Stocking Stuffer

One DECEMBER 23RD “This costume does not fit.” Bailey Willis plucked at the very short red velvet skirt trimmed with white fur that she wore and frowned. The candy-cane-style striped stockings came up to midthigh, leaving a few inches of bare thigh below her short skirt. The outfit looked cute, but it was way too sexy for her company’s Christmas charity event. “You look adorable,” Cheryl gushed and handed her the red Santa hat. “I thought I was supposed to be an elf.” Bailey had been unlucky enough to be volunteered as an employee who would dress up for the costume part of the event. Cheryl, the head of Bailey’s graphic design department at Trouble Inc., had put her up for the position, and Bailey couldn’t say no. She’d only been working at Trouble Inc. for two months, and it was her dream job. The last thing she wanted to do was mess it up by not going along with stuff like this . . . even if it meant dressing up as a sexy Santa or an elf or whatever she was supposed to be. Not only that, but she was a bit worried she looked a little unprofessional for a company Christmas party. “Is there going to be a Santa? Or is it just me?” Bailey tried to ignore how naked she felt in the costume. She was twenty-six years old, but she had never in all her life worn anything this revealing, except maybe a swimsuit, but this felt different. The red velvet top showed a few inches of her bare midriff, and it really didn’t feel appropriate for work. “There’s going to be a Santa with you. He’s some guy from floor twelve, one of the stuffy engineers.” “Great.” Bailey tried to hide the sarcasm in her voice, but by Cheryl’s chuckle she knew she had failed. “It’s only for a couple of hours. They wanted someone young and cute for the kids.” Cheryl was in her forties and didn’t seem to want to switch places with her. “I guess I’m ready.” Bailey straightened the little Santa hat on her head and stepped farther out of the bathroom stall where she’d just changed clothes. Thankfully, the resort hotel her company had booked for the Christmas party had a roomy bathroom near the ballroom. “Everyone is going to love you.” Cheryl played with Bailey’s light brown hair, twisting her loose, wavy curls around a bit as though she were a Hollywood stylist. “Let’s go—the kids will be here soon.” Cheryl opened the bathroom door and Bailey stepped out first. Trouble Inc.’s company retreat was a yearly event. It was Bailey’s first, of course, so she’d only heard stories secondhand about the lavish nature of the event the company’s CEO insisted on paying for himself. He said it was a treat for his employees and a way of saying thank you for their hard work every year. Tonight would be a big fundraiser for a particular charity that was chosen each year by employee vote. This year they were supporting the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Twenty children and their families had been flown out to the resort, and they would receive prizes, including some presents that Bailey and whoever had gotten suckered into playing Santa would be handing out tonight. “What am I supposed to do again?” Bailey whispered nervously as she and Cheryl headed toward the event hall doors, which were wide open. Just beyond the doorway, there were a hundred large circular tables filled with people. The ceiling was glittering with crystal chandeliers which brightened the room like twinkling stars. A life-size Santa’s village was set up just to the left of the stage that was big enough for Bailey to walk into. “Just go into Santa’s little cottage and wait until Santa and you are introduced. Then come out, wave, and be ready to greet the kids. They’ll come and sit on Santa’s lap, and you can hand out presents after they talk with Santa. Each gift is assigned to a specific child, and the gifts are all grouped alphabetically.” Cheryl nudged Bailey in the direction of the village, and Bailey practically ran toward the shelter of the cute little cottage. A few of the people at tables near her chuckled as she rushed past them to get into Santa’s cottage. Please let everyone drink enough wine tonight that they forget they saw me like this, she silently pleaded. She reached the little cottage that had a “Santa’s House” sign hanging above the doorway and twisted the knob. The interior of the cabin was surprisingly large, with a cozy living room complete with a fireplace, two armchairs, and a plate of cookies with a glass of milk laid on a nearby table. There was no sign of the Santa she’d been paired with so she stole a cookie and nibbled on it while she examined the rest of the cottage. Whoever had created this had thought of every little detail. A pair of fur-lined Nordic snow boots sat by the fireplace, and she bent over to pick one up. Behind her the cottage door opened. “Now there’s one hell of a nice Christmas gift,” a deep, rumbling voice said with a chuckle from the doorway. It was a voice she knew almost better than her own, even if it was half an octave deeper than the last time she’d heard it. She straightened and whirled around to see a tall man dwarfing the entrance of the cottage. He had a Santa costume draped over his arm and a pair of black Santa boots in his other hand. Her eyes roved from his lean legs in a pair of blue jeans up to his gray T-shirt with some obscure grunge rock band logo on it. Then her eyes froze as they took in his face. Montgomery Macholan. The boy she’d crushed on her entire childhood and teen years was standing right in front of her. “Mack?” she gasped. “Bailey?” He choked on her name, his eyes wide. “Holy fu—” He stopped himself and gave his head a little shake. His blonde hair was a little too long, and that toss of his head sent a lock of hair into his gray eyes. God, Mack was still as hot as ever, infuriatingly so. He was even hotter than he’d been at eighteen, the last time she’d seen him before he left for college and broke her heart. “What are you doing here, Mack?” she hissed and jerked him into the cottage. She shut the door, sealing them inside so no one at the tables nearby would overhear anything they were saying. “Me? What are you doing here? Since when do you work at Trouble Inc.? Don’t tell me—they hired you as some sort of sexy Santa elf, and you’re really an exotic dancer now or something?” For a second Bailey couldn’t even blink. “Did you just call me a stripper?” Her voice pitched up, and she was mortified at how much the man could upset her in less than thirty seconds. “Well, you are dressed like one, and damn, Bailey, you grew up.” His voice wasn’t full of teasing, but rather he sounded impressed. No, he sounded in awe of her. She glanced down, covered her skimpy top with her arms, and tried to curl in a little on herself to hide her exposed midriff. “Put your eyes back in your head, Mack, and since when do you work here?” He tossed the Santa suit on the armchair nearest him and frowned. It was the sexy kind of frown that made Bailey think of playing out a sexy Santa fantasy where she ended up getting spanked. And just like that, she was hot and bothered, all thanks to freaking Montgomery Macholan. How could one man she hadn’t seen in ten years make her feel like a lovestruck teenage girl all over again, albeit this time with more adult fantasies? “I’ve been working here since college. I’m in the engineering division,” he explained. “You’re the one they sent from the engineering side?” She groaned a little too loudly. The Santa suit he carried was a dead giveaway, but she hadn’t wanted to accept it. Now they were stuck playing a game of North Pole house for the next hour. “Hey, I didn’t volunteer. I lost a bet with some of the guys, and—” He halted as sudden applause filled the ballroom. “s**t, that’s the boss on stage. I need to change now.” He glanced through the frosted windows of the cottage and reached for the fly of his jeans. “Mack, you can’t just—” But it was too late—he shoved his jeans down, showing off a tight ass covered in black briefs and muscled legs as he kicked off his shoes. Then he pulled the Santa suit pants on and cinched the drawstring tight at the waist. After that, he put the heavy Santa coat on over his t-shirt and buttoned it up. There was no heavy fake belly for him to wear, but the padded coat gave an appearance of a bulkier Santa body. Bailey just stared as he sank his sock-clad feet into the shiny black boots. Finally, when she remembered what the hell they were supposed to be doing, she shoved his Santa hat and beard at him as he finished buttoning the coat. They both peered through the windows, listening to Maxwell Andrews, the CEO, as he spoke about the company’s chosen charity, the Make-A-Wish Foundation. There was another round of applause as he announced the arrival of the children. “We have a special guest for them tonight. Santa and one of his elves came a very long way from the North Pole to give them some presents. Kids, are you ready?” Maxwell’s booming voice asked, and little voices from the crowd cheered. “Santa, come on out here!” Maxwell called over the microphone. “That’s our cue, I guess,” Mack said. “Do I look okay?” he asked as he faced Bailey. His beard was too low below his chin. “You need to fix just one thing,” Bailey purred and waved a finger for him to come closer. With a devilish grin, Mack leaned in toward her. She pulled the edge of his beard away from his face and pretended like she was going to kiss him. His gaze lowered to her lips, and with a wicked smirk she released the elastic beard from her hand and let it snap back on his face with a loud thwack! “Ow!” he snapped. “I’m going to—” His growl was cut off as she opened the door behind him and, with a hard shove, pushed him out ahead of her. He halted awkwardly for a second before he slipped into his role as Santa Claus. A dozen children crossed the ballroom floor toward Mack and Bailey, their little faces bright with excitement, and that was when the snow began to fall. Mack glanced up as the first few flakes tickled his nose. A fake snow machine high above their heads near the event lighting was unleashing a decent snowfall around the village. The children gasped, and the crowd of adults whispered excitedly. Even Mack was impressed. Maxwell Andrews really went all out for the kids this year. It actually looked like a part of the North Pole had been transported here by some kind of magic. A smile curved Mack’s lips. When he’d lost a bet with the guys in his department, he had thought this wasn’t going to be fun. Now that he was here, seeing the snow and the faces of the kids who had been through medical hell on their own, he was damn proud to play Santa for them. He shot a glance at the sexy elf who had joined him outside the cottage. Bailey Willis. Damn, she was just as gorgeous as she had been ten years ago. They had known each other their entire lives. Their houses had been next door to each other on the same little street, and their bedroom windows had faced each other. He was two years older than Bailey, but she’d always tagged along after him and his friends. It had been annoying, then cute, and finally dangerous. That last spring before he’d left for college, he had been eighteen and the things he’d dreamed about doing to her . . . Well, they hadn’t been PG. She’d been sixteen and he had done the smart thing. He’d gotten the hell out of there before he did something stupid. He would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought of her in the last ten years. He had, a lot. Maybe too much. But he had stayed disciplined and not looked her up on social media, no matter how tempted he had been. Somehow, the thought of looking her up, seeing her dating or married, didn’t seem like a good idea. His mom had mentioned a few times when Bailey had a boyfriend, and he’d shut down the conversation fast. He knew she didn’t want to see him ever again, and he was afraid that if he saw her, he’d make an ass of himself. Which was exactly what was happening right now. He was living out some sexy elf or Mrs. Claus fantasy with her at this very moment. He had to keep focused on the kids and not on the very questionable outfit someone had picked for Bailey to wear. Those candy-striped stockings covering most of her gorgeous legs and the cute red heels were not helping. “Do you know what we’ re supposed to do?” he whispered to Bailey. “Uh-huh. The kids have assigned presents. You have each kid tell you their name, and I’ll find their gift so you can give it to them.” “Got it.” He adjusted the white beard and mustache. The thing itched, but it wasn’t too annoying. He headed for the red velvet armchair and sat down as the twenty or so kids lined up in front of him. He waved the first kid forward, and a shy girl with a fuzzy knit cap on her head came toward him. She perched on his knee and smiled. “What’s your name?” he asked. “Liza Gutez,” she replied. Her big brown eyes melted Mack’s heart. Even though her face was too pale, she was still bright-eyed with joy. “What have you always wanted for Christmas?” he asked, wondering what Maxwell had selected for her present. Liza seemed to take this question very seriously. “To spend Christmas at home and not at the hospital.” Fuck. Mack swallowed hard. That wasn’t something he could give her. Bailey made a soft little sound of distress behind him. He didn’t dare look at her. She was such a softy, and if he saw tears in her eyes, he wouldn’t stand a chance. “Does your family spend Christmas with you at the hospital?” Liza nodded. “They do.” “Then you know what?” Mack asked, somehow managing to find a smile, even though little Liza was breaking his damn heart. “What?” she asked in a conspiratorial whisper, as though convinced he was about to share some North Pole secret with her. “Home isn’t a place—it’s the people who love you. No matter where you are, Christmas is always with you because your home is where your heart is.” He pointed a leather-gloved finger at the girl’s chest, and she smiled broadly. “Now, I believe we have a present for you.” He turned to Bailey and couldn’t miss her sniffle as she hastily dug through the pile of presents. She came back with a red envelope and handed it to Mack. He held it out to Liza, who opened the thick red paper. She stared at the sheet and frowned. “What does it say?” she asked. Mack held it up a little so he could read it to her. “It says you and your family have three weeks of private nurses to help you celebrate Christmas at your house instead of at the hospital.” As soon as he finished reading this, he shot a glance at Maxwell, who was no longer on stage but instead speaking with a set of parents that he guessed were Liza’s by the stunned looks on their faces. Private nurses weren’t cheap. Maxwell had given the girl exactly what she wanted. The man was a wizard. “Thank you, Santa!” Liza threw her arms around Mack’s neck, and he embraced the child carefully. She was so small and frail. “Just remember, Liza, you are strong, and nothing can stop you,” he whispered in her ear and gave her an extra squeeze. She scampered off toward her parents, clutching the envelope like it was the key to a magical kingdom built just for her. The next several children were all just as sweet as Liza. Mack lost himself in the role of Santa Claus, throwing out Ho ho hos and telling the children all about his flying reindeer and the elves working hard on toys for children all around the world. Bailey helped match the gifts with each child. By the time they finished, Maxwell was back on stage, a microphone in his hand. “Let’s thank Santa and his elf for bringing such magic to this room tonight. Let’s give them a round of applause.” The adults at the banquet tables clapped loudly, and the children joined their families at their tables while dinner was brought out to the attendees. “How about we create some magic of our own,” Maxwell said, and he began describing through the silent auction items and helping increase the bids by offering donation matches. “I think we can get changed now,” Bailey whispered and jerked her head toward the cottage. The second the cottage door closed and they were certain no one would hear them, Mack crossed his arms and blocked the path to freedom with his body. “So, little Bailey Willis works at Trouble Inc. How on earth did I not know that?” Bailey shuffled nervously in her sexy red heels. f**k, she was so adorable. He wanted to peel those striped stockings down her legs and push that fur-lined skirt up and— “There are more than seven hundred employees in a ten-story building. It’s honestly amazing we even met like this. We could have gone another decade without seeing each other if it hadn’t been for this Santa stuff.” She waved about the cottage with one hand. “I would have noticed you anywhere,” Mack said in a soft voice as he lowered his arms. “How long have you been working here?” “A few months. I’m in graphic design.” Bailey kept her answers short, and Mack knew she didn’t want to talk to him. He wouldn’t have either if he were her. That’s what happened when you broke someone’s heart when they were sixteen. “Graphic design? I didn’t know you were into that.” “There are a lot of things I’m into that you don’t know about.” Her eyes tracked up and down his body, and he couldn’t help but wonder if any of those things she mentioned involved him. Was it possible she still felt something for him? Or was it just two adults who had a desire for each other on a physical level but nothing more? Mack knew he should keep his damn mouth shut, but something about Bailey always made him do the stupidest things. He removed the Santa coat and slipped out of the boots. He paused when he reached for the drawstring on the red velvet Santa pants. Bailey’s eyes were glued to his crotch, and he had to fight hard not to react the way any hot-blooded man would when a gorgeous woman was looking at his groin. “You like what you see, elf?” He slowly pulled the drawstring, loosening the pants. Bailey’s stare snapped upward, and she covered her eyes with one hand as he dropped his Santa pants to the floor. It was way too much fun messing with her. It reminded him of the good old days before the night of his senior prom, when he’d f****d everything up. “Put on some damn pants, Mack,” Bailey growled, and it made him think of a puppy baring its teeth. He wanted to cuddle her. Which he shouldn’t do . . . because he was the bastard who had broken her heart. Bailey bent, her hand still covering her eyes as she tossed his jeans at him. The second he caught them, she made her escape out the door. By the time he’d emerged from the back door to Santa’s cottage, he was wearing his own clothes again, and there was no sign of the sexy little elf in the crowded ballroom. Bailey Willis had escaped.