Donna Hill - Mistletoe, Baby

Alexis linked her fingers together on her lap while her gaze flicked across his face.

Within moments the taxi was pulling up in front of their building. Glen hurried toward the cab with a luggage cart and helped to unload the bags of groceries and wheeled them inside.

“Don’t know whose is whose,” Alexis said.

“We can sort it all out upstairs.”

They followed Glen onto the elevator. “Where to first?”

“Stop by my flat first, then you can help Ms. Montgomery.”

“Sure thing, Mr. Stone.”

They rode the elevator to Graham’s floor while Glen whistled some off-tune melody. Exiting, Alexis followed the two men down the hall to Graham’s apartment. He opened the door. Alexis lingered at the threshold.

“Come on in. You can help sort through.”

Alexis came in and looked around. The set up was similar to hers but the decor was decidedly different. Graham’s furnishings were in a deep chocolate. A leather sectional that could easily seat ten dominated the living space. At least she thought it did until her gaze landed on the mammoth television. She held back a laugh. Boys and their toys. One wall was covered from floor to ceiling with a bookcase that held at least two hundred books. Impressive. She wondered if he’d read them all. The tabletops held framed photos of Graham in a variety of situations. Most were with people who she believed were students, in others he was at banquets, and there were several with senators and one with President Obama.

Graham and Glen sifted through the bags and deposited all that belonged to Graham on the kitchen floor and on the counters.

“All done,” Graham announced by the time Alexis made her way to the unloading zone. “Glen will take yours down to your place.”

“Thanks. When did you get to meet with the president?” she asked while Glen wheeled her groceries to the door.

“I was on his education committee during his first term. That particular photo was taken during a fund-raising dinner for his second term.”

“You travel in pretty high circles. I had no idea you were part of the education committee.”

“It’s not something that I broadcast.”

“Why not during his second term?”

“As much as I wanted to help President Obama further his agenda, it took me away from mine. My focus needed to return to R.E.A.L.”

She nodded her head in understanding. “Good choice.”

He grinned. “I’m glad you think so.”

“Good night.”

“Good night.”

Graham stood in his doorway and waited until the elevator door swished closed. He slowly shut his door and hoped that he hadn’t made an awful mistake in hiring Alexis Montgomery.

* * *

Alexis had finished putting away her groceries, seasoned a piece of salmon and was waiting for it to finish broiling when her doorbell chimed. She frowned, wiped her hands on a towel and went to the door and pulled it open.

“Graham. Mr. Stone.”

“Graham is fine.” He held up one of the Gristedes bags. “This was mixed in with mine.” He extended the bag that was filled with salad greens.

“I thought it might be with your things. Thank you. I could have come up and gotten it.”

“Not a problem. Mmm, something smells good.”

“I have some salmon broiling.” She paused. “You’re welcome to join me if you want. There’s plenty.”

“Thank you but I’d probably fall asleep. Jet lag is beginning to catch up with me.”

She wanted to run her fingers across the expanse of his chest...just to see if it was as hard as she imagined. She smiled instead. “I totally understand. Get some rest.” She took the bag. “Thanks.”

“Enjoy the rest of your weekend.”

“You, too.”

Alexis slowly closed her apartment door then rested her head against it and shut her eyes. They were going to wind up in bed together, and there was nothing that either of them could do about it. That she knew for sure. What she didn’t know was if she’d be able to keep her job the morning after.

Chapter 4

“Finer than Ian?” Naomi squeaked in disbelief.

“Yes. They haven’t invented the word to describe the man.” Alexis put her feet up on the couch and snuggled into girl-talk mode. She reached for her glass of wine and took a sip.

“Details, details. Let me live vicariously.”

Alexis giggled and then began to fill Naomi in from the moment they met in the car to his dropping off her misplaced groceries.

“Sounds yummy, and a Brit accent, too. Got a little Idris Elba thing going on. Is he single? No, forget that question. You know that mixing business with pleasure is always a disaster.”

Alexis sighed. “I know. Bad business for all concerned. Great if it works, a nightmare when it doesn’t.” She finished off her wine. “But a girl can dream.”

“Make sure it’s only a dream, Lexi,” Naomi warned. “This is a phenomenal career move for you, don’t sabotage it. Besides, if he is as fine as you say he is, then he probably has a string of women nipping at his heels anyway.”

“You’re probably right. But I still have my dreams,” she said on a playful note. Naomi had always been the more provincial, live by the rules, don’t rock the boat kind of girl. She was her conscience, and Alexis knew in the months to come that she was going to need Naomi’s good sense to whisper in her ear when it came to Graham Stone.

* * *

At eight forty-five on Monday morning, Alexis walked through the doors of R.E.A.L. The offices were located on the fifteenth and sixteenth floors of what was once part of the ABC Television offices on Avenue of the Americas and Fifty-Third Street in Manhattan. Everything looked pretty much the way she remembered from her last visit.

The receptionist looked up from her computer screen and smiled. “Good morning, how can I help you?”

“Good morning. I’m Alexis Montgomery. I start work today.”

The young woman’s eyes widened. “Oh, Ms. Montgomery.” She hopped up from her seat. She extended her hand across the horseshoe shaped desk, which Alexis shook. “Mr. Stone told me to send you straight to his office when you arrived.”

Alexis’s pulse quickened at the mention of his name. “Certainly.”

“Let me advise him that you’re here.” She quickly pressed a button on the multiline phone and spoke into her headset. “Yes. Of course.” She looked across the desk at Alexis. “Straight down the hall, make the first right and his office is on the left.”

“Thank you.”

Alexis followed the directions and passed several employees in the hallway and others who were getting settled into their offices. She made the turn and slowed her step. The door was partially open. She could hear his distinctive voice but couldn’t make out the words. Alexis approached the door and knocked.

“Yes. Come in.”

Alexis pushed the door open and stepped inside. Graham stood up from behind his desk. A stunning woman with large, luminous dark eyes and a short pixie haircut turned from her seat to look at Alexis from over her shoulder. She had on a soft pink skirt suit. Everyone couldn’t get away with wearing pink without looking like Barbie. But this woman could.

Graham came from around the rather large desk. “Alexis. Good morning.” He turned to the seated woman. “Tracy Carter, this is Alexis Montgomery.”

Tracy extended her hand but didn’t get up. “I’ve heard a great deal about you.”

Alexis shook her proffered hand and was drawn to Tracy’s green eyes that reflected like hidden jewels against her sandy-brown complexion. “Nice to meet you.”

Tracy’s softly tinted lips barely lifted into a smile. “Welcome aboard.”

The two women held each other’s gaze. Tracy was the first to turn away.