Santa’s Naughty List

Chapter 1

The snow twists down from the cloudy sky and settles on the ground. Howling wind blows through the air sending a roaring chill. I pull my jacket tight around. I should have rethought my clothing choice. It is the first really cold day of the year. One that bites you every second you care to be outside. I pass a window on the front of a store and glance at my frazzled reflection. My dark curly hair swirls around my bright rosy cheeks. The lipstick, I spent ten whole minutes on is already fading from being chapped.

Great. No wonder you're single and still a virgin, I think to myself tucking my hair back into the bun sitting on top of my head. I am a mess. But this is going to be my year. I have a new job and will hopefully get laid, not that I was in any rush.

I continue down city street passing people with heavy expressions and noses pointed toward the slushy ground. The cold does not make anyone happy. I told myself multiple times last winter would be the last year I spend in Chicago, precisely for this reason. Luckily, my small studio apartment is only a few minutes’ walk to the office. I arrive at the tall glass doors of 0 - Tech Inc.

My heart suddenly surges in my chest as I walk in. A warm, fresh air washes over me as I enter the pristine gray building. This was my first official day as a senior project manager for developing software. I hate telling people this is my occupation. Guys think I'm so boring, especially for a twenty-two-year-old; all the cool girls were psychology or communication majors. But the truth was anything with numbers excites me. Another reason why you’ve never been fucked. Oh, warm me up with those calculus equations.

I can’t help it. There is something so simple about numbers; either they are right or wrong. No gray ground to confuse you on everything - not like relationships. Maybe I am just very boring. But at the moment, my nerves are boiling in my stomach, and forget butterflies. I think I have someone hammering a drum inside of me. My heartbeat thuds right into my ears, and my mouth starts to grow dry.

I am young for this job, extremely young. Most people don't reach this level in the industry until their late thirties. I attribute most of it to luck, combined with a 4.0 GPA Masters in software engineering from MIT. I squeeze my small leather briefcase.

The entryway of the building is almost completely white, except for a large red desk sitting in the middle. The receptionist standing behind it is a clean cut young man with gray lightly streaking the sides of black hair. He probably spends more time getting ready than I do.

"Eleanor Smith?" he asks, stepping out from behind the desk, holding a vanilla envelope.

"Yes," I hear my voice creak out. I gently cough to clear it.

"You can follow me, this way.”

I nod gingerly and am escorted through tall doors leading into a white hallway. Abstract art hangs the right side, while a large television screen playing the news on mute sits on the left. I keep my eyes focused on the handsome receptionist. I glance down at my mousy gray long wool coat. It looks so out of place amongst the cool, crisp setting of the technology company. The hall is short and leads us straight through the office area. The office space is open with sealed concrete floors and exposed ceilings. Large, spacious desks are grouped together with multiple monitors sitting on them. Workers go about their jobs likes bees in a hive. Some on phones while others walked around holding tablets. I recall them telling me they are a completely paperless company. My suitcase suddenly becomes a heavy brick in my hand.

He walks past several desks to an open area with a low table. It is divided from the office space with half a wall. Another large television screen stuck to the wall stands at the head of the table. Two others newbies sit at the table quietly. Both are much older than me. The woman looks up and smiles. She reminds me of a bird, but not in a bad way. She just has round green eyes, wide thin lips, and a hooked nose. Her frame is sharp and pointed, and she looks light enough to be able to fly away. There is a stateliness about her. Her blue blazer is left unbuttoned revealing a tight body hugging black dress. She turns her head slowly and smiles, standing.

“I’m Terissa and this is Herman,” she says in a high, musical voice.

"I'm, Eleanor. Are you both new here?" I ask, sitting down across from them. I start to unbutton my coat and slide it off my narrow shoulders. I wore a gray knit dress with black tights and brown leather booties. I cross my ankles and begin to open the envelope.

“Yes, we are,” says Herman, flicking at his fingernails. Where Terissa is thin and delicate - Herman is heavy and wide. His wide brown eyes twitch up at me then go back down to his nails. Terissa sighs slightly and our eyes meet.

“Where have you worked before?”

I am expecting this question. People will surely be curious considering the fact I look like fresh meat new to the pay to paycheck lifestyle. I am a small feeble creature emerging into the war zone of trained and experienced predators.

"I just graduated with my masters from MIT," I nod, looking over at the screen, which shows the company's name, O -Tech. Even though keep my eyes away from them, I can feel the energy in the room slightly shift.

“Then you must be a smart girl. O - Tech is the fastest growing software development company in the world,” Terissa responds, rolling every word off of her tongue. “You must be borderline genius. Good for you.”

Somehow none of it seems very sincere. I smile anyway.

“Or maybe just lucky.”

I know right away those are stupid words for me to say. I need to be more confident. I deserve to be there as much as they do. Besides the creator of the company is only a couple years older than me.

“And where are you both from?”

“We both came from Microsoft,” Herman shrugs.

“That’s amazing. I look forward to working a long aside you and learning from you.”

I praise myself internally for sounding so mature, and a very small part of my self-moral feels boosted. Maybe today won’t be as scary as I thought. I open the envelope, expecting a pile of papers, but there is only one small sheet with the information on how to use your new O-Tech tablet with your password and login information printed on the top.

Any sense of the confidence I have somehow managed to create is completely destroyed when a tall, handsome clean cut man turns the corner. I felt like he jumped out of the page of a JC Penny catalog. His light sandy hair curls at the top. His icy blue eyes look around the room under a curtain of full lashes. He is very well dressed and obviously in charge, but he could be my age. Is that the owner?! It takes everything in my power not to drop my jaw.

"Welcome to the team," he says in a light voice walking casually in front of the board. I can smell his cologne gently drift over to me. He smiles at me then, and I about hurl. Every fiber of my being becomes suddenly aware. I quickly straighten my posture and brush the strand of hair off my face. "My name is Gregory Williams. I am the Vice President, here." His crystal like eyes meet mine. My stomach twists, as I look to see if there's a wedding ring on his hand. Single. I almost gasp audibly. He has to be in a relationship. “I am sorry, Eleanor, that I was unable to make your interview. Normally, I would have been there, but there were some things which came up.”

"It's okay," I whisper. I can't even imagine how horrible the interview would have gone if I had to be questioned by someone as beautiful as Gregory William. He walks toward the screen and turns it on. His slender hands gently press against it, and the technology reacts to his gentle touch. The board lights up.

“We expect great things from you, Eleanor. I am completely confident in you.” He speaks with his back turned, or else he would definitely see my cheeks turning a violent crimson. Then he spins around. “As well as from you, Terissa, and you, Herman. This company is different. Its only goal is exceptional innovation. We are breaking the ground in forms of software and technology, and you three will be some of our most valued leaders.”

He continues his speech about the company and what the expectations for us are, what our jobs will be, who we report to, what the company standards are. I try my best to pay attention, but often, my eyes fall on the curve of his soft lips and the way he chews his cheek when someone asks him questions. FOCUS! But that is almost impossible. I keep glancing down to between his legs, imagining what lay underneath. How it would feel if he was inside of me.

"Your training will be over the course of the next week. We expect you are already prepared for most of your role," he continues on with us until the work day has ended. We get up from our seats and chat a little. I am shocked to feel a gentle hand touch my elbow.

"Eleanor, a word?" Greg asks softly.

“Of course.”

I follow him to the corner of the room. Herman and Terissa eye me for a second then walk away.

“You really have an impressive resume,” he starts.

“Thank you, Mr. Williams.”

"No, no. Call me Greg, seriously. That makes me feel way too old."

I smile. He has such a great warmness about him. I cannot help but be overwhelmed by my attraction for him.

"I just want you to know, that if you ever need anything, I am here for you. You come to me okay? A lot of the people here - let's just say they think they run the place. Don't let them get you down. Here...let me give you my personal number."

It takes me a moment to process what he is saying. I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone. I watch him add his contact. He hands it back to me and smiles.

“I’m glad you’re here.”

“Me too.”

I wait for him to walk away and feel a childish happiness run through me like getting your first kiss. I know it’s nothing, but maybe I can turn it into something. I leave the office feeling like a thousand things have been thrown at me from all over the place, but it's the light blue eyes of Gregory that return to my mind.

Outside, the sun has set down over the horizon, and the winter wind feels colder than before. I walk down toward the sidewalk when a harsh gust of wind blows my coat open. I let out a small scream and pull my coat around me. But another howl shoots over me. My suitcase drops on the ground and the O-Tech tablet flies out.

"NO!" I shout, running blindly out into the road after it. There is no way I could afford to replace it. Not a good way to start a new job. Suddenly, a motorcycle seems to appear out of the middle of nowhere. The engine roars, and the man shouts. I look up. All concern about the tablet is gone. I have no time to move. The driver slams on the brakes. I close my eyes and brace for impact.