AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’d be okay with you being on top,” she said as she waggled her brows. How the fuck did this just turn into a sexual conversation?
The pull was just so damn strong with her. I was exhausted from fighting it most days.
“Are you going to challenge her, boss?” Freddy asked as he held a glass of wine in his hand and walked over.
“Sure. I’m up for the challenge.”
Georgia did some sort of little jump and hop and twirl, and everyone laughed as she made her way to her side of the table. I rubbed my hands together before picking up the paddle and tapping it against the table.
“Don’t hold back on me, Bossman,” she said, as everyone stood around the table eating the food from Reynolds’ that she’d ordered and sipping their cocktails. Holiday music played through the speakers, and I glanced over at her.
“No mercy, Tink.” Yes, I called her by her nickname in front of the staff. It was obvious that my relationship with Georgia was a bit different, but she was my personal assistant, so we worked closely together. They didn’t seem fazed by it, nor did I give a fuck if they were.
Her head fell back in laughter just as she bounced the ball on the table and hit it over the net. Back and forth we went.
She’d surprised me with how skilled she was. But I’d grown up playing every sport under the sun, and I was pretty damn skilled at anything with a ball and a racket. Everyone watching kept gasping as we just went back and forth for what felt like far too long for a goddamn ping-pong match. So, I turned up the heat and scored a few points, and she did the same. It was a tie game, and everyone was far too invested, but I imagined it had a lot more to do with the fact that they were almost on vacation, so they were in a good mood and looking to have a little fun.
Game point.
I’d figured her game out fairly quickly. She was weak on the left side of the table. Every time I wanted to score a point, I just hit it to that side of the table, and she missed it.
Her smile was wide, and her eyes danced with mischief. “Game point, Bossman. One of us is a winner, and one of us is a loser after this one. Are you ready?”
Take her out. Hit it to the left side of the table, dickhead.
But when I looked up one last time and those sapphire eyes locked with mine, I didn’t care about winning. I just wanted to see her smile.
It was just a goddamn ping-pong game. I’d had enough wins in my life.
So, I sent it to the right side, and she quickly responded. I made somewhat of an effort to look like I was trying to get to it just as the ball bounced, and I missed it.
The room erupted in cheers, and I glanced over at her watching me as she set her paddle down.
I walked around the table and extended my arm. “Good game, Tink. You’re the champ.”
She nodded as her small hand slid into mine, and she whispered, “Did you just give me that win?”
“Do I strike you as a man who would intentionally lose at anything?”
She studied me for a moment before someone pulled her away to cut the cake. I stood in the back of the room and took it all in. It looked like Mr. and Mrs. Claus took a big shit in my office space with all the red and green and white garland, but everyone was having a good time, and that was all that mattered.
“She’s been good for this place,” Helena Rosewood said as she saddled up beside me.
“Yeah. I think you’re right.”
“She might even be good for you. It’s nice to see a smile on your face now and then, Maddox,” she said. The woman had known me both before and after my mother’s death. I was fairly certain that she knew there was a heaviness that had stayed with me all these years after her passing.
“It’s a scowl, not a smile,” I said, and she chuckled before hugging me goodbye.
“Merry Christmas. I’ll see you after the holidays.” She turned on her heels and walked out the door.
The place was thinning out, and everyone was saying their goodbyes. Georgia was gathering trash with Virginia, who was wearing some sort of red and green headband that had springs on it with little balls on top and looked absolutely ridiculous, but it also made me like her more that she’d wear it because I knew who’d convinced her to do so.
I made my way back upstairs to finish up some emails before calling it a day. It had grown completely quiet downstairs, so I figured everyone had left, but I knew Tink would never leave without saying goodbye. I had a gift for her that I wasn’t going to give her in front of everyone.
The office line rang, and I heard her voice right outside my office. She didn’t sound enthusiastic, so I wondered if it was someone calling to sell us something. She put the caller on hold and appeared in my doorway.
“Hey. It’s your father. He said he’d called your cell phone several times and hasn’t been able to reach you. He said it’s urgent.”
