Page 6 of Santa Daddy’s Curvy Little

When she came back to the office to meet up with me, she was dressed in the same street clothes she had been wearing that morning, and I finally got to appreciate all of her natural beauty. The warmth of the mall had given her face a cheery glow, and she had taken out her two braids, allowing her hair to cascade down the side of her face like a perfect frame. She made her way over to the locker and started to put away the costume, but she froze when the tiny, metal tiny that resembled the festive holiday cookie boxes fell out of her purse. Seeing the tin, I smiled.

“Buy some Christmas cookies?” I asked as I donned my coat. She shook her head as she picked up the tin and offered it to me.

“Actually, I had made these for you,” she admitted sheepishly. “I remembered how, when I was a kid, you told me that your favorite cookie was gingerbread men in the shape of reindeer.” I frowned as I stared down first at the cookie tin then back at her.

“You remember that?” I asked, and she nodded in agreement.

“It seems a little silly, but I always made them for Santa after that day growing up, and I always got the sweetest little thank you note for remembering his favorite cookies year after year,” she continued. “Now that I’m older, I figured it was your preference, not Santa’s, and thought that you might like some.” She sighed as she shook her head. “That is if the fall didn’t destroy them.” I blushed a little as I reached for the tin.

“Thank you, Lana,” I told her, my inner Daddy finally coming out for the first time all year. “I appreciate the gesture and would be honored to accept these.” As she blushed in embarrassment, I lifted the lid of the tin and looked inside.

The cookies were still pretty intact, only a small bit missing here or there, but the entirety of each of the five cookies she had packed for me in the festive tin could be accounted for. What was even more amazing was the fact that she hadn’t just made cookies, but she had also decorated each one, too, making them look like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. I couldn’t help but smile as I looked back up at her.

“Let’s save these for later,” I finally decided. “These can be our after dinner treat.” Nodding in agreement, Lana smiled.

“Speaking of, where are we going for dinner?” she asked. I chuckled and wagged a finger at her as if she were a naughty child trying to ruin their Christmas surprise.

“I’ll show you when we get there,” I promised. “In the meantime, let’s head out to my car. I just got the heater fixed, so it’ll be plenty warm along the way.” She didn’t even hesitate even for a second as she followed me out to the parking lot and over to my car, and I couldn’t help but take notice of the look of relief on her face.

Ghepetto’s Italian Dining was, by far, the fanciest restaurant in town, and I couldn’t wait to take her there. It was the perfect place for a first date, and the dining room was an absolute classic. Ghepetto’s had been around for many years, and it was said to be good luck to have your first date there, even in the dead of winter.

As soon as we pulled up to Ghepetto’s, I turned off the car and risked a glance over at Lana as I unbuckled my seatbelt. She was staring at the brightly lit front window with a look of amazement, and I vaguely remembered wondering if she had ever been there on a date before. As I prepared to open the door, I smiled at her.

“Let me come around and help you with the door,” I offered, and she turned her attention back towards me as I spoke. “That way, I can catch you if there’s any ice. The sidewalks are still pretty bad on this side of town.” Nodding in response, she smiled at me.

“This isn’t just an apology dinner, is it?” she asked, catching me off guard. Frowning, I considered the safest response before answering.

“I would prefer it wasn’t,” I finally admitted, unable to hold back any longer. “In fact, by the end of it, I would actually like to call this our first outing together. First, I want to get a few things off my chest before we really get into my ultimate goal." She looked a little confused, but, after nodding in agreement, she finally allowed me to make my way around the car and open the door for her.

Once we were seated inside, we ordered some wine and an appetizer to share, and I saw the cheerful look return to her expression as she stared at the surrounding dining room, taking in the expensive decoration. Based on the look of wonder in her eyes, she hadn’t been to anything even remotely this nice, even after all her time in the city, and it made me wonder what else she had or hadn’t done. Once we were alone, she turned to look at me.

“So,” she began with a gentle smile. “This place is very nice.” Realizing she was trying to make small talk in order to help with my nerves, I smiled back at her.

“Lana, what exactly are your feelings towards me?” I finally asked, deciding that the best way to handle all of this was to be as direct as possible. “Any feelings at all. No wrong answers at this point.” She sipped her wine as she considered my question.

“I do really like you,” she finally decided after a while. “You seem like a great guy, and I can’t imagine why anyone would have left you the way that person did. In all honesty, I think that your ex is crazy, and I am sorry she left you the way she did. I also wish there was something I could do that would help.” My spirits began to lift as I smiled at her.

“What if there was?” I asked, and she frowned in confusion.

“Was what?” she asked, and I shrugged.

“A way to make me a bit happier?” I asked, and she lowered her gaze, trying to think of what to say.

“And what would that be?” she finally asked, a hint of concern in her voice. Taking a deep breath, I finally decided to take the plunge.

“I would like to continue seeing you,” I finally told her, my heart stopping dead in my chest as the words escaped me. “Beyond work, of course." She swallowed hard as she stared at me in surprise.

"You mean romantically?" she asked, and I nodded.

"Yes," I told her. "I know that we have a significant age difference and everything like that, but I would like for us to give it a try." She winced as she started to shake her head.

"Look, it's not the age difference that has me concerned," she finally admitted, choosing her words carefully as she spoke. "It's more along the lines that I have a special preference towards those I date and how they treat me. I'm… different." I raised an eyebrow at her in surprise.

"Different how?" I asked, and she rubbed the back of her neck.

"I'm…" she began, pausing as she searched for the words. "I'm a Little." My jaw dropped as I stared at her in shock and disbelief.

Lana Nathaniels was a Little? This was news to me, and it was the best news I had ever received. There was no longer any need to beat around the bush. Instead, I could finally admit it to her without the fear of judgement.