In years past, he would swear up and down that he hated Christmas - he hated the commercialism, he hated the heated religious debates revolving around the holiday, and most of all he hated the annual firm Christmas party. But if asked this year, he would deny it all. Diego Armando, hate Christmas? Not when she was around.
It had started not long after Thanksgiving. Icicle lights had lined the bay windows of his office; a large pine wreath hung on the oak door. Christmas carols sang through the small speakers of the office computer as he entered. Diego began to pull off a red wool scarf; watching as his protege fluffed out a large plastic tree, preparing it for bright colored lights and ornaments. He hung the wet scarf and coat on the hatstand by the door and shook his head; trying to rid himself of the light snow that had fallen on his way in.
"Kitten, this is pointless," he muttered as he strode toward the corner of their office. Empty boxes scattered the floor along with empty plastic bags. His assistant had clearly spent the morning shopping while he had finished a trial and he fought back a smile as he saw the fresh cup of coffee on his desk.
The brunette turned toward him, "What's pointless Mr. Armando?" She questioned as she reached into a plastic bag at her feet. She pulled out a large, sparkling silver star and stood on her toes, attempting to place it on the top of the fake tree.
He took a swig of the coffee before he responded, "Decorating the office for a holiday that's a month away," he replied, taking the star from her hands and easily placing it on the top of the tree. "Thanksgiving was yesterday for God's sake," he added.
Mia sighed as she opened a box of multi-colored lights and pulled them out. "Which means I'm free to decorate for Christmas." She grinned as she turned towards Diego. "I noticed that your office lacked decorations, and I couldn't find any in storage, so I went and bought some." She began to string the lights on the tree, starting at the bottom and circling her way around the tree. "Besides, Christmas is my favorite time of year," she continued as she began to hum along with the music.
Intrigued, the lawyer set down his mug; reaching for a strand of gold garland from the bag on the floor. "Is it Kitten? Why's that?" Drawn in by the woman's charm, he began to place the strand on the tree.
"Kurain is beautiful at Christmas," the medium began, "My sister and I were always able to find the perfect tree. We'd spend days decorating the entire manor. Now, Maya comes down the week before Christmas and we decorate my small apartment and bake cookies for our Christmas dinner," she giggled.
"Cookies for your Christmas dinner, really?" His eyebrows arched.
Mia's cheeks flushed as she spoke. "I tried making a ham one year and I burned it," she mumbled. "I can bake but I can't really cook." She turned her attention back to the tree, "We don't actually eat cookies for dinner. We usually order some Chinese food from down the street, watch all the classic Christmas specials and then eat the cookies we spent all day baking."
The senior lawyer chuckled deeply, his brown eyes large and bright. "It sounds like the two of you spend Christmas like a pair of bachelors."
"And just how do you celebrate the holiday Mr. Armando?" she huffed. She felt his hand rest on her shoulder as she strung the last of the lights.
"Why, at home with a cup of Blend 25 of course." He grabbed his mug of coffee and took a swig before he continued, "I don't have any family to spend the day with, if that's what you're asking, Kitten." Mia quickly shut her mouth as she reached for the new box of glass orbs.
She opened the box and carefully pulled the ornaments out. "Alone with your coffee? That sounds more like a bachelor's Christmas than mine."
She had been right of course. After seeing her light up as she decorated the tree, the senior attorney took it upon himself to become less of a Scrooge and more of a Cratchit. He went to their boss, Marvin Grossberg, and asked to host the annual party at his condo. Taken aback, his boss graciously accepted and the duo set the date.
"You coming, Kitten?" Diego hummed, as he pulled on his black wool jacket. The days were getting shorter; the sky was already dark and lit with stars. He watched as the young woman fumbled with the paperwork on her desk.
"Oh, Mr. Armando, I'd love to, but I really can't," she continued to stuff paper into folders as she continued. "My car had to go into the shop this morning and Lana's picking me up here to drop me off at home, and I just can't ask her to drive me to your place and then pick me up later this evening." She looked up at her mentor. "I feel terrible. I know you did so much to organize this party for everyone."
He laughed as he adjusted his red scarf. "You act as though no one there can bring you home."
"Oh, I couldn't ask someone to do that," she mumbled. "Besides, there's so much more work I have to do to help prepare you for your case on Monday. I can't leave without it being done!" She looked up to see him hovering over her desk; her large plush scarf in his hands.
"Mia, I think I'll be just fine for that case." She took the fabric from his hands. "We'll get you home. Now come on. You're probably the one that wants to attend this party the most anyway." She giggled as she stood and wrapped the long scarf around her neck.
"If you insist, Mr. Armando." She unplugged the lights that wrapped around the windows as she gathered her purse from the desk drawer. She smiled and he swore he could get lost in her eyes. He offered her arm after she pulled on her jacket and she accepted; together they exited the office and headed into the cold December night.
The evening passed quicker than he anticipated; though it had gone as well as it could have. Granted, the senior lawyer had found himself in many an awkward situation due to the mistletoe his old roommate had suggested he buy. He politely backed out of kissing the older Raven Dearwood and had found himself caught with Robert Hammond more times than he was comfortable with. But he never managed to catch Mia Fey under the damned arch into his dining room.
He watched her all evening; taking in how the fitted red swing dress matched her skin perfectly. How the slight curls in her hair bounced as she walked. He had become infatuated with the woman and it had caught him completely off guard.
Then, when he least expected it, she approached.
"Mr. Armando," she whispered, champagne flute in hand. "You've been standing under the mistletoe for the last five minutes." Her cheeks were flushed, he couldn't tell if it was from embarrassment or the alcohol she had ingested. "Perhaps I should fix that," she grinned as she stood on her toes and kissed the man's lips.
It was over before it began and he cursed having the entire firm in his home. "Kitten," he teased. "That's all I get?"
The medium danced away on her toes. "You'll just have to catch me again if you want more," she giggled. She grabbed the skirt of her dress and swung it to the rhythm of the music as she rejoined the younger secretaries.
He devoted the rest of the night to just that. Finally, after watching the young attorney receive many a kiss from the older men in the office, he came up behind her and grabbed the drink from her hand; placing it on the bar behind him. "Got you," he chuckled. Her grin widened as he bent down to her level. He lightly placed his lips on her cheek; puzzled, she looked up at him. "If you want, we can go somewhere a little more private, Kitten," he whispered.
He watched as her eyes widened and a small smile graced her lips. She only nodded and he grabbed her hand and led her down the hallway to his deserted spare bedroom. He opened the door and they slipped inside. Mia suddenly found herself pressed against the door; Diego's lips urgently finding hers.
They didn't speak as they pulled away from each other. He pulled her away from the door; his hands guiding her by the small of her back. They kissed again, tumbling onto the bed in the middle of the room. She laid on top of him, her hair falling in curtains over them as he reached for the back of her neck to pull her closer. He felt her hands begin to wrestle with the buttons of his vest as he fumbled with the tie on the neck of her dress.
The red silk fell as the knot was released, revealing a thin, lace bustier beneath. She pushed aside the satin vest as he wrapped his arms around her back and deftly began to unhook the fabric confining her. Quickly, the boning and lace was gone and in its place were Diego's hands. He cupped her breasts and began to run his thumbs over her nipples. She adjusted in his grasp; her breath quickening at his touch.
She kissed him again; desperate for him. He wrapped his arms around her body and rolled her onto her back, kissing her jawline as he did. "You're beautiful, Kitten," he whispered as he shrugged off his vest and shirt. He felt the heat rise in her cheeks and he chuckled. "Don't act so surprised."
She opened her mouth to speak when suddenly, the door burst open. Light flooded the room and Mia quickly pulled up the top of her dress as Diego scrambled to help cover her. Standing in the doorway was their boss; slightly drunk and clearly looking for the restroom.
"Oops! Wrong door!" He stuttered as he backed out of the room and shut the door behind him.
When he felt they were in the clear, Diego pulled down the red silk of the medium's dress. "Now, where were we?" He hummed, watching as the woman's lips curled up into a smile.
Perhaps these firm Christmas parties weren't so bad after all.