Chapter 1
Chapter One
Kace
I'm jamming out to Trans Siberian Orchestra, getting in the mood for the Krampusnacht festival as I turn onto the street where Loren, my best friend and business partner, got a rental house for the holidays.
He was evasive when I asked why he didn’t stay with his parents, but the rental gives me an easy place to crash for the couple of days I’m in town.
I slow the car, watching the house numbers… Should be two more houses down on the right.
A woman exits the house I expect to be Loren’s rental. She rushes to the car in the driveway, keys already in hand.
Damn! Her coat is unbuttoned, exposing her tight-fitting Christmas sweater and leggings.
She’s all smiles and curves, exuding happiness like she’s in love with life…
basically my dream girl. Or perhaps Loren’s–a detail he forgot to mention.
With as fast as she drives away, I question if he asked her to be gone before I arrive.
Does Santa have a naughty little secret?
That would be my luck since I’ve nearly given up hope of finding a woman to make a life with, and Loren never dates. Except maybe he does, secretly… with the first woman to stir something in me in a long time.
I’m a few minutes early, but there’s a virtual meeting to confirm all of the details for this evening’s parade, and Loren made it clear he didn’t want to suffer through the mandatory meeting alone.
Leaving my suitcase and Krampus costume in the car, I head to the front door in hopes of breathing in the scent of that gorgeous woman in case she’s not with Loren.
Stepping onto the front porch, I’m wrapped in the scent of sugar cookies. Loren’s not likely to be baking. Everyone makes cookies for Santa, not vice versa. But if she dropped off cookies, he won’t be able to keep it a secret that he had someone over.
I enter the door’s access code and scan for the plate of cookies the second I step inside, hoping to snag a couple while finding out what Loren knows about her—like is she available?
What is wrong with me? Clearly a lot, since women don’t normally affect me like this.
“Cutting it a little close, don’t you think?” Loren grumbles.
Before revealing my sudden obsession over the woman I know virtually nothing about, I razz him. “I could say the same thing about that chick you just snuck out of here.”
“What? Oh!” Loren sets a transparent tote full of little red bags on the floor next to the Christmas tree.
A tree? That seems a bit much, but he loves Christmas.
He narrows his gaze at me then returns to the chair in front of the computer. “That chick was Bellamie. She was dropping off goodie bags she made for the kids who will visit me tonight. Apparently, getting to sit on Santa’s lap and tell him their wishes isn’t enough.”
Fuck. Me. I recognize the name. “Bellamie? As in your stepsister?”
Loren failed to mention that she’s an absolute knockout.
“How many Bellamies do you think I know?”
The computer screen comes to life as the host starts letting people into the virtual meeting. She encourages everyone to drop a comment in the chat telling their role in tonight’s festivities and how far they traveled to get here.
I can only pay partial attention because my brain is consumed by my best friend’s younger stepsister.
He’s never once mentioned an attraction to her, which would be awkward at a family dinner, but could totally come up between guy friends. My thoughts are too many steps ahead–imagining her in my kitchen, my hot tub, my bed.
Laughter from the computer pulls me back to the moment. Sheesh, that’s more daydreaming than I’ve done in the last month.
“Where are the cookies?” I ask Loren, who’s busy reading everyone’s comments in the chat. I hope the cookies aren’t in the kiddie bags. I’d hate to sacrifice a gift to a kid so I could savor something Bellamie made.
“What cookies?” He doesn't even bother to look at me.
I don’t have time to explain myself since the parade organizer starts the meeting by sharing the checklist we were sent a week ago. Under the pretense of watching the screen, I step closer to the tote Bellamie dropped off and determine that the scent of cookies is fading.
Does she smell like sugar cookies? My cock thickens, ready to… I give myself a mental shake. I shouldn’t be thinking about fucking Bellamie. Loren would kill me if I made a move on her.
And even if she wasn’t my best friend’s sister, she’s nine years younger than me.
Her age came up on a phone call I overheard between Loren and his parents once.
It’s a big deal to their parents that Bellamie isn’t a teenager anymore and finally settled on a career, even if being a teacher won’t have the prestige her parents deem important.
That must be why Loren’s so driven, not satisfied to merely do charity work, but is the director of his own organization in his free time.
Would her parents consider it prestigious if she married a billionaire?
Not likely to be part of their plan, but a guy can hope.
I try to distract myself by reading the poster-sized pages Loren stuck to the walls.
Does he ever go anywhere without his easel and giant sticky notes planning pages?
His day, week, month, long term goals–there’s always something.
Does he get the need to have a visual representation of his plan from his parents?
I chuckle while imagining Bellamie writing out a plan like that and hanging it on her walls, then me scratching everything out and writing LET KACE TAKE CARE OF YOU.
“What?” Loren asks, annoyed.
Grasping for something acceptable, I say, “Can’t believe you put up a Christmas tree.”
“It came with the rental.”
Refocusing on the screen, I remind myself that I’ve seen Bellamie for maybe ten seconds, haven’t even met her, although I do know that her stepbrother’s a great guy through and through, devoting his life to charity work and helping people help themselves.
“Go wild! Have fun! Make this our first and best Krampusnacht parade!” The parade manager is a bit overzealous. I glance at Loren’s notepad. Blank. Good, I haven’t missed anything.
“And don't forget that we've decided not only to assign points in the Krampus competition based on how loud the audience cheers for you, but we're going to include how many social media tags you get.”
Loren glances over his shoulder. “That’s all you, buddy. Santas get off easy.”
Attempting to act normal, I say, “Not a problem.” But somehow I know that Bellamie’s the only one for me, decidedly contrary to what it will take to earn points tonight.
“They shouldn't encourage you.”
Playing Santa’s counterpart of Krampus, the horned, hairy Christmas monster who doles out punishments is my outlet to go crazy.
I’ll turn it up tonight, dole out extra spankings, find a few naughty women to tie up and drag through the parade…
and see if I can get my obsession over my best friend’s little sister out of my head.
With two stops on the Krampusnacht tour complete, my points are neck and neck for first place with one of the established Krampuses. It would be nice to win this solely for myself. Everything I do feels like it’s for someone else.
Images of Bellamie bent over waiting for a spanking torture me, but not as much as thoughts of using my rope to tie her up and finding out just how naughty she is.
Heat washes over me and my brain goes a little foggy. What is wrong with me? “Am I sick?”
“You better not be sick.”
Oh, shit. How much did I say out loud? Loren's looking at me as he closes the meeting. I feel my forehead.
“You can't check your own temperature.”
“Yeah, I just feel a little off.” Images of my ropes in a diamond pattern around Bellamie’s naked torso are cut short by my heart slamming against my ribs.
I reflexively cough and pat my chest, causing Loren to side-eye me. “You sure you’re up for tonight?”
Shaking off whatever that was, I exhale hard. “Yeah, gotta rack up those points.”
He steps toward his easel that holds a giant pad of sticky notes. Picking up a marker, he asks, “Want to brainstorm some ideas?”
I stare at the pages he’s already stuck to the wall. His entire schedule is mapped out, complete with regular-sized post-its under each event. This dude is all about his plan.
And apparently I need to stop thinking about Bellamie or I might have a heart attack.