Page 236 of Daddy's Naughty List

Waves of excitement buzzed around the room.

“Yeah!” called out one of the Littles, who he recognized as Chuck’s Little, Millie. “And we can put pretend antlers on some of the horses!”

“Who’s gonna be Santa?” someone else piped up.

“Santa will be Santa, of course!” someone else called out, to more laughter.

As the meeting wrapped up and the volunteers began to disperse, Ben found himself lingering, his gaze drawn to Louisa like a moth to a flame. She was chatting with Zoey, her laughter ringing out like bells, her smile brighter than the sun.

He saw Chuck interrupt the two of them, and then bring her over to him.

“Have you two met properly?” he asked.

Lulu blushed.

“We, uh, did bump into each other,” Ben admitted.

“Good. I think the two of you should work closely together. You’re both new to the ranch, and it’d do you good. Louisa can be Artistic Director for the carnival. What do you say?”

Lulu nodded thoughtfully. “I’d like that very much.”

“Sounds good,” Ben said, swallowing.

“Good,” Chuck said. “You’ll be spending lots of time together.”

So much for not having any distractions.

Chapter Five

Lulu

So.

She was going to be working with Ben. That would be fine. No problem at all. Big boss Ben.

He would definitely be a good boss, right? Not like Mark at the greeting card company. He would be firm but fair, stern but supportive, and definitely, definitely, not totally, distractingly, smoking hot.

What would be distracting about working with the sexiest guy she’d ever met? What would be distracting about a guy who she’d fantasized about every second since she’d bumped into him outside the Nursery a few days ago?

God, she’d love him to spank her.

To kiss her.

To push his fingers inside her and. . .

“Enough!” she shouted out. “No more, Flopsy. People aren’t allowed to sleep with their bosses. It’s yucky. And probably illegal. Ben and I are . . . business associates. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Still in bed, Lulu pulled her knees to her chest and reached for her stuffed rabbit. She hugged him tight, nuzzling her cheek against his soft fur.

"Today's the big day!" she whispered. "My first planning meeting for the Christmas carnival. And I’m not going to act like a horny little rabbit. I’m going to act like a normal human being."

She felt like she had a swarm of butterflies in her stomach. It wasn’t just that she was going to be working with Ben. No. She was also anxious about her role as Artistic Director. It was a huge responsibility, especially for an outsider like her who had only recently arrived at the ranch.

"Can I really handle this?" Lulu murmured to Flopsy, giving him a squeeze. "What if I mess up and ruin the carnival? Or make a fool of myself in front of Ben?" She sighed, her brow furrowing. If he knew the effect he had on her, how tongue-tied and flustered she got in his presence, he probably wouldn't have agreed to work with her in the first place.

Lulu hopped out of bed. She padded over to the closet and began rummaging through her clothes, searching for the perfect outfit. She wanted to look professional yet still express her playful Little side. After much deliberation, she settled on a pale pink sweater the color of cotton candy and a denim skirt that hit just above her knees—youthful and feminine, but still mature.

She finished off the look with a pink-and-white “Santa’s little helper” elf hat.

---