by J. L. Beck
Santa’s Assistant
A Holiday Romance
J.L. Beck
© 2016 J.L. Beck
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permissions contact: J.L. Beck at [email protected]
Formatting: Draft2Digital
Editing: Elizabeth Wright
Cover Design: Mary Ruth at Reading Ruth
Meet J.L. Beck
J.L. Beck is a stay at home mom to two little minions and happily married to her high school sweet heart. When she's not writing steamy hot as sin books, you can find her with a glass of wine, and book of choice in hand. She believes all love stories should have a happy ever after, but knows that real life sometimes occurs so for her readers if she can give her books a HEA then she's happy.
If you like romance that bleeds from the pages, and love stories that make you swoon then pick up a J.L. Beck book and forget about the world for a while.
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Chapter One
Lucy
My eyes slid over the sign up sheet hanging up on the break room door. It was that time of year again, when Walker industries did their annual Toys For Tots kids drive and the employees volunteered to help hand toys out and do other festive things in honor of the company.
“Thinking of helping this year…?” Mandy, a fellow co-worker I talked to here and there questioned me, forcing my eyes from the paper and to her face.
“Possibly, just depends.” I shrugged. It was either help, or go to my overly prudish parents’ house for an evening of family fun.
Mandy smiled, her bright green eyes shimmering in the overhead lights. “That’s great, I think I’ll volunteer too, maybe the same time that Nicolas does.” I could tell from the way her voice went all breathy that she was just as attracted to our boss as I was, except I made it about ten time less obvious than she did. Though I knew I wasn’t alone in my feelings, nearly every woman in the office had made a statement about him in one way or another.
I I chanced a glance at Nicolas over my shoulder. He was sitting on a desk across the room talking to Perry the accounting director. He was wearing a white button down dress shirt that was tucked into a pair of very expensive dress pants. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up showing very impressive forearms.
Oh how I would love to be wrapped up in those big arms of his.
Nicolas Walker looked like a model that should be gracing the cover of GQ instead of sitting on a desk in a high-rise office building.
“Is he not the most beautiful specimen of a man you’ve ever seen?” Mandy questioned, her voice just above a whisper as she noticed me watching him from across the room.
“He’s…” I licked my lips, nervous for the first time in forever. “Yeah he is, but that doesn’t mean he will ever notice women like us, Mandy. I’ve seen the chicks he goes for and they definitely aren’t his employees.” I didn’t want to have this conversation with her nor did I openly speak about how attracted I was to my boss. Not to anyone, not even Mandy, even though we had a closer relationship than I did with anyone else here.
Instead, I gripped my coffee cup more firmly and brushed past her, entering the break room. The pitter-patter of feet directly behind me told me she had followed me.
“Why did you just walk away?” I could see the hurt in Mandy’s bright green eyes. They didn’t call her the gossip queen for nothing. I had seen this behavior before, and anytime you turned her down for a juicy conversation she got upset.
“I’m not going to openly talk about him when he’s sitting a mere ten feet away from us.” I scolded her, placing my cup on the counter and pouring some coffee into it. There wasn’t enough caffeine in the world to handle today.
“Well, if what you said about him taking notice of us is true, then we have nothing to worry about, right?” A mocking smile pulled at her lips.
I rolled my eyes, “Mandy, it still doesn’t mean we should talk about…” I stopped mid-sentence as Nicolas himself walked into the break room, his mere presence stealing all the oxygen from my lungs. This man could command a room with a single look, hell he could command me too.
Whenever he was around I was a nervous wreck. My tongue slipped out over my lips, wetting them, a heat filling my belly and working its way down into my nether regions.
I was like a bunny in a trance, the prey to the big bad wolf. My eyes refused to leave his even as he made his way over to Mandy and I. His large body moved with ease, as if he was as light as feather.
“Mandy. Lucy.” His voice was like honey. Smooth and rich, it resonated through me, leaving an everlasting affect on my body.
“Mr. Walker.” Mandy’s voice wobbled. Oh how I envied her, and the mere fact that she could muster up words. Any words I wanted to say to him were lodged in the back of my throat.
I stared up at the beast of a man, wondering for a fraction of a second if I affected him the same way he affected me. Then I shook my head, telling myself there was no way he felt the same way.
His jaw tensed and his sea blue eyes darkened, “I saw you looking at the list on the door for volunteer sign ups for the kids drive, and I wanted to ask you if you would be interested in being my elf assistant.”
My chest constricted, and my insides melted into a pile of mush. I was completely taken aback by his question and almost wondered if it was Mandy he was asking, even though his eyes were clearly on me.
“Are… Are you talking to me?” I adjusted my glasses on the bridge of my nose as I stuttered over my words.
A grin the size of Texas pulled at his thin lips, “If your name is Lucy, then yes.” My heart pounded in my chest, beating frantically against my rib cage. Was it possible to pass out from being asked a simple question from your boss?
“Uhh. Yeah, sure.” I smiled, agreeing to whatever he wanted me to do. The world could stop spinning for all I cared, just as long as Nicolas kept talking to me.
“Okay, come with me then. I have an elf outfit for you. We should really try to get down to the mall early tonight.” I blinked, my teeth sinking into my bottom lip as I tried to remember if there was anything I had planned for this evening.
Before I could even speak, he was walking out the break room door. My feet moved of their own accord, carrying me to his office without a single comment. It was as if my body knew what my heart did.
I pushed past the large frosted glass doors and entered into his office, a place I had never been before. He was standing in the center of the room, where a large leather sofa sat. His entire office looked warm and very inviting. Pictures lined his desk and a table that had ice, and what looked to be water and soda on it stood to the right. My eyes landed on a photo of him and a young girl that looked somewhat like him. He must’
ve noticed my attention had slipped from him and to the photo, because he spoke almost instantly.
“Don’t be afraid, Lucy. I won’t bite… too hard.” My eyes shot to his. Did he just flirt with me? All thoughts of the photo and who the little girl was to him flew out the window.
“I’m not afraid. I’ve just never been in your office before, and I also don’t think I can help tonight as I have family stuff going on…” I tucked a few stray strands of my strawberry blonde hair behind my ear. I was lying but I just wasn’t ready for whatever it was that Nicolas had planned. I needed time to digest the fact that he talked to me, let alone asked me to work with him.
Nicolas watched me like a lion stalking its prey. I could see the sinful things he wanted to do to me in his eyes and I wondered for a second if all of this was a dream that I was going to wake up from any minute now.
“I can tell when you lie, Lucy. I’m your boss, that and I’ve been watching you long enough to know that when you fidget with your hair you’re nervous.” He crossed the space that separated us and my entire body lit on fire.
I couldn’t move and I could barely breathe. It made me think, if it was this intoxicating just being in his presence, what would it be like to have sex with him?
“I’m not lying.” I lied again, praying to the all mighty God above that he wouldn’t see through my bullshit. I just needed time. The man was raw and consuming. Being with him now was almost too much for my fragile heart.
“Do I make you nervous, Lucy? Because I think I do. I only asked you to be my assistant so that I could get to know you better, inside and out.”
Oh holy hell.
Sweat formed against my palms. What could I say to that? I cleared my throat, wringing my hands together. “I think maybe if that’s the case you should find someone else to be your assistant?”
Yeah I wanted Nicolas but I was on the verge of a panic attack just from being in the same room as him. He did crazy things to my body, and made all logic fly out the window. Working with him, let alone sleeping with him, would be pleasurable but devastating.
“Are you denying me?” Nicolas questioned, his fingers gripping my chin forcing me to look him straight in the eyes as he spoke. I couldn’t tell him no, could I? My body begged me to say yes and give into whatever it was that he wanted, but my mind was smarter, anticipating the pain that could come from all of this.
“Tell me this, why have you never noticed me before?” Somehow, someway, I found my voice-even if it was slightly weak and wobbled a bit.
Nicolas’s thumb traced against my bottom lip, his eyes sliding up and down my body as if he was surveying the meal he would have later.
“Oh I’ve noticed you, Lucy. I watched you, and I’ve waited for you to make the first move but you never did, which is why I’m now doing it for both of us.” The feeling of his skin on mine even if it was just his thumb eased the anxiety in my body. How could such a large, burly man calm me?
“Okay.” I mumbled. That was all the approval I needed. I had wondered if he was watching me from time to time, but always blew it off as my imagination because, honestly, who wanted a curvy blonde with glasses?
“I’ve wanted you since I first laid eyes on you, Lucy. I’m just smart enough not to mix business with pleasure. Except now, I can’t wait any longer. I want you, and I always get what I want.” Before I could move or dodge out of the way, his warm lips were on mine sealing our fates together.
Chapter Two
Nicolas
They say you’ll know when you’ve met the love of your life. but I never believed any of that horse shit. That is until I placed my lips against Lucy Sanders’s. As my lips caressed hers, warmth filled my belly. Kissing Lucy was like taking a shot of whiskey and letting the warmth of her kiss seep into my bones.
As I deepened the kiss, my hands found their way into her hair, my fingers threading through her silky strawberry blonde locks. She smelt like warm vanilla and cinnamon, a combination that caused my mouth to water.
Would she taste like heaven against my tongue?
“I…. I’m sorry…” She pressed her hands firmly against my chest, breaking the kiss. My eyes locked on hers as I took in her flustered face, the warmth of her cheeks making me smile.
“Sorry for what, sweetheart? You’ve done nothing wrong. It’s me who wanted the kiss and who should be sorry. I couldn’t stand here another moment with you, without possessing those full lips of yours.” My hand slipped from her hair as the admission fell from my lips. I knew she wasn’t used to being possessed by a man like me, a man that took charge and control of what he wanted, a man that got shit done instead of just making false claims.
She cleared her throat, “I’ve never been kissed like that before, so suddenly.” Her eyes slid from my lips and finally up to my eyes as if she was following an invisible trail that lead back to me. The lustful look in her eyes told me all I needed to know about us. She definitely wanted me like I wanted her, and all I needed to do was show her how good we could be together.
“I have that outfit for you.” I grabbed the elf outfit off the back of the sofa. I’d had it specially made for this event and I knew for a fact that it would look fucking stellar on Lucy. She looked down at the bag the outfit was in as I placed in her small hands. Would she wear it once she got home and out of the bag, or would she fight me on it?
“Are you sure you don’t want someone else, someone maybe who would look good in a elf outfit?” I could see every, insecurity she had written on her face, and the fact she didn’t think she was good looking enough to wear an elf outfit made me furious. She was fucking beautiful, with just the right amount of curves, and anyone who said different would have to deal with me.
“You’re fucking beautiful, Lucy. Absolutely stunning. Anyone who says different is going to have to answer to me, do you understand?” Anger filled my voice, radiating out of me. How could someone be so mean? I stared fiercely into her blue green eyes that reminded of the Caribbean Sea.
“I just don’t want to disappoint you, that’s all.” The sadness that filled her voice angered me further.
“Never.” I gripped her by the chin with one hand and pulled her into my chest with the other, the bag with the outfit in it becoming squished between our chests. “Ever. Feel like you’re not good enough. I’ve watched you for years, Lucy, and I know for a fact, without a fucking doubt that you’re an amazing woman. Like I said before, I don’t mix business with pleasure but I’m willing to break that rule for you. Only for you.”
I had to make her see for herself just how beautiful she was, and I would, tonight at the mall in that sexy as hell elf costume. I would possess her body in the best way, and leave her begging for more.
“Okay, Mr. Walker.” She smiled and my fucking heart skipped a beat, never had a woman smiling before made me this happy. My cock grew hard as a zing of excitement shot through my body.
“Nicolas. Call me Nicolas. I’m more than just your boss now.” My heart was pounding in my chest as I spoke. All I wanted to do was take her home with me and spend the entire day in bed with her, but even I knew that sex wasn’t the best way to start out a relationship. I didn’t want her thinking I was only sexually attracted to her, because I wasn’t.
“Okay, Nicolas. I’ll be there, and I’m sorry I’m just so surprised by the events that took place today. I didn’t expect you to feel anything for me.” The shyness I always saw her display started to creep back into her features.
“Well now you know, Lucy, you know my secret. The one thing I’ve been lusting for from afar but too afraid to claim. I’m going to show you just how much I’ve wanted you, and just how much it’s hurt me to put off taking you.” I allowed my hands to fall from her face, but her chest still stayed against mine, her perky as fuck tits rising with every breath that entered her lungs.
If she looked this beautiful dressed, what did she look like naked? Would she let me possess her in every way? Would she submit to me, and let me provide eve
ry single thing she would ever need?
“I’ll be seeing you.” She looked up at me, her long lashes fluttering against her cheek, a need appearing in her eyes that I understood. She wanted to kiss me again but was too afraid to reach up on her tiptoes and place her lips against mine, so before she could pull away from me fully and walk out of the office, I placed a soft kiss against her smooth as butter lips.
It was a soft feather light kiss, and one that promised a lot more later on. I let her pull away, the warmth of her touch leaving me as soon as she stepped out of my embrace. Oh, how I fucking missed her already.
“Tonight then…?” I had to ask, making sure she would be there, because if she wasn’t I don’t know what I would do. I couldn’t handle anyone else ditching out on me, I had had enough of that for an entire lifetime.
She nodded her head, “Tonight, Nicolas. I’ll meet you at the mall.” Her voice was a soft caress against my skin. Holy fuck, this woman made me feel things I had never felt before. Yes, I had imagined time and time again what our first kiss would be like, and I had gone over the image in my mind a million times, but nothing could have prepared me for the touch of her lips against mine and the way it would make me feel.
She stepped out of my office as if she was never there, and my heart sank into my stomach, because for the first time I questioned if she would actually show up tonight. Or if she would show up back here at all.
I had never felt a feeling like this before. I never had to wonder if someone would listen to me or not, and as I sank into my lush leather office chair I wondered even more if I made the right choice letting her know my real feelings. She had the power to destroy me now, to crush my spirit and rip my heart out, and I had given her that power. Had I made the right choice?