Page 11 of Sleigh Rides With St. Nick

He raised an eyebrow."You're still thinking about marketing?"

"Of course.That's what I'm here to do," I pointed out."And part of that is learning what it is about your business that makes it unique."

He nodded."That's fair.What coffee did you want?"

"A gingerbread latte," I said, picking up the gingerbread syrup.

He reached out to take the bottle from me, his fingers brushing against mine as he did.It did funny things to my insides to have him touch me, even if it was only a passing touch.

"It feels festive," I said weakly in an attempt to distract myself from the effect he'd had on me.

"Ah, you're getting into the Christmas spirit."His voice came out a little gravelly, only making it more appealing.I needed to be careful.It was okay for me to find him attractive, but I couldn't let it distract me from what I was supposed to be doing.

"It is that time of year.Can you not say that you feel the same?"

"Absolutely.I love this time of year."Something in his demeanour changed and his whole face lit up."There's nothing better than having the chance to feast with friends or see the joy on a child's face when you give them an unexpected toy."

I chuckled."So you're the CEO of a toy company, you love Christmas, and you love giving kids toys.That basically makes you Santa."

"Probably because I am," he responded without even missing a beat.He finished my latte and put it down in front of me before starting to make his own.

I blinked a couple of times."You're Santa?"

"I prefer Nick," he said."But yes.Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Sinterklaas, the Lord of Misrule, all me."

I cleared my throat."Right."

"Huh, you're taking less convincing than I thought."He picked up his coffee and took a sip, nodding in satisfaction."A gingerbread latte was the right choice."

"I did meet you at a Jinx mixer," I said."And why would you lie about it?"

He shrugged."To try and get you to sleep with me."

"Would that work?"My mouth was kind of dry at the insinuation, even though it wasn't like Ihadn'tbeen thinking about it.

He chuckled wryly."You wouldn't believe the number of people who've tried over the years.I think the fact they can ask to sit on my lap makes them bold."

"Do you..."I stopped myself before I could ask the rest of my highly inappropriate question, especially when he was kind of my boss now.I picked up my mug and took a sip.

"Only when I like the person," he said."And never in the suit."

"So you really do dress up in a red suit and hand out presents?"I asked, starting to get more curious now that the initial shock was wearing off a bit.

"Not to everyone in the world, but to some people, yes.If I was to listen to my grandfather, we were descended from Saint Nicholas."

"Wasn't he a member of the clergy?"I asked.

"Yes.So it's unlikely.But my grandfather was a toymaker, and he prided himself in always having a certain number of toys he could give to the less fortunate around this time of year.He instilled the same desire in me."

"And when you're talking about your grandfather, how long ago was this?"I should have twigged that when he said that toys had been made by members of his family on this spot before, but considering I'd been assuming he was fae of some kind, that wasn't that unusual.

He shrugged."Five hundred years or so."

"Oh, that isn't as long ago as I expected."I leaned back against the counter, considering everything he'd been telling me and if it changed anything.

"You don't seem particularly fazed by my age."He studied my face.

"My dad was in his three hundreds when they had me," I responded.

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