A Very Nellie Christmas

I mean, maybe his eyes weren't saying it quite like that, but that was the gist of it.

Danica was watching with a semi-shocked expression on her face. I could feel her glancing at me as I watched Silver Kate's body press close against my boyfriend's, as her painted red lips curled up in a smile as she spoke.

"That will definitely get you on the naughty list," J.P. finally said.

"Hmm," said Silver Kate. "It'll be worth it, though."

"Why don't we take your photo now?" Danica said loudly.

"Great idea!" I said cheerfully. "Just a sec, let me help pose you so you get the best possible photo."

Silver Kate had already started moving away from J.P. as I walked over, likely assuming that I was going to make sure there was as much room as possible between each of them and my boyfriend.

Where was the fun in that, though?

I got them all to stand up, and since Green Kate was the least objectionable Kate, I positioned her first.

"Spread 'em," I said to J.P., who looked shocked as I nudged his legs apart.

I guided Green Kate onto J.P.'s knee, making sure she was tucked in as close as she could be to him while still keeping her legs on the outside of his. His arm went around her waist and hers around his shoulder, and her face turned the slightest bit red as she looked at me with delight.

Blue Kate was next, and she got the other knee. Since they were fully grown adult women, she didn't get to touch quite as much of J.P. as Green Kate did, but her breath still caught as J.P.'s hand rested just above her hip.

Once they were positioned, I turned to Silver Kate.

"On your knees," I said cheerfully.

Her mouth dropped open.

"So you can sit in the front," I continued, smiling at her.

She looked at me warily but knelt on the ground. I guided her back until she was tucked between J.P.'s boots, stopping her just before his thighs touched her shoulders.

"Almost perfect," declared Danica. "Jingle Bells, why don't you get in the photo too?"

"You betcha!" I said.

When the photographer took the picture, I was tucked behind the chair with my hands resting on either side of it, grinning and winking. It only took one eye to say what I needed to say in that picture.

"You think you can make me jealous?" my eye said. "I'll shove you into his arms and between his legs and he still won't do anything, at least not until I tell him to. He might be Santa, but I'm in charge of your gifts."

"This is great," J.P. said when the photographer showed us the picture. "Any chances of a dupli-kate—kit. Duplicate?"

The photographer printed an extra copy, then turned to Danica.

"My shift is almost over," she said. "Are there any other Santa photos to take?"

"A couple," Danica said. "Nellie, do you mind if I get one?"

"Of course not," I said, secretly pleased when she beckoned me into the picture.

"And we have to get one with Carole," she said after, grimacing. "Sorry."

"I'm surprised she didn't come up earlier," I said.

"She always waits until the end," Danica said. "It gives her more, um, time."

For some reason, Carole didn't want me in any of the six photos she took with J.P. She took one sitting beside him, one hugging him, one pressing her lips to the side of his face, and three in different poses of her sitting on his knee. Louie stood with me to the side as she did, smiling and watching J.P. make sure his hands didn't stray anywhere near the silicone blobs on her chest.

"Are you getting one too, Louie?" I asked. "Or maybe one with her?"

"Oh, I have a million of me and Carole with Santa," he said. "It's more her thing, you know. I wouldn't say no to a picture with you, though!"

I wasn't sure who was most surprised when I made J.P. get off the chair so Louie could sit, then plopped myself onto his knee and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. J.P. was trying not to laugh, Louie was trying not to look down my dress, and Carole didn't have to try to hide her expression since her face didn't move, but I knew she was annoyed.

All in all, it was a successful photo.

"You are going to get me in trouble," J.P. muttered as they left, Louie's face pleasantly red and Carole's forehead creasing just slightly between her manicured eyebrows.

"Are you complaining?" I asked, glancing up at him.

"Not even a little bit." His hand trailed down my back and found my ass. "But you should probably know that the elves and I decided coal wasn't eco-friendly, so I'm going to have to hand out spankings instead this year."

"I thought I was on the naughty list."

"You are."

"So why am I getting such a great present?"

He laughed but didn't have time to respond before Danica strolled up.

"I think that's it for photos."

"Yep," I said. "Sounds good."

"Uh, actually, there's one more," J.P. said awkwardly.

I looked around but didn't see anyone approaching.

"Okay. Do we need to go find them?" I asked.

He snorted. "You."

"What?"

"You, you dolt," he said, laughing. "I want a picture with just you."

"Oh," I said. And then, after a moment: "Dolt? What the fuck?"

Danica giggled as J.P. took my hand, tugging me back to the chair. He sat, then pulled me onto his lap.

"Ho-ho-ho," he said, grinning. "And what do you want for Christmas?"

"For you to stop calling me a ho," I said, flicking his nose. "What do you want for Christmas, Santa?"

I expected a joke in response; what I got was the laughter fading from his eyes, though he maintained his smile.

"Just to be with you," he said softly.

I didn't know what to say to that. I froze, my lips parted as I looked at him, my mind blank and my heart starting to race. He held my gaze a moment longer before the corners of his eyes crinkled and he gave me one of his wicked looks.

"Don't worry about me, little elf. Santa's already getting plenty of goodies for Christmas," he said loudly. "And not just the milk and cookies, either."

There was no one else who got a Santa photo like that. I was the only one planted firmly on his lap with my legs hanging over the side of the chair. I was the only one with his arms wrapped around me, my head thrown back as I laughed and his smile glowing from behind that silly white beard. I was also the only one with a picture of Santa kissing my cheek and the only one whose skirt hid the fact that his hand slid beneath it, glove-clad fingers trailing up my inner thigh as I tried to maintain a composed expression for the camera.

"That's it," Danica said when we were done.

The photographer nodded and began packing up her equipment while we began to leave the stage.

"Thank God," J.P. said. "I'm ready to take this damn suit off. This belly thing is heavier than it looks and the beard is so friggin' itchy."

He didn't get a chance, though. Before we even left the ballroom, someone tapped the mic. We turned to see Louie standing on the stage with his arm around Carole's waist.

"Good evening, everyone!" he said, and the room quieted down. "Merry Christmas!"

There was a swell of applause and shouts, and Louie smiled.

"The holiday party is a thank you from the partners to yourselves after another year of hard work and tremendous successes. The party is for you; we want you to enjoy yourselves and have a good time. Because of that, I will only take a moment now to bore you with a few short words."

There was laughter in the room and Louie smiled brightly.

His few short words were as short as he'd promised. He gave a brief overview of some of the firm's successes over the year, talked about future plans, and commended each of the teams for their hard work. I didn't follow much of it, given the fact that I didn't work there and barely knew what he was talking about, but the people around me seemed to appreciate what he said.

"Finally," he continued. "We want to welcome our new employees this year. For those attending the party for the first time, thank you for being part of our team, and we hope to see you at many more Christmases. Our new employees should also express their gratitude to the newest of our employees for taking one for the team and—"

He was cut off by another wave of laughter, including from J.P.

"Yes, I want to give special thanks to our friend Jean-Paul Marchand, who joined the firm last month and was good-natured enough to follow our Christmas Clause to the letter. We must also give extra special thanks to his girlfriend, Nellie, who had absolutely no obligation to agree to help out since she doesn't work for us but was a good sport anyway. We couldn't have asked for a better elf, Nellie. Thank you."

I might have imagined the flicker of contempt in Carole's eyes at those words, but I smiled brightly and waved at Louie. He nodded at me as J.P. put his arm around my shoulders.

"You were the best elf," he whispered, his lips brushing against my ear.

"That is about all I have to say," Louie said. "Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone. Please enjoy the bar, the dancing, the food, and yourselves; Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!"

There was more applause. J.P. took my hand as it finished, intent on leading me out of the room, but we hadn't even taken three steps when someone grabbed his arm.

"Take a shot with us, Santa J.P.!" a man hollered.

"Let me change first," J.P. laughed.

"Not a chance," said someone else. "C'mon, Santa! Let's make those spirits bright!"

He glanced at me and I grinned.

"How many chances do you have to party as Santa?" I said. "Come on. One shot."

"You're a horrible influence," he said.

I shrugged, smirking, and he shook his head.

"You're getting nothing but coal in your stocking this year, Jingle Bells."

"You said coal wasn't eco-friendly."

"You're so naughty, I'm making an exception. Coal and a spanking for you."

"As long as my stocking is getting stuffed at some point, I'm good with it."

"Oh, it will," he said firmly. "And I'll be coming down your chimney more than once, too."

"Which one?" I asked. "I think I technically have three."

Carole and the Kates had tried to make the fact that I was a student a negative, insinuating I was too immature for J.P. Of course, they had no idea how immature he could be, but that was an issue for another time. My university education did me well that night; drink for drink, I kept up with the best of them, and I barely even had to ask the bartender for a refill. Between J.P. getting drinks for me and my tits earning the rest, I was doing just fine.

We were a shot and a few drinks in when J.P. had to push himself away from the bar.

"I'm going to pass out," he said, laughing.

"Lightweight," I said, earning myself a pat on the back from Adrienne and a howl of laughter from Brad.

"From the suit," he protested. "It's a million degrees in here!"

There were assorted boos when he said he was going to change, mine being the loudest.

"At least let me take the beard and belly off!" he finally said.

"Fine," I said. "But you're taking it off here."

"Don't you trust me?" he asked, a charming smile playing across his lips.

"Do I look stupid enough to trust a lawyer?"

The lawyers surrounding me ate it up. Slimeballs or not, I had to admit they had a good sense of humour, though it was likely because it was easier to laugh at yourself when you drove home in a Benz afterwards.

My argument was strong enough to prevent J.P. from leaving the hall, so he untied the beard and handed it to Danica. The belly was another issue, and I licked my lips as I stepped forward.

"Let me help you with that," I said smoothly, undoing the belt on the jacket.

Someone hollered; someone else catcalled.

"Normally people don't start stripping until later!" Brad shouted. "And no offense, man, but we'd prefer it to be a chick! Maybe your girlfriend could—"

Adrienne interrupted him with a shove. "You're a pig." Once he was out of the way, she grinned. "Take it off, J.P. Let's see what's under the belly."

He laughed good-naturedly, even shimmying a little after I untied the belly form so he could pull it off. He hadn't been exaggerating how hot it was in the suit; I could feel the heat radiating off his skin and there was a sheen of sweat along his arms and shoulders.

I wasn't quite sure what it said about me that my breath caught in my throat at the sight of him, his undershirt sticking to his chest and his hair messy from being under the hat. I certainly wasn't the only one checking him out like that—after all, Carole had magically appeared as soon as there was even a hint of J.P.'s skin showing—but I was the only one who helped him put the suspenders back over his shoulders and put his jacket back on. I knew for a fact that the Dupli-Kates were seething. All three of them were nearby, pretending to be disinterested as J.P. showed off.

Carole made sure she got an opportunity to get closer, though, and a few minutes later she was sidling up next to him at the bar.

"Well hello, Santa baby," she said coquettishly.

"Hello, Mrs. LaCloche," J.P. replied with a smile.

She laughed and put her glass down on the bar. "Mr. Marchand, I must insist you dance with me."

"Must you?" I asked loudly.

She glanced at me the same way someone might glance at a child, a patronizing look on her face.

"It is tradition, actually," she said. "I always dance with Santa at the Christmas party."

I shrugged. Two could play at those reindeer games.

J.P. escorted her to the dance floor. It only took me a moment to find Louie; he was standing nearby with a large group of people, positioned in a way that he could still see the dance floor. It was clever on his part. He looked like he was listening to the conversation, but there were enough people around that he could simply watch his wife press herself against another man; in this case, against my boyfriend.

It was a front-row seat, but I figured he deserved to be right in the fray with them.

"Nellie," he said pleasantly as I approached.

"Hello, Louie," I said sweetly. "Thank you for the kind things you said earlier. Care to dance with me while J.P. is occupied?"

He might have been less surprised if I'd walked up and let the elf costume drop to the floor. As it stood, he barely concealed the shock on his face before smiling and extending his hand.

"You know, it's bad form to turn down a lady when she asks you to dance."

There was a pretty good chance that I was going to get J.P. in trouble, but I couldn't quite help myself. Louie put a hand on my waist carefully, but it slid to the small of my back as I moved just a little closer to him. I saw his throat flex as he swallowed and his eyes flicked away for just a moment before returning to me.

I saw why as we turned on the dance floor. Carole and J.P. were nearby, and Carole's blank face was glued to me and Louie. I only looked at her out of the corner of my eye, making sure I didn't make eye contact, and instead smiled up at Louie as we danced.

"Thanks so much for this awesome party," I said.

"Thank you for attending," Louie replied. "It's always nice to see what people are like outside of the office and meet their families."

"It's also great to meet J.P.'s coworkers," I said. "He loves his job so it's nice to have names to faces."

"Of course. How long have you and Jean-Paul been together?"

"A... while," I said haltingly. "About, um, six months. But I've known him almost my whole life."

"Ah," he said, smiling. "So this is your first Christmas together."

"Sort of. I mean, yes. But... we won't... I'm going to my mom's and he's got his family stuff."

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said. "It's hard to be apart at such a special time of year."

I swallowed hard, not quite willing to tell him I was the one who decided that we wouldn't be together.

"How long have you and Carole been married?" I asked.

Louie smiled, glancing over to where I knew J.P. and Carole were dancing. "Twenty-three years. It could have been longer, you know. We met when we were teenagers. For years, I was too scared to tell her how I felt. And, you know, when I finally did, it turned out she'd been scared for years, too."

"I was scared," I said, not sure why I was admitting that to him. "I still am, a little. I didn't think I would like being in a relationship."

"I think many of us feel the same way until we find the person that wants the same thing we do," he said gently. "And then it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. Carole was that person for me."

It was a very personal conversation to be having with J.P.'s boss, but he didn't seem to mind. It was very clear he loved his wife, and he had a lot of respect for J.P. It probably helped that J.P.'s hands weren't straying from where he had them on Carole's waist.

We chatted about lighter things for the rest of the song. Louie was pretty funny, honestly, and way nicer than I thought he would be. I could see why J.P. was enjoying working for him a lot more than he enjoyed working for his dad. When the song was over, J.P. let go of Carole and Louie let go of me. She walked elegantly across the dance floor.

"Excuse me," she said. "May I cut in with my husband?"

"He's your husband," I replied. "Of course."

She took Louie's hand and pulled him tight against her. He looked positively delighted.

"Well that was something," J.P. said after weaving his way back over to me. "She was all over me until she saw you and Louie, and then it was like dancing with an extra-stiff mannequin."

I snorted. "Did I make her jealous?"

"Whatever you did, I think Louie's getting some action tonight."

I grinned and J.P. took my hand.

"Do you like dancing?" he said. "I don't think I've ever asked."

"I like the kind of dancing where you grind your dick against my ass, but that doesn't feel super appropriate at your office Christmas party."

"Good point. What about slightly less risqué dancing that might be appropriate for our current environment?"

If he'd been anyone else, I probably would have said no. I almost did, but his hand left mine and moved to my waist, and I instinctively lifted my hands to his shoulders. He held me as we started to sway, my heart started to race as he looked at me, and a slow smile spread across his lips.

"Have I mentioned that you're the hottest woman in the room?" he asked.

"Not lately. It's a good thing you did, otherwise, I might have started thinking you had horrible taste."

He chuckled and kissed my forehead. "What time are you leaving tomorrow?"

"Noon at the latest. Probably earlier."

He didn't need to say anything for me to know what he was thinking. I didn't even have to look into his eyes to know he was sad about it, that he was going to miss me, that we were missing out on our Christmas together because I was too scared to let him come with me to my mom's.

We didn't say much else while we danced. I rested my head against the plush red fabric on his chest and he held me close, his heart beating steadily as we swayed. It was ridiculously stereotypical romantic bullshit, and I loved every second of it. I loved the way his body felt against mine. I loved how his arms felt around me, about how nothing in the world mattered except the sound of music and the two of us. I loved his breath against my skin and the gentle jingle of the bells on my hat. It was a moment of peace among the intense roar of people and fun and celebration; a moment just for us, a moment that made my heart ache.

When the song was over, I was hesitant to leave his arms. His chest shook as he chuckled, but he didn't make fun of me, and he didn't let go of me until someone called his name.

"Go," I said, stepping back. "Have fun."

"Come with me," he said.

"I need another drink." I poked him in the chest. "Go bug someone else for a while, you annoying bastard."