Naughty Nicks (6 page)

“Do you get a lot of those?”

Blake closed the distance between them, reached out and cupped her cheek. The gentleness of his touch made her want to weep. This was her attraction to the man, not his good looks, or his humor—although those things certainly didn’t detract—his ability to be real. Most guys she knew would have freaked out when she stood up and crowded in, or else they’d assume she was about to jump their bones—which she wanted to, but no, not here—but not Blake.

The concern in his eyes was clear and sincere.

Kim somehow resisted the urge to get up on her tip-toes and kiss the end of his nose. “I get a few a day. I’m used to dealing with them by now.”

“You seem upset though.”

“I’ve just been a bit stressed out the past little while. Too much on my plate.” And too many thoughts of him on her mind.

“If you need some time off, I don’t mind.” He let his hand drop, but he didn’t move back. “I can ask one of the guys to come in and run the office.”

“No!” Her heartbeat raced and her hands trembled. There was no way she was going to leave for even a day. She wanted, no needed to soak in every minute of time she had to spend with him. It was the only thing that would keep her going as the year moved forward. “I’m good. It’s just...don’t send me away.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

Silence fell between them again, but this time it wasn’t awkward or strained. There was a weight behind it, as though they both wanted to say something more, but neither were willing to risk the consequences.

“Blake, I think we should—”

He held up his hand. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t say that you think we should talk about this. I don’t have a good track record with words that come after that phrase near Christmas.”

Shit.
“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. You gave me a lot of good memories to help me counter the bad ones.” He smiled then, barely a quirk of his lips, but it lit up his eyes. “I’m the one who’s sorry. I didn’t mean to overreact at lunch. And I shouldn’t have pawed at you the way I did. I was just...impulse.”

Kim blinked, no longer certain about how to proceed, or even what to say next. Maybe rather than talking she needed to simply cut to the chase and show him what she wanted. Going up high on her toes, she placed a kiss to his cheek. Her lips were prickled by the start of his stubble, the sensation sending chills through her. Dragging her mouth across his jawline and down to his chin, she kissed him again.

“Kim?” His voice shook and she felt him swallow.

Ignoring his mouth, she moved over and kissed his other cheek, before finally making the stretch for the tip of his nose. He sucked in a little breath, but he made no move to kiss her back. That was fine. She’d thrown the gauntlet and he now knew where she stood. She looked up to see that the color of his irises had been nearly swallowed by the blacks of his pupils. For the first time since she’d met him, Kim didn’t have a clue how he would react.

Oh, she knew what she wanted him to
do
, she simply wasn’t certain he was ready to get there.

Blake let out a stuttered breath. “Kim, I—”

The electronic door chime went off and she stepped away from him in a flash and turned to face the big fat jerk who’d interrupted them. “Welcome to Naughty Nicks.”

The two women both looked to be in their seventies, hell, maybe even their eighties. The taller of the two looked between Kim and Blake, tapped her nose and gave them a grin. “Hello my dear. Would one of your naked Santas come to a retirement home?”

* * *

Blake couldn’t stand there and listen to the two elderly women talk to Kim. He’d hoped they would be in and out quickly, but the pair must have picked up on what had been going on between them and were dragging their feet, while they continuously shot Blake curious glances. If he didn’t know any better, he’d suspect they were mentally undressing him.

At least Kim would have a mark she could add to the
naughty
list.

His cock throbbed, showing absolutely no sign of going back to its less-than-rock-hard state. Even stepping into his office and pressing the heel of his hand against it did little to help alleviate the pressure.

She’d kissed him.

It still didn’t change the fact that he was nearly ten years older than she was, way too big a gap for them to have a shot at a lasting relationship. The last thing he wanted was to be
one of those guys
who hooked up with a woman in her twenties just to get back at an ex. This wasn’t about them having some meaningless fling, a chance to have mindless sex with a hottie who he could walk away from.

It wouldn’t be like that. He’d never seen Kim that way even that night in the bar. Kim had it together—she was smart, confident, and far surer of herself than he’d been at that age. It wasn’t any one particular thing that attracted him to her, but rather it was the complete package.

“Oh I know just the guy! Chris has this thing he can do with his butt cheeks. The girls will love it!” Even though she was in the next room, her voice was taking its toll on him.

He pressed down again on his cock, willing the hard-on to go away. There was only one way he’d be able to deal with this—and the thought of jerking off in the bathroom was wrong.

Necessary, but wrong.

Snatching a file folder off his desk, he strategically placed it in front of his groin and strode from the office. “Everything okay, ladies?”

“Oh, we’re just peachy.” The shorter of the two women winked at him. “Is he one of the Santas?”

He could feel their eyes on his ass as he kept going. “Sorry to disappoint. I just sign the paychecks.”

Their giggles followed him down the hallway and into the small bathroom where he turned and quickly shut and locked the door, and undid the front of his pants. His hand was down his underwear and around his cock before the breath left his lungs. God, what would Kim think of him if she saw him like this—jerking off like a teen in a public place?

She’d probably smile as she toyed with one of her curls. She might even bite down on her bottom lip while she watched him stroke his cock with shorter and faster strokes. If Blake was really lucky, she might saunter over to him in that flirty way that she did, and drop down to her knees.

He pressed his head back against the door at that particular image and squeezed his eyes shut. In his mind she didn’t suck him, didn’t reach for him at all—she simply stared at his hand, his cock, and smiled. Maybe she’d tease him a bit. Oh yeah, he could see her doing that.

Come on
,
Blake.
Show me your little elf.
Slow down a bit
,
I
want to get a good look at you.
I
need to see if you’re going to be man enough for me.
I
could lick up the length of your shaft
,
tease the tip with my tongue
,
see if I get a Christmas treat.
Would you like that?
Want me to suck your balls into my mouth and scratch my nails down your thighs?

That’s it.
Harder now.
God
,
your cock is so red.
You better come for me.

In a flash he was back on the floor of Kim’s apartment. He could taste her come on his tongue, could remember how wet her pussy got when he’d slipped his fingers inside her. He squeezed his shaft the way her muscles had clenched around him. If he were to do things again, he’d press a finger into her ass as he fucked her. He’d need both his hands to torment every sensitive spot on her body. There’d be teasing on his end as well.

I
want to fuck your ass
,
baby.
I’ll pinch your nipples nice and hard until you’re begging me to let you come.
Maybe I’ll let you sit on my face so I can eat you out while I finger you.
I
bet you’d like that.

Kim’s phantom moans filled his head. He pictured her riding him, her hands braced against his chest as she drove her body down. Her pussy would be tight, wet as she ground her body hard against him. She’d scratch her nails along his chest, raking them over his nipples and causing him to gasp. He’d do his best to hold on, to keep from tipping over until she came first. He needed her to come first, wanting to have her come apart around him.

Every muscle in her body would clench, her face would flush and her nipples would be hard and red. She’d gasp and throw her head back as her pussy squeezed his cock hard, her voice filling the room as she screamed out in pleasure.

He clenched his teeth together as his orgasm slammed into him hard and fast. He couldn’t open his eyes, didn’t want the mental picture of Kim to be wiped away as pleasure roared through him. The way she’d look down at him, so beautiful, perfect. He wanted to touch her, caress her breasts, kiss her, fuck her again—no, that wasn’t an option.

As the last ripples of his release subsided, Blake let his body relax back against the door and did his best to get his breathing under control. Shit, what the hell had he done? He’d jerked off in the bathroom to the thought of his friend and employee.

Kim didn’t deserve to be treated like some sort of cheap sex object. She was an intelligent, funny woman who helped others on a daily basis. She didn’t deserve to be reduced to nothing more than a masturbation fantasy for him. And as much as he would love the idea of the two of them getting together, he couldn’t do that to her. He knew from their conversations that she wasn’t ready for family and commitment yet, and he wasn’t into the party scene anymore. A relationship between them wouldn’t work, and he wasn’t prepared to offer her anything less.

Moving to the sink, he flicked on the water and cleaned himself up. With a quick look around to make sure there wasn’t any evidence remaining of his moment of weakness, he dried his hands, zipped up and opened the door.

To come face to face with Kim.

“Hey.” Her smile made her eyes sparkle. It always did. “You okay? You were in there a long time.”

His heart renewed the too-quick beating in his chest. “Yeah, I’m good.”

“You know, Mrs. McKenzie was checking you out. She tried for five minutes after you left to convince me to put you on the stripper list. I’m telling you, you could totally make a killing if you come over to this side of the business.”

Blake wanted to wrap her up in his arms and kiss her senseless. Christ, what was the matter with him? “A man needs to be able to dance first. It’s best for all involved if I stay away from the stripping. I might kill someone.”

Before he was able to walk past her, Kim reached out and brushed her fingers against his forearm. That simple touch was enough to stop him in his tracks and look into her eyes.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” She swayed closer, but pulled back before they came into contact. “You seem off.”

“It’s this time of year.” Still, when she opened her mouth to say something, something inside him broke. Memories of their night together. The softness in her voice when she’d teased him, kissed him. If she’d been planning to speak, the words evaporated as he lowered his head and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.

An honest-to-God proper kiss.

The feeling was electric, although brief, as she parted her lips and let him in. His cock twitched, threatening to come back to life, a stark reminder of what he’d just done. Guilt gnawed at his belly and he broke the kiss, pulling away quickly. Kim still had her eyes closed, but she didn’t look the least bit upset by what he’d done. Still, he’d crossed a line he shouldn’t have.

“I’m sorry.” His voice was ragged and his hands shook. “I’m heading out.”

“What?” Kim blinked rapidly and gave her head a small shake. “You just kissed me and now you’re leaving?”

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Without another look back, Blake bolted for the door. What a colossal fuckup he was. He’d kissed Kim. At work. A woman who not only was his junior but his employee. He snatched his coat from the office, thankful that Kim didn’t follow him out, and stepped outside. The cold December air blasted against his face, a thankful punishment for his actions. Without bothering to do up his coat, he turned and started walking, hoping it would knock some sense into him.

Chapter Four

It was strange for Kim to be attending a party where one of her Naughty Nicks was giving a performance, but she wasn’t about to walk away. Not when she knew it was Greg who’d be stripping down to his more-than-revealing red underwear. Plus, she needed something to take her mind off of Blake and whatever the hell had happened between them for him to kiss her and run.

She kissed him. He kissed her. Then he “had to work from his other office” for two days.

Bastard Blake and his fucking mixed signals.

No, no, no, not Blake.
Greg.
She came here to focus on Greg with those abs, and that ass...

Yes, she was going to have so much fun teasing him the next time he came into the office. Because with Greg she knew exactly where she stood.

“Oh my God, Kimmie, I can’t believe you set all this up for me!” Sarah tackle-hugged her from behind, squeezing her so much, air refused to enter her lungs. Her Amazonian friend was far too touchy-feely for a woman of her height and size. She could practically swallow someone up in her arms, especially Kim given how tiny she was.

“Can’t. Breathe.”

“Shit, sorry.” Sarah stepped back, but somehow still managed to keep bouncing. “I’m freaking out about this. Best Christmas party ever!”

“All of your parties are the best. You didn’t need a Naughty Nick for that, sweetie.”

Despite her book smarts, Sarah was more than a little paranoid when it came to her ability to handle social situations. She’d been taken advantage of more than a few times in university, though that hadn’t dampened her natural enthusiasm for life. She loved making people happy, and in turn, Kim loved seeing her happy. If only Sarah had a guy who would treat her right and not break her heart.

Maybe she should introduce her to Clark...

“Oh no, this one will be talked about for
ages
. I have the rum punch flowing and the rum cake cut and served.” Sarah’s ponytail swished behind her head as though it had come to life. “And after our naked Santa goes, I have
It’s a Wonderful Life
ready to go. It will be perfect!”

God, they’d be drunk, horny and bawling all at once. “I can’t wait.”

“When’s he going to get here?” Sarah spun in a circle, looking more than a little like a dog trying to locate her tail.
Yeah
,
tomorrow I’m finding out if Clark is single or not.

“He’s late, right? He should have been here twenty minutes ago.”

Frowning, Kim checked her watch again. “Actually, he is.” Greg was one of the first men she’d hired for this gig three years ago, one of the few who returned year after year. He was super anal about being punctual, almost as much as he was about his appearance. For him to be late meant there was a problem. “I’m going to give him a call—”

The doorbell rang, dragging a squeal from Sarah who raced to the door to peek through the window. “That’s him!” She hugged Kim once again. “Can you let him in while I get everyone into the living room super quick? I want to make sure they are all in good spots for the show.”

Sarah was getting more hyper as time went on. Maybe her and Clark wouldn’t be such a good idea after all. “Sure, sweetie.”

Her friend bounded off to herd their friends into the other room, leaving Kim to answer the door. She waited long enough for Greg to ring a second time, and for Sarah to give her the thumbs up.

Show time.

Opening the door revealed Greg standing there wearing a very un-jolly expression on his face, his Santa hat crushed in his hand. “My boyfriend is an asshole.”

“Of course he is.” Kim leaned up and gave him a hug. “He fucked with your schedule, didn’t he? Unexpected sex again?”

Greg’s cheeks took on a warm glow. “I wish. He took our car without seeing if I needed it. And then I couldn’t get a cab that would get me here in time. It was like every taxi in the city had to be anywhere but available to come get me. I was almost to the point where I was considering the subway and walking.”

Kim stepped back from the door to let him in. “How did you get here then?”

It was then she saw Blake standing in the middle of the walkway. He said nothing, simply held up his hand and gave her a little wave. Snow was falling in large, white flakes. They clung to his hair and stayed on his shoulders, highlighting his broad frame. For a moment, he looked sad, lonely and she wanted nothing more than to run out and throw her arms around him.

“I called the office hoping that I’d find you working late, but the boss-man answered instead. He picked me up so I wouldn’t have to go out in public dressed like this.” Greg shrugged off his parka, put on his Santa hat and boots and lowered his pants so they hugged his hips. “I oiled up at home, so I’m good to go.”

Sarah peeked around the corner, looked between Kim and Greg and gave a squeal. “Ladies, I think Santa has come with some presents!”

Kim saw Greg tense and his gaze flicked around the small hallway. The last thing she wanted was for him to have a panic attack on her. Taking him by the shoulders, she gave him a squeeze before looking him straight in the eyes.

“You’re one of our best Nicks. Take a deep breath and smile. You’ll be able to punish your man when you get home.” Kim waited until she was certain he’d relaxed enough to do them all proud, then gave Greg a shove toward the living room. “Go get ’em, tiger.”

She didn’t even see Greg go past her, as her attention was no longer focused on the party.
He’s still out there.
Blake hadn’t turned tail and left the moment she’d spotted him. That was progress over the strange dance they’d been engaged in since their kiss.

A kiss so amazing it had made her heart ache, even though it had happened in front of the bathroom. That brief moment of contact that had sent her heart galloping so hard, had distracted her so much, she’d been unable to follow him when he ran. She thought he’d simply needed some time to wrap his head around what had happened. What she hadn’t expected was for him to disappear on her for two days.

In that time apart, he’d consistently haunted her dreams, making it next to impossible to concentrate on anything else except for the idea of kissing him again. He’d gone into hiding, only to reappear and act as though nothing had happened at all.

To make matters worse, he took great pains to ensure they were never alone together. He wasn’t exactly avoiding her, but if she’d been a less confident woman, Kim would have thought she’d developed an odd rash, a smell, something he didn’t want to get too close to. She still didn’t know exactly what had happened between them—they’d kissed, which was amazing, but something had changed in how they dealt with one another. She wasn’t certain it was a good change.

Though something that clearly hadn’t changed was Blake’s tendency to be a workaholic. She couldn’t imagine what he was doing at the office on a Friday evening, two weeks before Christmas. He worked too much and spent too little time with friends—a toxic combination. Even if there wasn’t going to be a repeat performance of the kiss, she didn’t like to see him so lonely. No one deserved that, especially this time of year.

She’d never admit it to him directly, but Kim was worried. Normally, Blake would be shoving work aside and starting to enjoy the spirit of the season by now. They’d tease each other whenever he was at Naughty Nicks, but he’d always be heading out with his friends, going down to the pub. He hadn’t mentioned anything of the sort this year. He bounced between his two offices and home, nothing more. All work and no play.

Except for him kissing you.

Ignoring the sudden blast of dance music and the whoops from the girls inside, Kim grabbed her coat off the hook, toed on her shoes and stepped out onto the concrete porch. There were two ways she could play this—ignore the elephant between them for a bit longer and focus on him, or throw her hands around his neck and kiss him the way she wanted.
Best to play things safe.

“So you’re doubling as a taxi now?” The wind blew at her coat, sending it swirling around her legs. She shoved her hands deep into the pockets, just to ensure she wouldn’t do anything stupid.

“Good thing I was, or else I would have been the one playing Naughty Nick tonight.”

Kim swallowed hard at the immediate image that particular suggestion brought to mind. Blake dressed in nothing but a hat and those too-baggy pants. They’d slip down across his hips, revealing the swell of his firm ass and the treasure trail of hair leading down to what she knew to be a perfect cock.

Not too small. Not too big. Just right for her to lick from root to tip.

Focus
,
you idiot.
“Why were you at work?”

He shrugged, taking a small step closer. “The boss does the work when it needs to get done. The hours don’t really matter.”

Cocking her head to the side, she looked at him hard. There was something
different
about him this year. Something calmer and yet, he was on edge. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it...

“You need to get laid.” Yes, sex was the solution to cure all ills, or it had been in the past. And the lack of it would certainly explain his unusual behavior. Even if she wasn’t the one reaping the benefits, one of them needed to get their shit together before the business imploded. “It’s nearly Christmas and you’ve been single for too long. Come with me and I’ll introduce you around. There are some awesome girls inside and most of them are looking for a date. I know how much it helped you before.”

She didn’t give him the opportunity to argue, or herself the chance to second-guess her motives. Grabbing his hand, Kim yanked him into the house in time to hear another loud chorus of whoops and Sarah yell, “Shake that ass, Santa!”

“Dear God, they’re going wild.” Blake chuckled as he took off his coat. “Poor Greg.”

“Poor Greg’s boyfriend. He’ll be flayed alive when he gets home for taking the car. No one messes with ‘the schedule’ and gets out unscathed.”

Kim reclaimed Blake’s hand as soon as he hung up his coat. She couldn’t say exactly why, but she got the feeling he needed the physical contact tonight. Giving him a squeeze, she tugged him toward the living room.

“I’ll warn you now. You’ll get mauled if the girls think you’re single. That said, maybe I should throw you to the wolves. Getting mauled might not be a bad thing for you—”

Blake stepped in close behind her, at the same time he further linked their fingers. “Keep me safe, elf Kim.”

A shiver shot through her, setting her nerves on fire and her pussy throbbing. “Yes, sir.”

* * *

Blake hadn’t witnessed any of the Naughty Nicks in action before. Yes, this was his business and he took pride in the merriment they brought to the holidays, but seeing a naked man shake his goods for a group of giddy women wasn’t high on his list of things he needed to do.

So turning the corner and seeing the man he’d driven here, now wearing nothing but a loose pair of Santa pants, standing on a table so he could better shake his ass for the screaming gaggle of women, was an eye-opener.

“Wow.” How many crunches did Greg need to do to keep his abs that ripped? More than Blake had ever done in his life, no doubt.

Kim giggled as she got up on her tip-toes. “Wait until he does this Michael Jacksonesque spin and his pants fall down. Classic.”

Blake didn’t want to know how many times Kim had been witness to the dance moves of the various men who were in the employ of Naughty Nicks. He’d tried to ignore the idea she might be attracted to any of the guys she hired. And why wouldn’t she be? She was young and beautiful. They were attractive, knew how to work a room full of women and were about her age. The idea of them hooking up made perfect sense. It made way more sense than the idea of her being attracted to him.

Kim dropped his hand and started to clap and whistle along with the rest of the women as Greg performed the aforementioned spin—
how did he not fall on his face doing that?
—leaving him in nothing more than a pair of red Speedos, and Blake feeling rather inadequate in his manhood.

Not fair.

He should get out of here and go back to the office. He might have found the strength to do that if Kim hadn’t chosen that moment to lean back against him. The top of her head didn’t quite reach his chin, but her mass of curls did, tickling his skin. Her shoulders pressed into his chest, and his cock—it had never forgotten Kim and their amazing sex—was now pressed firmly against her lower back. This was worse than the kiss by a factor of a thousand.

She jumped again, rubbing her body against his, letting him feel what he’d started dreaming about. The past few days had been torture for him. He thought staying away from Nicks would be enough to drive the memory of their brief kiss from his head. It had only made the dreams more vivid, forcing him to relive their night. Every time he closed his eyes, Kim was there looking back at him, sex-drunk and flushed, begging him for more. He was quickly moving beyond want and into the realm of need. If he didn’t fuck Kim soon, he might lose his mind.

On day three following the kiss, he found himself showing up at Nicks to work, determined to enjoy the companionship they’d forged over the past few years and ready to ignore his desires. Kim was there, happy to see him, though clearly confused. She’d slipped back into their routine, flirting in that subtle way she had that screamed she was interested in him. Why he couldn’t get over this
thing
in his brain and be man enough to give them what they both wanted, he didn’t know.

Sooner or later Kim would move on and find someone her own age to be with. Someone who was at the same place in their life as she was, who would give her the things that she wanted.

“So ladies,” Greg said as he put his hands on his hips, “have you been naughty or nice?”

“Nice!”

Greg pouted and gave his hips a swivel. “That’s too bad. Because Santa has a
special
present, but it’s only for a naughty girl.”

The screams from the women were near deafening with the sounds of, “Me! I’m naughty! ME!
ME!
”