Page 60 of Stranded for Christmas with my Boss

Mila’s presence fills the room. She’s everything I expected: sharp, confident, and completely in control. She exudes charisma, and I can see why her followers trust her. She flips her tablet open, but even the way she does it has a certain flair, like every movement is calculated to draw attention.

She glances at me, her eyes scanning quickly as if assessing my worth in this meeting. I straighten my back, meeting her gaze head-on. I’m not just here to observe; I’m here to prove that I belong.

Our conversation rotates around the table. Jensen states the general idea and expectations, Mila asks questions, and I get into the nitty gritty details. We keep going around and around, letting Mila jot down notes and negotiate based on what works for her and her content. Her followers trust her, so she has to come off as authentic.

There are a few hang-ups, but all of us are flexible. We want what’s best for anyone, and if we can benefit, she can benefit too. That’s the whole point of us partnering with influencers.

And I think we finally landed one of the best in the city.

“I’ve never promoted a dating app before,” Mila tells us as she starts a new page of notes on her tablet. “But new year, new me, right? It wouldn’t hurt to see what’s out there.”

“You’ll find love in the most random places,” I say, making Jensen smile a little.

“Somewhere in this big city, there better be the guy for me,” Mila laughs before putting the pen back in its slot. “I already have some ideas. Is there someone I can talk to about content?”

“You can talk to Alyssa,” Jensen speaks up. “She’s part of our marketing department.”

I raise an eyebrow at him, not expecting him to nominate me. Technically, I’m not in the marketing department, even if I do a decent amount of work with them. “Yeah, I’d be happy to help you out. I can give you my work contact information.”

“Perfect! I can work on some promo to post on the first,” Mila says with an excited smile.

“We’ll email you the contract later today. If you have any questions, reach out to either one of us,” Jensen tells her.

Mila nods and reaches across the table to shake our hands. “I’m glad we were able to meet up. It’s not as nice as the Catskills, but maybe we’ll find our way back out there eventually, right?”

Jensen and I laugh and nod. She has no idea what we went through up in the Catskills, but those are memories for just Jensen and me. Ones that we’ll treasure for the rest of our lives.

When she steps out of the office, I turn and face Jensen. “I’m part of the marketing department now?”

My words come out as a tease, but Jensen doesn’t laugh. In fact, he looks like he wants to talk about something serious.

Jensen moves his chair closer to mine and straightens up. “I want to talk to you about your position at this company.”

My first instinct is to laugh because he hasn’t spoken to me like this in a while, but the sound gets caught in my chest. “Oh, okay. Did I…do something wrong?”

Jensen reaches up and adjusts his tie. “You went out of the scope of your original job responsibilities. You engaged in very intimate actions with your superior.”

I cock an eyebrow at him, trying to figure out if he’s joking or not.

“I can only see one appropriate course of action,” Jensen tells me as his eyes meet mine.

“To fire me?” I ask in a quiet voice, my heart pounding.

A smile crosses Jensen’s face, catching me off guard. “To promote you.”

My eyes widen as I lean forward. “Wait, what?”

Jensen chuckles and nods. “I’ve been having some discussions with some people in marketing. As you know, Maya is leaving at the beginning of the year, and her position as brand specialist will be open. According to everyone in the marketing department, you would be an appropriate fit.”

I stare at him in stunned silence, still trying to process his words. “I…brand specialist? Seriously?”

“What do you think?”

I blink, taken aback. Part of me is thrilled—this is what I’ve been working for. But another part feels a twist of anxiety in my stomach. Does this mean I’ll be cut off from Jensen during work hours? Will people think I’m being passed around to different departments just because I’m dating him?

I take a moment to steady my thoughts. No, this is what I wanted. A chance to prove myself beyond just being his assistant. A chance to show that I can shine on my own.

I eagerly nod, excitement pumping through me like sheer adrenaline. I’m going to miss Maya to death, but I’m going to do her position justice. I’m going torockthis. “I can’t believe this! So, I won’t be your assistant any longer?”

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