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I didn’t care about keeping the costume, but I definitely wanted to know what the condition was. So, I raised my eyebrows and tilted my head slightly, tossing him my best curious look.
He clasped my hand and stood, pulling me to my feet with him. Then he took a step toward me. His free hand went around my back, sliding beneath the bottom of my top. My entire body arched toward him at the feel of his warm hand on my bare skin.
Once our bodies were pressed together, he lowered his mouth just inches from mine and said, “Meet me at Lamplighter Lounge at seven o’clock. And wear the costume.”
With that, he stepped away from me and walked from the room, leaving his Santa costume on the floor where he’d dropped it.
2
BLAKE
What the hell was I doing? I was like a dog in heat, getting hard every time I flashed back to Carly in that elf costume.
Six years without a woman in my bed. Six years and my body had flipped into overdrive.
Work had been my life since my wife Amanda died. For six full years, I’d made work my wife, my family…my everything. My only release had been self-gratification while trying to erase my guilt at being a lousy husband.
But now, here I sat in the fancy lounge next door to my building, waiting for a woman in an elf costume who would never come. A woman I couldn’t seem to get out of my mind.
I got hard just remembering the little glimpses of skin I got every time she moved and the hem of that skirt swayed a little. Not to mention the ample cleavage poking out from the top, just begging my hands to reach out and touch it. Those thoughts had been inappropriate when the kids were around, but as soon they were gone, I let my imagination run wild.
And that was why I was sitting here tonight, like a desperate dude in need of a lay.
I took a deep breath and glanced over at the server, Jordana. I’d just get my check and go. It was forty-eight minutes past our designated meeting time and no sign of Elf Carly. Of course, she wasn’t showing. And there was only so long I could sit here pretending that I would have eaten the same sliders and drank the same whiskey sours if I hadn’t been meeting someone here.
I almost caught the server’s eye, but she turned just before looking my way. With a sigh, I reached for my wallet. At least I’d be prepared.
When I looked up again, I saw it out of the corner of my eye. Red-and-white stripes. I’d know those red-and-white stripes anywhere. I could pick them out of a crowd of millions at this point. That was Elf Carly.
As the door swung closed behind her, her eyes landed on me. The red-and-white tights were still on her legs, and I assumed the skirt and top were too. It was impossible to tell with that long black dress coat buttoned from top to bottom.
She still had the white sneakers on, though. They seemed out of place, which made sense once I’d learned she was the backup elf. Someone else had originally been intended to wear that costume. Someone who no doubt wouldn’t have filled it out nearly as well as she did.
I sat back, setting my wallet on the table. Then, I grabbed my glass, picking it up and draining what little liquid was left. I probably should switch to water or soda at this point.
“Hi,” she said as she approached the table. She stopped at the end of it, and my heart sank. Was she about to tell me she couldn’t stick around? “Sorry I’m late.”
I smiled, seeing that as a sign she planned to stay. “No problem. Have a seat. Are you hungry?”
My goal was to project confidence here, maybe make it seem like this was something I did every day—inviting sexy elves to dinner. So what if she turned me down? Since when had it started becoming so important to have a woman around? I’d been just fine for six years.
Okay, maybe not fine, but that was beside the point.
When Carly looked around, it hit me that the look on her face had nothing to do with me. It was the way she was dressed.
“I have an elf costume on,” I said. “People will think…”
She didn’t finish. She just chewed her lip and looked everywhere but at me.
“It’s two days before Christmas,” I said. “I think Halloween rules apply this time of year. If you’re wearing a costume, people will assume you either just came from an event or you’re on your way to one.”
Her eyes met mine then. I had no idea what she saw when she looked at me, but it seemed to calm her nerves. She nodded and reached for the top button, but she waited until she slid into the booth to really get to work on removing the coat.
It was a corner booth, so we were both side by side by then, looking out across the bar. I’d done that on purpose. Part of me wanted to look at her across the table, but the other part wanted her close. I had images of sliding my arm around her and pulling her toward me.
Now that she was next to me, though, I didn’t have the courage to reach out. Damn, I was out of practice when it came to getting a woman into bed.
“Hi.” Jordana appeared just as Carly had finished removing the coat. She settled it over her shoulders, as though not quite ready to bare her costume. “What can I get you to drink?”
