by Dani Wyatt
As I inch forward, a new eagerness and joy envelops me as I look into the eyes of the children. They look at the magic of this place with the true wonder it inspires, the kind of wonder I feel deep inside myself.
As I get closer, the adults with them turn from the ticket counter to the children. They speak in hushed tones, but I see the countenance on the youngsters’ faces change. Tears spring from the youngest as the older children turn away in frustration.
The adults round up the group and they’re already retreating down the red carpet toward the entry door when I scurry up to the cashier to see what’s happening, why they’re leaving.
With a huff, she turns to me and rolls her eyes. “You can go. They don’t have enough money.” Her voice is loud enough for the group to hear and my dander rises.
“Sssshhh. Geez, that’s so rude of you.” I dart my eyes from the entitled young woman to the group and without another thought, run around the counter and tap the tallest of the two men on the shoulder.
“Sir?” He turns at my voice, his eyes simmering somewhere between anger and embarrassment. “Come back, please, bring the children. Your admission is taken care of. Please, follow me.” I tip my head, smiling, and with a wave of my hand they follow.
As I pass the cashier, I lean in, reaching under my belt, and pull out a wad of cash. “This should cover it.” I hand her all the cash I have in the world, abandoning any hope of a warm place to sleep tonight, before turning around and with all the joy of the season in my heart, I take the group through the entryway and into the magic of Christmas.
Two hours later, I’m getting dirty looks from the few staff members that are left with me to close the Village for the last night this year. Cleaning crews are scheduled for next week, but after we leave, the area will be closed up until they arrive to do their work. I usher the group to the door and unlock it to let them out.
Darryl, the tallest gentleman, turns to me as the rest of the group thanks me and moves through the exit.
“Thank you,” he says. We’ve gotten to know each other a little as I escorted his group through the Village. He’s a foster father. He and his wife take care of nine children, with the help of her brother who also lives with them.
“You’re welcome.” I smile and nod my head, glad for the company of someone good and decent. “It was my pleasure.”
His warm, brown eyes stay on me for a long moment before he reaches into his pocket. He pulls out a pen and a slip of paper, scribbles something down and hands the scrap to me.
“We don’t have much. But, we do have a wonderful family. This is our address. I don’t know how to repay you, but if you’d like, you are welcome to come to dinner tomorrow. It would be our pleasure.”
I nod and thank him. My eyes prick as he smiles then follows the gaggle of excited children down the red carpet and out into the night. Joy fills my heart as I watch them go, but once they’re out of sight I breathe a deep sigh.
The realization is just beginning to sink in. At this moment, I’m homeless on Christmas.
C H A P T E R N I N E
Malcolm
MY DRIVER, AARON, IS as close to a friend as I’ve got. He’s worked for me going on ten years now, and he can read my moods with unnerving accuracy. So, as much as I tried to hide it, when I got in the car after my flight he knew something was wrong instantly.
Before I knew it, I was spilling more to him that I should, telling him about a girl I’d met who had suddenly disappeared from the time we talked last night until this morning. His words still echo in my head as I swipe my keycard through the electronic lock on the doors to the darkened Christmas Village.
She ghosted you, man. Chicks do that. They talk on the phone, text you and all that shit, but when it comes time to really get down to business. Poof. They gone.
My gut’s been tight since I texted her this morning and it came back undelivered. I’ve sent at least twenty more texts since then, all rejected, and called ten times, but all I get is the automated voice telling me the number is no longer in service.
I’ve been blocked, according to Aaron.
It was nearly eleven o’clock when I stopped by the security office before I headed up to the top floor of the store. But I didn’t care what time it was, nor that they were in the middle of a small Christmas celebration of their own. It’s my damned store, and I can go where I like, when I like. I had them turn off all the cameras and motion detectors up in the Village, and to make no patrols until I left.
It might sound stupid, but this is the only place I could think to come. I wanted to be close to Penny, even with the gnawing rage still eating away inside me, the knowledge that for reasons only she can know, she’s changed her mind and evaporated on me.
I can still taste our kiss as I move silently through the darkened Village. It’s dreamlike, silent. I walk through the empty gingerbread lane, remembering each and every place we spent here together. The Christmas lights are on, but no other harsh overhead lighting, and it only adds to the surreal melancholy I feel.
Then, as I round the corner through the forest of dissertated evergreens toward the café where I first touched her, my heart seizes. I feel my throat tighten and my cock fills, rising even as I doubt my ears.
I freeze in place. A single piano note echoes through the enormous space.
Then another.
Finally, that single note cascades into more, and I shake my head in disbelief as my feet carry me all on their own in the direction of the soft music.
I stop short, taking in the sight, making sure I’m not dreaming.
She’s here. Still in her elf costume, her eyes half closed as she sways. Her fingers moving over the keys so effortlessly it’s almost chilling.
I move to approach her from behind, wanting to take in this moment a while longer. The overwhelming sense of serendipity makes all other thoughts fade.
She’s mine. This is the moment; this is the sign I’ve been waiting for. Both of us are here together, on Christmas Eve, and it is more perfect than I could have planned.
As she plays, I stand just a foot behind her, awash in her sweetness and the perfection of the music.
I close my eyes for a moment, trying to calm my heart and the throb in my balls when the music stops.
My eyes fly open, and Penny sits there, fingers hovering above the keys, her body softly rising and falling with each breath.
“You’re here,” she whispers.
“Yes. I’m here. And so are you.”
When she finally spins, her face is bright and her eyes sparkle, and an overwhelming need to take her as mine consumes me. I want her so desperately it hurts.
“My mother found out. She cut off my phone. Locked me out of my apartment. I had nowhere to go and no way to get in touch with you. So, when we were closing up, I hid. The others were in such a rush to get out of here, they didn’t wait around, figured I was gone as well.”
I step forward, blood rushing in my ears as I turn her to face me on the bench. “Do you have any idea how crazy it made me when I couldn’t reach you? I nearly lost my fucking mind, Penny Evergreen.”
I want to tell her she will always have somewhere to go from now on. I’m her home now, and she will never be free of me.
A sweet, if not sad, smile curves her lips and the thoughts of those lips on mine only speeds each heartbeat, driving blood into my already engorged cock as it weeps in desperation to be inside her.
I pull her hands, lifting her from the bench and pulling her chest into mine, feeling the softness of her magnificent tits as they press against me.
Her eyes cloud with question as she asks, “Wait, how is it that you’re here? How did you get in here?”
I take a deep breath, realizing I can’t hide the truth from her any longer. “I haven’t been honest with you.”
Anticipation sweeps over her face and I hurry to get it out so that her mind won’t wander to anything worse than the reality.
“I’m not Malcolm Foster.
I’m Malcolm Knight.” I give her a moment to process this as my fingers graze over her warm cheeks.
“Knight? As in...” She looks up and swivels her head around the room. “Knight & Knight?”
I nod, leaning down to connect our lips. The kiss is gentle, even as my need rages inside of me. She’s soft against me, and after a moment she kisses me back. Her tongue barely comes out just to touch my bottom lip and I open, answering her soft gesture with my own more fiery passion.
“You sent the food, didn’t you?”
I laugh. “You caught me. I think about you all the time. If you are hungry, safe, tired... all the time, Penny. I want to take care of you. More than that, I want to wake up with you. It would be the greatest Christmas gift I could ever imagine.”
For a moment, her expression stills. I can’t read her thoughts and my neck muscles tense, wondering if I’ve scared her off. Most women I’ve been with before would be gushing all over me right now, wondering what pay off awaits in their future by landing me. But not her, and I realize with an easy heart that I wouldn’t want it any other way. I can see in her eyes that she’s thinking, considering my words. And not of what’s in it for her, but something else.
As I give her a moment, praying silently to myself that she understands the depth of truth in my words, her teeth inch to bite into her bottom lip.
The next thing I know, she twists her body, her hands coming up between us to push at my chest in a burst of strength that shocks me.
She shakes her head. “No. No way someone like you really wants someone like me. I’m not one of your usual girls. Look at me. What could you possibly want with me?” With that, she turns, the little bells on her toes jingling as she bolts at a dead run down Lollipop Lane, deep into the heart of the massive Christmas wonderland.
But I’m after her in a flash, wondering what the fuck just happened.
When I catch up, she’s sitting in that massive throne where Santa sits. Her legs are pulled up to her chest, arms wrapped around them, and her face buried into her knees.
I crouch down in front of her, my hands coming up to pull at hers until she releases them into my grasp, but even then she keeps her head pinned to her kneecaps.
“Angel, what just happened? Why would you think that?” Anger swells inside me, but I keep it pushed down. She can run, but I’ll chase her to the North Pole and back if that’s what it takes.
“Because.” Her words are muffled as she speaks into her legs. I squeeze her hands, urging whatever it is she has to say to spill out so I can deal with it. “I mean, for starters just look at you. Look at me! Then, you’re Malcolm Knight. Malcolm Knight. I’m an elf. A pudgy, plain—”
“Stop. Right fucking now,” I order, the rage rising beyond control at the idea that maybe no one else has ever made her feel beautiful and worthy. How can that be? “Rule one, do not insult yourself. Ever. You are the most beautiful fucking girl I’ve ever laid eyes on. I’ll tell you something...my dick has been hard since I saw you that first day.”
She raises her face, blinking, and I continue.
“It’s true. Embarrassing as fuck, but true. I can’t fucking control my own dick because of you, Penny. I’ll be sitting in a meeting with a room full of millionaires, talking profits and loss, and my dick will be throbbing the whole time because I’m thinking of you. My heart is in a constant state of overdrive, trying to provide enough blood to the rest of my vital organs while keeping my erection at full height. Damn, Penny, you’ve turned me into a sixteen-year-old with no self-control. I’ve actually been carrying my laptop case in front of my crotch just so people don’t see the perpetual tent there with your name on it.”
That draws a giggle from her and I let her hands go, then lightly grip her ankles and pull her feet down. They hang off the edge of the massive chair, swinging, not even close to hitting the floor.
“You are some sort of Christmas miracle, aren’t you?” she teases as the smile comes back to her lips. But her eyes are wide in wonder as my hands trail down her legs and ease her elf shoes off.
“I’m going to show you a Christmas miracle, my angel.” Lust drips from each word as my need erupts. There’s no more wait left in me.
I reach up, cup a hand behind her neck, and pull her lips down to mine. My other hand is up and under her skirt, tugging down those striped tights along with her panties and ripping them off her feet, and all the while our lips are locked. Tongues whipping around each other as I bring both my hands down to her bare knees.
The warm softness of her skin prods the beast rising up in me, and he growls with need. Her scent swirls up and catches my attention.
As her lips ease apart, I shift and push her heels back up and onto the edge of the seat, spreading her open for me. The short skirt slips up her thighs and her hands dart out to grip the massive arms of the throne.
“I’m going to worship your cunt while you sit on Santa’s chair, Angel.”
Her eyes glaze with lust and I can’t wait. Her shimmering pink softness beckons me and I take her whole pussy with my mouth in one motion.
Her gasps echo against the tall ceiling as her flavor scorches me, sending fire through my veins.
I groan into her open sweetness as my hands move to grip her inner thighs, spreading her wider just for me. I want to taste all of her as my tongue sweeps from her clit to her soaking opening over and over.
Her pussy owns me already, all that ruby softness, dripping with her desire, scores my heart with her name.
“Fuck.” I seethe into her opening, then test her with my tongue.
Her hands come to the sides of my head as I feel the barrier there. My dick pulses with need, with the firm knowledge I will be inside her soon, barely able to remember who I am before this moment. The Malcolm that came before that first taste.
With all the self-control I can muster, I slowly fuck her with my tongue, easing in and out until she softens her hips and begins to pulse against my mouth. I’m in my own Christmas wonderland.
I bring one hand up and thumb her clit in a slow circle, matching the rhythm with my tongue as it slides in and out of her tight opening.
I rub my face harder into her wet heat, spreading it wider. I take her harder and fuck her deeper with my tongue until her walls begin to tighten and her body stills for a moment, like the calm before the storm.
When she floods my mouth on a groan, her hips take flight and I hold her steady against my assaulting mouth until I can suck every drop of her release down my throat. I will never waste a drop of what she gives me.
As she comes down, I slide up her body, then scoop her up and carry her through the evergreen forest to the enormous bed, where the elves read stories to the children gathered on the floor around.
Only, we won’t be reading stories. No. I will be making memories with my Angel.
I kiss her cheek softly as I lay her on the red velvet bedspread and reach around her back to unzip her elf costume, pulling it up and over her head without any words.
C H A P T E R T E N
Malcolm
WITH BOTH OF US NAKED, our mouths connect in a deep kiss, and I reach down and try to sooth the ache in my cock with a few slow strokes. I’m braced over her, her legs open wide, and there is fire burning under my skin.
I need to take her, to own her, to see her virgin blood spread over my cock. It’s something primal and uncivilized, and yet it’s the most authentic moment of my life.
I pull away from our kiss, her eyes half lidded, and her hands come around the back of my neck to squeeze tight.
“It’s going to hurt, Angel. I’m sorry. I can’t help it.”
“It’s okay.” Her body quivers beneath me as I guide the dripping head of my dick to her opening.
A moment of reality hits me square between the eyes: I want her like this. There is nothing between us, and this is something I’ve never done before, but I want it. I need it.
“I’m not going to ever pull out of you, Penny. I want you; I want al
l of you and I want this. I’m going to fuck you, raw and unprotected. Your first time and mine too. I’ve waited my entire life for this. For you. This is our moment, baby.”
She lowers a hand from my neck to my cheek. The touch is so soft and loving, it takes my breath away.
With a nod from her, I insert the swollen knob into her hot, wet opening. The barrier is already pressing back, and as much as I don’t want to hurt her, the animal in me wants to own her and take her hard and fast.
My balls throb and draw up, ready to seize and fill her hot cunt with all of me, but before I can ease inside her, the chimes from the massive grandfather clock begin.
I kiss a different part of her face with every chime, covering her with my mouth until I count twelve and Penny looks up at me with a wide grin.
“Merry Christmas,” she whispers, and the twinkle in her eye is all I can take.
With a contained roar, I thrust forward, her mouth opening in a silent scream as I penetrate her in one move.
I slide back and then into her again, this time kissing away her pained moans until her hands come to my back and her nails score my flesh.
Her hips press forward, taking another few inches until I’m bound to her, root to tip, as her opening practically chokes my dick at the base.
I feel every inch of her walls as I stroke slowly in and out, watching her face with every motion. Her hips match my movements as her body pulses and grabs at every inch of my greedy dick.
I grit my teeth as cum rises up my shaft, watching as her eyes roll back in their sockets, and then I pound into her. I lock my arms and look down to where our bodies are connected. Feeling how we are no longer two separate people, but one. She’s mine and my sense of possessiveness overwhelms me.
When I see the crimson streaks that mix with her cream, I’m on the edge.
I lower myself, blanketing her, wondering at the hardness of her nipples against my chest.
“Can you come on my cock, my little angel? Give me that for Christmas, Penny. Give me your cum.”
