The Wish Read online

  The Wish

  A London Suits Short Christmas Story

  Becca Steele

  The Wish (A London Suits Christmas Story)

  Copyright © 2019 by Becca Steele

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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  Cover design by Becca Steele

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  www.authorbeccasteele.com

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s crazy imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Contents

  Author’s Note

  1. Ashley

  2. Ashley

  3. Ashley

  4. Marcus

  5. Ashley

  Bonus Scenes

  Christmas Day Bonus Scene – Ethan and Avery

  Christmas Day Bonus Scene – Luke and Olivia

  Thank you

  Also by Becca Steele

  Author’s Note

  The author is British, and British English spellings and phrases are used throughout.

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  Enjoy this short Christmas story, set in the London Suits world!

  1

  Ashley

  I stumbled to a halt, drenched from head to toe. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” I shouted after the bus, as it continued on, never mind that it had thrown up a bucketload of London’s finest freezing dirty water all over me. Brushing the worst of it off my heavy winter coat, I scanned the streets. Pedestrians hurried past, heads down, not paying me any attention. Something caught my eye—a deep brown sign with white lettering, flapping in the wind. The Daily Grind. Perfect.

  I hurried over, pushing open the door. The bell jingled merrily to announce my arrival, not that there was anyone there to see me enter, other than the teenage girl behind the wooden counter, who barely looked up from her phone.

  Oh no, wait. There was a man sitting in the corner, his face and most of his body hidden by a newspaper. All I caught was a glimpse of his hands, and the top of his head. Expensive-looking watch, thick, chestnut brown hair that was impeccably styled, black suit, black loafers… Tearing my gaze away, I headed towards the counter, the music playing softly from the wall mounted speakers soothing me.

  “Uh, could I have a coffee?”

  “What kind?” The girl raised a brow at me, gesturing to the board behind her.

  “A Pumpkin Spice latte, please. Large, or whatever it’s called. The biggest one you have.”

  She sighed as if it was a huge inconvenience for her. “Fine. It’ll be a few minutes. Pay here, please.”

  I tapped my bank card on the contactless reader. “No rush. I’m going to use the loos.” I gestured to myself, and she looked at me as if seeing me for the first time. Sympathy flickered in her eyes.

  “What happened to you? You look like a drowned rat.”

  “I stood too close to the road when a bus went past.” I shrugged. “I’ll dry. I hope.”

  “There’s hand dryers in the loos. You can hang your coat on the radiator if you like.”

  “Thanks.” I slipped off my coat and draped it over the aforementioned radiator, then examined myself. My coat had taken the brunt of the drenching—thankfully my skirt, silk cami and cardigan were all dry. My legs were wet, but that was a small problem in the grand scheme of things. I was grateful I’d worn my wavy blonde hair in a messy bun, at least that had been protected.

  I headed over to the far corner of the coffee shop, my path taking me directly past the stranger with the newspaper. As I neared him, he lowered the paper, and our eyes met.

  It was like being hit by lightning.

  His steel grey eyes bored into me, daring me to look away. I drank in his features—all chiselled, sculpted male perfection. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he was quite possibly the sexiest man I’d ever encountered in the flesh. A slight smirk crossed his lips as he noticed the way I was ogling him, and my cheeks heated.

  “Excuse me,” I mumbled, lowering my eyes and hurrying past him. Why was I having such an extreme reaction to this stranger? My legs were shaky, and my heart was racing.

  Once I’d composed myself, I re-entered the coffee shop. The man had gone. It was silly, but my heart sank.

  I headed over to the counter to collect my drink. “Do you know who that man was?”

  The girl behind the counter shook her head. “He’s been in a couple of times, but no idea who he is, sorry.”

  Shame.

  I pushed all thoughts of the gorgeous stranger from my mind. It was unlikely I’d see him again—with a population of over nine million, London was a big city, so my odds were slim.

  Slightly drier, I made my way to my office building, sipping my coffee, letting the spices warm me.

  After an uneventful morning, I met with my colleagues Olivia and Eddie in the conference room, to plan our annual Christmas party. With most places in London not only charging exorbitant amounts, but being booked up well in advance, we were having the Christmas party in our office, as we always did, in fact. We’d arranged it for the Friday before Christmas, and it sounded like most of the other businesses in our building were following suit, so the whole place would be alive with Christmas cheer.

  I couldn’t wait. Christmas was my favourite time of the year. There was something so magical about it. I had a tradition—every year I went to the huge Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square on Christmas Eve, and made a wish. Maybe I was too old to believe in magic, okay, no maybe about it; but if wishes could come true, Christmas was the one time of year when anything was possible.

  “Ashley? Are you okay?” I blinked several times, returning to earth, seeing Olivia eyeing me with concern.

  “I’m fine. I just zoned out for a moment. Sorry about that.” I smiled at them both. “So, Ethan’s really letting us plan this ourselves?”

  Olivia nodded, a grin on her face. “Yep. To be honest, it sounds pretty simple.” She held up a hand, ticking off points on her slim fingers. “Catering, music, lights, oooh, and a Secret Santa exchange.”

  “Ugh. I hope I don’t get stuck with Luke again this year.” Eddie rolled his eyes, then darted out of the way of Olivia, who attempted to slap his arm playfully.

  “Don’t be rude; that’s my boyfriend you’re talking about.” She attempted an angry voice, but her eyes sparkled, and she couldn’t wipe the smile from her face. “Tell you what, if you get him, you can swap with me, okay?”

  “Deal,” he grinned.

  “Can we add mistletoe to the list, please?” I batted my lashes hopefully.

  “Got your eye on anyone in particular, Ash?” Eddie asked.

  I shook my head. “No, not at all. Although…” I sighed, “I saw the most gorgeous man this morning when I was getting a coffee. Like, he literally made me weak at the knees.”

  “Who was he?” Eddie stared at me, enthralled, his hand propped on his chin as he leaned on the conference table.

  “I have no idea. And living in a city this big, what are the chances of me running into him again?”

  “You never know what might happen. But, yes, we’ll add mistletoe to the list. Although, the only one kissing Luke will be me, thank you.” Olivia smirked at me, and I laughed. Before her and Luke got together, when they still supposedly hated each other, Luke had asked me on one disastrous date. Disastrous, because not only had we ended up at the same pub that Olivia happen
ed to be at, but we’d ended up sitting with them, and the sexual tension between them had been so thick you could cut it with a knife. Suffice to say, there wasn’t a second date between us.

  “I’ll be sure to only stand under the mistletoe if any hot, single men appear. We can all invite up to two guests, right? Maybe someone will have a sexy single brother,” I said hopefully.

  “If not, just wander around the building. I hear the men on floor twenty are fiiiiine,” Eddie dragged out the word dramatically, fanning himself. “I’m happy to come and check them out with you, for research purposes, of course.”

  “Oh, really? And what would George think of that?” I raised a brow as I reminded Eddie of his long-time boyfriend.

  “Oh, he’ll join us.” He winked at me.

  “I’ll keep it in mind, then,” I laughed. “Come on, let’s decide on music. I think we need a mix of Christmas themed songs, and party tunes. I could make a Spotify playlist, if no one objects?”

  “Fine by me,” Olivia said, and Eddie nodded in agreement.

  “On to the most important question. What are the options for the food?” Eddie patted his stomach, then mimed tipping a drink into his mouth. “And drinks, of course.”

  We began narrowing down our options, with the help of the menus Olivia had open on her laptop, and by the time our lunch hour was up, the party was mostly organised.

  “That’s what I call teamwork!” Eddie gave us both an enthusiastic high five as we stood from our seats to go back to our respective jobs.

  The countdown to the party was on. Eight weeks to go.

  2

  Ashley

  The day of the party had arrived. Finally. I’d woken up so excited—this was the last day of work before Christmas, we’d finish with the party, and tomorrow was Christmas Eve. I hummed along with “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”, which was playing on the radio, as I got ready for work, and gathered together the festive accessories and outfit I was planning to change into for the party. The morning was still dark as I left the house I shared with three other commuters, all of us passing like ships in the night thanks to our long travel times into London.

  I boarded the train to London Bridge in the dark, and by the time I arrived, the sun had risen. It was one of those clear winter days—cold, but bright sunshine, the air crisp and fresh. For London, anyway. There was even a light dusting of snow on the tops of buildings and on the trees, sparkling in the sun. My bus arrived and I managed to get a seat, somehow, which never happened. Hopefully that was a good sign for things to come.

  “Hey, Casey,” I greeted the girl behind the counter in The Daily Grind, and she returned my smile with one of her own.

  “Morning! Let me guess. Christmas Spice latte?”

  “Yes please. Thanks.” I tapped my contactless card on the card reader and settled in my favourite seat, near the counter, to wait for my coffee to be ready. Ever since I’d seen the sexy stranger here, The Daily Grind had become a regular stop on my way to work. Not just because I held out a small hope that I might run into him again one day, but I’d grown to love the quiet, calm atmosphere, and I enjoyed my morning chats with Casey.

  “How long will it take you to get home? You said you were going to visit your grandparents for Christmas, right?” I spoke up to be heard over the noise of the coffee machine.

  “Around three hours. We’re closing at lunchtime today, so I’ll be leaving this afternoon. Should miss the rush hour traffic that way, hopefully.” She squirted cream into my coffee and sprinkled some cocoa powder on top. “There you go. All done.”

  “Thanks. Well, I guess I’ll see you after Christmas, then. Safe travels and merry Christmas.” I slid a card across the counter to her. “It’s only a Christmas card,” I shrugged. “I just wanted to say thanks for brightening up my mornings with your conversation and epic coffees.”

  She blushed, biting her lip, fighting a pleased smile. “Uh, thanks. I’m glad I could help. Thanks for keeping me company. Happy Christmas.”

  As I turned to leave, she shouted after me, “By the way, if your hot man ever comes back, I’m totally getting his number for you.”

  “Glad to hear it,” I called back, pushing the door open and leaving with a wave.

  “I think I’m ready.” I studied my reflection in the hand-held mirror that was propped up on my boss, Ethan’s, desk. His fiancée, Avery, had sweet-talked him into letting us use his large office to get ready for the party in. Me, Avery, Olivia, my colleague Lisa, and Ethan’s secretary, Delia, were all in the room. Ethan’s desk had been completely cleared of anything business-related, and instead it was covered in makeup, hair curlers and straighteners, and open bottles of Prosecco and glasses. Delia bustled around, adjusting dresses, smoothing hair, advising on which shoes looked best with our outfits; smiling widely the entire time.

  “I still can’t get over the fact you’re engaged,” Lisa swooned.

  Avery grinned at her, flashing her sparkling engagement ring. “I know, me neither. I guess I haven’t had much time to get used to it, yet. We haven’t even thought about the wedding. We’ll decide what we’re doing after we get back from the ski resort.”

  She pouted her lips, applying a coat of ruby lipstick, then placed the tube back in her makeup bag and continued. “I can’t believe I get to spend Christmas with my fiancé in Switzerland. I’m planning on making the most of the hot tub and spa, and no doubt Ethan will spend most of the time skiing. It’s going to be so much fun!” Picking up her champagne flute, she took a sip of Prosecco and eyed her best friend over the rim of the glass. “As for engagements—I predict Liv and Luke will be next.”

  Olivia gave her a dreamy smile. “One day. No rush. I’ve barely even moved in with Luke yet. You know what, though, I’m so excited about us having our first Christmas together. We’re going to wake up in our apartment, have breakfast and open our presents to each other. Just me and him. Then we’re going to drive down to my mum and dad’s house for a family dinner, and stay the night there, along with my brother. I can’t wait.”

  “That sounds perfect,” I said. “How about you guys? Lisa? Delia?”

  “Oh, I’ve got all the family coming to me,” Delia beamed. “Kids and grandkids. We’ll have a whole houseful.”

  “And I’ll be having Christmas with my boyfriend’s family, then we’ll go to my family on Boxing Day,” Lisa told us. “What are you doing, Ashley?”

  I smiled. “My parents are away in Tasmania visiting my sister for Christmas this year, so I’m going to have a day to myself. My housemates are all going to be away visiting their families, so I’ll have the run of the house without being disturbed. I’ve planned on a lazy day of festive pyjamas, hot chocolate, and Christmas movies, and I honestly can’t wait.”

  “Oh.” The women all stared at me, unsure of what to say.

  “Don’t look at me like that,” I scolded. “Do you know how often I get a day to myself, a whole day where I can just do what I want? I’m really looking forward to it.”

  “As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters, dear.” Delia patted my hand gently. “Now, what do you say we join the others?”

  We filed out into the main office, which, thanks to mine, Olivia’s and Eddie’s efforts, looked festive and inviting. Colourful fairy lights winked around the edges of the room and around the desks, and a large tree stood in one corner, with the Secret Santa presents piled underneath. Mistletoe hung in the doorway (and in a few other places, apparently), and the sound system was belting out “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”. At the far side of the office I could see the table covered in plates of food, and a selection of drinks clustered at one end.

  The room was full already. We’d taken a long time to get ready, to be fair. I smoothed down my short black flared skirt, and made sure my red cami top was tucked in. I had red, green and white striped thigh high socks and shiny black chunky heels to complete the look. It was over the top, and, yeah, probably a little silly, especially for an o
ffice party, but if anyone was going to go overboard for Christmas, it would be me.

  “Ashley,” Olivia hissed. “Don’t forget your hat.” She handed me a red velvet Santa hat and I pulled it on with a smile.

  “Thanks. Wouldn’t want to forget that.” I shook my head, fluffing my hair out, and the bell earrings I was wearing jingled merrily.

  As I danced, drank, and ate, I was constantly on the move, flitting between my colleagues, trying to take the time to talk to everyone. I somehow ended up judging a dance off between Eddie and George, which left the whole room in stitches. When I’d declared George the winner, we decided to do the Secret Santa gifts.

  Ethan had been volunteered by his staff to give out the gifts, since he was the boss. He handed a gift to everyone with a smile and a kind word. When he got to me, he gave me a small square box. “Merry Christmas, Ashley. Thanks for all your hard work this year. I want you to know that we all appreciate you. You’re the first and last person our clients see when they visit Barrett London, and I’ve been told on more than one occasion how impressed they’ve been by your warmth and professionalism.” He squeezed my arm. “You’re an important part of this team.

  “Thanks.” My cheeks heated at the praise, but I smiled, happy to be a part of this company, where everyone was made to feel important and included. Honestly, it might have sounded cliché, but it really was like a family.

  He nodded and moved on, and once we all had our gifts, we opened them.

  I gasped aloud when I saw mine.