Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 78357 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78357 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Charming.
I tried not to wrinkle my nose at his inappropriateness.
The young boy at Santa’s side took hold of the brightly wrapped gift, all distress at talking to a strange man disappearing as his mum came to take him away. That was my cue.
I shuffled over to the front of the line and smiled at the waiting father and his little girl. I bent toward her, knowing I was probably giving Santa an eye full of my stockinged arse. Everything about the costume was silly and childish, except for the arse revealing part. The dress was high-necked. The sleeves long. Both collar and wrists trimmed in white fur.
The costume was bought for a sixteen-year-old high school girl who hadn’t shown up to be Santa’s elf because she had the flu.
Margaret, the manager of the women’s department, had volunteered me to do the job since I was the only one who could fit into the costume. While I should have asked for Reid’s permission first, seeing the panic on Kerry, our store event coordinator’s face, I knew I had to help her.
We’d advertised Santa’s Grotto everywhere, and parents had paid tickets for their kids to visit Santa and take home a quality gift for Christmas. Determining Reid would be more annoyed if we let down customers, I reluctantly donned the costume.
And now, the object of my affection would probably never look at me the same way again if he caught me in it. Not that it would make a difference.
Pushing through my crestfallen disappointment, I smiled at Santa’s next customers as the father handed over their ticket.
“What’s your name?” I asked the little girl with her blond pigtails. She was adorable in a red velvet dress and matching shoes.
“Belle,” she murmured shyly.
“It suits you perfectly.” I beamed, drawing a smile from her. “Would you like to meet Santa?”
After glancing up at her dad for reassurance, Belle took my hand and I led her over to Santa and then stood off to the side. While Gary kept throwing me looks that would definitely put him on the naughty list, he was great with the kids. He had a joyful big booming voice and pulled off ‘Ho, ho, ho’ with grand aplomb.
My favorite Christmas song came over the PA system. Wizzard’s ‘I Wish it Could be Christmas Everyday’. While the employees of the department store had to listen to the same Christmas album all day every day in December, I spent much time at my desk outside Reid’s office on the top floor. Where he’d banned all Christmas music.
Scrooge.
God, I wish I didn’t adore the brooding bastard.
Anyhoo, it was nice to listen to the Christmas music all morning and I relaxed, feeling less ridiculous (sort of) and falling more comfortably into my role.
Swaying my hips from side to side to the music, singing Wizzard under my breath, I forgot to feel moody and lovesick for the first time in months.
Toe bells jingling as I skipped toward the Christmas tree to collect Belle’s present, I bent over without thinking, singing away to myself.
It was a wonder I didn’t feel his glare singeing my arse.
Because I certainly felt it when I stood up, turned with a flourish of my petticoats and smiled just as my gaze collided with Reid’s.
He stood off to the side of Santa’s grotto, a fierce glower furrowing his brows, arms crossed over his chest as he glared at me.
‘What the hell are you doing?’ he mouthed slowly before pressing his lips into a hard line. His eyes lowered down my body and back up again. Somehow his expression grew even darker.
Damn it.
I guess it didn’t look all that professional for his personal assistant to dress in a teenager’s elf costume.
My lips widened into a sheepish grin and was followed by an equally sheepish shrug as if to say ‘What can you do?’.
In answer, he crooked his finger at me to come to him.
It was appalling the way my body reacted to the commanding gesture, as if I’d just been summoned to the bedroom.
Mortified, frustrated and irritated that he had that power over me, I gave him a slight shake of my head. Reid’s eyebrow raised at my defiance, but I ignored him. We’d decided that I needed to find a new job, and that’s exactly what I’d done. My time at Shaw’s was up after Christmas and Reid would no longer be my boss. So defying him wasn’t really an issue!
Instead, I moved toward Santa, who took the present with another lascivious wink in my direction.
The whole time I could feel my boss’s stare burning into me.
I knew he was beyond annoyed at this point.
A niggle of concern filtered through my newfound “could give zero fucks” attitude.
Maybe Reid would just ask me to leave sooner.
And even though I kept telling myself I didn’t care what he thought of me, I knew it would sting horribly if he made me pack up my things and leave him.