Chapter 23
LUKE
We got our clothes back on. I ditched the Santa suit and put my regular clothes back on. The sweater didn’t bother me as much this time. I kind of liked that we matched. It said Clara was mine. Back off.
I sent her out of the office first, then waited a few minutes to exit as well.
As adventurous as my love life had been in the past, I had never slept with anyone in the office.
And I certainly had never done it on one of my bosses’ desks.
It had been a risky move, but when Clara sat on my lap, common sense flew out the window and I had to have her right then and there.
Back out at the party, Clara was talking to Kerri by one of the dessert tables, laughing about something. The glow in her cheeks made it difficult for me to look anywhere else but at her. No woman had ever had this kind of effect on me and I barely knew what to do with myself.
Everything with Clara was different. It was scary and uncertain, and I couldn’t remember the last time I had felt so alive.
She caught me staring and smiled at me. I grinned back, loving the connection I felt even across the crowded office. There was nothing fake about it.
I got a drink while Clara talked to her friend. The two were chatting like they’d known each other for years, and I didn’t want to interrupt. I wasn’t even sure what to say to Clara. Were we a thing now? Did I want us to be? And what did she want?
I figured the best approach would be to see how she behaved and follow her lead. We would be heading back to Texas before we knew it, and I really didn’t want to complicate things until our arrangement was over. And sex always complicated things.
Clara wandered back over to me eventually and asked if I was ready to go. I took her hand and almost ran to the elevator. The ride back to my place was quick. Clara cuddled into my side, but she wasn’t saying much. It was still nice.
Back in my penthouse, she gave me a chaste kiss on the cheek, thanked me for a magical evening, and went into her room. I floated on air into my bedroom, where I took a long shower and thought about her until I finally drifted off to sleep. It was the best rest I’d gotten in years.
The next morning—well, closer to noon—we headed into the office together. Clara was going to help Kerri tear down the decorations and I had meetings about the upcoming games for the week. I wanted to take some time to prep. And I needed a little space from Clara so I could think clearly.
Rational thought became impossible when she was around. All she had to do was look at me with those gorgeous green eyes, and I was under her spell. I would say yes to any request. It wasn’t the best state to be in when trying to think about football stats.
I had been working for a few hours when Clara texted me she was finished with Kerri and was heading back to the penthouse. Kerri was having her driver take them, so I wasn’t worried about her finding her way back.
I texted Clara not to have any parties, and she replied: When the cat’s away the mice will play.
I was pretty sure she was kidding.
Over the next few hours, my concentration was shot. No matter how much I tried to focus, I kept thinking about Clara back at my place, all by herself, bored and waiting for me. We only had about a week left together in the city. It seemed a shame for me to waste that time working.
My job had gotten stale over the last couple of years. Or maybe it was my whole life in general that had lost some of its shine. I didn’t hop out of bed excited every morning the way I used to. I had since Clara had come to visit, though. She made my days special.
Part of the reason I wanted to get promoted at the network was for more of a challenge. I wanted to have a bigger say in the programming, using the things I’d learned over the years. I barely cared about being on camera anymore.
Would it be crazy to take more time off?
I decided to talk to Bonnie about it. I knocked on my producer’s door and she called for me to come in. I hesitated, took a breath, and grabbed the door handle.
I wasn’t usually the nervous type, but I had been doing a lot of unusual things lately. Like asking for more time off during the busy holiday season. There was a decent chance Bonnie would throw a mug at my head.
“Hey,” I said, putting on my most charming smile. “There’s my favorite person.”
Bonnie rolled her eyes and groaned. “Oh, this ought to be good.”
“What?”
“You clearly want something from me. You’re never this fucking sweet.
” Bonnie grinned. She was a few years older than me, in her early thirties, and tougher than old boot leather.
She had to be, surrounded by meatheaded sports announcers and analysts like me.
It helped that she could curse like an old dockworker.
I leaned my elbows on the back of one of the chairs in front of her desk. “If I call in sick for the rest of the week, will that totally screw up your life?”
She let out a long breath and stared down at her desk, the gears turning in her head. Finally, she shrugged. “We can probably swing that without too many headaches. What’s going on?”
“I just want some time off,” I said, playing innocent.
“Sure. I guess it has nothing to do with that girlfriend of yours.” She snorted out a laugh. “You know it’s funny. For years you’ve swaggered around here saying how no woman could tame you. You’d never settle down. And then it turns out you’re a big, ol’ romantic.”
“I just want to spend some time with my girlfriend while she’s in town. Is that a crime?”
She chuckled. “No, it’s adorable. That’s what I’m saying.”
“Stop,” I said, but I was smiling too. “Between you and me, I have to admit, it’s nice to have someone waiting for me when I go home. Usually, I need to be alone to recharge after a long day, but it’s like she lights me up.”
“Oh, Luke, you are so fucked, my friend,” Bonnie said. “I’ll need a plus-one for the wedding.”
“Whoa, easy there,” I said, holding up my hands. “Let’s not jump straight to that.”
“I’m not jumping anywhere.” Bonnie shook her head. “She’s got you hook, line, and sinker. You’ll be trying to figure out her ring size any day now.”
“Does that mean I can take time off?” I grinned at her. “According to you, it’s true love.”
“No, according to that goofy smile on your face every time you talk about her.” Bonnie waved her hand at me. “You have my permission. Go fall in love, you big softie. Name your first daughter after me.”
I got to my feet and paused at her door. “Hmm, how about our first puppy?”
She threw a pencil at me and I ducked out, laughing.
“I’ll text you after Christmas!” I called over my shoulder.
And then I was out and on my way downstairs to meet Lenny.
He seemed surprised to see me leaving so early, even though it was almost five already.
Most of my days ended much later. It had never been a big deal because no one was waiting on me.
What did it matter if I hung out at home or the office?
There hadn’t been much difference until recently.
On the drive to my place, I sent off a barrage of texts to set up some fun things to do tonight, now that I was free.
Clara deserved a night out to see the city she was considering moving to.
She had come here to visit and she’d ended up working for most of the trip.
Sure, it had been fun for her and great for me, scoring points with my boss, but she deserved a real night out.
The people I had reached out to responded quickly. Dinner was all set, along with a fun surprise for after. Something that would blow Clara away the way she knocked me off my feet.
The elevator ride up felt like it took forever. I was bursting to tell Clara about my spontaneous vacation and about our plans for dinner. When the elevator doors opened, I was blinded by a sea of color and light. In the middle of it all stood Clara, looking shocked and guilty.
“It’s not what it looks like,” she said, holding up her hands like she was a burglar caught in the act. Except what she’d done was like the opposite of a burglary. Instead of stealing my valuables, she had filled up my place with stuff I didn’t want.
Lights of every size and color had been strung over every surface of my living room. So many there was no way to even count them. Wreaths and garlands, giant ornaments and stars, every imaginable decoration hung from my walls.
I shook my head, dizzy from the sensory overload. “What it looks like is that you spent fifty grand on lights for my apartment.”
Clara’s expression brightened. “Ah, funny story about that. This didn’t cost you a penny. Kerri let me borrow some of the decorations from the party.”
I finally noticed the two giant nutcrackers over by the windows. “You moved all this yourself?”
She shrugged. “Once I told Kerri it was for your apartment, she hired movers and helped me set some of this up.” Her eyes met mine, and she gave me that look that ruined me every time. “Surprise!”
“Oh, I’m definitely surprised.”
Her shoulders fell. “You hate it.”
“Yes,” I said, chuckling. “But I like you. So it evens out.”
Clara looked so beautiful standing in the center of the lights. I strode to her and pulled her in a for a kiss. Her lips lit up my body like the rest of the room. When I pulled away, she swayed in my arms, breathless.
“I have a surprise for you, too,” I said.
She gazed up at me with a sweet smile. “Does this surprise involve food? Because I’m so hungry I could eat the antlers off a reindeer.”
I laughed and shook my head. “Good news and bad news. The good news is that we have dinner reservations at one of my favorite places in town.”
“Awesome. What’s the bad news?”
I sighed. “They don’t serve reindeer. At least, I don’t think. I could make some calls.”
Clara stopped me from pulling my phone from my pocket. “No, it’s fine. I had reindeer for lunch.”
It felt good to laugh with her. Life felt lighter with her at my side. Taking the night off had been the right move. There was no one else in the world I wanted to be with right then besides her.
“Go get dressed, you crazy woman. We’re going out on the town.”
“I thought you had work,” she said.
“I’m taking some time off.”
She got so excited when I said it, filling me with warmth. “You took time off from work for me?”
I nodded. “Christmas will be here soon enough. So yeah, I wanted to spend some time together.”
She squealed and squeezed me in a crushing hug. “You’re the best. I’ll be ready in twenty minutes.”
Clara scampered off to her room like an excited rabbit. I changed into a nicer suit and shirt, humming to myself like a fool.
When Clara reappeared, she looked incredible in a dress I had bought for her the other day. Clara looked good in anything, but tonight she had me drooling.
“Do you think the penthouse will burn down in our absence?” I asked.
“Probably. Luckily, the lights turn off.” She flipped a master switch, plunging us into darkness.
Blind, laughing and cursing, we found our way to the elevator and headed out into the night.