Billionaire Under the Mistletoe

by Hannah Jo Abbott

  “You’re probably right.” He pushed the intercom button and asked the driver to take them to Abi’s apartment.

  They held hands and talked the entire way back to the apartment. Abi was yawning by the time they pulled up, but she tried to cover it in hopes that they could talk a while longer.

  Stewart twirled one of her curls with his finger and spoke gently, “You’re tired. You should get some rest.”

  “Are you trying to get rid of me?” She asked through another yawn.

  “Never,” he whispered, leaning down to kiss her again. “But I want you to have what you need, and what you need now is sleep.”

  “Mmhmm,” Abi replied dreamily.

  “Come on, I’ll walk you to the door,” Stewart said opening the door and stepping out. He took her hand as they walked the steps together and stopped outside of her door.

  Abi found her keys and fumbled with them in her hands, trying to think of what to say to express what the evening had meant. “Stewart, tonight was…”

  “Yes?” he said, coming close.

  “It was better than I could have imagined,” she said. “I will always remember the evening under the mistletoe.” She smiled.

  Stewart smiled too, “I’ll never forget it,” he said. He kissed her once more, before he quietly said, “Goodnight, Abi.”

  “Goodnight, Stewart.” While he turned to go, she opened the door and entered her apartment. She dropped her keys and walked to her bedroom. She let herself fall onto her bed, coat, dress and all. She knew she would lay awake for a while replaying every moment of the night. But she wanted to pinch herself because tomorrow morning she would still get up and go to work with the sweetest, most handsome man she had ever known.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Stewart was still smiling from the night before. He had slept like a rock and woken up before his alarm. He was usually up early and ready to get to work, but he knew this time it had more to do with the woman who would be in his office today. He showered and dressed in record time and arrived at the office earlier than normal. Which he knew was a little silly since Abi wouldn’t be in for a while. Still, he got to work on emails and looking over some of the project proposals that he had chosen to make the cut for the next round.

  He had a voicemail from the company publicist asking Stewart to please call him. Stewart picked up his phone and dialed the number, thinking that it was probably something to do with photos from last night. The press liked to hear details, and he was expecting calls about the lovely woman on his arm.

  “Hi, Mr. Vincent, thanks for calling so quickly.”

  “No problem, what’s up Evan?”

  “I’ve had a call from a reporter.”

  “Yes?” Stewart prepared himself to answer questions about Abi. He knew he wanted to protect her from any bad headlines or reporters looking into her personal life. He hit the speaker phone button, but he wasn’t prepared for what he heard next.”

  “He says he got a call from a grocery store clerk who says you bought groceries for a woman and offered to help her find a job.”

  “Oh,” was all Stewart could say.

  “He wants to run a story on it. You know ‘Rich businessman helps woman in need.’ I wanted to find out the details of what happened and see if it’s something we want to let happen. If it’s true, it could be good publicity for the company. Especially around the holidays, everybody loves a good samaritan. I can pretty much guarantee that if we let them run this story people will be buying up OneSource computers and tablets to put under their trees. I’m sure you knew that even before you did it.”

  “Right, right,” Stewart said slowly.

  “So is it true?”

  “Yes, it’s true.”

  ***

  Abi had walked into the office with a smile on her face. She carried two coffees and bounced right over to Stewart’s office door. It was open and she was about to walk right in when she heard him talking on the phone. She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but she had quietly stood and listened, and her mouth fell open as she heard the publicist speak. When she heard Stewart confirm the story, she walked away in disgust. She practically dropped the coffee on her desk and plopped down in her chair.

  He would do all of that for publicity? I guess it’s a small price to pay, a couple of hundred dollars for free marketing and everyone falling for a company owner and his products just in time for Christmas shopping. Suddenly it all made perfect sense, but she didn’t want to believe it. She had stood in awe of him when he helped that woman. Now she wasn’t so sure.

  ***

  “Great, so I’ll just get a few quotes from you. Has the woman called the office? It would be great if we could connect her to the reporter for the story.”

  “No,” Stewart said firmly.

  “Alright, well we’ll see if we can help find her.”

  “I mean, no, we’re not doing the story,” Stewart said.

  “What?” The publicist’s voice showed his shock. “But it could be very profitable for the company.”

  “I’m well aware of that. But I did not do it for publicity, and I will not publicize that woman who is going through a hard time. That is cruel. And my decision is final.”

  The voice on the other line huffed, but he knew better than to question the word of the company owner. “Yes, sir,” he said.

  ***

  Abi was fuming, but decided she would hear out the conversation. As she approached, she could hear that Stewart’s tone had changed as if he had moved on to a new topic.

  “Evan,” he said, “Who do you know in publishing for fiction books?”

  “Plenty of people, sir. I know several editors, and a few managing directors at some of the big houses.”

  Abi furrowed her eyebrows wondering where he was going with this.

  “Could you connect me with a good fit for a new author in the romance genre?”

  “Of course, who is the author, may I ask?”

  “Sure, it’s my…” he paused for a moment and finally said, “Assistant.”

  “And she’s a romance author?”

  “Yes, I would like to help her get her work in front of an editor or publisher.”

  “Alright, is she any good?”

  “Well I haven’t read any of her work. But I will be willing to to do what it takes to help her get her work in front of the right people.”

  “Yes, sir, I understand. I’ll make some calls and get back to you.”

  “Thank you, Evan.”

  Abi had heard enough. Once again she stormed to her desk. She started to sit, but couldn’t make herself stay still. She paced back and forth in the office. She glanced over at the Christmas tree, lit up and glowing. Stewart must have plugged it up when he got there. The sight of it made her want to pull off the ornaments and throw them. I can’t believe I fell for such a fake. I can’t believe I believed him when he pretended to believe in me as a writer. He just wants to wave his money around and pay someone to publish my work. She stopped pacing when she heard footsteps coming from Stewart’s office.

  “Good morning,” he said, smiling at her. That smile made her stomach turn. He came to her but stopped just short of reaching out for her. “How are you?”

  “Fine,” Abi lied.

  “Did you get some good sleep?”

  “Yes.” That part wasn’t a lie, she had slept like a baby and dreamed wonderful dreams all night.

  “I’m glad,” he said.

  “So what do you need me to do this morning?” Abi asked, her voice sounding cold.

  Stewart seemed surprised by her tone. “I have a couple of meetings, and there are still a few project proposals to go over before Christmas. I know that’s only a week away, so I would like to get them done as quickly as possible. Of course after Christmas we need to sit down to evaluate your work performance and make a decision about continuing your employment.” He smiled as if he had made a joke.

  “Yes, I’m aware of that. I need to check emails, so I’ll look o
ver your schedule to make sure I’m on top of it.”

  Stewart gave her a strange look. “Alright. I’ll just be in my office then.”

  “Alright,” Abi said without looking at him.” But she saw out of the corner of her eye how he walked back to his office slowly. She blew out a big breath. She knew she would have to say something eventually, but not now. She still needed this job, and she had worked hard to keep it, so she decided to move forward pretending last night didn’t happen and just focus on her job. She felt like maybe she could cry, but right now she was too angry for that.

  ***

  Stewart sat in his office staring out the window. He knew he should have been working, but all he could think about was how Abi had spoken to him. She hadn’t smiled once, and she had been so short with him. He had been over the night before over and over again in his mind. He had thought the night had been wonderful. But then thought about how Abi was acting this morning. He didn’t know what he had done wrong. He wanted to go out to her desk right now and ask her, so he could fix it. But he stopped himself.

  He shook his head, decided there was nothing to do about it right now. He glanced over at his phone when he heard it beep. A text from Abi reminded him of his video call starting in ten minutes. He hoped she might add a personal message, but none came. He settled in and readied himself for the meeting. Doubts began to creep in reminding him why he stayed out of relationships in the first place.

  When he finished his video call, Stewart stepped out of the office and saw Abi sitting at her desk, focused on her computer screen. “Hey,” he said.

  “Hey,” Abi said, but didn’t turn to look at him.

  “I know it’s almost lunch time. Do you want to order something to eat and we can look over projects?”

  “Sure, I can handle that. Anything special you would like to eat, Mr. Vincent?”

  Stewart felt like she had stabbed him in the chest as she punctuated his last name. He took a deep breath before saying, “Whatever you would like.”

  Abi let out an exasperated sigh, “I can order anything, but it’s not my decision to make.”

  “Fine, I’ll have the chicken gyros from the greek restaurant.”

  “Yes, sir. I’ll have it delivered as soon as possible.”

  There was no missing her formal tone, and Stewart was flabbergasted. He walked back to his office, but instead of sitting at his desk he collapsed on the couch. He dropped his face in his hands and fought with himself on the inside. He had let himself fall for her and now she wouldn’t look at him? What have I done? he asked himself. He thought and thought of everything he had said and done. Suddenly it hit him like a rock. Of course! She’s afraid she will lose her job. She’s trying to be professional. The thought gave him a little bit of peace. This he could fix. He decided when she brought in the lunch he would clear the air and put her at ease. He breathed a little easier.

  It was nearly half an hour before Abi knocked on his door. He stood and went to her as she brought in his lunch. “Thank you,” he said.

  “You’re welcome.” Abi still didn’t look him in the eye and turned to leave the office.

  “Are you bringing in your lunch?” He asked.

  “I wasn’t planning to.”

  “I thought we were going to work on proposals over lunch.”

  “Is that what you want to do?” Finally she turned and looked at him and he could see the stress on her face.

  “Abi, please come in and shut the door.”

  She looked like she wanted to do anything besides that. But she did as she was asked. Stewart took a seat on the couch and motioned for her to follow him. Reluctantly, she did and sat on the opposite end of the couch.

  “Abi, I know you’re feeling uncomfortable with the situation. But I don’t want you to worry about your job.” Stewart spoke calmly and carefully.

  Abi narrowed her eyes at him. “So you know what I’m feeling?”

  Stewart hesitated seeing her eyes flash with anger. “Well…I thought so. But maybe you should tell me.”

  “No,” Abi practically yelled, “Please tell me more about what I’m feeling.”

  “I just thought you were maybe feeling concerned about your position here after last night. But I don’t want you to worry about that.”

  “And why is that? You’re just going to give me money?”

  Stewart’s face showed his shock. “No, I don’t mean that at all. I just mean that you can keep your job.”

  “Well thank you very much for that.” Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

  “Would you be more comfortable working in a different office?” Stewart was grasping at straws.

  “No, I’m fine. I just think it’s best if we both focus on our jobs.”

  “But Abi,” Stewart began.

  She held up her hands to him, “I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Let’s just get to the projects and do the work that we’re here to do. I know that’s the most important thing.”

  He wanted to argue with her, to tell her that she was important and that he would do whatever he could to make her happy. But he didn’t push her. Especially since she was only saying what he had been telling himself for so many years.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  The past few days had been long and hard. Abi was tired from the stress. She had been to work every day and had mostly managed to do her job without interacting with Stewart on a personal level. She was hurt in a way she didn’t know she could be. Her parents had pushed her to find a real job, but through that she thought she had finally met someone who believed she could make it as a writer. The worst part was knowing that he had never looked at a word she had written, but assumed she would need his help to make it as a writer. She couldn’t look at him the same after that. And she watched the news to see what the story about his wonderful charitable giving would do for the company. It made her sick.

  She should have known better than to fall for her boss. She had told herself that over and over again. But now she knew her days at the office were probably limited. After the holiday she was certain that he would let her go. Until then she just had to keep doing her job.

  Abi looked up when a man she didn’t recognize walked into her office. “Hi, can I help you?” she asked.

  “I’m Evan Briggs, I’m the company publicity director.”

  “Oh, hi. I’m Abi Williams, Mr. Vincent’s assistant.” At least for now, she thought.

  “Nice to meet you. I have some information Mr. Vincent asked me for. Is he available?”

  “He’s in, but let me see if he’s busy. One moment please.” Abi stepped to the door and knocked. She stepped inside and told Stewart who was there, and Stewart seemed eager to speak to him.

  Abi quickly stepped out and said, “You can go on in.” She returned to her desk as the man entered the office and shut the door.

  Several minutes later he emerged from the office and headed for the door. He turned back to say, “Nice to meet you, Abi. Have a nice day.”

  “You too,” Abi said, plastering on the same fake smile she had been using for days.

  Stewart stepped out and said he was leaving for a little while. Abi waved her hand at him, but didn’t speak. The tension had been high for days, and now the air in the office felt thick.

  “Abi?”

  “Yes, Mr. Vincent?”

  Stewart winced. Abi knew the name grated on his nerves when she said it, and maybe that was why she kept doing it, even though she told herself she was just being professional. “We need to talk.”

  Here it comes, Abi thought. “Alright,” she said. She closed her computer and folded her hands into her lap.

  Stewart walked to her desk and stood in front of her. “I don’t know how to fix this,” he pointed between the two of them, “But I want to.”

  “Okay,” Abi said cooly.

  “So tell me how.”

  “There’s nothing wrong,” Abi lied.

  “Come on, Abi, that’s not true and you know it.”

>   “I’m just trying to do my job. You know trying to keep it professional.”

  “Is that what this is about? You just want to be professional?”

  “I think professional is best.”

  Stewart sighed. “Do you think we’ll ever get back to where we were?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You know what I mean Abi. We were getting…close.”

  “I just don’t think that’s a good idea. I thought maybe it could work, but I just don’t think we really knew each other that well, and I think we need to just go back to being boss and employee.”

  “So you don’t like me anymore?” Stewart asked boldly.

  “I don’t have to like you to work for you.” Abi could see that that wounded him.

  “Abi, please tell me what I did.”

  “You didn’t do anything. You’re just you, and I’m just me, and I don’t think that works.”

  Stewart glanced at his watch. “I have to get to my meeting. Can we talk about this more later?”

  “I really don’t think there’s anything to talk about.”

  “I think there is.”

  “Well I don’t.” Abi looked at him and her eyes showed her anger.

  “Fine.” Stewart turned to go.

  “But…” Abi’s voice stopped him in his tracks and he turned to look at her. “I know you plan to work on Christmas Eve,” she cleared her throat, “But I want to be off on Christmas Eve.”

  Stewart dropped his head. When he looked up his eyes were sad, and Abi almost wanted to go to him. Almost.

  “Abi,” he said slowly. “Feel free to take off the entire day on Christmas Eve. You have served as a good assistant. I’ll pay you for the rest of the time through Christmas, but I think it’s best if today is your last day.”

  Abi sucked in her breath. She knew it didn’t matter much since he would let her go after the holiday, but she knew she had pushed him to it.

  “Goodbye, Abi. Have a nice Christmas.”