A Mistletoe Kiss With The Boss

Like an orchestra conductor, Stella raised her hands, then made a chopping motion. “Everybody shut up.” She turned to Kristen. “You...in the chair.”

Kristen walked over to the salon chair that had materialized in her sitting room while she’d been sleeping, sat down and turned herself over to the professionals.

Almost two hours later, Stella helped her slip into the black gown. She fastened her sparkly white gold necklace, then gave her the earrings. When they were in place, she handed Kristen a box.

“This is a gift. From Dean. He doesn’t like to make a big deal out of these things, but he appreciates your help tonight.”

As she took the box, a weird feeling enveloped her. It was one thing to keep the gown she’d need to help pull off his charade. Quite another to take a gift.

“I can’t accept this.”

Stella sighed. “You have to. He wants you to wear it tonight.” She held up her hand. “Wait.” Racing to a table by the door, she picked up another box. “These first.”

She opened the box to find long black dinner gloves. “Gloves?”

“It’s white tie,” Stella explained, helping Kristen pull on the elbow-length gloves. “Way more formal than black tie. When I realized we’d forgotten them, I called the boutique and had these delivered. Open the gift.”

Silky black gloves fumbling with the lid, she opened the second box and gasped. Her gaze jumped to Stella. “I don’t care if he wants me to wear this, I can’t accept it.”

Without missing a beat, Stella took the diamond bracelet out of the box and slid it over Kristen’s left hand and onto the glove. Sparkling against the black silk, the bracelet nearly blinded Kristen.

Stella laughed. “See why he bought this for you? When he saw the dress and gloves this afternoon—”

“He was here?”

“He was busy calling brokers, but I texted pictures.” She shook her head. “He approves everything. Every detail. Anyway, when he saw the gloves and realized all your other jewelry was just white gold, he insisted on the diamonds.”

“I can’t keep them.”

Stella laughed. “It isn’t a request. Or an option. The bracelet is a necessary part of your outfit that becomes a thank-you gift. It’s not my place to change that. If you don’t want the bracelet, fight it out with Dean.”

“I will.”

Dean arrived in her hotel room at eight and Stella stepped back as if she were presenting Kristen as a completed project, not a person.

He took in the fancy upswept hairdo the stylist had given her, and then his gaze skimmed from the top of her dress to the tips of her toes. If another man had looked at her like that, she probably would have shivered, but his gaze was cool, efficient.

“She’s perfect.”

Stella beamed. “Of course she is.” She grabbed her coat and purse. She said, “You two kids have fun,” and then she left the hotel room.

Kristen sucked in a breath. “So I’m okay?”

“I already said you were perfect,” he said, his voice businesslike and efficient. “Let’s go.”

Uneasiness wove through her. From his extremely chilly behavior, she had the odd sense that she’d done something wrong. But she hadn’t. She’d agreed with everything he’d asked, including a stay in New York City that she hadn’t planned on, a shopping trip and a Christmas party.

How could he be upset with her?

She picked up the black satin wrap that matched her gown and walked to the door with him. They rode down in the main elevator of the exclusive hotel in complete silence.

In the lobby, employees nodded and said, “Good evening, Mr. Suminski. Ms. Anderson,” but other guests ignored them. They stepped outside into the cold December air and, glancing at her skimpy wrap, Dean rushed her into the limo.

She slid onto the seat. He slid on beside her. The limo pulled out into traffic.

The silence continued.

She peeked over at Dean who wore a black tux, white shirt, white vest and white bow tie. He looked clean and expensive and smelled divine. And for the first time it hit her that she was really on a date with him. One of the richest, most handsome men in the world.

The whole freaking world.

Her throat tightened. Her nerve endings buzzed. Right at that moment, sitting next to him, his money and social status took a backseat to his good looks. Never in a million years would a farm girl from Grennady ever date a guy like this. Not that the men in Grennady weren’t handsome. But there was something about Dean Suminski that made her tingle. He was so pulled together and so smart, and those penetrating dark eyes of his were like onyx.

Of course he was also distant with her. Maybe not angry, but not exactly a guy who looked like he was on a date with a woman he liked. And it was her job to fool the world into thinking they were a couple. A happy couple.

She cleared her throat and said the first thing that came to mind. “So it really is white tie?”

He faced the window, clearly unhappy that he’d have to speak. “It’s funny what rich people will think up to distinguish themselves.”

“You’re one of those rich people.” She held up her arm, displaying the bracelet. Since he was angry anyway, they might as well settle this now. “By the way, I can’t keep this.”

He turned to her with a frown. “The bracelet?”

“Yes.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s not right.”

“You’re helping me.”

“We have a deal. Ten minutes after we shook hands, I signed the written agreement for computers in exchange for this date. No bracelet.”

“The miracle of technology. I call my lawyer. He writes a simple, no-nonsense agreement, emails it to me and I print it. Everything goes at the speed of light these days.”

She almost laughed at the way he tried to fool her. “Don’t change the subject. As it is, we’re equals. You start giving me bracelets and everything changes.”

He tilted his head. “How so?”

“It makes our relationship personal. Plus, it’s expensive. I don’t need it—or want it.”

When he only stared at her, she sighed. “Our deal should be professional. Things get messy when you mix personal things into business. I don’t like messy.”

He studied her face for a few seconds before he said, “It sounds like you’ve had a little experience in this.”

She said nothing.

“If you want me to understand your point of view, you have to explain.”