Holiday Spirit for Hire

by Isabelle Saint-Michael

  “Still, you're only here for a short time. We shouldn’t get involved. The holidays will come and go, and then you’ll be gone.”

  He smiled. “I’ll be back in a bit.” I let go of his hand and watched him leave the room. I wandered back to the bed in search of the tablet.

  Social media showed pictures of my friends picking out Christmas trees and decorating their houses. It talked about the madness of holiday shopping. I felt a twinge of guilt. My mother loved the holidays and normally I was just as excited, but this year seemed lackluster. I checked my email to find a message from mom as just like I expected.

  I smiled as she told me about the happenings at home. She and Dad went and bought a tree. It was too big to fit on top of their new hybrid so they had to have it delivered. The brothers were coming by this weekend to help decorate. Dad recommended that I bake everyone cookies so I could make new friends, and that maybe I could make this a permanent position. I was also reminded that I needed to go get my cell phone and wallet, as my parents had tried calling a number of times.

  A knock on the door startled me. “Come in,” I called, rolling over to get off the bed. Joy pushed the door open and looked around the room. Her brow furrowed when she noticed her son missing.

  “Where is Justin?” she asked while setting a tray of food on the table.

  “Taking a shower I believe.” I set the tablet down and went to the table. “The food smells divine, Joy, thank you so much. If Justin had known it would be less than an hour I’m sure he wouldn’t have gone to shower.”

  Joy looked at the tablet. “Well, you kids looked hungry. What were you doing on the tablet? Talking to your boyfriend?” I saw the sparkle in her eye and knew immediately she was pumping me for information. I have a mom, I knew all too well how this worked. I bit back the urge to laugh.

  Clearing my throat I grabbed the tablet and opened my email, handing it to her. “No, just emailing my parents. I came up here so quickly I didn’t bring anything, including my laptop or phone. When they couldn’t reach me, they worried.”

  She read through the email and smiled at the cookies comment. “Ah, so you finished talking to your beau already then?”

  I did laugh this time. “No, no guy. I stay busy and just haven’t met anyone really… well I just haven’t met the right one.”

  “I see,” she shrugged, but her eyes sparkled brightly. “You know, Justin isn’t seeing anyone either. He’s always too busy, too serious and too stubborn to put his old mother at ease and settle down. He’s a good lad though. He hides all his kindness and laughter behind a facade he tries to keep up.”

  “You don’t say?” I leaned over and took a bite of the soup. “Seriously, this is awesome. You make better chicken noodle than my mom… just don’t tell her I said that."

  Joy chuckled. “Your secret is safe. Since you’re staying here, can you do me a favor?” Her voice was sickeningly sweet.

  “Sure,” I mumbled through the chewing.

  “Justin doesn’t really decorate for the holidays anymore. Could you do something with the room? I feel dreadful we haven’t started decorating the house yet.” I blinked at her. My mind raced with how very decorated the house already was.

  “Umm, Joy? What do you call the massive tree in the great room? Or all the other stuff around the house?” I was trying to figure out how to address the issue when the door clicked open behind us.

  Justin stepped into the room, his hair falling in long sandy brown ringlets. I shook my head. “Wait, wasn’t your hair bright red twenty minutes ago?”

  He ran his hand through his hair. “Yeah, it was. A few of the guys and I always dye it some bright color for the kickoff of the Holiday season. It washes out really easily though.” Well well well. Tightly wound Justin dyes his hair.

  “Yes, it was blue last year,” Joy commented.

  “I didn’t think I was in there that long,” he said, looking at me shoveling food in my mouth.

  I swallowed and took a sip of tea. “You weren’t, Joy was just very fast,” I smiled.

  “Well, I should get going. Thanks for your help with the decorations, Grace.” Joy made haste to leave the room before I could push the issue.

  “She roped you into helping decorate, didn’t she?” He shook his head. “I suppose she wants you to decorate in here too, right?”

  I nodded.

  “That’s typical.”

  “You seem like you’re in a better mood,” I said without thinking.

  “I was in a perfectly fine mood when I left. Sexually frustrated, but just fine.” He sat on the ottoman beside me and began to eat.

  I eyed him for a moment before taking another bite. “You didn’t have to be sexually frustrated.”

  He choked on his soup. For a split second I was rather pleased with myself until I saw the glare he leveled at me.

  “I am your superior. I shouldn’t take advantage of you. It’s already bad enough you’re stuck with me as a roommate. I’m sure you would be much happier with a woman who doesn’t snore as much.”

  “You do know I’m half Werewolf, right? Most of my female cousins snore as loud as or louder than you. Your snoring is downright dainty by comparison,” I teased.

  “Is that so? Well most of mine don’t talk in their sleep nearly as much as you do.” He stuck out his tongue at me.

  “Because that was mature,” I spit back with a smile, baring my teeth.

  “On a more serious note, how are you feeling?” His voice changed tone, becoming almost silky with concern.

  “Better. Not good, but better. I can walk around without being dizzy, so that’s a good start.” I pushed the food away. He looked at it with a raised brow. I had only eaten about a third. I was hungry just a few moments ago but now I was just tired. “I think I’m tired.”

  “Go back to sleep then. I’ll take the cot, you can have the bed.” I started to argue with him, guilt plaguing me for displacing him. I climbed in the bed and tugged the covers over myself.

  “I won’t be able to sleep knowing I displaced you onto that cot. I promise to stay on my side of the bed if you’ll sleep in it. It’s huge, we could fit six of us in it.” I patted the space beside me.

  “Go to sleep. Maybe by then I’ll be tired enough to stay on my own side.” I turned over to close my eyes but couldn’t fall asleep despite being sleepy. The lights were turned off and I heard the crunch of the cot.

  With a heavy sigh I rolled over and crawled to the edge of the bed and off the end of it. I tugged an extra blanket with me and went over beside the cot. I tossed the blanket over the top and Justin raised his head to look up at me. “Thank you,” he said sleepily.

  “Don’t thank me yet.” I reached down, tossed back the edge of the blankets and slid onto the cot beside him, pressing my back against his chest, then tugging the covers back up.

  He froze all movement including his breathing. “What are you doing?”

  “I told you, I can’t sleep knowing I took your bed and you’re sleeping on the cot. So we can both sleep on the bed like adults, or we can both behave like children and sleep on the cot.” I paused, biting my lip. “Or you can sleep on the bed and I will stay on the cot if you are worried I’ll get too frisky in my sleep.”

  He relaxed against me, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me tighter against him. I squirmed for a moment until I realized he had again become quite firm and pressed against my backside. “I am not concerned about you getting too frisky. I am concerned about my own actions.”

  I rolled over in his grip, pressing my curves against him, leaving only inches between our lips. “Obviously, you’re attracted to me. I can feel just how much you are.” I wiggled my hips against his, causing him to suck in a deep breath. “If I feel the same way, why are you set against it?”

  “Because you deserve better than a fling. Don’t get me wrong, I love bedsport as much as the next man, but there are women you know that if you indulge in, you’ll want more.” He shrugged.

/>   “I’m here for almost three more weeks. There can be more.” I leaned forward and kissed him. His body responded to mine.

  He pulled back with a shaky breath. “I don’t mean more time in bed. I mean more, as in relationship more. I would want more than you can give,” he finished. “I’ve had Holiday flings and it always ends the same. She goes home and I stay here alone. Forgive me for saying this, but I don’t want that with you.”

  It certainly had the desired effect. My jets cooled and I leaned my head against his shoulder. I thought about what he was saying and considered it carefully. The last thing I wanted to do was rush into a relationship, but there was an obvious spark between us. “Woo me.”

  “What?” The confusion was thick in his voice.

  “Woo me. You know, take me out on dates. Let’s see if there is something there beyond sexy sparks.” I smiled at him with my best thousand-watt grin.

  He eyed me carefully. “And what do you think is going to happen? I’ve dated before and I’m still available. Has it occurred to you that I’m a workaholic and bad at relationships? That’s why I’m single.”

  “Has it occurred to you maybe you just haven’t found the right person? You live in a place that is all about magic, why don’t you believe there is any of it out there for you?” I wiggled free of his grip and climbed off the cot, giving him my best come-hither look.

  “You think you’re the right girl?” Amusement laced through his words.

  “That’s the thing, you’ll never know if you don’t try. I could be a big mistake or I could be the best thing ever. All I know is that I’m going to get in this bed. You can come over here and sleep if you want. You can come over here and find out if I’m any good at this bedsport thing you are talking about. OR you can stay there and never know. Up to you, boss man. Just know I may get very cold tonight without you to keep me warm.” With that I slid back under the covers on the bed.

  The room was silent for a long time but then I head the creak of the cot. When I didn’t hear him move after that I thought maybe he had just rolled over. Without warning he slid under the covers beside me and pulled me against his chest. “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if you got cold and ended up even sicker than you are now.” I smiled as his warmth radiated into me.

  His hand slid to my hip and under the edge of the shirt I wore. He lightly traced circles over my stomach with his fingertips. It tickled and at the same time was arousing. When his hand came to rest on my breast, I sucked in a shaky breath. It rested there for a moment, unmoving and tormenting in its stillness. Then his thumb brushed over my peak, sending tingling shocks all through me. When he did it again I felt it tighten under his touch and a quiet moan escaped me.

  “Oh, I think I like that,” he whispered in my ear, before doing it again.

  With the next moan he urged me to turn over so he could unbutton the shirt. His fingers made fast work of the buttons and before I had time to react I was once again exposed to him. He lowered his head and ran his tongue along the valley between my breasts, cupping one in his hand, slowly caressing it with intensity. When he brought his mouth to the other, taking its hardened tip between his lips and teasing it lightly with his teeth, my body jerked under his touch, causing me to moan again - but this time filled with need.

  He chuckled, lifting his mouth to capture mine. The kiss almost tickled because of his amusement. I traced the lines of his chest and abs with my hands as the kiss deepened. My hands ran lower until I realized he had also shed his clothes before coming to bed. I wrapped my hand around him, causing him to bite my lip in surprise.

  Cautiously at first I stroked him. He allowed his head to lull back and narrowed his eyes. As I sped up my pace, his breathing caught as he reached down and captured my wrist. I started to pout at the prospect of having my new toy taken away so soon.

  “I am still not at one hundred percent. I suggest if you want me to show you anything remotely impressive about my bedsport capabilities you stop now, or else I may fall short of your expectations.” I released him and let my hands make their way back up his chest. I ran my fingers through the soft patch of hair there.

  “Just enough to be manly without being too much,” I chimed in.

  He caressed my hips and urged my thighs to part for him. Tracing imaginary patterns on my inner thighs he parted me further until his hand rested against my mound. He leaned down and captured my mouth as he caressed the folds and lips of my most intimate parts. I gasped as he pressed a finger to my core, instinctively thrusting my hips at him and tightening my muscles around him.

  He started slowly caressing my delicate pearl with the same motions his tongue made on mine. I moaned and twisted under him, urging him to go fast, but he continued slowly, causing a fire to ignite low in my loins. With each intimate touch and caress I felt the fire grow hotter and bigger within me. Each time I would get close to being pushed over the edge he would stop or change his technique just a little. Finally my body won out and I tumbled over in a moment of white-hot ecstasy.

  “There, how does that feel?” he cooed in my ear. I nodded my happy approval, my thighs quivering.

  He then moved between my thighs, kneeling there. He urged me to open wider and wrap my legs around his hips. I felt the tip of his manhood press against my opening and I moaned as if he had already entered. With one hard thrust he buried himself deep within me. He was thicker and longer than I had ever experienced and my whole body screamed happily as it adjusted to accommodate him.

  When he withdrew I cried out in protest, until he thrust deep into me again. This time though, he set to work with a fast and hard rhythm. I ran one hand down his back while I pulled him down to kiss me with the other. He turned his head and pressed his mouth to my neck, sending chills down my spine.

  “I want to hear you,” he whispered by my ear, and to prove his point took extra care with the next thrust.

  Soon I was gasping for air, unable to think. All I could do was hold on. He was pushing me higher than I had ever gone, causing me to make noises I didn’t know I could, and then I teetered on the edge of something great and with his next thrust all was lost. I crashed over the cliff screaming out his name and begging him never to let go. I felt myself tightening around him, causing him to thrust harder to keep pace and then the sound of my climax and reactions pushed him over the edge. He cried out his own release, burying himself deeply within me one last time.

  We lay there panting, covered in a thin veil of sweat in each other’s arms. He moved and pressed a kiss to my lips. It was deep, passionate and spoke of promises yet to come. “Let’s get some sleep, because tomorrow I start trying to ‘woo’ you.” I giggled before I drifted off in his arms.

  Chapter Eight

  The next morning I awoke to the sound of dishes clinking together. I lifted my head and peered in the direction of the noise. Justin shifted under me, running a hand down my back. There was a shadow by the fireplace and the only other person who should be in the room was plastered against me. “Hello?” I whispered to the darkness.

  Joy’s voice answered back, “Oh sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you. Go back to sleep.”

  For the first time in my life, in the dark of the room, modesty hit me and I tugged blankets up over my head. I cringed inwardly at the thought of being caught in bed with someone’s son. I heard the door click open and closed and saw the soft glow of sunlight through the blanket. I lowered my head back to Justin’s chest trying not to focus on how I could die of embarrassment.

  “Good morning,” chirped a happy male voice. Hands ran down the curve of my back, cupping my rump. In a fluid motion Justin tossed back the covers and rolled over, pinning me beneath him. He dipped his head and caught my mouth with his in a sweet soft kiss that was over way too quickly. Leaning back he brushed the hair from my face. “How are you feeling this morning?”

  “Mortified!” My skin still was pink with blush.

  “Oh,” he said, and started to roll off of me. I grabbed h
is shoulders and went with him, pinning him back on the bed and straddling his hips.

  “Your mother was in here this morning. I think she came in for the dishes. Did you think I was mortified about us? And last night?” Before he could answer I leaned down and ran my tongue over his neck and nipped his earlobe. I explained in a voice that was still garbled by sleep, “I was embarrassed at being caught naked in the arms of a man by his mother. It had nothing to do with being in your arms.”

  He chuckled, causing his whole body to vibrate, including the bulge pressed against me where I straddled him. “That’s why I always return my dishes, because she will just come in. It made the teen years difficult.” I laughed. He ran a hand along my thigh and allowed it to rest on my hip. His other felt around the headboard until I heard a click. The curtains along the large window opened and sunlight spilled into the room.

  He looked down along the length of his body to where I sat spread across him. I felt his bulge throb under me and almost whimpered. The prior night had been amazing. His eyes continued to drift up, lingering a moment on my breasts before meeting my eyes. “You’re beautiful first thing in the morning. Do you know that?” I felt my blush return.

  “So what is the plan for the day? Starting today you were going to try and woo me, remember?” I laughed. I started to try and move off of him but his hands came firmly to my hips and held me in place.

  “I could just keep you in bed all day and try to impress you more with my prowess in the sheets.” I smiled imagining that.

  Finally I shook my head. “I want to see your home. Have you lived here your whole life?”

  The smile on his face radiated so brightly it was almost blinding. The dimple in his left cheek showed and for a moment I was mesmerized. “Yes, I have lived here my whole life. All two hundred and nineteen years of it.”

  “Have you ever left the North Pole?” I asked. “To visit other places?”

  “Of course, but not nearly as often since I accepted the position overseeing operations when my father retired. Honestly, I always thought one of my sisters would take the position. My sister Helen and I were the only two that stuck around to help with the family business. My other sisters do come every year and work during the Holidays, but they had no desire to stay at the Pole.”