Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 36118 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 181(@200wpm)___ 144(@250wpm)___ 120(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36118 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 181(@200wpm)___ 144(@250wpm)___ 120(@300wpm)
“I’m not feeling well.” Krissy Mae coughed.
Eyes narrowing, she wished her friend was in front of her instead of on the phone. Something about this was off. “You were fine last night when I left you in the company of two good ol’ country boys.”
A slight muffled sound. “Maybe, but this morning, I’m like dog poo on the bottom of a shoe that ain’t going to get any better no matter how much you work on sprucing it up.”
She flattened her lips before taking an appreciative drink she’d been given by Nick when she turned up for work at six in the morning. Planning on being a helper like she’d been yesterday while Krissy Mae was up close and personal with Santa.
“I already told Nick I wasn’t able to come in today and that you were more than happy to take my place with Santa I’d Love to Fuck.”
“I would not be happy to do that,” she hissed, eyes snapping around the room to make sure she was still unable to be overheard.
“Come on. You like him, he likes you. It’s a win win. In fact. You should be thanking me that I’m sickly.”
“Sickly my ass. You’re shacking up with those boys and leaving me out here to fend for myself.”
“To-mah-toe, Ta-ma-ter. Same thing.”
“Not even close. I don’t want to be his helper. I liked being a gopher.”
“Not today, darlin’.” Some weak coughing. “Go out there, get helping yourself on his lap and that big dick we both know he is blessed with.”
Opening her mouth, she simply swallowed her statement as Krissy Mae hung up on her. Rayla didn’t want to acknowledge that she was looking forward to being around him. In fact, she’d not been able to get him out of her mind since the night stopover he had pulled right before she began getting ready for bed.
As exhausted as she’d been, his image and presence had kept her company for far too many hours after she’d closed the door on him. Her entire body continued to burn from the brush of his fingers over her lips.
And after he’d kissed his own.
Someone like him sure as hell could make her think of a happily ever after. She snorted and shook her head while she pushed her phone in her back pocket and walked to the greeting table which doubled as list holding so people could find their assignments before the doors opened and let in the crazy.
At least I don’t have to worry about him for a few hours.
It was the time for them to set the stage for today’s swarm of visitors to see Santa. Two more fortifying drinks and she finished the icy beverage. It wasn’t enough. She needed like another three of them, or a large hot coffee.
That had always been her thing, no matter the temperature. Hot coffee. She moaned and rubbed the nape of her neck. It was going to be a long day. Empty cup in the recycling, she took a deep breath, cracked her neck and jumped into the chaotic fray which was beginning to make sense to her.
Today’s music was a blend of rock. She joked and laughed with co-workers as they got the large warehouse ready. Thankfully, it wasn’t taking them long as they had gotten into the groove of what was done and how best to close down at night so there wasn’t tons to do the next day.
Nick waved her over and she dusted off her hands from the fake snow on it as she made her way toward him. His white trimmed beard stuck out against the dark nut brown of his skin. His hair was clipped short to his head and he could without a doubt in her mind, play the jolly old man.
“Yes sir?”
He smiled at her and nudged her out of the way of a pallet jack of wrapped packages that were going to be set out around Santa’s chair. Every child who sat on Santa’s lap got a toy so this was something which had to be wrapped and readied at the end of every workday.
“I wanted to make sure that Krissy Mae had a chance to speak with you about being Santa’s elf today? His main helper?”
“I talked to her, yes sir. She said she wasn’t feeling well.”
He nodded. “That’s what she told me as well but I was going to keep you as gopher until she said that you and Santa had a great working relationship and could probably help anticipate what he would need.”
Years of being in shark infested waters in DC marked the only reason she didn’t allow any shock to show on her face. Merely watched her boss in return.
“I didn’t know you knew Ryker.”
“Never met him before here, but she’s right, we get along fine. However, that being said, I’m perfectly happy keeping as a gopher, especially if someone else wanted to be his right hand man, or woman, today.”