Hazardous weather alerts had popped up on their phones, and they walked back to the balcony, Yvonne opening the door so they could step outside.

What had started off as a gentle flurry had snowballed into a massive storm. A gust of wind blew around them, and Zadid reached for Yvonne’s hand, tugging her inside. She nearly crashed into him, placing a gentle hand on his chest to balance herself before blushing and pulling the door closed.

They continued to watch the storm together through the glass, though Yvonne stepped aside slightly.

“I was just about to call a cab,” Zadid murmured with a furrowed brow.

Yvonne suddenly realized that there was a chance her daydreams might actually come true—if he was willing, that was.

“Would you…like to stay the night?” she asked timidly.

He gazed down at her, his eyes searching. She knew her gaze would give away how much she wanted him to stay, but she didn’t care. She had wanted Zadid since the moment she’d laid eyes on him.

After a heavy pause, he nodded.

“I’d like that very much. Thank you. Traveling in this looks treacherous.”

“No need to put yourself in danger when I have a perfectly comfortable couch right here. Now, why don’t we keep this party going? Do you like board games?”

His lip curled up in a half-smile, revealing that sexy dimple again. With champagne coursing through her, Yvonne’s guard was thoroughly down, and she stared at his mouth for a moment before she reminded herself to look back up into his eyes.

“I do,” he said. “I hope you don’t mind losing, though.”

“When have I ever lost a game we’ve played?”

“When have we ever played a board game?”

“That work party last year, you brought out a few for the group and I managed to win every round.”

His brow creased as he worked to remember, finally snapping his fingers as the memory arrived.

“Ah, yes! But I wasn’t playing. I was simply the referee.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that I won.”

“Well, let’s just see how well you compete against a master player.”

“Let’s. But first, eggnog.”

“I’ve never had it,” Zadid admitted, and Yvonne mock gasped.

“You don’t know what you’re missing! The board games are on that shelf by the TV—pick one you think you can win and I’ll grab us some eggnog while preparing to defeat you.”

“Confidence, I like that in a woman.”

Yvonne smiled to herself as she nearly skipped to the kitchen. Zadid was going to be spending the night! She poured fresh eggnog into two small tumblers and brought them out to the living room.

Zadid stoked the dying fire, and it was bright and cheery once more. A game was set up on her coffee table, and his eyes were as warm as the fire as he watched her return. Setting the glass in front of him, she sat on the floor across from him, ready to play.

“Have a taste,” she said, nodding at the glass.

“Don’t mind if I do,” he replied, though he wasn’t looking at the eggnog.

Yvonne cleared her throat, taking a sip of her drink. The creamy, sweet taste brought back so many memories of Christmases past, and she watched Zadid as he took his own tentative sip. When he did, his eyes widened in surprise.

“I like this!” he declared.

Yvonne wiped the back of her hand across her brow.

“Phew. If you didn’t, we’d have to end our friendship immediately.”

“You would stop being friends with me just for not liking a drink?”

“Eggnog is not just any drink. It is manna of the gods,” she teased, taking another sip.

“Fair enough. I must agree with you, there. Now, as a gentleman, I will grant you the first turn.”

“Ever gallant, you are.”

“Let it never be said that I am anything less than a gentleman,” he replied, gesturing toward the board.

They proceeded to play a rousing round of the game, with Yvonne and Zadid trading witty remarks as their pieces chased each other across the board until finally Yvonne reached the final roll of the dice.

“Here it is, my great victory. Are you ready?”

His gaze was challenging as she shook the dice between her closed palms. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had so much fun. He watched her intently as she rolled.

“I’m still not convinced. Let’s see how this plays out.”

“Get ready,” she said, tossing the dice onto the board.

It was official: Yvonne won the game. She whooped as she moved her piece to the final destination, her smile triumphant.

“I will now do my best to be a gracious winner. Also, I told you so.”

Zadid put up his hands.

“You certainly did. I am a man who can accept defeat as graciously as you accept your victory. Well done,” he said, reaching his hand over the board for her to shake, which she did.

Their hands stayed clasped for a moment longer than was necessary before Zadid pulled back, sitting back on the floor.

“That was fun,” he said, his tone wistful.

Yvonne stood, stretching her lower back before plopping onto the couch before the fire, which had burned back down to a gentle crackle. To her delight, Zadid stood and joined her there, sitting very close as they stared into the glowing hearth.

“You sound like you haven’t had fun in a while,” she observed, and Zadid shrugged.

“It’s difficult to remember to enjoy yourself when the world of business never sleeps.”

“That’s true. I think the last time I’ve played a game like that was last year’s Christmas party.”

“And even then I didn’t play,” he said. “I should have. I forgot how much fun these diversions can be.”

“Did you do this kind of thing as a kid much?” Yvonne asked, curious about his upbringing.

Zadid nodded.

“I did. My brother and sister and I would play all the time, though our game pieces looked a little different,” he explained, his tone a little bashful.

“How do you mean?”

“They were made of gold.”

“Ah,” she said, ever so slightly scooting closer to him. “I’ve often wondered what your childhood was like. Aren’t you, like, fourth in line to the throne?”

“Eighth,” he corrected gently.

“What is that like?”

He thought for a moment before answering.

“It was a charmed life, of course. I got all the benefits of royalty without the obligations that come with having to one day rule. My family home is a beautiful ivory-colored palace just off the sea, so when the sun sets just right, the entire building is a cascade of colors. When we weren’t spending our time there, we’d often go on vacations to foreign lands. My parents wanted to expose us to different cultures and experiences, and it was when I landed in New York that I knew I would one day settle in America. I loved it from the moment the skyline came into view.”

“What brought you to D.C., then?” she asked.

He shrugged.

“Connections, mainly. John was a friend of mine that needed an extra pair of hands running his finance firm, and I was looking for any excuse to come out here. It worked out in its own way.”

Yvonne thought about the co-owner of the firm, John Smalls. He was a younger man like Zadid, who had come from wealth as well. She found herself fascinated with a world she had only ever glimpsed into. The world of the rich and connected.

“But you go home every Christmas, so surely you still have ties back there.”

“Of course I do,” he replied.

His tone was unreadable. There was something behind it that he wanted to hide, but Yvonne couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was.

“My father used to throw the most elaborate birthdays for me. One time, I had a camel-themed party, and everyone was trained on how to ride before we had a massive race through the desert. It was one of the most exciting moments of my life. We finished the night with a party in our family’s ancient ballroom, like we do every year.”

She noticed that he was changing the subject from home in the present. She thought back to Zadid’s melancholy face the other day when she’d found him alone in his office. What was going on back there that he didn’t want to talk about?

Deciding to let it go and enjoy the moment, she sank a little deeper into the couch. The fire had transformed into glowing embers, the night stretching on as snow continued to plummet from the sky.

“You’ve reminded me—my dad’s birthday is next week and I need to remember to call him.”

“My dad’s birthday is next week, too. It will be the first time I’ll miss it.”

“What day?”

“The twenty-ninth.”

“Get out! That’s my dad’s birthday too!”

“And does he throw an elaborate feast for the occasion, like mine does?”

Yvonne let out a chortle.

“Hardly. His favorite way to spend the day is alone on the lake, followed by a doze in his lounger in front of the TV with a craft beer. I’m pretty sure that’s how he’s finished every birthday in the last thirty years.”

Zadid laughed.

“He sounds like a man who has his priorities straight.”

“I think he does,” Yvonne agreed, enjoying the comfortable flow of conversation between them.

She had always been able to chat easily with Zadid, but in a business setting, everything always had a barrier up. There were so many things she wished to talk about that she couldn’t say, wanting to stay professional.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, Yvonne feeling sleepy and content. She sat up and stretched her arms into the air.

“I think it’s about time for bed,” she said, turning to look over at him.

He reached for her hand, the meaning in his eyes clear as he tugged her to his chest and captured her lips with his own in a sizzling kiss. Yvonne met his passion, the taste of him exactly as she had always imagined—delicious.

Her body responded accordingly, aching for him in an instant. When he pulled back, their faces stayed close as he held her cheeks between his palms.

“I’ve wanted to do that since the day I started working for you,” she breathed.

He nodded.

“You and me both.”

With that invitation, he pulled her close once more, lying back on the couch as he pulled her on top of him, the two of them exploring one another in the cozy darkness of her apartment. Finally, he sat up, still kissing her as he hooked his arm beneath her knees and lifted her up.

“Bedroom?” he asked, breaking their embrace for a moment.

“That way,” Yvonne murmured, nodding in the right direction.

He nodded, kissing her again as he somehow walked at the same time, not bumping into a single item of furniture as he found the open doorway to her bedroom and laid her down on the soft mattress.

From the living room, the gentle glow of her Christmas tree shone through the doorway as they made love, Yvonne living out every fantasy she had ever had of Zadid. He certainly lived up to her wildest dreams.

They came together in a rush of passion before falling asleep in each other’s arms, warm, safe and content.

It was easily the best Christmas of Yvonne’s life.