Page 13 of Santa's Little Helpers

If there was ever a time I was ready for the workday to be over, now was it. Sitting on a punishment mat for 90 percent of my day after the spanking I was given that morning was horrendous. There was no comfortable position. Every time I moved, it would irritate a new spot, and I would have to acclimate all over again. I looked for reasons to leave my desk, but my to-do list did nothing to lend itself to that plan. So, I worked in agony. All. Damn. Day.

“Erika, come in here, please.”

I looked at the clock and sighed in relief—five o’clock. I’d made it through day one. Slowly peeling myself off the mat, I stood and rubbed my sore, aching bottom before lowering my skirt. All I wanted was to float on my tummy in my huge tub filled with water as hot as I could stand it.

“Yes, Sir?” I asked, entering the main office.

“Thank you for finishing your list today, little lady. Everything looks perfect.”

“Thank you, Sir.” My heart fluttered at the praise. He was not one to withhold kind words, but he also did not blow smoke. It made the whole day of suffering worth it.

“One more thing then you are free for the day. Do you mind running an errand?”

“Not a problem, Sir.” Errands meant longer until I could get in the bath, but they also meant I would be less likely to run into Jared at the main house.

“Master Jared has a migraine, and I want you to pick up his dinner from Miguel’s and take it to his room.”

Somebody kill me, please, I thought as I went back into my office to shut everything down for the day. I didn’t want to, but I wouldn’t tell Derek no after telling him ‘yes’ simply because I was trying to avoid Jared. Especially if the man was sick. But if he had a migraine, he needed peppermint tea, not Mexican food.

I sighed to myself. “How do men even survive without women’s help?”

“It’s not easy,” Derek answered.

“Oops, sorry, Sir. I didn’t think I said that out loud.”

He laughed. “No worries, little lady, but don’t make a habit of that. It could land you in the hot seat.”

I blushed and rushed out the door to pick up Master Jared’s dinner.

“E, is that you?” Sadie called out as the elevator doors opened. From the direction of her voice and the sounds coming from the kitchen, I surmised she was busy.

“Yep!”

“Don’t bother knocking on Jared’s door before you go in. He’s asleep. Set the food on the coffee table in his suite, and he will eat when he feels up to it.”

Great, now I can sneak in and out and “operation avoidance” will still be in effect. “Will do!” I called back.

In and out, quick and easy. The man is asleep. I can handle this.Only what I found when I opened his door was the opposite of asleep. He was very much awake and very much clad only in a towel, hair and body damp from the shower. I froze before I let the bag go, sending his dinner crashing to the floor and covering my mouth.

“Oh my, God, I am so sorry. I was just…umm, here’s your dinner.” I hastily gathered the food off the floor, thankful it was all wrapped and still edible from the looks of it, rushed to the table to put it all down, and left without looking at him again.

Holy shit. What have you done now, you idiot? I ran to my room, berating myself the whole way. Great, now he thinks you’re forgetful, clumsy, and rude. I needed to do everything in my power to stay away from him, for real.

“Uncle Jared!” Sadie’s voice boomed loud through the tunnel, and I turned to see her barreling toward me in one of the golf carts. I crossed my arms and waited for her to stop.

“Don’t you think you were driving a little fast, young lady?”

“It’s just a golf cart, plus I’m late, and Daddy had to go somewhere and asked me to ask you to go tell Erika she can be off early today.”

She spoke a mile a minute, making it difficult to keep up. “Why didn’t he tell her?”

Shrugging, she picked at the nail polish on her thumb. “I dunno. I’m just doing what I was told. But I gotta go. Don’t forget, and maybe you should walk her home!”

I didn’t get a chance to respond before she made a quick U-turn and went barreling back toward the house. Every time I visited the underground tunnel system, it had a new hallway. Derek had invested millions of dollars to make sure his employees did not have to travel back and forth to different buildings in inclement weather, or at night. The newest tunnels went out to the guard shack and the site of the new submissive training center. There were miles of the cement structure.

It was only half a mile from the main ranch elevator to the house. There was always a golf cart somewhere close. Derek had a whole fleet of them, but I preferred to walk most of the time. Hitting the button to summon the elevator, I thought about Erika. The little squirrel had avoided me at every turn for the last two days. She left the house early, took her meals in the cafeteria, and went straight to her room in the evening. But she wouldn’t be able to avoid me today. I grinned to myself as I headed toward the office. I loved spending time with Sadie, but with the holidays being difficult on her, she regressed more often than not. Some alone time with Erika would be a breath of fresh air. The doors were open, but I knocked so as not to startle her.

“Master Derek isn’t in right now!” Her voice carried through the room, and the sadness I heard there hit me right in the gut. I hurried through the main office and into hers. She sat behind the computer with red-rimmed eyes, sniffling intermittently.

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