Amplify (41 page)

With gifts exchanged and hearts full of love

Let’s say our thanks to the man above

No not the Big Guy, but the man in the red suit

He comes down the chimney with all kinds of Christmasy loot

Having all of us together is all the gift I need

For, we are truly a family indeed

“Awww, Xan my man,” Lucy coos.

I nod and look around, swallowing the lump in my throat. These guys are the only family I’ve ever had and adding everyone into the mix makes it even better. I cough and clear my throat when I see mama wiping tears from her eyes.

So tonight I’ll give thanks and listen for the bells and the sleigh

I’ll leave cookies and milk for the Santa man on a tray

Be sure to listen for him as you lay in bed tonight

For when he says , “Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

“Merry Christmas, my friends, my family. May there be many more,” I announce, raising my glass.

“Here, here.”

“Cheers.”

“To many more.”

We all clink our glasses and hugs are exchanged, some lasting longer than others. We hang out a little longer but when Lucy yawns, everyone calls it a night.

I’m getting out of the shower when my phone goes off. I frown. Who the hell...

Tera
:
Yes
.

The Poem

It’s the eve before Christmas and all through CFD

We’re all wide awake and drunk as can be

We’re going to celebrate this Christmas in rockstar style

As we may not get to relax and party for a while

With Lucy carrying the Kingston Litter

We know for sure she’s not a “quitter”

Laugh if you must but this much is true

I prefer non-quitters and I’m sure you do too

Now Sera’s all sick-like and everyone’s atwitter

I’m glad my room has its own shitter

Don’t get all rowdy and boo and hiss

Just be grateful I’ve got my own place to piss

Now Cage, Cage Nichols, he is the shit

A gun-toting mafia businessman who has permission to squeeze Sera’s tit

I admit to being jealous and that’s a fact

Because honestly, dude, it doesn’t get much better than that.

Next we’ve got Jesse, with his potent little swimmers

Lucy, at least before he knocked you up he took you to dinner

I never thought I’d see the day our frontman would wed

That’s gotta tell you right there Lucy’s seriously fucking hot in bed

Then we’ve got Kennedy, the quiet one of the group

He’s fun to challenge and easy to dupe

Don’t get me wrong we all know he’s a genius

He’s the only one of us who thinks with his brain and not his penis

That includes Ethan our man of few words

He can give as good as he gets when he’s spurred

Not sure that made any sense

But I’m sure none of you take offense

Jace, oh Jace, you sure as hell had it made

Pissing the bed until the third grade

It’s okay, it’s okay, I won’t give you too much shit

But it makes me wonder how long you were on your mama's tit

Brother Kingston, that would be Ben, and he knows the score

That dude right there can really fucking snore

Like a chainsaw that’s cutting some thick-ass wood

The fact that he’s sleeps alone is now understood

Trace Styx, Trace Styx the drummer for Blush

I gotta admit, I’ve got me a bit of a man crush

Watching you play, I get why the women beg

One day will you tell me what it’s like to fuck Meg?

Speaking of Meg, tall and lithe and can bring you to your knees

Jace told me a secret about you, you dribble when you sneeze

Damian Black, the Russo enforcer

Yeah, that’s all I’m sayin about you to avoid deadly torture

We’ve a new addition to our little clan

Her name is Misty and I’m a fan

The woman is talented and can seriously fucking cook

Don’t grab her ass, she’s got a mean right hook

Spenser, Carmen, and Simone, the masters of wardrobe and hair

To them, no others compare

And here’s another Lucy stole from Cage

Celeste the assistant who does some seriously kinky shit backstage

It’s our little secret, I’m not going to tell

But what I saw, holy hell!

Mama and daddy Russo are next

What can I say about them? They are the best.

Then there’s Joey who constantly kisses Trace’s ass

I hope the next time he passes gas

It’s our first Christmas together and it’s been a special one

Next year there’ll be babies which’ll make it even more fun

I’m going to teach your kids all kinds of swears and sass

I won’t even care when you all kick my ass

It’ll be worth it of this I am sure

I want to be there when your kids start to swear in the store

Never did I imagine a Christmas like this one in CFD

But it’s pretty fucking amazing if you ask me

With gifts exchanged and hearts full of love

Let’s say our thanks to the man above

No not the Big Guy, but the man in the red suit

He comes down the chimney with all kinds of Christmasy loot

Having all of us together is all the gift I need

For, we are truly a family indeed

So tonight I’ll give thanks and listen for the bells and the sleigh

I’ll leave cookies and milk for the Santa man on a tray

Be sure to listen for him as you lay in bed tonight

For when he says , “Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

©2
014 TC Matson

Chapter 1

“You are soooo not getting that!” Jess sneers at me as I hold up a blue and white tie-dyed shirt, intentionally trying to ruffle her fashion feathers.

“You don’t think so?” I ask, holding the hideous shirt against my chest, swaying back and forth, modeling it for her. Teasing her inner fashion diva is one of my favorite things to do while shopping with her. She loves shopping. Me...eh, not so much. Yes, I like clothes and shoes, but that is the extent of it. If it was up to me, I’d rather lounge around in a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt that was three sizes too big for me.

“If you get that, I will barf on it every time I see you in it.” She taps her long bony finger against her chin. “Maybe I’ll set fire to it instead.” She turns her attention back to the clothing racks, furiously skimming for a blouse that pleases her.

“Oh. My. God!” she shrieks, ripping a shirt off the rack almost knocking the whole thing down. “I sooo love this!” She turns holding a cardinal red blouse in delight.

I scrunch my nose. “It’s pretty.”

“It’s beyond pretty, Sam. This thing is gorgeous and would do you justice tomorrow.” She holds the blouse up to my chest, stepping back to admire it. “Red means you’re powerful and energetic. Pair this with a black pencil skirt...smoking hot!”

Jess has never had to worry about what she wears, she’s always had the perfect body for fashion. Being five-foot-eight inches tall and nothing but legs and boobs, she could wear a filing cabinet and make it look good. Not only does she have the body, but with the perfect hair and the bubbly personality, she is a walking supermodel. I, on the other hand, don’t have the money she has, and my five-foot-four body sure as hell can’t wear the things she wears. What would be a miniskirt on her would be closer to my knees if I wore it. Do I harbor some envy? Well, hell yes, who wouldn’t?

Sensing my hesitation, she drops the blouse abruptly to her side. “Sam, you are starting your new job tomorrow. Don’t go in there with the same non-tasteful, wrinkled-at-the-bottom-of-your-closet, poor excuse for clothes.”

I try my best not to laugh, “My clothes are tasteful, just not as fruity as yours.”

“Samantha,” she whines, “you have to. You haven’t gone shopping in ages. It’s a professional place. Pajama bottoms and pink fuzzy slippers aren’t gonna cut it.” She knows me all too well. “Oh! Maybe you can find a handsome fellow, too,” she squeals, clapping her hands. “I dream of the day I hear your headboard slamming against the wall.”

“God, Jess...can we say perv?”

“I mean it, Sam, you haven’t dated anyone since Robbie. You’re a walking orgasm waiting to happen. I bet if you brushed up against a feather duster you’d explode.”

“A feather duster?” I furrow my brows at her, and she shrugs like it was the best thing she could give me. “First, my orgasm-loving friend, I’m not walking around ready to explode. I’m fine. Plus, if you recall, I vowed that I’d never date another man unless there were instant sparks...fireworks, to be exact.”

“You have to light the fuse first,” she quips. “Besides, not all men are like Robbie. Most men, when in love, don’t walk around with a stubby trying to poke holes in every girl. Habitual cheater. He couldn’t help himself.”

“You’re making excuses for him now?”

She jerks back like I just shot her, eyebrows pinched together. Of course she’s not making excuses for him. He was a worthless piece of shit. We dated for almost two years. I was blind and utterly in love with him. Then one day a beautiful woman with shiny ebony hair and deep brown eyes, showed up at my door. She was upset, crying, and looking for him. Come to find out, she was five months pregnant and Robbie was the suspected father. I was lost for words when she told me, completely floored. He had me totally fooled.

When he came home, he found me and Sandy sitting on the couch together. He froze, face melted to the floor, and the color emptied away. He was cornered with no place to go but out the front door, which didn’t register in his peanut brain. He denied everything. Sandy left even more upset than when she arrived at my door. I felt bad for her, but after an hour of listening to him, I believed it. Everything was great until the next month. Then different girls, different excuses, and finally I got the proof I needed...a picture. After that, his words meant nothing to me, and I packed my stuff and left.

It hurt like hell to walk away from someone I loved, but the betrayal of my trust stung the most. He begged me, even got down on his knees. Though I might have been blind to the situation, I sure as hell wasn’t stupid.

“I’m a trained professional,” Jess says proudly.

“Oh really?” I act surprised. “I didn’t know that twelve weeks of a psych course classified you as a trained professional.”

“It only verified that I am awesome and don’t need a class to tell me that. So, are you buying this shirt or are my hopes and dreams for you going to crash down around me?”

The red blouse is pretty, and after looking at the price tag, it will be the single most expensive piece of clothing I have in my small closet. “I’ll get it,” I try to sound unenthusiastic, but the truth is, I knew I was going to buy it the moment Jess pulled it off the rack...just don’t tell her that. Her ruffled feathers and pleading green eyes are my only joy when shopping. My focus.

“Annndd the black pencil skirt?” she adds hopefully.

“Yes,” I say, letting it out in a long sigh and rolling my eyes, still trying not to give away my excitement. I was doing good until the moment she started jumping up and down. Then all stubbornness on my side went out the window, and I started jumping with her. Can you imagine the stares from the other shoppers seeing two twenty-six-year-olds jumping like we’re ten?

Jess grabs my shoulders and leans back, determination flaring in her eyes. “Any way I could persuade you into a mani-pedi?”

“You have me shopping and now you want to pretty me up some more? Is there something you’re trying to tell me?” I joke.

“Is that a yes?”

One side of my lip curls into a lopsided smile, and I arch my brow. We’ve been friends since high school so she knows my facial expressions well. Before I can even respond to her, she pulls me in and hugs me then steps back with my long chocolate brown hair running through her fingers.

She scrunches her nose, “Maybe get a haircut, too?”

“Sooo...basically I need a total make over?” I chuckle. She’s not wrong, I need one. Who the hell knows when I had my last haircut?

“Yep!” she says like a bird chirp, then turns sauntering toward the cash registers with my things in her hands, hips swaying side to side, confident and sexy.

AVAILABLE NOW

©2
015 Kristi Pelton

Snow was coming down in white blankets over the city.  I slid my feet into my Uggs and opened the door causing a flurry of flakes to melt instantly as they swirled indoors. After pulling the door closed, my feet trekked forward in the deep snow crunching with every step. Four days had passed since I’d last checked the mail and well; this at least got me out of the house. Fresh air. Daylight.  All good things. All things I needed.

The stone encasing the metal box was slick with ice and a quick hit with my fist broke the thin layer sending ice into the snow below. My steamy breath filled the box first when I looked in and the pile of mail was bigger than expected. There were catalogs and mailers from companies I had previously asked to be removed from. I wanted no part of that life.