Christmas Construction

Chapter 6: Scapegoat

Audrey

Audrey blinked, caught off guard. Despite all of Jason's scheming and unwise decisions, she still had no idea he was capable of this. It was actually really transparent, too. Grant Enterprises gets positive publicity for partnering with a charity, a tidy little tax write-off, and less year-end expenditure than employee bonuses would have been, all tied up in a big red bow. To top it all off, since Audrey was still so new to the company, nobody would believe that Jason's crediting her with the idea was untrue. The barely concealed smirk on his face as he stood grandly on the stage while the employees shot angry glances her way was proof of that. Merry Christmas to Jason. Happy New Year.

Jason continued spewing nonsense onstage, but Audrey couldn't hear it through the ringing in her ears. Around the room, several others weren't listening either, instead muttering among themselves and casting furtive looks between her and Jason. The mood was undoubtedly ruined, not that Jason cared.

"Hey."

Audrey jumped. She'd completely forgotten Brian was there. She regained her composure for appearance's sake and looked up at him. "Yes?"

"Are you alright?" he murmured, so soft and low that nobody would hear it but her.

Her first instinct was to tell him that she was fine, to maintain some semblance of dignity. But, whether it was the fact that he'd already seen her far from her best, the way his gray eyes beheld her concern but not pity, or the ridiculousness of the entire evening, she ended up shaking her head, just once. No. She wasn't okay.

Brian shifted a little, changing the weight of his feet and taking half a step. To everyone else, it simply looked like he was naturally changing position for comfort. But it wasn't lost on her that his movement shielded her from view of much of the room. She sighed a little. Once again, she was indebted to this man she only met that evening.

Jason finally finished with a flourish, raising a glass of champagne. "Here's to a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!"

Several glasses were raised half-heartedly in response, and then it was over. Well, over except for the carousel of African farm animals, which continued on a loop. Audrey gazed at the horizontal pupils of a bleary-eyed goat with distaste.

"Wonderful, wasn't it?" Jason came up, triumphantly raising his glass once more before downing it. Audrey caught his smirk before the drink touched his lips.

"Indeed," Audrey said dryly. "I had no idea you found me so inspirational."

"I give credit where credit is due," the CFO said generously.

"And for that I thank you," she replied with a tight smile. "Well, I think I had better leave. It's getting late."

"Nonsense, the party is just getting started!" Jason boomed, oblivious to the fact that the party had, in fact, died the moment he revealed that nobody would be receiving a proper bonus this year. "Stay for a dance!"

"I'm not sure her ankle would tolerate dancing," Brian cut in smoothly. Thank goodness.

"Aww, shucks, it's not that bad, is it, Ms. Peters?" Jason said with mock sympathy. "I'd love to take you on a turn about the floor."

"I...suppose it doesn't hurt so much anymore," Audrey said reluctantly. What she really wanted was to get out of here before Jason found another way to humiliate her, but she could tell he wasn't going to let it go. If it wasn't this, he would come up with something else, no question.

"Just one dance! I'll go easy on you," Jason said with a smile.

"I'm sorry, but if she's only going to dance for one number, it will be with me," Brian said firmly. It took nearly all of Audrey's willpower to keep her facial expression in check when she glanced up at him. Why was he trying so hard to save her?

The ending notes of "All I Want For Christmas Is You" faded out, and Sinatra's Christmas Waltz came on. "If you'll excuse us," Brian said before Jason could respond, taking Audrey's waist and guiding her to the dance floor. Once again, he held her respectfully, but also subtly helped support her injured ankle.

They made it to the center of the dance floor, which was completely empty of other dancers. "I'm really not sure if I can do this," Audrey hissed under her breath. "I'm not great at dancing, and my ankle does still hurt if I put too much weight on it."

Brian shifted to stand in front of her and adjusted his grip to a waltz hold. "Stand on my feet," he murmured.

Taken aback, Audrey's mouth dropped open, and she looked up into his completely serious face. "What?"

"I can waltz well enough. Your dress is long enough to hide your feet for the most part. No one will notice," he whispered, gently pulling her closer. "Even if they do see," he said, leaning down so that his breath tickled her ear. "They'll probably just find it cute. Since we're a couple and all."

Audrey blushed crimson. "I'm so sorry about that."

"We'll talk about it later. For now, hop on," Brian replied. Did nothing faze this man?

Glancing down, she noticed he was wearing sturdy work boots and jeans. His shirt was a burgundy plaid. It almost looked like they tried color coordinating.

"Don't mind the dirt," he said, his voice growing a little terse.

Audrey finally stepped onto his boots with her bare feet. "I didn't think you were dirty," she replied, surprised. And then she was floating.

Brian was a superb dancer. He'd obviously undersold his dancing prowess. "Wow," Audrey said as they whirled in time with the music.

"What, you didn't think a blue-collar schmuck could dance?" he quipped. Though he kept his voice light, she detected an edge there. He must be getting tired of helping her keep up the charade. She couldn't blame him. It was a lot to ask, and she'd given him zero warning.

"Of course not," she replied. Seeing his raised eyebrows, she realized her words were ambiguous. "I mean, I know people from all walks of life can dance. Just like many can't. Including me."

He chuckled once, low and pleasant. Something about his voice was hypnotic to her. "I see."

They fell into silence and continued dancing. A few other couples joined in, but kept a wide berth, probably because Jason had just branded Audrey as employee enemy number one. Still, she was in awe at the way Brian moved. His steps were graceful and his frame strong, completely unaffected by the fact that she was dancing on his feet. She looked to the side, unable to make eye contact through her embarrassment at the way the entire evening had gone.

The song finally concluded, and Brian nodded his head in a slight bow. "Thank you for the dance," he said. "I'll walk you to your vehicle now, if your ankle feels well enough to drive?"

"Yes, please," Audrey said gratefully, seeing Jason already looking like he was on his way over again.

Brian steered her out of the room to the elevator. As soon as the doors slid closed, Audrey backed away and held onto the railing in the elevator. "Thank you for playing along," she said earnestly. "That wasn't fair to you."

"It was clear you were the one being treated unfairly," Brian replied. Audrey sighed with relief. At least he understood enough of what was going on.

Or maybe not. Brian frowned at her. "But next time, there's no need to protect me from the likes of Jason."

Audrey squinted. "Protect you? If anything, you were protecting me, were you not?"

Brian crossed his arms. "I know my blue-collar status must repulse you, but I'm proud of what I do, and I can take care of myself."

What?