Page 2 of Santa Daddy’s Accidental Little Helper

CHAPTER TWO

Henry

As much as I hated to say, this happened far more frequently than I would have liked to admit. I should have seen from the beginning that this kid would have been trouble and made sure to keep an eye on him, but, with so many kids calling out for my attention, it was impossible to focus on just one person. So, as soon as the beard came off, rather than blaming my elf helper the way most people would, I knew it was all my fault.

If I were one hundred percent honest with myself, an argument could be made that she was responsible for what happened. Even though it was her first day at work, I hadn't been able to keep my mind off her the whole time, and, every chance I got, I risked a glance over in her direction. She was absolutely adorable in her little elf costume, and I had a hard time keeping my eyes off her. If I had been paying more attention to the child than her, I would have seen the accident coming long before it occurred and have been prepared.

As soon as we were safe from the public eye, I had to think about what I was going to do in order to make sure it never happened again. Normally, the easiest thing to do would be to not get distracted by her any longer, but it was easier said than done. Her long brown hair was braided down the sides, giving her a childish appearance, and her eyes sparkled as she smiled at each child in order to help get them through the line. Asking me to keep my eyes off her while she was around felt impossible.

I had met her before during the interview, and I was in love by the time the interview was over. However, being a Daddy, I knew that the chances of her being a Little were slim and didn't want to scare her off. So, as we spent the next hour together in the break room, I battled the urge to pin her against the wall and make her beg to be my Little. So, instead, I focused on cleaning the candy cane out of the beard.

"Are you hungry or anything?" she asked after a while. When I looked over my shoulder at her, she saw the confused look on my face and continued. "I know we're supposed to stay in here until we're ready to head back out there, but I saw that the pretzel stall in the food court had a holiday treat, and I really want to try it. I could bring you something back if you want." After considering her offer, I nodded in response.

"That sounds really good," I agreed with a gentle smile as I put down the beard. Reaching into the back pocket, I pulled out my wallet and withdrew twenty dollars. "Buy two of those holiday treats and some hot chocolate. My treat." She stared at the bill in my hand, looking shocked before looking back up at me.

"Are you sure?" she asked, sounding uncertain as she spoke. "I can pay for it myself. It's no trouble at all." I chuckled as I shook my head at her.

"I'm sure," I told her. "It's the least I can do for you after everything that happened." She continued to stare at the bill for a moment, and I nodded. "Go ahead and take it. It's my treat. You deserve it." After a moment, she nodded reluctantly and reached out for the bill.

"Thank you so much," she said with a kind smile. "I suppose I should hurry. I'll be back in a bit." With a wave, she took off out of the break room and into the mall, leaving me alone in the break room.

Finally alone, I was able to think a bit more clearly than before and focused on the task of cleaning the beard. I knew that I should tell her how I felt about her or ask her out outside work, but I was still nervous. I didn't want to give her the wrong idea if she wasn't a Little. That would have been disastrous.

Instead, I decided to ease her into the idea of being my Little and slowly yet surely win her over. That way, by the time I was ready to introduce her to my kink, she would already be a lot more comfortable with me than if I just sprung it on her. In the meantime, I just had to be patient.

Once she returned with the holiday special from the pretzel stall in the food court, we sat down and ate in silence. She still looked a bit stunned. Whether it was the whole situation or my offer to pay for the treat, I didn't know, so I allowed her the time she needed to process everything. By the time we were finishing our hot chocolate, I looked at the clock and saw that it had been almost a full hour, so I looked back at her.

"Are you ready to head out there again?" I asked, and she sighed as she nodded in response, still seeming a bit dazed by everything that happened.

"I suppose so," she agreed reluctantly as she cleaned up the empty wrappers from our snack. Seeing the worry on her face, I continued.

"It's only a few more hours," I reassured her. "After that, we'll be off for the night and free to do as we please." When she didn't respond right away, I continued. "If you want, I know a great place that serves the best steaks in town. That is if you're in the mood for a good meal after work." She paused as she considered this for a moment before shaking her head.

"I'm sorry to say it," she began as she stared at me, "but I think I'll need to take a rain check on dinner. I promised my sister that I would help her with some work tonight when I get off work." Disappointment started to set in until I saw the smile on her face. "I would like to meet up sometime after work, though." Returning her smile, I nodded in agreement.

"Maybe later this week then," I agreed. Seeing the clock, I continued. "We better get going. There's bound to be a line at the display by now."