Page 28 of Santa Is A Sl*t

Christmas is days away and it’s not even close to being the happiest time of the year for me.

I miss them. All of them. I’m tired of the space between us.

That should change any minute now.

No sooner than the thought crosses my mind, there’s banging at my office door.

"Come in,” I say as I lean back in my chair and throw my feet up on the desk attempting to look relaxed.

Noel bursts through my door and I almost flinch from the bang it makes against the wall.

“Is this a joke?” She’s holding up what I believe is my most recent employee memo.

I shake my head disapprovingly. “Work is nothing to joke about, little elf.”

She narrows her eyes at my name for her. “Don’t call me that. And who do you think you are? A mandatory staff meeting? And you’re closing the place down early?”

I nod, acting as casually as I can. “I believe you understand the message. If that’s all, you really should be getting ready for your shift.”

Her eyes widen in anger as she throws her hands up. “Unbelievable. I thought you were Scrooge before. Now, I’m questioning if you’re Krampus.”

A demon. She’s calling me the demon of Christmas. I can’t help but chuckle as I remove my feet from the desk and stand, approaching her.

Gently, I guide her with an arm around her shoulders back to the door. “Mandatory means not optional, little elf. Now get to work.”

I close the door behind her and smile. Tonight will be fun.

_____

“Alright, boss. Everything is in place.” Kane tells me.

I’m standing in the middle of our largest conference room, observing all the finishing touches. It’s the same room that I stood in not too long ago as my uncle announced I’d be taking over for him.

Now, it’s a symbol of the future of SantaScape.

I look at Kane with a smile. “Thanks for all your help.”

“No problem. This place looks really fucking cool. Getting some prototype rush ordered was a great idea, Nico. And the displays with all the ideas for the first launch turned out awesome.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” I say as I reach my hands up to grip each side of his face before kissing him.

His mouth is rough, and his lips even feel a little dry, but they move against mine with fevered need. When we break apart, he’s staring at me in shock.

“What was that for?”

“Because I miss you. And I’m done waiting. Tonight, you’re all coming home with me.” I wink as I walk away.

There are only a few more minutes before the employees should start filtering into the room and I want to watch their reactions.

I find a seat near the podium just as the DJ starts up the playlist.

Absurd remixes of classic holiday songs begin to fill the air as the doors open and bodies start to enter.

Their faces are filled with mixes of confusion and appreciation. Interest and awe.

The moment Noel enters the room, her eyes meet mine. The annoyance quickly fades away from her features as she wanders around the displays.

When I’m sure everyone is here, I signal for the DJ to fade the music out before stepping up to the podium.

---