Holidays with the Billionaire

Chapter 6

Kelton

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T he entire top floor of the building is decked out in Christmas cheer. My marketing department is in charge of the annual Christmas party, and for that, I’m especially grateful for this year. Everything looks amazing. My family is always invited, and I’m happy to see Seth and Rita here.

A week has gone by, and somehow, Lea managed to pull off getting the rest of the spreadsheet and planning done for me. I didn’t think she had it in her, but she came through, and I’m so relieved I can relax and look forward to the working ski resort trip next week. She also managed to get through all the meetings without embarrassing me and sent over damn near perfect meeting minute notes, whom she distributed to with the premade email list Kay had set up. I mean, that’s not hard, but you never know what is easy and difficult for that woman.

“Hi, Kelt! The place looks amazing!” my sister-in-law greets as she kisses me on the cheek.

“Thanks, Rita,” I tell her, looking over her long red dress and black heels. “You look great.” I glance at my brother in his three-piece black and white suit. “You both do.”

“Thanks, brother,” he replies, shaking my hand.

I wear a black tuxedo and didn’t bring a date. I have an on-again-off-again woman I see sometimes for these things, but for some reason, I wanted to go stag tonight.

I look out across the room. The round eight-person tables are dressed in red tablecloths with fancy centerpieces, and a large wooden dance floor stands in the middle. The DJ plays something Christmasy and people are dancing. Large boxes with bows sit beside him for the raffle later. I always go all out for my employees—televisions, smokers, barbeques, fondue pots, outdoor heaters... top-of-the-line raffle prizes.

“Hello, Mr. Fox. You look very nice!” Lea says, coming up beside me with a young man on her arm.

“Hi, Lea. Thank you. Likewise.” She wears a long silver sequin dress and very high heels. He hair is so high it practically touches the ceiling.

“This is my date, Matt.”

I shake the man’s hand and he smiles. “Good to meet you.”

“Do you need anything?” Lea asks.

“No, everything is taken care of,” I reply. “Thanks, though.”

She giggles for some reason and walks off with her date.

At the makeshift bar, I order a whiskey on the rocks and nurse it as I stand alone and survey the room some more. Movement on the dance floor catches my eye and I see Adlee dancing with Gabriel. She looks gorgeous in a short black dress with silver heels and all her hair piled up on the top of her head. I have to hold back a smile when I see her dip her head back and laugh, resisting the urge to slink over and run my lips along the column of her long, smooth neck.

Staff emerge from the kitchen and announce the food will be served soon. I take a seat at a table with my brother, sister-in-law, Laskin and his wife, and the COO, Marnie and her husband. The extra empty seat next to me is glaring, but nobody says a word about it.

I watch as the staff brings out prime rib and chicken meals, and I glance over to where Adlee is seated with a bunch of other employees, including my secretary. She looks happy as she drinks champagne and laughs with her friend, and I feel oddly jealous of the guy, even though I know there’s nothing going on between them.

“What do you think, Kelt?”

I turn toward my brother’s voice. “What?”

He chuckles. “Too much champagne?” He points to my still full glass.

I shake my head and plaster on a small smile. “Not at all. Just didn’t hear you.”

Seth points. “I was just telling Jerrold and Marnie I hope you don’t work us too hard during the ski trip. I bought a new snowboard and am hoping to break it in!”

I chuckle. “You never come to work meetings anyway. Which you should since you own twenty percent of the shares.”

He waves a hand. “Nah, I trust you. I’d rather ski and watch clumsy here narrowly miss hitting trees.” He points at his wife.

Rita smacks his arm. “Hey. It’s not my fault you force me to go every year.”

“Yeah, real hardship, a week at a resort without the kids. It’s so tough on you, I can tell.”

She giggles and kisses him. “Okay, you’re right.”

I get a little envious of their easygoing, loving relationship and wonder if I’ll ever have one.

Not that I’m looking. I’m only thirty-two. I have time.

After a pleasant dinner, I walk around and greet my employees and their guests. My eyes scan the area for Adlee because I just can’t help myself, but she’s nowhere. I tell myself it doesn’t matter where she is. If she left, so be it.

As I make my way to the restrooms, I stop short when I hear her voice from the hallway.

“Keep your voice down,” Gabriel whisper-hisses at her, but then he laughs.

“No, Gabe. I am gonna say something. I did all that work and she freakin’ took credit! She told me she’d tell Fox I did it, and of course she didn’t. It’s not fair.”

“Honey, did you even tell her she had to tell Mr. Foxy that she did all the work? The spreadsheets, the meeting minutes?”

I grin momentarily at the use of Mr. Foxy, but it’s not like I haven’t heard it before. Then, as what he says sinks in, I frown.

Are you fucking kidding me?

It takes everything in me not to charge around the corner and demand an explanation. Why is she doing Lea’s work for her?

While I told myself I couldn’t hire her as my assistant because it would have been borderline inappropriate with how attracted I am to her, I start to wonder if that was a mistake. If I should have sucked it up to get a good assistant who could do their job.

But how was I supposed to know that Lea was literally a dumb blonde?

Fuck.

Now what am I supposed to do?

A bloodcurdling scream disrupts my thoughts and I rush back into the ballroom to see one of the male IT employees looking stressed. “Someone help!”

I run across the room and see him standing next to the open door to the stairwell, Lea at the bottom screaming hear head off about her leg. Broken glass surrounded by liquid is on the cement floor. Her hair is out of its clip, her silver gown is torn up the side, and her leg is as at awkward angle that makes me a little sick to my stomach. Her date, Matt, kneels beside her, trying to calm her.

“I’ll call 911,” Gabriel says from next to me, where he seems to have appeared out of nowhere.

Adlee runs down the stairs as gingerly as she can. “Oh, my God. Lea! What happened?”

Lea’s wails are ear-splitting. “I fell. Adlee, help, it hurts so bad!”

Well, this isn’t good at all.

“I told her I’d help her down, but she wanted to walk on her own in those ridiculous shoes,” Matt says, looking stressed.

Lea ignores him or doesn’t hear him, just continues to wail like a smoke alarm.

Way to ruin a party... and now I’m screwed for the resort retreat.

T he vibe in the office on Monday is pretty quiet. I don’t think everyone is hungover from the weekend, but pretty stoic on what happened to Lea. Broken femur bone and she’ll be out for at least six weeks and then back with limited mobility. Not that she does much but sit at a desk, but still.

I’m supposed to leave Thursday for the retreat.

All weekend, an idea has been forming in my head, but I’m not sure I can go through with it. However, the more I mull it over, the more I realize I don’t have a choice.

I grab my coffee and refill it at the station outside my office, then exit the lobby and head into the main office area. Adlee sits at her desk, and I go into the breakroom under the ruse of getting more sugar. I wanted to make sure she was here before I called her.

As I go back into my office, I take a deep breath and dial her extension.

“Mr. Laskin’s office, Adlee speaking.”

“Miss Phillips, it’s Kelton Fox. Can I see you in my office?”

She’s quiet for a minute, then says, “Oh, um. Sure. Like right now?”

I sigh. “Yes, Adlee. Right now.” I hang up.

Not a minute later, a knock sounds. “Come in,” I call.

Adlee enters and I suck in a quiet breath at the dark-purple dress that comes above the knee and the way her black pumps make her calves look lickable. Her dark cinnamon hair falls in waves over one shoulder and she stares at me with large green eyes. She almost looks scared.

Why does she look frightened?

“Have a seat. Please.” I indicate the chair.

I watch as she glances around my office, her eyes widening at the large windows and the credenza stacked with awards.

Getting right down to business so I don’t distract myself with her beauty or let my eyes slide lower than hers, I say, “Miss Phillips, I’m going to ask you something and I need you to be completely honest with me.”

Her eyes widen a bit and I can see her swallow hard. “Okay...”

“Did you help Lea with the retreat’s spreadsheet last week?”

She rolls her lips together and then chews on the side of her bottom one. “Well, she asked me to help her.”

“But you, in fact, just did the whole thing, didn’t you?”

She nods slowly. “Yes, sir.”

Her calling me sir does something to me, but I ignore it for now.

“And the meeting minutes, you did those, as well?” I ask.

“Yes, sir.”

I nod. “Okay. It sounds like you’re better suited for this job than she is. While she’s out on medical leave, I’m going to have you fill in for her.”

“But—”

I put my hand up. “Don’t worry, I’ll get you help with Jerrold and you’ll receive a temporary increase in pay for the six weeks.”

“Um, okay, that would be great.”

“There is one catch, and you’ll have to agree to it in writing,” I inform her.

She looks at me skeptically with her clear lime-green eyes. “What’s that?”

“You’ll be accompanying me on the ski retreat, and this is non-negotiable.”