Page 55 of Santa Has a Six-Pack
Man, this guy is a mess right now.
But frankly, so am I.
“What Matt means is yes, we’ll be at lunch, but not quite yet,” I say.
“Why not quite yet?” Keira asks.
“We uh, we need to talk first? I need to give him some feedback about this first round of Santa visits. That’s part of my job as his handler, right? I should be offering him feedback?” I look at Dottie for confirmation.
She nods. “Absolutely. You know, I’m proud of the way you’ve embraced this position, sweetheart.”
Dottie places a firm hand on my shoulder, causing me to shift slightly on Matt’s lap.
“Speaking of positions,” Matt says. “I think it may be time we get out of this one.”
“Matt,” Dottie continues. “Would you believe that Penny was opposed to this whole World’s Fittest Santa endeavor when it was first presented?”
“Hard to believe,” Matt grunts, clearly suffering.
“Look at her now! Seems you’ve won her over with your charms.” She winks.
“Seems so,” he says.
“Lunch in conference room two as usual?” I ask.
“Conference room two,” Dottie says. “See you in a few.”
I realize then that Keira has been studying us. She gives me a curious look as she walks away with Dottie, but otherwise, doesn’t say a word.
Matt and I stay sitting in silence, watching them depart.
“Okay,” I say. “They’ll be out of sight in five, four, three, two… one.”
“Penny, I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting this to —”
“Get your ass into Santa’s House,” I say in that same breathy voice from before.
“What?” he whispers back. “What are you?—”
“Get your ass into Santa’s House. Now.”
Chapter 14
Matt
I expect Penny to tear into me, to tell me I embarrassed her, that I was completely unprofessional—which would be an accurate assessment because I nearly busted a nut during my first lap-sitting shift as Santa.
But she doesn’t yell at me.
Instead, the second we get inside this little Santa shack thing, she grabs my face and kisses me.
And you better believe I kiss her back.
Like my life depends on it.
I back her against the door. She stands on her tiptoes to kiss me deeper. I groan when her silk-covered chest presses against my bare one. She runs her fingernails down my back. Whoever came up with the costuming idea to have my Santa coat open with nothing underneath it was a damn genius.
Oh right. That was Penny’s idea. Yeah, I’m a big fan of this woman.
