One Midnight Kiss: A Billionaire Fake Fiancée Holiday Romance

It had been two weeks since Thanksgiving. Two weeks since I last saw Fox. His absence left me feeling oddly numb, like someone had turned down the volume on everything around me. Now, as I stood in front of the boardroom table, addressing a group of executives with forced enthusiasm, I felt a hollowness inside that I couldn’t shake.

It was so much easier to accept the new life I established for myself before I met him. He dragged me out of the cold, dark place I crawled into after the divorce. He brought me into the sunshine and made me feel again. Now that I was back in my dark and twisty place, I knew it. Before, I had been kind of numb. It didn’t bother me. In fact, I relished the cold. But now? Now I wanted to be in the sunshine with him. I wanted him to do those things to my body that made me all warm and gooey.

I heard someone cough and was quickly snapped back to the present. I blinked and saw many eyes on me.

I remembered my train of thought and started speaking again. “The advertising plan for quarter one is straightforward,” I said, gesturing to the slides behind me. “We’re focusing heavily on social media integration for HomeTech, leveraging targeted influencer campaigns and a push toward interactive ads.”

As I continued outlining our strategy, my voice steadied, and my mind began to clear. But underneath that presentation mask, Fox crept back into my thoughts. It was hard to dismiss the recent memory of him.

I glanced around the room. It wasn’t just me that had my thoughts elsewhere. Half the team wasn’t paying attention. I didn’t blame them. It was mid-December. Everyone was itching to use up their vacation days and get out of there. No one gave a shit about next quarter. It had been a long year, and we were all ready to take some time off and not think about social media, graphic design, and finicky clients.

Penelope had already left for her two-week holiday break. She’d packed up her desk yesterday with a cheerful smile, hugging me before she rushed off to visit her family in Oregon. Good for her. Everyone else had their plans, their people to go home to.

But what did I have? An empty home on Christmas Eve and a fake engagement that had spiraled into something I couldn’t quite control. I stopped the dismal thoughts. I knew where this road led. I would get sad and depressed when I thought too hard about being alone.

Being alone was fine. I actually relished it. It was being lonely that got me all worked up.

As I wrapped up the presentation, I could see the relief on everyone’s faces. They were so ready to be done. “Great work, Natalia,” Aaron said. He flashed me a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Thanks,” I replied curtly, turning off the projector and gathering my notes.

Everyone filed out of the room, all of them chatting with each other about their plans for the holidays. I was used to not being included. I was the boss. No one wanted to hang out with the boss, and I honestly didn’t think it was good to fraternize. It confused things. Muddied the water. Then again, considering how much time I spent at the office and my complete lack of a personal life, the office was really the only place I could fraternize.

No wonder I was longing for Fox’s company. He was the only person outside of the office, besides Christa, that I had spent any time with. I would get over it.

On my way to my office, I passed by Penelope’s empty desk. Her phone rang. I picked it up knowing it was likely someone trying to reach me. “This is Natalia Dawkins.”

There was a beat of silence on the other end. “Oh, Natalia. I didn’t expect you to answer. This is Jerrod. Jerrod Leeman, the CFO at HomeTech.”

I smiled. “Yes, Jerrod, I know who you are. What can I do for you?”

“I was wondering, is Fox up there with you?”

I frowned, leaning against the desk. “No, is he supposed to be?”

Jerrod hesitated. “He didn’t come into the office today. I thought maybe he was working directly with your team, especially after you guys secured the Samsung account for Hanna’s tech. I assumed he went straight there to hammer out the details.”

The Samsung account. That was a big win, one that required Fox’s direct involvement. I noticed a hint of worry in Jerrod’s voice, and for some reason, it made my stomach twist. I assumed it was abnormal for him not to show up to work. “Did you call him?” I asked the obvious question.

“I did. A few times. He isn’t answering. I assumed he was in a meeting with you and your team. Maybe he just slept in.”

I had a feeling that was the more likely answer to his question. Or maybe he was sleeping in with whatever slut he picked up at the bar.

“Sorry you misplaced your CEO, Jerrod,” I said dryly. “I haven’t seen him. Good luck finding him.”

I hung up, drumming my nails on the desk. What was going on with Fox? He’d been radio silent for two weeks, and now he was a no-show to his own company. I tried to ignore the stab of worry in my chest, but it was there, lingering like a bad taste. He wasn’t really my fiancé. I didn’t have to keep track of him. He was a grown man that could do as he wished with who he wished. I wasn’t his keeper.

“Natalia!” Aaron’s voice broke my thoughts. He walked up to me looking annoyingly cheerful.

“Yes?” I asked, expecting him to ask me for more time off.

“A few of us are heading up to the bar for drinks. You should come. It’s almost Christmas, after all. We all deserve to relax and unwind. You look like you could use a drink.”

Normally, I would have made an excuse and gone back to my office, but tonight maybe a distraction was what I needed. I didn’t want to go home alone and sit and think about Fox. “Sure,” I said, forcing a smile. “I’ll join you all.”

He quickly told me where they were meeting. I walked into my office, both looking forward to the drinks with friends and dreading it. It meant I would have to pretend to be happy and thrilled to be hanging out with them. That was the part I wasn’t looking forward to. But it was better than sitting alone. The proverbial double-edged sword.

I didn’t bother going home to change before going to the meet everyone. It was on the top floor of our building. That was why it was so convenient. The rooftop bar was decked out in festive decorations: twinkling lights, garlands, and a massive Christmas tree that dominated the corner.

I found Aaron and the group gathered around a high table, with drinks in front of them. As I approached, Mary spotted me first, her hand shooting up in the air in greeting. “Natalia! Over here!”

The group made room for me, passing down a glass of something amber-colored—whiskey, maybe? I took it, nodding my thanks as I settled into the small gap they had left for me. The conversation was light, filled with the usual office gossip and plans for the holiday season.

When the waitress came by to get our orders for the next round, I switched to red wine. I was barely paying attention to the conversations around me. Instead, I absently scrolled through my phone, clicking on news articles about car accidents and plane crashes. What if something had happened to Fox? I knew it was dark, but I couldn’t stop myself.

I was so lost in my own head that I didn’t notice Aaron slide into the seat next to me until he cleared his throat. “You’re awfully quiet tonight,” he observed with an insufferable smirk on his face.

“Just tired. We’ve all been running full steam ahead.”

He leaned closer. “I know your secret.” He said it in a whisper so only I heard him.

I stiffened, glancing at him. “Excuse me?”

Aaron’s smirk widened. He obviously had too much to drink, his breath heavy with the scent of liquor. It disgusted me but I managed to keep from curling my lip in disgust.

He pulled out his phone and showed me the screen. My stomach dropped. It was an old profile of mine from a hookup app I hadn’t used in years. The profile picture was from college. I knew the photo very well. The original photo was me and Christa, but I cropped it so it was just my face.

“How did you get this?” I hissed, panic bubbling up inside me.

He shrugged, looking far too pleased with himself. “I have my ways. You’re not as careful as you think, Natalia.”

I wanted to snatch the phone out of his hand, but I forced myself to stay calm. “What do you want?”

Aaron chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “Come on, Natalia. We’ve known each other for years. I’m just curious about those preferences you listed.” His gaze was predatory, raking over me in a way that made my skin crawl. “I’m sure we could have a lot of fun together.”

“I’m engaged,” I snapped.

He laughed outright. “Engaged? Please. You’re as engaged as I am. I’ve heard people talking in Fox’s office. It’s all a marketing sham, isn’t it? A little publicity stunt. He really should get his people to sign NDAs.”

My pulse raced, a mix of fear and fury. He was holding this over my head because he was a jealous prick. I got it. I was younger than him and Dave passed him over and gave me the Marketing Director position. Aaron was bitter about it, and about the fact that his charms didn’t ever work on me. He’d been making passes at me since I first stepped foot into the firm.

“Delete that picture,” I demanded.

Aaron just grinned. “You know, if word got out about this little arrangement of yours, it would ruin Fox’s reputation. Clients wouldn’t trust someone leveraging his personal life for business. And you? Well, you’d lose all credibility. It would be a shame.”

I snatched the phone and quickly realized it was a screenshot from the website. I deleted the picture before he could pull it back. He glared at me before breaking into an evil smile. “You’re such a stuck-up bitch at work. I always thought you were a prude, but after seeing that list of kinks, I can see I was wrong.”

I stepped closer, lowering my voice so only he could hear. “Listen to me, Aaron. If you ever get into my personal business again, I will ruin your life. You won’t just lose your job—you’ll never work in this industry again.”

He was drunk, literally and metaphorically. He thought he had power over me. I supposed he did. For the moment.

He scoffed, but I saw the flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. “You’re bluffing.”

“Try me,” I said, turning on my heel and leaving the bar.

I was shaking as I made my way to the elevator. When I stepped outside, I saw it was snowing a little. I would have thought it was pretty if I wasn’t in such a shitty mood. I should’ve gone to the parking garage to get my car, but I couldn’t face the enclosed space right then. I needed air. I needed to walk and burn off some energy.

I ended up walking down the street, my heels clicking against the pavement. I didn’t know where I was going until I found myself standing in front of Fox’s apartment building. He had given me his address after we decided to go through with the fake engagement, just in case. I never thought I would actually want his address or need it.

But here I was.

My heart hammered in my chest as I knocked on his penthouse door. What was I even doing here?

The door opened, and there he was. Fox was dressed in an old Stanford shirt and light gray sweatpants, his hair mussed like he’d been lying on the couch. He leaned against the doorframe, studying me with a raised eyebrow. “Natalia? What are you doing here?”

“I need your help,” I blurted out before I could stop myself.