I'm Dreaming of a Hot Christmas

"Ooh, you're good at this," I told him, because he really was. I'd never known anyone to be so patient and tender. Especially since he'd already come pretty hard. He could have just given me a hug, rolled over and gone to sleep. But not Dash. Obviously, he wanted me to experience at least the same level of pleasure as what I'd given him.

"Every inch of you is like velvet," he whispered as he slid his tongue into the back of my knees, sending goosebumps racing over my skin, and making my nipples ache. Reaching up, he squeezed my quivering backside and let his fingers just barely tease my sex. He was edging me closer and closer, and yet he hadn't even put his mouth on me.

As he dropped little kisses up along my upper leg, and then teased me, when he just barely touched his tongue into the crease between my sex and thigh, before he started the slow journey down along my other thigh. I reached out and twisted my hands in his hair, my back arching off the bed as my pussy began to pulse like a second heartbeat.

"Dash, please," I begged him.

I could feel him smiling against my skin, as he reversed course and began to lick his way up to where I desperately needed to feel his mouth. "Here?" he asked, as he dusted kisses across my mound, chuckling at the little tuft of blonde curls that probably tickled his nose.

"Lower," I said, pushing his head down, and spreading my legs open wide, hoping he'd take the hint.

He pressed a hot open-mouth kiss to the very top of my slit, then blew a warm breath across my sex. And when he just barely touched his tongue onto my quivering clit, I nearly bounced right off the bed.

"Oh, yes!" I cried out, when he finally slid his tongue into me and slowly dragged it through my folds, till I was nearly ripping out his hair.

I shivered as he eased a finger inside me as he teased my clit with fleeting little flicks of his tongue. And when he added a second finger and found my g-spot and latched onto my clit and started to suck, I literally saw stars. And I cried out, "Oh, Dash, yes, yes, yes! Right there! Please don't stop. I had no idea it could feel this good."

Slowly, as I began to come back down to earth, with his eyes on my face, he eased off and pressed a final kiss to my quivering sex.

I thought he'd look smug having given me my first real live orgasm. But he surprised me when he looked into my eyes and whispered, "You look so beautiful when you come, I want to see that every time we make love."

He held me for the longest time, stroking his hand over my back, and I felt so elated, I was almost afraid I'd to break into tears. I realized this was what it felt like to be with a man you really cared for.

I ran a hand down over his body, and noticed he was hard again, and gave him a little smirk. "Feels like I wasn't the only one who enjoyed that."

"Are you kidding. I almost got off just from watching you come."

I grinned as I ran a finger around his beautifully shaped lips and said, "You know, I do have more condoms."

He pulled me up and kissed my nipple, and drew it between his lips, teasing me with little flicks of his tongue. Smiling into my eyes, as he pulled back, and began messaging my other breast, he had me shivering and feeling a little breathless when he said, "Then I think you'd better go and get them, because there so many things I'd love to do with you."

I nodded, and managed to get to my feet. When I came back with the box of condoms and saw Dash naked on the bed, with his hands behind his head, and his big beautiful cock standing straight up in the air, I knew I'd never seen anything sexier. Especially considering I'd seen the Chippendale's in Vegas.

He took the box from me, and said, "Get down on all fours."

I'd never really had a lot of experience with sex, so doing it facing away from him felt pretty kinky. And as I felt him come up behind me, grasp my hip and slowly start to ease his way inside me, I could actually feel my eyes rolling to the back of head. Sure, that I'd never felt anything so tight, when he said, "Damn, you feel good," I just nodded, too overwhelmed to speak.

This time he had me right on the edge almost from the start when he reached around and massaged my clit as he tugged at my nipple as he picked up his speed and really began to thrust. As he clutched my hips and took me a little harder with each stroke, I began to shiver, convinced I'd never felt anything as good.

We both cried out at the same time, as Dash threw back his head and growled, "Oh, fuck, yeah," when he came hard enough that I could feel his release even through the condom. I was right there with him, squealing like a maniac and making noises I'd never even heard coming out of me before as I began to crest on a wave of sheer bliss.

Feeling him pulsing inside me as he came, I tightened my inner muscles, and clenched around him. Going into a full-body shudder, my sex kept contracting as I climaxed, till Dash dropped onto my back, both of us panting. Dusting kisses up to my neck, he whispered, "I think I'm going to have a really hard time leaving you, Peyton."

That had me smiling as he pulled out. But I felt even closer to him after he'd disposed of the condom, crawled back onto the bed, pulled me into his arms and just looked into my eyes. I was hoping he could see how much I loved him, so he'd realize this was something we should take some time to explore.

We were like honeymooners for the next few weeks. We'd come home, have dinner, his eyes would grow dark, and we'd find ourselves either naked in the family room, or up in his bed. We'd make love till we wore each out and fell asleep, usually wrapped in each other arms.

One night, as I watched him sleep. I thought he just he looked so vulnerable with his eyes closed, his dark hair a little tussled, and his chest softly rising and falling, that I was a little afraid to kiss him, in case I woke him up.

Part of me was dying to tell him how I felt. But knowing he had to move on, because he wasn't the type to stay in one place for too long. As hard as it was to make love with him night after night and never say I word, I knew I had to keep my feelings to myself.

***

A few weeks later, with the walls all patched up and primed, I was looking through paint chips trying to decide what color would look best. With no guidance from an interior designer, since Dash had scared the last guy off, I was making all the decisions on the finishing touches.

I wanted it to be something I could live with for a while, so I was agonizing over what color would work.

I looked outside, and saw Dash helping two men unload some pretty heavy looking equipment from a truck.

Once they got it inside, Dash nodded at the two machines. "Once we get these walls painted, I got everything I need to re-finish the floors. But I'll need at least a day to do it with no one here. I've got a sanding machine that uses water, so there shouldn't be any dust. Then I've got to put the finish on, so no one can walk around till it's dried."

I wrinkled my nose as I looked over the grungy dark gray floors, hoping he could at least make them look a little better than they did.

Dash must have read my mind. Brushing his lips to my ear he whispered, "Trust me, okay? The floors will look brand new by the time I'm done, I promise."

"I just don't want you to spending days trying to clean it up, if it would be easier just to put down something new."

"I've worked with floors like this before. I know how to clean them up. And if you're not happy once I'm done... I'll... I'll let you paint my toenails."

I threw back my head and laughed, as I pictured Dash with bright pink polish on all his toes.

"I trust you," I said, as I stroked a finger across his cheek. And I hoped he knew I wasn't just talking about the floors.

"So, have you decided on the color for the walls, yet?" he said, looking around at the stark white walls.

"Not quite. I've narrowed it down to these three, but I just can't decide."

I showed him the paint chips, and he took them from me, looked at them for a minute and said, "Be right back."

Half an hour later, I saw him walking back in with a bag from the paint store. I chuckled as I watched him do three stripes of paint on the wall a few feet apart.

He explained as he closed up the paint cans. "Thought it might be easier to choose if you could see the colors on the wall, instead of on those tiny little chips. And don't forget the floor will be a lighter gray with tiny specks of orange, red, black and white, once it's cleaned."

I studied the floor more closely, noticing the colors he mentioned for the first time. Then I looked up at the three stripes of paint, and pointed at the one in the middle. "I'm thinking this one. It's sort of a neutral blue-gray that should work pretty well with the floor once it's refinished."

He smiled, looking relieved that I'd finally decided. "That's the one I would have picked, too."

Smirking at him, I had a feeling no matter which color I chose he would have said that was the one he liked, just so we could get on with it. But I just nodded and said, "Now I guess we'll have to decide how much paint we'll need and get these walls painted."

***

Finally, when everything was done, the place looked amazing. And Dash was right, the floors looked brand new and so shiny, I couldn't believe they were the same old floors.

It was a week before Christmas and we were just waiting for our phones to be installed. Our big "The Network," sign still had to be installed. And we were still waiting for the window coverings to be delivered that I'd found that let light in, but wouldn't let anyone see inside.

Dash stood looking at the bare windows. I guess eager to get everything done, he said, "You know, I could get some blinds, and we could put them up today. Then you could open and close them if you wanted, to get some light in."

"The reason I need the type of blinds I ordered, is that some of our clients are getting out of bad relationships. And they don't want anyone to know where they are. Since we're on a busy street, I want to be able to look out, without anyone being able to look in and see who's inside, looking for a job."

He nodded as he looked at the wall of windows. "Yeah. That makes sense. Guess it's the same reason you've chosen a name that's kind of ambiguous, so no one will know the type of client you're working with."

"Exactly."

Dash nodded as he looked over the office and seemed pleased as he gave me a smile. "You know, this place looks really good now."

Still wondering about the basic black desks and chairs, I'd chosen, I looked around, too. "You really think so?"

Normally we avoided PDA, especially here, where the staff were always speculating about the two of us. Still, Dash reached for my hand and gave it a little squeeze. "You know I'd never lie to you. You did a really good job in here, Peyton."

"Well, you did most of the work."

Ever modest, he just shrugged and fluffed it off. Then my heart sank when he said, "Well, now that this is finished, guess it's time I moved on to my next project."

Before I could think of what to say, I noticed a woman outside with a little boy, and the way she was trying to get a peek inside, I thought I'd better go out and talk to her.

"Is this the place where you help people find jobs?" she asked, the moment I stepped outside.

I noticed she clutching a manila envelope, probably with her resume. "Yes. This is The Network. We're not quite open yet, but hopefully we'll be up and running by next week."

She looked crestfallen as she glanced at her son and said, "Well... I guess I can try and come back."

When she turned to leave, I said, "Wait. Is that your resume in the envelope?"

She nodded, looking hopeful. "Yes. I had my sister print it out for me."

"Well, I can take it. And I'll see if we've got anything that might suit you."

She looked so relieved as she handed it to me. Grasping my hand tightly, she said, "Thank you so much. I've been out of work for over six months and I've tried everywhere, but no one's hiring."

"Is your contact information inside?" When she nodded, I said, "Then we should be in touch with you soon."

She picked up her boy, settled him on her hip and said, "Bless you."

When I went back inside, Dash had been watching and said, "Looks like you got your first client."

I nodded as I watched her walk to the corner to cross at the light. "Yeah. And she sounded pretty desperate."

"Do you think you might have something for her?"

"I sure hope so. I've been doing a lot of networking and I've already got quite a few jobs lined up, so hopefully there'll be something for her."

"This is a really good thing you're doing, Peyton. Having a place like this, and experienced people to work with them to help them find something, will change a lot of these women's lives."

"I'm hoping it will." I watched the little boy looking back and I waved, not even sure if he could see me as I hoped they'd having something to eat tonight.

"I'm going to put up some more shelves, so you'll have a place to store all those shoes you just had donated," Dash said, bringing me back to where we were. He crooked his finger at Lonnie, who was carrying some empty boxes outside. "Lonnie, when you're done with that, grab your tool belt. We got some shelves to put up."

I smiled when he said, "Sure, Dash. I'll be right with you." Lonnie seemed to like working with Dash now, I guess appreciating how much he was learning, getting a chance to work alongside him. Especially since he was one of the ones who'd been muttering about him outside, saying he planned to stay out of his way.

While Dash was waiting, I said, "Since we'll be ready to open around Christmas, I was thinking we should have a party. Provide a hot dinner, and gifts, make everyone feel a little more festive. Especially being out of work at this time of year, it might help lift their spirits."

When Dash just nodded and didn't say anything, I said, "But I guess you'll be gone by then."

"Yeah." He nodded. "I probably will. I've been looking at a few houses. And the one I'm probably going to put an offer on is about five hours away."

I swallowed past the lump in my throat, realizing how much I was going to miss him, and I put a smile on face and told him, "Well, I hope it works out for you."

As I watched him walk into the back room, I remembered that I had a bone to pick with him. And while we were having dinner, I planned to bring it up.

I was about to head out and grab some lunch when I almost bumped into a man coming through the doorway with his head tipped back looking up, I guess looking to see if he was in the right place, since there was no sign.

When he lowered his gaze and looked at me, I gasped. "Oh my god, Dad. What are you doing here?"

After he kissed me on both cheeks, he gave me an awkward smile. "Well, I was talking to your brother Josh. When I asked about you, and he told me what you were up to. And I just wanted to tell you how proud I am of you, and see if there was any way I could help."

It had been nearly a year since I'd seen my father. He hadn't changed much, same deep tan, from all the hours he spent in the sun. Maybe a little more gray in his hair. But otherwise, he looked as fit and healthy as the last time I'd seen him at my niece's baptism.

"Well, come on in, and I'll show you around."

"This is our waiting area," I said pointing at the couches, with the basket of toys on the floor and bookshelf loaded with books and magazines that people could take if they wanted, or just read while they waited.

He nodded thoughtfully as I gestured at the individually partitioned desks where some clients were talking with our staff about updating their resumes to help them find the perfect job. Careful not to disturb them, I kept my voice down as I told him, "This is where we meet the clients to help them with their job search."

I opened the door in the back and looked around to make sure no one was walking around half-dressed, before I waved him in. "And this big room, is our change area, and salon. The ladies can help themselves to some new clothes, have their hair styled, even get some make-up tips from our talented beautician."

Angela, our hair-stylist face broke into a smile when she saw I was showing someone around. "Isn't it amazing what she's done?" she said to my dad.

"It certainly is," Dad replied, looking wide-eyed as he took it all in. Then he looked at me and said, "But how are managing to pay for all this?"

I took him back to the outer office, so we could talk in private while I explained where the money was coming from. "Well, we had a charity dinner and silent auction a few months back. And a lot of people have been very generous." I winced as I admitted, "And I've been using some of the money in my trust fund, to get the place up and running. But now it's just the bills and salaries for the employees and of course the rent I have to worry about every month." I pointed back at the room with the clothes. "Thankfully, that's all been donated, and we're getting new things in every day. And we're planning another fund raiser in the New Year, so that should help."

"Well, I hope this will helps, too." My dad handed me an envelope and said, "That's the deed for this place. You own it now, so you won't have to pay rent anymore."

I blinked as I turned the envelope in my hand. "Dad, you didn't have to do this."

"This is such a worthwhile project. I'm just happy to help any way I can." He stroked my arm as he said, "I know I haven't been the greatest dad. It was such an acrimonious break up when your mother and I divorced. Things had gotten so nasty, I just wanted to get as far away from her as I could. And I think she felt the same way about me. But we're starting to talk again, and we both feel like we should have done more for you growing up. I know it's a little late, but I want to be here for you now."

I felt stunned, not even sure what to say. I loved my parents, though we'd never been all that close. But the last thing I ever expected was for them to want back in my life.

I held up the envelope. "Well, then thank you for this, Dad. It'll really help with my budget, not having to worry about paying the rent every month."

"Oh, and there's one other thing. Your mother and I want you to have the house. We gave your sister money for a house when she got married. And we transferred the same amount into your brother's bank account. So, we want you to have your own home, too."

Holy crap. I didn't know what to say. It was almost Christmas, and it looked like Santa had come early for me.

He held up his hand, I guess sensing I was going to object and said, "We've already changed the name on the deed, so the house is yours. This way, you'll know you've always got a home, even if something happens to us."

"I don't know what to say, Dad. I've managed on my own for so long, this is kind of hard to wrap my head around."

"Well, you shouldn't have had to manage on your own. But I want to be part of your life now, if you'll let me."

I reached out and gave him a hug, surprised by how hard he hugged me back. Both of us were laughing and a little teary eyed when we pulled apart.

As I walked him to the door, he said, "I'd like to have dinner with you one night, so we can catch up. And I want you call me when you've organized the next fund raiser. I've got lots of friends with deep pockets who'd be happy to help with a project as worthy as this."

"Sure. I'd love to have dinner, Dad. And..." I shrugged. "Thanks for everything."

He smiled as he walked away, and kept turning back and waving till finally he disappeared around the corner.

I'd been on my own for so long, it felt kind of odd to have my father back in my life. But it still felt good.