A Prince Charming for Christmas

Chapter 1 “Holy barbecued donkey balls,” Kyle Ross Lee muttered under his breath as he entered Beaumont Department Store, the one located on Fifth Avenue, New York, through the entrance designated for all employees while doing his best to stop his teeth from chattering and also rubbing his gloved palms against each other in a desperate attempt to warm them up. “f**k! Damn New York winter.” He grimaced in annoyance when he heard the beginning of that silly Christmas song about wishing for a white Christmas. That had to be one of the stupidest songs ever. He would rather have a warm Christmas anytime. The cold weather outside was torturous, especially since he only owned one measly jacket, a threadbare winter cap, and a pair of old gloves to protect himself from the harsh element of the season. He had lost his scarf a few days ago after accidentally leaving it behind on the subway. Now his poor neck had to endure the cold. At least until he managed to save up enough to purchase a new one. New York was one of the most expensive cities in the world. He was surviving just fine on his meager salary and commission as a personal shopper for Beaumont Department Store. If he had any money left after rent, utilities, food, and transport by the end of the month, he would splurge on something luxurious such as a cup of exorbitantly priced coffee from that popular coffee chain or a delicious cupcake before depositing a few dollars into his savings account. He hopped on the spot over and over again in a bid to regain some warmth throughout his entire body while taking his cap off and glancing at his reflection on the glass wall. His short, black hair was a little messy, but it wasn’t horrible. However, his dark eyes stood out in contrast to the reddish tinge that spread around the white portions. “Kyle Ross Lee!” He jumped when he heard the shrill voice of Mr. Finlay Atkinson, one of the most irritating and hated supervisors in charge of all the lowly employees, shrieking out his name from the end of the long hallway. Mr. Finlay wasn’t even a decent supervisor. Kyle abhorred that man with a passion. He had a strong feeling Mr. Finlay got to his current position by sucking up and kissing the asses of all the senior managers in the corporate office. He knew for a fact Mr. Finlay had little knowledge about how to properly handle a department store, especially one as humongous as Beaumont. Most of the annual success of the department store should be credited to the other employees’ capabilities and intelligence, but the upper management folks were unfairly patting themselves on the back. Kyle was aware he was an insignificant person in the grand scheme of things, and he could be replaced easily. That would be terrible for his likelihood of making it in New York. He dreamed of becoming an actor on Broadway someday. Being a personal shopper wasn’t what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. The only reason he took on the job was because he needed the money, and also because he was fortunate enough to have a sharp instinct on picking out the items the customers wanted based on short conversations with them. If he wasn’t excellent at his job, he had no doubt Mr. Finlay would have terminated his service long ago. He rushed toward Mr. Finlay and gritted his teeth when his supervisor threw him a condescending look at the sight of his clothes and shoes. There was nothing he could do about them. He wasn’t exactly rolling in billions of dollars. He bought what he could with the money he had. Auditions for Broadway shows were cutthroat. He could sing, dance, and act, but there were many other actors and actresses who were just as talented. Some were much better than him. He had succeeded in acquiring a few minor roles here and there, but they were few and far between. He was only twenty-four years old. He wasn’t giving up. He might make it as a successful Broadway actor someday. “Mr. Finlay, sir.” Mr. Finlay huffed loudly. “Today is your lucky day, Kyle. Do you know why?” Kyle resisted the supreme temptation to roll his eyes. “No, sir.” “We have an important guest coming on Christmas Eve.” Kyle nodded. “Who is it, sir?” “That’s none of your business, boy. The identity of the guest is strictly on a need-to-know basis, and that information is highly classified. You aren’t important enough. You just have to do your job, and do it well. You need to make sure our sales figures are as high as possible before the guest’s arrival.” Kyle really wished he could punch the smug, smarmy expression off Mr. Finlay’s face, but he held himself back. Barely. “Okay.” Mr. Finlay cleared his throat loudly. “Anyway, as I was saying, today is your lucky day. Now, I know you still have about forty minutes before your shift is supposed to commence, but I’m going to give you this wonderful opportunity of starting earlier. I’ll sweeten the deal by adding another hour or two to your shift today. You’ll get to work a total of ten, eleven hours today. Maybe even twelve hours, if you perform well. In fact, I may consider extending all your shifts all the way until the new year if you do a great job today. All the additional hours should earn you some extra cash, which you obviously are in dire need of.” Kyle did his best to remain calm as he forced a smile. “How generous of you, sir.” Mr. Finlay glared at Kyle, who grinned widely in return. After a brief moment, Mr. Finlay harrumphed and turned around before heading toward somewhere unknown while Kyle stuck his tongue out at his supervisor and lifted both his middle fingers. He wished he could do all those gestures right in front of Mr. Finlay’s face, but he wasn’t willing to lose his job. He couldn’t afford to. Money was tight. He was still building up a customer base so he could someday freelance as a personal shopper for all the stinking rich people in New York in his spare time. He had also set up an affordable, personal website where he promoted items from various brands on the side. He knew he had a loyal following, and the counter on his website stated he had thousands of visitors per day. Unfortunately, he wasn’t a huge social media influencer yet. The money and free products he received were great, though. He wasn’t earning a lot from those gigs, but every penny helped to reduce the stress of worrying about the cost of living in New York. “Kyle!” Kyle was startled out of his reverie. “Ollie, what’s up?” Oliver Hall, one of Kyle’s nicer colleagues, worked at the men’s section in the department store. Kyle knew Oliver had a crush on him. He liked Oliver, but it wasn’t in a romantic way. He was glad Oliver didn’t avoid him after he rejected the man’s offer to go out on a date a few weeks ago. “Have you heard the rumor about the guest?” Kyle rolled his eyes as he mimicked Mr. Finlay’s voice. “We have an important guest coming on Christmas Eve.” Oliver snickered. “Finlay is a snobbish asshole, isn’t he?” “That’s the grossest understatement ever. The son of a b***h practically drools whenever he’s talking to some of the senior managers from the local corporate office.” “Or the ones from the other branches.” Kyle chuckled. “Yeah. Anyway, who’s the important guest?” Oliver shrugged. “No one knows. I bet Finlay has no clue either. The man is a pompous bastard who thinks he’s way more important than he really is.” Kyle laughed. “True. Where did you come from earlier?” “The stockroom. I had to grab something for a customer,” Oliver replied while holding up a couple of shirts still inside their packaging. “Speaking of an unknown guest, don’t you find it strange none of the employees has ever met the owner of this department store? At least nobody from our location. The only thing we know about the owner is that he or she is a citizen from this tiny country called Oswington.” “Not really surprised, to be honest,” Kyle replied. “Beaumont Department Store has more than ten thousand locations all over the world. The owner is probably off gallivanting somewhere warm at the moment, having the time of his or her life. Meanwhile, we’re all slaving away in one of the coldest winter months in New York in years.” Oliver sighed. “You’re right. At least we’re employed. That should count as a blessing.” Kyle nodded while grinning at Oliver. “Yeah. Anyway, I need to go into the locker room and change into my uniform. My dress shoes are also inside the locker. I better get a move on before Finlay screams at me. Again.” Oliver guffawed. “True.” “All right then. I’ll talk to you later.” “Okay, man. Take it easy.” “You, too.” Less than twenty minutes later, Kyle had donned his uniform and logged in by scanning his fingerprint before heading toward the counter in one corner of the first floor of the department store. There were two other personal shoppers there, Jessica and Landon, but he wasn’t close to them. He greeted them, but that was the extent of his interactions with them. The department store was bustling with a sea of frantic shoppers. Christmas was three weeks away, so Kyle knew, based on past experiences, his service wouldn’t be in a high demand. Yet. Besides, the customers who utilized his service as a personal shopper had to spend a minimum of two thousand dollars in the department store. He would usually succeed in persuading them to spend a lot more than that prerequisite amount. After all, he would receive a nice three-percent commission from the department store if the customers spent between two thousand and five thousand dollars. Anything more than five thousand dollars, and his rate would increase to five percent, but the majority of the customers would never go above the minimum amount. He was getting a little bored less than five minutes later when the intercom right in front of him beeped loudly. He picked it up in a hurry. “Kyle speaking.” “Kyle, this is Lydia from counter number six. Your service is required. Thank you.” “All right. I’ll be right there. Thanks, Lydia.” Kyle exited from behind the counter and crossed the crowded floor of the department store toward the customer service area before approaching counter number six. He grinned and waved at Lydia, but he was a little confused. There was nobody sitting on the chair across the counter from Lydia. “Hey, Kyle. The customer’s name is Clement. He’s right over there,” Lydia said while pointing at the display of ties about fifteen feet away. Then Kyle glanced at the male customer standing next to the display. The man had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, fully displayed thanks to the fitted, red turtleneck sweater. Kyle gulped when he noticed the obviously perky ass, which was, unfortunately, hidden by a pair of tight, black jeans. The man’s thighs were definitely huge and muscled, judging by the stretch of those damn jeans around them. “Holy sweet mother of sin.” Lydia chuckled. “I know, right? If I wasn’t married and so head over heels with my husband of twenty-five years, I’d definitely hit that.” Kyle smirked at Lydia. “There’s no harm in ogling. That’s what our eyes are for.” Lydia chortled. “That is so true.” Kyle winked at Lydia. “Okay then. Time to work my magic on Mr. Sexy Ass right there.” Lydia snickered. “Don’t do what I wouldn’t do, my dear.” “Honey, I’ve known you for a while. That list is extremely short.” Lydia guffawed. “Guilty as charged.” “Right. Wish me luck.” “Good luck.” Kyle straightened up and smiled as he slowly made his way toward the customer. He approached Clement from the left side and grinned a little wider. However, he faltered for a second or two at the sight of Clement’s deep-blue eyes and beautiful pair of reddish-pink lips. Clement’s dark blond hair seemed soft, and Kyle wished he could touch it. He would never do that, though. That would be creepy. “Good afternoon, Mr. Clement. My name is Kyle. Lydia informed me that you’ll be needing my assistance today.” Clement stood upright, and Kyle had to force himself to breathe. This man was gorgeous, obviously well-built, and taller than him by three or four inches. At five feet eleven inches tall, he wasn’t exactly short, and he had a nice athletic body, weighing in at one hundred and seventy-five pounds. However, Clement’s muscular body and height made him feel small by comparison. “Hello, Kyle. Good afternoon. I need to purchase some Christmas presents for my parents and my sisters, but I have no idea what to get them.” Kyle noticed the crisp, foreign accent, so he figured Clement must be from another country. However, that wasn’t important. He needed to ascertain what Clement’s parents and sisters were like. After all, they would be the recipients of the gifts. “Great, but before we begin, I have to make sure you understand you’ll have to spend a minimum of two thousand dollars to utilize my service.” Clement nodded. “Yes, I do.” “Excellent. Let’s get started. Tell me something about your parents and sisters.” Clement was quiet for a moment before speaking up. “My father is traditional. He doesn’t dislike modern gadgets, but he doesn’t particularly enjoy them either.” “All right. How about the others?” “My mother is a bit more modern, but she also doesn’t seem to care for things like the latest smartphones, tablets, or any other high-tech items. My sisters are both younger than me. Seraphina is twenty-eight. She has been married for three years now. She and Joseph, her thirty-year-old husband, have a daughter named Evangeline, my beautiful two-year-old niece. Then there is Mirabella, twenty-four years old and recently married to Ralph. They’re both of the same age. I don’t have any trouble finding the perfect gifts for Joseph, Ralph, and Evangeline, but my parents and sisters have proven to be more difficult.” Kyle beamed at Clement. “That’s probably because you’ve known your parents and sisters far longer than the others. You must have given them plenty of gifts throughout the years. It makes sense for you to encounter more hardship in trying to buy the right presents for your more immediate family members.” Clement smiled and nodded. “That’s true. That’s why I’m asking for your assistance.” Kyle led Clement around the department store. “Does your father like any sports?” Clement chuckled. “Golf, but he already owns all he needs, and then some.” “What are his hobbies?” “He likes to collect anything related to airplanes and trains, but not on clothes or mugs. No books either.” Kyle lit up immediately. “I think I know the perfect gift for your father. Let’s go up to the second floor.” Less than five minutes later, Kyle triumphantly pulled out a cashmere sweater, a matching coat, and scarf from different shelves, in addition to several collectible antique train sets from the adjacent section to the men’s clothing department. Clement’s face lit up. “These are amazing. I never knew these antique train sets are available in the store.” “The antiques are the most recent acquisitions by our merchandiser, Jenna. She used to work in a couple of antique stores, so she has the eye for this kind of things. We have train sets, paintings, and several other items on display at the moment, but we’re testing the waters. If they sell well, we will probably acquire many more items in the future.” “The train sets are amazing, but do I really need all the other items?” Kyle shrugged. “More options for you.” Clement chuckled. “And a higher commission for you.” Kyle didn’t bother to deny it. “That’s right.” “All right. Fine. I’ll get them all. Let’s find something for my mother and sisters.” It took less than an hour for Kyle to locate everything, and by the time he and Clement approached the cashier to pay for everything, the total was more than fifteen thousand dollars. Kyle felt as if his eyes were about to pop out of their sockets. The guilt was overwhelming. He didn’t expect Clement to agree to everything. He thought Clement would select an item or two for each of his family members, and he could receive a nice commission. “Oh, no. Mr. Clement, you don’t have to buy everything I suggested. Just choose the ones you think your parents and sisters will like the most, and we can return the rest to the shelves.” Clement grinned. “It’s all right, Kyle. I usually spend closer to fifty thousand dollars or even more on gifts for my family during Christmas. You’ve actually helped me to save up quite a bit of money.” Kyle gulped. “Uh, I see. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Clement.” “No, Kyle. Thank you. I’ll definitely seek you out again next time if I happen to be in New York.” Kyle nodded, still staring uncomfortably at the numbers on the screen. “Right. Of course. I hope your family will love all those gifts. Have a wonderful rest of the day, Mr. Clement.” “You, too.” Then Kyle walked away from the cashier and returned to his own counter where he would wait for the next customer who might need his assistance. If all his customers were as generous as Clement, he would be earning quite a tidy sum on commission alone by the end of the month. Not that he had any high hopes about that happening. Some rich people could be really stingy and petty. He had many personal horror stories of nasty customers he had dealt with in the past, not to mention several other terrifying stories from the other employees’ experiences. He would count his blessing. Clement might be the only miraculously kind customer Kyle would get to interact with for a long time to come. However, he was certain he would never forget Clement for many years. The man was seemingly perfect, but Kyle should put Clement to the back of his mind. It was quite unlikely for him to ever meet up with Clement in the future. He wasn’t that lucky.