Page 37 of Knot My Secret Santa

“I want to hear all about them.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR – Nathaniel

I stayed a while longer after everyone left. My office smelled of Avery and sex, and when the cleaning service made their rounds, I almost told them to forget it for the night. Yet I gathered my coat and left them to their job.

As I walked between the desks, I noted that many of my architects had holiday decorations on theirs. Small things, nothing to get in the way. Denise’s desk at the front reception had a faux snowman holding a bowl of candy canes. Why had I never paid attention to these things before?

The office itself was plain. There were few distractions, but this year, it needed one. It needed a Christmas tree.

Damn. I chuckled to myself. Avery was rubbing off on me.

The elevator dinged and the evening security guard stepped out, startling to see me right there. He was carrying a small potted evergreen with some basic decorations on it very similar to the one Avery had in her tiny house. “Good evening, Mr. Donner. Your tree arrived. It’s a cute little thing.”

I blinked. My tree? What was this strangeness that I had just been thinking about getting one? It had to be a gift from a client. “Thank you, Gordon.” I took the tree from him. “I was actually coming down to find you. I wanted to ask if there was still someplace I could order a tree—a fake one—with all the trimmings for the office here. I know it’s late, but it would be nice to surprise everyone tomorrow.”

“You’re doing a bunch of decorating, eh?” Gordon grinned and bobbed his head. “I could put in a call for you. My sister-in-law works for Ambius. They do commercial holiday displays. They might have a tree or two left.”

I wouldn’t have called it a bunch of decorating, but I lucked out here. “Thank you so much. If you could please call Ambius. I’ll pay double the amount, and if they could set it up tonight, they can add on express fees. Right here across from reception would be ideal. Just bill it directly to me.”

“You want the whole bells and whistles if they have anything left in stock?” Gordon asked, already taking out his cell phone.

“Yeah, anything your sister-in-law thinks looks good.” I made a mental note to get Gordon a nice forty year Amontillado sherry for him and his wife.

He nodded and stepped back into the elevator. “Alright, I’ll get right on that, sir.”

“Thank you again, Gordon. Have a good night.” I waved him on his way before putting the small tree in my office. I suspected Avery would get a kick out of me having a tree in there. With her at practice, I had some time to go out and buy a few little lights for it too.

I checked my phone to make certain Avery hadn’t texted me and headed out. Even as I did my shopping and grabbed a bite to eat, I kept looking at my cell. How long would the practice last? Would she want to spend an hour or two with her friends getting coffee? I didn’t know if I could wait that long, and it was frustrating to feel so anxious over it.

It was almost ten when I got the text. Avery’s friends had dropped her off at her car which was still parked at the office. I zipped over and found her sipping hot cocoa in her little Prius. Grinning, I tapped on her window. “I have the perfect thing to enjoy with that. I got us two pieces of eggnog cheesecake.”

“Yum!” Avery hopped out and bumped her hip against mine, seemingly brimming with energy. “Let’s go up to your office and eat.”

“Let’s go back to my apartment. It will be more cozy.” And my bed was there. A big bed which I very much wanted to have my Omega in.

She kept walking toward the doors. “No. I want to stay here.” She muttered something else, and her pace increased. I hit my car fob to lock my doors and trotted to catch up to her. She flashed me a smile. “I bet you work at all hours of the night sometimes. No one will think twice if they see your office light on.”

I couldn’t deny that I did work late sometimes, but why would she want to go up to the office?

Gordon wasn’t at his desk when we entered, but I had a key card which took us from the lobby through the closed gate and up the elevator. When the doors opened to the third floor, we were greeted by cheery flashing lights and the biggest blue Christmas tree I’d ever seen. It was surrounded by giant bulbs and faux snow.

“Oh! It’s so beautiful!” Avery gasped and nearly dropped her cup. She fumbled with it and caught it before it could spill. She walked slowly in, basking in the sparkling lights. “Nathaniel, this is amazing. How did you get anyone to come in so close to Christmas to do this?”

“I know people.” I smirked and kissed her chocolate sweetened lips.

The rest of the office had been decorated with wreaths and holly. It wasn’t overboard as the tree seemed to me, but Avery’s reaction made it all worthwhile. I’d set up a hundred gaudy trees myself just to see her smile.

She laughed and hugged me. Then she squealed in delight, almost running toward my office. “The stuff is here!”

The stuff? My eyes widened to see not just one or two packages piled by my office door, but dozens. Small and large. And when she flicked the light on inside, I could see a couch. Why was there a couch in my office?

Avery had flung off her coat and set her drink down on my desk. “I love it!”

I walked slowly into my office. There were boxes everywhere. “What’s going on?”

She hooted and started opening boxes, using her keys to do so. “Happy early Christmas! I got a bunch of things for your office. It’s going to be so cozy in here, you’re never going to want to leave.”

What was happening? This was my office. It was a place of work. Avery was almost manic, opening boxes, stuffing food and drink into my mini bar, and fluffing colorful throw pillows to put on the dark brown leather couch. She never struck me as a person to take it upon herself to decorate anybody’s space without permission. Certainly no one would believe that I did this myself.

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