Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 46159 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 231(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46159 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 231(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
“She’s more wasted than you are,” Kim guffawed.
Yeah, and Kim was what, sober? Riiight.
Since everyone was heading upstairs, we didn’t even consider one of the elevators. They’d be packed. And screw standing in line. So the three of us—and Henric, I noticed—took the stairs.
Ouch, the lights were too bright here.
“You’ve got some moves, babe,” Henric told me.
I snorted, finding that funny for some reason. Maybe it was having him call me babe. It was weird.
“Babe,” I said, sidling up next to him. “You know we’re not happening, right, babe?”
He shot me a lazy smirk. “Are you sure?”
“Positive.” I would’ve draped an arm around his shoulders if I hadn’t been so damn short. Instead, I settled for linking my arm with his. “You’re hotter than sin—you already know that—but you’re way too young for me. And way too much of a player.”
He chuckled. “I’m older than you, squirt.”
I laughed. Man, I hadn’t been called squirt since kindergarten.
We left the stairwell and reached the lobby of the seventh floor at the same time as a loud group of people exited the elevators.
“By what, five or six years?” I guessed. “We’re about to hear my type give his annual holiday speech in a Santa costume.”
“He’s got a serious Daddy fetish,” Mya tossed over her shoulder in agreement.
Legit.
“It’s so serious that he’s ogling the most boring man on the planet,” Kim laughed.
I couldn’t help but crack up. It was true! What the fuck was I doing?
Henric merely shook his head in amusement. Then he left me to join his friends—and hopefully to find another target—but that wasn’t entirely good for me. I hadn’t leaned on him to be cute. I just needed some fucking support to stay upright.
“Hey, can someone help me, please? The world is spinning.”
Thankfully, I could count on my girls, and we supported one another on our way into the office.
This was the dull section of the party. They had Christmas music playing in the background, and they’d cleared a part of the bullpen, but the lights hadn’t been dimmed down enough, they served wine and cheese instead of shots and chips, and people were talking instead of dancing.
“The mature crowd doesn’t seem happy to see us,” Mya stage-whispered.
I grinned and scanned the cleared area, where several coworkers tried to keep up with their mellow chitchat even as the rest of us arrived with our not-so-indoor voices. Some of them threw us dirty looks.
Meow.
“They’re afraid we’re gonna steal their wine and chee…” My mouth suddenly went dry when I spotted Mr. Abrams coming out from his office. “…sus Christ, he’s sexy.”
He wasn’t the average mall Santa either. No fake beard or belly. No wig. The red costume seemed more expensive too, like the material or whatever. But it did look like he’d dusted his already graying beard white. That was fucking hot.
A bit endearing too, because I knew this wasn’t his thing. My first year here, there’d been a lot of new hires, and he’d explained that it was his uncle who enjoyed the “dog and pony show.” I still remembered it vividly, him standing there with a glass of whiskey in his hand and a charming smile on his face.
I had to make him smile again.
“I bet he’d smile if he fucked me six ways to Sunday,” I mumbled.
That made Kim and Mya laugh a little too hard, effectively directing everyone’s attention my way. Fucking great.
Mr. Abrams merely raised a brow at me, then shook his head and continued toward the little podium they set up every year. Next to it waited several burlap sacks with the gifts from corporate.
How could he be so damn composed? Not even the slightest hint of surprise at seeing me nearly naked?
“If he were gay, I’d probably do something stupid,” I said.
Down to chuckles, Mya cocked her head and eyed the boss man. “I think he is gay.”
“No! Get the fuck out.” I balked. She couldn’t say that shit to me!
“I think she’s right,” Kim mused.
I whipped my head her way. “How do you know? Have you seen him with anyone?”
“God, no—” Mya took over again “—but I worked with his niece before I transferred here. I’m pretty sure she indicated…”
Oh, balls. An indication was enough to get my ridiculous hopes up.
There was just something about him. Something underneath the ten layers of “I’d rather slit my wrists with a rusty spoon than spend an hour with you.” It was partly the calm assertiveness he exuded. His feathers were so unruffled. I kinda wanted to ruffle them a bit—or at least see if I had the ability. And what his reaction might be.
Case in point. Mr. Abrams didn’t need to ask for everybody’s attention. As he took the podium, everyone just quieted down and listened. If I went up there, I’d need a PA system to be heard.