Secret Santa

by Janelle Denison

  “And this starts when?” he said.

  “Rollout is January first. They want our pieces in before Christmas so Andi and Tory have a chance to verify and proofread. The pilot features one local restaurant each week, alternating from high-end to moderate-priced so they appeal to every reader. They want four weeks’ copy in to begin, which means four restaurant visits.”

  “That means we’ll have to do dinner almost every day from now until Christmas,” he said in a sick tone.

  She’d delight in the fact that he looked as if he’d just tasted something bad, except she was dining from the same dish. “Yep. Of course, half an hour ago it was the best idea you’d heard in a long time.”

  “I’ve got a life.”

  What? And she didn’t? Well, technically it was arguable, especially according to her mother lately, but he didn’t need to know that. “News flash—so do I. Bring your girlfriend along if you want.” Wouldn’t that make for a fine dining experience? Tatiana, Cole and his ho de jour.

  “I’m in between.”

  Well, at least they could skip that acid-reflux-inducing three-some. “Depriving the women of New York?”

  “Hiatus. What about you? Are you towing along a boyfriend?”

  “There’s no one in the picture at the moment.” Uh, make that several moments that culminated into several months, but, once again, he didn’t need to know that.

  His teeth flashed in a grin. “Ah, giving the unsuspecting men of New York a break, are you?”

  “Except you, as of now. Let’s divvy up the list for reservations.”

  “Okay. I’ll take the last two on the list. We may as well line them up so we can knock them out and get it over with.”

  She’d second that. This was turning into the holiday from hell.

  THE NEXT DAY COLE laughed at Misha Siebowitz’s joke and positioned himself in Melvin’s Seasonal Circle of Love across from Tatiana. He wanted an unencumbered view of her expression when she opened her first Secret Santa gift. He’d made sure it was something “tasteful.”

  Melvin had declared the break room the official gift-exchange center. The bistro tables had been pushed to the walls and he’d instructed Elle to arrange the chairs in a circle around one of the tables with the Secret Santa gifts. The break room wasn’t that big, and they were packed in as tight as the cliché sardines in a can.A rosemary bush trimmed to resemble a tree sat in the middle of the table. Someone—most likely Elle—had strung red chilipepper lights around the table’s edge. Mambo holiday tunes played on a CD player—a campy blend and actually sort of fun. Or maybe it was just the anticipation of the she-devil’s face when she opened her elegantly wrapped gift.

  Melvin clapped his hands. “Well, it looks as if we’ve had some very busy Secret Santas, so why don’t we get started? Now, remember, it’s secret, so don’t give it away when your gift is opened. We’ll start with Elle and work our way around the circle. Elle, if you’ll go and find the gift with your name on it.”

  Tatiana sat next to Andi, one half of the androgynous proofreading duo of Andi and Tory, who was next to Elle. Perfect.

  Everyone oohed and aahed over a set of cocktail napkins with a Santa hat topping a martini glass. Andi’s package contained Jordan almonds. Nice gifts but rather boring. Cole realized this wouldn’t be nearly as much fun if he hadn’t gotten Tatiana’s name.

  He bit back a smirk when she stood and crossed to the table to find her gift. Had she deliberately worn those stiletto-heeled black boots so he couldn’t look at her legs today? If so, he hated to break it to her, but those boots paired with that short plaid skirt and black sweater…well, it was hot.

  She sat back down and tore into the wrapping paper—he knew she wouldn’t be one of those that took forever and opened carefully. She peeled back the tissue, and color washed her face. Ho, ho, ho and ha, ha, ha.

  “What is it?” Andi asked, peering over Tatiana’s shoulder.

  “Hello? You have to show, you know,” Elle said.

  Tatiana held it aloft, and Melvin’s Seasonal Circle of Love erupted into hoots and raucous laughter. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Good Food.

  Elle looked at Cole questioningly and he shrugged, raising his hands, palms upward. “Don’t look at me.” He paused for effect. “But I do think it’s a brilliant gift.” Okay, he hadn’t technically denied giving it.

  “If it’s brilliant, that would knock you out of the running,” Tatiana murmured and everyone laughed again.

  Damn. When was the last time he’d enjoyed himself this much? Nothing like having a shrew insult you in front of your contemporaries because you’d just bested her, even if you couldn’t take credit for it.

  He paid scant attention as the other presents were opened. He was too busy gloating inside. Misha elbowed him. “Your turn.”

  With so few gifts still on the table, he quickly spotted his. He carried the gold gift bag embossed with silver evergreens back to his seat. He pushed aside the tissue. What the…? Laughter welled up inside him and erupted.

  He pulled out a huge oversize bib, and the department laughed along with him.

  “I’m sure it was someone who wished they got Tatiana’s name and was hoping I’d loan this to her,” he said.

  The rest of the department opened their gifts—more of the same tasteful, boring stuff. Soon enough the group dispersed and Cole stopped by Tatiana’s office.

  “I wanted to stop by and offer you the bib.” He held the gift bag in the air.

  She acknowledged his salute by arching her eyebrows over her cat-green eyes. “How thoughtful, but no, thank you.”

  “Just trying to be helpful. What time is dinner tonight?”

  “I made reservations for seven-thirty.” She pushed the Idiot’s Guide to the edge of her desk, toward him. “Feel free to borrow it. You’ve got enough time to read a couple of chapters. Every little bit should help.” She treated him to another pretense of a smile.

  “Generous, as always.”

  She had the absolutely sexiest mouth on the planet. A hunger that had nothing to do with food and everything to do with her full lower lip gnawed at him. Just once. Just a taste. He didn’t need to eat an entire crème brûlée to appreciate the mastery—or lack thereof—behind it.

  Cole found it amusingly paradoxical that of all the millions of women inhabiting the greater island of Manhattan and the areas immediately beyond, the viper-tongued Tatiana was the one who revved his engine. Or maybe it was simply getting to be a tendency to want what was deemed off-limits. First the job. Now the woman?

  He planted his hands on her desk and leaned over the sleek expanse of glass that showcased her legs in those boots. Any other woman would have shrunk back as he blatantly invaded her space. Tatiana didn’t budge. Dammit, she brought out the absolute worst in him. He leaned closer still until her breath, warm and minty, mingled with his own. He glanced down through her glass desk. “Are you going to wear those boots?”

  “Do you want me to?” Jesus, the way she’d said it left him aching. Her voice was low, husky, seductive…and he wasn’t fooled for a minute.

  “Hmm. I suspect you don’t play fair.”

  “And you do?” She looked pointedly at his hands braced on her desk, his blatant encroachment of her personal space.

  Well, there was that. He straightened, leaving behind the tempting proximity of her full mouth and her scent. “If I say I want you to wear them, you’ll be sure to leave them at home. If I say no, you’ll be sure to wear them. Surprise me.”

  Genuine amusement lit her eyes.

  “Always. Close my door on the way out, would you?”

  Let the battle commence.

  3

  TATIANA GAVE THE CAB driver the address and pulled out her compact to check her makeup. This was work. Not a dinner date. Not an assignation. Work, plain and simple. But, really, she didn’t show up for dinner looking like a hag, regardless of whether it was work or play. And she was not “prettying up” for Cole Mitchell.

&n
bsp; She took care of a mascara smear beneath her right eye and refreshed her lipstick even though it looked pretty good, all things considered. Long-wearing lipsticks were a woman’s best friend.Her hair? Well it was just there. She’d hated the tight corkscrew curls and the dark red color that had plagued her during adolescence. She’d longed for a fall of straight honey-blond hair like that of Rena Pitman who’d sat ahead of her in freshman algebra. Rena’s mane had taunted her relentlessly through complex equations. The same way Rena’s pert little nose had taunted her. Rena’d pretty much embodied every physical trait opposite of Tatiana’s—which was, of course, exactly how Tatiana longed to look.

  That was many moons ago, and while she knew she was no great beauty, she’d learned to embrace the traits that were hers alone and set her apart. Or, in the words of Grandma Rumasky, making the most of what God gave her, crazy hair and big nose included. She’d finally stopped being intimidated by the Rena Pitmans and Elles of the world.

  She snapped the compact closed and slipped it into her purse. She was within a block and a half of the restaurant.

  “Hey, let me off at this corner,” she instructed the cabbie and gathered her shopping bags. She’d walk the rest of the way. It wasn’t hip to admit, but she adored Christmas in New York—all of it. The rampant commercialism, the crowds of shoppers, Santa wannabes clogging the corners, the bell-ringers seeking donations for those less fortunate, the decorations. She simply got too caught up in her obligations sometimes and forgot to enjoy the season.

  She paid the driver, pocketed her receipt and turned west toward the restaurant. She shivered into her wool coat and skirted an icy patch on the sidewalk. It was a little colder than she’d thought, but she’d warm up in a minute.

  Half a block down, a big yellow school bus sat at the opposite curb loading what must’ve been at least thirty Santas milling about on the sidewalk. It struck her as an only-in-New-York moment. Where were they going, night school for St. Nicks?

  She was still smiling when she spotted Cole outside the restaurant. A tremor ran through her. There was something about a man in a black winter coat, even if it was Cole Mitchell. He looked up, and for a split second an unguarded moment shimmered between them, devoid of hostility.

  “Hi.” His breath hung like smoke in the cold air.

  “Hello,” she said, her breath mingling with his. “Why aren’t you inside where it’s warm?”

  “I didn’t want to miss you and I didn’t want you to get here and wait outside, thinking that I hadn’t arrived yet.”

  No. This was wrong—and dangerous. She didn’t want to discover any underlying gallantry in Cole. He could save it for someone else. She didn’t like him. She wasn’t going to like him. End of story. “Whatever. Before we go in, I’m Tempest Altman.” Some food critics didn’t use pseudonyms when dining out, but she felt she couldn’t do her best job without anonymity. Once she’d written a less-than-flattering piece when a chef refused to take back an overcooked fish. After the piece came out, the chef remarked he’d have taken it back had he known who she was. Case in point. How could she write an honest piece if restaurants afforded her preferential treatment?

  “Tempest suits you.”

  “It’s my middle name.”

  “Your parents must have been psychic.”

  Ha. She was one of the least tempestuous people she knew, except when it came to him. “Apparently I kicked a lot when my mom was pregnant. And I was breach.”

  “Why doesn’t this surprise me?” He snapped his fingers. “Maybe because you’re the most contrary woman I ever met.”

  Tatiana had a mental image of vacant-minded beauties parading through his past. “From you, I’ll consider that a compliment. I’m sure your ideal woman is a twit.”

  “Twit? You wound me, Tempest. Truly.” He clutched at his chest, and it was so ridiculous that had it been anyone else, she would’ve laughed at his melodrama. But he wasn’t anyone else. He was Cole, whose dad had wrangled his esteemed position at Connoisseur, the same position she’d worked her ass off for. “And for your dining pleasure tonight, I’m Mitch Coleman.” He grinned and added under his breath, “It’s easy enough for my simple mind to keep up with.”

  “Well, that is a consideration. If you’re done with the theatrics, I’d like to go in before my feet turn to ice.”

  He bowed mockingly from his waist and opened the door for her. “After you.”

  Did he tack a “Your Highness” on there under his breath?

  They were punctual, and the maître d’ promptly seated them at a table midway the room and to the right. Tatiana mentally made a note that none of the wait staff seemed harried despite all the tables being full, and the customers appeared content except for a couple across the restaurant, and that just appeared to be a personal disagreement.

  So far, so good.

  A few minutes later they’d gone with the sommelier’s wine recommendations for appetizers and dinner. She was glad he’d steered them to midrange choices on the list rather than pushing the higher-end vintages. Another point in the restaurant’s favor if the wine played out as he’d suggested.

  She looked across the table into Cole’s silver-blue eyes, and an awkward silence fraught with awareness settled between them. She shifted her silverware a few inches over on the white linen tablecloth. It had been one thing to study the menu and spend time considering and ordering…but now what? They couldn’t exactly discuss work because their cover would be blown if anyone overheard them.

  Cole shifted and his knee brushed hers beneath the table. Adrenaline rushed through her, and she made a mental note that the tables were too small and too intimate for a business affair. Affair. Poor choice of word. Make that a meal.

  A slow, lazy smile, doubtless intended to disarm, curved his lips. Despite herself, she couldn’t help the instinctive flash of attraction that ricocheted through her.

  “I see you wore your boots after all. Very nice choice.” The look in his eyes sent heat spiraling through her.

  She shrugged. “Not particularly a choice. I’m too far out to go home and change before dinner.” Not when she was schlepping out to Brooklyn on the train. Manhattan rental prices were definitely out of her league on her salary. And it wasn’t exactly that she was cheap, but she liked to hold on to her money. “Besides, I had some shopping to do.” Secret Santa day two was tomorrow.

  The wine steward arrived and served them, immediately followed by the waiter bearing her calamari and Cole’s bruschetta. Calamari wasn’t one of her favorites, but it was a standard in so many restaurants she always ordered it because she knew so many other diners would and it was her job to evaluate the establishment with the diner in mind. She forked up a bite. Nice light batter and a hint of ginger lent an interesting note, but disappointingly the squid itself wasn’t as fresh as it should be given the price attached. The suggested pinot grigio, however, was a perfect companion wine, crisp and delicate. She was about to sample Cole’s bruschetta when a man sporting brushed-back, slightly long blond hair stopped at their table.

  “Mitchell? Is that you?” He clapped Cole on the back. “Long time no see. What’s it been? Five years?” After four years of living in New York, Tatiana had gotten pretty good at pegging people. This Matthew McConaughey wannabe exuded Wall Street with his white button-down shirt, top button undone and his loosened tie.

  “Something like that.” Cole’s manner, usually annoyingly outgoing and engaging, shifted subtly. He was still smiling, but he’d erected a wall of reserve.

  “Aren’t you going to introduce us?” The man looked pointedly at Tatiana and her flesh crawled. When Cole had looked at her earlier, he’d been sexy and flirtatious. This man’s look made her feel slimy.

  Cole turned his attention to her, “Tempest, this is Parker Longrehn. Parker, Tempest Altman.”

  “Hello,” she said, pleasant but distant.

  “The pleasure’s mine.” The words were innocuous enough, yet his tone left her feeling as if he’d
pinched her on the butt.

  Cole looked at her as if they’d just rolled out of bed an hour ago, his glance unmistakably possessive. “Tempest is a…very good friend.”

  What? Tatiana barely managed to keep her jaw from dropping. She thought about refuting that status, but she decided to go along with him instead, just to see where he was taking this. And particularly because she didn’t want to take anything any further with Parker.

  Parker looked pointedly at her naked left finger. “Well, old man, I don’t see any No Trespassing signs posted.”

  She and Cole might strike sparks off one another and she might not respect how he got his job, but Parker Longrehn was slick. And presumptuous. And rude as hell, to boot.

  Tatiana reached across the tablecloth and twined her fingers with Cole’s. She could swear energy passed between them. “Consider them posted,” she said, casting Cole a smoldering look to reinforce the claim. His return glance sent heat cascading through her, even if it was for Parker Longrehn’s benefit.

  “You win some and you lose some.” Parker flashed white teeth, bleached to the near-blue degree, at Tatiana. “But if you decide to trade up…”

  This guy, a class-A jerk, deserved to be served. “I already have.” She decided to lay it on thick. “Anyone other than Cole would be trading down.”

  Parker’s smile wasn’t quite as nice this time around. Fine. If he thought she was just going to sit here while he insulted Mr. Heated Glance, he had another thing coming. It was one thing for her to insult Cole, but Mr. Blue Teeth needed to rethink his position.

  Parker shoved his hand in his pocket. It took Tatiana a second or so to realize he was rolling his change between his fingers. Congratulations. Parker had just won the Cheesy and Annoying Award.

  “So.” He turned his attention back to Cole. “I heard your father got married again. Is this four or five?” Parker said.