Chapter 3

Drayer

I looked around carefully to make sure we were alone as I put my beard on. Since I was Santa, I had to roll into the store a half an hour after opening which made me miss the first shift of actual openers but put me in before the relief shift came in.

Which meant I had the employee locker room and bathroom completely to myself.

Oh, and Nick too. Apparently working there for five years had given him the perk of never having to come in to open and only to help after people set things up.

“Hey, you know everyone who works here, right?”

Nick looked to me, an eyebrow raised like he knew exactly what I was going to ask him. “Yeah. Why?”

“Um, there’s this girl walking around. Short, dark hair. Petite. Big blue eyes. You know her?”

He practically snorted. “I’m about ninety-five percent sure you’re talking about Ella, and she’s the girl I’m always telling you to meet. Seriously, bro, I’ve been trying to give you the in for two years, and you’re telling me you noticed her on your first day on the job?”

“Wait, are you serious?”

“As a heart attack, my friend.”

“Well, shit.”

“Looks like you’re gonna need to get her number, my friend.” Nick just chuckled and walked off, leaving me to finish dressing and head out to my throne at the North Pole. “Oh, and, I told ya so.” That was his parting gift before he was out the door.

Naturally, on my way there, I spotted Ella talking to a customer. She was so drop-dead gorgeous, and her look was exactly my type, so of course, I couldn’t help it when I popped a woody after she had sat on me. I mean, could anyone blame me? She looked cute enough to be a Christmas elf but still had plenty of curves on her shorter frame to show she was undeniably a grown woman.

But as much as I would like to brush the incident off, I knew it wasn’t the best first impression I could have made. I tried to counter it by politely wishing her friend a good rest of her shift and being as polite as possible, but Ella had booked it too quickly for me to gauge whether she was disgusted by my body’s reaction.

I was so busy observing Ella that I almost didn’t notice the work bulletin board as I passed it. Someone had placed a colorful piece of neon paper on it, and my eyes went straight to it.

A holiday Christmas party, huh? That would be a great opportunity to get to know Ella. If I played my cards right, maybe this month wouldn’t have to be so lonely.

I ripped one of the reminder cards from the bottom and tucked it into my pocket. Whistling, I continued my journey to my seat at the North Pole.

I had honestly thought I would have to tolerate the job a lot more. And while I did have to deal with a few bratty kids every now and then, most of them were pretty sweet, and I enjoyed making them laugh and giggle. The moms weren’t half-bad either. Most of them just wanted pictures of their little babies with Santa, and getting them made them as pleased as punch.

The morning went by quickly, and before I knew it, Nick was coming by to tell me it was my break. I finished up with the couple of kiddies still in line, laughing and shaking my belly, before making my way to the break room.

As luck would have it, none other than Ella was sitting at one of the tables, her head bent over a book.

Drat. I didn’t want to interrupt her. If there was one thing I had learned from my many literature-inclined friends, it was that you didn’t try to talk to someone while they were reading.

I helped myself to some of the coffee and sat not quite across from her but close enough that I could strike up a conversation if she did ever put the novel down.

I kept my eye on the clock, however. The last thing I wanted to do was overstay my break and end up on bad terms when I was so recently hired. Although I planned on quitting in January, I still wanted to leave on good terms. Plus, I didn’t like the idea of making the kiddies wait any longer than they had to, especially considering how busy their parents were.

But, to my utter surprise, it was Ella who spoke to me first. Setting down her book, she gave me a bit of a smirk.

“You clean up well,” she said, the corner of her plush lips going up even more.

I gave her a hearty Santa laugh and rubbed my stuffed belly. “What can I say? Some men are just born with it.”

“Oh, wow. You’re so humble for being so genetically blessed.”

“Well, you know, I try to keep a level head. Not the easiest thing to do considering I’m the patron of all of Christmas, but it’s a work in progress.”

She laughed at that and slid her book into the purse beside her. I noticed it was a bit worn and even looked like it had been patched up in a few places. Maybe a possible Christmas present idea then? I tucked that into the back of my mind for later.

“Then I wish you the best in your self-improvement. I know the mantle of the jolliest, most wonderful man must be quite the heavy one.” She tipped her head, and then she was walking out. I could only stare at her, perhaps a bit in shock, wondering what had brought that on and how I could repeat the experience.

The rest of the day went well, without a single person puking, peeing, or crying on me. Sure, there was a stinky diaper or two, but that was what life was like sometimes when dealing with little ones. When I finished, the manager stopped me to tell me I was doing great, and I walked out of the doors feeling pretty good about myself.

But as soon as I was home, my thoughts immediately went to Ella, to the sly curve of her lips, the way her eyes crinkled, the sound of her voice, and even the sweet way she dealt with tedious customers. I felt myself already tenting in my pants and heaved a sigh. What time was it anyway?

Glancing at my phone, I saw it was just after ten. Not the worst time to get into bed and put myself to sleep. With a shrug, I went through my night routine, showering and washing my hair and all that. But almost as soon as I was under the covers, my hand was in my pajama bottoms, and I was palming myself.

I could see her so clearly as we bantered, her eyes flashing and her poise impeccable. I thought about all the things I wanted to do to her, and all of the ways she would challenge me in return. I could very easily imagine her being a saucy sort of lover, one who pinched or flipped things over and clearly kept you on your toes. The very thought made my length throb in my own grip, and I let out a gasp.

I thought about the erection I got the day before from her just sitting on my lap, and how good her soft body had felt pressed into my lap. She was surprisingly warm and so perfectly soft, I wanted to bury myself within her.

That last mental image was enough to do it for me, and I was releasing all over my hand and comforter. Oh. Well, I was going to definitely need to do some laundry, but that could wait until tomorrow.

For now, I had the feeling I had some very vibrant dreams to get to.