Page 8 of Santa Baby

“Actually, she’s perfect, pink dress aside.” I met Colin’s eyes and found him smirking slightly. “Did she…” I was not entirely sure what I was trying to say. She had to have some motive for doing this for me. She didn’t seem like the type of woman to be easily swayed by money or shiny new things she could buy with the limitless credit card I had one of my secretaries drop off at her apartment while picking up the signed NDA.

“Did she have a good time? Hell yeah.” Colin crossed his ankles and slouched, making himself comfortable. “I saw her on Friday and she didn’t have anything bad to say about you.”

“Good.” Again, my mind wrapped around the memory of her waltzing into the restaurant, her body draped in that stunning dress. It hugged every curve, every soft, full angle of her body. And her eyes? The color of smooth, aged whiskey? I reached up to loosen my tie as I turned back to my computer. “This is happening, then. What can I offer her in return for her services?”

“Ew,” he said, chuckling. “She’s not a call girl.”

“You know that’s not what I meant. You owed me a favor but you’re also not the one taking the fall for this publicly. We’ll be in the tabloids, you know. People will be talking about Fia, likely digging up dirt on your family, your parents.”

Colin nodded. “My mom’s a schoolteacher. Dad works for the city. They’re not going to find anything that would make you look bad, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

“What I mean is that this is going to be a lot for her. A lot of planning, a lot of details, a lot of people asking her questions about me, and I need to know that she’s prepared for the full brunt of it. The dinner last Thursday is nothing compared to the other events on my schedule, our schedule.”

“It’s Fia.” Colin shrugged. “If anyone can handle the heat, it’s her. That’s why I offered to at least ask if she’d be interested.”

“Why is she even interested?” The words slipped out before I could stop them.

Colin pursed his lips, spinning his cup around in his hands as he looked down at his lap. “I already told you she’s a photographer. A good one, too. She’s wasting her time on these stupid little photoshoots just to earn enough money to pay her rent.”

“You told me she went to school for event planning. Why isn’t she doing that?”

“How many event planners do you know of in this city alone?”

“Well, hundreds, I’m sure.”

“There you go.” He waved a hand in dismissal. “It’s cutthroat out there. I figured this would be a great opportunity for her to see what goes into these kinds of events, make some connections, start something of her own. She used to work with her ex.” He gritted his teeth and fiddled with the lid of his cup. “A real jackass. Jake Donovan. You might know him. He owns some big catering company here in the city. She practically set him up for the success he’s seeing now.”

I sat up a little straighter, noticing the sudden edge to Colin’s voice. “What happened, exactly?”

“They broke up a year ago. Right before Christmas, which is her favorite time of year. She’s pretty quiet about it. None of us knew him well. She only ever introduced him to our parents once. Dad hated him.” He smiled a bit angrily and shook his head. “Anyway, she’s just been down and kind of all over the place since then. She owed me a favor for nearly ruining my friend’s wedding this summer and I cashed it in with ulterior motives.”

“I can help her make connections if that’s what she wants. I know everyone.”

“I don’t think Fia knows what she wants.” His gaze met mine. “Honestly, if this wasn’t my little sister, I’d say the two of you are perfect for each other.”

I hummed a laugh and turned back to the computer. “What do you mean by that, Colin? I know what I want⁠—”

“Yeah, in business. I mean, come on, man. You don’t need a fake date for the holidays. There are women simping over you all over the city.”

“I’m not interested in being with anyone,” I told him. It was the cold, honest truth. “Fia is going to be great at this, I think. Thank you for recommending her.”

Colin stared at me for a moment before rising from the chair and taking a long, dramatic sip of his coffee. “Just go easy on her about your rules, okay? That was her one complaint.”

My spine stiffened. “She complained about me?”

His eyes shone with mischief as he paused in the doorway. “She might have said you need to lighten up, but Fia is capable of saying far, far worse. I’d take that as a compliment.”

I leaned back as he left, wondering what the hell Fia meant by that. Lighten up? How? I tapped my fingers on my desk, lost in thought, when Gabby knocked on the door that Colin failed to close on his way out.

“Come in.” I waved her inside.

She stepped into my office, her short platinum blonde bob swinging around her cheeks.

“Do you have a sec? I just got a hand-delivered invitation to a gala this weekend from the Rasmussen Foundation. They want to know if you need a plus-one.”

I looked at my schedule. This weekend was supposed to be completely open, save for a luncheon with one of my investors.

“It’s a new thing,” Gabby said, edging toward my desk with a bright blue envelope in her freshly manicured hand. “Saturday night, the ballroom at the Plaza.” She opened the envelope and handed me the invitation.