She earned the position she now holds.Sleepless nights, working weekends, she was there through it all.She never complained, never looked at me with an ounce of resentment in her eyes.She wears her job title well, dressing the part, as untouchable as I am.But I’ve never forgotten the young woman who walked into my office, her fingers clutching the resume in her hand, her eyes filled with a combination of nerves and determination.
She’s polished now, a force to be reckoned with, which is why I never understood why she clung to her boyfriend.Chase.I sneer at the name.I remember she brought him around once and the way his expression soured when he saw the high regard the other employees held her in.I knew back then he could never reconcile with the woman Olivia’s become.Their relationship was doomed.
Giving in to temptation, I look down at the soft weight of her against my shoulder.I’m acutely aware of every little movement, every breath.She deserves better.She deserves a man who can appreciate her achievements.Olivia stirs as the plane hits a small patch of turbulence.
“Are we there yet?”she mumbles, voice thick with sleep.
“Not quite.”The sound of my voice seems to penetrate her sleepy haze.Her eyes fly open, meeting mine, and I watch the confusion melt away.Then into something like horror as she realizes how close we are, how she’s been using me as a pillow.She jerks upright so fast she nearly hits her head on the overhead bin.Her face flushes a brilliant shade of red that creeps down her neck and disappears beneath the collar of her sweater.
“I’m so sorry,” she says, pressing her fingers to her temple.
“For what?”
She looks at me, her cheeks a bright red.“I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.”She’s adorable when flustered.I’ve never seen Olivia Hartley genuinely embarrassed.She’s always so composed, so utterly in control.I find I rather enjoy this version of her.
“You needed the rest,” I say simply.“Do you feel better?”
“I have a headache.”Her eyes dart around, and her body slumps back against her seat as she buries her face in her hands.“This was a terrible idea.I never should have let you talk me into this.”
I set down my tablet, turning to face her more fully.“It’s a little late to have a change of heart, don’t you think?”
“But you’re my boss!”
“Not at the moment.”
“It’s still inappropriate.”She glares at me.“We work together, Alexander.This is… This is not going to end well.”
I give her a steady look.“According to you—when you were drunk—I’m not your boss when you’re on vacation.”
She groans.“I said that?Oh, god, I said that.”
“Yes.But if you’ve reconsidered, I understand.”I pull up the airline’s website on my tablet, my tone casual.“If you have no problem being humiliated by your ex-boyfriend and your ‘tramp cousin,’ as you so eloquently put it, I’ll take the first flight back to Charlotte and figure out my own vacation plans.”I begin checking flights and add, “After all, you’re the one who has to spend the next couple of weeks watching your ex and cousin mock you for being single and alone during the holidays.I mean, if you want that, far be it for me to ruin your Christmas plans?—”
Her hand shoots out, fingers digging into my forearm.“Stop.”I wait, and she doesn’t disappoint, her voice filled with defeat; “Don’t—Forget I said anything.”
I glance down at her hand on my arm, then back up to her face.I’ve got her.“I wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable,” I drawl.
She takes a deep breath, her grip relaxing slightly.“No.No, it’s fine.You need me to pretend to be your girlfriend, too, right?During New Year’s?What exactly do you expect me to do in front of your family?”
I can’t help the slight smile that tugs at my mouth.“The same thing I expect you to expect from me.Make sure everyone knows we’re happy together.”
The tension drains from her shoulders.“Fine.But after we go back to work, we never discuss this again.It never happened.”
“What happens in Silverbell Hollow stays in Silverbell Hollow,” I agree easily, the corner of my mouth lifting in a smile she doesn’t see.She leans back in her seat, eyes closing again, still fighting the exhaustion.
I study her profile—the delicate arch of her brow, the stubborn set of her jaw even in repose, her plush lips.Chase was a fool to let someone like Olivia slip through his fingers.Fortunately, I’m no fool, and by the time these four weeks are up, Olivia Hartley will be so completely mine that Chase will be nothing but a footnote.
The plane begins its descent, the mountains rising to meet us.I can see patches of civilization again once we break through the endless line of trees—clusters of houses, ribbons of road cutting through the landscape, a small town glittering in the valley below.
Olivia shifts in her seat, her attention drawn to the view outside.“That’s Asheville,” she says, pointing to the sprawling town nestled in the valley.“Silverbell Hollow is still about an hour away by car.”
“It’s quite scenic,” I observe, taking in the sweeping vista of blue-tinged mountains covered in snow.The landscape is a stark contrast to Manhattan’s steel and concrete jungle.
The landing is smooth, and as soon as the seatbelt sign turns off, passengers begin gathering their belongings.Olivia reaches for her carry-on in the overhead compartment, but I stand first, blocking her path.
“I’ve got it,” I say, effortlessly retrieving both her bag and mine.
“I can handle my own luggage,” she says, reaching for her carry-on.
