Chapter 22
CLARA
Luke’s panicked face had been funny at first, but no one would have laughed if Santa had a real breakdown in front of everyone. I took pity on him and stepped in. Once the feral children had been herded into line, Luke started looking a lot more at ease.
He took a seat in the big leather chair by a towering Christmas tree, or as towering as the ceilings would allow. That had been a constant struggle during the design process. I went to stand by him and gestured for the first child to come forward.
The kids had been brave as a group, but they were much more timid now that they were on their own. The first little boy wrung his hands in front of him, head down as he approached. I went to comfort him, but Luke spoke up first.
His voice was gentle and soothing. “Hello, little friend. I have been trying and trying to figure out the perfect gift for you, and I don’t know what to get. The elves said you wanted socks.”
The little boy looked up at that and shook his head.
Luke nodded. “That’s what I told them. Socks? No, thank you. So what would you like for Christmas?”
The kid finally sat on his lap and told him about some game or other. Luke seemed to know what he was talking about and he promised he would keep an eye out for one. The boy’s father snapped a pic of his son with Santa, and then the next little kiddo came up.
Luke was gentle and jolly with her too. She wanted a princess dress like a character from a cartoon she watched. And a kitten. Santa Luke told her he would see what he could do, which seemed good enough for her. She left with a huge smile on her little face.
Luke and I started getting a rhythm down, working together. I would call the next child up and ask their name. Then Luke would ask them what they wanted, although he always added little personal touches for each of them, and my heart swelled with affection. He would make an amazing father.
The thought was crazy and it came from out of nowhere. Why was I thinking about that?
I knew why. I was just too afraid to face my feelings head on. Our arrangement was supposed to be fake. Sure, real feelings were boiling up like lava from a volcano, but at the end of the day, this was a business deal. It had a price tag, conditions, and most of all, it had an expiration date.
I needed to remember that. To control the feelings Luke awoke in me with just a look and a smile.
When the last child had toddled off, Luke slumped in his chair and sighed. “Holy moly. I don’t know how Santa does it.”
I smiled down at him. “He has a lot of help.”
He nodded. “Speaking of which. I’m going to need help getting this suit off. It’s hard to move with all this padding.”
“Lead the way,” I said. “I’m not in an elf costume, but I can still lend a hand.”
He got up and made his way out of the party, waving at the kids and maintaining his cheery demeanor until we were locked away in the office where his clothes were.
“This isn’t your office, right?” I asked.
“No, that’s downstairs,” he said. “I think this is Marshall’s office actually. That’s why it’s so nice.”
Looking around, I noticed it actually was pretty fancy compared to the other ones I had seen. There was a lot more polished wood in there and big leather furniture. “There’s a full bar and everything.”
Luke laughed. “Executive privilege. It’s classy when you day-drink here. Working at Target? Not so much.”
“I suppose that big couch is for afternoon naps,” I said.
“And mid-morning naps, I’ll bet.”
“Is that why you want to get promoted?” I asked him. “So you can drink and nap all day?”
He laughed and shook his head. “I want to develop my own shows here, put my ideas into action. You get it, right? I mean you like creating things and sharing them with the world.”
“Yeah.” I smiled. “Tonight was amazing. After all that hard work, all that planning, seeing everyone’s reactions made it all worthwhile.”
Luke looked into my eyes for a little too long. “It’s crazy. I think you and I are a lot more alike than I thought.”
“Yeah?” I asked, not liking how soft my voice sounded.
“Yeah, we also both wanted to get out of Harrison City,” he said. “Not because we don’t like it, but because it didn’t have the opportunities for us to do what we wanted to do.”
I nodded. “I love it there. But you’re right. Ganymede Raye won’t ever put on a play at The Helios. To work on one of her shows, I need to be here.”
“It sounds like it’s all lining up for you,” he said, still staring too much. “Looks like you might be sticking around here after all.”
“Looks like there’s a decent chance.”
“Well, I expect free tickets to all your shows.” Luke laughed and gestured down at the Santa suit. “Alright, help me get out of this thing.”
“Don’t take it off just yet,” I said without thinking.
“What? Why not?”
“Maybe there’s something I want to ask Santa for,” I said, feeling brave.
Luke rolled his eyes and chuckled. “You can ask me for anything you want.”
“Well hold on, this isn’t how it works,” I complained. “You have to sit.”
I pushed his shoulder and he sat on the couch. Luke laughed and gazed up at me, eyes burning with curiosity. I smiled and hopped onto his lap. He grunted in surprise, but he didn’t complain.
I nestled my ass firmly over him and met his eyes again. “So, Santa. Here we are again.”
Luke’s jaw clenched. “So, what are you asking for this year?”
“You remember the Christmas Spectacular, right?”
“Of course. No one will let me forget it.”
“I want to ask you something about that night.” I stopped and looked away from him, feeling my bravery fail me.
Luke touched my cheek and softly guided my face back toward his. “Ask me.”
“Well, when I sat on your lap back then, you said it was a candy cane I sat on. Tell me the truth. Was it a candy cane?”
Luke threw his head back with laughter, his whole body shaking. It had the side effect of bouncing me on his lap, and his body answered my question before he did. His cock stirred to life against my ass, hot and thick.
The humor faded from him and he looked into my eyes again, trapping me there. “It wasn’t a candy cane then and it’s not a candy cane now.”
Heat flooded my veins and my lips parted. Luke leaned in and kissed me, sending electricity from his lips through the rest of my body. I melted against him, wanting him to consume me. He growled and deepened the kiss, wrapping me in his arms and holding me tightly.
His hands began to explore me, stroking me, caressing me, leaving trails of sweet fire over my skin. I shivered and burned up at the same time. My hips moved with a mind of their own, grinding my ass against his hard length. It was like hot steel pressing into me.
“You have no idea what you’re doing to me,” Luke said, his voice low and gravelly.
I reached my hand underneath me and took a firm grip of his thickness. “I have some idea.”
He growled again and got to his feet with me still in his arms. I yelped in surprise. Then he cradled me against his chest as he strode across the dim office toward the massive mahogany desk.
“I’ve always wanted to do this,” he said, holding me up with one arm. With the other, he swept everything off his boss’s desk.
“Luke, no!” I giggled.
He smiled at me. “Too late now.”
“Well then, I guess we can’t let it go to waste.”
Luke spread me out on the desk and took a moment to stand back and just look at me. His eyes sparkled with appreciation, and the tent in his pants matched. I’d never felt sexier than in that moment, with him looking at me like I was the most precious thing in the world to him.
“I’ve waited a decade for this,” I said to him breathlessly. “Don’t make me wait any longer.”
Luke began to strip for me. Despite him calling me in here for help, he seemed to have no problems with the outfit.
His moves were quick, eager, but it was still a hell of a show.
His broad shoulders and chest were chiseled with muscles, which flexed when he took off the red pants.
His boxers went after and his body was on full display for me.
I licked my lips, finally seeing the cock I’d been imagining for so long. “Holy shit.”
I reached out to touch it, marveling at how hard it was. How big. How hot. I gave him a little teasing stroke.
He hissed and shut his eyes. “Clara, I can’t hold back anymore.”
Luke’s strong hands undressed me quickly. I suspected he would have ripped the clothes off me if we didn’t have to go back out to the party eventually. There was no way to sneak out unseen, especially if my sweater and dress were torn to shreds.
When I was as bare as he was, he pushed me on my back, grabbed my legs, and dragged my hips to the edge of the desk. He fetched a condom from his pants, rolled it on, and lined himself up at my entrance.
I ached for him, needing him. “Please, Luke, do it.”
Our eyes locked and he thrust into me. I gasped and my head rocked back. Luke went slowly at first, allowing me the chance to adjust to his size. Luke was a beast, and right then, he was all mine.
His hips moved faster, setting a steady rhythm. His hands teased my breasts as he pounded into me, sending fire through every nerve ending. My moans filled the office and I was glad the noise from the party would drown out anything we were doing in here.
“Clara, I love hearing you make those sounds.” He fucked me harder, faster.
My body felt like a coiled spring ready to pop. He leaned over me and kissed me, making me feel loved in that moment. One of his hands grabbed my hip for leverage. The other snaked down between us and he stroked my clit. That was it for me.
I rocketed into space, floating in a sea of stars while pleasure pulsed through me. I clenched around him and that seemed to set him off too. With a final jerk of his hips, he buried himself deep inside me, his cock twitching. His whole body tensed as he groaned.
Luke kissed me again. “You’re amazing, Clara.”
I shivered at his words. He slid out of me and I shivered again. Then he pulled me up to hold me in his arms. My naked chest pressed against his, and I felt connected to him on a primal level. “You’re amazing, too.”
“Worth the wait?” he asked, smiling softly in the darkness.
I laughed and shook my head, not about to inflate his ego more. “We should probably get dressed before someone comes looking for us. And before Marshall sees what you did to his desk.”