Stranded for Christmas with my Boss (Forbidden Billionaire Boss Daddies)

1. Alyssa

Chapter one

Alyssa

N ew York City’s exciting chaos surrounds me as I stare up at the shiny, towering office building that belongs to Soul Flames, the latest and greatest dating and relationship app on the current market.

And also my new place of employment.

The sound of jingling draws my attention away for a moment, a smile forming on my face at the sight of a man dressed as Santa Claus raising money for charity across the street. Despite the overcast, nippy day, there is always a lightness in the air when December arrives.

Everything glitters from icy surfaces, and dashes of red and green adorn every storefront and lamppost. Don’t even get me started on the breathtaking majesty of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.

As much as I want to partake in all of the holiday spirit, I need to take care of business first.

A slightly shaky exhale drifts from me as I check the time on my phone, my breath coming out in a subtle cloud in the midst of the cold air around me. Ten minutes until the start of my first day. Ten minutes until a new, necessary chapter of my life begins.

A lot is riding on this, which means I can’t mess this opportunity up. I just can’t .

My phone buzzes as a new message notification pops up on my screen, the name “Mom” appearing at the top.

Good luck today! Dad and I are so proud of you! Love you!

Warmth blooms in my chest as I read over the message one more time, my motivation resurging. I’ve been reading up on the company and doing my best to prepare for this job since getting the offer last week.

I can do this.

Heading into work now. Love you!

I send off the text message before plucking at my tucked-in, white blouse and black pencil skirt, making sure there isn’t an ugly crease or wrinkle. I’ll be the CEO’s new executive assistant, and we haven’t even laid eyes on each other yet. This will be my first impression, so I need to leave a good one.

Tilting my chin up and letting the honey-blonde strands of my hair fall behind my shoulders, I stride through the tumbling snowflakes that have blanketed the city and into the building, my heels thumping against the lobby’s hard tile flooring. A mixture of Christmas music and people speaking rings out all around me as I make a beeline to the elevator, my skin starting to warm up with nervousness.

I have to impress Jensen Riley. As my boss, he holds more than just my future in his hands. He can make or break every plan that I have.

As the elevator glides upward toward the top floor, my stomach flips, but I put on the same bright smile that I’ve used during every interview, college presentation, and professional meeting. It works like a charm.

I walk forward as the elevator doors slide open, my eyes sweeping around a large, open space. The offices of higher-ups have glass walls, making the executive floor look even more sterile and modern than it already looks with its white and dark brown furniture and towering windows.

Unease threatens to crawl up the back of my neck as I head to the back, toward the only office with privacy blinds covering the walls, concealing what and who is inside. But I already know.

Do I even belong in a place like this? Where the men wear suits as expensive as all of my monthly bills combined. Where the women seem to glow with perfect faces and astounding achievements.

I’m already an outsider coming in because I grew up in a small town about an hour from the city. Are they going to be able to sniff me out as a fraud from a mile away?

A few executives glance in my direction as I pass by their exposed offices, but I don’t get stopped as I draw closer to Jensen’s office. The closer I get, the more my shoulders square and tense.

This is it. No turning back now.

My knuckles gently rap against the office’s doorway before I poke my head inside. “Mr. Riley?”

It doesn’t take me long at all to lay my eyes upon one of the hottest men I’ve ever seen in my life. Do I tend to exaggerate at times? Sure, but not this time.

Stormy blue eyes lift from a document I can’t read, settling on me. They narrow slightly. His stubbled jaw tenses as he sits up in his chair, his already broad shoulders seeming even larger under his black suit jacket. I just know that he must be built like a Greek god under his expensive clothes.

“I take it you’re my new assistant.”

His voice . Deep and smooth, like rich honey.

My brain malfunctions for a second as I walk toward him silently like I’m in a trance. When he gives me an annoyed look, I snap out of it and extend my hand out to him. “Yes, I’m Alyssa Wren. It’s very nice to meet you, Mr. Riley.”

Jensen stands at the same time that I lift my hand, turning his gaze away from me as he approaches a file cabinet in the back corner of the room. “We don’t have much time before I have a meeting with Violet Linden. When we return, you need to look over these documents and get caught up on our January update plan.”

My face burns with embarrassment as I lower my hand. Either he didn’t see me try to shake his hand, or he’s just rude. Please don’t be a rude jerk .

“Of course. And…Violet Linden?” I ask.

Jensen drops a folder on top of his desk, the loud smack making me tense. “Lifestyle influencer. We need her to help promote the app’s new update.”

I raise my eyes to his, not particularly liking his impatient tone. How am I supposed to know the inner workings of his company on the first day? I pick up the folder and start glancing over the documents inside, trying to retain as much information as I can as quickly as I can. “Am I going to the meeting with you?”

“You go everywhere with me.”

At this point, I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing. He’s certainly not as warm as I had hoped he would be.

“There isn’t enough time for you to read that now. We have to get going,” Jensen says as he motions for me to put the folder down. “We’re meeting her at this flashy brunch place. You don’t need to engage with her outside of greetings and goodbyes. I need you there to take note of what she’s saying and wanting deal-wise.”

So, shut my mouth and take notes. It definitely sounds like I’m barely even an assistant, but I’m not about to complain and lose my job on the first day. Maybe I’ll get more fulfilling, challenging duties later on.

If he likes me enough for that.

Jensen walks around his desk, pausing a foot away from me. His cologne washes over me, stimulating every sense in my body. Amber and citrus. Intoxicatingly deep and sweet. “Every day is like this. Busy. Demanding. This app didn’t become as big as it is because the people here move like snails.”

I have to stop myself from wrinkling my face at him. What an unkind way of telling me that I need to keep up with him and not slack off. Who does he think I am? “I assure you that I can keep up. It’s only my first day. You haven’t seen what I’m capable of yet.”

Jensen’s eyes do a brief sweep over my body, but his expression is frustratingly unreadable. “We’ll see. The last one said something like that too.”

Internally, I bite my tongue and merely smile at him, doing everything in my power not to show him how annoyed I am by him. It’s day one, and he already doubts me! His last assistant must’ve done a terrible job to make him so untrusting.

Unless he just doesn’t like me and the energy I put off.

Or he’s just an asshole.

Jensen walks past me and out of his office, his presence dominating the entire floor. Everyone looks toward him, offering him nods before diving back into their work.

I’ll give it to him that he’s created an amazing dating app that benefits both singles and couples with great user profiles, accurate matching, and engaging quizzes and activities. It’s dominating the market, and I’m sure that’s because of the hard work he and his company have put in.

He doesn’t have to come off as a typical money-hungry CEO, though. However, he’s a billionaire. I get it. And he will make sure I am reminded constantly if his current attitude says anything about the future.

I trail him, keeping up with his long strides with ease. God forbid I slack just a little.

Jensen hits the down button and steps into the elevator, pressing the button for the lobby before tucking his hand into his pocket.

I stand next to him, my heart rate elevating as the doors slide shut and hold us inside this very small space. The quiet air seems to still, tense heat building more and more with each passing second. My eyes flicker to him briefly as the elevator glides down a few floors, but his eyes remain forward, trained on the metallic doors in front of him.

Should I even say anything? I can just imagine him getting annoyed that I don’t know something. Like I’m going to make his business fail because I don’t know the exact place we’re going.

Jensen briefly looks over at me, our eyes locking for what feels like minutes instead of a millisecond. His eyes narrow, but his face seems to be wearing an expression of curiosity rather than annoyance.

What is going through his mind?

I part my lips to question him, but the elevator suddenly jolts to a stop, accompanied by the faint sound of sirens.

I stumble into Jensen’s side, gripping the lapel of his suit jacket as our wide eyes stare at the sealed doors. His hand catches the small of my back, his warm touch colliding with the cold panic shooting through my veins as my heart stops jarringly. “What’s happening?”

“What the hell? It’s not supposed to stop!” Jensen says over the wails of the sirens as he jabs the button for the lobby and any other button that he thinks will get us the hell out of here.

Dread sinks deep into my chest, adrenaline pulsing through me as I step away from Jensen. There’s something wrong, and what the hell can we do while we are stuck in here? We’re not getting out of here right away, anyhow.

At least I have great company, right?