Chapter Two
“Hey, little elf. Come sit on my lap and tell me what you want for Christmas. I’ll be your Santa Claus.” The man, who had obviously had a few too many, patted Celyn’s ass as she walked by with a tray full of empty beer bottles and glasses.
The two men sitting with him in the middle of the empty pub laughed as if it was the funniest thing they had heard all evening.
Sad thing was, Celyn knew from experience if she responded as she wanted, which was to beat the man about the head and shoulder with her tray, he and his buddies would drag her out to the parking lot and beat her up. Or worse.
She wasn’t sure if it was the costume, or the time of year, but men had been patting or pinching her ass all evening, but as things wound down, the others had all paid their tabs and headed home.
These three troublemakers were the only customers left in the place and seemed to be unwilling to take the hint that it was time to go home.
The last thing she needed right now was to lose her job, even if she was on the verge of quitting before Micah could fire her.
She was exhausted from working every extra shift she could, her feet screamed at her for wearing heels that got better tips and frankly, her give-a-damn account was well past overdrawn.
This was not the first time this asshole had touched her since the trio had blown in on a whiskey breeze three hours earlier.
Sandy, the other server, refused to go near their table again after this same man pulled her onto his lap just after they sat down.
Micah refused to step out from behind the bar and deal with them, so it was up to her.
Enough was enough. If Micah fired her, so be it, but she was tired of being treated like a piece of meat and going home with bruises on her ass.
Setting her tray on the empty table next to theirs, Celyn turned to square off with the aggressive drunk.
Taking a deep breath, she hesitated long enough to remember that she really needed to keep this job.
Not just for herself, but for Lilly, Hope, Joy, and the new niece or nephew that was due to arrive on Christmas Day.
She’d promised Cedar, her twin brother, that she would take care of the family while he was deployed to the other side of the world.
Now that Lilly had been ordered to stay in bed and rest, it was up to her to see that the bills were paid and there was something under the tree for the girls on Christmas morning.
“Look, boys, it’s late and you’ve had more than your limit. How about I have Micah call a cab so you guys can head home?”
The jingle bells Micah had hung on the door rang out, warning her these three were no longer the only customers.
“Not until you sit on my lap, little elf. I have a Christmas present for you,” asshole drunk said as he reached between his legs and pawed his crotch with one grease and grime-stained hand. His friends once again laughed like hyenas at his insults.
Celyn looked toward the bar where Sandy and Micah watched. Sandy looked worried while Micah smirked at her. How could he be amused by these idiots. Sure, they were paying customers, but even with all the craziness in the world, no one had the right to treat her as this guy was.
In any case, there was no help to be had there. She only hoped she would still have a job after what she was about to do.
When the hand that had been holding his dick and balls just a moment before slid up the back of her leg and under the too-short, too-tight skirt of the bright green elf costume Micah presented them with to wear for the weeks until Christmas, Celyn inhaled sharply.
Red hot anger blasted whatever common sense she might have had out of her head. All at once, her past training and experiences on how to deal with sexually predatory assholes such as these three took over.
With what she hoped would be seen as a friendly smile, Celyn lifted her right leg and rested the heel of her black leather boot on the seat between asshole number one’s thighs. She slid her foot forward until the sole of her boot pressed against the asshole’s crotch.
His eyes widened slightly as he straightened up to get his family jewels away from her foot.
Keeping most of her weight balanced on her other leg, Celyn’s foot followed his retreat and then continued pressing forward until his squinty eyes went as wide as they could go.
“Hey, that hurts!” he screeched as he pushed at her leg just below her knee.
Celyn pulled her foot back just enough that his eyes quit bulging. Leaning her body forward and resting one arm on her bent leg, she let her smile fall away, replacing it with that of a deadly serious Marine.
Using the soft tone that she had discovered during her years as a Marine worked better than a loud voice, she said, “Now that I have your full attention, I’d like to explain a few things to you.
Sandy and I are servers in this pub, nothing more.
We do not appreciate being mauled by drunken fools.
I am a Marine Corps veteran working here to feed my family.
I am not a hooker, whore, easy lay, or whatever else your drink-addled brain has decided I am.
Though I need this job to support my family while my brother is deployed, also with the Marine Corps, I refuse to be treated like a piece of meat just because you’re too stupid to know how to treat a lady.
Now, gentlemen, I suggest you pay your tab and get the hell out before I get angry.
If I do, I might not stop pressing forward until I hear your chestnuts pop because Marines never retreat. Do you understand?”
“Yes, ma’am,” came from both of the man’s friends while the asshole in front of her could only nod.
“Good.” She pressed on his crotch again for a slow two count before pulling her foot away and setting it back on the floor. “I also think you should leave a tip to apologize for your idiocy.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the three men stammered as they reached for their wallets.
After they each tossed a stack of bills on the table, they grabbed their jackets and raced to the door. When they brushed past the newcomer, they muttered apologies but did not stop.
Celyn watched until the door closed behind them.
Only then did she shift her attention to the man standing by the door watching the three men hurry down the sidewalk.
He looked like a cowboy who’d stepped out of one of the historical romances Lilly liked to read with his black felt Stetson, leather duster that went to his ankles, and pointed black cowboy boots.
Though she’d never said it out loud, Celyn had always had a thing for cowboys.
Maybe she’d let him stay for a drink before she kicked him out.
Opening her mouth to tell him it was closing time, she froze once he turned to look at her.
Celyn swore she was looking at a thirty-something cowboy Santa Claus.
Twinkling blue eyes met hers and his broad smile glinted with white-white teeth that peeked through his full black-as-night beard.
His long, curly hair framed his face, laying heavy on his shoulders.
His tall, dark and sexy appearance checked all the boxes on her Christmas wish list.
Her gaze traced down his body and, even wearing the duster, she could tell his shoulders were broad, his belly flat, and his legs long and strong. When she raised her gaze to his face once again, she found him studying her just as closely.
She knew what he saw. A short, curvy woman with long red hair in a braid over her left shoulder and freckled skin wearing a sexy elf costume that was a size too small.
Then his eyes slowly moved down her body to the floor and back up again. His expression shifted and he no longer looked amused but aroused and attracted.
Celyn met his gaze again and found she couldn’t look away.
That was odd since she’d never been able to stare into someone’s eyes for long before.
She was also astonished when her body responded to the stranger on a sexual level.
Unable to stop herself, she took a step toward him, not surprised when he did the same, matching her step for step until only a few inches separated them.
“Hello,” he said in a tone just above a whisper.
Her body instantly responded to his deep-as-a-well-in-the-desert voice.
Her nipples beaded, her clit bloomed and began to pulse in time with her heartbeat while her pussy clenched, demanding whatever he was packing in his well-worn blue jeans.
Her brain slipped out of gear as her long ignored sexual drive surged to nearly out of control levels.
Taking a deep breath, she could not help but smile as the scent of apple pie and cinnamon sticks, her two favorite holiday scents, surrounded her.
Was it coming from him?
Leaning closer, she took a deep breath and found that it was. Her knees went weak and she curled her hands into fists to fight back a crazy desire to lick him and see if his skin tasted as good as he smelled.
Running her tongue over her lips, Celyn swallowed twice. “Welcome to Rain Deep Pub. What can I get you?”
She winced when she heard the please-fuck-me tone her voice had taken on.
She never flirted with the customers, but there was something about this man.
Something that made her want to get naked, curl up in his lap, and tell him all the secret dreams she’d never shared with anyone before.
She could see him carrying her to the nearest bed and fucking her into the mattress before making all of her dreams come true.
He smiled at her for another moment before blinking. She swore she saw him shiver. Was she not the only one affected by this meeting?
“You, in a room alone,” he replied softly. After blinking again and looking stunned at his answer, he changed his request. “Um, Or how about a hot chocolate or some hot apple cider?”
The non-alcoholic beverage request caught Celyn completely off guard. “Um, let me see if we have anything like that available.”