A Christmas Temptation

“How do two dozen gourmet caramel apples slathered in chocolate and sprinkles sound?”

“Like I need to skip lunch. Which is perfect because today is crazy.” Sophie stood up and took the new pumps for a spin around her office. “What do you think?”

“Honestly? Sexy. Super sexy.”

Sophie admired her feet again. Sure her toes were pinched and her arches would be screaming by the time the day was over, but she didn’t care. Right now, beautiful shoes were the only things that were making her happy. “If Marie comes by, tell her I’m keeping them.”

“Will do. Now, back to your crazy day. There’s a long list of fires that need putting out all over the store.”

“Great. Can’t wait.” Sophie gave the statement all the sarcasm it deserved.

“All six employees of the coat check have come down with the flu. We got someone from housewares to fill in, but you know how people feel about working the coat check. The ladies’ lounge on the fourth floor flooded at some point late yesterday and nobody noticed. There’s some water damage on three, but I have maintenance on it. Lastly, the perfume counter somehow managed to run out of Chanel No. 5, which seems like a problem at Christmas.”

“A huge problem.” Gram would’ve been horrified.

“Unfortunately, the distributor can’t get us anything for a week.”

“I’m on it. Can you call a temp agency to see if we can get somebody else to cover the coat check? People stay a lot longer in the store if they don’t have to carry around their winter gear.”

Lizzie left and Sophie wasted no time getting to work, first taking care of the more urgent matters, like the critical depletion of the Chanel No. 5 supply. After that, she pulled up the previous day’s sales numbers, which, although good, weren’t where they needed to be. This was one of those instances where she really needed Mindy to help her brainstorm on new marketing and store ideas for next year. But, of course, Mindy hadn’t merely expressed her disinterest; she’d said she absolutely refused to help out.

Lizzie rapped on Sophie’s door. “It appears that Jake Wheeler has taken things to the next level.”

“What now? Giant gourmet fortune cookies?”

Lizzie shook her head. “No. He’s here. With flowers. Lots and lots of flowers.”

“Here? He’s here?” Incomprehensible excitement rushed through her, followed quickly by a dizzying dose of jitters. She hadn’t seen Jake in eight years. It had taken three of those to get over him, and even then she wasn’t totally sure she’d managed to get him completely out of her system. Knowing what the mere mention of his name did to her made it seem that much more unlikely she’d accomplished the task. “What did you tell him?”

“He knows you’re here. Sorry, but Marie stopped by to check on your shoes and he heard me say that you were wearing them right now.”

“Lots of flowers?”

“Lots and lots.”

Sophie sucked in a deep breath and decided it was best to just get this over with. She couldn’t hide from him forever, even though she desperately wanted to. “Okay. I’m coming out.” She straightened her clothes, admittedly happy she’d worn a sleek, curve-hugging black dress. Jake didn’t need to know that it was one of the more comfortable work outfits she owned. All he needed to know was that she looked amazing in it, and unless he’d lost some visual acuity in the last eight years, he should have no trouble seeing that.

The problem was she wasn’t prepared to see him, especially not as she marched into the reception area and was confronted by his face, somehow more handsome eight years later, poking out above an armful of her favorite flowers—pink peonies. It was as if her subconscious had constructed this scene to disarm her. To leave her as a puddle on the floor. Between the heady smell of the flowers and the mind-blowing sight of Jake, she was surprised she could still stand.

His dark hair was just as thick and unruly as ever. Good God, she’d spent an embarrassing amount of time fantasizing about running her fingers through it. And when she’d finally had the chance, it was even better than she’d imagined. “Hi, Sophie. It’s been a long time.” His penetrating green eyes broke her down as he unsubtly checked her out from head to toe. His unforgettable mouth pulled into a self-assured grin, one that said he was greatly enjoying the fact that he’d made it into her office. They were finally face-to-face.

“It has been a long time, hasn’t it?” Sophie stood a little straighter, but it was just a defense mechanism. She’d forgotten how vulnerable it made her feel to meet his appraisal. Aside from a beautiful pair of black leather wingtips and the hem of charcoal-gray trousers, every other part of Jake was obscured by the flowers. The war that raged inside her whenever Jake popped into her head, or now, her world, was reignited. He knew what he was doing. He knew exactly how weak she was for sweet gestures and sentimentality. This wasn’t about expressing his feelings. This was about Jake Wheeler getting what he wanted—his hands on Eden’s Department Store.

“I brought flowers.”

“So I gather. First fruit, now this?” Sophie planted both hands on her hips, wanting to come off as powerful. Invincible. Certainly as someone who could never be hurt. She dug the heel of her shoe into the office carpet, noting that he couldn’t resist the chance to look at her legs. Once again, Mr. Blahnik had done his job.

Jake laughed. “I’m working my way through all the best gifts that start with the letter f. Not sure I’m prepared to invest in a Ferrari, though, judging by your reaction to the flowers. I might just go with a ferret.”

Sophie was trying to contain her smile. His quick wit had always gotten to her, but it was yet another of his considerable assets, one that he would likely use to soften her defenses. “You’re terrible. You think you can just show up at my office with the world’s largest arrangement of my favorite flowers and I’ll just talk to you?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.”

The heat was rising in her cheeks, making her all the more determined to keep this a short visit. She had a million things to do and Jake was nothing but trouble, however nice it was to look at him. “Ten minutes. That’s all you get.”

“How about ten minutes to catch up and ten to talk business?”

“This isn’t a negotiation. We’ll spend ten talking business and then you can leave.” She wasn’t interested in catching up or reliving old times. It was too painful to think about how over-the-moon she’d been for him and how effortlessly he’d rejected her.

“Okay. But what about the flowers? It would be nice to put them down somewhere. Or at least feel like you appreciate them. Peonies are not available in Manhattan in the winter. I had to have them flown in.”

His words hit her in one fell swoop. This man she had once cared about deeply had been jumping through considerable hoops to get to her. His motives might be questionable, but perhaps she needed to stop being an ice queen about it. “I’m sorry. I do appreciate them. They’re beautiful.”

She took two careful steps toward him, not sure whether she should look at him or the peonies. With every inch closer to Jake, she felt herself fall under his spell a little more. She reached for the flowers, but they were so bulky that he had to lean unimaginably close to lay them in her arms. The penetrating gaze of his green eyes left her wondering if this was a dream. Somewhere behind the veneer of expensive gifts and grand gestures, the well-made wool coat and tempting five o’clock shadow, this man who had once been her entire world was still living and breathing.

“Thank you,” she muttered. “They really are gorgeous.”

Jake didn’t step away. He didn’t break the connection between them either, his warm hand on her bare elbow, his lips just as kissable as they’d always been, maybe even more so. “They’re nothing on you, Soph. I have to say you look amazing. All this time apart has done you well.”

Sophie’s knees wobbled. His voice caused a deep tremor that resonated through her entire body. “You look great, too. But you were always handsome. You know that.” Handsome was such an inadequate word for Jake, it was ridiculous. Perhaps it was because he was so much more than good-looking. There was the swagger. The easy confidence. The glint in his eye that made you feel like you were the only woman in his orbit.

“Doesn’t mean I don’t like hearing it.”

Sophie held her breath. If this were a movie, this would be the part where he’d throw caution to the wind, take her into his arms and kiss her, crushing what might be a thousand dollars in flowers between them. She couldn’t let herself get carried away with that particular mental image, so she cast her sights down at the arrangement in her arms and gave them a sniff. “I’d better get these in some water.”

She hurried over to Lizzie and deposited them on her desk. “If you could put these in some water, that would be great.”

“Absolutely.” Lizzie looked past Sophie and eyed Jake. It was easy to see how much she was appreciating the view. “Would you like me to hold your calls?”

A good interruption would make for an easier escape if she started to feel overmatched by Jake, but she had to get through this. She had to listen to his pitch, try not to let the past creep in and send him on his way. “I think I’ll be fine.” She waved Jake on to her office. “Come on. We’ll meet in here.”

A certain sense of pride hit Sophie when she stepped inside. Yes, this job was her birthright, but she worked hard and her office was impressive, especially now. Reginald and his team had really gone all out. Each of the six windows in her corner office had its own fresh wreath decorated with flocked pinecones and berries, tied with a wide white velvet bow. Sparkly white and silver garland framed the views of the city beautifully. But the tree was the real showstopper, decorated with silver glass balls, tiny white-and-red birds wired to the branches and more twinkle lights than Sophie had ever seen in a single application. Every time she looked at the holiday iteration of her office, her heart swelled.

“Please. Have a seat,” Sophie said, offering one of the two upholstered chairs opposite her desk.

“It looks like Christmas exploded,” Jake said, sounding a bit stunned.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Sophie stepped behind her desk, surveying the room and ignoring his poor choice of words. Surely he didn’t mean it in such a crude way.

“Who did this to your office?”

“Reginald. Our creative director. He really outdid himself. I don’t know how I’m going to get any work done at all. I just want to stare at it.” She folded her hands in her lap, deciding it was no longer time for small talk. “Now, why don’t you say what you came to say.”

He slowly unbuttoned his coat and draped it over the back of one of the chairs, still admiring the room. Meanwhile, Sophie was trying not to stare at how incredible he looked in his impeccably tailored suit. He cleared his throat, crossed his leg and sat back in his chair, nothing less than pure, casual confidence. “As you know, you and your sister are in a very unique situation. You are not only set to inherit one of the largest commercial buildings in Manhattan, your grandmother had the foresight and the means to purchase the land, as well. You don’t come across that every day. I’d like to buy the property. I’ve already told your sister that I’m prepared to pay 4.5 billion for the land and the building.”

Sophie worked with a lot of numbers every day, but that one was a doozy. She knew how much the property was worth, and Jake had clearly done his homework. The offer was in line with market value, but just sweet enough to make her have to think twice. She drew a deep breath through her nose to calm herself enough to deliver her answer. “Thank you, but no.”

“You can ask any appraiser in the city. It’s a very generous offer. I’m willing to move quickly. I have a small group of partners on this deal and we’re prepared to do an all-cash sale.”