Mrs. Claus

by Amanda Lanclos

  “I’m done,” Riley announces, her plate littered with half-eaten breadsticks. “Can I be excused?”

  “Sure, go ahead and get your shower taken. It’s almost bedtime for you and already past time for your brother.”

  We watch as she leaves, then Trick reaches under the table, grasping my wrist. He lets out a breath he’d obviously been holding. “You want me to help with his bath time and bedtime, you gotta let me go, babe. Can’t be doin’ all that with half a hard-on I know won’t get taken care of tonight, when we’ve already got so much stuff to do.”

  I pout, pushing my bottom lip out. “I hate being an adult.”

  “Baby, you have no idea. If we didn’t have responsibilities, I’d have you on this table naked, legs spread, eating you for dinner instead of this fucking piece of pizza.”

  I try to keep my own breathing even, but it’s no use as I let my eyes close and imagine him doing exactly what he’s said to me. Sighing and inhaling deeply, I get up from the table, taking our plates with me. “I’m taking him to get his bath. Hopefully we won’t set the apartment on fire with lust in the meantime.”

  He lifts Declan out of his high-chair. “Lust!” he shouts.

  “Shit.” Trick shakes his head.

  Dec picks up the worst words. He can hear them one time then say them perfectly. Not long ago, he told a lady who cut us off in the grocery store fuck you. Imagine me trying to explain that while trying to reprimand my son.

  “Stop.” I put the dishes in the dishwasher, face red with the memory of that embarrassing incident. “He’ll be saying that next.”

  He flashes me a wicked grin as he leaves the kitchen, Dec in his arms. For a moment I let that image burn in my brain. There’s nothing sexier than this man holding his children.

  I know she’s got a point, so as I start the bathwater for Dec, I do my best to keep my thoughts and words very G-rated. As I watch my son splash, I let my mind drift to the things I would be doing to my wife if we had nothing to get accomplished after the kids went to bed. Groaning, I lean forward, starting to wash his hair.

  I try very hard to pull my weight when it comes to taking care of our kids, knowing that we’re both doing our own businesses and we have two very active children. It’s important for me not to leave everything else to her, but there are times when I wish we could both say fuck it and leave it for someone else to do.

  Thirty minutes later, I walk into the kitchen, holding a clean Declan in his PJs.

  She gives me an indulgent smile. “You didn’t have to do that.”

  “I know I didn’t have to, babe, but I wanted to. What’s on your list for tonight?”

  She’s had one for the last week. Shit we have to make sure is done for Christmas Eve and morning, for the kids. I wonder when the hell the adults get their turn. The only reason I don’t ask is because I’m not prepared to hear that we may not get our turn. It’ll break my heart.

  “Let me go get Dec and Riles put to bed, and then I’ll be right back with you.”

  I start to follow her, but she holds her hands up. “I say this with all the love in the world to you, but let me do it tonight. You know sometimes Dad being there makes them more hyper. I need them to go down without much fuss tonight.”

  I get what she’s saying, so I walk over to the couch, take a seat, and shoo our cat, Tux, out of the way. He sees her heading for the bedrooms in the back and makes a beeline for Riley’s room. I swear that cat is like a guard dog for her. Has been since the moment Riley moved in.

  As I’m waiting, I catch myself almost dozing until I hear her voice coming up the hallway.

  “There are three presents I need to wrap, and I need you to put together two. After this, we’re done until we have to set up for Santa.” She sighs, and I think it’s one of relief. “This shit is tiring.”

  I glance over at her, noting the dark circles under her eyes, the way she’s yawning as she gets up, walking down the hallway. I listen as she checks in on both kids to make sure they stayed asleep when she left the room and then goes to our bedroom, getting out the stuff she needs.

  “You need help?” Shit I should have gotten up and followed her, but damn if I’m not tired too.

  “I got it.” She gifts me with a smile as she sets down a storage tub. Opening it, she hands me what I need to put together before grabbing out what needs to be wrapped. She lays them out neatly in front of her and starts assembling the paper and bows she wants to use. Everything is color coordinated, and I kind of love it, because if it were left up to me, I’d probably wrap everything in black paper, stick a red bow on it, and be done. More like Halloween than Christmas.

  “I keep telling myself they’ll be this little for only a short while, but it gets so crazy this time of year.” She cuts the wrapping paper, going up on her knees to cut all the way across the roll lying against the floor.

  Her ass is on full display in a pair of tight yoga pants, and what an ass it is. I’ve had a lot of fun with that ass. I’ve gripped it, smacked it, tried to fuck it, but that isn’t something she’s allowed me to do yet. Either way, I need to touch it right now. I stop what I’m doing, reach over, and grab myself a handful. “Babe.” She gives me a look over her shoulder, and I’m hit with a wall of lust that I physically have to push back. “We really gotta finish this, but I promise you, within the next few days you’ll be handsomely rewarded for all the help you’ve given me.”

  “Handsomely rewarded?” I’m all ears. “Like how?”

  “Wouldn’t you like to know?” Her answer is saucy, just the way I like her.

  “Kinda, but I’m also the kind of guy who enjoys a surprise.” Especially if that surprise is her naked against the sheets of our bed. Those are my favorite kind of surprises.

  Her eyes are lit up, her smile showing a small dimple in her left cheek. “I wouldn’t know that about you at all,” she teases.

  “When should I be on the lookout for this surprise?” I grasp her thigh as she comes back down on her knees, sneaking my hand in between her legs for a split second as she wiggles away. Too late though, I felt that heat, felt the want, and the desire. She can’t hide those reactions from me.

  “Like I’d tell you and ruin it? The next couple weeks.”

  My heart pounds—weeks? I was thinking like days. “You’re gonna make me wait weeks to hold this ass in my hands again?”

  “What do you think?”

  I study her. The way her pulse beats in her throat, the way her eyes shine brightly, the way her cheeks are flushed and her nipples are hard underneath the tank top she’s wearing. I know every single tell she has; it’s my job as her husband to know every one of them. So I’m confident with my observation before I speak the words aloud. “I think you’re full of shit. You want me just as much as I want you, and there’s no way we’re waiting a couple of weeks to fulfill those needs. You may think you have me pegged, but I know you as well as I know myself.”

  She throws her head back, laughing so hard her throat moves up and down with the motion. I’m hit hard with a memory of the last time she went down on me. The way she swallowed as I spilled against her tongue. Maybe she’ll do that next time, and sure as shit I won’t be waiting a couple of weeks for it. “We’ll see.”

  “Yeah.” I reach forward, cupping my hand between her thighs again, feeling the heat that’s already there. Hadley talks a good game, but she wants me just as much as I want her—all the time. Some things she can hide from me, others she can’t, and the way her body responds isn’t one of them. I give her a look as my middle finger rubs against her clit through the layers of clothing she’s wearing. Her knees give out slightly, and I fix her with a gaze. “We’ll totally see.”

  Declan is napping, and Riley is spending a portion of the afternoon with one of her friends from piano lessons, when I glance at the clock and realize if I’m going to prepare for my night with my man I’m gonna need to do it quick. Grabbing Declan’s monitor, I rush to the bathroom to do the preparation I can. W
hat I wouldn’t give to soak in the bathtub and be leisurely about it, but I know time is a commodity we don’t have a lot of. Instead, I take the quickest shower known to man and do my best to give myself a close shave without nicking every part of my body. Because I took the time to do it before, it doesn’t take as long as it normally would, but I still want to make sure things are nice and smooth. When I hop out, I breathe a sigh of relief. Declan’s not up yet, so I can continue on my journey of trying to look nice for my husband.

  Bending over, I look under the counter for my favorite lotion. Every time I wear it, Trick comes in behind me, curls his arm around my waist, pulls me to him and inhales deeply from the spot where my neck and shoulder meet. One of the reasons I love to wear it. The problem? Riley got to where she was using it, and it lost some of the appeal for both of us. Now I keep it hidden so it’s something purely ours and ours alone. Slowly, I dry off with one of my favorite towels and then slather the lotion over my body. Not skimping tonight, I run my hands up and down my stomach, making sure to get every part of my flesh, cupping my breasts in my hands as I rub the pink scented cream into them. My breath comes a bit shallower as I allow my fingers to linger near where I want Trick’s to be. With a concentrated effort, I keep the upward movement to my neck and shoulders. I don’t want to give myself something I can get from him.

  Checking my phone, I realize I have just enough time to put on some makeup, fix my hair, get dressed, and take Declan downstairs so that G and I can put our plan into motion.

  Today is one of those days where I wanna go back to bed and start the day over again. My delivery was fucked up, I missed an important phone call, and now it looks like one of our pieces of machinery has kicked the bucket. What I need now is a double shot of something strong, but seeing as how it’s four in the afternoon, I’m gonna have to wait a little while longer.

  It’s close to quitting time, but I have one more person coming in today. I don’t necessarily have to be here for them, but I like to be the face of the shop when I can be.

  “Want some?” G asks, as he comes out of our new breakroom holding a bottle of Coke.

  What can a little caffeine hurt? Too bad it’s not mixed with rum. “Sure, why not? Maybe it’ll give me some damn energy.”

  I yawn as I say the words. Christmas is wearing both me and Hadley out. I’m ready for our routine to be normal. Every routine, including those long nights, and lazy mornings in bed. Right now we’re doing good to go to bed before midnight, and we’re getting up early just to get shit accomplished. Living the dream, I remind myself. Popping the plastic seal on the cap, I’m not prepared when it starts foaming and spewing from every direction.

  “Fuck, G, what’d you do? Shake it up?” I grumble as I run it to the trash can, hoping that I haven’t gotten it everywhere like I think I have.

  “No, man, it was sitting in the fridge, I don’t know what happened.”

  Sticky carbonated beverage is covering my hands, arms, and shirt. It’s even in my hair. I can feel it dripping down onto my neck. I’m not even sure how the hell it got there. Today is not my fucking day.

  “I’m so sorry!” he apologizes. “Why don’t you go upstairs and take a shower. We’ll make sure to clean up down here. It’s almost closing time anyway.”

  I want to argue with him, tell him the shop is mine, so is the responsibility, but to be honest, I’m done for the day. I have zero fucks left to give, and I ran out of them a long time ago. “Sounds like a plan.” I sigh as I head up the stairs to my apartment. I’m almost there when I get a text from Hadley.

  H: Hey, we went out to run an errand, be back soon! <3

  T: What? I didn’t see you leave and I’m headed up to the apartment right now. Fucking drink got spilled all over me.

  H: We went down the back stairs, Dec is being super cranky. Enjoy your quiet shower!

  T: I’d enjoy it a lot more with you in it.

  Her response is a winking emoticon. Tilting my head back and looking up at the ceiling, I try and convince myself that I can turn this day around. I can turn it around, and it’ll end much better than it began. As long as I can take a hot shower.

  “He seems pissed.” I hand Declan and everything that comes with Declan over to G.

  “He’s not had the best of days. To be honest, your idea to seduce him tonight is probably perfect. He needs something to take his mind off everything that went wrong today.”

  I bite my manicured finger, almost re-thinking my idea. “He in that bad of a mood?”

  He whistles. “I’ve seen him in better, but if there’s anyone who can make Trick see the good in things, it’s you. Not gonna lie though, I think you have your work cut out for you.”

  “Alright, well one or both of us will be by to pick up the kids sometime tonight. Riley’s friend knows to drop her off at your apartment.” I give him an encouraging smile. “Thank you again for everything you’ve done, and for being willing to watch the kids for us.”

  “Hey, Trick changed my life, you know he did. I’d still be trying to act like a thug and getting myself into trouble if he hadn’t taken a chance on me. I owe everything I have to him. If I can do this for the two of you, I will. No big deal, seriously.”

  Kid doesn’t know how much of a deal it is. We wouldn’t trust our kids to just anyone, and G has earned that trust. He’s grown into an amazing man, and I make a mental note to get Trick to give him a bigger Christmas bonus. He deserves every bit of it. “Thank you again, though. You have much better things to do, I know you do.”

  “Hey, I love your kids, and we get along great.” He holds out his hand for a high-five to my son. “Right, Dec?”

  Declan high-fives him and then willingly goes into G’s arms, putting his small arms around G’s neck. “We got this, and I’m just throwing this out there. If you and Trick decide you want the whole night, I’m good with it.”

  “Thank you, I’ll let you know. Right now I have to go make sure Trick wants anything at all.” I pull a face.

  “Trust me, you offer yourself on a silver platter to him, and he’s not ever going to say no.”

  I sure do hope this kid is right.

  It felt weird leaving Declan downstairs to go home with G and to come up here empty-handed. I kind of almost talk myself out of it, and then realize how much we need this alone time. Entering the apartment, I try to be as quiet as I can. The shower running is the only sound in the silent space. No clapping of Declan’s feet on the floor—he is the hardest walker I’ve ever seen in my life—totally sure our kid isn’t going to be a SEAL or anyone who has to be stealthy for a living. There’s no background noise of Riley watching TV, of me listening to Spotify while I’m filling orders, and no deep laugh coming from Trick as he and Riley argue over something one minute and then team up against me the next. Those sounds make our home, but right now I’m enjoying the quiet, because I know there’s nothing and no one here to stop what’s about to happen.

  Hands shaking as I enter our bedroom, I take off what I’ve been wearing, and proceed to make myself into a gift I’ll be more than happy to let Trick unwrap. Merry Christmas to him.

  The shower managed to get copious amounts of sticky syrup off of me, but it did absolutely nothing for my mood. I’m in a piss poor one, and I’m not even sure why. I’m kind of glad I’ve been left to my own devices. Wrapping the towel around my waist, I make to walk down the hallway and grab some clothes, but a note attached to the back of the bathroom door stops me.

  Trick,

  Your gift got a little delayed. Instead I’ve improvised. Follow the snowflakees to the bedroom. When you get here, unwrap me, and I’m yours.

  Hadley

  I have no idea what this is about, but I’m really excited to find out. The bedroom door is ajar; when I push it fully open, I’m hit with a wave of lust that can’t be contained. Lying on our bed is my wife, with a bow tied around her wrists and smaller sticky bows attached to her nipples and one covering her mound from my eyes. Written on her st
omach is one of the sexiest things I’ve ever seen.

  From: Me

  To: You

  “So you’re my gift?” My voice is deeper than it was a few minutes ago. My towel is now tented, and even my nipples are hard as I look at the picture my wife has painted of herself against the black sheets of our bed.

  Throwing me a hot smile, she nods. “Yours got delayed, long story.” She spreads her legs slightly. “I figured I’d offer myself up to you. Give us something we both want.”

  Slowly, I take the towel off then walk from one side of the bed to the other, stopping at the foot and gazing upon the woman in front of me. My hand goes up to my mouth, and I cup it like I’m about to dig into the best motherfuckin’ feast I’ve ever had. Some men would say they wouldn’t know where to start. Truth is I do. A nagging thought hits me hard and reminds me that there are usually two cockblockers running around the apartment. I quirk an eyebrow, running my tongue over my lips, glance at my wife through hooded eyes. “Kids?”

  She shakes her head, giving me her smile that says I’m about to be a lucky son of a bitch. “G,” the answer is pushed past those lips on a sigh.

  Fucking perfect, I dive in.

  We don’t have a footboard, and there’s a reason for it. Lying down on my stomach, I slither my way up until I’m completely between Hadley’s legs, spreading her thighs wide and pushing them over my shoulders. I nose away the sparkly bow that’s barely stuck on her skin and go to town with my tongue.

  “Oh my God,” she breathes heavily through her nose. “This was supposed to be for you.”

  Pulling my mouth away from her clit, I bring my hand up and smear my middle finger against her. Bringing it away, I paint my way up to her nipple, knocking the bow off and circling around it with her juices. “Trust me, baby, this right here, this damp heat is all for me, and there’s no way I’ll ever turn it down. Getting you off gets me off. Let’s say Merry Christmas to each other.” I lower my mouth back onto her, moaning when she pulls at my hair with her hands, tilting her legs up, which in turn tilts her pussy more to my liking. Stiffening my tongue, I lick a trail down and then back up, sucking on the prominent bud, swallowing as she floods with arousal.