The Naughty List by Lexie Davis

 
    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