Santa baby, forgot to mention one little thing
A ring
I don’t mean a phone
Santa baby, and hurry down the chimney tonight
Hurry down the chimney tonight
Hurry down the chimney tonight
– Santa Baby, Eartha Kitt

---

December 2

ELQ: Jason Morgan’s Office

“Spinelli, hold my calls until I’ve finished meeting with Ms. Webber,” Jason told his gangly executive administrative assistant as Elizabeth slipped past him into his office.

“Yes, sir, Mr. Morgan, sir.”

Jason closed the door and flashed a smile at Elizabeth as she stood in the middle of his office, her portfolio clutched in her hands as always. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” she replied, drawing her bottom lip between her teeth. She shifted her weight from one black stiletto heel to the other. “Ah. Did you get the contracts? I had Kiki drop them off with your assistant.”

“Mmm-hmm,” Jason nodded. “Have a seat,” he told her, gesturing towards the shortened conference table. “Do you want coffee or tea? I can ask Spinelli to bring it in—”

“I’m fine.” Elizabeth sat down, careful to smooth her black skirt down so it didn’t bunch up. “Emily signed the contracts before her vacation—”

“It looks fine.” Jason brought his own coffee over. She appeared to be in a hurry to conduct business, but Jason didn’t mind drawing her out a bit more—her cheeks were flushed and she was having trouble making eye contact for more than a moment.

Nothing to talk about, indeed.

“Um…” She twisted her pen in her slim fingers. “I think…maybe we should…” Elizabeth sighed. “About yesterday. When you asked if there was anything else we should talk about.”

“Yes?” Jason tilted his head, unable to hold back his grin. “You said there was nothing.”

“So…I might have overstated that.” Elizabeth shifted. “It’s just…what happened that night…” She took a deep breath. “Look, I don’t usually get drunk and hit on my boss—”

“I’m not your boss,” Jason told her. An important distinction.

“Right. Well, anyway.” Elizabeth pursed her lips. “My roommates were there that night, and one of them dared me to drink this ridiculous mixed cocktail with like…a ton of alcohol—” She huffed. “Not that I was too drunk to know what I was doing. That’s not what I’m saying.”

“Nothing would have happened if I thought you were,” Jason said. “There’s no benefit to me to spending time with someone too intoxicated to enjoy it.” He leaned forward. “And I hope I’m not being too arrogant if I assume we both enjoyed ourselves.”

“Well, yes, of course.” The flush spread to her collarbone and the chest area revealed by the white silk blouse she wore. “I mean, I’d been attracted to you before that—” She closed her eyes. “Okay, not important.”

He considered it very important, but filed it away for later. “Elizabeth—”

“Anyway. I woke up the next morning, and I just…I panicked, so I just…said the first thing that came to my mind and left.” She twisted in her chair. “I know it’s…practically history to you, but I just…we’re going to be working together for the next few weeks—”

“Why is it history to me?” Jason interrupted. “It was just a few weeks ago—”

“You…never said anything afterward.” Elizabeth blinked. “I mean, you…never…I don’t know, you didn’t call. So I just…”

“Elizabeth.” Jason leaned back, casually resting a foot on his opposite knee. “As far as I was concerned, you’d made it clear you weren’t interested in pursuing it past that night. Even considered it a mistake.”

“Oh.” Her eyes widened just slightly. “Well, I didn’t. Not exactly, I mean.” She shook her head. “Well, I guess now that we’ve cleared the air—”

Jason let both feet drop to the floor and leaned forward, lowering his voice. “Are you saying you’d be interested?”

The discomfort bled from her shoulders and the light in her eyes changed. She tilted her head to the side. “Are you saying you are?”

“A man would have to be dead a couple of years if they weren’t interested in you.” He reached for her hand and toyed with the fingers.

Her lips parted slightly. “This is probably a bad idea,” she murmured. “But right now, I can’t remember why.”

He grinned. “What do you say we deal with the business at hand and if you’re not busy tonight…a drink after work?”

“That sounds…perfect.”

The Next Day

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “You had these contracts yesterday, Jason.” She leaned over him at his desk as he skimmed the catering paperwork in front of him.

“Your assistant left it with Spinelli who forgot to drop them in my box before I went home.” Jason flipped a page. “This isn’t too much to pay for caviar?”

She arched a brow. “How would you even know? It’s competitive. And I find it hard to believe Spinelli forgot. The kid worships you.” She wrinkled her nose, and leaned against the desk as he continued to peruse. “How did you end up with him? He doesn’t exactly give off that executive air.”

“He drives my grandfather crazy, so he has a job forever as far as I’m concerned.” Jason scrawled his initials on a page before flipping to the next. “He used to work in one of the tech departments. My computer broke. He fixed it. I promoted him.”

“I’m sure that’s the entire story.” Elizabeth shrugged. “Whatever. I stole mine away from my last employer.”

“Right.” Jason signed the last page and glanced up at her. “Emily went to a party last summer you planned at an art gallery. She was quite proud she lured you away.”

“Just between us?” Elizabeth leaned in, a wicked smile playing across her lips. “I hated my job so much if Emily had just offered me a dollar over my current salary, I would have leapt at it. As it was, you guys paid dearly.” She snorted. “And made quite the enemy of Ava Jerome, since I convinced her daughter to jump ship.”

“Well, you’re worth every penny.” He grinned at her, but the tease fell short of its charming intention. She returned the smile, but shifted away from the desk.

“Thanks for signing those. I’ll have Kiki get them over to the caterers.” She reached for the pile, but Jason caught her wrist.

“What? What’d I say?”

“Nothing.” Elizabeth offered her a half smile. “There’s…just a ton more vendors to nail down this week. I mean, most are holding the dates open because Emily always uses them, but I still need to negotiate prices for this year, and—”

He drew her down into his lap, and she sighed. “Elizabeth. We had a good time last night, didn’t we? I like you. If I say something that offends you, I can’t read your mind to find out what it is.”

She pursed her lips. “Nothing. I just…I mean, I know…” She huffed. “This sound so stupid when I say it out loud, so believe me, I’m aware I’m an idiot. But…we slept together last month. And now…I don’t know…we’re…” She wiggled her fingers. “Whatever—”

“And me saying you’re worth every penny when I’ve barely worked with you strikes you as a services rendered comment,” Jason finished.

“I told you it was stupid.” She slid her fingers over the nape of his neck, playing with the short hairs there. “I know you didn’t mean it that way—”

“Emily has done nothing but rave about you for months,” Jason told her. “She told AJ the only reason she could even dream of taking this time off was because she knew you’d step in without a hiccup. My sister has been working at ELQ for seven years. She’s never so much as taken a weekend off, let alone a month, so when I say you’re worth every penny, I mean it because I know how much Emily depends on you.”

“Well, see, now I feel even more stupid.” Lacing her other hand behind his neck, she continued. “How can I ever make it up to you?”

“Well…” Jason’s hand slid around her waist and drew her closer. “I think we can think of a few things.”

Her laugh slid into a moan as his lips covered hers, his fingers burning into the skin beneath her thin red dress. A trail of heat burned down her thigh as Jason’s hand slid around to her knee.

“If I could make a request,” he murmured, drawing back slightly. “You look great in these little pencil skirts, but they’re not exactly….conducive to this type of activity.”

“I’ll take that under advisement.” Elizabeth reluctantly disentangled her arms from his neck. “I really should go send these contracts back.”

“I have late meetings tonight,” Jason admitted. “Tomorrow?”

Elizabeth scooped the paperwork from his desk, and grinned over her shoulder as she headed out.

This was going to end in complete disaster, but her roommates were right. Opportunities with men like Jason came along so rarely, she was going to hold on with both hands and enjoy every minute.

For the rest of that first week together, their daily meetings became less about the paperwork Jason barely studied before scrawling the necessary signature at the bottom. Instead the half hour he’d carved out of his morning schedule were spent in his office chair or curled up on the sofa, making out like teenagers.

That first weekend, she’d hoped to spend the night with him, but an emergency with an ELQ subsidiary sent Jason to New York until Sunday evening.

Monday morning, Elizabeth breezed past Spinelli into Jason’s office. He was leaning against his desk, grinning. “You’re early,” he teased.

“Did you get the contracts Kiki sent over?” Elizabeth asked, tossing her portfolio on the conference table.

“Already signed.” Jason eyed her outfit. “I like the dress.”

She arched a brow, stepped forward and grabbed his shirt in her fist. “Any other business?”

“None that I can think of.”

She had clearly not enjoyed his absence any more than he’d liked spending the weekend away, as they came together in a tangle of lips and hands, each trying desperately to get closer. His suit jacket was on the floor before he knew what to think and her back hit the sofa with a hard fall.

“Sorry,” he muttered, torn between dragging her dress over her knees or tugging the wide cowl neck over her shoulders. Her busy hands were drawing apart his shirt and tugging it from his pants.

“Didn’t even notice,” she responded, her breaths coming in short pants as his lips nipped at her collarbone. “You have the best hands.”

“Yours aren’t so shabby.” He drew back slightly to brush a kiss on her lips. “I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.” Elizabeth flushed, her fingers dancing down his bare chest. “I bought something special for Saturday night.”

“Well, I hope you’re free tonight to put it to use,” Jason said, his hand sliding past her knee to the soft skin of her inner thigh.

“It’s all right, Spinelli. I’ll just be a minute—” The door opened on those words and his cousin, Ned Ashton, stopped in the doorway. “Ah. Sorry.”

Elizabeth squeaked and frantically tried to get out from beneath Jason, who just slowly rose to his feet and glared at his cousin. “If Spinelli tells you I’m busy—”

“Next time, I’ll listen.” Ned arched a brow. “You must be Elizabeth.”

“Um…” Elizabeth shoved her rumpled hair over her shoulder. “This…” She sighed. “Yeah, that’d be me.”

“I’ll just leave these notes here.” Ned laid the papers on a table near the door. “I’ll see you at the board meeting later.”

He exited, and Elizabeth stepped away when Jason reached for her. “I’ll have to learn to lock the door—”

“Jason, do you know that’s the first time I’ve seen the CEO of this company?” She buried her head in hands. “Oh, man. What a first impression.”

“It’s not a big deal—”

“Not a big deal,” Elizabeth repeated flatly. “I suppose Ned walks in on you with women all the time.”

“No,” Jason drawled. “But I’ve walked in on him enough that I think I’ve earned one in return.” He drew her closer. “Listen. It’s not the end of the world. He’s not just a nameless corporate shill. He’s my cousin. He’s not going to care.”

“I guess we were flirting with disaster….being so unprofessional at work,” she murmured.” She combed her fingers through her hair. “Thank God my office is just down the hall. Kiki probably won’t even notice.”

“Well, we should see each other more often outside these four walls.” He brushed a kiss against her unsmiling lips. “I’ve been stuck in meetings, but I should be clear for tonight. And…I’d like to take you to the ELQ parties later this month.”

Elizabeth furrowed her brow. “I’ll be there anyway, Jason. I—I’ll be working—”

“Yes,” Jason said. “But I’d like to take you as my date. Pick you up. Drop you off.” He grinned. “Maybe not so much the second part.”

A nervous laugh escaped her lips. “Jason…that’s…the entire company will be there. Not to mention pretty much all the richest people in the state.”

“Which is why I want to spend time with someone I actually like.”

“But…” Elizabeth twisted her fingers together. “Then…everyone would see us together.”

“Ah…” Jason rubbed the back of his neck. “Is…that something that would be a problem? Because I didn’t think it would have to be a secret.”

“There’s a difference between a discreet…whatever and…making the grand debut at the biggest events of the year.” Elizabeth wrinkled her nose. “I’ll…can I just…think about it?”

Slightly annoyed, but knowing that he’d asked her on the tail end of a particularly embarrassing moment, he let it slide. “Fine.”

“Okay.” She reached for the portfolio she’d discarded earlier. “Um, just…send those contracts back to me when you’re done with them.”

“I already signed them,” Jason reminded her. He reached for the small stack. “I’ll call you later to firm up plans for tonight.”

“Okay.” Elizabeth leaned in for another kiss. “Jason, I really…I’m glad you asked me. It’s just…I’m an employee. I…have to think these things through more.”

“I guess.” Jason watched her go, cursing her cousin and himself for his poor timing.

ELQ: Ned Ashton’s Office

Ned just grinned at him when Jason followed AJ into his office for their monthly board meeting prep. “Jason. Glad you could tear yourself away.”

AJ arched a brow as he crossed to the mini bar to pour himself a tumbler of gin. “Something going on I should know about?”

“No,” Jason said, sending Ned a dark look. “He’s an idiot.”

“Jason was being welcomed back in fine fashion by Emily’s assistant when I dropped by this morning.” Ned sat down at the conference table. “I see you’re making the best of your unexpected foray into event planning.”

“Elizabeth?” AJ asked. “Damn it. I was waiting another month for her settle in before I turned on the charm.” He sipped the gin. “You’ve scooped her up before I even had a chance—”

“If either of you value your lives, you’ll shut up now.” Jason stabbed a finger at Ned. “Don’t you dare mention this morning to her again. She’s mortified that’s the way she met the CEO.”

Ned waved it away. “Didn’t you tell her it’s a family tradition? It’s how we always meet the new women.” He shuddered. “I actually walked in on Grandfather once.”

AJ scowled. “Why the hell do you gotta put those images in my head? Seriously. There’s not enough liquor in the world.”

“I’m sure you’d try to find it,” Jason said dryly as his older brother turned the glare on him.

“And didn’t you tell her that’s how you met my first wife?” Ned asked.

“And mine,” AJ said. “Well, the only wife. And it was my bedroom at home. Once you go Carly, you turn away marriage pretty much forever. If not for Michael. I’d block that out for good.” He sighed. “Twenty-two years of blissful freedom. Never get married when you’re eighteen. You know nothing about life.”

“Isn’t it how you met my second wife, too?” Ned frowned. “I distinctly remember Lois and Alexis never forgiving me for that lock.”

“How do you even keep them straight?” AJ asked. “I mean other than Lois, because you know, Brooke. But I don’t even think I remember the other two.”

“Alexis’s sister,” Jason reminded him. “And the blonde that made Carly look normal.”

“Faith.” Ned sighed in memory. “Insane, but worth all six months.”

“Right, so didn’t you just tell Elizabeth it’s practically family tradition?” AJ asked. “Though come to think of it, it is the first time we’ve caught you.”

“You’re just including yourself in my discovery?” Ned asked. “Of course you are.”

“If you mention it to her even once, I’ll make you sorry you got out of bed in the morning.” Jason leaned forward. “Are we understood?”

“Fine, but I swear, the next gorgeous woman who comes to work here, I have dibs,” AJ told him. “I should have called dibs in July.”

“Way to act five years old,” Ned sighed. “You’ll have free reign since it looks like Jason and I are otherwise engaged.” He hesitated. “To be serious for a moment, Jason. I hope you’ve thought this through. If it doesn’t work out, and Elizabeth leaves the company, Emily will never let you forget it.”

Jason narrowed his eyes. “I don’t foresee it being a problem.”

“You never do at the beginning,” AJ said, with a sad sigh. “And then you wake up one morning and realize you’ve married a piranha.”

← Part One | Part Three →