Free A Mistletoe Kiss with the Boss by Susan Meier Page A

I’m her executive assistant.”
    â€œSounds exciting.”
    Kristen laughed nervously. Everybody assumed that because she worked for a woman who would someday be a queen, she had a fantastic job and glamorous life. But it was Eva who traveled while Kristen stayed behind and kept up with emails.
    â€œSome days my work is exciting. Other days, it’s just like any other assistant’s job.”
    Dean slid his arm across the back of her chair. “Kristen is about to leave her post to begin organizing a charity that will build schools in third world countries.”
    Mrs. Flannigan’s eyes lit. “Really? That’s quite an undertaking.”
    â€œHaving worked for a princess,” Dean said, “she’s up on world politics. She knows what she’s getting into.”
    Kristen sat a little taller. Not only did it feel right to have his arm around her, but also he seemed genuinely proud of her. She might not travel, but she did know world politics. Working for Eva had taught her a lot. Now she just had to figure out how to use it.
    â€œI hear your company is in a spot of trouble,” Mrs. Flannigan said, changing the subject as she smiled at Dean.
    He shrewdly returned her smile. “Nothing I can’t handle.”
    Winslow leaned toward Mrs. Flannigan. “Kristen and Dean met because she flew to Paris to get time with him to persuade him to relocate Suminski Stuff to Grennady.”
    Mrs. Flannigan’s face brightened. “Really? Well, my dear, you are quite the adventurer.”
    All the pride she’d felt fled as her chest tightened. No matter how much she’d seen working for Eva, she wasn’t really an adventurer. She was a shy woman with a big goal, who milked cows and baled hay. And being in this room, with a small group of influential people, she suddenly wondered about her sanity. How the hell did she ever think she could start a charity that would change the world?
    Dean’s arm slid from the back of her chair to her shoulders. The reassuring feeling that she wasn’t alone pumped air back into her lungs and restarted her breathing.
    â€œShe’s not much of an adventurer, but she’s got a heart of gold and I’m watching her grow more confident by the day. I have no doubt she can do this.”
    His belief in her revived her confidence. But she also realized this was the second time he’d spoken as if he knew her. Or at least knew things about her. The first time had been the day they’d met, on the plane, when he’d told Jason about her economics degree. He could have looked that up. He could have also guessed she was growing in confidence from the changes in the way she dealt with him since she’d first approached him in Paris. But her heart of gold? How would he know that?
    They spent three hours with the business people and their spouses. It had surprised Kristen to learn Mrs. Flannigan, not Arthur, was the owner of the brokerage firm that didn’t want to downgrade Dean’s stock. They wanted him to get his prototype to another round of beta testers and roll it out, which was why Winslow had invited him to this lunch.
    The group had ideas for how Dean could jump-start his staff’s creativity. Winslow had even suggested that Dean should consider temporarily moving the team to Grennady, if only for the next six weeks or so, to get them away from the daily grind and hopefully motivate them. Especially since it would give him a chance to investigate a permanent move.
    Kristen’s ears had perked up at that, but Dean had blown off the idea. By the time they got back into the limo for the drive home, her head spun. First, she knew Winslow’s idea was a good one. Why not send the Suminski Stuff team to Grennady to finish the project? Then she and Princess Eva would have tons of time to persuade him to move there permanently. Except Dean didn’t like Prince Alex. Or, as Dean had said, Prince Alex