The CEO's Romantic Wager

Chapter One: The Wager

“It’s tiiiiiiiiimmmmeeee!”

Ajax winced painfully as Mariah Carey’s shrill high note echoed down the street. The dreadful sound made him quicken his steps.

Ah, f**k.

His greatest fear…

It had already begun.

He was still a good half block away from the huge, impressive 128-story building that was the Creed Holdings headquarters, which meant only one thing.

There was no escaping it.

It was that time of year again.

November 1st had arrived, and with it, the onslaught of f*****g Christmas cheer.

In case you hadn’t noticed this by now, Ajax Nicholas Creed hated Christmas. And no, he didn’t just hate it; he despised it with every fiber of his being. The insane traffic, the bright, tacky, irritating decorations, the forced smiles and pretense… almost as though everyone was one happy family filled with so much love for their neighbors—

It all felt like one big capitalist scheme to the CEO… a clever way for companies to profit off a society desperate for a season of happiness, and being a businessman himself, and a billionaire at that, Ajax knew exactly what he was talking about. Hell, he had benefitted from the farce a couple of times, but when it got in the way of his life and happiness like it was doing now, then it became an inconvenience.

Ajax was still halfway up the block when he felt himself suddenly being pulled into a growing crowd. His piercing grey eyes quickly darted around in surprise, trying to figure out what was going on.

A low curse left his lips when he finally figured it out.

He had walked right into the middle of a flash mob, and it was too late to get out of their midst.

The crowd exposed their Christmas attires, and at the loud command of one person, they burst into a cheery, upbeat Christmas song Ajax didn’t know, belting the dreaded holiday words at an incredibly high pitch that made his ears want to bleed. People danced excitedly, twirling holiday scarves and tossing fake snow in the air while the crowd cheered along. Meanwhile, the CEO was desperately fighting for his life, trying to worm his way out of the untimely inconvenience, but the mob had grown fast, leaving him trapped in their midst. Everywhere he turned, bodies blocked his path, locking him in.

Ajax felt a flash of irritation as a man in a Santa suit sidestepped right in front of him, tossing him a Santa hat with a wink. He looked down at the fluffy red-and-white atrocity and flung it almost fearfully, as though a wild animal had tried to attack him.

Somehow, despite his growing annoyance, Ajax managed just the right amount of patience to weave his way through the flurry of dancers and snowflakes, but by the time he had made it out of the mess, his irritation had turned to full-blown fury.

He brushed some remnants of the fake snow off his coat as he finally walked into Creed Holdings, muttering swear words under his breath at how much time was already wasted.

To think he’d left his car at home this morning, figuring that a cab would make it easier to dodge the seasonal traffic clogging every lane. Apparently, that had been an exercise in futility.

So much for getting in early.

Ajax stepped off the private elevator and strode into his office on the top floor of the building, feeling the comfort of his sleek, minimalist space calm him.

He settled in at his desk, and gradually, the familiar rhythm of work slowly eased the frustration that the morning had built up.

At least here at Creed Holdings, there were no Santas, no carolers, and certainly no phony cheer. He had made sure of it while drafting employment contracts for his staff. There was no recognition whatsoever of the yuletide season, though he did give them the option to take those holidays off as labor laws demanded.

The thing was that, he paid three times extra salary to people who stayed behind, and so no one missed a day.

Hell, they couldn’t afford to.

Genius, right?

Ajax had barely immersed himself in his work when there was a knock at his door.

His assistant, Jayla Beckett, stepped in, calm and efficient as always, holding a thick envelope. “A message for you, sir,” she said simply, handing it over.

“Thanks,” he muttered, barely glancing up. Ajax turned the envelope over in his hand, distracted by the upcoming quarterly report numbers he was working on. But just as Jayla turned to leave, his best friend and VP, Connor Waters, slipped into the office behind her. The woman closed the door behind her, leaving the two of them alone.

“Hey, you better not run, you better not frown, you better not pout, I’m telling you why… Santa Claus is coming to town,” Connor got into the song with a huge grin.

Ajax’s response was an immediate scowl. “Yeah, if he knows what is f*****g good for him, he’d get on the next train and be on his merry way.” He muttered bitterly.

Connor dropped himself into the chair across from Ajax, smirking in content. “Your misery brings me so much joy.” He teased his friend. “It’s that time of year again, the lights, the music… tell me you’re finally coming around this year?”

“Please,” Ajax groaned, throwing Connor a dark look. “I’d sooner eat coal than get into this holiday nonsense.”

“Classic,” Connor laughed, “You know, for a guy who loves parties, it’s ironic that you’re such a Grinch when it comes to the biggest one of all. Are you sure you’re not related to the green guy?”

“Very funny,” Ajax deadpanned. “Maybe you’re just one of those suckers they’re targeting with all this holiday fluff too. You know it’s just a big sales pitch, right?”

Connor shrugged carelessly. “Maybe, but I like it. And hey, you could use a little cheer in your life. Lighten up, Creed. You’re wound up tighter than one of those mechanical reindeer just outside the building.”

Ajax didn’t dignify that with a response. Instead, he reached for the envelope Jayla had delivered.

But before he could open it, Connor’s expression shifted from teasing to serious.

“So…how’re you doing after the news?”

Ajax felt his jaw clench as he dropped the envelope, memories of last night’s conversation with his parents rushing back like a flood. “You mean that f*****g ultimatum?” He bit out, a hint of anger lacing his voice. “Yeah, I’m thrilled.”

Connor’s brows rose. “They did give you a pretty intense deadline.”

Ajax let out a humorless laugh. “That’s a f*****g understatement. I mean, really, a ‘serious girlfriend’ to bring home for Christmas, or they hand Creed Holdings over to my brother, Simon? They can’t be serious. Where was the i***t when we were going through a crisis? Who took us out of said crisis?”

Connor tilted his head. “You know how they can get, Ajax. Plus, Simon’s been pretty clean-cut. No scandals, no media messes…exactly the kind of guy they want representing Creed Holdings. He’s...you know…”

Ajax scoffed. “The golden boy? Spare me the bullshit.” He reached for the card, waving it at his friend, “I don’t even need to open it to know that it’s from him.” He tore open the envelope and pulled out the card to reveal Simon and his family grinning widely in ridiculous Christmas sweaters against a cheesy backdrop of snowflakes and fake reindeer. “Just look at this nonsense,” Ajax’s face twisted in disdain. “He knows it's only the first of November, right?”

“It says right there at the top, ‘This is a pre-holiday photoshoot.” Connor pointed out with amusement, “Oh God, what a pussy.”

But Ajax could barely pay attention. “Perfect Simon,” he muttered bitterly. “Mom and Dad must be thrilled.”

Connor watched Ajax in silence, sensing the mix of bitterness and frustration in his friend. “You know, maybe they do have a point.” He said softly, ignoring the mean glare that could cut ice. “You’ve been…let’s call it, very selective, in your ‘relationships,’ and not exactly with the kind of women they’d approve of, Ajax.”

Ajax’s jaw tightened. “So? I like a good time—big deal. That doesn’t mean I can’t do my job?”

“Agreed. But see, they’re looking for someone they can trust to keep the Creed name clean. And you know exactly what they think of…your type.”

Yeah, blonde, stupid, unserious bimbos.

His mother had thrown the name at him a couple of times, which was very ironic, given that she herself was blonde too.

Ajax rolled his eyes. “Yeah, well… serious women are boring, and I’m just looking for a good time. Besides, I’m not about to parade someone around just to make my parents happy.”

Connor grinned mischievously. “Uh, I actually think you steer clear of serious women because you know they can see right through you.”

“Not true.” Ajax asserted. “I won world’s sexiest man three years consecutive.” He bragged with a smirk, “Surely, more than a few serious women are just as enamored with me.”

“Want to put that to the test?” Connor raised an eyebrow, “I know one serious woman you can’t charm your way through, and she’s right here. Trust me, I’ve tried, and failed countless times.”

Ajax frowned, catching the glint in Connor’s eye. “Who?”

Connor leaned in, his grin widening. “Jayla Beckett.”

His assistant.

Ajax blinked; his expression frozen in shock before he let out a loud laugh. “Jayla? Are you kidding? She is so not my type.”

“Well, isn’t that the point?” Connor asked with gleaming eyes. “Jayla is a serious woman… someone your parents might actually like. The way I see it, you’re the one who isn’t her type.” He finished mischievously.

Ajax let out a scoff, refusing to let his friend get to him. “I can have any woman I want.”

“So, prove it.”

Ajax narrowed his eyes. “What are you getting at?”

Connor leaned back, folding his arms. “How about a little wager? I bet you can’t get Jayla to agree to go out with you. I mean, it should be easy for you, right? You’re Ajax Creed, CEO, master charmer who can get any woman you want.”

Ajax scoffed. “It’s not about charm. Jayla’s off-limits. She’s a damn good assistant, and I can’t risk losing her over a stupid bet.”

“Yeah, keep telling yourself that,” Connor smirked. “You know very well that she’s going to be a real challenge. Which is probably why you haven’t even tried to bag her all this while.”

Ajax frowned; his pride stinging. “So, if I do?”

“Well, you get a woman to take home for the holidays. You get to keep your position as CEO. But if you lose,” Connor smirked, nodding toward Ajax’s expansive corner office. “If you lose, I get your fancy office. I’ve always wanted to admire the Manhattan skyline while I worked.”

Ajax snorted in amusement. “No way. I’m not that desperate.”

“Tell you what? I’ll throw in my motorcycle. I know you’ve had your eye on my baby girl since I got it.” Connor wiggled his brows mischievously, knowing very well that he had finally tickled his friend’s interest.

Ajax hesitated, mulling it over.

A lot of stakes were involved.

What if Jayla found out and quit?

What if he was successful and then got her to like him? He didn’t do attachments. Was he going to have to let her go?

Ajax glanced back at Simon’s grinning face on the card and felt his jaw tighten.

Desperation and pride mingled in his chest, and before he knew it, he was saying the dreaded words. “Fine,” he said, stretching out his hand. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”

Connor’s hand met his with a firm shake, a wide grin making its way onto his face. “Well, this should be fun.”