Chapter 3
THREE
PARK CITY, UTAH
DOMINIC
Weeks Later
I’m staring out the backseat window as Georgia’s boyfriend Dante sets up a “Future Billionaire: Ask Me Anything” sign in front of my headquarters.
What the hell does she see in this guy?
From what I’ve gleaned about him, he makes a living from making motivational videos on YouTube and selling “How to make six figures in a month” digital courses.
If that’s not questionable enough, he’s been using the same picture of himself for years. With his slightly faded khaki suit and short red hair that matches his tacky checkered tie, he looks more like a used car salesman than an aspiring entrepreneur.
Since he’s loitered in front of my building for the past few weeks, he’s stayed late enough to drive Georgia home. He’s also interrupted all my one-on-one meetings with her and made it impossible for us to spend much time together.
I have to be missing something.
“Did you find out more about Mr. Dante Harris for me, Walsh?” I ask.
“I’m still looking into that, sir.” He looks at me through the rearview mirror. “I did discover that he recently trademarked the phrase, ‘Billionaire Boy for Life,’ though.”
“Wow.” I wish I hadn’t asked. “How did he meet Georgia?”
“On a dating app, sir,” he says. “I’ve told you this several times before.”
“When’s the last time he took her out on a real date?”
“It’s been a while. Miss Grey’s boss has made a dating life quite impossible, sir.”
“Good.”
He sighs. “Is Mr. Worthy an actual threat to you, sir?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“So…” He turns around, shooting me a confused look. “Do I need to remove him from the premises?”
“Let me think about it.” I watch Dante add a second sign, one that reads, “Ask Me How to Land a Bad-Ass Woman,” and shake my head.
I don’t feel like being petty with him, so I’ll let this trespassing offense slide.
For now.
“Drive me to the back entrance, Walsh,” I say.
“Very well, sir.”
Grabbing my briefcase, I walk through the doors, and the scent of fresh balsam smacks me in the face.
The hallways are lined with oversized spruce trees, all aglow with twinkling lights and bright silver ornaments.
Curious, I head toward the conference wing, where I’m hoping to close my biggest deal eventually.
I nearly drop my briefcase to the floor in utter fucking awe.
Faux snow is falling from the ceiling amidst a massive winter wonderland. Shiny red and green trains are racing on tracks, and there’s a sign with directions to every themed spot.
Santa’s Workshop, The North Pole, The Enchanted Forest, The Grace Estate in Winter, The Elf Cafe…
“Wow, son!” My father taps my shoulder from behind. “This is phenomenal. What company did you hire for this?”
“One of my employees did this on her own,” I say. “Georgia Grey.”
The more I look around at her stunning decor work, the more I realize she has no business in a corporate setting with me. She’s too damn creative…
“Well, send her my contact information so she can draft a quote for me and your mother’s Valentine’s party.”
“Why? You hate parties.”
“No, you hate parties, son.” He picks up a cookie. “I’m looking forward to your party with Amy, if this decor is any indication. Did this Georgia person do the food, too?”
“Yes, but she’s—Wait a minute.” I cross my arms. “What party with Amy?”
“The invitations were beautiful.” He devours another cookie. “I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”
“I need you to speak words that actually make sense,” I say. “What party?”
“This one.” He pulls a shimmering envelope from his pocket.
I open it, and it unfolds into six sections. The last page features a picture of me and Amy. It’s a photoshopped image of us kissing under the mistletoe amidst falling snowflakes.
Dominic & Amy want to celebrate the holidays with you in a beautiful Winter Wonderland.
Location: Reiss Enterprises, Conference Wing
Prepare to experience the most magical holiday decor you’ve ever seen!
“When the hell did you get this?” I ask.
“This morning,” he says. “That’s why I rushed over here. This holiday party is really an engagement party, isn’t it?”
Hell no. “This is probably a prank by my best friend.” I flip over the invitation. “He mentioned working on something insane to loosen me up the other day.”
“I don’t think so, son. Bryan was as shocked as I was when he called earlier. I’m proud of you for finally settling down. Amy is a great catch.”
“She is for someone else.”
“Is that Santa’s workshop?” He wanders into the enchanted forest.
“This is even more stunning than it was last week!” Amy steps into the room. “I am beyond impressed.”
“And I’m confused.” I hold out the invitation. “What is this?”
“A surprise.” She kisses my cheek. “Since you’re not big on the holidays, I wanted to do something special for our families and show you how crazy I am about you. We’re meant to be together for life, right?”
I say nothing.
If this were earlier this year, I would’ve quickly agreed, and we would’ve slept together by now instead of simply using each other for public appearances. On paper, she and I are a perfect match. Ruthlessly competitive, determined to outlast our competition, and ambitious to a fault.
Yet, it changed somewhere between this past spring and summer, and I didn’t see much value in our arrangement anymore.
“You should’ve discussed this with me first,” I say.
“Well, forgive me, okay?” She caresses my tie. “Since you’ve been buried in your upcoming deal, I assumed you were far too busy to even think about a party.”
“I’m sure.” I roll my eyes. “We need to cancel it.”
“Two hundred people, including my family, have already RSVP’d.”
“It’s a month away. They have plenty of time to make other plans.”
“What’s the reason?”
“I don’t need one.”
“Is it Georgia Grey?”
“No.”
“Sounds like it.” She waves her hand around the room. “Looks like it, too.”
“I just said she isn’t the reason.”
“How much extra time have you spent with her while she’s worked on this special little project?” She looks into my eyes. “Don’t lie to me.”
“I’m sure you already know the answer to that since you’ve ‘randomly’ shown up here every day to watch us work.”
“Okay, fine. Let’s make a deal,” she says. “I’ll call everyone personally and tell them not to bother coming, and you’ll fire Georgia by the end of today.”
“What did you just say?”
“I wasn’t born yesterday, Dominic.” She glares at me. “You like her and she likes you, but she’s just a crush and a distraction. We have the history and you shouldn’t throw it away on some skanky little slut.”
“Georgia is far from a slut.”
“How would you know? Are you sleeping with her?”
“I’ve never even touched her.”
“Do you want to?”
“What I want, is for you to cancel this party.”
“Answer my question, Dominic.” She narrows her eyes. “Do you want to sleep with Georgia?”
Silence.
“Son, you’ve got to see this!” My father shouts from across the room. “These little wooden elves are making me hot cocoa!”
“Look.” Amy softens her tone. “I know how wealthy men are when it comes to commitment, and I know that Georgia is slightly above average in the looks department. She’s…kinda pretty, I guess.”
No, she’s fucking beautiful. I don’t bother saying that aloud.
“Anyway, it’s time for you to shit or get off the pot,” she says. “We’ve been ‘dating’ long enough, and the public expects us to get married soon. You can keep Georgia if you like, but you better do the right thing when it comes to me, or we’ll have a problem.
“Are you threatening me, Amy?”
“Of course not, Dominic…I’m just letting you know that your life will never be the same if we’re not engaged soon.” She steps back, and like a goddamn psycho, she suddenly becomes cheery. “That sounds amazing, Mr. Reiss! Show us those elves and that hot cocoa!”
She wanders into the Enchanted Forest with my father, but I don’t bother joining them.
I’ll check it out later.
I watch one of the golden trains chug its way down Gingerbread Avenue before heading to my office.
As I step off the elevator, a guy dressed in all red jumps in front of me.
“What the hell is up with you man?” he says.
“Man?” I raise an eyebrow. “Who are you?”
“The guy you let go of for no reason.” He pouts. “I thought we had something special.”
“You have me confused with someone else.”
“Dude, we’ve shared several memorable mornings. They were the best part of my day.”
“I’m calling security.”
“Okay, maybe you don’t remember because I’m not wearing my full mask today.” He clears his throat and begins rapping.
“I fucking hate working for you. I hate everything about you. Fuck this job, and fuck you, too.” He throws down an invisible mic. “Sound familiar?”
“Unfortunately.”
“I was looking forward to working a few more weeks so I could buy some last-minute Christmas presents, so um…” He runs a hand through his hair. “Any chance I could perform at a holiday party or go back to our normal morning routine?”
“I’d rather pay you five thousand dollars to never show up here again.”
“Can you make it ten? One of my kids really wants a dirt bike…”