“How about I be a really good girl and take care of that for you?” She bit her lip.
I spanked each cheek twice more. “You know there is no pleasure directly after a punishment, naughty girl.”
“Ow! I know that, but no one says you have to suffer too. You aren’t the one in trouble,” she argued.
We'd been here before and I’d mistakenly allowed her to sway me once or twice, but that wasn’t what I wanted this time. I mean, I wanted it, but it wasn’t what either of us really needed.
“Not this time. I know how much you like sucking Daddy’s cock, so even if you’re not getting a release, you still get pleasure from doing it.”
She sighed heavily.
“Frustrating when none of your tricks are working, isn’t it?”
“A little bit, yeah.”
“Well if you can manage to behave for the rest of the night, maybe we can enjoy one another before bed,” I told her as I helped her to stand in front of me.
“Are you going back to work now?”
Even if I had planned to go back to the office, the forlorn expression on her face would have stopped me in my tracks. The twinkle of unshed tears damn near broke me.
I pulled her gently into my lap so I could hold her while I reassured her. “I’m not going anywhere for the rest of the night. I know it’s been a really rough few months and I’m sorry I have made you feel like you are not as important to me as my job. I can’t promise it will get better from now until Christmas, but for tonight I am turning off all communication from the elves and it will just be me and you. How about we get some of those cookies and I whip up some hot chocolate and we watch a couple of Christmas movies?”
“That sounds really nice.”
Her body melted into mine and we sat in silence for a long time. It was so long I'd thought my little elf had fallen asleep, but then she lifted her head from my chest and looked up at me. Her eyes had lost that despondent look, but there was still something there.
“I’m really sorry for causing trouble.”
“You didn’t cause that much trouble, little elf.”Aside from giving me a heart attack by ending up on the naughty list three days before Christmas.“You were punished and you’re not going to do it again, correct?”
“Correct. Dress warm and no more borrowing things without asking.”
“Good girl.” I kissed her forehead. “Now let’s get comfy and shut out the world.”
I snapped my fingers and we were both instantly dressed in matching fleece Christmas pajamas.
“Really?” She quirked her brow and shook her head.
“What? You don’t like them?”
She shook her head and giggled. “Sometimes you make it really hard to forget that I married Santa Claus.”
“Why would you want to forget that?” I asked with genuine curiosity.
“I don’twantto forget. Just sometimes the reminders hit harder than other times.”
“I can’t really understand, because this life is all I know, but trust me when I say that after Christmas I’m going to make it my mission to make you forget. There will be no Christmas, no Mr. and Mrs. Claus. Just Crystal and Yule on a very well-deserved vacation.”
She gave a small smile and leaned up to kiss my cheek before climbing off my lap. “As much as I am looking forward to that, I know who we are and I know who I married. If it wasn’t for who you are, then I would still be living all alone in Las Vegas, hating Christmas and being miserable. So yes, I do miss you, but I wouldn’t change any of this for the world.”
“Good, because neither would I. Now why don’t you go fix us a pretty tray of cookies while I make a quick call to the office?”
Her face fell when I mentioned work and I rushed to reassure her.
“Just to let Bernadette know my plan.” I held up one finger to illustrate my words. “I promise. The only thing that could tear me out of this house and away from you right now would be some cataclysmic world-ending catastrophe.”
“Cataclysmic world-ending catastrophe, huh? I think you’ve been spending a little too much time with the elves. Their dramatics are rubbing off on you.” She smirked.