Page 11 of Stranded for Christmas with my Boss

Our laughter mingles as we admire a slightly bulky watch. He shows me a few other pieces of jewelry from past family members, including gifts and things handed down. Nothing catches my eye personally until he holds up a beautiful ring with a pear-shaped diamond.

“What is that?” I ask him as I gently pick it up out of the box.

“That’s my mother’s ring. Your grandmother,” my dad replies as a bittersweet look forms on his face. “It’s nice, isn’t it?”

I admire the intricate details and diamond accents. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a ring like this before. “You can’t sell this one, Dad. It’s so beautiful.”

All of this struggling is only temporary. I just have to keep telling myself that.

The bittersweet look brightens into a genuine smile as he nods. “You’re right. I’m just trying to make what money I can, you know? I don’t want your mom worrying more than she already does.”

I lean against his side as he puts his arm around my shoulders. “It’ll be okay. I’m getting my first paycheck soon. Just don’t sell anything really personal, okay? It’s not worth it.”

My dad holds me close, sharing a quiet but comforting moment with me. Now that I live in the city and hop back and forth, we don’t have as many moments like these, but I treasure every single one that we share.

Happy moments are fleeting and temporary.

“We should get back in there and put up the Christmas tree, or your mom is going to kill us,” my dad tells me, breaking the silence with a chuckle.

I laugh and nod, feeling eager to get to decorating. It’s one of the few things from my childhood that I still do, and as the years continue to pass by, I lose more and more of those things. Who knows when it will be the last time I’ll be able to do this?

There isn’t any room for depressing thoughts during the holidays, though. I have a great, new job, loving parents, and Christmas is only a few weeks away. Am I really going to focus on the bad things like high bills and uncontrollable lust for my boss?

No!

Well, for the most part. I just hope my moment of weakness doesn’t cost me everything I’ve worked so hard to achieve.

Chapter six

Jensen

“Got your notepad ready? Because I have quite the to-do list for you today.”

Alyssa grinds her teeth as she picks up her tablet, holding the pen over the screen as her eyes lift to stare at me. She may as well be full-on glaring at me at this point because I can feel the frustration rolling off her in waves. “Go on.”

“A photographer is coming in tomorrow to take pictures of the office and all of us working to post on our social media pages. We usually decorate by now, but we’ve been too focused on the update to worry about that. Until now,” I explain as we stand on either side of my desk in my office. “I need you to decorate this floor with Christmas decorations.”

Alyssa blinks at me in surprise. “You want me to…decorate?”

I lift my eyebrow at her. This is probably one of the easiest tasks that I’ve given her. I hope she’s not about to complain about that. “Can you do that?”

Alyssa scoffs a little. “A child can do that. Yes, I can do that.”

There is that attitude that she can barely hold back any longer. It probably doesn’t help that I don’t formally warn her for thatkind of behavior, but I can’t help but want to argue back. It’s cathartic at this point, given all the damn stress in the air. The entire office is on edge as deadlines approach.

Or maybe seeing people argue is all I know.

“I already had all the boxes brought down from storage. They’re by the elevator,” I tell her as I take a seat at my desk. “Make sure my office looks extra nice.”

Alyssa places a hand on her waist over the red skirt that she’s wearing today. Look at her already being festive. “Anything else,sir?”

My fingers grip the armrest of my chair. She has been insistent on figuring out what makes me tick. I can’t tell whether that’s pissing me off or turning me on. It seems like we can’t help but torment each other.

“I’m sure I’ll think of more.”

Alyssa’s tongue drifts over her canines as she bites back a sharp comment. She sets down her tablet and strides out of my office with a natural sway to her hips, leaving me with a pounding heart. She gives me an addicting adrenaline rush.

It’s probably because she’s unpredictable. Is she going to smile and behave? Is she going to subtly flirt with me under the guise of an insult? Who knows?

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