and tapped a key on his silver laptop, the screen behind him illuminating and filling with a picture of what appeared to be a massive beachside city.

  “What are we looking at here?” he asked.

  I knew the answer, of course. And likely the reason why it was on the screen. But I kept my mouth shut, wanting to see how on-the-ball the rest of the board was.

  “Is that Miami?” asked Ken Shaw, our CTO.

  “Wrong,” said Edward in an even tone. “Anyone else want to take a crack?”

  “Cannes?” asked Heather Watkins, our head of marketing.

  “Wrong again,” said Edward. “Anyone else?”

  I decided it was time to speak up.

  “It’s Rio,” I said.

  Edward nodded, clearly not surprised that I knew the answer.

  “Correct,” he said. “Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. And now for the second part of the question—who knows why it’s up there?”

  More than a few sets of eyes latched onto me, suggesting they all knew that I’d be the most informed on the issue. So, I went ahead and spoke up.

  “Rio’s one of our oldest manufacturing locations,” I said. “Established in 2008. And until recently, one of our most profitable.”

  Edward nodded again.

  “That’s right,” he said. “And the key words in that are ‘until recently.’”

  He flicked the screen to our factory location, a large complex within the city.

  “The reports I’ve been reading about Rio have been…distressing,” he said. “Each quarterly report has been worse and worse, and I suspect a change in management is what’s responsible. This is a matter that should’ve been attended to when it first came across my desk, but the year’s been a busy one, and time slipped away as I’m sure you all know it has a tendency to.

  “The long and short of it is that we need someone to fly out ASAP and get to the bottom of why my factory isn’t as profitable as it ought to be. Whatever the issue is, I want it corrected before the end of the year so that we can start the new quarter out on the right foot.”

  There was a stillness in the air as it dawned on everyone in the meeting just what Edward was asking. Someone would have to go to Rio not only to solve a very pressing and potentially challenging issue, but they’d have to go during the holiday break.

  “Now,” he said. “As I’m sure you’ve all guessed, I’m looking for a volunteer. I’m aware this is Christmas break, but this is a matter that needs to be solved, and soon.”

  He stepped to the end of the conference table and leaned forward, spanning his arms over it.

  “Who’s up to the task?”

  No one said a word, just as I was expecting. Edward’s eyes went from person to person, each of them looking away rather than hold his gaze, knowing what their answer was.

  Finally, he reached me. But I didn’t look away. Instead, I smiled and gave my response.

  “I’d love to,” I said.

  I could feel the tension in the room deflate.

  “Excellent,” said Edward. “I knew one of you would be up to the task.”

  The smallest of smiles formed on his lips, and I could sense that he was pleased that I’d volunteered. And why wouldn’t I? It wasn’t like I had any family in the city with whom I was planning on spending the holidays. Without any work to do, my break would be spent bumming around my penthouse, leaving to go to the gym or out to eat. Not exactly the most thrilling of plans.

  And more than that I knew I still had something to prove. I’d only been CEO for a short time, and if I was going to hold the position, I needed to show that I wasn’t afraid to roll up my sleeves and do what needed to be done.

  “When can you leave?” asked Edward.

  “As soon as necessary.”

  “Tonight,” said Edward. “I’ll make the call to have the company jet ready.”

  “Perfect,” I said.

  “I’ll email you a personnel file for the factory so you can brush up on who you’ll be meeting with. And you’ll need someone to go with you, of course.”

  “I’ll have my project coordinator come along,” I said. “She’s perfect for situations like this.”

  “Excellent,” said Edward. “Pleased we could have the matter settled so painlessly.”

  I nodded, and that was that.

  The rest of the meeting was nothing more than mundane but essential housekeeping. Once we were done, I hurried out of the conference room and made my way to my project coordinator’s office. After a knock on the door, I was there with her.

  “Hey!” said Sandy, blond hair framing her beaming face. “What’s up, boss?”

  Sandy had been my right-hand woman since I’d come on board, and she had a work ethic that was leagues ahead of what I would’ve expected from someone a few years out of business school. She was eager and bright and had made my life at Corliss much easier and more efficient.

  “Have a last-minute trip I want you to come along for,” I said. “The big man wants us to go to Rio to check up on an underperforming factory.”

  The brightness faded from her face.

  “Last-minute?” she asked. “When were you thinking?”

  “Tonight,” I said. “And we’d need to be working through the break. I hope that’s not a problem.”

  Her expression went from “blank” to one of mild distress.

  “Something wrong?” I asked.

  “It’s…it’s nothing,” she said. “I can go. Just need time to get some things packed.”

  There was clearly more to it than that, though, and I wasn’t about to let the matter drop.

  “It’s not nothing,” I said. “Tell me what’s on your mind.”

  I sat down across from her, sending the signal that she and I were on the same level—speaking as equals. She appeared conflicted, as if she didn’t know where to begin.

  “It’s this holiday,” she said. “You know about my family, right? How we’re all over the country and barely get a chance to see each other?”

  “Right,” I said. “Parents in Florida, brother in New York, sisters in Iowa.”

  She nodded, a small smile forming on her face.

  “Good memory,” she said. “Anyway, this is the first year we’ve finally managed to organize something where we all see each other. We’re meeting up back in my hometown in Iowa. Plane ticket’s booked and everything.”

  “I see,” I said.

  “And I hate to say it like this, but I did put in the request a month ago to make sure my schedule was cleared.”

  It occurred to me that she absolutely had.

  “That’s right,” I said. “Totally slipped my mind.”

  Another smile from her.

  “I take back what I said about you having a good memory.”

  “Conceded.”

  Sandy shook her head.

  “But I get it. Work is work, and if I need to go with you, I can tell them that—”

  “No,” I said, cutting her off.

  She glanced up at me, surprised.

  “No?”

  “Family’s important,” I said. “They’re what the holidays are all about, right? If you’re all going to see one another, and that’s what you’ve been planning on, then that’s what you’re going to do. Simple as that.”

  “Are you sure?” she asked. “Because I don’t want to—”

  I raised a finger, cutting her off once more.

  “I’m afraid my answer is final,” I said.

  Relief washed over her features.

  “I just hate to leave you in the lurch like this,” she said. “I mean, I know how indispensable I am.”

  Another bright smile to let me know she was being facetious.

  “You are,” I said. “But in this case I’m the one who put myself into a situation by not remembering your request.”

  I got up.

  “What are you going to do?” she asked. “Go alone?”

  “I’ll find someone,” I said. “But you don’t n
eed to worry about any of that. Happy holidays, Sandy.”

  “Happy holidays,” she said. “And…thanks.”

  With that I took my leave.

  While I was more than happy to give Sandy the time off, that did put me in the position of having to find someone else to accompany me on the trip. It wouldn’t be easy, especially at such short notice.

  Once I was back in my office, a large corner office with a killer view of the city, I took my usual thinking position in front of the window and thought it over.

  Who could I enlist? Who would be eager enough to agree to something like this, for no reason other than to prove himself?

  Or herself.

  Then it occurred to me—I knew just the woman. Someone bright and skilled and ambitious.

  And it was someone I’d just met that day.

  Chapter 4

  Isla

  At first I thought I had to be imagining it.

  Was that really him?

  Was Adam Forde really on my floor, making a beeline right for my cubicle?

  It sure looked that way.

  I could tell that everyone was trying to look calm and composed and most importantly, busy. And, of course, the women around me were all taking sneaky little glances, trying to make eyes with the handsome CEO.

  But the closer he got, the clearer it became that I was the only one he had his eyes on.

  Finally, he was right in front of me. He slipped one hand into his pocket like had before, that amazingly sexy half-smile on his lips.

  “Ms. Marten,” he said. “Could I have a moment of your time?”

  I could see that everyone around me was doing their best not to look like they were paying attention. But they most definitely were. I didn’t blame them. If one of my coworkers had done something to attract the attention of the man in charge, I’d sure as hell be curious about it.

  “Of course, Mr. Forde,” I said. “Whatever you need.”

  “Come with me,” he said.

  He turned and was off, and I hurried to his side as quickly as my mismatched-shoe-clad feet could carry me.

  “So, Mr. Forde,” I said. “What’s up?”

  I scolded myself internally for stepping over another boundary. First I’d tried to get him to give me some kind of special assignment, and now I was talking to him like he was a friend.

  “I mean, what can I help you with?”

  We arrived at a small meeting room and he opened the door for me, letting me go in first. Inside was a small, round table, the window looking out onto the building next to ours.

  “Have a seat,” he said, extending his hand toward one of the open chairs.

  He didn’t need to tell me twice—the faster I was seated, the faster I could hide my shoes underneath the table. He didn’t appear to have noticed yet, and I wasn’t about to let him if I could help it.

  He took the chair across from me, his gorgeous green eyes locked onto mine. I felt thrilled and scared at the same time, just like I had in the elevator earlier in the day. I barely knew the man, but he certainly had quite an effect on me.

  “You mentioned before that you were interested in taking some additional assignments, if any occurred to me.”

  I cleared my throat and sat up straight.

  Come on, Isla, I said. The time for being nervous is over. Show him that you’re a serious, capable employee.

  “That’s right,” I said. “And I meant it.”

  “Great,” he said. “Because one’s come up. One that I think you just might be perfect for.”

  I was very, very intrigued.

  “But there’s a catch,” he said. “It’s an immediate job. And by ‘immediate’ I mean tonight.”

  What? A job tonight?

  “As you know, Corliss has manufacturing plants all over the globe. One of these plants is located near Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil. Over the last year, since before I became CEO, we’ve been having issues there—productivity matters. Edward Corliss and I spoke about the situation, and he believes that the best course of action is to have someone go down there and take a look around, find out what’s happening.”

  “Like an investigation?” I asked.

  “Right,” he said. “Something like that. I didn’t have any pressing plans over the holiday break, so I volunteered to go down there and check things out. Naturally, I asked my project coordinator Sandy to come with me, but it slipped my mind that she already had plans for the holidays.”

  I swore I could feel my heart stop as I realized where this was going. He wasn’t going to…was he?

  “I need someone to go with me,” he said. “And I think that someone ought to be you.”

  Ho-ly crap. I couldn’t believe it. The freaking CEO of the company was asking me to go with him to Brazil—just me and him.

  “Me?” I asked. “I mean, why?”

  I regretted the question as soon as it’d come out of my mouth. It sounded like I was second-guessing his judgment. But if he’d taken offense, he didn’t show it in the slightest. I wondered vaguely if there was anything I could say to disturb his cool. Adam seemed to be one of those types who was positively unflappable at all times.

  “Our meeting today,” he said. “If you want to call it that. We only spoke for a few moments, but I got the sense that you’re the type who’s willing to go above and beyond the call of duty, ready to make a name for herself.”

  I said nothing, letting him go on.

  “And there’s the matter of the work I’ve already seen you do,” he said. “It’s excellent, so I know you’re qualified in that capacity. I want to give employees like you a chance to shine, to show they’ve got what it takes to move up in the company, if that’s what they want.”

  “It’s definitely what I want,” I said, trying to restrain my eagerness.

  Another one of those gorgeous half-smiles.

  “That’s exactly what I was hoping you’d say,” he said.

  He raised a finger.

  “Now, I don’t want you to think that you’re obligated to do this. I understand that it’s holiday break, and more than that it’s very last-minute. If you didn’t feel up to it, I wouldn’t hold it against you in the slightest. And there’d be a generous bonus in it for you, if that sweetens the deal.”

  “I’ll do it.”

  Truthfully, I would’ve agreed even without the bonus.

  He raised a thick, dark eyebrow.

  “Is that right?” he asked.

  “It is. I mean, I don’t really have anything going on over the break, and I’d love to have a chance to prove myself and help the company at the same time.”

  “You’re sure? I want to make sure that you’re not feeling any pressure or obligation.”

  I shook my head.

  “Nope—just ready to do it.”

  The smile on his face made it clear he was pleased.

  “Very good,” he said. “I’m extremely pleased to hear that.”

  He stood up.

  “I’ll make arrangements at the airport and have a car sent to your place at around six. In the meantime, feel free to take the rest of the day off to get ready.”

  I was already excited, doing my best to keep it all in check.

  He started off, but right as he reached the threshold of the room he stopped, glanced over his shoulder, and smiled.

  “One last thing,” he said. “The plane doesn’t have a dress code, but you might want to pick out a pair of shoes that matches for tonight.”

  The flash of his smile was the last thing I saw before he was gone.

  I couldn’t help but laugh—so much for him not noticing my little wardrobe malfunction!

  But I was too excited to be that worried about it. This was a huge opportunity for me, a chance that could forever alter the trajectory of my career, and I was more than ready to get started.

  Chapter 5

  Adam

  It took everything I had to keep myself together as Isla stepped out of the luxury car I’d had sent to bring h
er to the airfield.

  She was dressed for comfort, but it didn’t matter—she was radiant. She wore a pair of dark jeans that hugged her hips and legs perfectly, along with a light, button-down blouse that gave her an almost ethereal air. Her auburn hair hung loosely on her shoulders, gleaming in the day’s fading light.

  Employees are off-limits, I had to remind myself as she approached.

  In that moment I briefly thought back to the conversation I’d had with Edward when he’d brought me on, about my “playboy ways,” as he put it, and how that if it was going to be CEO material, I had to put them behind me.

  “Listen,” he’d said. “I get it. Back when I was in my twenties, I was something of a skirt-chaser too.”

  At the time I’d been surprised to hear that. Edward was objectively a handsome man, but as long as I’d known him he’d always been cool, calm, in control—never one to be controlled by his passions. The idea of him as a young man out on the town seemed bizarre to me.

  “Is that right?” I’d asked.

  “It is,” he said. “I remember when I made my first million, back when I was twenty-five—and this was back when a million went a lot further than it does today—I couldn’t stay away from girls. And they had a hard time staying away from me, too.”

  A small smile—rare for Edward—formed on his face. I had the impression a little nostalgia had set in.

  “Anyway,” he said, coming back to the moment. “Acting like that, it’s fun. But it’s a young man’s game. Someone your age and in your position should strive to conduct himself in a more…professional manner.”

  “I get it,” I said, agreeing.

  “I don’t think you do,” he said. “This is a different time we live in. Nowadays, even the slightest whiff of an indiscretion between a boss and a subordinate could be enough to not only ruin your career, but to also leave a black mark on the company.”

  The smile was gone. Edward was as serious as a heart attack.

  “If you’re going to be CEO,” he said, “I’m going to need your word that you’re going to put your playboy ways behind you. You have something of a reputation, Adam, and a reputation is something that will stick with you for a long, long time. For good or for ill.”