Rainbow Advent Calendar 2018

Hi and welcome to the Rainbow Advent Calendar event 2018. I’m really excited to be a part of it this year.

Every day from the 1st to the 24th December, two authors have/will be offering their festive stories for your reading pleasure. Hopefully you’ll find some stories from favourite authors and perhaps discover some new authors whose books you’d like to try. 

If you’re not already a member of the Rainbow Advent Calendar FB group you can join here
If you want to catch up with any of the stories you might have missed, you can find the master-post, listing all the stories and where to find them here

 

If you would rather download this story to read at your leisure, you can download as a PDF, epub or mobi at Bookfunnel with no sign up required.  click here

Santa and the Elf

Scott

“Ow!” He attempted to move his head away, hoping to find some escape from the torture his sister Caroline, was currently inflicting on him. Unfortunately, all it succeeded in doing was pulling more of the adhesive glue away from his face—along with his skin—and causing more pain as a result.

Caroline scowled at him. “Stay still! I need to make sure your beard’s straight. You don’t want a wonky beard, do you?”

He grabbed onto the arms of the chair, forcing himself to sit still. “I don’t want a beard at all.”

She took a step back, narrowing her eyes as she admired her handiwork. “You can’t be Santa without a beard. And stop being such a drama queen! You agreed to fill in and it’s one day. The way you’re going on and on, you’d think it was for the whole of December.”

Scott sighed; the truth coming back to bite him in the ass. But there was a bit more to the story than that. So even though he knew it would fall on deaf ears, he still protested. “I was still getting over the breakup with Chris. I would have agreed to anything. You knew that. So some might say that you were particularly devious and underhand. Not to mention completely unsympathetic to your poor heartbroken brother.”

Caroline waved the brush she’d been using to tame his stuck-on beard in a dismissive motion.”The guy was a dweeb. You’re better off without him. Anyway”—she winked—”you might meet someone today. You’re going to be in a department store with loads of people around, rather than stuck behind a desk where you hardly see anyone. It could be the perfect opportunity.”

He stared at her, trying to gauge if she was serious. “Right. Course I will. Because Santa’s grotto in the middle of a department store is everyone’s favorite gay pick-up joint.”

She lowered the curly white wig onto his head, tilting her head from side to side as she shifted it slightly until she was happy with the positioning, before getting stuck in with the acrylic glue again. “Well, you never know. It’d be nice to have a new boyfriend in time for Christmas, right?”

Scott bit back another sigh. It would be nice. But he’d had three blind dates in the last couple of weeks and they’d all gone absolutely nowhere. It wasn’t their fault. Two out of the three had even made it clear that they’d be well up for a second date. He just hadn’t been able to muster much interest in return. Something had been missing. He knew he was being fussy, but at thirty-two, he was well past the stage of falling into bed with someone just for the sake of it. He wanted to meet someone who fascinated and intrigued him, who gave him goosebumps and butterflies, not settle for someone who was nice, but left no lasting impression.”Yeah, well. I wouldn’t hold your breath.” He changed the subject, keen to talk about something less depressing than the fact he’d be spending Christmas alone—apart from family. “Do you actually think the kids are going to be fooled by this? George is sixty-five and he’s been playing Santa for years. The kids are probably going to take one look at me, laugh their heads off, and demand to see the proper Santa.”

Caroline raised an eyebrow. “Remind me, brother dear. What do I do for a living?”

He rolled his eyes, reciting the words like they were being forced out of his mouth. “You’re a makeup artist. You create miracles with a brush and a few props.”

A smug expression appeared on her face. “Well, there you go then. I wouldn’t have asked you to fill in, if I didn’t think I could make you look convincing. By the time I’ve finished with you, no one’s going to suspect that underneath the hair, makeup, and the beard, you’re really a handsome man in his early thirties. Good job, you’ve got one of those husky voices that doesn’t give away your real age.”

He raised a stuck-on white eyebrow, still wholly unconvinced. He knew better than to argue though. She’d only take it as a personal insult to her profession.

Dylan

The three people on the bed falling about laughing, told him everything he needed to know about what he looked like. He crossed his arms over his chest and did his best to pretend that he really didn’t care what they thought. The longer it took for them to get themselves back under control, the harder it became. So much for the support of friends.  

Greg lifted a finger and pointed at him. “Dylan’s an angry elf.” Then he collapsed back into hysterics, which set the other two off again. Steeling himself for what he was about to see, Dylan walked over to the full-length mirror. It was worse than he’d feared. Maybe if the costume had fitted properly it wouldn’t have been too bad. But it was obvious that it hadn’t been designed for someone of his physique. As a result, it hugged his chest far too tightly. He looked like a cross between an elf strip act, and some sort of twisted Halloween parody. He stared balefully down at his feet, the bells on his shoes tinkling slightly whenever he shifted his feet. “I can’t go out in public like this. Please don’t make me!”

Louise appeared behind him in the mirror, a bright smile on her face. He returned it with a glare. She was the one that had done this to him. He’d lost a bet with her boyfriend and this was the result. She ignored his pleading, plonking a red and green hat on his head and proceeding to rub red face-paint into his cheeks to make them rosy. “You look great! Cutest elf I’ve ever seen.”

“He has low elf esteem.” A howl of laughter met Jordan’s comment, the trio still cackling away on the bed.

Dylan turned his glare in their direction. It had no effect. He didn’t even know why they were there.He certainly hadn’t told them about the bet so it had to have been Stuart. It apparently wasn’t good enough for his friend that he got to force Dylan to spend all day dressed like an idiot in public. He had to twist the knife as well and send these three bozos over as witnesses in his absence: something to do with an important meeting he couldn’t get out of. That probably accounted for the number of photos they kept taking, and the short video Greg had insisted on filming while Dylan was struggling to squeeze himself into the tights. Stuart was probably getting a minute by minute live feed. “Yeah, laugh it up, why don’t you? You wait till it’s your turn, and I’ll return the favor.”

Jordan held his hands up, fixing his face into the most serious expression he could manage after laughing for ten minutes straight. “I’m sorry, mate. I just couldn’t elf myself.”  

They all cracked up again. It was the last straw. Dylan turned to Louise, determined to ignore the other three, no matter what they said or did. “You’re driving me there, right? Can we just go? I want to get this over and done with. I’ve a feeling this is going to be the longest and most embarrassing day of my life.” He stomped out of the bedroom, trying for dignity, but failing miserably when you took into account his legs being encased in red and white stripy tights and his feet jangling when he walked. Unfortunately, they weren’t loud enough to drown out the shouts that followed him.

“Dylan! Who’s your favorite singer? I bet its Elfis Presley isn’t it?”

“You don’t look well today, Dylan. Maybe you should go to the elf center. Or book yourself into an elf farm.”

Dylan slammed the front door shut behind him, cutting off any further elf puns that might have been forthcoming from his so-called friends. He fidgeted impatiently as Louise took forever to locate her keys in order to unlock the car. It left him in full view of the whole street. He stared at the ground, playing a game of, ‘if I can’t see them, they can’t see me.’ It hadn’t worked in school, and it didn’t work now.

“Hi Dylan.”

He jerked his head up, wincing as Mrs. Foster gave him a cheery wave from two doors down. He raised his hand, barely wiggling his fingers. He was suddenly glad for the red face paint Louise had smeared on his face. At least it should hide the fact that his cheeks were burning with mortification. “Hello, Mrs.Foster.”

“You look lovely, Dylan. Very festive. Fancy dress party, is it?”

He coughed.”Something like that.” Louise finally opened the passenger door. He gave Mrs. Foster another wave. “Sorry. Got to go.”

“Have fun.”

Fun. Right? Fun was definitely not on the agenda for today.

Scott

There was still fifteen minutes until the grotto was due to open. Scott had already been introduced to everyone, with the exception of one elf who hadn’t turned up yet.  He’d been briefed on what the role required.It sounded simple enough. Sit there. Talk to kids. Ask them what they wanted for Christmas. Hand over a present which probably bore no relevance to what they’d just asked for. And repeat.

The department store hadn’t opened its doors yet so the space where the queue would start was blessedly empty. Most of the elves were sat around chatting or having a coffee.They seemed to be making the most of the peace and quiet before the mayhem kicked in. When he’d asked one of the elves whether it would be busy, she’d laughed. Loudly. He’d taken that as a bad sign.

His eyes were suddenly drawn to a ruckus over near the elevator. It looked like the missing elf had arrived. Only he appeared to be being dragged there bodily by a small blonde woman who was obviously a lot stronger than she looked. After a heated argument, the elf finally gave in, stomping toward the grotto before looking around as if he didn’t have a clue what he was supposed to do next.

Now that he was closer, Scott got his first proper look at him. The color of the costume brought out the green in his eyes, and the fact it hugged his body like a second skin left no doubt that the guy worked out. In short, he was gorgeous, and just Scott’s type. The muscular elf was going to stick out like a sore thumb in comparison to his short, thin elf compatriots.  

Scott would have liked to say that it was the fact that the guy looked lost, that made him rush over there. But he’d have been lying. It was more to do with the lust already circulating through his body. Although, it wasn’t as if any of the elves appeared like they were prepared to step in anyway. They’d glanced in his direction, but seemed far more interested in finishing their coffees before the store opened. Scott plastered a charming smile on his face and headed toward the new arrival. “Hi! You look a bit lost. First day?”

The elf turned toward him with a scowl on his face. He did grumpy to perfection. It should have made him less attractive. It didn’t. It was hard to take grumpiness seriously when it was teamed with shoes with bells on and a jaunty matching hat. Scott reached out, giving the bell on the hat a little push to make it tinkle.

If looks could kill, Scott would have died on the spot from the poisonous glare thrown his way. The elf whipped his head away, making the bell tinkle even more. “Something like that. And leave the bell alone!”

Okay. So flirting by playing with the elf’s hat hadn’t gone down well. It was probably better to stick to normal introductions. Scott held his hand out.”I’m—”

“Santa. I can see that.”

“Yeah, but I’m really…”

The elf shifted impatiently. “I’ve got to go. I need to find out what I’m supposed to be doing. Nice meeting you.” Scott frowned as his new crush walked away to join the other elves. That hadn’t gone well. His gaydar had pinged in all the right places so he was pretty sure that the gorgeous elf was gay. Maybe he had a boyfriend? Well, he had a good few hours ahead of him to try and find out. The day was definitely looking up.

Dylan

He tried the number for the third time, both the first two calls having gone unanswered. He swore to God that if Stuart didn’t pick up this time, he wouldn’t be responsible for his actions. Elves got fifteen minutes for their break. He’d already used five answering a call of nature.  On the last ring before voicemail was about to kick in, Stuart answered. “Hey mate, how’s it going? I loved the photos and video. You look so damn cute as an elf. We should have dressed you up like this years ago.”

Dylan’s fingernails dug into the palm of his hand. “How’s it going? HOW’S IT GOING? Are you serious? Did you know about this?”

There was a long pause. “Know about what?”

He lowered his voice to a whisper, the queue of kids only a few feet away around the corner.”That Santa’s a fucking pervert!” The laugh that greeted his statement was the last thing he needed to hear. His head throbbed with the effort to keep the fury bubbling inside him from bursting out. “Stuart, I’m serious. I know I lost a bet and this was the forfeit, but I didn’t sign up for this.”

Something in his tone finally got through to his unsympathetic friend. “You’re not joking?”

Dylan clutched the phone tighter to his ear. “No. I’m not joking. I assure you, it’s a long way from funny.”

“When you say…pervert. What’s he doing exactly?”

“Flirting. Making inappropriate comments. Undressing me with his eyes. You name it. He’s doing it.”

“In front of the kids?”

Dylan sighed. “No, of course not. When it’s just the two of us.”

Stuart made a noise in his throat as if he was considering the information, Dylan had just provided.”But Bob’s a great guy. He’s always showing me pictures of his wife.”

Dylan rolled his eyes.”Well, he’s certainly not showing me pictures of her. He seems to have completely forgotten that he’s even got one. And that he’s old enough to be my grandfather.” He shuddered, unable to hold it back. “What am I supposed to do?” He closed his eyes and prayed for Stuart’s next words to be something along the lines of Dylan running and not looking back. He should have known better.

“It’s only for a few more hours. Surely, you can just ignore him. If it was up to me, I’d let you out of the bet, but it’s going to leave them short-handed, and—”

“Fine.” Dylan checked his watch. His break was almost over. If he was staying, then he needed to get back to work—pervy Santa or no pervy Santa. “But you owe me big time for this.”

Stuart sounded genuinely apologetic. “I’m sorry. I honestly don’t know what’s gotten into Bob. He’s been there for years and I’ve never heard a single complaint about him before. I’ll get someone to speak to him, but it won’t be until after today’s over. I’ll buy you dinner to make up for it.”

It was the best Dylan was going to get. “It had better be one hell of an expensive dinner.”He hung up and headed back into the fray; the noise of excited kids getting louder as soon as he rounded the corner. He paused next to the elf keeping the queue from creeping too close to the grotto. “Do we swap around roles? I can take over the queue if you’re due a break.”

The elf shook his head. “No. You’re with Santa all day. We swap on a daily basis. It works better that way.” He inclined his head toward the grotto: a no expenses pared mini log cabin complete with fairy lights and fake snow. “Katrina covered your break, so if you just hang around outside until the child that’s in there comes out, then you can take over again.”

Dylan jangled his way back over to the grotto. It looked like he had no choice but to suck it up and put up with a few more hours of Bob leering at him. He took a deep breath before sticking his head through the door and signaling to Katrina so that she knew he was back. Then he stood to one side as a cute little girl with pigtails left clutching a brightly wrapped present and chattering excitedly to her mum.Despite his bad mood, he smiled. That was what it was about. He could put up with the closeted Bob for the sake of making kids happy for one day.

His new resolve lasted only as long as it took him to step back inside the grotto. When Santa gave him a long, lingering once over and declared he’d missed him, the black cloud of gloom immediately settled back over him.

Scott

The gorgeous elf was back. He’d been worried he was going to be stuck with Katrina for the rest of the day. Grumpy muscles were definitely preferable to overenthusiastic perkiness. He smiled, letting his gaze run over the lycra-clad body with bulges in all the right places. “Hey! I missed you.”

A stony gaze fastened on his. There wasn’t so much as a flicker of a smile. Scott was failing miserably at flirting. Dylan—he’d finally discovered his name—was the first guy he’d met in ages that really piqued his interest. He wanted an opportunity to get to know him better, but no matter how friendly he was, he got absolutely nothing back. He wasn’t quite ready to give up yet, though.

The store manager’s head appeared around the door. “There’s going to be a bit of a hold up.One of the kids ate too many sweets and threw up all over the floor. We’re going to hold the queue for a few minutes while we get it cleaned up so that no one walks through it, and then we’ll be full steam ahead again. Okay?”

Scott nodded to show he’d heard before turning his attention back to Dylan. Given it was only going to be the two of them for the next few minutes, this could be the perfect opportunity to get to know him better. “So, Dylan, what made you want to be an elf?”

Cool green eyes slid slowly over to him. “I don’t.” He gestured down at himself. “You think I’d choose to look like this? I lost a bet. This is my one and only day and then I’m burning the costume.”

Interesting! Actually, that explained a lot: the grumpiness; the argument with the blonde woman; the tightness of the costume. Not that he was complaining about the latter. And at least Dylan was talking now. Those four sentences were the most he’d managed to get out of him all day. “I see.” He wondered what Dylan looked like when he smiled. He bet that it would be devastating. It became his new goal. He winked and patted his knee. “Want a turn on Santa’s knee? You can tell me what you want for Christmas.”

There was no smile. There wasn’t even a look of slight amusement. If Scott was pushed to describe the expression, he probably would have to go for unadulterated disgust as the closest fit. Dylan finally ground out a “no,” his eyes drifting toward the exit. “I’m going to go and see if they need any help.” Then he disappeared through the door.

Scott was left contemplating the fact that dealing with vomit was preferable to talking to him.

* * *

Scott stepped out onto the busy street. It had been a long day, and he was tired. But he had to admit that it had definitely had its moments. There had been a great deal of satisfaction in seeing the bright smiles on children’s faces when their turn had come to visit the grotto. They’d seemed perfectly happy to accept that he was the real deal. He guessed that was the beauty of the naivete of children. They tended to accept things at face-value. Until they grew out of it anyway.

The only blot on the day had been Dylan. After Scott’s attempt at humor, they’d fallen into silence for the rest of the afternoon; the only exception being polite, stilted conversation linked to the job at hand. As soon as the shift had ended, Dylan had disappeared without so much as a backward glance.

“For Fuck’s sake!”

Scott whirled around at the expletive, surprised to find the very man he’d just been thinking about stood at the edge of the pavement, scanning the street. Just like Scott, he was still in costume. “Are you okay?”

Dylan ripped the hat off his head, throwing it vaguely in the direction of a bin close by. It teetered on the edge before falling to the ground, a dog running over and picking it up, shaking his head back and forth to make the bell ring. “She promised she’d be here to pick me up.”

Scott took a few steps toward him. “Your blonde friend?”

“Yes.”

“Well…”His gaze settled on the bar just across the road. “We could…get a drink. It’s better than hanging about on the street waiting.”

Dylan rounded on him. “Listen, Bob. I’ve had just about enough of your shit today! How about we don’t go for a drink…and how about you stop eyeing up young men…you closet case! Go home to your wife! You remember her, right? The woman you promised to be faithful to. The woman you apparently like to show pictures of. Maybe you need to stick one of those pictures to your forehead so you remember she exists.”

Scott blinked a few times. Bob! Closet case. Wife! He suddenly caught sight of his reflection in a shop window. He stepped closer to it, peering at a face he’d never seen before. They’d been running late this morning and he hadn’t had a chance to look in the mirror before they’d left. He didn’t recognize himself. The hair and beard covered the majority of his face, but what wasn’t covered was lined with deep wrinkles. He vaguely remembered Caroline saying she was going to add a bit of makeup, but this was way beyond what he’d envisioned. He looked at least seventy. No wonder Dylan had been looking at him with such disgust all day. He’d thought he was Bob; a happily married man in his sixties, attempting to flirt with a man at least thirty years younger than he was. What a mess! “I’m not Bob.”

Dylan’s eyes narrowed. “Of course you’re not.”

“I’m not! My name’s Scott. I’m thirty-two. I filled in for Bob today.” He gestured at his face. “I didn’t realize my sister had done such a good job. I mean…I probably should have done because she’s a makeup artist and she’s constantly telling me how good she is, but I thought that was just talk.” Dylan still didn’t look convinced so Scott cast about for a way of convincing him, coming to the conclusion that drastic measures were the only answer.

He began to undo the buttons of the robe watching Dylan’s eyes widen in surprise. When the last button was unfastened, he ripped it open, the padding that had given him the appearance of extra weight, falling to the ground. He pulled his T-shirt up, revealing the six-pack that he’d worked so hard in the gym to get. Surely, that had to provide enough evidence that he wasn’t a sixty-year old man. “Look!”

Dylan’s voice when he finally responded came out strangely husky. “Oh, believe me, I am looking!” He stared for the longest time before his gaze slowly travelled back up Scott’s torso to his face. He leaned closer, peering at him intently as if he was attempting to see through the makeup to the man below.

A wolf whistle from a couple of passing shoppers suddenly reminded Scott that he was stood in the middle of a busy street, dressed as Santa, holding his T-shirt up to show his bare chest. “Shit!” He dropped it back down, just as someone else shouted, “Santa’s hot!” He ignored them and focused on Dylan.

Dylan looked lost for words but finally spoke. “I feel like I owe you an apology. I’ve been mean to you all day because I thought you were some perverted old man. If I’d let you introduce yourself when you tried, then it wouldn’t have happened.”

He looked genuinely guilty and Scott had no intention of making him feel any worse. “It’s okay. You didn’t know.”

An awkward silence settled between them until it was broken by the noise of a car horn from across the street. Dylan glanced toward it with a look of relief. “That’s Louise.She must have got stuck in traffic. I need to go before she gets a ticket.” He took a couple of steps backward, his gaze still fastened on Scott. “Listen, I need to get out of these stupid clothes, but do you…er…fancy meeting later, maybe? I mean…not because of the abs…”He smiled. Scott had been right earlier with his assumption that he’d have a great smile. Heat unfurled in his stomach and he found himself fantasizing about what Dylan’s lips would taste like. “…I just think it would be nice to, you know, meet each other properly?”

Scott had started nodding eagerly when Dylan had only been halfway through his speech. “It’s a date! Or a meeting, you know, whichever.” He affected a casual shrug, completely at odds with the butterflies in his stomach at the thought of getting to spend more time with Dylan.

They arranged a time and place for later that evening, and Scott watched as Dylan jangled his way over to the car and got in. He waved until the car was out of sight, already looking forward to the evening ahead.

Dylan

He felt like a massive idiot. Okay, so Scott’s sister was a makeup artist, but surely, he should still have been able to tell the difference between a sixty-year old and a thirty-year old? He pushed the door open and entered the bar where they’d agreed to meet, standing in the doorway for a moment to scan the groups of people inside. It suddenly struck him what perfect revenge it would be on Scott’s part if he didn’t bother turning up. That would serve Dylan right for his earlier behavior. Would he do that? That tiny acorn grew into an almighty oak tree as Dylan did a second scan, drawing just as much of a blank as the first time.

Eyes met his across the room, and a dark-haired man stood up from his stool at the bar and waved. Surely not? Dylan had discounted him immediately because he was drop-dead gorgeous. There was no way that Santa could have turned into this man. But then, if it wasn’t him, why was he waving at him? He walked toward him, half-expecting the man’s gaze to lift to the person behind Dylan that he was really signaling to. But he continued to smile at Dylan. He had blue eyes. Santa had had blue eyes. He halted in front of him, asking the question tentatively. “Scott?”

The man grinned and gestured to the stool next to him. “Yep. I was worried you’d change your mind about coming.”

Dylan eased himself onto the stool, enjoying the fact that jeans and a leather jacket meant there was no more jingling. Scott was dressed in a similar fashion, but with a suit jacket rather than a leather one. “I wouldn’t have done that. I was such a dick to you today that turning up was the least I could do. I mean…it wasn’t just about you today. I was in a bad mood. The outfit was horrific and—”

Scott winked. “Are you kidding? You were the sexiest elf I’ve ever seen. Why do you think I made such a beeline for you?”

Dylan’s cheeks flamed at being called sexy. Where was the bright-red face paint when he needed it? It would be easy to dismiss Scott’s words as being just talk, but then Scott had spent most of the day trying to flirt with him so there had to be some truth in it. He ducked his head.”Thanks.” He peered at the other man from beneath his lashes. “Santa scrubs up pretty well too. I didn’t even recognize you. I’d have walked straight past, if it wasn’t for you waving at me.”

Scott laughed.”I thought you were looking at me strangely. I should have brought Santa’s beard to wave in the air. Also”—he leaned forward—”while we’re on the subject, the glue was an absolute pain to get off so if you notice any weird blobs on my face, it’s the glue. I don’t have a contagious disease.”

Dylan grinned at him, already feeling completely at ease. Maybe it was the fact they’d spent the day together, or maybe it was just fate, but there was none of that first date awkwardness. “Duly noted. No diseases. That’s good, because that is something that I tend to look for in a date.”

Scott returned the smile. “You don’t have a drink. Let me get you one and then I think we should start again, as Scott and Dylan, rather than Santa and the elf. What do you say?”

“Definitely.”

Dylan watched him as he ordered drinks for the both of them. Scott looked good. He seemed nice. He had abs to die for. Damn! He even smelt good; a whiff of his cologne drifting across when he moved. It was hard to believe that a day that had started as the worst one ever could have turned into this.

They clinked bottles and then both started speaking at the same time, before stopping abruptly and laughing. Dylan held up a hand. “Go ahead. You first.”

Scott dipped his head in acknowledgment. “Okay. My name is Scott. Which you already know. I’m thirty-two. Just. I have one younger sister, Caroline, who is far too good at makeup, and one older brother…who isn’t.” He arched an eyebrow. “Not as far as I know, anyway. I’m an employment recruitment manager, which means I sit at a desk most of the day and tell other people what to do. But I also do a bit of personal training on the side. Hmmm…what else. Single. Obviously. Last relationship ended about three months ago, which was how I got talked into playing Santa for one day while Bob went for a hospital appointment. That’s probably enough about me for now before you fall asleep.”

Dylan took the cue to offer some information about himself. He was surprised by the nerves that suddenly crept in. He wanted Scott to like him. A lot. Like future boyfriend material—like him. “Dylan. Twenty-nine. No brothers or sisters. The day job is freelance illustrator. And I already told you how I ended up as an elf. I have a lot of annoying friends who like to make stupid bets. I’ve learnt my lesson now though. No more bets.”

Scott tilted his head to the side, looking thoughtful. “But if you hadn’t made that bet, we’d never have met.”

Dylan saluted him with the bottle of beer. “Good point! Here’s to stupid bets.”

Scott

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had such an enjoyable evening. Dylan was everything he looked for in a boyfriend: cute; funny; a good listener, and able to laugh at himself—unless it involved dressing as an elf. But then he’d readily admitted after a few drinks that he’d suffered a sense of humor failure on that score.The hours had flown by as they’d chatted, both of them shocked when they’d noticed how late it was.

Scott opened the door for Dylan and then followed him out on to the street, sexual tension simmering between them. At least he hoped it was mutual. If not, he was completely fucked: he’d already started considering what he could buy Dylan for Christmas.They stood facing each other for a moment, Scott staring into green eyes and finding himself breathless. This was the thing that had been missing from all his previous dates. That frisson of excitement. That moment of nervousness where you were scared that if you did the wrong thing, or said something stupid, that that person might slip between your fingers.

They seemed to move closer without either of them consciously taking a step. “I really enjoyed tonight.” Scott held his breath while he waited for the response. After all, he’d spent all day making his interest in the other man perfectly clear, but Dylan’s feelings were much more of an unknown quantity. What if he’d met up with him tonight, simply out of politeness?

Dylan smiled, looking just as shy as Scott felt. “So did I. A lot.”

Scott leaned in, Dylan meeting him halfway as their heads tilted and their lips met in what started as an exploratory kiss. But neither seemed in a rush to end it. Scott slid his hand into Dylan’s hair, tilting his head further for deeper access.Dylan let out a throaty moan which went straight to Scott’s dick, already uncomfortably swollen at the first hot, kissing action he’d had in what felt like forever. He shifted slightly, his crotch brushing another cock in an equal state of arousal to his own.

They pulled apart, both of them breathing hard. Dylan’s cheeks were almost as red as they’d been when he was an elf. Scott felt the need to apologize. “Sorry. That was meant to be a quick kiss. I got a bit carried away.”

Dylan smiled.”I’m not complaining. Although”—his hand went to his face, picking something from his chin—”you could have kept your glue to yourself. I don’t normally get free glue with every kiss.”

From the mischievous look in his eyes, it was obvious he was joking. Scott felt suddenly tongue-tied. They’d swapped numbers earlier, but they hadn’t agreed that it was as more than friends. His words came out in a rush. “I’d love a second date. Assuming that this actually was a first one. I’m not doing much for the rest of the week, or next week if that’s better for you. I’m not trying to rush you, I just—”

“Tomorrow.”

Elation pooled in Scott’s stomach at Dylan’s interjection. “Tomorrow works perfectly for me.”

Dylan took a few steps back, his gaze still fixed on Scott. “Good. I’m not waiting a whole week to see you again.” He spotted a cab and waved it down. They’d already established that they lived in opposite directions so it wouldn’t be practical to share. One hand on the cab door, Dylan paused to look back. He winked, his lips curling up into a smile. “Bye Santa.”

Scott raised his hand in a wave, his own smile so wide it was a wonder his face didn’t crack.”Bye sexy elf.” He watched until the cab disappeared out of sight, Christmas suddenly holding an absolute plethora of exciting possibilities that hadn’t been there this morning, all thanks to one day in Santa’s grotto.

If you enjoyed this story and would like to know more about what I’m currently working on, then why not join my FB group Day’s Den here 

Sign up to my newsletter to be notified about new releases here

Or check out the books I’ve already published here