Page 2 of Santa's Little Helpers

“Keep her, Sir. Just like you do the rest of us.”

“I suppose so. You think you can manage to keep yourself out of trouble for the remainder of the day, or do you need to finish your work sitting bare bottomed on a punishment mat?”

I bolted up and looked him straight in the eye. “I will be good, Sir. I promise.”

“Good girl. Get to work so I can deal with my sassy little brat.”

“Yes, Sir.” I retrieved my planner and left through the connecting door to my office. It wasn’t much, but it was my own space, and I loved it. I looked dubiously at my typically comfortable desk chair and decided to give it a try. As I took a seat, I hissed, wiggling a little to try to find a comfortable position. I needed to be on my computer to finish my tasks for the day, which made sitting my only option, at least for a while.

The door between my office and Master Derek’s always remained open unless he requested otherwise, and I could hear Sadie knock on the door and receive permission to enter.

“Daddy, we need to talk.” Her tone hadn’t changed, but her words did not hold the same demand as they had minutes earlier.

I giggled at her persistence. When her mind was set on something, she would not let it go for anything.

“Daddy, that woman you have in charge needs to be fired.”

“Which woman, Angel?”

“You know which one! Ms. Price! She’s mean, and she has it in for me!”

“I believe Ms. Price usually has good reasons for getting on your case. You can tell me what happened later. For now, how would you like to discuss Christmas?” Derek asked, wisely changing the subject. There was no way he was going to fire Ms. Price, and no way Sadie’s complaints would be effective.

A squeal of delight echoed through the adjoining rooms as Sadie allowed herself to be distracted from the matter at hand. I felt guilty about listening to their conversation, so I tried to busy myself, but my boss and his wife were two of the most entertaining people on the planet. Their love was so deep, so pure, so beautiful. I could only hope to find someone who matched me that perfectly one day.

“I thought you would like that,” Derek continued. “Who do you think would make a good Santa Claus?”

I racked my brain for an answer to his question but came up empty.

“How ‘’bout you, Daddy?”

“I would love to, little one, you know that, but I can’t play Santa and do everything else at the same time.”

“The other people could do the other things. You be Santa!”

“Not an option.” He shut her down. “Next choice?”

I opened Master Derek’s virtual Rolodex on my computer and scrolled through the names, looking for a potential candidate.

“How ‘’bout Uncle Jared? He’s old! He could do it, and we haven’t seen him in foreeeeever.” She drew out the last word, and Derek laughed.

“That’s a wonderful idea, angel, but don’t let him catch you calling him old, or he will tan you good.”

I shook my head, knowing this was true. Jared had visited the ranch on multiple occasions in the past. He loved Sadie and spoiled her rotten, but he took his role as her Uncle seriously, and he did not tolerate disrespect at all. I shuddered. The man was all Dom and sexy as hell. Thinking about him made my body tingle. Since the first time I met him, I’d had a secret crush on him.

Derek’s voice rose slightly as he called out to me through the open door. “Erika, can you get Jared Stark on the phone, please?”

I gulped thinking about calling the man I secretly pined over. Jared was an old friend of Derek’s, and he visited the ranch a couple of times a year. He was a seasoned Dom and carried an air of strength and confidence that made me shiver. I had trouble even making eye contact with him, and he loved to tease me about it.

“Erika?” Derek spoke a little louder.

“Oh! Yes, Sir. I’m sorry. Would you like me to do it now?”

“Yes, please.”

“Yes, Sir.” My throat tightened as I located Jared’s contact information. Calling him on the phone was the last thing I wanted to do, but it was a job responsibility, and I wasn’t about to admit to Derek or his wife why the simple task was so hard for me.

“Angel, why don’t you go back to your classroom or to the dorms with your friends?” I pulled the contact card from the Rolodex and held it between my shaking fingers. I could hear Derek dismissing Sadie in the next room, but it felt like I was listening through a tunnel.

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