The Naughty List

Evernight Publishing ®

www.evernightpublishing.com

Copyright©
2015 Lexie Davis

 
ISBN: 978-1-77233-624-5

Cover
Artist: Jay
Aheer

Editor:
JS Cook

ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED

WARNING:
The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is
illegal.
 
No part of this book may be
used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission,
except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This
is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any
resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or
dead, is entirely coincidental.

THE
NAUGHTY LIST

Lexie Davis

Copyright © 2015

Chapter
One

If
she heard one more fucking Christmas carol she was going to scream. Piper Walsh
rubbed her temples in circular motions. The impending headache she called
Christmas was just around the corner and she honestly couldn’t wait for it to be
over. Taking a deep breath, she reminded herself that this was her boss’s favorite
holiday. While she loved him dearly for being a decent human being and a great
employer to work for, he agitated her unlike anything else come December first.

“If
you need a drink, I keep some hidden in the bottom of my desk drawer.” Roger
smiled at her. Both worked in the promotions department of Whalen Enterprises
and both had similar ideas about the holidays.

“I’m
okay,” she scrunched her nose. “For now anyway.”

“You
know Scott is going to expect you to throw the best damn office party we’ve
ever seen right?”

“Yes.
I know.” She hated it too. Ever since they got back from their Bahamas vacation,
Scott had been calling on her to do everything important for him. She liked that
he trusted her with so much responsibility and she didn’t want to let him down,
but the office Christmas party was not her forte. She hated the tacky
decorations. Whoever dreamed of putting a tree in their house and then
decorating it had to be smoking something. The damn cheerfulness was maddening
as well. Not to mention the music. She generally loved all types of music, but
Christmas carols had to be the top of her nails on a chalkboard kind of
nuisance list.

And
she normally would have said something if her boss wasn’t so damn cheerful and
singing along. Scott Whalen made a grand entrance to her office with his arms
open as he sang, “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” It was the same tune that played in
the speakers throughout the office. Everywhere she went, and that included the
bathroom, played those damn tunes all fucking day long.

“I’m
doing my annual naughty and nice list for the party.” Scott gave her his million-dollar
smile. “Please double check the list of employees with what I have here. I
really don’t want to leave anyone out.”

She
stared at the document he laid on her desk. “Every year you put your employees
on the nice list. Is there even a point of having a naughty list?”

He
stared at her, his smile drifting away. Somewhere deep inside she knew that she
probably crossed a line. He was in that cheerful mood of his that only
Christmas brought out. She was a storm cloud raining on his parade. In all
reality, she needed to hibernate like a bear when winter hit. Avoid all the
nonsense and sleep in peace without the damn Christmas music playing all around
her.

“There
is, Ms. Scrooge.”

She
rolled her eyes. “What? You’re not going to hand out bonuses to some people?
That’s the whole point of this charade. ‘You’re on the nice list so here’s a
check for a thousand dollars’.”

Scott
glanced over at Roger. “Did she come to work like this?”

Roger
smiled. “She’s just agitated because she’d rather be at home reading a dirty
book. Don’t pay any attention to her.”

“I’m
agitated because that damn music—”

Roger
grabbed her and ushered her toward the other side of the office before she
could finish her sentence. “She needs a little coffee break. It helps with her
irritability.”

She
shook her head at him and let him push her away from Scott. When they made it
to the break room, he glared at her. “Don’t you dare ruin his good and generous
mood. You may not depend on that bonus check for your survival, but there are
many people in this company that do. Take an Advil and snap out of your cranky
mood. The holidays are almost over. You’ll make it. Just keep your mouth shut.”

Piper
took a deep breath and turned to the fridge. She was hungry. Planning the damn
office party had her working through her lunch break. Roger reached past her
and pulled out some kind of container with delicious smelling enchiladas
inside. He waved it in front of her nose just enough to catch her attention.
Yes, food. That’s what she needed. It might just make her feel better.

“Get
yourself something to drink and I’ll heat this up. John makes the best damn enchiladas
in the city and I’m not saying that because I sleep with him.” Roger put the
container in the microwave and pressed a few buttons. “You’ll feel better and
you can get back to work.”

The
Christmas song changed to “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” She made
a barfing noise and Roger snorted. There was nothing great about the holiday
season. People were more greedy, more arrogant and completely horrible. Not to
mention it was cold. Usually a wet kind of cold too. She couldn’t wear her designer
shoes to work because the sludge on the sidewalks of Manhattan would make them
dirty. She didn’t dare to wear light colors either so she always looked like
she was in mourning or going to a funeral. It was completely drab and horrible.

The
microwave beeped and Roger set the steaming food before her. She lifted one and
took a bite, the taste nearly orgasmic on her tongue. Roger arched an eyebrow
and she ignored him.

“Ms.
Walsh, please report to Mr. Whalen’s office,” the intercom buzzed.

“Ah,
crap.” She took another bite and then another, basically scarfing the food down
as fast as she could before she stood. She pointed to that dish. “Don’t touch
it. Don’t let anyone else touch it either. I’ll be back in a moment.”

She
took a sip of her drink and left, heading to her boss’s office. What could he
possibly want with her now?

****

Scott
Whalen stood at the large windows in his office overlooking the city below. He
loved this time of year. Loved how magical the city became. There was something
about Christmas that always brought out the best in people and made things a
bit easier in life. For many years, he spent his holiday serving homeless
people food at the shelter and he loved every moment of it.

Then
there was Piper.

She
was one of the best employees he had. Smart, hardworking, beautiful. God, she
was beautiful. Classic beauty. He could picture her looking good in anything or
nothing at all. They spent some time together in the Bahamas when they were
doing promotion for the company and he almost invited her to his hotel room.
She was a sexy woman that he wouldn’t mind tying to his bed.

Opening
his office door, she let herself in and closed it behind her. “You wanted to
see me?”

He
stayed where he was, watching her. Today, she’d dressed in a pink blouse with
ruffles on the front and matched it with a tight black pencil skirt. Her long
shapely legs looked great in the black heels. Her long blond hair was pulled
back into a ponytail and it looked completely perfect on her. Some women tried
too hard to be beautiful, and for some women it came naturally. Piper was in
the latter category.

 
“I’d like an update on where we are with the
Christmas office party.”

She
gave a slight frown. She hated the holidays. He could spot that a mile away.
“Everything is in order. We’ll start setting up after work today. The party
starts at eight and goes to midnight.”

He
moved to his chair and sat back against the plush leather. “I’m curious. Why is
it that you hate Christmas?”

She
blinked a few times. “Honestly?”

“Yeah.
Tell me.”

She
licked her lips and he felt it in his cock. “I don’t have family. I don’t have
people to buy gifts for or to visit and eat myself into a coma. Roger and I
always get each other something but I don’t see the point. After all the
festivities are over, I go home to an empty apartment just like any other day.
There is no need for me to make a fuss over a stupid holiday that is
notoriously known for being a family holiday.”

Scott
nodded. He was in a similar boat, but he always spent his time giving back.
Homeless shelters needed his help and he willingly gave. If they ran out of
food, he’d go out and purchase more. It was a family of sorts at the shelter
and he loved being part of it. Maybe Piper was missing the point.

“Well,
thank you for taking on this task. I’m sure it has been a nuisance for you from
the beginning.”

She
laid her dainty hand on the back of the wing-backed chair in front of his desk.
“It has. I’m not going to lie.”

“Your
hard work is appreciated. I always appreciate you, even if I don’t tell you.
You’re one of my best employees.”

She
gave him a small smile. “Thank you. You’re pretty great, yourself.”

He
sat back in his chair. “I want to invite you to stay with me this Christmas.
I’m not against you giving me gifts if that is really what you want to do
either.”

She
chuckled. “Sir, I appreciate it, but I can’t. There’s too many bad things that
happen when work relationships go too far.”

Scott
figured she’d say as much. She didn’t want to lose what they had
professionally. “What kind of gifts were you planning on giving for Christmas,
Piper?”

A
faint tint of red colored her cheeks. He loved it. Loved the idea that her
perfect ass could be the same color from the smack of his hand.

“I,
uh…”

“I’m
teasing.” He waved it off. “I just don’t want you to be lonely. It’s an open
invitation. You can change your mind and join me if you want.”

She
smiled. “Thank you.”

Scott
had all kinds of dirty images floating around in his mind. Piper on the bed,
arms bound to her thighs with her legs open for his pleasure. Or maybe he’d
punish her for having a sassy mouth by draping her over his lap and smacking
her ass with his hand. He wanted to know what color panties she wore and how
they looked on her. Maybe he’d leave them on and slip them to the side when he
wanted to fuck that tight, hot cunt. His cock stirred in his pants, bringing
him back to reality.

“I
guess I should get back to work.” Piper glanced toward the door. “Is it
mandatory that I come to the event tonight?”

On
the surface, she probably meant it as a joke, but he knew deep inside she’d
rather stay at home. Roger pointed out earlier that she liked to read dirty
books and he wondered just what she’d planned on reading tonight.

“If
you skip the party, then you’ll miss getting your Christmas present from me.”

She
smiled. “You’re right. I’ll be there with bells on.”

“Now
that I’m dying to see.”

She
laughed and left his office. He stared after her for a long while. Piper was
definitely on the naughty list this year. Scott felt something between them,
but knew he had to safeguard the both of them before anything could happen. He
clicked on his computer and pulled up Microsoft Word. Making a contract
wouldn’t be that difficult and if he could get her to sign it, they could spend
this Christmas having all kinds of fun.

Scott
smiled at his computer screen. Piper deserved a Christmas worth remembering and
he planned to give her one.