Page 4 of Santa's Little Helpers

I skittered around getting everything ready for the Christmas festivities and Master Jared’s arrival. Master Derek had seen how nervous I was, and after a long session over his knee, he made me insert one of my glass butt plugs to give me something else to focus on. It didn’t help. Not in the slightest. In fact, it made things worse, way worse. It kept me acutely aware of my throbbing sex, and the images I was conjuring were anything but pure, and all of them starred a fit silver fox named Jared. I felt like I was going crazy. After removing the load of laundry from the dryer, I hurried to the spare room. I cleaned, dusted, and shined the space from floor to ceiling, making the bed the finishing touch.

“Hi, E!”

I startled as Sadie bounded into the room. The girl had been following me around asking me questions all day. As much as I adored her, I was struggling not to tell her to buzz off.

“Hi, Sadie. I can’t play right now. I have too much to do.”

“I know. I’m just delivering a message from Daddy.”

“Oh, okay.” I turned to give her my attention.

She took a deep breath and grinned sweetly. “Daddy said to tell you he has a conference call and can’t get Uncle Jared from the airport. He wants you to go.”

“Me?” I screeched as my heart caught in my throat. “Why does he want me to do it? How about Moses or...someone else.” Like anyone else. My hands shook with nerves. I hated leaving the ranch, and Master Derek knew that. Why would he ask me to go all the way to the airport? “How about a taxi? Or a shuttle or something.”

Sadie shrugged. “I’m just tellin’ you what he said. If you’re saying no, I can go tell him.”

I closed my eyes and held back a grimace. My heart sank to my toes. I did not tell Master Derek ‘no.’ The man had saved my life and taken me in when no one else would. “It’s fine. I’ll go,” I capitulated. “What time does his flight come in?”

A mischievous smirk spread across Sadie’s face. “Seven.”

“Seven? Who does Derek have a conference with so late in the evening? I don’t have anyone on the schedule.” I had a photographic memory, so it was unusual for me not to remember a detail like that.

“How should I know?” She averted her eyes.

“How about you go with me? Aren’t you excited to see your Uncle?” I begged.

Sadie sighed. “I wish I could. I have lines I have to write before he gets here.”

“Naughty girl,” I teased with a knowing smile.

“I’m not naughty,” Sadie protested, crossing her arms across her chest as she pouted. “The nannies have zero sense of humor, I swear. One little prank, and I’m saddled with extra duties and lines. Sucks.” I held back a laugh. Sadie had a penchant for trouble like no other person I had ever met. If there was a naughty deed to be done, she would find it and attack it with gusto. “Anyway,” she sang, “I gotta go, but don’t forget my Uncle.”

“I won’t forget him.” Trust me.

“Oh, and Daddy said you can take whatever car you want,” Sadie called over her shoulder as she skipped down the hallway.

That was a bonus. Master Derek had a car for every occasion, and I had been dying to drive the new Camaro. Not having to take my beat-up clunker eased my anxieties slightly, but the idea of being alone in a car with the star of every single one of my fantasies was making me sick to my stomach. It had been years since I was alone with a man, besides Derek, and much less one I was extremely attracted to.

Sadie left without another word, and I went back to making up the four-poster bed that made me tingle all over. A seasoned Dom would be able to concoct all sorts of delicious torture in this bed, and I wanted so badly to be the sub on the receiving end.

It had been a long time since I had felt the intimate touch of a man. Any touch of a man really. Except for spankings and aftercare from Master Derek and the occasional cuddle from Moses, I was bereft. I lived inside the fantasies gracing the pages of my naughty books and invaded my dreams, and I was beyond frustrated. However, the idea of submitting to a man again shook me to my core. My last “Dom” almost killed me. If not for a neighbor overhearing me scream, I would probably not be alive. After that night and the resulting stay in the hospital, I had sworn I would never trust a man again, and I hadn’t, until Derek. He had renewed my faith in the male gender, and he would protect me with every resource he had. So my fantasies would remain fantasies, and I would spend my life here, where I was safe and cared for, as long as they would keep me.

I white knuckled the steering wheel as I sped down the interstate toward the airport, reminding myself this was just another errand for Master Derek. I was picking up a visitor to the ranch. Nothing more. The fact said visitor was also my boss’s oldest friend and lifestyle mentor, and the only man I’d pined for since I was a boy-crazy teenager, didn’t matter in the slightest. Nope, not at all. The whir of the sports car beneath me was not enough to quell the anxiety, so I flipped on the radio and set it to one of my favorite rock stations, making use of the extravagant sound system. The music vibrated in my chest, but my heartbeat rivaled it by a mile. I was going to be sick. I rolled down the windows for a moment and let the cool, crisp air hit my face before I pulled off the highway and drove into the pickup zone of the airport.

Scanning the group of people at the curb in the arrivals area, I spotted the salt-and-pepper hair that was unmistakably Jared. I swallowed the lump in my throat and put the car in park. His eyes met mine through the windshield, and I froze. The smirk forming on his face made my pussy clench.

“This man is dangerous, Erika. Keep your distance,” I whispered as I watched him move in my direction, with his eyes zeroed in on me.

Closing my eyes, I took several deep breaths, reminding myself I was just doing my job. This wasn’t some sort of date or anything. All I had to do was drive. Something knocked against the side of the car, and I jumped and gave a little scream. Opening my eyes, I saw Jared smiling at me through the window. I rolled it down and looked at him, dumbfounded.

“Are you going to leave me out here to freeze, little squirrel?” A shiver ran down my spine as the familiar nickname fell from his lips. He raised an eyebrow, and I hit the unlock button as fast as I could. “Thank you,” he chuckled. “Can you pop the trunk for me?”

Wordlessly, I nodded and did as he asked, watching his every move through the rearview mirror.

I shook my head at the antics of the beautiful little subbie behind the wheel. She was so easily flustered, and I wanted to push and protect her at the same time. After a stressful work week and a long flight, seeing her squirm was an enticing treat. Rounding the car to the driver’s side, I opened her door and offered her my hand.

“Umm?” she asked.

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