Page 54 of Under the Mistletoe
“I don’t want you leaving the office on your own. From now on, Frank or one of the other security guys needs to walk you out.”
“Donovan…” Her words are soft but laced with warning.
“I mean it. I have no idea why they seem so set on my relationships. If this is what we are to expect, then I need you to be safe.”
“Donovan, please don’t worry. I’m fine.”
I cup her cheeks and force her eyes to mine. “I know… you are… but if there’s a next time when I’m not with you, I need to ensure that someone is. You’re worth protecting, Jessica. You’re worth the world to me.” I’m dead serious, and I know she can see it in my gaze. She may not have had many people in her life who made her feel worth it. But to me, she is.
“Okay…” she relents, and my shoulders lower as she gives me a small smile and I breathe out my stress.
“Besides, Shelley threatened to end me today if I so much as hurt a hair on your beautiful head.”
“She did?” She looks stricken, but I grin.
“Yeah, but I told her she has nothing to worry about.”
“Good, because she has one hell of a right hook.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “Really?”
“Yeah, she gave a kid in college a black eye once for looking at her ass. She laid him out flat.”
“Good to know.” I nod, and her grin widens. I match it just as Gordon drives down into my private garage and we both release sighs of relief.
We’re home.
22
Donovan
I frown as I look at the link my PR team has emailed. I was waiting for it. My social calendar has taken a complete dive. I work like normal during the day, rushing from meeting to meeting, attending luncheons and ensuring I push our staff to be the best they can be. But at night, I’m cooking, laughing, and watching the twenty-four-hour news channel under a blanket on my sofa with the woman who’s fast becoming the other half of me. And it’s the best time I’ve ever had.
It’s been weeks now since Lake Placid and we haven’t faltered. Our quiet nights at home have allowed our relationship to build naturally and organically. During the week, Jessica stays with me in my penthouse. We arrive and leave separately, her now having a key and Gordon driving her around just like he ordinarily would. On Saturdays, she goes home, working with her uncle, spending time with her family while I usually catch up on work and miss her even more than I thought I could.
We’re professional at work, but after the media onslaught leaving the office last night, we’re now front-page news. The office is buzzing with gossip, and I’m doing anything I can to tame it. Not because I don’t want the world to know about us. But because Jessica values her privacy. She’s not interested in social media or having her face plastered on the front page of newspapers like it is today.
Donovan York… sleeping with his employee?
The headline stares at me, and I quickly read the article. It’s a puff piece by a journalist known for spreading gossip and misinformation. There’s a photo of me and Jessica leaving the office last night, the publication already receiving a letter from my legal team and a takedown notice. But we might have to be more proactive and do something before it gets completely out of hand.
Three sharp knocks have me lifting my head as Ashley walks in. I barely notice my assistant, but now that I look at her, I see her appearance is different than usual. Her shirts are open a little more, her skirts a little shorter, and I grit my teeth. Yet another thing I need to address.
“Jay Jay is here to see you.”
“Thanks, Ashley.” I stand as Jessica walks in, her glasses on, looking like the cure I didn’t know I needed.
“Do you need anything else?” Ashley looks at me with fluttering lashes, and I pause.
“No. Thank you. Please close the door on your way out,” I dismiss her, barely noticing the scowl she wears and not having the time or patience to dig into it right now.
“Everything alright?” Jessica watches me. The two of us spend so much time together, we already know when the other feels off. She can obviously feel it with me now.
“That depends…” I grab a coffee bean, throwing it in my mouth as I walk around to the front of my desk and she walks to meet me.
“What’s going on?” Her frown is cute, and I give her a small smile as I draw her close.
“Well, I think we need to go public,” I tell her. We both knew we’d eventually have to do this. I already have a rough plan in place for it. First, I need to speak to the board. They need to be aware. Because even though it’s my personal business, given that Jessica works for my company, there’s clearly a crossover.
