To celebrate my 10 year publishing anniversary I'll be posting one short story per day here on my blog from December 13-24th.
Every day will feature a different couple and the stories will vary in length. They'll range from sweet to a little bit spicy and hopefully will leave you with a smile on your face and a warm feeling of holiday cheer in your heart.
Thank you for ten wonderful years!
THE CHRISTMAS DATE
DAY: 2
CHARACTERS: Neil Greene & Alexander Ford
PROMPTS: Date to a Christmas Party + Spiked Eggnog
NOTES: This is set two and a half years after the events of Date in a Pinch. Contains mild references to BDSM and a D/s dynamic.
“I’ll be your date to the staff Christmas party, if you want.”
Neil looked up from the flyer in his mail slot and glanced over his shoulder to smile at the English teacher who’d spoken to him. “Hmm, I don’t know. I might have gotten some other offers.”
“Oh, really?” Alexander raised an eyebrow, grazing his fingers across Neil’s hip as he reached to grab his mail.
Neil shivered at the touch and the low, suggestive voice. Gah, his boyfriend and Dom was so sexy. It had been two years, and Neil still didn’t know how he’d gotten so lucky.
“But I suppose you might be worth considering,” Neil teased as he turned to face him. “What do you have to offer?”
“Oh, I see how it is,” Alexander said. “I have to prove my worth as a holiday date, huh?”
“Yup.”
Alexander crossed his arms, lounging against the wall. “Let me think. Did you know I have a very festive Christmas sweater? With reindeer on it and everything.”
“That is festive,” Neil agreed. “What else?”
“You need more?” Alexander raised an eyebrow. “Hmm. Let’s see. I can promise to pick you up at your door and drive you there. I can make witty conversation and I’ve been told I look pretty good. I bet I’d impress your coworkers.”
Neil laughed. Yeah, their fellow teachers were already half in love with Alexander, so that sounded about right.
Neil pretended to consider the idea. “Not bad. I feel like I might be able to get that elsewhere though.”
“Oh wow. You are a tough one, huh?” Alexander slowly looked him up and down, then stepped forward. He braced his arms on the mail slots behind Neil, caging him in. “What if I told you that my dates are always very satisfied at the end of the night?”
“How do you ensure that?” Neil asked breathlessly.
“Well.” Alexander put his mouth right next to Neil’s ear, his breath warm. “I have a whole box of toys I like to play with. Guaranteed to please, thrill, and delight.”
“Guaranteed, huh?” Neil slid a hand up Alexander’s chest over his pale blue sweater.
“Oh yes. And I have tricks up my sleeve you’ve never even imagined.”
Neil shivered again, believing it. Alexander still continued to surprise him even after years together. He had no reason to doubt that would ever change.
“Good to know,” he managed.
“So, Mr. Greene,” Alexander said, pulling back to look him in the eye. “Have you been naughty or nice this year?”
“Both,” Neil squeaked. “Definitely both.”
“That I believe.” Alexander gave him a crooked smile. “Now, what do you say? Will you accompany me to the school holiday party?”
Neil smiled back. “I’d be happy to, Sir.”
Alexander’s gaze flared hot before he leaned in. Neil closed his eyes and grabbed Alexander’s sweater, intending to pull him closer and press their lips together, when he heard someone clearing their throat.
“Ahh, excuse me. I just need to get to my slot.”
Neil sprang back, although Alexander moved a little more slowly.
“Sorry about that, Sonya,” Alexander said with a charming smile as he looked at the school principal. “I got a little carried away inviting Neil to the staff party.”
Neil waved the flyer that had started this whole thing, his cheeks warm, feeling a little sheepish about Sonya catching them flirting.
Of course, it was hardly the first time she’d done so.
Sonya just smiled. “I hope he said yes.”
“Thankfully, he did.” Alexander held out an arm. “Walk you to your classroom so you can start prepping for the day, Mr. Greene?”
Neil beamed at him. “I’d love that, Mr. Ford.”
***
“I’m starting to think someone spiked the eggnog,” Alexander muttered under his breath as he stared at their coworkers.
Neil laughed. “Really?” he asked, eyes sparkling.
His cheeks were flushed pink, and he looked amazing in the olive-green sweater and dark wash jeans he’d dressed in earlier. Alexander had almost made them late this morning before they headed to work.
And if he wasn’t careful, Alexander would drag him off somewhere and show him exactly how good he looked. Surely, no one would be in the science wing right now. Neil’s chemistry classroom would be very private.
It had been a half day for students today and they were off for Christmas break now. There were no after-school activities and no one had wanted to linger.
Plus all of the teachers who attended the annual party were here in the library at the other end of the school.
Alexander stared at their fellow teachers dancing to a Louis Armstrong Christmas song in the middle of the library speculatively. Definitely drunk. “Well, look at them.”
“You have a point,” Neil said thoughtfully. He took a sip of his cranberry-orange punch.
“Maybe they won’t notice if I drag you behind the stacks to make out.”
Neil shot him a look. “We get in enough trouble as it is.”
Alexander supposed Neil had a point. They had been caught kissing—or nearly kissing—several times in various places around the school.
Alexander leaned in, although no one was in earshot. “No? That doesn’t sound good? If you’d rather, I could drag you to your classroom and tie you across one of your lab tables and have my way with you.”
Neil gasped. “Sir!”
Alexander grinned. He’d never get over Neil calling him that.
They’d never gotten in trouble for flirting on school premises, but he supposed they should at least try to behave. It was a shame. He so enjoyed tormenting his sweet Neil.
“Fine,” Alexander countered, reaching for a candy cane Kiss cookie. “Then they’re too drunk to notice if we sneak out early and go home.”
“I thought you wanted to come to this party!” Neil protested.
“I did. But I set up a scene in our guest room to make sure our date ended on a fun note, and I’m much, much more interested in getting home to that than watching our co-workers dance badly.”
“What kind of scene?” Neil asked, clearly intrigued.
“Oh, there’s some restraints, some temperature play, maybe a candy cane that I can do naughty things with …”
“Say no more,” Neil said, draining the rest of his glass. “Let’s get out of here.”
As they hurriedly collected their coats and passed by Sonya, who was chatting with the new art teacher, she feigned disapproval. “Cutting out early, I see.” She grinned at them, clearly not too upset.
“It was either that or make out in the stacks,” Alexander said with a wink.
She laughed. “Excellent choice. Enjoy your holiday break!”
“You too,” Neil said cheerfully.
Alexander smirked at her and took Neil’s wrist, rubbing his thumb across the half-inch wide metal bracelet that was Neil’s public collar. “Oh trust me, we will.”
Enjoyed the story? Please leave a comment and tell me what you think!
Thanks very much. I enjoyed the short story.
After reading this short, I read Date in a Pinch and absolutely loved it. Looking forward to reading the rest of the Naughty in Pendleton series!
Thanks for giving us Neil and Alexander, they were my first book by you and I still love them.
I loved it! So nice to see Neil and Alexander again. Now I’m wondering if Forrest and Jarod would get one… let’s wait and see. Thanks for this lovely tidbits.