Sold to Santa (SinSity Stories)

by J. A. Bailey

  Sold to Santa

  By J.A. Bailey

  Copyright 2013 ©J.A. Bailey

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organisations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Sold to Santa

  Belle adjusted her little fur trimmed green skirt and drew in a shaky breath. God, was she really going to go through with this? One of the performers, Grace, patted her arm and gave her a grin.

  “Don’t worry, Belle. It’s only a date. It’s not like you’re selling your body!”

  She eyed the dark-haired woman in a short leather dress. “I know but I’m only a waitress. I don’t know the first thing about dating billionaires!”

  “You’re hot and you’re intelligent. You don’t need to know anything. It’s all for a good cause.”

  “You’re lucky, you managed to get out of it now you’re engaged.”

  Grace flushed. “Yeah, well let’s just say Jett wouldn’t have been too impressed if I sold myself to another guy.”

  Belle giggled. Jett had that whole dark, menacing thing going on and she imagined no one would want to cross him. There’d been rumours that he was a real sadist in bed but Grace had told her he was an amazing Dom. Of course, the fact that he saved Grace’s daughter from being kidnapped changed everyone’s opinion of him. Now Jett and Grace were engaged and from what Belle could see, deeply in love.

  Belle glanced down at her little elf costume. Striped stockings and a tiny top green top, also trimmed in fur, completed the outfit. She adjusted her hat, peered from behind the curtain onto the stage and grimaced. “I’m really not sure I can do this.”

  “Honey, you’ve not been on a date the entire time you’ve worked at SinSity. What is there not to like about being wined and dined by a sexy, rich man?”

  Groaning inwardly, Belle bent to adjust her stockings. Grace was right. Belle had barely dated since she’d started working at London’s most prestigious BDSM club. Her careful balance of college and working meant she had no time to spare at all, but at twenty-five, she was in danger of becoming a recluse. The only person she spent time with these days, outside of work, was her flatmate.

  However being ‘sold’ to someone in a charity auction was not her idea of fun. The rich clients of SinSity were heavily vetted so she had no fears and the rules were strict. No one—not even the performers—were expected to sleep with the bidders. However, she still didn’t fancy going on a date with a stranger.

  Unfortunately one of the performers had called in sick at the last minute and Belle, with her curvy figure and long, auburn hair, had happened to fit—and suit—the sexy elf costume perfectly. So now she was about to be sold to a stranger…

  Somewhere in the distance, Belle heard her name being called.

  “Go,” hissed Grace. “And smile. You look amazing. They’ll be fighting over you.”

  Belle grimaced. She wasn’t so sure. The costume was pretty flattering to her huge breasts and curved arse but sometime she felt a little too rounded. Guys loved her breasts—more than they loved her—and it made her self-conscious. She did a great job of covering it up by being outgoing, but it still frustrated her that no one seemed to know the real her. Only her flatmate knew she could be quite shy and intellectual. Most people thought of her as the fun, silly girl with a great rack.

  Shoulders straight, she strode onto the stage, doing her best not to stumble in the heels that were slightly too big for her. The glare of the stage lights made her wince but it meant she couldn’t see most of the crowd of rich men taking up the tables in front of it. Thank God.

  Looking straight ahead, she remembered to smile and propped a hand on her hip as Lilly, the supervisor and auctioneer for the night, announced her from her position on one side of the stage.

  “Here we have the sexy, scrumptious, Belle. Normally found with her head in her books, we’ve brought her out especially for you lucky men. You won’t find a more beautiful redhead to have on your arm this Christmas. Shall we start the bidding at one thousand pounds?”

  Nausea threatened to rise in her throat as Belle waited for the first bid. What if no one wanted her? Could there be anything more humiliating than being dressed up like a damn sexy elf, put on stage and then ignored?

  The suddenly, someone shouted, “A thousand pounds.”

  Belle let out a breath but couldn’t see where the shout came from. She knew a lot of the clients by name, having worked at the club for two years now. Some were kind and friendly, some not so much. None would mistreat her but a lot of business men, in her experience, expected you to be at their beck and call. They were so used to having everything their way—and at their pace—that they were confused by anyone who might rebel against that. And Belle couldn’t help but feel a little rebellious at times. It was how she was. If someone pushed her one way, she pushed the other. It wasn’t a great trait in a waitress, but she was well liked and always put in extra hours so it hadn’t got her in trouble yet.

  To her surprise another voice rang out. “Two thousand.”

  “Three thousand.”

  “Five K.”

  Belle darted her gaze around in surprise. Just out of the glare of the lights, a guy in a large Santa suit had bid. She cringed inside. She didn’t know who it was, but he had a huge belly—easily big enough to play Santa—and who knew what the bushy beard hid? The guy could be anyone.

  “Ten thousand,” another bid came and Belle had to fight to keep the astonishment from her face. Who would want to pay ten thousand for her?

  “Fifteen thousand.” It was the first guy.

  “Twenty thousand.” Santa again.

  These two went back and forth, and Belle kept swinging her gaze from the dark spot, where the first voice came from and the guy in the Santa outfit. When the bidding reached fifty thousand, she thought she’d pass out. It slowed then and she assumed Santa had bowed out, until he shouted, “One hundred thousand!”

  Her legs juddered underneath her and she held her breath to wait for the other bidder’s response. The room fell totally silent. All she could hear was her heart pounding in her chest.

  “Any more bids? No? The sexy Belle is going to be sold to Santa Claus for one hundred thousand pounds! And I think we can all agree, she’s worth everything penny!” Lilly declared. “Going once, going twice…. Sold to Santa!”

  ***

  Belle straightened her red dress one more time and sucked in a deep breath. She peeled open the note she’d been handed after the auction, skimmed over the scrawled writing for the billionth time and nodded to herself. This was the right place.

  Dîner Noir, a restaurant that was at the forefront of one of the newest trends—eating in the dark. She shuddered. Why on Earth would anyone want to eat in the dark? Maybe Santa Claus was hideous. Maybe that was why he’d sent her a note instead of meeting her like all the other bidders. All it said was for her to meet him here and that was pretty much it.

  Glancing down at her dress again, she scrunched up the letter and stuffed it into her handbag. What did it matter what she looked like if she was going to be eating in the dark? She only hoped she didn’t spill all her dinner down herself. And she wished she could have asked her flatmate’s opinion. He’d been out all day but normally she trusted him with her life. He wasn’t the most fashion-forward of men but he’d always tell her if she looked terrible.


  Entering the restaurant, Belle approached the desk and smiled at the receptionist, an attractive middle-aged woman with slightly too much make up and black hair. “Hi, I’m here to meet a…uh…” her cheeks warmed—she couldn’t believe she was going to say this, “Mr. S. Nicholas. My name is Belle Winters.”

  The woman skimmed a finger down the book in front of her. “Ah, yes. Mr. Nicholas said he was expecting a guest. What meal will you be having? We offer four menus. The chef’s surprise, the meat menu, the fish and seafood menu or the vegetarian?”

  “Isn’t it all going to be a surprise if I’m eating in the dark?”

  “Well, yes, but it all depends how surprised you want to be.” The woman’s eyes glittered with amusement.

  “I guess I’ll have the chef’s surprise. Might as well go all in, right?”

  “Might as well,” the receptionist agreed, grin widening. “Okay, so here’s how this works. You’ll go into the bar and be asked to hand over your phone, lighter or anything that has a light. We’ve got secure lockers for you to put your phone in. Normally you could stop to have a drink but seeing as your…uh…date is already in the dining room, you’ll be taken straight through by our guide.”

  “Right. Got it. Thanks.”

  “This way then.” The woman pulled back the curtain behind her and ushered her through, signalling to a waitress as she did so. “Please take Ms. Winters to table four.”

  The young waitress nodded and motioned for Belle to follow her past the modern bar. Several well-dressed diners sat on clear plastic stools. Obviously they weren’t worried about soiling their clothes. But they were probably less clumsy than Belle.

  The waitress turned to her. “My name is Ali. If you need anything, you only need to call my name. If I could just take your coat, phone and handbag…” Belle handed them all over and watched as Ali placed them in a locker behind the bar before coming to stand in front of her once more. “Please put your hand on my shoulder, Ms. Winters, and only follow me. We ask that you don’t move out of your chair in the dining room.”

  “Oh, okay.” Belle placed her hand on the waitress’s shoulder and shadowed her steps as she led her through a curtain into a dim corridor, then through a door. Complete darkness swallowed her.

  “Shit.”

  The waitress giggled. “Please just follow me. You will find your eyes won’t adjust but it will completely add to the experience,” she assured and then stopped. “Okay, here is your seat. Just put your left hand out.”

  Belle did as she was told and curled it around the back of what had to be a chair. Her eyes felt ridiculously wide and her heart hammered. People chatted and cutlery scraped against porcelain but her date had remained silent. She knew he couldn’t see her but she still felt self-conscious.

  The waitress guided her onto the chair and she sat gingerly, feeling for the table edge.

  “Your meals will be with you soon. There’s a glass of wine just in front of you. Enjoy!”

  Belle fumbled for her wine and took a large, shaky gulp.

  “I’m glad you made it, Belle,” a gruff voice came across the table.

  Belle coughed and spluttered. Even though she knew he was there, he still startled her. She coughed again to remove the white wine lodged in her throat. “Ah… yes, of course. Nice to…uh… meet you, Mr… uh…”

  He laughed. “Call me Nicholas.”

  “Is your name really Nicholas?”

  “Is your name really Belle?” he countered.

  “Of course.”

  “Mine’s Nicholas,” the gruff voice confirmed.

  “Not Nick then? My flatmate is Nick.”

  “Belle is a beautiful name. It means, beauty doesn’t it?”

  Why did it feel like her date has just skirted her question? Had she offended him by trying to shorten his name? Belle shrugged. “I suppose. My mother spent a lot of time in France so I think she got it from there. Of course, everyone thinks of the Disney film where they hear it. Drives me crazy.” She was waffling but it was so alien, sitting opposite a stranger—who had paid a fortune to be with her—in the pitch dark.

  “Well you match up to your name, Belle, but I guess I can understand that having an unusual name isn’t easy when you’re young.”

  She took another smaller sip of wine, feeling the warmth begin to relax her. Maybe this evening wouldn’t be so bad? He seemed keen to make conversation. How old was he? His voice sounded kind of ancient. But then as long as he was good company, what did it matter?

  “It wasn’t much fun, I’ll admit, but I’m okay with it now. Most people think it’s cool to have an unusual name nowadays.” She circled her wine glass with her finger. “So…um…” God, she just had to ask. “How come you bid so much for a date with me?”

  “Isn’t it obvious?” He chuckled again and for some reason it made her stomach twist. It reminded her of something but she wasn’t sure what. Somehow it made her feel more relaxed.

  “Not really.”

  “You’re beautiful, Belle, but I also knew you’d make wonderful company.”

  Warm fingertips brushed hers and left. She jolted at the unexpected touch, but a stab of disappointment actually struck her that he hadn’t held onto her hand longer. Which was crazy. She didn’t even know the guy!

  Recovering, she smiled, even though he wouldn’t be able to see it. “How do you know I’m good company?”

  “I know you better than you think,” he answered cryptically.

  For some reason, the way he said it didn’t make him sound stalkerish and creepy. It sounded weirdly tender.

  “You’re a regular at SinSity then?”

  “I’ve seen you plenty of times.”

  “Have we met?” It was weird to think she didn’t know what this guy looked like. She couldn’t recall a regular called Nicholas, but then she met a lot of people at the club. Belle liked to make an effort with them. It made her shifts go more quickly and the tips didn’t hurt either.

  “Yes, we’ve met.”

  “Okay.” That kind of relieved her. “Cause I never did see what you looked like without the Santa outfit.”

  “Yeah, that was kind of a dare. But I must admit, your elf costume definitely caught my attention.”

  The way he said it made her heart do a little flutter. Something about this man was incredibly enticing. If only she knew what. His voice wasn’t particularly sexy. His cologne was nice though. Clean, crisp, masculine. And his fingertips had felt slightly rough. As if he did more than push papers for a living. Nicholas had to be rich, so what did he do that earned him so much and still allowed him to work with his hands?

  “I wasn’t meant to be going up for auction,” she admitted. “It was a last minute thing. I don’t normally do stuff like that.”

  “I’ll admit, I don’t normally buy dates.”

  Belle blinked, still trying to work through the darkness to see him. It was so frustrating but at the same time, kind of sensual. She could hear the other customers talking but the lack of light forced her to concentrate on his voice, his smell. Something about him really peaked her curiosity and it wasn’t just how mysterious he was.

  A gentle cough and the clatter of plates told her dinner had arrived.

  “Here we go. Please keep your hands on your laps for the moment.” It was the waitress who had led her in. “Be sure to feel for the edge of the table before putting your hands out for your knives and forks. We don’t want you putting your hands in your food!”

  Belle laughed nervously. That was her worst fear. Making a complete mess of herself. “Thank you.”

  “Enjoy!”

  Tentatively searching out her cutlery, she found them easily. With careful movements, she prodded the food on her plate. A faint scent of herbs hung in the air but she couldn’t tell what she was about to eat. Taking a bite, she groaned as melted cheese and caramelised onion danced on her tongue. It had to be some kind of goat’s cheese tart.

  “Nice?” Nicholas asked, a hint of hu
mour in his tone.

  Damn, he must have heard her groan. “Lovely. Goat’s cheese, I think. Which menu did you go for?”

  “Chef’s surprise.”

  “Oh, me too.”

  “Do you like surprises, Belle?” he asked quizzically.

  “I think so. Most of the time. I get bored quite easily.”

  “That’s good to know.”

  “Why? Do you have more surprises for me?”

  He coughed at her forthright question. “Maybe.”

  Oh why did that thrill her? How could she be feeling something for someone she couldn’t recall meeting?

  They tucked into their food—well she assumed that was what he was doing. The gentle scrape of cutlery on plates was the only sound for a while as they concentrated on their starter. Belle found herself getting used to eating in the dark and just enjoying every new taste and texture. After their waitress had refilled her wine glass and brought out their main course, Belle was well and truly relaxed.

  “So… if you’re not into paying for dates, why did you come to SinSity that night?”

  She had to admit, she was still curious about the man who paid a fortune for her company and yet claimed to never buy dates. Maybe he wasn’t as repellent as she’d assumed. Maybe he normally fought women off. Which confused her all the more. Was he just a philanthropist looking to support a good cause?

  “Uh… let’s just say I’d been meaning to for a while and decided that night seemed as good as any.”

  She scowled. “I thought you were a regular.”

  “I… uh… yeah, I’m there a lot but I don’t normally get… uh… involved,” replied Nicholas.

  The uncertainty in his tone made her frown deepen. He’d gone from sounding mysterious to plain guilty. Maybe he slept with all the girls and didn’t want to tell her. It didn’t bother her what the clients at SinSity did. She’d seen enough BDSM stuff at the club to be fairly numb to it all and she had to admit, one day, she hoped to try some of it with a man she could trust. Did he think she was a prude or something?

  “But you’re into the lifestyle?”

  He laughed. “God, I love how forthright you are. No, I’m not into the lifestyle, but yes, I like BDSM. It’s just not a life choice for me. Just something to indulge in every now and then.”