Chapter Text
The midnight black box wrapped in a large matching satin bow stuck out from Reys brightly colored cubical. It took up almost the entirety of her desk top, the indented DIOR print reflecting from the luminescent office lights above. The box was sitting there when she got to work and a small group of her coworkers had gathered around her area whispering amongst themselves. Rey swallowed nervously as she approached her desk, clutching her jacket and satchel. There was nothing she hated more than attention and right now everyone in the office was staring at her. Some were looks of questioning and some of jealousy, no doubt because the name brand printed on the box.
“Rey!” Rose Tico, her best friend in the office, ran up to her and grabbed her wrist pulling her past everyone to get to her desk. “Do you think its from your secret Santa?” Rose was much more excited than she was.
“Who else would it be from?” Rey rolled her eyes and let Rose lead her into the cubical. The both stopped and stared down at the box. She reached out and traced the satin bow looking for a card, but none was found.
“Open it!” Rose was practically bouncing off the wall and a few ppl were peaking over from their stations.
“Alright alright… I hope they put their name on it so I can give it back this must be way to expensive.” Slowly Rey started pulling the ribbon apart and let it fall to the floor.
Every year Galactic Republic News does a secret Santa. Every year the spending limit is the same, a gift less than $100. And every year Rey has gotten a gift worth much more than that. The first year she started, two years ago, she was gifted a very expensive perfume. She never found out who her secret Santa was so she accepted that she couldn’t give it back. Deep down she wanted to keep it because it was her favorite and she wore it every day. She could remember the look on her bosses face the first time she wore it. They were in the elevator together and he took a step away from her like she smelled repulsive, he couldn’t even look at her. He was always so standoffish and rude which made her only want to wear it more just to make his day more miserable if he didn’t like it that much.
Then last year she got a very beautiful necklace from Tiffany. Her and rose had sat at her desk scrolling through the website to find it and quickly learned it was a few carats in weight. Another year with another over the price limit gift and still not knowing who her secret Santa was. Rey wore it everyday at first hoping her Santa would see it and come forward to compliment her. When no one did she continued to wear it out of habit. By now everyone in the office was used to seeing Rey get the fancy expensive secret Santa gifts and no one every knew who it was. So the DIOR box really was no surprise but had to be the most expensive thing whatever it was.
Just as she started to lift the edges of the box a throat was cleared from behind the girls. Immediately Rey dropped the lid and it slipped shut before the contents were exposed. Both of them spun around and came face to face with their boss, Kylo Ren.
“I Think this year the secret Santa gifts should be opened in private as it seems your gifts cause quite a disturbance in the office.” His jaw tightened as he glanced between the box and Rey, his arms folded across his chest with his sleeves rolled up. Rey found herself staring. She would admit while her boss had a stick up his ass, he was very attractive.
“Right… of course.” She averted her eyes, eye contact with him was difficult. He always had this look when he would talk to her, she could never pinpoint what it was.
He took a small step into her space and pointed at the thick black ribbon at her feet, “And please keep your area tidy Ms. Solo.” His voice was a low rumble, making her breath hitch.
All she could do was nod slowly, lost for words. That’s probably the most he’s ever said to her, let alone stand that close to her. Maybe he didn’t mind the perfume today.
With a quick glance at Rose he turned on his heel and stormed back to his office snapping at other employees to get back to work. At least now the attention was off her.
Rose reached out and squeezed Reys shoulder. “We can open it tonight before we go to the company Christmas party.”
“Did you open yours yet?” Rey carefully lifted the box and leaned it against the wall before grabbing the ribbon off the floor and tossing it somewhere on her desk.
Rose huffed and started walking around to her own desk, “Yea socks and chocolates. You are so lucky.”
“I wouldn’t say that.” Rey mumbled under her breath as she took her seat at her desk to begin her own work.
Every year Kylo Ren rigged the secret Santa. Not because he wanted the best gift giver in the office but because he wanted her. She had started two years ago and flipped his world. She was creative and intelligent; she was strong willed and a powerful force in the office. At first he thought she had it out for his position the way she carried herself. But no, it wasn’t that. No she was just like him, never trusting anyone, handling projects alone, being fiercely competitive with a fear of rejection. Besides those qualities she was absolutely stunning, she didn’t know it but the way she existed was beautiful. Being the way he is he had to maintain control of the situation at hand. When HR was going around trying to bribe an employee to organize the secret Santa like they do every year, he saw his perfect opportunity.
Kylo Ren agreed to organize it every year if no one knew it was him. Thus the persona of Ben the custodian who worked in the basement was created and no one was the wiser. And for the last few Christmases Kylo has picked Rey and he assigned her Ben. She would have to turn her gift into Kylo to give to Ben because the basement was off limits to non-custodial employees. He really thought of every detail of this plan. She had no idea Ben was really him.
The first year she got Ben a signed limited-edition lord of the rings book series.
“I have never met this guy I feel so horrible I had no idea what to get him. I hope he likes it.” she had said this to him when she handed it over to be passed on to Ben. Little did she know how much of a nerd he was. He heard her still stressing about it so a week later he had written a note saying thank you from ben. She kept that note pinned to her board ever since.
The next year Rey came bounding into his office with a gift box. “I can’t believe I got Ben twice but If he liked last year, he will like this year too.” It was a calligraphy set with scrolls based on the books from last year. Kylo was convinced she had caught on to his plan because how could she get him such good gifts twice. He loved calligraphy. To try and throw her off he didn’t give her a note and she was crestfallen, but all was forgotten in the new year.
This Christmas she didn’t had him the gift directly. Sometime during lunch last week, she must have placed it on his desk. When he opened it he was surprised. They were gorgeous cuff links with a card.
I hope to see you at the company party this year, wear these! I can’t believe I've gotten you 3 times in a row! -Rey
The first emotion Kylo felt was sheer jealousy. She was writing notes to a man that doesn’t even exist. She was practically inviting him to go with her to the party. She was telling him what to wear, for her. Without a second though he threw the delicate box at the wall in a fit of rage. Maybe she thought all those gifts were from Ben. No one could know her as well as he does.
He had known exactly what a strong woman like her needed, a confident scent. That was his first gift to her and when she wore it… he wanted to eat her heart out. He almost regretted it the day he was stuck in an elevator with just her from the first floor to the 78th. All the sick fantasies twirling in his head. He wanted to slam the button to stop the elevator and push her up against the wall. He thought about wrapping his hand around her neck, where she sprayed that perfume, as he fucked her. Control, he needed control, so he took a step away from her. He would have snapped and taken her right there, would she have let him?
The next year he thought about something else he wanted to see on her neck. It was malicious of him to want that. To him it was almost like ownership. She’s wearing his diamonds around her neck. He never expected her to wear them almost every day. It felt like such a dirty secret, no one knew he bought those for her. No one knew that in team meetings when she was presenting all he could think about were those diamonds swaying between her breasts naked as she sat on his face.
He was playing a dangerous game with secret Santa and he knew it. The cuff links sent him over the edge. He needed to end it and let her know, make her his. Kylo Ren would make Rey Solo his.