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  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Santa’s Little Helper

  Copyright © 2011 by Lacey Kane

  Cover Design by Adrienne Thorne

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without written permission.

  For more information: [email protected] or www.laceykane.com

  Warning: This book contains sexually explicit material and adult language, and might offend some readers. This is for adults only.

  Disclaimer: The sexual practices contained herein are of a fantasy BDSM nature. Do not try any new sexual practice, or any of those described within this book, without the guidance of an experienced practitioner. Many of the acts described within this book are figments of the author’s rather abundant imagination and might, therefore, not be possible, legal, and/or advisable. Neither the publisher nor the author will be responsible for any loss, injury, harm, or death resulting from the use of the information found within this or any other title.

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  About the Author

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  “Christ, what a day.” Josh pulled out the pillow he’d used to stuff his Santa suit, tossed it across the room to join a similar pile on the floor that the janitors would clean up later, and sank onto the couch in the mall employee break room. “I’m used to the screaming babies, but those toddlers and their temper tantrums?” Muscles rolled in his forearms. I shouldn’t have noticed that sort of thing.

  He hadn’t even had the worst of the temper tantrums, today. I rolled my eyes at him while pulling off my Santa’s helper hat and wig. The worst of the kids never even made it past me to get to him. If they were throwing too big of a fit, for whatever reason, it was my job to send them back to their parents until they could behave themselves long enough to sit on this dead-sexy, blue-eyed, godlike Santa’s lap and get a picture taken.

  Therefore, I’m the one who always got hit, kicked, bit, etc., etc., etc.

  “Yeah, I know,” he said.

  I guess I didn’t even need to explain the eye roll. No surprise there. He’d seen the kid bite my ear so hard I was shocked there was no blood.

  His cell phone beeped and he pulled it out of his pocket to read the text message.

  I shook my real hair free and grabbed my bag, ready to head into the bathroom and change, then get the hell out of Dodge.

  “Damn,” he said.

  He sounded pretty serious, so I turned to see what was wrong, shouldering my duffel bag. “What’s up?” I was hoping he wasn’t going to say that he had a family emergency or something like that. I was scheduled to do the mall Santa gig with him for the next three days in a row. And if he couldn’t make it, that would mean I’d be stuck with creepy, smelly Carl for all of those shifts. The dude was as old as my grandpa, and he was always trying to see up my rather short Santa’s helper skirt. Working with Josh was infinitely better. He was hot as hell, funny, and smelled like sin. Blond hair, blue eyes, tanned and toned. Everything a girl could ask for in a coworker. Well, everything this girl could ask for, at least. And if he tried to look up my skirt…well, I wouldn’t complain.

  Yeah, I know. You don’t even have to say it. It’s all about me.

  “One of my buddies had to cancel on us tonight at the last minute.”

  I snorted, relieved it was something minor and it wouldn’t affect my working situation, and he looked up with a wounded expression.

  “This is no laughing matter. This is our annual pre-Christmas poker night, and we’re a man down.”

  “So what’s the big deal if you play with one less player than normal?”

  “Big deal?” Josh gave me that sexy pout of his, the one that gave me all sorts of not-family-friendly thoughts about what he could do with those lips. “The big deal is its tradition. We’ve done this every year for nine years in a row, and no one has ever missed.” He dragged a hand through his longish, curly blond hair and sighed, but then a mischievous glint came into his baby blues. “You play poker, Tara?”

  I lifted a brow. “Yeah, I play. But not very well—”

  “I don’t care how well you play, I just need a fifth. And, you know, better you than Carl.”

  Yeah, I knew that way too well.

  “And I figure you don’t have any other plans for tonight, you know, since…”

  Since Blake dumped me last week. Josh didn’t have to say it.

  Still, I had to tease him about it. “Since I’m a loser college drop-out who has no boyfriend, no life, and no plans on a Saturday night, and works as Santa’s Little Helper at the mall?”

  “I’d never call you pathetic for working as Santa’s Little Helper,” he deadpanned. “Particularly since I’m Santa, and I’d die without your help.” He shuddered, probably remembering the ear-biter from earlier. “Seriously, though. You’re coming. You have no good excuse not to. I need you to. And it’ll do you good to be around a bunch of guys, drinking and having a good time and forgetting about what’s his name because it’ll be just you and four guys at your beck and call.” He jumped up from the couch and came over to me, playfully wrapping an arm around my waist.

  It was tempting, if for no other reason than I wanted to get to know Josh a little better. I didn’t know if he was boyfriend material, and I didn’t know if I was ready for a new boyfriend anyway…but he might be good for a post-dump rebound sort of fling.

  “You can sleep on my couch,” he added when I still hadn’t made up my mind. “No need to drive home after having a few beers. Or better yet, I’ll sleep on the couch and you can have my bed.”

  The few beers sounded good. “Fine. I’ll come. Let me go change, and I’ll be ready in ten minutes.”

  He tugged me closer, pulling my backside into his front and locking his strong arms around me. The sudden movement knocked my duffel bag out of my arms, and it fell to the floor. A little tingle of anticipation fluttered through me.

  “I’ve got a better idea,” he said. “Come dressed like this. I’ll wear mine, too. Well, minus the pillow gut, and you can leave off the wig—but wear the hat. The hat’s sexy. The guys’ll get a kick out of it, and then when you’ve lost all your chips, you can bring us beers and whatnot in your little outfit. You know, Santa’s Little Helper.”

  What the hell? It was almost Christmas, and I needed to have a good time. It should make the night interesting, at least. Why not?

  “You’ve got yourself a fifth poker player for tonight.”

  “Good.” He picked up my bag, took my hand, and pulled me out of the break room before I could change my mind.

  We left my car at the mall, since we’d both be back to work tomorrow and I was going to sleep at his place. Even with him speeding in his little sports car the whole way, it took us a good forty-five minutes to get to his place. It was a lake house out in the middle of nowhere, but the lights were all on and three other cars were in the drive already.

  When we walked in, Josh tossed my bag on the hall floor and led me by the hand into the living room. Three big, strong, sinfully good looking men sat around a round table, setting up cards and chips and getting their beers in place.

  They all looked up with question marks practically hanging over their heads.

  “Shawn texted and cancelled on us for a chick. I brought Tara instead.”

  Three pairs of eyes traveled over me, up and down, with anything from a bit of interest to heated lust. Holy crap,
what had I gotten myself into?

  “Nice outfit,” the tall one on the right said with a sensual smirk. His reddish-brownish hair and green eyes were way too adorable…but his physique was anything but what could be termed adorable. Hulking, maybe.

  “That’d be Chase,” Josh said. “Next to him is Eric—” he pointed to the one with black hair and very dark gray eyes, and equally intimidating build— “and finally Will—” pointing to the sandy blond, tanned god-like man on the opposite end. “We’re buddies from back in our college football days. Started this poker night when we were freshmen hoping to get on the team, and haven’t missed a year since.”

  That explained the build they all had.

  “Want a beer?” Eric asked on his way to the refrigerator.

  “That’d be great. Thanks.” I took another step inside, trying to get my bearings. I’m not normally shy, but these guys were more than just a little intimidating.

  Chase patted the open chair next to him. “This one’s for you, Tara.”

  I sat, and Eric put a beer in front of me before going back to his seat.

  Will just scowled at us all. “Well, let’s get started. Hundred dollar buy-in, as usual.”

  A hundred dollar buy-in? Josh hadn’t said anything about that. I felt heat rushing to my cheeks. No way in hell could I afford that much. I thought I had a five in my pocket—the change from my lunch. That was it, until payday, which was another three days away.

  The guys all dug into their wallets, fishing out bills. I didn’t have anything I could afford to put in, though. I just sat there.

  “Hell,” Josh said when he caught my eye. “I didn’t mention that, did I?”

  I shook my head.

  Will narrowed his chocolate brown eyes at me. “Can’t afford it?”

  “No, I—”

  “I’ll put in twenty dollars toward your buy-in if you take off your bra and give it to me.”

  I’d only thought my face was hot before that.

  “Nice idea,” Chase said from beside me. He raked green eyes over my outfit. “Lose the panties, and that’ll get you forty.”

  I couldn’t look up at any of them or I’d die of embarrassment. I mean, they wouldn’t see anything, but they’d know that I didn’t have those things on. It just felt all sorts of awkward. I realized I was breathing heavier than normal.

  Josh’s hand landed on mine in my lap. He rubbed his thumb lazily over the back of my hand, like it was natural. Normal. Like we did it all the time. “Those granny socks are easily worth ten. But leave the heels on.”

  I could feel Eric’s near-black eyes on me.

  “Stand up and let me get another look,” he said after a minute.

  With my face burning, I did.

  “Come around here on this side of the table.”

  I didn’t look up as I walked over to him. He gave the bottom hem of my Santa’s helper jacket a firm tug. “Yeah, that’ll cover your ass. Barely. I’ll put in the last thirty for your skirt.”

  Holy mother of God, what had I gotten myself into? But I couldn’t get back to my car and go home, since my car was a good forty-five minutes away at the mall, so what choice did I really have? Still, it was all just in fun, right?

  “So do we have a deal, Tara?” Josh asked. He sounded concerned.

  I looked up at him and met his eyes, then tried to give him a reassuring smile. Or maybe I was trying to reassure myself. I don’t know. Still, I gave him a nod, and then I turned my back to start taking off the garments they were purchasing.

  I started with the bra. I had to undo the buttons on the Santa’s helper jacket to get it off, and when I had it free, I tossed it over my shoulder and started to redo the buttons.

  Will moved in front of me, though, and grabbed my hands to stop them. I shook, unsure what he was going to do. He took the open fabric from me and did up one button, below my bra line but above my waist, and then winked at me. “Leave the rest, and I’ll let you win a hand.”

  I nodded, because I felt like I’d swallowed my tongue at some point.

  He picked the bra up from the floor, went back to the table, and sat again.

  Still shaking, I rolled down the socks and stepped out of my heels to remove them, then put the heels back on. I didn’t bother trying to give them anything else just yet. I needed to get the required garments off before I lost my nerve.

  With my eyes closed, I reached behind me and undid the zipper on the skirt, and lowered it from my hips to the sound of whistles behind me. I didn’t slow down at all. I hooked my fingers into the waistband of my bikini panties and lowered them, then rushed to tug the jacket down as low as it would go before they saw too much. Yeah, like that really helped. My cheeks had to be hanging out, and who knew how much they’d be able to see from the front.

  I dashed back to my chair and sat.

  The four men all just looked at me with raised eyebrows. After a few seconds, Chase held out his hand. “My panties?”

  Christ on a cracker, were they really going to make me bend down and pick that stuff up? But of course they were. They were paying me to take off my clothes and play poker with them. Who knew what other sort of crazy ideas they might have.

  Tugging on the bottom of my jacket to have it cover as much as possible, I darted back to where I’d left the panties, skirt, and socks. I gathered them all up in my arms as quickly as I could, and then I raced back to the poker table, dumping them in the middle. Each man took the corresponding items.

  Josh held up a lone sock and lifted a brow. “Ten dollars was for two socks. You’ve only brought me one.”

  Fucking bastard. Oh, he loved to tease me, and it seemed tonight was going to be no exception. I looked over to where the other sock had fallen on the floor in my haste.

  Uh uh. I wasn’t going back with my bare ass hanging out. I still had change in my pocket from my supper break. Digging inside, I pulled out a five and victoriously stuck it in the middle of the table.

  Eric shook his head. “I don’t know. A solo sock is not worth nearly half the price of a good pair.”

  “Agreed,” Josh said. “I’ll give you a dollar for this one sock. You’re still short four.”

  The five was all I had. I glared at Josh, then got up to fetch his sock. When I got back to the table, I tossed it at him. “Better?”

  “It’ll be even better when you’re out of chips and getting up and down repeatedly to fetch us beers all night.”

  I huffed and sat down again, careful to keep my legs tight together. “Let’s play, okay?”

  “Whatever Santa’s Little Helper wants,” Will said with a wink that looked like trouble. He picked up the deck of cards and started shuffling.

  As expected, my poker playing was not going well. We’d been at it for about an hour. I was down to a sip left of my third beer and five measly chips, other than the ten I already had in the pot on this hand. Eric was in it with me, and he didn’t look like he was going anywhere.

  I had the makings of a straight, if I could just get a nine. Any nine would do.

  Chase dealt the turn card. A jack. No help for me.

  Josh’s hand was on my knee. I didn’t know how long it had been there, but my knee was warm from the contact. Well, maybe overheated was a better word for it. And my legs had spread apart some. How had that happened? I needed to slow down on the beers. I thought about jerking my knees closed again, but figured that would raise Josh’s suspicions, so I decided against it.

  Eric peeked at his two hold cards again, like he didn’t know what they were, not that I was falling for that one. Then he looked at me. Then he looked at my stack of chips. He tossed three chips into the center.

  I didn’t look down. I knew what I had. I knew what I needed. Without hesitation, I called, shoving three chips out.

  Chase dealt the river. Nine of hearts! I had my straight.

  Eric looked at my stack again. “You’re down to just two?”

  I didn’t bother to respond, since it was obvious. I
nstead, I took my last swill of beer, and thought for a minute. Then I looked at the five face-up cards on the table. Nine of hearts, Jack of hearts, six of clubs, two of hearts, eight of diamonds. Damn. He could have a higher straight than me, or he could have a flush. Either of those would beat me.

  “How much would you boys say Tara taking off her jacket is worth?”

  I choked on my beer.

  Chase pounded me on the back. “Easy, there. It’s just a piece of clothes.”

  When I could breathe again, I glared at him. “Yeah, and it’ll leave me naked except for my heels and Santa hat, and the four of you are fully dressed.”

  “That can be easily remedied,” Will said with a wink.

  It had to be the beer, but instead of being appalled or intimidated, or feeling anything a normal woman would feel when surrounded by four huge former football-playing jocks talking about everyone getting naked together, my breasts tingled and felt heavy, and a zing shot straight to my center.

  I had to get it together. My mind had gone straight to sex, which was not what was being discussed. Definitely time to lay off the beer.

  Ignoring Will’s suggestion seemed to be the best plan of action, so I turned to Eric. “No go on the jacket. I’ve got two chips. Bet accordingly.”

  “The jacket’s easily worth fifty,” Chase said. He even reached over and slid his hand over it, bumping lightly against my breast underneath.

  My breath sped up, like it was trying to match the pace of my pulse. What the hell was going on here? I was so focused on Chase touching my jacket that I didn’t notice Josh’s hand moving up my thigh until he was almost touching my sex.

  My eyes shot up to him. His baby blues were more like midnight, dark with desire like I’d never seen on him before but imagined countless times.

  “You want this, don’t you, Tara?” He rubbed a finger over my mound, moved it gently along my slit, and all I could do was sit there staring at him. “You do. Your cunt is crazy hot, and so fucking wet already, and we’ve hardly touched you. You want this.”