Seduced by Santa (6 page)
The collective memory of all Clauses everywhere and everywhen who had ever delivered a much-longed for present to a child slammed into and through him, swept everything else…all his arguments, misgivings and disappointments…away. Washed through him and filled him up with the joy and happiness of Christmas until he was fit to bursting.
Opening his eyes he looked again at Cole. His brother smiled and gave him the thumbs up before turning to grab the heavy sack from the back of the sleigh. Hauling it over his shoulder, he set off across the snow-laden roof with a spritely step that belied his apparent age.
Swiping a hand over his face to clear the tears leaking from his eyes, Rhod turned to the bed and the box waiting for him.
“You sneaky bastard,” he muttered and reached for it.
No more running. It was time to do his duty.
“Oh my, you look great. Thank you
so
much for doing this, Jared, you don’t know how grateful I am,” Candy said as she and Jared stood in the cold corridor outside the main hall of the chapel.
“You’re welcome. Just don’t tell anyone, okay? It would quite ruin my street cred,” he replied with a wink and a grin.
The costume wasn’t great. Cheap and a little on the tacky side, it was all she could get on such short notice. Built for a smaller man, the jacket was too tight in the shoulders and too short, so if Jared twisted just a little wrong, the padding across his flat stomach was visible.
It didn’t matter though. All that mattered to the kids packed into the hall behind them, belting out Christmas songs with more enthusiasm than musical ability, was that Santa was here delivering presents.
She breathed a sigh of relief, taking a moment to relax as they waited for the end of the song. They’d done it. Eloise, Jared and Rhod had been fantastic, chipping in to help with the repairs and get everything set up for the party. Without them, particularly Jared playing Santa, she wouldn’t have stood a chance.
“Speaking of street cred, where’s that no good partner of mine? Not like him to miss an opportunity to take the piss,” Jared commented, pulling the too-short jacket down again.
She shook her head. “Probably caught in traffic or something. He’ll be here.”
The song drew to a close and she lifted the bells in her hand, ready to ring them and announce ‘Santa’s’ arrival. But before she could strike them, silence descended like a blanket, cutting off all sound. Anticipation filled the air, and then, faintly at first but growing louder and louder, sleigh bells.
“What the…it’s not me,” she whispered to Jared, just as the door at the end of the corridor blew open. A few scattered snowflakes tumbled through onto the polished wooden floor.
“
Ho ho ho!
”
The booming laugh drifted on the air as a large man filled the doorframe. Amazement surged through Candy as the familiar figure tramped down the corridor, stamping snow off his black boots. Her eyes grew wide as she looked up. Red suit, huge belly encircled by a black belt, the white beard… It couldn’t be. Not the real…
“Santa?”
He stopped in front of them, each movement leaving a small trail of fairy dust and magic hanging in the air for a moment.
“Fuck. Me.” Jared muttered softly as Santa turned to Candy and reached out a hand to touch one of the curls tumbling over her shoulder.
“Hello Candy. Have you been a good little girl this year? Or should I put you on my…very naughty list?”
She blinked, something about that voice…those eyes. Astonishment arced through her. “Rhod?”
He smiled and suddenly she could see past the lines and the beard to the sexy as hell man she’d left in her apartment earlier.
“Oh my, you’re…you’re Santa? The
real
Santa?”
“I am. The real deal. One of anyway. You think one man could deliver all the presents in one night? Even for an elf, that would be pushing it. There’s a whole clan of us, but keep that under your hat, okay?” He tapped the side of his nose and hefted the sack over his back as he looked at Jared. “I got it, bud. You’re off the hook.”
Then his voice grew in volume, the hint of the
ho ho ho
back. “Now, I hear there are some children here that I have presents for. Would you like to lead the way, little elf?”
Epilogue
Three years later…
Each year, Candy put up the Christmas tree and, each year, it was more amazing than the last. Finished with his rounds, Rhod stood in the middle of the room and admired it for a moment. Christmas and Candy, the two things he needed to make his life complete. The two things he couldn’t live without. Sure he missed the North Pole, but Candy liked life down here, and for her he’d do anything.
Besides, they visited often enough, even if the presence of a pretty woman drove most of his brothers insane. They pulled all sorts of tricks to try and get her attention. He smiled; it just gave him an excuse to hand their asses to them on a plate. He might be Santa one night of the year, and he was a damn good one, but for the other three hundred and sixty four days he was a bodyguard, and he was a fucking good one.
But tonight was that one day. The one day he wore the red suit and delivered presents. Like the one in his hand. Carefully he knelt down and placed it on top of the others, the little box brightly wrapped with the biggest bow he could find. A huge bow for a box just big enough to hold one thing, like a diamond ring.
The last present, the last delivery. He was done. Standing up, he sighed in relief and reached to unbuckle his belt. As soon as the leather parted, the magic broke and drained away, leaving Rhod standing in front of the tree a lot younger and a hell of a lot lighter. With a smile he coiled the belt and popped it back in its box for next year. As soon as he closed the lid, the box disappeared in a shimmer of gold dust.
A huge yawn hit him as he padded through the apartment and into the bedroom. Stripping down to his boxers, he slid under the covers and wrapped his arm around Candy, pulling her into his side with a contented sigh.
“All done, sweetheart?” she murmured, snuggling in happily. Love washed through him; she always waited for him to get back before sleeping. One reason they always lay in on Christmas Day.
“Yeah, sorry I was a bit late. Cole pissed off the reindeer again. Had to rescue him from a dumpster. How are you and Junior?” He slid a hand around onto her rounded belly and was rewarded with a solid kick.
“He’s awake; I think he knows what tonight is. You bloody Claus men, don’t you know that if you don’t sleep Santa won’t come?”
Rhod chuckled and dropped a kiss on her hair before closing his eyes. “Sweetheart, Santa coming is why you ended up in that state in the first place.”
“Yeah, tell me about it.” She chuckled sleepily. “Rhod?”
“Yeah, babe?”
“I love you.”
Rhod smiled and spread his hand over her bump, enclosing them both in his protective embrace. His family. His life. His everything.
“I love you too. Now get some sleep, this Santa’s tired.”
About Mina Carter
Mina Carter was born and raised in Middle Earth (otherwise known as the Midlands, England). After a slew of careers ranging from logistics to land-surveying she can now be found in the wilds of Leicestershire with her husband and young daughter…the true boss of the family.
Suffering the curse of eternal curiosity Mina never tires of learning new skills which has led to Aromatherapy, Corsetry, Chain-maille making, Welding, Canoeing, Shooting, and pole-dancing to name but a few. A veteran Star Trek RPGer, she’s run both games and groups of games but now finds her home in Bravo Fleet, one of the internet’s oldest Star Trek simm groups.
She juggles being a mum, working full time and writing, tossing another ball in the air with her cover artwork. For Mina, writing time is the wee hours of the morning before anyone wakes up and starts making demands, or any spare minute that can be begged, bought or conned.
Her first stories were penned at age 11, when she used a stationery set meant for Christmas thank you letters to write stories instead. More recently, she wrote for her own amusement and to save on outrageous monthly book bills. Now she’s totally addicted and needs her daily writing fix or heads roll!
http://mina-carter.com
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