by Qwillia Rain
He’d noticed all the little items strewn throughout her apartment. Thinking about her affronted tone when she’d declared him treeless stirred his humor. Laughing, he watched her scramble to her feet, and sit beside him on the couch. Curled onto the cushions next to him, her legs folded beneath her, he knew she was thinking of something else. He absorbed the heat of her small frame against his. The scent of her skin filled his nostrils; wisps of hair dangled in front of her ears, drawing his eyes away from her lips.
“We need to get…”
Hell no, his mind denied, to her he shook his head. “No.”
“But how can you not have a tree? Where do you put your presents?”
Dayton had to smile at her disbelief. “I don’t get presents.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You do so,” she reminded him.
“Well, yes,” he remembered the gifts she’d given him for Christmas since she’d worked for him. “I get the gift you give me each year, but otherwise…”
“That’s terrible.”
He could see she was getting worked up on his behalf so he stopped her. Wrapping his right arm around her shoulders, he tugged her closer. “It’s okay, my Elf. I don’t really celebrate Christmas, so my not getting presents, doesn’t bother me.”
“Not celebrate,” she looked stunned.
He chuckled at her expression. “I haven’t celebrated it for a very long time.”
“But,” she motioned to his hair and beard, “you’re Santa.”
Laughter escaped despite his efforts to stifle it. “No, I just play Santa for kids who deserve to still believe in magic.” He couldn’t stop the urge to press a kiss against her forehead. His hand stroked across her shoulders before coasting down her back. “Besides, I’m too old for Christmas.”
Elf snuggled into his side, shaking her head. “Don’t say that around my mom. She thinks that no one is too old for Christmas.” Shifting on her seat until her head rested against his shoulder and one pale hand played with the buttons of his shirt, she quietly asked, “So, on Christmas morning what do you do?”
“Draw. Work on designs. Go over the books.” Dipping his hand beneath the hem of her blouse, he teased the flesh beneath the waistband of her slacks, “This Christmas, I plan on staying in bed with you.”
“All day?”
“Yes.” He teased, his left hand stroked over her right leg, drawing it across his lap and tilting her body closer to his.
Elf pulled away, “I won’t be able to.”
Irritation snaked through his belly, but he kept it from showing in his voice. Her withdrawal irked him, but he let her shift further down the sofa and crossed his arms over his chest. “What do you mean?”
Elf could tell from his flat expression he was angry. Not mad, she admitted, more miffed, if that term could be applied to such a domineering man. She hurried to explain. “I’m having dinner with my friend, Jodi. My parents and I were supposed to go to her house for Christmas dinner. We’d made the plans just after Thanksgiving.”
He continued to watch her without saying anything.
“Since my mom and Gerry are on their cruise, I can’t let her spend the holiday alone. It’s her very first Christmas,” Elf tried to convince him.
“First Christmas?”
“Yes.” Elf rolled her eyes. “Jodi’s aunt, Lorraine, would never let her celebrate holidays.”
“Never?” Dayton looked surprised as he leaned into the corner of the cushions, his arms sliding to the back and arm of the sofa.
Wanting to return to the spot she’d been in, Elf inched a little closer. “Never. Jodi spent her first Thanksgiving with me, my mom, and Gerry after Lorraine died in September.” She laughed. “In October she had the best decorated house for Halloween, even though there weren’t any trick-or-treaters.”
“They probably didn’t expect to get anything if your friend and her aunt had lived there for a long time.” Dayton reasoned.
Elf nodded, “That’s what she said, but she’s hoping by next Halloween the kids will start coming around.”
“So, she’s trying to make up for holidays she didn’t get before.”
“Yes, and I don’t want her to have it alone.”
“There’s no problem, Elf.” He assured her. “If you’ve already promised your friend you’ll be there…”
Elf watched him for a moment then hurried to suggest, “You can come with me. Jodi will have plenty of food.”
He started to shake his head. “No, I think…”
“Come on.” She smiled at him, shifting closer so her knees rubbed his thigh. “She’s a good cook and you’re not doing anything else, are you?”
“Let me think about it.” He relented. “I’m not guaranteeing anything.” He settled his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his side. “We can talk about it again Christmas morning, okay?”
“Sounds fair.”
Dayton leaned down and pressed a soft kiss against her forehead then rose. “I should go,” he suggested, tugging on his jacket.
“But…” Elf watched him over the back of the sofa.
“You need to get some sleep.” he advised her. “With tomorrow being Christmas Eve, I have some special plans. Plus we’ll be in the store all day.”
* * * * *
Sitting in the dark, staring into space Dayton tried not to think. He’d left Elf’s nearly two hours earlier and he was still trying to figure out what had pushed him out her door before he’d had his fill. Watching her achieve orgasm heightened his arousal and increased his need to push her to ever higher peaks. Tonight, though, he’d left without touching her beyond a caress.
Twenty-five-year-old Lagavulin slid smooth as silk down his throat, but it didn’t help answer his question. He’d planned on wringing several climaxes from his Elf before he left. Instead, he shook his head as he remembered the chaste kiss he’d pressed to her lips. He’d run like a scared rabbit. Something so antithetical to his nature he wondered what made him walk away before completing his plans for the evening.
Thinking of the orders Bryce had given during lunch Dayton considered the possibility his retreat may be linked to the admonishments. Through Halsey he’d learned control and discipline. When combined within a consenting relationship the two elements augmented release, heightened satisfaction and empowered the participants with knowing they determined how their bodies would respond. All the lessons he’d learned from Halsey reinforced this awareness. He wanted his Elf to know of and experience the power within her.
Before he was drawn any deeper into his thoughts, the ringing phone broke the silence. Checking the caller ID display, Dayton shook his head, and lifted the cordless handset. “Yes?”
“What the hell did you do to piss Halsey off?” David Henderson demanded. He didn’t give Dayton the opportunity to respond before continuing his tirade. “It’s bad enough I’ve got Case climbing on the diving board over the deep end of the psychic swimming pool from Hell, Delilah Baxter is pitching the mother of all hissy fits because Erik’s choice for wife doesn’t have blue enough blood, now I’ve got to field calls from Bryce about fixing some screw up you’ve made.”
“Stay out of it.” The softly spoken words surprised Dayton as well as his old college roommate with their intensity and underlying threat.
“I’d be more than happy to, Day,” David assured him, “but the old man mentioned Elfina and…”
The tumbler of Scotch settled on the glass-topped end table with a sharp snap. “I’m taking care of her.” He informed his friend.
The tense silence lasted several seconds before the sound of an exasperated sigh echoed in Dayton’s ear. David asked, “What he told me is true, isn’t it?”
“Explain.”
“Bryce gave me the impression you’d begun…introducing Elfina to our scene.”
“It’s none of his concern.” Irritation drew Dayton to his feet. “Or yours,” he added. Snatching up his drink, he strode to the expanse of windows overlooking the landscaped gro
unds behind the factory, office building, and store.
“Was she at one of the clubs when you hooked up?” David sounded skeptical. “I mean, she’s a good looking woman, but not one I’d normally identify as…”
Dayton cut him off, “I said you don’t have to concern yourself. I’m taking care of her. Halsey shouldn’t have involved you…”
“He and Rick Bennett trained us, Day. If what you’re doing is serious enough to have Bryce calling me up, I’ve got an obligation to look into it.”
Tossing back the last of his Scotch, Dayton fought the urge to hang up. David had every right to be concerned. They’d trained under the Doms during their four years at university. Having one of the Masters involve himself in a situation did not bode well for anyone. “Hands off my Elf,” Dayton warned.
The silence on the phone lasted longer than was comfortable. Cursing his impulse to reinforce his temporary claim on Elf, Dayton didn’t bother clarifying his intentions. He simply waited for David’s customarily cutting comeback.
“Then quit pissing off Halsey.” David growled. “Like I said I’ve got enough with my little brother and the Baxter matriarch, I don’t need Bennett or Halsey climbing on the bandwagon.”
Dayton stayed quiet, his own thoughts spinning when he stopped to consider the repercussions of his association with Elf. He’d looked at his situation from every angle before he’d approached her, but since the delivery of his second gift he hadn’t taken time to reevaluate whether or not the landscape had changed or remained static. Perhaps…
David interrupted his ruminations, “Listen, I know how you are around the holidays. I didn’t tell Bryce, but I think he has an idea you aren’t using your usual caution.”
“This has nothing to do with the holidays…”
“All I’m saying, man, is, keep it cool. I like Elfina, she’s a nice lady, but if she isn’t already part of the scene don’t start breaking her in.” David unknowingly repeated Bryce’s rebukes.
“And if I do?”
“Don’t.” David snapped. “You have never been, and probably will never be, interested in committing to a full relationship with a sub, and Elfina has sub written all over her. If you start, but don’t finish her training I’ll be asked to step in. Right now, I just don’t have the fucking time to deal with it.” He paused to let his words sink in. “So, to spare me having to pick up pieces. Keep it straight vanilla with your assistant.”
“I’ll think about it.”
David groaned.
Dayton could practically see his college roommate throwing up his hands as he exclaimed “I tried” before he hung up.
Tucking the phone back in its cradle, Dayton moved into the kitchen to rinse out his empty glass. He thought about his actions and how they seemed to be perceived by two of his closest friends. It was possible he was blind to the damage he might inflict if he continued along the path he’d designed for his Elf. Hell, rethinking his plans might be wise if he was getting lectured twice in as many days for his attentions to his Elf. He flipped the light off and wandered back into the living room.
The outside lights threw his reflection back at him in the windows. His shoulder-length white hair and close-cropped beard and mustache could have belonged to any number of department store Santas. In the mirror-like image facing him, for the first time he noticed the disparity between the austere leather, wood, chrome, and glass furnishings of his home and his holiday visage. Anyone entering his apartment would never guess Christmas was just over twenty-four hours away. No tree filled with ornaments, or decorations of any kind adorned his walls.
It was the complete opposite of his Elf’s home. Color, lights, candles, decorations were everywhere you looked. He hadn’t paid much attention to the details the few times he’d been there. Until tonight.
Seeing Elf curled up in front of the white flocked tree with its color coordinated silver and gold presents, red apples, and the velvet angel topping the tree, Dayton had felt his belly twist. Memories of sitting just like her bombarded his mind, reminding him of the delight his mom and dad had taken in the Christmas holidays. The smell of gingerbread and cinnamon would fill the house from all the cookies his dad would bake while his mom fussed over the placement of every ornament on the tree.
Swearing, Dayton turned away from the windows, the memories, and headed down the hall to his bedroom, stripping out of his clothes as he went. Remembering was a useless waste of time and energy, he reproached himself. Thinking about what had been didn’t get anything accomplished. Elf’s remarks about getting a tree for him were foolish. He didn’t need a damned tree. He didn’t need decorations.
He was getting what he wanted for Christmas.
His Elf would warm his bed until he’d satisfied his craving for her. Then he could get back to what was important ‑‑ his work and his business.
Chapter Fifteen
Pressed against the locked door, Elf focused on stifling the cries welling in her throat.
“Tell me again, my Elf, what dreams you’ve had about your Santa.” His voice caressed her ear while his lips teased the skin beneath the gold and silver collar. Between her thighs, his fingers stroked her bare mound, parted the swollen petals, and coaxed the sensitive kernel to full prominence.
Shaking her head, she gasped, “I can’t…I don’t…”
Head lifting away, Dayton gazed down at her even as his fingers continued to toy with her pussy. “Shall I remind you?” he asked, easing back, and turning her to face the door.
Set a foot from the top, a square window looked out on the sales floor of the toy store. Through the two-way mirror, Elf could see parents and children wandering through the store, but her primary focus was the gold and red velvet chair just visible through the arrangement of the shelves.
“Hands on the door, my Elf, and tell me again about your fantasy,” Dayton ordered. “Let me start it for you,” his body pressed against hers even as the back of her skirt was raised, exposing the cheeks bared by the cut of her red-and-white-striped thong. “We’re in the store alone…” His free hand smoothed over her ass, dipping between the cheeks to tug at the chain nestled between her thighs.
Though his fingers still teased her clit, Elf was able to drag her thoughts into some semblance of order. “We’re, we’re here at the store and ev…” She moaned at a particularly forceful tug on the chain. “Everyone is gone and only the lights of the Christmas tree illuminate the room.”
“And,” Dayton queried, his fingers doing something with her skirt to keep it out of the way while he stroked over her ass.
“Aa…aaa…and,” she fought back the gasp as first one digit then a second delved between the folds, gathered the moisture seeping from her slit, and smoothed it over the button of nerves he continued to tease with is thumb. “And, you let me sit on your lap.”
“Have you been a good elf?” His voice rumbled against her throat.
Having been through the scene so many times in her mind, Elf easily fell into the dialog, “Yes. Haven’t you watched me?”
A low chuckle vibrated against her ear as his fingers pressed, stroked, and then squeezed her sensitized clit, provoking another stifled cry. “Oh, yes, my Elf. I’ve watched you and all the good deeds you’ve done. For others. But what have you done for your Santa?”
Remembering the scene she’d recounted for him while they’d shared their lunch, Elf’s body pulsed in anticipation. Would he use this opportunity to finally end her torture? Not sure whether she should be excited or disappointed, Elf responded as she always did in her fantasy, “You are so right, Santa.” Turning her head to look at him over her shoulder, she rubbed her bottom against the bulge of his cock.
Another sharp tug on the beaded chain had her lifting on her toes, head arching back to fall against his shoulder, and fingertips pressing into the door beneath the window.
“Naughty Elf,” Dayton purred. His fingers slid from her body as he stepped back. “Turn around.”
Elf turned to face hi
m, her breathing unsteady as she watched him lick her juices from his fingers. Heat filled her cheeks as she saw him draw a slender vibrator from his pocket and hold it out to her. “That’s…”
“Yours, yes,” he grinned unrepentantly. Leaning close, he slipped it into her hand. Holding her gaze, he commanded, “Go to the sofa and show Santa how you like to fuck yourself.”
On wobbly legs, Elf walked past the two round tables and settled into the cushions of the sofa. As she watched, Dayton pulled one of the chairs, tucked under the nearest table out, and placed it directly in front of her.
“Take off your panties and remove your chain. I want to see how you like to touch your pussy.”
With him seated so close, she practically had to straddle his lap to slip the panties off, and free the clasps on the chain. He took both items, storing the chain in the pocket of his suit. The panties he lifted to his nose and drew in the smell as if it were the sweetest perfume.
“Pull your skirt up, so we don’t stain it.” He directed.
Lifting the back of her dress, Elf settled onto the nubby fabric, slipped her shoes off, and placed one foot, clad in a red-and-white-striped stocking, on the cushion. Holding Dayton’s gaze, she eased the front of her skirt out of the way, licked two of her fingers, and lowered them to her pussy. As she teased over the sensitive knob, dipping down to coat her fingers in her liquid, Elf lost herself in the pleasure of knowing Dayton’s gaze was just as arousing as the slide of her fingers over her body.
“Let me see my cunt, my Elf.”
Elf’s breasts peaked at the possessive way he claimed every part of her. It seemed right that he think of her pussy as his, just as she knew all of her belonged to him. Whether he wanted her to or not, he owned her heart, as well as her body. Dropping her vibrator on her belly, she used her fingers to hold open the swollen lips, exposing the most intimate part of her flesh to him.
She stroked her fingers in and out of her sheath, over and around her clit, taking her time, enjoying the building sensations. Drawing satisfaction from watching Dayton’s eyes follow every motion of her fingers, the flutter of her labia as she started to peak, although she held back, waiting for his permission.