Page 10 of Merry Christmas To Me
Chapter 5
Archer~
Ilet Eddie knock off for the day because Clara Thompson had come looking for him again, and I figured he might as well just go home since he was no good to me hiding behind the tire wall. Besides, Charles was back from his honeymoon and due to come in on Monday. We didn’t have anything that couldn’t wait until then. Plus, with Christmas a little over a week away, people really didn’t expect immediate service during the holidays.
But without any chitchat to distract me, my mind kept jumping back to that familiar manila envelope sitting on the top of my shop desk. I hadn’t been worried about the results because I knew I was healthy as I could be, but there was a certain self-power in having them. There was a certain kind of freedom with that knowledge that I only wanted to experience with a certain stubborn firecracker.
Scrubbing my hand clean with some Gojo, I’d already secured the garage doors since I was closing in five minutes. I wasn’t expecting too many last-minute customers as everyone was using their weekends for Christmas shopping or whatever. I had nothing against Christmas, and I even had lights strung about the shop, but since it was just me upstairs, I didn’t see any sense in decorating or getting a tree.
I heard the buzzer ring, alerting me that someone had entered the lobby, and it looks like I started washing my hands prematurely. Granted, they’d never be squeaky clean, and they were rough hands for sure, but I was proud of every scar and every bruise.
Grabbing a towel, I started drying my hands as I made my way through the door connecting the garage and the shop lobby. My office was through another connecting door behind the lobby, but no one went in there, except me and my employees.
Walking through the door, I already had my customer service smile on my face, but when I saw who was standing in the middle of the room, that smile turned into full-blown Cheshire grin.
“Car trouble?”
Her face turned a pretty shade of pink, but she didn’t turn around and run out. “Sex only,” she blurted out, and though she was here to give me exactly what I wanted, I didn’t like the sound of it.
Realizing I had to navigate this carefully, I asked, “For how long?”
Sia started nibbling on her lower lip, and I almost groaned. Her grey eyes were darting around the lobby as she tried to come up with an answer. Finally, she answered, “One night?” She posed it like a question instead of a confident answer.
Either way, one night wouldn’t work for me.
I shook my head. “Try again,” I replied. Whatever it was about this woman, one night would not do.
“One weekend?” Again, it was posed as a question and, again, that wasn’t working for me.
I shook my head again and threw out my offer. “Through New Year’s.”
Her eyes widened. “That’s three weeks away.”
“And?”
Sia began nibbling on her lower lip again. “How about Christmas?” she negotiated.
Heading towards her, I walked past her to lock the front door and pull down the front window blinds. When I turned around, I noticed she hadn’t moved, but you know what else I noticed? It was damn near the middle of December, and Sia was wearing a thin blouse and a billowy skirt that hit just above her knees and heels. If it weren’t for her overcoat, she’d be cold as fuck. Though it didn’t snow in Brenner, the temperatures did reach freezing.
Her entire body froze as I came up behind her and lowered my lips to her ear. “Did you wear that skirt for me?” The shiver that raced down her spine was all the answer I needed.
Sia had to clear her throat before asking, “So, Christmas?”
I reached around and slowly pulled her coat over her shoulders and down her arms. The lobby was nice and toasty, so I wasn’t worried about her getting cold.
Sia’s hair was down, and so I pushed the strands to the side, and pressed my lips against the soft skin of her neck. She moaned, and I knew I was going to need more than just a few nights with her.
For the first time that I could remember, I wanted to see where this could go.
“If you’re only going to give me until Christmas, then I get all of you, Sia,” I bargained. “No holding back, and nothing is off limits.”
She whirled around and looked up at me. “No,” she rushed out.
“Yes,” I insisted.
Sia shook her head. “No,” she repeated. “I’m not…I’ve seen enough threesomes to last me a lifetime.”
The thump in my chest was immediate. “That’s not what I mean,” I quickly corrected. “It’ll just be only you and me.” I held her gaze. “It willalwaysjust be you and me.” I could see her visibly relax and it made me want to find her ex and beat the shit out of him.
