Page 12 of Stranded for Christmas with my Boss

I need to stop seeing this like some sort of game, though. It’s hard to focus around her, and as fun as she is to play with at times, this update has to succeed. I refuse to fail after working so hard.

When Alyssa returns with a small ladder and a box of garlands, accent pieces, and lights, I keep my eyes away from her, focusing on a few documents that I need to read over and sign. At this point, I’m working with the marketing department to pull in as many influencers and advertisers as possible so that we can get the word out about the update as much as possible.

Exposure is vital. Marketing is our lifeblood, along with customer satisfaction. People get lonely during the holidays, so they’re going to be looking for love at the beginning of the year. For the couples who use our date planner or interactive quizzes, they’ll be wanting to improve their relationship by going out more or being more romantic.

That’s where we come in too, and we have to come in strong on January first.

Alyssa doesn’t say anything as she places a small container of lights on the edge of my desk. Her eyes briefly flicker over to mine, but we glance away at the same time. She unfolds the ladder and gets to work on stringing the garlands across the roof of my office.

I scribble out signatures, breathing in the unmistakable smell of slightly dusty decorations. That should probably be gross, but something about Christmas makes everything, including dust, smell nostalgic. I remember Holly and I having to decorate all by ourselves because our parents didn’t care.

“You don’t have to go all out. Just spruce it up a little,” I tell her as I flip to another page. It’s all staged anyway. There isn’t any heart in decorating an office.

Alyssa pauses and looks over at me. “Christmas is one of the few times during the year when you should go all out. If there were an oven in this place, I would be baking cookies.”

A faint smile threatens to cross my lips. So, she’s a holiday person. I wish I was as enthusiastic as some of these people, who spend hours decorating, shopping, and, hell, even caroling. Whatever these cheery people do, I’m not cut out for it.

But the holidays just remind me of what I missed out on growing up. They feel…hollow. I put on a show on the outside, throwing an annual Christmas party and getting gifts for Oliver. But on the inside, I feel cold all over.

“It’s too quiet on this floor,” Alyssa comments after a few minutes of silence as she scoots the small ladder closer to the middle of the room, getting closer to my desk. She climbs up to the top of the ladder and attaches a hook to the roof before draping the rope of garland on it.

She’s not entirely wrong. Besides the faint sounds of voices, typing, and someone clearing their throat, there isn’t much noise on this floor. I guess I don’t really notice it until this time of the year.

Christmas is loud, especially in New York City. Between the carolers, big events, and Christmas music, there is no escaping the sounds of the holidays. Not that other people’s joy directly bothers me, but it’s hard to incorporate all of that into a work environment without it being distracting.

“People need to focus,” I reply as I raise an eyebrow at her. “Don’t you think so?”

Alyssa faintly shakes her head at me as she moves the ladder again, standing only a few feet away from my side now. She climbs up the ladder, making me direct my eyes upward to watch her. With her wearing a skirt, I’m greeted by the sight of her thighs.

Damn, I did not think this through. She cannot be hanging up garlands so close to me in a skirt where I can see parts of her that I can’t get out of my head.

Alyssa glances down at me, her eyes widening slightly in realization when she sees my gaze on her legs. She suddenly wobbles, the ladder shaking slightly as she tries to reclaim her balance.

I’m already out of my chair, my body acting before my mind. I cross the short amount of distance between us just as she tumbles off the ladder with a gasp. She collides with my chest as I wrap my arms around her, catching her before she hits the ground.

The collision nearly sends me to the ground, but I dig my heels into the dark wood, steadying myself as she grabs the sleeves of my suit jacket in a death grip. She shudders in fear, her body remaining tense enough to shatter.

“I’ve got you,” I breathe out as the adrenaline pulsing through my veins starts to slow down.

Alyssa looks up at me, still wrapped up in my arms with her body pressing against mine. It’s an intimate position. Too intimate.

A knock on my door makes my heart stop, making me rip myself away from her just as Austin pops his head into my office. “Got a second?”

I clear my throat as Alyssa puts her back to Austin, quietly catching her breath and fixing her hair. Damn it, we look so suspicious. “Sure. What is it?”

Austin’s eyes sweep back and forth between Alyssa and me as he steps into my office. His brow furrows a little, but he turns his full attention back to me. “We’re going to need another day for bug fixes. You know how it is. We fix one thing and then break another.”

I sigh and rub my jaw, attempting to calm my racing heart. My movements are still sharp and restless as I make my way back to my seat. “Yeah, sure. Alyssa, make a note for the timeline.”

Alyssa nods and grabs a sticky note off my desk, her hands slightly shaking. She gives her fingers a light flex before quickly jotting down the note.

I look over at Austin and raise my eyebrows at him expectantly. “Anything else?”

Austin gives me a weird expression before shaking his head. “Nope. Back to the grind.”

“Back to the grind,” I agree, my eyes trailing him as he walks out of my office and leaves my door open behind him.

That’s probably for the best. We need to get a grip on ourselves better, especially since there are eyes all over this place. I shouldn’t be getting distracted anyway.

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