Santa's Naughty Helpers

by Elizabeth Knox

“Really?” Beth asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “Yes, Beth. Thank you,” he said to dismiss her as he ignored the perplexed look on his administrative assistant’s face. Beth would learn that there was some information that he wouldn’t choose to share with her—not just business matters, but personal ones as well. This felt very personal.

  Unused to brown-bagging it, Patrick had put together something to eat from his scarce pantry. Using one hand to eat the peanut butter and jelly sandwich he made for himself at home, Patrick attempted to dry his pants with a wad of paper towels in the other. He was surprised at himself. The idea of being peed on would have made him queasy a day ago. Santa just took it in stride.

  Curious, Patrick rolled his office chair to the window and watched Erika take a seat on the red carpet behind some decorations. She was hidden from the view of those still standing in line. He’d only spotted her from above when her moving elf slippers caught his eye. Opening a pink lunchbox, she pulled out an apple and took a big bite. Suddenly, Patrick wanted to know who was on the front of the container.

  Thirty minutes was over too quickly. When he saw Erika close her lunchbox with a decisive snap that he could almost hear in his office, Patrick forced himself to his feet. Dropping the paper towels in the trash, he stopped in the restroom quickly to wash his hands. In two minutes, he had his beard replaced and stepped into the mall.

  “Ho, ho, ho, Erika!” he greeted Erika enthusiastically and watched her nose in concern as his breath reached her.

  “You had peanut butter for lunch?” she grilled him. Grabbing her pink lunchbox from its hiding place, she handed him a lukewarm bottle of water. “Here, take a big drink. Swish it around your mouth,” she ordered.

  “You hate peanut butter?”

  “A ton of kids are allergic to nuts. Didn’t you read the instructions from the photography company?” She helped tilt the water bottle up for him to take a drink. “Swish it around. Do it several times.”

  “Crap! I didn’t think of that,” he cursed between sips as he drained the container.

  “Ready to go?” the photographer asked, approaching the duo in concern.

  “I didn’t think and ate peanut butter for lunch,” Patrick confessed.

  “That’s not good. I have a new toothbrush in my toolkit. Let me get it for you.” The photographer hurried off.

  Two minutes later, Patrick had dry brushed his teeth over a trash can as he vowed to throw away that container of peanut butter that had lingered in his cabinet. Next, he rinsed his beard, drying it with a paper towel the photographer also had in his emergency stock. Thank goodness they had a supply of bottled water. As a final security step, Erika handed him gum.

  “Here. Chew four pieces at the same time. That should help clean your teeth from anything that remains. Take this napkin and spit it out when I signal you.”

  Nodding, Patrick loaded his mouth with gum and chewed vigorously. As he walked back to his chair, writing on the napkin caught his eye. Unfolding it, he read, “You can do this! Being big is fun! You’ll get to be Little soon.”

  He stopped chewing and almost fell over his big black boots. He’d been right. She was a Little.

  Chapter Three

  They made it through the first day with no one going into anaphylactic shock. Patrick took his position the next morning feeling like a pro. He had this Santa thing down.

  Pride grew within Patrick’s chest as he watched Erika settle into a pattern of handling the crowd efficiently and personably. He could see that the parents tugged toward his chair or towing resisting children were less stressed and more patient. She was making his job easier.

  This time when lunch rolled around, Patrick grabbed his lunch sack from behind the big chair and followed Erika into her lunch hangout. “You don’t mind if I join you, do you?” The look of shock on her face made Patrick chuckle. “I promise no peanut butter this time.”

  “You don’t have to keep me company,” Erika rushed to reassure him.

  “I hate eating alone. You’re doing me a favor if I can hang out here with you.” Patrick settled on the floor about a foot away and leaned against the wooden decorative fence. “Think I can take my beard off?” he asked, looking around to see if the decorations protected him from the view of anyone passing. At her nod, he took off his hat and beard.

  “I thought I recognized you. You’re the suit that came to visit as we were decorating,” Erika exclaimed.

  From the quizzical look on her face, Patrick could tell she wondered why he’d traded in his business suit to play Santa. “I am. It turns out that the mall forgot to book a Santa. I got to substitute for a trained professional Santa,” Patrick confessed.

  “You’re doing a good job. I was worried at first,” she confessed.

  “You’re not the only one,” Patrick laughed as he opened his sack. To his delight, he watched her settle the pink lunchbox on her knees. The familiar cartoon princess on the front made him smile as he solved the mystery.

  Glimpsing his expression, Erika explained in a rush of words, “This isn’t really my lunchbox. I bought it for my niece, but she already has one. I just kept it. It comes in handy.”

  “Don’t lie to me, Little girl,” Patrick corrected her sternly. Being deceived was the thing he disliked most.

  Erika nodded and looked down as if guilty. She carefully unwrapped a wedge of cheese and took a bite. After several seconds, she looked at him sideways and asked, “Why do you call me Little girl? I don’t think you’re that much older than I am.”

  “I think this is a private discussion we need to have away from Santa’s Playground. The mall closes at six tonight. May I take you to dinner, Erika?”

  “You . . . you want to go on a date?” she stammered as she looked at him in disbelief. “That’s probably not a good idea . . .”

  “I promise, Erika, you will be perfectly safe. You can even choose your favorite restaurant.”

  “I choose the Gray Gander,” she challenged. The restaurant was notoriously difficult to get into and outrageously expensive. It topped most people’s ultimate dining bucket list.

  Patrick nodded and pulled out his phone. Going through his contacts, he selected a phone number and pressed it. “Hi, Doug. This is Patrick Siegel. I know it’s been way too long. I hate to ask for a favor, but is there any way I can get a table for two tonight? Thanks, I owe you one.”

  Staring at the handsome man in disbelief, Erika squeaked, “You got us a table? Can you afford to go to the Gray Gander?” She’d wanted to go there forever. Mentally reviewing her own sparse bank account, Erika decided to splurge and place her half of the dinner on the credit card she kept for an emergency. This was kind of like a crisis.

  “Dinner will be on me, Little girl,” he said definitely as he watched her obvious calculations float across her face. “Now eat. It will be time to reopen in ten minutes.”

  Automatically, Erika followed his directions, taking a big bite from an apple. She felt bad that she had asked to go to such an expensive place. Mumbling around the crisp fruit filling her mouth, she suggested, “We can just go have pizza.”

  “There’s a table reserved with our name on it at the Gray Gander. I’m not going to let it go to waste. How about you?”

  There was no way to refuse. Excitement curled inside her as she thought about what she would order. Erika had peeked at the menu online. Everything sounded spectacular. She knew what she wanted for dessert—chocolate mousse.

  “Their desserts are divine,” Patrick commented, and she wondered if she’d said those last two words aloud. Studying his face, she decided that she hadn’t.

  All too quickly, their lunch break ended. Each went to their designated locations. She noticed Patrick made a quick call before settling back in the large chair. By the time six o’clock approached, the tally of children photographed seemed huge. From the smile on the photographer’s face as he collected the day’s revenue, he was pleased.

  “I’m going to change quickly befor
e our dinner. Come with me. My assistant has a surprise for you,” Patrick asked.

  “Oh, I’ll have to go home to change,” Erika quickly chimed in as she looked down at the elf costume she wore. Then, processing his words, she met his gaze. “Your assistant has a surprise for me?”

  “Yes, let’s go. I’ll show you,” Patrick said, taking her hand.

  Automatically, Erika fell in step with him. She watched the broad smiles as everyone watched Santa and his elf walking hand in hand together. Patrick seemed to get into the groove of playing Santa. He greeted everyone and wished them a Merry Christmas.

  She enjoyed wearing her costume. It was almost like being in disguise. Super Elf! The thought of her being a comic book hero made her laugh. At Patrick’s sideways look to make sure she was okay, Erika laughed harder and clapped her free hand over her mouth to stifle the sound.

  “I want to know the joke, Little girl,” Patrick said with a wink.

  By the time they arrived at the elevator, Erika almost had herself under control. She sobered at the private use only sign on the call panel. “Wait. We’re not supposed to use this elevator . . .” Her voice trailed off as he pulled a card from his pocket and waved it over the sensor. “Welcome, Mr. Siegel” appeared on the lighted panel.

  Staring at him in disbelief, she asked, “Are you someone important? Mr. Siegel . . . The mall is Siegel’s! Wait! You don’t own the mall, do you?” she asked as he tugged her inside by their still-clasped hands.

  Patrick waited until the elevator doors closed before admitting, “I inherited the mall from my father. Does it matter?”

  “Of course, it matters! You’re like uber rich! You don’t want to take me out on a date,” she protested. “I’m nobody . . .” She would have continued but Patrick leaned in to press his lips against hers. Just before his arm looped around her waist to pull her close, the elevator paused.

  Wow! This man can kiss! Erika clung to his body and wiggled closer to the red velvet suit. His lips explored hers, taking advantage of her gasp to deepen the kiss. His taste filled her mouth as she moaned softly in delight. Inhaling, she could smell his masculine heat as well as a faint scent of mothballs and a few other indescribable scents.

  When he lifted his head, she stared at him, speechless. The sound of clapping and cheering drew her attention away from him. Looking out the front of the glass elevator, she felt her cheeks heat and knew she was turning as red as the poinsettias decorating the mall. Below them, the last of the shoppers leaving the mall had stopped to point and celebrate the scene of Santa wooing one of his elves.

  “Oh, goodness,” she whispered as she tried to scoot behind him.

  Patrick held her firmly in front of him as he restarted the elevator with a push of a button. “Stay right there, Little girl. We don’t want to shock the kiddos down there or make my line of eager moms longer tomorrow.”

  When she looked over her shoulder to ask what, she felt his thick erection press into her bottom. Her body moved against him automatically to double-check that she wasn’t imagining. His low chuckle reassured her she wasn’t.

  Thank goodness the elevator opened behind them. Patrick drew her out of the elevator and into their private suite of offices. Pulling her back into his arms, he lowered his head to brush a light kiss against her lips. “Just as sweet as I expected. Now, my administrative assistant did some shopping for you for dinner. She has three daughters, so she’s used to guessing sizes. There are two dresses in the bathroom through that door. You go freshen up and change while I get out of this outfit.”

  “I can’t afford a new dress.” Erika stumbled over the words.

  “I can and I want to treat you. An evening at the Gray Gander is a celebration. You’ll make me happy if you’ll try the dresses. If they don’t suit you, you can go as you are, or we can stop by your apartment for a dress,” he reassured her. “Stop worrying. Go look at them,” he instructed, turning her around by the shoulders and giving her a light tap on the bottom.

  Erika scurried to the bathroom to figure out what to do. Closing the door, she discovered two beautiful dresses hanging on the hook behind it. Stroking over the soft fabric of the rusty, golden-brown dress on top, Erika knew that it would look amazing. Unable to resist, she stripped out of the elf outfit and hung it under the protective plastic that was helpfully labeled with ELF COSTUME HERE.

  Dropping the dress over her head, Erika gasped as she looked in the mirror. She looked better than she ever had before. She knew the clothing had to be expensive, even though the tags had been removed. It draped over her figure exquisitely, enhancing her curves while disguising the flaws she always noticed in the mirror.

  She tried not to look at the other one. Nothing could be better than this! The traditional little black dress caught the corner of her eye. “No, I’m not looking!” she challenged herself. A small kit of makeup matching her coloring, a brush, and some stretchy dressy slippers in colors to match each dress sat on the counter in front of the mirror.

  Knowing she’d never have a chance like this, Erika threw herself into getting ready. Who got to go on a date with a handsome man that included a beautiful new dress and dinner at a fancy restaurant? She felt almost like Cinderella as she applied lipstick and stepped into the shoes.

  Chapter Four

  Patrick adjusted his tie. He had changed faster than ever in his life, after waiting in the hallway to see if Erika would bolt. He’d seen the anxiety in her eyes. When he heard clothing rustle, he knew she’d decided to stay. Running to his office, he got out of the Santa costume. Beth would stop by in an hour and pick up the two costumes to launder for tomorrow. He owed her a raise and stopped to jot that note on his phone.

  Now after smoothing his lapels into place, Patrick leaned against Beth’s desk just a few feet away from the bathroom door. He waited, anticipating the beautiful woman he expected would walk out that door. He shook his head, knocking that thought out of his mind. She was already gorgeous. The clothes wouldn’t matter.

  The sound of the knob turning drew his attention back to the door. Erika stepped out and froze in place when she noticed him. She looked phenomenal. The dress made her blonde hair shine and her brown eyes a deeper luminescent color. She simply took his breath away.

  Without thinking consciously, Patrick stood and walked forward. He reached out a hand and smiled as she cautiously placed hers on his palm. “You look incredible. That dress isn’t as cute as the elf costume, but you make it look good. Shall we go wow them at the Gray Gander?”

  Erika hesitated as she scanned his body. Patrick just stood still, inviting her inspection. He loved the faint color of pink that blossomed on her cheeks. His Little girl wasn’t used to checking out men—at least not overtly. He didn’t rush her. Patrick loved her boldness in running her gaze over his body. She was attracted to him as much as he was to her.

  “You look very nice as well.” She returned the compliment in a whisper.

  Patrick turned and tucked her hand under his elbow. Holding her close to his body, he led her from the building. He always parked next to his private entrance, so they didn’t have far to walk in the brisk December weather. He liked that she didn’t chatter. Her eyes darted everywhere as she tried to take it all in. When Patrick put his hand on her knee, Erika intermeshed her fingers with his.

  Pulling up to the front door of the exclusive restaurant, he squeezed her hand gently. “I will come help you out.”

  He gave his name to the valet as he stepped out of the car. When the young man, eager for a big tip, ran around to open Erika’s door, Patrick skillfully stepped in front of him to extend a hand and help her out of the car. Placing a hand on her low back, he steered Erika into the beautiful restaurant. As they stood at the maître d’s desk, his eyes fixed on her as she looked around in amazement.

  When they were seated at the intimate table tucked in the corner of the beautiful restaurant, Patrick placed his hand over hers on the table before they opened their menus. “Little girl,
it is my pleasure to bring you here. You are not to think or worry about what to order or consider the prices. Enjoy being here.”

  “This is beautiful. I can’t believe I’m here. Thank you.”

  Patrick watched her pore through the listings of all the courses and smiled when he noticed her looking multiple times at the dessert section. There was something on the menu that she really wanted. When the waiter came, Erika had no idea what to order. He asked for a few more minutes.

  When they were alone once again, Patrick asked, “Would you like me to order for you?”

  “Oh my gosh, could you? I guess I can’t just order chocolate mousse for dinner, can I?”

  “No, Little girl. I will order chocolate mousse for your dessert, but you need to eat more nutritious things as well. Is there anything you don’t like?” he probed.

  “I don’t want to eat this,” she said, pointing to the goose liver pâté on the appetizer selections.

  “Are you allergic to anything?”

  “Broccoli,” she answered quickly, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

  “Are you really allergic?”

  Erika nodded but caved when he arched one eyebrow. “No. I just hate it enough to be allergic to it.”

  “Thank you for telling me the truth, Erika.”

  When the waiter reappeared, Patrick ordered two totally different meals—one a delicious chicken dish, the other, steak. He also asked for two plates so they could share and a bottle of smooth red wine. “Oh, and we’ve already decided on dessert. Chocolate mousse for both of us, please?”

  Seeing her squirm in her seat, Patrick asked, “Are you happy, Erika?”

  “This is incredible. It’s like a dream,” she confessed as her eyes darted from place to place, taking in the extravagant decor and all the elegantly dressed people around them.

  Patrick had been there several times. This, however, was a new experience, seeing it through her eyes. Suddenly, it became his favorite restaurant, and he vowed to bring her back again.